These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: Lake Lure

Hello everyone,

Last weekend we spent our anniversary in Lake Lure, NC. This is a place that a few different people we knew in Florida traveled to in the past, and many people who live in NC had surprisingly only heard the name. While researching places within a small driving distance to go for this years anniversary trip, I found Lake Lure on a list of places I'd like to go while we're here in NC and have the time. It's only a 3.5 hour drive from Durham to Lake Lure, making is super reasonable to travel to for a long weekend. We left Saturday morning and came back Monday afternoon. Here are our favorite things that we discovered in Lake Lure, NC:

1) Canopy Ridge Farm

This is a place where you can zip line as well as kayak the river. The kayaking was closed for dam repairs when we came, but ziplining was something neither one of us had done before. It was SO fun. The views were incredible! A 6 run course took about an hour and a half. To me it was a decently priced activity at $60 each given the equipment and time involved, and we've heard of more pricey places too. HIGHLY recommended!

2) La Strada

This is a cute Italian restaurant that is near the beach area of the lake. It was SO delicious. They had a lot of menu options, and allowed to go orders. We didn't actually eat there because it was our first night in, but we would have gone back had we stayed another night!

3) Chimney Rock State Park

This park is gorgeous, but holy cow what a workout! It is dog friendly (all of it) which we obviously love because we like taking Nike everywhere! The view from chimney rock itself was gorgeous, and the waterfall at hickory nut gorge was beautiful as well. If you like to hike or just get a good workout in, this is the place!

4) Lake Lure Tours

We took this boat tour on a Sunday evening and really enjoyed it. We sat all the way in the front so at times it was hard to hear the guide, but it was filled with a lot of interesting facts about the lake that we wouldn't have known as natives to the area without going. We tend to enjoy educational boat tours or guided tours like this, so if that's not your forte, then I wouldn't recommend it. For us it was a perfect fifty minute tour! 

So that is my list of favorites! We ate at Larkins on the Lake as well, but I was super happy with it. Nice view and all, but so so food and service. I do wish we could have had one more day to explore the area, but it was such a fun trip and the weather allowed us to do everything I had wanted to do while researching Lake Lure. So who has been here before? Any places you absolutely love that we need to hit sometime when we go back? Let me know! Also check out our video of our trip here: 

 https://youtu.be/fkcBWfp2Vxk

Thanks for keeping up,

-Olivia :)

Wifey Wednesday: What I've Learned In Year One of Marriage

Hello current and future wives!

Our first wedding anniversary is coming up, I CANNOT believe it! Time has seriously flown. Our first year of marriage has been crazy. We went to Bora Bora on our dream honeymoon, moved our lives away from all our friends and family to North Carolina, and I started a new job while Madi started a new and super intense graduate school program. It's been a crazy year! So I wanted to share a few things about what I've learned thus far in married life.

1) Moving away from friends and family was hard
But it has made us so much closer and way better at communicating. Some people may be like, well duh you are all each other has (plus Nike). But honestly moving to Durham knowing nothing more than where the University was located and having one friend in the same city was hard. Madi was at school all day every day making new friends, and I was at home with Nike. So basically the whole first month we were here and I wasn't working I was really really angry with him. And lonely. And bored. I've never read so many books in my life. I started wondering, why are we here? Was it really worth this big move for him to go to Duke? God smacked me in the face because it was TOTALLY worth it! I have an amazing job at the best hospital in North Carolina with better hours meaning more time with Madi and Nike. Which was much needed after the last year of seeing each other for ten minutes every twenty four hours when I was on night shift. We actually are involved in our church because we have the time, and I love it!

2) Is being right really worth the fight?
NO. No, it's not. When you are far away from your family and best friends and you get in a fight with your spouse, sure you can call friends or family and talk, but staying angry for long in a one bedroom apartment isn't worth it. One situation in particular, I was all excited to go to the Syracuse game in January at Duke. ESPN would be there and I spent the whole day before making a sign for Matt Jones and it was this big deal. Madi got new assignments added onto his schedule for that coming week and didn't have any other time than the night of the game where he could cram in the extra studying, so we didn't go. I was livid. I watched the game at home and saw everyone having fun and getting on TV and was so pissed that I didn't talk to him for hours. In the end, was I mad that we didn't go to the game due to studying? Yeah. Was it worth not talking to him and being mad? No. Pick your battles.

3) Managing money for two people is hard
Even harder for us because we only have one income. Going from Disney annual passes, splitting the cost of rent, and working two jobs to one job, less of a salary with that one job, and staying at home most weekends was really hard to swallow at first. I'm lucky I have a bomb career and make more than an average anyways, however it was a hard transition. It still is hard. And I will throw a party the day Madi brings home his first big boy paycheck when he's done with school.

4) It gets old when people ask when you're going to have a baby
I get it, I'm baby queen. I love babies. Well most children of all ages. Do I want kids? DUH! Does Madi want kids? YES. Read #3 then ask yourselves, how would a baby fit into this financial scenario? It wouldn't workout the best. And even though we've had eight years of being together, it is nice to have married life alone for a little bit! I promise whether we are blessed with our own kids or not and adopt, we will have kids! Be patient, because I'm trying to be.

Its amazing how much God has shown us to listen to his plan and trust in him. Being a super planner, it is hard for me when things get out of whack, and not working for a whole month was a big example after working two jobs for the last four years. Our first year has been full of lots of laughter, and I can't wait to see where we are next year at this time! On our anniversary weekend, which happens to be Memorial Day weekend this year, we will be taking a trip over to Lake Lure, NC where we rented a cabin that is doggy friendly. I can't wait to see everything over there as I have heard it is gorgeous!

Photo Credit to Hippie Love Photography

Thanks for keeping up with us,
- Olivia :)

#BookWorm: Perks of Being a Wallflower

Hello fellow readers,

Last week I finished up The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This has always been a book that I've wanted to read, but just never got around to it. On my latest library trip, I found it available so I checked it out! I'm glad I did! This book is probably considered a classic, published in 1999 by Stephen Chbosky. The plot is about a boy named Charlie who is starting high school after his friend commits suicide. It takes you through his year in letters he wrote to someone "older and wiser". He runs into all kinds of typical and not-so-typical teenage problems, as well as different family dynamics. The book isn't crazy long, only a little over 200 pages, and I found it very easy to read therefore finishing it quite quickly. I really enjoyed  the story and characters in this book, as well as the situations that Charlie runs into. I feel like it should be required reading in high school, as many teenagers may benefit from reading it. Rating? 8.5/10. Not the best thing I've ever read, but I did really like it! A lot more than I had anticipated, actually. 

I'm looking forward to renting the movie from the library once it becomes available, especially since Emma Watson and Paul Rudd are in it. It got an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it can't be bad! Have you read this book or seen the movie? What did you think about it? My Amazon.com wish list is growing, thank to suggestions of books and authors from DHTBB readers! Still inform me on what you think would be a good read! If you're looking for more recommended reads from me, check out my List of Books at the top of the website. I have links to every book I've reviewed on DHTBB, as well as which ones I recommend, and which are New York Times best-sellers.

Thanks for reading with me,

- Olivia :)