Time to Double Down

 After being apart for our ten year wedding anniversary, Daniel and I took advantage of a weekend of hiking while Gammie could stay with the boys.  Today we celebrate TWENTY years together, and I am ready to double down for twenty more!

Pilot Mountain was our first stop enroute to our VRBO.  It was an eight mile hike of mostly paths.  We had a great time when we made it to the top, seeing vultures, climbers, and enjoying the view.  Most people drove to the top, so we had the path to ourselves for much of the hike.

Daniel's wingspan matched the eagle nearly exactly.  Mine, on the other hand, matched the almost equally majestic turkey vulture.  Daniel got a kick out of reminding me of this throughout our weekend.

After checking into our little river cabin, we went to a local brewery and then a beautiful bed and breakfast for dinner.

Day two started with hiking Hanging Rock

This hike was much shorter, and a bit more company, but not crowded and absolutely beautiful.

I gave Daniel some nerves as I ventured to the hanging portion of the hike.  It was breathtaking!

We headed out of the small town we were staying in to venture to JOLO vineyard.  We had a great time tasting their local wines.  We fit in so well, two employees agreed they both had us confused as regulars and were shocked to learn we weren't locals.

The town was the inspiration for the Andy Griffith Show, so we left the fancy vineyard to enjoy dinner at Aunt Bea's.  It did not disappoint!

On our way home, we drove past a high school football game, so we took in some Friday Night Lights.  It was a beat down, with the home team shutting out the visitors by more than forty points.

The Dan River kayaking was closed Saturday due to a wind advisory, so we found a different set of waterfalls and did a short and beautiful hike instead.

As our grand finale, we took in the Wake Forest vs Georgia Tech game

I grew up a yellow jacket fan and thoroughly enjoyed watching them break the undefeated record of Wake Forest

I want to take a minute and express how grateful I am to live my life beside someone I enjoy so much.  We have fun together, we laugh, we dance, we play.  On top of that, we are a true partnership.  In parenting, in housekeeping, in budgeting, and all the ins and outs, we both have a hand in our family.  In some ways, our roles are extremely traditional, and yet in others, we are so unique in how much responsibility we share. I have been so blessed over the last twenty years and am genuinely looking forward to the next twenty!