We just can't sit still...

On beautiful Fall days, it is just crazy to sit inside and fill out save-the-date cards, right? So instead of completing this much needed task, we decided to ditch it and go somewhere!

Since I have been itching to go somewhere and wanting to go to the mountains, we decided to take the Blue Ridge Parkway to Maggie Valley.

We planned to grab a bite to eat for lunch in Maggie and head on out to Cataloochee. However, when we arrived in Maggie, which is a small mountain town, we realized that it pretty much closes down in the off season, leaving us very few options for lunch. We were fortunate enough to find  a Subway, so we got our food to go and were on our way!

Cataloochee is around 17 miles from Maggie Valley, however it took us about an hour to go that distance. As we all know, mountain miles seem ten times longer than low country miles, and it did not help that most of the distance was a single lane, dirt road.

We made it and set up picnic in the hay loft of an old barn.

After lunch we just piddled around Catalooche. We visited old homesteads, schools, and churches. This is a picture of the old school.  Thankfully I will be teaching in a school where the desks can be rearranged and there is heating and air! :)

Since it was still early in the day, Justin and I decided to hike up to an old cemetery. We thought it would be a nice leisure walk, just to pass time. We were wrong! It was a short distance, but the hike was difficult. The trail ventured straight up a mountain, leaving us both (being experienced hikers) gasping for air half way up. We made it to the top, expecting to see a graveyard of really old headstones. No. There were four graves, all from the early 1900's. It was pretty anticlimactic.  ( I regret that we did not take any pictures of this strenuous climb, but to be fair, I was too tired to even begin to think about capturing the experience on camera!)

Returning to our car exhausted, we thought we would just head back home since it was 'too early' to see elk anyway. We decided, just for the heck of it, to drive back down to the other end of Cataloochee one last time. Much to our suprise, this is what we saw:

Dozens of elk! I had been to Cataloochee before with my family to see the elk, however Justin had never been! It was pretty neat. We counted between 35-40, we could never agree on a number, you know how that goes! :)

After standing in awe of how gigantic they really are, we decided to head home happy! As we were pulling out of the park, Mr. Papa Elk decided to pose for the camera. There were actually two, one on either side of the road! ( I was a little concerned when we were stopped in the road. However, they seem to be unusually used to the paparazzi!)

We took our time going home.We stopped at this lookout, which is right outside of Cataloochee's entrance. My parents have a picture of me at this same lookout when I was around 6. So, it I thought it neat to stop there again.

Also on the way home, we stopped in Franklin, NC. We just walked around for a little while, enjoying the weather. We then came across one enormous pumpkin! Justin decided that in order for y'all to fully understand the size of this pumpkin, I needed to sit on it to offer up a comparison. I was impressed with it, so impressed I tried to pick it up and take it home.... needless to say I failed! ;)

We made it home right after sunset. We missed most of the sunset, however we were still served with quite a view.

After dark we decided to make a yummy dinner and just relax. It was a perfect way to spend and end a beautiful Autumn day!

Um Jantar Brasileiro

Maybe there are some benefits of my fiance' going to Brasil after all...

On Wednesday night, Justin decided to make me an awesome authentic Brasilian supper. I will no longer complain about him leaving the country without me if he comes back preparing meals like this one!

He used his handy soapstone cookwear from Brasil to sear calabresa (Brasilian sausage), peppers, and onions for the feijoada. Feijoada is the national dish of Brasil that is cooked with black beans, meat, vegetables (usually peppers and onions), and special seasonings.

The feijoada was served on top of rice that had grilled pineapples mixed in! Oh my goodness. I was a little hesitant at first, not really knowing how the pineapple was going to taste when eaten at the same time as rice and beans, but it smelled so good I was more than willing to try it! The entire dish was topped with farofa, a coarse flour made from yucca root.

To accompany our dinner, Justin invented a new kind of drink: jabuticabarinha. It is made similiarly to the caipirinhas, which is the national drink of Brasil. However, a caipirinha contains crushed lime, sugar, and cachaca, but he substituted jabuticaba and white wine for the cachaca.

To add an interesting fact, jabuticaba is a tree native to the Atlantic rainforest that produces a large, sweet fruit that resembles a muscadine. (Cool, huh?)

A couple things we learned from cooking this dinner:

• We could totally use a bigger soapstone skillet!
• American food tastes bland after being exposed to Brasilian food! 

Hooray!!! Justin's Back!

You would have thought that between classes, clinicals, and planning a wedding I wouldn't have time to miss Justin. And to tell the truth, the two weeks Justin was gone just so happened to be close to the busiest two weeks of the semester, maybe of my entire collegiate career. However, it appears that no matter how busy I am, I can always make time to miss my sweetie!

