Professional Photographer

I recently posted about our shopping trip to the Tanger Outlets in Sevierville, and how we met up with the Thompson family. During our shopping trip, Braden, the Thompson's oldest son, took several pictures with my camera. He is three years old, but did a great job!! I think he could be a pro one day!!

 Little brother, Tandyn

 Mommy, Emily

 Himself

Jeremy and Ava

I was impressed! I think he did a great job focusing and pressing the button! ;)

A Day At The Farm...

Some friends of ours work at a farm here in Northport and invited us to spend some time with them while they fed and groomed the animals. We met them at their house first to see their new horse and to follow them to the farm. Ava had a great time!!

 Ava meets Trooper for the first time

 Trooper shows an interest in her!

 Cason and her cat

 Sweet kitty

 This is a different cat. I think this is Tazz.

 Another kitty

 Ava on one of the horses at the farm.

 Little Jerry Seinfeld :)

 I love the way roosters look. I do not actually like them, though!!

 Another pretty rooster

 This is the real reason we came!! One of the horses on the farm had a baby!! He was only 3 days old when we visited him!! Ava got the first ride!

 This is the mommy horse

 Yee-Haw!!

Ava was interested in the ears!

We had a great time on the farm!!

Girl's Night Out

Every once in a while, the girls in the youth group need a girl's night out! School has just started and summer is almost officially over. To help with the transition, I try to plan a fun activity two or three times a year. It is usually something low-key like curling up on my monstrous couch and watching a chick flick or meeting up at a restaurant and having dinner. I wanted to do something a little different this time.

I have always wanted to be artistic, but alas, I can barely draw a stick figure!! I decided to call upon the talents of Becky Williams, a friend from church, who is an artist (she will be modest and say that she isn't, but she IS!) We got together Friday night at the fellowship hall in the church building and painted until our heart was content. She had the idea that every girl should bring a canvas and a hair dryer (to dry the paint so we can work fast) She also decided that we would be painting a cross that evening. Becky and her sister, Lori Fincher (also an artist), drew out four templates that would be traced directly onto the canvas, and printed out about 20 different examples of designs that could be used for the templates. I bought the paint and the paint brushes, and we got to work!! I wish I had pictures of everyone's artwork, but some people had to leave early.

Here are some photos of the amazing artwork that was created by our girls:

 Courtney Cooke's

 Kaitlyn's

 Savannah Broughton's

 Cason Cooke's

 Mine

 All the girls chilling out before we head out to my house

 Savannah and her masterpiece

Courtney and Kaitlyn and their beautiful artwork!!

I was truly inspired by the painting class. I woke up Saturday morning and painted another canvas to match the first. That still just wasn't good enough! I decided to paint another one this morning while Jeremy was at work, and while Ava was asleep. I am addicted!! I guess you could call this a triptych? 

I know that these are completely over-the-top, but if you have seen my house, you can deduce that I like interiors that are over-the-top, and dramatic. Now, with that being said. These do not match my home in any way!! I have an idea for how I will use these in the future, but I am keeping it a secret until I can pull it off! (I know someone out there is wondering if I am pregnant and if I will use these in a nursery. The answer to both of those questions is "no.") 

Painting #1

 Painting #2

Painting #3

I am not going to lie! I am totally addicted to painting now!

Gatlinburg Flora

If you read my blog regularly, you know just how much I love flowers!! 

Here are some pics of the beautiful plants and flowers in Gatlinburg:

GAP Baby

During our Smoky Mountain vacation, we visited the Tanger Outlets. This photo was Jeremy's idea:

We met up with some friends from Columbia, TN, who happened to be taking their family vacation in Gatlinburg, the same week that we were in Sevierville. Bradley, Emily, Braden, and Tandyn Thompson are good friends of ours that we vacation with frequently. Jeremy and I went on a Disney vacation with Bradley, Emily, and Braden before Ava and Tandyn were born. It is so neat to see our families grow and change through the years!! We shopped together for a few hours before heading home on our last day. The trip would not be complete without a ride around the kiddie carousel!!

 Braden

Daddy and Ava

Aquarium of the Smokies

Our family recently visited Sevierville, Tn, for a Christian convention called Polishing the Pulpit. The name implies that it is specifically for preachers, but all members of the church are welcome. I have been to this annual event three times and always come back home refreshed, recharged, and rejuvenated (which is what it boasts)

We were able to sneak away from the hotel for a few fun activities in Gatlinburg (about 20 minutes away) One of our stops was the Aquarium of the Smokies. I had never been before but have always wanted to go. We took Ava on the 2nd full day of our trip and she loved it!! I think her favorite animals were the sea horses. She talked to them and hit the side of the tank repeatedly. She tried to grab the sea dragons through the glass and she loved the children's play area. It was so much fun watching her experience all the neat things that the aquarium had to offer.