Smoky Mountains

We just returned from a Fall Break trip to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. We rented a cabin with my brother and his family and had a great time hanging out together. Grammy joined us for the fun too. The kids loved hiking in the national park, racing go carts, going to Dollywood, horseback riding, and skipping rocks in the river. Neat memories with the Bowden family!

Fall Baseball

Brandon is having a great time playing baseball this fall. I think he looks so cute in his little uniform! Richard is helping coach the team so it's been a fun father/son activity for the boys. Go Sand Gnats!

Lake Oconee

We just returned from spending a few days at a beautiful resort on Lake Oconee about two hours from our house. Gran and Pepa flew in from Texas to join us for the fun getaway. Emily and Brandon had a hard time staying dry with the lake and pool at their doorstep. Both kids discovered a new love of fishing and drinking Shirley Temples. We enjoyed canoeing, kayaking, and tubing on the lake. Great location, amazing food, and lots of special family memories...

Father's Day with Grandpa

We drove down to south Georgia to spend Father's Day weekend with Grandpa. It was rather warm so Richard made a trip to Wal-Mart and bought a slip 'n slide to keep the kids cool in the backyard. Grandma supervised all the activity from the shade and as always, prepared some wonderful southern favorites in the kitchen. We also enjoyed spending some time with Grandpa's new wife, Louise. We look forward seeing them again soon!

Sailing

Richard and I enjoyed a fun date night recently on Lake Allatona. Our friends, Ed and Sherry, treated us to a relaxing evening on their sailboat. It was a lot of fun having dinner together, telling stories, and watching the beautiful sunset.

League Champions

Emily's softball team won the league championship tournament today! All those long practices and hard work paid off in an exciting end to a great season of softball. And to top it all off...at the end of the tournament today, our coach announced that Emily was named the All-Around League Champion for the 12U Division in a recent Hit, Pitch, and Run competition. She is headed to the Regional Competition in a few weeks. WAY TO GO, GIRL!

Our New Niece

My brother and his wife welcomed a sweet baby girl into their family recently...Lily Grace Bowden. Congrats Brett, Theresa, and Joshua!

California Cousins

My sister and her kids flew out to Georgia recently to spend some time with us. Its always a special treat for Emily and Brandon to play with their cousins. The kids had fun playing dress up, decorating cookies, having tea parties, playing basketball, and enjoying the backyard. We miss them already and look forward to seeing them again this summer!

15 Years Together

God has been so incredibly good to me. Richard and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on Thursday. I can honestly say that I love him more today than ever before and life continues to be all the more sweeter with him by my side. Its hard to put into words how thankful I am for Richard. He loves God and is committed to His Word. He encourages me to passionately pursue my Heavenly Father. He is my best friend, a strong leader, an amazing father, my partner in parenting, my provider, an incredible source of wisdom, a patient listener, and a gentle encourager. He makes me laugh and loves me like no other. I hope and pray the Lord allows us to grow old together...

Christmas & New Year's

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas at home with my mom this year. Its been wonderful to have some down time together. There has been some serious board game competitions and Wii challenges around here, lots of great food, a few days spent in our pajamas, and several trips to the movie theatre. My brother and his family arrived a few days after Christmas and spent New Year's with us. Its been a fun but relaxing Christmas break. Richard and I have been thankful for the time to reflect on God's goodness to us.

A Visit to Stone Mountain

Grandpa came to see us a few days before Christmas. Its always a special treat to have him and his sweet dog, Mandy, come for a visit. We made a trip to Stone Mountain and had a good time seeing all the pretty lights, watching the Christmas parade, and talking to Santa. Grammy had never been to Stone Mountain so she joined us for the fun day. It was very cold at the top of the mountain!!! Brandon happily served as Grandpa's official navigator/driver on the little electric scooter.

Upward Basketball

Emily and Brandon are enjoying another season of Upward Basketball. Richard is coaching Brandon's team with our good friend, Bruce Hembree. His son, Ben, is one of Brandon's buddies from church. Emily's team is undefeated so far this season!

New York City

Richard took me to New York City this past weekend for a fun romantic getaway. We had the best time seeing the city...Times Square, Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue, top of the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, etc. We enjoyed the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular Show and saw our first Broadway show, Wicked. We ate at some of the neatest little restaurants and cafes. We took a carriage ride and stroll through Central Park and it actually started snowing during our walk through the park...it was quite romantic!

Thank you, Grammy, for taking care of the kids so we could enjoy some special time together!

Thanksgiving at the Farm

We enjoyed hanging out at the farm in south Georgia for Thanksgiving. Emily and Brandon love being able to walk the trails, run through the cotton fields, build a fire, collect sticks and pecans, play football, fly high in the old tire swing, etc.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for feeding us so well for Thanksgiving. We get spoiled everytime we visit! Ladies, take a long hard look at the 23 layer cake..made from scratch...with homemade chocolate icing! Absolutely amazing!!!

Family and Fall Colors

Gran, Pepa, and Aunt Pat came for a visit this weekend. We drove up to Amicalola Falls and Dahlonega on Saturday to enjoy the beautiful fall colors. We managed to run into one of Richard's cousins and her family at Amicalola Falls so that was an unexpected treat. She has two children who are about the same age as Emily and Brandon so they had a great time going down the mountain together. Dahlonega is the neatest little town...we enjoyed a delightful lunch at a small outdoor cafe, did some shopping, ate some ice cream, and played in a pile of leaves at the downtown square. It was a special day with special people...