As most of you know, Justin arrived back in the States on Monday night. We all well aware of how accident-prone he is, so I let out a sigh of relief when he called and told me he had finally landed in Atlanta! Thanks to Emily and Eric, Justin arrived back from Brazil safely!

I know this had to be somewhat of a challenge for them considering:

•  Justin almost got beat up by a Parrot! (I guess I can find some distant relatives in Brazil after all! ;) )

• The enormous amount of caimans in the Pantanal! (I guess it does have to be mentioned that caimans won't even eat the capybara (the largest living rodent in the world) that come around. They just look too much like alligators for my liking!

• Georgie, Justin's horse, was supposedly the wildest one out of the bunch. The tour guide told Justin not to ride in the middle of the pack or else Georgie would start kicking and biting the horses around him. Justin looks mighty protected with the cute little helmet he is wearing, don't you agree? :)

I am glad he made it back, and now I must live in envy of all of the beautiful things he saw and got to do--For example:

Gabs and the Giant Snail on a beach in Rio de Janeiro!

School of fish in Lagoa Azul at Ilha Grande

Another awesome fish at Lagoa Azul. (This picture looks like it came straight out of National Geographic!)

Piranha Fishing!

Piranha's mouth!

Chasing an Anteater!

Gruta de Lago Azul (Blue Lake Cave) at Bonito

But the one thing I miss that I will get to see SOON :) is my future brother- and sister-in-law and their beautiful daughter, Gabriela!

Hurry up, Tuesday!

Oh, my, goodness. How sweet!!!

Usually I dispise going to the mailbox, mainly because I know all that sits waiting for me is a stack of bills, or occasionally a magazine from an educational company trying to get me to purchase something. Well, for the past week and a half I have basically been waiting on the mailman to arrive! :)

Let me just say, I have the sweetest fiance' ever! I know, I know, everyone claims that their significant other is the best, but let me defend my statement!!

As most of you know, Justin is in Brazil from October 24 to November 9th. For everyday that he has been gone, I have recieved a little surprise in my mailbox.


Since he was not sure how much we were going to be able to talk during his trip, he pre-wrote and individually enveloped and stamped 17 little notes. I can only assume that Mr. Tony, his dad is the one sending these cute little smile starters. :)

I had no clue that I was to be expecting anything, but it just so happened that the day I really needed a smile, I recieved my first surprise! It was the sweetest letter. It has provided many butterflies in the last week, especially the days that I have been unable to talk to him.

I continue to get an envelope in the mail each day. So far I have recieved 10 and believe I will get 6 more! :) Each note is titled: 16 Reasons Why I Love You. (aw!)

Although I enjoy every note I have gotten from Justin, I am more than ready for him to return home! Tuesday can not get here fast enough!!!

This ring is 63 years old....

Today was Homecoming at my home church in Georgetown, SC so I went back to see all of the folks I have not been able to see in a while. As they were asking about life and the "so do you have a boyfriend?" question, I was pleased to say, "well actually, he's my fiance'!" Most of the ladies oooohed and aaaahed and asked to see the ring as excitement filled their smiles. Many of the ladies offered advice and well wishes to the bride to be, but one lady offered a little more, a story that I will never forget.

As I stood in the aisle of the church, Mrs. Stella Jacobs held me close as she whispered her own love story in my ear. She held out her hand and started off with, "This ring is 63 years old!" As she began to speak, tears of happiness came to her eyes. Her excitement for me was obvious when she said that her and her husband had been married for 63 years and are happier now than the day they got married. She said that the best days of my life will be spent with my husband (Justin!) and every bicker, every fight will be well worth it!

Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs were my age (21) when they married and have been richly blessed with children and grandchildren. She told me that the key to their marriage was their relationship with God. Like most little old ladies, Mrs. Jacobs mixed humor into her story. She said that there were times that she could have killed Mr. Noah and that she probably would have if it wasn't for her being a Christian. (I snickered.) "But in all seriousness," she said "learn from your fights, always forgive and always respect him. This is the key to marriage."

As she concluded, she said "your husband is supposed to strive to be your better half, but you may have to strive to be his first." As she hugged me real tight before letting go she said, "I have prayed for you ever since you were a little girl in my Sunday school class. You are like a granddaughter and I know God will richly bless you in your marriage." As she release and allowed me to go mingle with other excited older ladies, I could not help but be extraordinarily thankful for returning to Screven Baptist Church for Homecoming. I do not think I will ever forget Mrs. Jacobs' advice nor will I forget how much she loves and truly cares for me.

I won't analyze her conclusion on this blog like I have already done in my head, but I just thought I would share the advice and conclusion she has come to after 63 years of a strong and beautiful marriage.

This is what inspired the entire conversation! :) (Of course I had to show it off at some point on here! :) )