The boys spent a few days with Nana and Babu while RA and spent some time in the north GA mountains. And then our family of four spent Friday - Sunday enjoying the FALL WEATHER!
Saturday, October 6
Knowing that the boys and the dogs were headed his way, Babu spent time filling the dog bones with peanut butter and treats. Nana and Babu take care of the dogs just as well as they take care of the boys. :-)
Take us to Nana's house mama!
Happy to be on a car ride!
Looking all sweet...right before the vomiting began...Daisy got car sick and puked all over my car...
Once we got to Perry and I got my car cleaned out from dog puke, the boys went right to playing and enjoying time with their Nana and Babu. I headed back to Covington and the boys weren't even sad to see me go.
He hadn't been there for an hour before he was playing in Nana's backyard with the waterhose. He couldn't be happier!
How RF watched the Georgia game at Nana's house - buried under pillows.
I chose to lay in bed and watch it on my laptop. I was exhausted after a busy week of school and getting the boys ready for a few days at Nana's house + I spent the rest of the day cleaning my house from top to bottom.
RA and I were L.A.Z.Y. on Sunday, but the boys were busy enjoying time playing and being silly at Nana and Babu's house.
Ellis has decided he wants to be Wall-E for Halloween, so Nana found a box and started working on making him his costume. She is so creative and can make any idea I have come to life. Thank you, Nana!
Snoozing it up at Nana's house. The boys and the dogs think it is their house and make themselves completely at home!
Monday, October 8
Feet on the dash as we head into the north GA mountains...
In true Hawk-style, our first stop once arriving in Dahlonega was to an antique store...
After antiquing, it was time for LUNCH!
Gold mine shaft inside the restaurant...
I made RA wait to eat until I photographed the spread that was brought to us --- OMG - YUMMY!
This fried okra was amazing! I wish I could get my fried okra to be this crispy, yet light.
And strawberry shortcake? Yes, please!
After lunch we were able to get checked in to our hotel for the weekend - the Dahlonega Square Hotel.
We loved the red color - just like ours here at home.
Front parlor...
Check-in desk - handcrafted in Malaysia to represent mid-19th century boutique hotel styling...
Isn't it gorgeous?
Such beautiful decor...
A second hand-crafted piece - this one serving as the bar in a side room that served as a tasting room for local wines...
Our room for a few days...comfortable bed and I loved the chaise lounge chair along the wall...
Bathroom vanity...
Walk-in shower...
After checking-in we headed over to the Consolidated Gold Mines for a tour of the mines and the chance to pan for GOLD!
Panning for gold!
We found GOLD! 5 tiny flakes...
Our finds didn't look anything like this...
Vibrant colors...
Let's tour a gold mine!
Headed down into the mine...
The "glory hole" --- that open space was filled with quartz that housed a whole lot of gold!
Abandoned mines...
Our amazing tour guide! He was fantastic!
Just walking through the mine...
After a tour through the mines, we headed downtown to wander and stopped for a chocolate milkshake to sweeten the afternoon...
We found a Happy Fall rock!
And a pretty large grasshopper...
Restored diving bell that was used to pan for gold along the river bottoms...
A little afternoon shopping for us had us pick up a few momentos and we came across this sign - all truth for us.
A lazy afternoon watching HGTV and the History Channel while enjoying a nice glass (plastic cup...) of Pinor Noir...
Dinnertime!
Spinach and artichoke dip...
And an AMAZING stromboli! RA had eggplant parmesan, but started scarfing it down before I could snap a picture. :-)
While we enjoyed our day in the mountains, the boys went with Nana and Babu to fish at Aunt Cricket's house. Ellis enjoyed playing with the worms!
YUCK!
Such a good little fisherman!
RF found another heart shaped leaf. Nana pressed it so that I could keep it with the other one in my wallet. I love that he's so sweet. :-)
Tuesday, October 9
Vacay in the mountains = yoga pants and sandals! Comfortable is the goal.
Picnic Cafe for breakfast...
A super yummy blueberry muffin...
And a super filling bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit for me!
Sausage gravy biscuit for RA...
Flowers on our walk back to the hotel...
We spent the rest of the morning lounging and watching Andy Griffith...
And the Weather Channel as Hurricane Michael was barreling towards the Florida panhandle...
Once we decided what to do with our day we headed out on an adventure and made a stop at the post office to mail our postcard to the boys about our first day on vacation...
Ready to hike!
I love the woods...
Selfie on our hike...
Fall leaf in the mountain stream...
DeSoto Falls - the upper falls...
Have I mentioned that I love the woods?
A downed tree on the side of the trail is too tempting for Mr. Hawk...he had to stop and count the rings to see how old it was...
Mountain flowers...
DeSoto Falls --- the lower falls...
Back into Dahlonega for lunch...
After lunch RA headed to take a nice, quiet nap and I headed out to do a little bit of shopping at the outlet mall in Dawsonville.
Once I got back from shopping, we decided we needed to wander out for our sweet treat of the day...The Fudge Factory did not disappoint!
And we picked up some Dahlonega gold - milk chocolate bars - for the boys.
After a little more lounging, we headed out to dinner at Shenanigan's...
Interesting decor inside the restaurant...
Fish and chips for me...
And shepherd's pie for RA...
We wandered over to Spirits Tavern for a nightcap before calling it an evening...
