Sunday Morning

Happy Sunday Morning!

I know it has been too long since I've posted, but I have been crazy busy! It's a good kind of busy though! :) I am now back to working full-time, and it is awesome.
I apologize because this post is going to be a little scattered! ;p

I have been a lot better about cooking healthier meals at home.

 One of my new favorite places (I mentioned previously) is Zi Olive - their olive oils and balsamic vinegars are delicious! There are so many different flavorful ways to cook using their products, and the best part is that the oils and vinegars make it even more simple to cook!

One night for dinner this past week, I made fish and veggies:
I grabbed a couple frozen wild caught tuna steaks, defrosted them, and marinated them with Meyer lemon olive oil & the herb/spice blend I bought.
Like I mentioned, I'm trying to eat healthier, so it was fish and asparagus for dinner! It was actually amazing! I look forward to making that meal again soon!

Another meal was chicken marinated in balsamic vinegar from Zi Olive. The chicken was marinated all day, then grilled up after I got home. Asparagus was the veggie side dish. It was very tasty, and so easy to make!

Salads are also one of my favorite go-to for meals. I never feel guilty after eating a large salad (at least one I have prepared myself). I picked up a lettuce blend from the grocery store, grape tomatoes, sweet onion, cucumber, chickpeas, sunflower kernels, and olives. The oils and vinegars from Zi Olive go perfectly with salad too! 

Zi Olive Knox

Now that I am working full-time, I try to make sure I eat just as healthy at work as I do at home. I'm not a big fan of eating breakfast super early, so I take a Quest bar into work with me to eat a little later in the morning. I recently tried the banana nut muffin, and later had to run to the store to stock up on that flavor! It is SO good!!

Anyway, enough about food! LAST weekend was spent at one of my favorite places here in Tennessee - Fall Creek Falls!
Nathan and I went for a Star Party. Well, his reason was for the Star Party, and my reason was to go and hike/explore during the day ;p The hotel sits right on the water, so you have a gorgeous view no matter which room you are in. I absolutely love to wake up and watch the sunrise over the water. That is my perfect "zen."
We saw birds, butterflies, deer, snakes, fish, etc. Fall Creek Falls really is beautiful, fascinating, and a fun place to be.

I can't resist Cake Batter Ice-Cream!

Tennessee State Flower - Iris

Last Monday night, after work, a couple of the girls from work and I went over to Painting with a Twist! It had been a few months since I last went, so it was awesome to go back!

Again, I can't even tell you how much I enjoy going to Painting with a Twist! 

This past week, I also ordered more of my favorite coffee k-cups from Real Good Coffee Co.! I got the variety mix again, because all of the flavors are delicious!

Real Good Coffee Co.

I haven't read any books in a little while, so the book I chose to read next is "The Happiness of Pursuit" by Chris Guillebeau. 

Poor furbaby, Riley, was a little mad that I left him for a weekend - he was pouting when I got home:

THIS WEEKEND is actually Nathan's Birthday weekend! Since we both had to work, we are hoping to actually celebrate this afternoon together! Ah, the life of being an adult! ;p I do want to thank all of our friends and family for wishing him a Happy Birthday already! Y'all are the greatest!

QUESTION TIME:

* What book are you reading currently? Or what was the last book you read?

* Do you have a favorite "zen" place?

* What easy, healthy meals do you enjoy most?

* What is your favorite on-the-go breakfast?

Labor Day Weekend Recap

This past Labor Day weekend was spent at Fall Creek Falls State Park! Nathan and I met up with his rents for the weekend for a stargazing event. While the night time was spent stargazing, we spent a lot of time hiking during the day! We all had an amazing trip at the park.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip:

A curious doe stopped by while we were setting up the astronomy equipment -

Whenever we go hiking, I try to keep an eye out for arrowheads. Previously, I have not had any luck. This trip, however, Nathan's Dad found one and then I found one! TWO arrowheads!! 

Hiking down & back up the Cable Trail:

These pictures do not do any justice to how steep this trail actually is!

Lost Creek Falls:

Lost Creek Falls was about an hour drive outside of Fall Creek Falls State Park. 

Spelunking for the first time at Lost Creek Falls & Lost Creek Cave:

Lost Creek Cave:

The "Fairy Pond" at the top of Lost Creek Falls:

At night, Nathan was imaging different objects such as the Little Dumbbell & The Eagle Nebula. I decided to try to capture the Milky Way with my Canon 60d. 

:) This is how my image turned out:

After such a fabulous weekend, it was difficult to leave and head back home. I look forward to our next trip back up to Fall Creek Falls! :)

Fall Creek Falls State Park

Now that the weather is about to get cooler, I'm getting even more excited about hiking! I love hiking in the Fall and Spring seasons because of all the color and there are fewer bugs to deal with!

One of our favorite State Parks here in Tennessee is Fall Creek Falls State Park. The park is only about 2 hours away from where we live. The actual Fall Creek Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern U.S.! The last time we visited the park, we were with Nathan's parents and we all hiked down to the bottom of Fall Creek Falls. It was breathtaking. Hiking down to the base of Fall Creek Falls was really my first "true" hike. It was somewhat challenging (it had also just rained and was a tad slippery), but wow, it was a blast!

I may love to hike and spend time outdoors, but I'm not exactly a fan of camping. That's another wonderful aspect about this park - they have a hotel/inn! The inn has panoramic views of the lake, and each room has a balcony. The rooms are spacious and clean. There is a restaurant and conference center as well. The restaurant was surprisingly incredibly good! I'm not usually a fan of restaurants that have buffets because the lack of healthier choices, but this restaurant had everything! I was super impressed with their breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets! If you are not a fan of buffets, don't worry, there is a menu you can order from! While you eat at the restaurant, you are sitting in a room surrounded by gorgeous views of the lake and park. You can also call in orders and pick up your food to go if you don't want to sit and eat in the restaurant.

There are an incredible amount of activities to choose from at the park, including: Golf, Zip-lining, Horseback riding, Camping, Swimming, Hiking, Fishing, Canoeing, and more. I hope the next time we go, we can go horseback riding. Horseback riding is something I've never done before, and it's on my bucket list!
One of my favorite outdoor activities is birdwatching. I love taking pictures of all the different kinds of birds while sitting and watching/listening to them. Birdwatching is a hobby I must have picked up from my Grandpa Joe. He always enjoyed watching birds, and he could imitate almost all of their whistle sounds!

Here are a couple pics from our last trip -

Fall Creek Falls Waterfall:

Crossing one of the swinging bridges:

We are heading back up to the park very soon & I cannot wait! 

If you want more information on the park, check out their website here: http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/fall-creek-falls