July 4th Weekend

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July full of family, food, and fireworks! I spent mine with some wonderful people camping on a mountain. Shenandoah National Park has some gorgeous views to be seen and great mountains to be hiked. We stayed at a campsite on Loft Mountain among the birds, deer, and bears! It is so wonderful to put our phones away and enjoy face-to-face family time! Since I did not have my phone, my photos are courtesy of Dan's mom. Thanks Kate!

My fiancé, Dan, and I stayed with his family. My soon-to-be in-laws really know how to put together a family camping trip! Everything was so organized and well-prepared. We had two tents; one was a 10-person tent and the other fit 8 people. There were six of us and one dog so we had so much extra room for changing and storage. When we arrived his mother had already made dinner-which was amazing! Chicken Curry with Naan. I could seriously eat an entire package of Naan and be just fine with the thousands of calories. After dinner we all sat around the campfire and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. (I like to put the Hershey bar inside the marshmallow and put that on the stick-it really gets it all nice and melted and gooey-try it next time, you'll love it!) We stayed up all night talking and freezing in the cold mountain wind. The potential frostbite was worth it. (kidding, it was't that cold)

Chatting in the sun

I like to run every morning with my dog, Maggie. When we woke up with the sun we went for a beautiful jog around the campsite loop. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. Usually I run with my headphones in, but my phone had died. I'm glad it did because it was so peaceful and calming. The view was so clear and the air was so crisp and fresh. I didn't want to stop but I knew we'd be having breakfast soon and that was a bit too tempting.

Breakfast of hiking champions!

Loading up on essential carbs and coffee!

After pancakes, eggs, bacon, and coffee, Dan and I decided to go for a walk and check out the amphitheater. We hung out there for little while lying in the grass and staring off into the horizon. We were all full of carbs and ready to go on a hike so we met back up with the rest of the family and packed to hike the Doyles River Falls Trail. The hike is my idea of a backwards trail. We started off downhill and ended the first half at two waterfalls. After taking a break to enjoy the rushing water and eating a few nibbles, we headed back up! A lot of the hard work was saved for the second half of the hike and we sure did feel the burn!

Dan went in the COLD water! 

Maggie was concerned about Dan

All smiles

Silly faces, pretty views

Dan and Maggie still had energy so they set off on another adventure hike while the rest of us took a break. Exhausted and sweaty, we relaxed and prepared for another great meal thanks to Dan's sister, Amy and his mom, Kate. Those ladies sure can cook! We had a Mexican Stew that really hit the spot. As the sun went down we got out some s'mores supplies and started up another fire. On a mountain it is amazing how hot it can feel when the sun is shining and then when the sun goes down the cold creeps in and seems to penetrate your bones! We drank some hot tea and cocoa and ate our gooey s'mores before heading off to sleep.

Maggie was so delirious from all of her exercise that she started barking at a marshmallow in the fire. Needless to say, she slept like a log that night.

The next day we packed up our cars and headed back to our homes. I hadn't realized it but this was the first time I had spent over night with all of his immediate family. It was such a nice trip and a perfect way to spend a long weekend-with the people (and pup) I love.

Red, White, and Blue Frisbee Playtime with Mag

Love,