shenandoah

Due to the fact that Curt has traveled extensively almost every Spring and Fall since we've been married, we have been unable to camp nearly much as we would like to.  Therefore, we headed up for a long weekend to Shenandoah a few weeks ago to try to make up for lost time.  We arrived on Thursday afternoon, and after receiving very serious warnings regarding the number of bears frequenting the campground, proceeded to set up our tent.  Then we went for a nice, short hike and came back to cook dinner.  Curt made hobo packets in the campfire, and they were delicious.

For dessert, we had s'mores.  Yum!  Ruby was dying to try them:

That evening we had some pretty unfortunate neighbors which resulted in Susan Ada tromping over there around 12:30 to ask them to please keep it down.  Then, Ruby woke us up bright and early because she knew we were in a new place and was ready to explore.  We ate a nice breakfast and got packed up for long day hike.  We chose the Rocky Mount trail which is about 10 miles long and gains about 2400 ft in elevation.  We carried lots of snacks and water and set a nice steady pace and had a great walk. Ruby even carried her own pack.  Here she is with Curt ready to go!

Made it to the top!  Susan Ada at 24 weeks:

Ruby is not used to carrying her pack.  She was exhausted :)

After our long hike, we took showers and went back to camp for dinner.  That night, it was much quieter and we were able to get some rest.  Saturday morning we heard they were calling for rain later in the evening so we decided to have a lazy day at camp and head home a day early.  Packing up camp in the rain is no fun.  Curt made biscuits in his dutch oven.  Tasty!

This is how Ruby thinks she should lay by the fire.  Silly puppy.

You can't go to Shenandoah National Park without seeing a bear. . .here's to keeping tradition:

We had another short walk to stretch our legs, then headed home via Charlottesville and the Vintage Virginia Apple Orchard.  So thankful to have some time to get away while it's just the two of us.

swimming holes

For most of the summer, we have been blessed with cooler weather.  However, lately those temperatures have been soaring and Susan Ada needed to cool off that belly of hers.  Thus, the commencement of the swimming hole hunt.  We were actually quite fortunate and found one within an hour of our house, and it was easy to find, and nobody was there.  Triple score!!  We went Sunday after church and packed a picnic lunch.  Caprese salad with fresh tomatoes and basil!!

Ruby, our little otter, wasted no time in taking a dip.

Curt wasn't so sure about the take-your-breath-away cold water, but Susan Ada is a seasoned veteran and encouraged him to get in past his ankles. (Editor's note: Curt got in up to his neck thank you very much) We enjoyed walking up the creek and stopping to swim in the pools along the way.  It was so beautiful and refreshing.  Susan Ada and Ruby swam and swam together, but we didn't have our camera to snap a pic.  We went back down the creek to get our camera, but Ruby decided she was done and planted herself in the car.  Silly puppy.

Susan Ada is having a brave moment here. . .19 weeks in a swimsuit!  

 Enjoying our refreshing time together:

construction zone

When we bought our house, it came with a very small master closet. . .approximately 2' x 4'.  Therefore, we moved into a different bedroom that had a larger closet with the hopes of eventually enlarging the master closet.  So, with the news of the upcoming baby, it became necessary for us to move into the master so that we could have a nursery and a guest room. . .and thus began the madness. As you know, unless you have the highest standards of cleanliness (which these Hamiltons certainly do not), an empty room in one's house will be filled with something.  In our case, it became the catch-all room. . .for the last year and a half.  Anything we didn't know what to do with got dropped in the master.  Therefore, it took us a solid week to get it all cleaned out.  That alone was pretty exhausting.  Then, Curt began tearing out the back wall of the existing closet. . .and just like that, our house became a construction zone.

Basically, Curt tore out the back of the existing closet and extended the right wall straight back to an exterior wall.  This new wall essentially cuts our mudroom in half, and is a much better usage of space.  The demolition begins: 

At this point, Susan Ada's parents came to help for a long weekend.  Here is the new space.  Note that it has 2 windows and measures approximately 7' x 10'. . .quite the upgrade :)

Next, Curt began framing out the new walls:

Once the framing was complete, it was time for Curt to hang his first sheetrock!

Curt actually made the door smaller so the furniture placement in the bedroom will work out better.

We interrupt this construction to bring you Susan Ada at 17 weeks :)

 After the sheetrock comes the subfloor:

And after the subfloor comes tar paper. . .apparently it keeps the wood floor from squeaking:

Ruby stopped by to inspect the first of the wood floor installation:

She decided her daddy was a little stressed from figuring it out and could use a good snuggle:

And here we are today.  Less than 2 ft remaining to finish the wood floor, but we are taking a break to go enjoy some mountain air for July 4th

Tune in next time to see how the construction continues. . .

mother's/father's day

Since very few people knew we were celebrating Mother's Day when it was actually Mother's Day, we thought we'd take a minute to fill you in. . .because, quite honestly, Curt knocked it out of the park.  Susan Ada loves sushi and has really missed it in the past few months so Curt made her some "Mama sushi."  He used cooked crab and shrimp and made some super delicious rolls.

