wow. this summer has truly kept me busy. i have literally not been able to squeeze in blogging like i normally do. i mean, i suppose i could have blogged in the middle of the night, but i am not a night owl, so that wouldn’t have worked. but, now our visitors are gone, the apartment is quiet (too quiet), and lina and i are all alone again. i suppose i have plenty of time to blog now. yep. life is returning to normal, which it hasn’t been since the beginning of may! and that’s just craaaaazy. but, so freaking amazing.
yesterday, our niece and lina’s cousin left us to return to sweden after spending 2 weeks here. if you’ll recall, they flew with us to the states when we returned in the end of july. it was an amazing and whirlwind of a two-week visit with them. we did the beach (which you can read about here), and then we spent time at our home in the mountains. there were tons of adventures, tons of laughter, tons of shopping (what do you expect with 2 teenage girls let loose in american malls?! – ok, they weren’t let loose, but you get what i mean) and tons of memories that none of us will soon forget. take a peek at just a few of them…
headed home (to the mountains) from the beach
hanging out at home
an overnight trip to pigeon forge, tennessee and dollywood (dolly patron’s amusement park)!
up high in the mountains (and in the clouds) to ride on the blue ridge parkway & visit my parents who were camping nearby – we had s’mores & everything!
fun times in asheville: a baseball game that was almost rained out & a day of catching the downtown vibes
our last, long night of coziness together
hanging out together by the gate at the airport – the airlines let lina and i go through security and be with the girls until they boarded the plane. so cool!
so, lina and i are empty nesters now. it’s just the two of us again. and life will be returning to the “normal” life that we lead. it feels pretty good. but, it has been an incredible summer – out of this world incredible. i cannot even begin to express how grateful and lucky i am to have seen, done, experienced, and loved throughout the past 3 and a half months. needless to say, i am overwhelmingly amazed.
the girls made it home safely (eventually – plane delays & such), and it was a complete joy having them here. exhausting, in the most wonderful way. and i am super impressed with their english, their adventurous spirit, and how they worked all year last year to make this dream of theirs come true! you go, girls! we love you and miss you!
as for us: well, it’s time to get crazy!
Looks like you all had an awesome time! 🙂 x
We most definitely did! Hope your winter has been cozy and lovely. xx
Awww what afab summer!! ♥ Lovely pics, and I’ve been following on insta too. Returning to normal, sometimes it’s lovely though you know. I sometimes crave normal after a mad few weeks…
Here’s to the “normal “life we lead x
Thanks for following me everywhere! In my follows of your little social updates, I see that you’ve changes your Insta-name and have new blog?! Exciting! And yes, we are both enjoying the adventurous moments of our lives, but are also loving every single, beautiful normal minute as well. xoxo
Hi Liz, yes I do! Keeping them seperate, but liked the name so changed also on IG. http://www.thehollypocket.com
The “normal” life is always good, i’ll always believe that fact!
Love this post! I live in Knoxville, so it’s great to see someone having fun right near where I live. Sometimes we take the Smokies for granted, but you made it look like the fun place it is. Thanks for sharing some great pics of your good times.
Thanks, Rusha! If you come over the mountain to Asheville (and you should! 🙂 ), then it would be great to meet up! Thank you so much for following along – I am so happy that you enjoy my sharing. xx
Sounds wonderful, Liz. A glimpse of what there is to look forward to for summer downunder! (You always remind me how much I miss camping and woodfire smoke) 🙂
Yes, just as you are about to gear up for summertime fun, I am preparing myself for the coziness of autumn… and a wonderful night of camping in the woods, I do believe. xx