Friday, September 28, 2012

are you sure it's fall?

 Yesterday afternoon Bryan and I decided to take advantage of our beautiful fall weather, so I made us a lite lunch and we headed to the lake... which is conveniently 1/2 mile from our house. Cali loves to swim and fetch sticks, and considering how we don't know how much longer the water will be this warm, I brought my camera to capture the memory of this day!


 How cute is our picnic bench? 
And how cute is my wet rat below?!








Cali not only swam like a little fish, but she decided to roll around in the sand several times. She was such a mess that she had to go straight into the bath tub once we got home. Small fry was not a happy camper and tried to escape several times...



 It's days like these that reconfirm why we moved to a lake and remind me why I love having weekdays off of work! But the party's almost over...

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

lil' sparklers etsy shop

Brad Paisley concert, 2008

Back in 2007 I was living in San Diego and working for a marketing agency. Laura and I worked closely together and became fast friends outside of the office. Since then, she's met and married her man in uniform, moved out of state, had 2 precious babies and opened an etsy shop!


You can purchase children's clothing and accessories including:


 Lil' Sparkler's specializes in chevron and modern prints. 
Laura can customize any order and offers free shipping to military.


For Every Mile A Memory reader's, Lil' Sparkler's is offering 10% off on your entire order. 
Coupon code: Kate10

Please shop and support a military wife who loves to create, is expecting her 3rd child and is a dear friend of mine!


To like Lil' Sparkler's facebook page click here.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

breaking news... i'm on instagram






Find me at katehg7and be prepared to see lots of Cali pictures!

Monday, September 24, 2012

brevard, nc: flying by the seat of our pants

Bry and I escaped to the picturesque smokey mountains last week for some much needed r&r. We went up there with little to no plans and flew by the seat of our pants. By doing so, we created the most simplistic and relaxing get-away... just Bryan, Cali and I... exploring nature, taking in the scenery and eating delicious foods.


My favorite way to eat out is in an old house or on its front porch. See here and here. Located in an old family home located on Main St. in Brevard, the Hobnob offers fine dining in a quiant atmosphere... and is pet friendly. Our meal was divine -- Bryan compared it, from start to finish, to K Pauls in New Orleans, and I think he's right -- this little restaurant is one of the best that North Carolina has to offer!


It had been raining that day, but just as dinner was coming to an end the rain stopped and provided us some time to stroll up and down Main St. While walking Bryan noticed an ad for homes for sale... on a lake. It looked beautiful, so we decided to hop in the car and drive to the address given, which happened to be only 3 miles down the road. Deer Lake, what a gem!

That is not fog... those are clouds... We were in awe!

 There were perfectly manicured lawns surrounding the lake, so we let Cali off the leash to run from Bryan to me and back - she was sopping wet and in pure heaven!


 The next morning we headed into Hendersonville for lunch. We had been here 4 years ago and after just 7 months of dating, so this little town was a trip down memory lane of sorts. The below fried green tomatoes and tuna & olive tapenade sandwich were to. die. for.


 After lunch we decided to take a drive. We turned off the "use highways/interstates" portion of our gps, which ensured we stay on winding country roads. Driving along the beautiful mountainside we encountered apple orchard after apple orchard.


 Driving further we came across a dead end. Ha! But this dead end was so beautiful that we had to stop for a little walk with Calz.


Continuing through the mountains, we came to one of our favorite towns, Chimney Rock. Just like Bry and I had been Hendersonville 4 years ago, we also spent time in Chimney Rock then. It is actually the place where I told Bryan I loved him for the very first time -- It was a hot and humid July afternoon in 2008... we had just gone on a hike to a waterfall and come back to town... next thing you knew we were swimming in the river and sitting on a rock as the water rushed passed us... that's when I said it. (he said it first... months prior). Needless to say, this is a special place for us and was so fun to bring Cali to!


 Best latte of your life is through that door!


After Chimney Rock, we continued our drive a few miles further to Lake Lure - where Dirty dancing was filmed.


Refreshed doesn't even begin to explain it...

Friday, September 21, 2012

scenes from the summer...

We do many things that either never get photographed (because contrary to how it appears, I don't take photos everytime I do something with friends or Bryan) and some things just don't deserve their own blog post. Below are some of my "lost photos from summer."

We took Cali to eat with us in Birkdale Village... a lot!

Spent afternoons at the lake

Shucked some corn

Popped a bottle that a friend gave us as a wedding gift... it's wine from the winery we got engaged at in Sonoma - Bartholomew Park

Doggy playdates

and fur-mama playdates

Warm clean sheets = snuggle time

 I had this for breakfast!

I baked diet coke brownies

football started

Although today is the last day of summer, it's still warm in the only 2 states I really care about, NC and CA, therefore I'm not ready to embrace fall quite yet... My pumpkin spiced latte will just have to wait! In the meantime, margarita anyone?!