On Friday, the guys went hiking and exploring while I went to the bridal luncheon. My mom and Natalie relaxed and hung out around the house. The bridal luncheon was wonderful and the food was delicious!
A waterfall from the guys' hike.
Gabriel exploring.
Playing with Grandma at the house.
The table at the luncheon.
Homemade strawberry lemonade
Some of the food that was catered.
The bride and her bridesmaids with our wedding day robes.
Emily, Ashley, Kaylin, Mary Beth, Amanda, Hannah, me, and Virginia
Mary Beth with her mom and grandma.
That night Nathan and I went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
The church at Big Canoe.
Practicing for the big day.
David high fiving the ring bearer.
Me and my handsome date :)
The view from the rehearsal dinner at the clubhouse. If you look closely in the middle, the group of houses that can be seen is our neighborhood!
The reverse view- from the top of our street looking down. If you look in the distance past the lake you can see the clubhouse.
Thursday was spent at the pool and beach area. There was so much to do. There was a lake and pool for swimming, paddle boats and canoes, a long dock, and a really cool rock slide. We took lunch and went for the day. One of the coolest parts about the area was the trail that led right back to the back of our house. This was especially useful when Natalie got ready for nap time. It was great being able to take shifts or just to run back to the house.
Natalie loved the lake but didn't get that it went deeper and deeper.
Natalie's mission- to put all of the sand back into the lake!
Gabriel on the dock.
One of the many views.
Nathan and Gabriel on the paddle boat.
Poppa and Natalie walking on the dock.
Gabriel waiting his turn on the rock slide.
Nathan and Natalie on the bridge.
The rock slide had two slides- this was the steeper of the two.
The guys playing volleyball.
Nathan and I trying out the canoe.
That night we went back over to the McAfee house for dinner. Most all of Mary Beth's family was in town at this point and a couple of the bridesmaids and groomsmen came too.
The four of us at dinner.
Gabriel stealing a kiss.
After dinner Nathan and I got the kids ready for bed and headed over to the bridesmaids house for a meet and greet. We had a great time, managed not to get lost, and David, the groom, finally arrived!
When a vacation is combined with a wedding, there are a lot of happening events to blog about! For our big vacation this year, we went to the mountains in Georgia for my childhood best friend's wedding. I lived down the street from Mary Beth for about 10 years, and we were inseparable. When I moved away, Mary Beth and I promised to stay friends and have done a great job! Mary Beth and David chose to get married in Big Canoe, Georgia for the central location for family and the beautiful scenery.
We left on Tuesday after Nathan got off work. My parents left earlier that morning and were arriving as we were leaving. The drive up was a little stressful. Natalie still does not like the car or her car seat! After sleeping for a little while, she was up and unhappy for the rest of the trip. We arrived later that night and enjoyed a very late delicious dinner.
The next day was spent enjoying Fourth of July festivities. Big Canoe is a gated community in Northern Georgia. There are many large neighborhoods with tons of houses. There are two pools, a beach area, a few lakes, a couple of restaurants, a gorgeous golf course, a chapel, and lots of other things. For the fourth of July, there was a small festival with bounce houses, games, and a pet dress up competition. We had a great time!
Gabriel getting set up to win the Tug of War competition.
Grandma and Natalie at the festival.
In the bounce house.
Me and the lovin'.
Gabriel paid to do the dunking booth and did awesome!!
One of the dogs showing his Patriotism.
Having fun together.
Poppa, Natalie, and Grandma.
Once we left, we stopped by the McAfee's house to say hi. We went out on the pontoon and stayed for lunch. It was great to see Mary Beth for the first time in a long time, and I got to spend some one-on-one time with her before the big day!
Ready to take off.
A great family picture.
Natalie loved it but didn't want to stay still!
Poppa and Natalie.
Being a cutie patootie.
Old neighbors, life long friends.
Natalie helping Poppa driving the pontoon.
Me and the Bride-To-Be
Dipping her toes in the water and loving it.
The remainder of the day was spent exploring followed by a community fireworks show. Our house was located on the steepest mountain slop ever! You had to ride the brakes the entire time and brace yourself when going around the curves. It took some getting used to, and it was really intense. Once the guys found scooters they were dead set on riding them down the street. It took them forever to climb uphill and the ride down lasted only a few seconds. If they needed to stop for any reason, they would have been out of luck! It was scary to watch, but of course it happened more than once!
Can't get much better than spotting a deer in someone's front yard in the middle of the day!
Natalie exploring the huge deck.
The gigantic porch.
Gabriel exploring the clay.
Waiting for the fireworks show!
It was a great first day, and the best part was- it was only the first day!
