the sosebee family

kris and i had been trying to get to some of the small little mountain towns of north carolina before christmas. they are usually festively decorated and are a lot of fun to stroll through, do a little shopping and find the favorite local coffee shop.

so, last weekend turned out to be our last chance as christmas was rapidly approaching. it turned out to be the perfect weekend to go. the big winter storm that covered much of the east gave us a perfect backdrop to enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery.

we didn’t get much shopping done but we did have a nice drive and had a lot of fun exploring what the small towns had to offer. hopefully we’ll return before winter’s end, the snow too!

kristen and i finally got to go on my birthday camping trip this past weekend. after getting rained out every other weekend in september we were more than excited to take off to the great outdoors.

regarding the weather, the rain might have actually been a blessing in disguise. since october is already upon us the weather has started to cool off some which made this weekend perfect camping weather. were it not for work to get back to, we could’ve stayed the whole week.

there’s just nothing quite like cooking your food outdoors and falling asleep under the starry fall sky with the one you love by your side.

solitude can be so refreshing and invigorating to the spirit.

here’s a link to the rest of the pictures: Oconee State Park

We took advantage of the nice weather Saturday. Somewhere shortly before lunch, we decided to go for a hike. Ah, the outdoors. I love sharing this part of my heart with my wife. I love that she always prayed for it in her life: someone who loves the outdoors.

It is always a blessing driving up the windy roads, higher and higher into the lush, green forests of southern appalachia. It takes your mind so many places. To places of beauty.

Then you leave the car behind and strike out on foot. Reconnecting with something from long ago. Walking through the empty, quiet wood. As if we could be the first to explore this small bit of unknown country. There is so much comfort in the quiet. It brings a calmness that gets lost in our everyday lives. And with that calmness comes a peace that I think many have forgotten in today’s world.

All of this makes it a sad thing when that 4 mile trail comes to an end. If we could only stay a little longer.

We’ll have to bring the tent next time.

the new blog. a new context is the title of this one. i thought it seemed appropriate for this chapter of life, marriage. marriage is definitely a new context. everything will look different now. life now has a new context

and two shall become one.

as kristen, my wife, and i sit in the B terminal at boston’s logan international airport, where we’ll be for the next 8 hours or so (waiting on standby for the 6:40am flight back to nashville), i began to think on this new context and figured i had more than enough time to put together a few thoughts.

so i think that this blog, this place where i’ve laid out many of my thoughts on pretty much everything is going to begin to change some. i hope that it will change. i don’t want things to remain the same… they aren’t the same. kristen and i will proceed through life together now. that will be reflected on these pages.

i hope you are looking forward as much as i am to see how. it’s an exciting beginning. the possibilities are limitless. here we go.