We headed back to Picnic Cafe for breakfast again and this time I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant...super good! And their coffee was fantastic, too! RA ordered the sausage gravy biscuit again.
Yoga pants and tennis shoes - comfort! Plus, we decided to do some more exploring in the mountains...and that chaise lounge --- love it!
First stop --- the post office!
We drove up to Woody Gap, but alas it was too rainy and foggy to see anything. Maybe we'll see better views next time...
A big ole' pile of rocks...or so I thought. The marker explains that the rocks mark the grave of a Cherokee princess...
We decided to hunt another waterfall and this time it was Dick Creek Falls...so pretty as it cascades into a small swimming hole/pool before plunging into....
another set of rocks! It was gorgeous!
He's my person...
Toadstool!
While we were exploring Ellis had Nana working on his Wall-E costume...
As the weather reports began getting rougher and rougher for middle GA (where the boys were with Nana and Babu), we came to the consensus that it would be safer for Nana and Babu to take the boys (and all of the dogs - our three and their three) to our house in Covington where the weather was expected to be a bit calmer.
That's Gus. Stuck. In between the car seats. He's so stinking fat...
Help me, Nana.
Fall decor at one of the Dahlonega signs and a water wheel in the background...
We decided to try out a local place for lunch, but when we arrived they were having some power issues so we meandered over to Steak and Shake for burgers and a milkshake, of course.
We took a long nap (absolutely heavenly) Wednesday afternoon. We channel-surfed, laughed, and enjoyed being super lazy on our last afternoon in Dahlonega.
A late dinner on the porch of Yahoola Creek Grill...
BREAD!
Grilled chicken caesar salad for me and a chicken and veggie dish for RA...
We made it back from dinner JUST IN TIME to watch Hocus Pocus, a movie we LOVE!
Knowing that he weather had been pretty rough in Perry, we decided to get on the road early so that Mr. Joe and Mrs. Margie could get back to Perry now that the weather had passed to check on their house.
Waffle House breakfast!
Beautiful wildflowers on the highway out of Dahlonega...
We got to our house about 10:30 and shortly after Mrs. Margie received photos of her house and the damage that Hurricane Michael had done...
Tree limbs down everywhere...
And Mrs. Margie's mother's house (in south GA) was completely destroyed...
So heartbreaking...
Once Mrs. Margie and Mr. Joe got on the road back to Perry, RA, the boys, and I did some work around the house while the dogs did this...
And I headed to an afternoon spin class and found NEW BIKES!
We enjoyed a nice dinner at home and headed to bed early as we only had three more days of Fall Break to enjoy!
Friday, October 12
After an early trip to the grocery store and a nice, cool fall morning, the boys and I decided to put out some of our outdoor fall decorations...
I wanted a few more fall decorations in some of my potted plants, so I hot glued some candy corn vase fillers to some popsicle sticks for instant (and free) decorations.
This is as 'spooky' as we get in our decorations...
Felt pumpkins on popsicle sticks = more potted plant decorations...
I LOVE FALL!
Mini scarecrows peeking out from the mums...
Pumpkin!
Ellis did some bike riding on the driveway...
And I spent a good deal of the afternoon in the hammock while the boys played in the backyard and RA worked on a few wood-working projects. It was perfect.
After an early spin class + a trip to Home Depot for RA and the boys, we settled in to get some house projects accomplished on a gorgeous Saturday! We turned off the AC and opened the doors to enjoy the nice fall breeze.
The boys spent the WHOLE day outside ridding in their John Deere...they had the best time...until they started fighting over whose turn it was to drive...
#bestoffriendsandworstofenemies
Nana sent a photo of the tree trimmers working on getting the tree off her roof...the boys thought it was really cool.
Strawberry triffle!
Strawberry triffle and homemade chili and cornbread while we watched the GA Bulldogs play...albeit terribly, but that's a whole different story...
Ending the evening in the hammock with the sunset in the background...
Porch decorations are lit up!
Gus stole my spot! Ignore the mis-matched sheets. I am in the throws of laundry hell (where do all the dang clothes come from???) and put on whatever I could find in my linen cabinet...ugh - I hate laundry. HATE IT.
Sunday, October 14
RA woke us up with biscuits and sausage gravy and a hot pot of coffee. The morning air was so nice again that we opened the doors and enjoyed the breeze while eating our yummy breakfast complements of Mr. Hawk.
The boys headed outside while I tackled that horrid pile of laundry. After two hours (yes, two hours) of washing, drying, folding, and hanging...it is finished. UGH. I hate laundry.
The boys came in for lunch and enjoyed a sandwich while RA and I had some leftovers from the last few days.
And I enjoyed a bowl of strawberry triffle as dessert.
After lunch, the boys and I headed out to EHS to work on some Homecoming decorations as this week is a BUSY one with Homecoming festivities.
The beginnings of our carnival theme ticket booth sign...more photos of our Homecoming decor will be coming throughout the week.
I spent the evening meal-prepping (lemon pepper chicken, ranch pork chops, steak fajitas, and chicken gnocchi) for the week as it is a BUSY one for us. Meal prepping takes tons of the time on Sunday afternoons, but it is totally worth it during the week as our afternoons and evenings are always pressed for time.
We had so much fun over Fall Break this year and are excited to enter into the fall months that will no doubt be full of more fun for the Hawk family!
