TN.

We had a good weekend in Tennessee over the 4th. I wasn't feeling the greatest the first few days but overall it was a refreshing time away. On the drive up we noted all the cars going northwest like us were "mountains" and all the cars going southeast on the opposite side of the interstate were "beach"... it's fun to live only a few hours from each!

We went to an Elizabethton Twins game. They are the rookie league of the Minnesota Twins. We wore our MN Twins gear so we looked like we were big fans even though we'd never been there before. The Twins lost to the Cardinals but it was still fun... and they had a great fireworks show after the game so it was worth it.

The stadium has mountains in the background and a river that runs next to it. My camera phone doesn't quite do it justice.

The place we stayed had adorable little cottages tucked away in the mountains. It was so nice to sit outside on the porch and read for hours and hours... you can't do that in Columbia now!

Our chalet.

View from our porch.

We explored the property: saw a waterfall, walked in the mountain stream, hiked a few trails... with Maelee on our minds.

On Monday we hiked up to one of the highest peaks in the Appalachians and enjoyed some wonderful mountain views while eating sandwiches. I was working hard hiking up the steep incline and was feeling very athletic... until I saw a five-year-old in front of us doing just fine.

Greg is chewing his sandwich in this photo.

We spent time with our friends, the Parkers, while we were in TN and had fun connecting with them. We drove through the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few hours on the way home and enjoyed some spectacular mountain views. It was a pleasant trip, a needed break from our day-to-day lives in SC.

-Heather