You are...

turning 38 today.
The 1st birthday we celebrated together
you were turning 31
and now here you are
38 and all grown up now.
(wink wink, laugh)


You are my darling,
my friend,
my lover,
my choice above all other.



We laugh.
We flirt.
We love.
We drive each other crazy -
keep each other sane.
We hold each other tight
and hold each other together.
We're each better because of the other.
Life is so amazing
with you...
and I wouldn't have it
any other way.

Happy Birthday Mike,
I love you.

25

photo found on tumblr

As many of you know, I celebrated my 25th birthday a few days ago and, to me, it's a milestone.
My mom was 25 when she had me and for some reason I've always thought of it as the "grown-up" age mark. Silly I know. And I've also heard those reports that say that your teenage hormones don't fully leave until 25 (or in other words - you don't smart-en up until 25.)
In any case, I am looking forward to this year. There are so many things I would like to do and want to do. It feels like a huge new chapter of my life is opening up and I'm eager to begin.
So, in honor of that I am going to make my list of
25 things to do before I'm 26

1. attend a live symphonic performance
2. knit something more complicated than a scarf or hat
3. take pictures of finished sewing & craft projects
4. write down my goals and dreams for the future
5. teach at least 3 more sewing classes and demos
6. make "date night" a regular occurrence
7. move to the country and our own little "farm"
8. do daily devotions with Olivia before school
9. take a trip to the West Coast
10. start a family business with Mike
11. take another sewing/quilting class
12. read my Bible every day
13. stop procrastinating
14. visit an art museum
15. go to the theater or the opera
16. no more late birthday and Christmas gifts and cards
17. start working on the book that's in my head
18. see the Nutcracker ballet in person
19. plant daffodil bulbs around my house in the fall
20. read The Great Gatsby
21. go to D.C. and enjoy the Smithsonian museums, and the monuments
22. apply for a passport
23. invest in 3 pairs of boots (these, these, and these)
24. learn to milk a goat ( or cow)
25. exercise 2x a week ( any suggestions?)

I will periodically update and mark off this "done" things through out the year and keep you updated.

7 years

11 years ago, I met a man and fell for him.
3 years later, he asked me to marry him,
and 1 year later, I did.
Now, 7 years have gone by since that day,
and I love him more than ever.

I'm so glad that I said, "yes"
and even though we've had a lot to learn
in these past 7 years,
I wouldn't trade them for anything.
Because I was with him.
And I'm ever so excited
to get to plan and spend my future with him.

My dear husband,
I'm looking forward to
the next 70 x 7 years together.


xoxo,
Fairlight

Tumblr-ing

To say that I've been a bit absent from my blog
would be a bit of an understatement, wouldn't it?
I haven't forgotten my dear blogging friends,
nor my family who check in often.
But, part of my heart has been a bit stolen by
this new thing they call Tumblr.
So full of yummy eye-candy goodness.
You can see mine here.
You are warned that there are over 70 pages at this point.

A camping we will go

or actually, went. (Warning: very very heavy picture post ahead!!)
Last weekend Mike and I took the girls and went camping in the Appalachian Mountains. We love the mountains and always have a wonderful time. We visit and stay in the Smokey Mountain National Park. They have several campgrounds and we love them all, but are very partial to one. :)
We spent a lot of time enjoying the scenery and taking short walks since there were high chances of rain all 4 days that we were there. It didn't seem too wise to venture far from shelter with the downpours that blow up over the mountains. We had lots of fun and enjoyed every minute. Even the wet, muddy, and dirty ones.

We discovered while camping that Sadie~Rose is our nature girl. ?I've never seen a little one with such an affinity for dirt, mud, water, rocks, and plants. She was in heaven the whole time we were there. And a dirtier urchin I have not seen. But she had fun, so much fun.

We went to the Cherokee Indian Museum on Friday morning.
It was the perfect indoor outing for a rainy day.

We went to a working grist mill.
It's always a favorite hike for us.

We also hiked to Mingus Falls.
It's the tallest waterfall in the Appalachian Mountains.
About a 10 minute hike straight uphill, but so worth it.

A heart shaped knob on our tree by the campsite.

Sadie~Rose, passing the time waiting for dinner
sitting on a concrete bumper and looking at
a Babies-R-Us magazine she found in the car.

Our drive to Cade's Cove.
Rainy.

We saw lots and lots of deer in the Cove
after the rain storm was over.

Rose, practicing her driving skills.

Miss Olivia, pretending to be a bear in the
Cade's Cove Visitor's Center.

A lovely little stream that feeds into another working gristmill.

Sadie~Rose playing in the water.

Mike and the girls in front of the mill.

Driving through the park
you get some of the most amazing views.

We have a hard time keeping this child out of the water.

River stones.

Mother's Day.
Mommy with her girls.

Last picture on the camera.
I was taking pictures of the mountains
out the window when Olivia says,
"Quick, I need the camera!"
So I hand her the camera
and instead of pointing it out the window,
she points it at Mike and I's clasped hands.
Which is how we ride.
And what she sees.

Daddy and Mommy <3>