OHIOPYLE STATE PARK.












this weekend was the best.
it had been way too long since our last over night trip to the woods.
i'm still not really sure how it happened so quickly but we researched and
reserved a spot in less than ten minutes. we packed a bag, picked up a few essentials
and hit the road for ohiopyle, pennsylvania. we hiked through the appalachian mountains,
waded in the youghiogheny river and found a natural waterslide. there were also a dangerous
number of s'mores consumed. oh and we may have talked about renting a place here for a season...

i can't wait to share with you how incredible this place was. hope you had a great weekend, too!

SATURDAY IN THE CITY, PART l.






an afternoon spent exploring more of downtown pittsburgh.
we started our day at our favorite part of the city, mount washington.
driving around the cozy neighborhoods and picking out which homes we would live in.
we grabbed a late lunch at bigham's tavern. someone was craving that bloody mary again.
afterwards we walked hand and hand through the crowded streets, enjoying the day together.




SUNDAY HIKE.












generally our sundays are reserved for sleeping in and a hike in the woods.
when we came to west virginia for this current job we had high hopes for those
sunday traditions. however, for the first six weeks we were here, there were no days
off for carter. which meant spending a lot more time than we would like indoors. so now,
with summer slowly coming to an end. we will be taking advantage of every free moment we get.


sunday hike // barkcamp state park, ohio.


BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS.








a few weeks ago we took a short trip to knoxville to celebrate carter's birthday.
we spent most of our time with family, eating one incredible meal after another.
all of carter's family were there to help him ring in twenty-six and to devour an ice
cream cake equipped with waffle cones. thank goodness his mom likes to walk, a lot!

other memorable moments from our visit :

+ saturday morning spent at the farmer's market
+ discovering pop culture popsicles
+ watching those two brothers play together
+ summer afternoons in the backyard
+ finding quite possibly, our favorite bar ever ...


carter, i'm so lucky to know you and love celebrating life with you. happy birthday! xo




OGLEBAY PARK.








we found the most beautiful park in wheeling, west virginia.
i'm not sure what exactly all it entails but here is what we found:

+ oglebay mansion and gardens
+ a mini-zoo
+ campgrounds
+ driving range / golf course / country club
+ several public [?] pools
+ a huge cemetary
+ and a resort


we decided to walk around the grounds of the mansion.
reading historic markers about the oglebay family owning this beautiful home
and land was fascinating. we made several comments about how people once lived
where we were standing. something about this place made that realization more "real."


i can't wait to explore every other inch of this place.



HOMEWARD BOUND.








last weekend we drove down to tennessee to celebrate carter's birthday.
we drove through the foggy west virginia valley early in the morning and
arrived to a warm and sunny knoxville in the afternoon. we spent the weekend
with his whole family, eating everything in sight and loving on carter all we could.
i'll share some more photos from our trip soon!




see past visits to knoxville herehere and here!
i sure do love our trips to this town...

WANDERING IN WHEELING.








there is a cute little town just a few miles away.
the first time we drove through, we were shocked by the
sense of abandonment. little did we realize, it was a sunday
morning and most of the town was either sleeping or in church.
so a few weeks ago when we really needed a break from the room, we decided
to give wheeling another chance. we found centre cup coffee through urbanspoon.
this cozy little shop sits on the corner of a street lined with antique stores and flower shops.
we enjoyed the peaceful afternoon together and will definitely be back for more days like this.