Wednesday, November 30, 2011

lavender oatmeal yumminess!

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Doesn't this look delicious? Pretend you can smell the lavender in the air. Oh, and a hint of oatmeal too!

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I'm having so much fun experimenting with different ingredients and smells. Oh, so yummy!

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The loaf looked like something that you'd see in the bakery!

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I had so much fun adding the soap curls and soap sticks to the batch. I felt like I was a cake decorator! Then, I topped it off with crushed oats and lavender buds! Inside there are oats and buds for exfoliation umph!

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Yes, it is a little messy, but totally worth it!

It smells so good! I'll have some at the Farmers' Market on December 17th!



Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Happy Birthday, Dynamo!

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Smooch (virtually)!!!!!

Today is a great day! It's Dynamo's birthday today!

He's strong, kind, generous, faithful, patient, talented, considerate, smart, and so many other wonderful things! He is my rock...I can always count on him.

I look forward to coming home to you everyday, Jeff! I'm so blessed to have you as my husband. So, today I wish you, hun, the best birthday ever! I LOVE YOU!!!!!



Sunday, November 27, 2011

Mountain Bike Monday - Freedom Fun and TTF Heaven

Having a long holiday weekend meant extra time to play and even take a little field trip! We decided to check out Freedom Park in James City County/Williamsburg!

We had heard great things about this relatively new park, and it didn't disappoint.

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So...on Saturday, we ventured out after dropping Lexi off with Momma, Daddy, and Grams. We stopped for a ham sandwich at Edwards in Surry. Wonderful little place!

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Then, we hopped on the Jamestown Ferry over to Williamsburg.

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The park is easy to find. Take the Longhill Road exit off of Route 199 and you'll drive straight into the park, located on Centreville Road.

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First thing was to check out the bathrooms. And...let me tell you they sure were nice! Yes, they were new, but it sure was nice to go to a park and see such nice clean fresh scented facilities. First impression was fantastic!

We snapped a self portrait before we got started...

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We were told to check out Trails A, B, and C, so we started out on the very well-marked route from the parking area. The multi-use path took us shortly to the trailhead where we entered with Dynamo leading. On new trails I'm a little tentative and tend to be slower than normal, so Dynamo went first and signaled what was to come. This way I was more apt to go faster.

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Trail A was fun. It was smooth and quick. The terrain reminded us of a mix between Poor Farm flats and Poco. Features were similar to that of York River (Marl Ravine Trail). There were some really neat bridges on A. There were well-marked obstacles with directional arrows giving you the option to choose the more difficult or less difficult route based on your riding level. I really appreciate the options. I know there's some debate about allowing options, but I am a big fan of having them. When I'm ready I will venture out of my comfort zone. I don't like to be forced. I like options.

The park was a nice mix of hardwoods and pines. The trail alternated between packed pine needle beds and packed leaf beds. It was pretty scenery.

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We got to Trail B and took it. We had mapped out our planned route before getting to the Park, so we were prepared and didn't want to be wasting time on the trail trying to figure out which way to turn.

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Trail B was quick, only 1.7 miles. It linked back up to A, and we finished the first 6 ish miles quickly. We were ready to check out Trail C. We had heard it had some pretty wild TTFs (Technical Trail Features) and it didn't disappoint. So, Clay...this one's for you!!!

At the start of the trail there was a sign...

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We watched a couple of guys tackle it! From here it didn't look so threatening...

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But, from here???

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Or here...

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How about here?

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Then...a warning sign of a 5 ft. drop...

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I took the left and snapped some pics of Dynamo going down it...

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And...off to the next TTF...

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They just kept coming...

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One...after...the...other...

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We just kept saying, "The Lyons boys would be in heaven."

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This one was crazy! The signage leading up to the next one said enough...

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No, we're not joking...people really do these jumps! Check out YouTube!

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This is "The Big Easy"!

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Or...the Three Ridges...

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Dynamo did check out this pretty cool ramp though...

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Lots of skinnies...

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Including "The Logness Monster". What a name!

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It was like it went on forever...

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And...ever...

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Dynamo also checked out the see-saws as we finished up Trail C. Talk about an awesome, wild ride! We had a great time watching others tackle the obstacles while snapping pics.

We finished up our ride with some history. After all, we were in Williamsburg. You can't go there without getting some history in. At Freedom Park there is a reproduction of the Free Black Settlement. Here are some pics...

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Inside the houses were small and modest...

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It was a very educational end to a great ride. We completed about 12 miles. And...we had a fun time! Next time, Clay...we're videoing you attempting some of these TTFs!