Spring Break 2021

During the summer of 2020 I was super bummed out and planned ahead to book something - anything - for spring break 2021. I found a cabin in Sevierville with a pool table, arcade and hot tub. 

The drive was fairly easy - about 4 hours. The “resort” (community) was new and very nice, tidy, and quiet. We could take evening walks on our small road. 

I was able to set up a Kroger pickup about 4 miles away which was super helpful than eating out or grocery shopping. We did do GrubHub delivery two times which was easy. 

I found a lot of shorter trails in our area. Easy trails in the Smokies are not considered easy here in Cincinnati : )  One small walk was part of Foxfire Outdoor Adventures - the trail had a free-hanging bridge (eek!) and a small waterfall. It was all uphill and a challenge for me to carry Hannah in the backpack. 

We bought an adult cider on our way out - cute fun place! 

Hoping the next time we head to that area we can re-do our cancelled Dollywood + Dream More resort stay. 

Easter 2021

 Easter 2021 was a bit brighter than last year when we were all solidly locked down. This year Tim and I were fully vaccinated and it was a beautiful day so we could still sit outside while some of our family weren’t fully vaccinated yet.

Earlier in the month there was a nice weekend so the Battys also got together outside - it was so refreshing! 

 

Small House Updates

 Over the colder months we made a few home updates - replaced some dated and busted up light fixtures and the bigger project was fixing our back deck - as I’d mentioned earlier, it was built poorly and was drooping quite a bit. It was fixed by our contractor and feels much more safe now! 

Next, Tim and I decided to paint it. It’s not worth putting in effort beyond that since we should be replacing the whole thing in the next few years. I chose a really dark grey and we’re very happy with this Band-Aid solution : ) 

Before: fixture has been here since we moved in - dated and falling apart.

After: classic drum pendant with nice warm light!

Before: industrial low hanging pendant that Tim always hit his head on.

After: flush light fixture. Also converting this area to a work station
as Tim’s office will be flexible with more WFH now.

Before: I’m almost embarrassed at how bad the wood looks.

After: **ahhhhh***

Before: Layers of wear.

After