Then he made a carrot cake for dessert.  Yum!!

He also made a lamp out of a log that we have had for a while.  It will look perfect in our new bedroom.  We don't have any pictures of Father's Day, but Susan Ada's parents were in town so she was on double duty.  She made a yummy southern meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and sweet tea.  And, to top it off, her mom helped her make a cherry pie that was quite tasty!  She really wanted to purchase a raspberry bush for Curt's gift, but they were all sold out so she got him a book, onesie for the baby, and a toy they can play together.  

Let's hope for many more celebrations like these in the days to come!

sunday funday

We have been traveling so much lately that we were excited to have a weekend home to get things done around the house.  Sunday we went to early church so we were home by 10:00.  We had worked hard all day Friday and Saturday so we decided to do something fun. . .and that was when we remembered the Blue Ridge Parkway is only 30 minutes from our house.  How do you forget that???  I mean, even when we were desperately grasping to find positive things about Lynchburg that was always at the top of our list.  Anyhoo - we remembered and all piled in the car!  We had heard about Apple Orchard Falls from many of our friends, but had never actually hiked down to it so we decided to give it a try.  Basically, you hike down for 1 1/2 miles through a beautiful forest with lots of little feeder creeks until they all converge into a big one that eventually goes over some rocks to make a 150 ft waterfall.  Fantastic.

This was a smaller waterfall that you come to first.  We might have wondered if this was the big one.  Like, sat down, ate our snacks, took pictures thought it was the big one.  Oops.  Nevertheless, we were able to snag a fab picture of the pup. . .this doesn't happen often folks.

And, it was baby's first trip to a waterfall.  Here is Susan Ada at 14 weeks. . .just starting to really show :)

So we kept hiking and did, in fact, find Apple Orchard Falls.  

Totally worth the hike. . .and the climb out of that hole.  Yay for fun Sunday afternoons!

ruby's first birthday

So, Sunday was a pretty big deal around these parts. . .Ruby celebrated her first birthday.  Well, if we're honest, Ruby had no idea that Sunday was any different than any other day. . .but Susan Ada did, and she didn't let anyone forget it :)

We are always ready for teachable moments around here. . .birthdays are no exception.  Ruby is quite good at sitting and waiting for something yummy in her bowl.  So far, she's up to 4 minutes.  Yes, we realize that carrot peelings are ultimately destined for the compost, but Ruby thinks they are treats.  Don't tell!

After church Susan Ada made Ruby a party hat.  .  .

You would have thought we make it out of iron.  Chin up silly pup!

Then we went on a walk in the woods with some of our friends, and one of Ruby's :)  They ran and ran and ran.  Not exactly our idea of a super fun birthday activity, but we're not Vizsla puppies now are we?

When she had finally worn herself out we went to the pet store to pick out some adult dog food.  We let Ruby choose a treat.  She picked out this duck and is obsessed with it.  She can already pick it out of all her toys when we ask her to bring it to us.

What's a birthday without a good scrub in the tub??

And then she got to curl up with the down because she was cold and tired. . .and it was her birthday!!

So thankful for our little birthday pup.

oopsie

What do you know?  It's been a month since we've posted :)  In our defense, Curt has been traveling for 3 of the weeks since we wrote.  In fact, Curt is traveling now.  He left 2 weeks ago and Susan Ada and Ruby miss him more everyday.  All that said, there's not a whole lot happening here, but we thought we'd give you a snapshot of fall around here.

Curt received the necessary supplies to make pancake letters for his birthday.  Here is his first effort:

Ruby has developed an affinity for burying her bones. . .in the front yard :/

Susan Ada went to meet her best friend's sweet new baby girl, Gracie:

Curt's brother came to visit.  We took Ruby on an 8-mile bike ride.  She pulled us the whole way:

Curt was really sick and had to work from home for a few days.  Ruby was a big help:

We went to ASU homecoming to celebrate Susan Ada's birthday:







 
Susan Ada had her first sale on Etsy!

We celebrated one year of home ownership!  Here is Curt signing our life away. . .

Susan Ada completed a large project (inc 5 Roman shades) for her interior designer.  Ruby pitched in some moral support after Curt left:

Susan Ada's dad took her to a Panthers game!!



























Susan Ada went camping with a girlfriend in Shenandoah. . .






























And she came home to this. . .so that's what she'll be doing for the next month.