Eight years!

Patrick and I celebrated our eighth anniversary yesterday...with a mini-vacation! My wonderful mom came and stayed with Maggie so Patrick and I could escape to Highlands, NC for a night. We had a great time!

Maggie and her Grandma waving good-bye:

We drove right by the nearby Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls on our way to Highlands, so we stopped in and really enjoyed both landmarks.

Self-portrait near the falls:


We clambered down to the base of the falls and enjoyed exploring the rocks there:

Inside Stumphouse Tunnel:


We hadn't planned to stop here, so we didn't have a flashlight with us. It gets REALLY dark and a little creepy as you go deep into the tunnel:


In Highlands, we enjoyed a beautiful 80-degree day, a nice lunch and delicious dinner, some shopping around town, and a walk up to Sunset Point -- the sunset wasn't too great last night, but the view from there was gorgeous.


This was my first night away from Maggie, so we weren't quite sure how she would do. But she did great! She had a fun time with her grandma but was very happy to see us when we got home today. The video is a little crazy -- we kept passing the camera back and forth because Maggie kept wanting to go back and forth, from me to Patrick, back to me, etc. But I think you can still see the important part -- that she looks so happy to see us!




We had a wonderful anniversary! Thanks so much, Mom, for staying with Maggie so we could have a little vacation. And thanks, Maggie, for being such a great kid and making it easy on your Grandma!