Ithaca is Gorges

I'm going a little backwards with this and the next few posts because I did not have my blog set up then but hey, better late than never. 

We arrived in Northern Pennsylvania Memorial Day weekend for Chris' new job and after his first week of work we took to the roads and did what we love when we move to a new area, explore! We made our way up the winding roads, through the beautiful New York countryside and arrived in Ithaca. The small college town was bustling due to the Ithaca Festival of the Arts so we walked around looking at art (and the very eclectic locals), listening to live music and trying the local eateries. 

Then we headed over to Ithaca Falls which is right on campus and checked out Cornell University. Both were absolutely beautiful. 

On our way to Ithaca we had passed gorgeous purple and white wildflowers along the road that I later learned was phlox so we made sure to stop on our way home to get some photos of the flowers. What we didn't realize is that there was an endless forest covered in these flowers and a path winding through them. I immediately began running down the path in absolute awe of the sights and smells I was experiencing. I kept telling Chris it looked like something out a story book, it was so beautiful. 

Running through the wildflowers made me even more excited for all the new adventures living in the northeast has to offer!

Family BBQ at 'The Cabin'

Last weekend Chris and I headed down to West 'by God' Virginia, home to my mom's side of the family and 'The Cabin'. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains lies the most special place, a place where I grew up wading through the stream with my cousins and getting blisters from our rubber boots, sitting around a campfire telling stories about Big Foot then fighting over who got to sleep with Grandma because we were scared, a place where we'd load up in the bed of Papaw's pick up with blankets and drive the winding mountain roads looking for deer singing "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and so many more cherished memories. 

I was so excited to introduce Chris to this place that I always talk about and the family that he hadn't yet met. The six and a half hour trip was long (we drove through Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia), but well worth it and I think Chris had a pretty good time…

The first day we went on a hike on the old railroad trail and through the forest and of course stopped for some wild blackberries!

On Saturday, my cousins Suzi, Sami, Lauren, Hilary and I waded up the stream in search of our childhood fort. It was awesome being together, laughing and reminiscing as we made our way like old times, pointing out places we remembered  ('Barbie Falls'). 

When we got back from our little adventure, more family had arrived and the grill was smelling even more delicious. We caught up with everyone, did some more fishing and just enjoyed relaxing and feasting on amazing food with family and friends. 

Sitting on Kurt's rock, you just can't help but remember some of the fond memories of him. Most of my cherished memories of Kurt are here at The Cabin. 

While we were sitting around the campfire, my Aunt Jackie came outside with a chinese lantern and we set it off into the night sky. As it floated away I couldn't help but think how incredibly blessed I am to have such a loving, close knit family and how thankful I am that God put us where we are to be able to make these priceless memories. 

Another great weekend at The Cabin!