Colonel Denning State Park

When you live in the middle of downtown in a house on a busy road where you can reach out of your bedroom window and touch your neighbor's house...sometimes you just need to get out of town. Brett and I took our first camping trip here in PA. We planned it around a randomly warm Saturday, but the nights were cold! We drove about an hour to our site, and then realized we would be the only tent in the camping area. Everyone else was cozy in their heated campers. We did make friends with the retirees next to us (and their puppy!). 

 

Our campsite was gorgeous! It was next to a little creek. We stayed for two nights so we spent a a lot of time when we first arrived setting everything up. 

crazy wild man...

we were warned about bears in the area...

 

The first night we grilled hot dogs, listened to music, and talked by the fire late into the night. It was perfect!

We woke up the next morning and made eggs and breakfast potatoes over the fire. Then while Brett made a few phone calls, I went on a little hike and took some nerdy "biologist" photos.

it was chilly...poor boy :)

nature center

 

When I got back to the camp site, Brett and I thought we would go on another "quick" hike. We heard there was a really awesome overlook at the end of the one of the trails. So off we went!....without having eaten lunch, no water, no snacks, and Brett was in work boots. The first 30 min into the hike was exhausting, but we kept saying "I'm sure it will flatten out soon". Then we started seeing people coming back down the mountain with backpacks and hiking poles....not a good sign. Brett was okay with turning around, but I was SURE it wouldn't be much farther. I was so wrong. We reached what we thought was the "top" and realized we were only halfway! At this point we really needed water and food, so we had to turn back. Next time we go we will be sure to be more prepared. Turns out it was a 3 mile hike to the lookout point with a few thousand miles change in elevation. Oh well, it was fun anyways! 

The rest of the night was spent relaxing by the fire, grilling some great food, and making smores! It was an awesome weekend, and I can't wait to check out some other parks in the area. 

The Gordon's come to town!

This post is way overdue: in October, Brett's parents came to visit. It was such a fun time! It was so nice to have family around. We had a lot of big plans as to what all we wanted to do while they were in town, but once they were here we mostly wanted to just be hanging out at the house together! We did go out on a few adventures...Get ready for picture overload.


We first took a trip to Amish country. We drove past many beautiful farms and lots of horse and buggies. 

 

The next day we went to Gettysburg. Brett and I had driven around the park a few times but had never been to the museum. It was amazing! I'm so glad we went. We bought tickets to the film and the cyclorama (both brought me to tears). The cyclorama is a huge 360 degree painting of the battle. It was originally completed in 1883. They have a presentation you listen to while they spotlight parts of the painting. If you go to Gettysburg, pay to see it! 

Brett also gave everyone a little tour of his office and the equipment his farmers use. 

Linda and I also did a lot of antiquing- so fun! We had a blast. We both picked up some good finds. At the end of their visit, it was really hard to say goodbye. We miss getting to see our family whenever we want, but   it was exciting to get to show them our life and home here in Hanover. Can't wait until we all get to be together again :)

Let's try this again...Thanksgiving!

I tried to quit blogging, but a sweet call on Thanksgiving from a bestie in Japan convinced me to give it another try. I know I will be grateful to have these memories documented in one place. Let me first say that having Brett around more (no more long hours and weekends) has made life in Hanover so much better. We've been able to go to church together and joined a gym which has been a lot of fun. I want to eventually post about what all has been going on the last couple of months, but I will start with Thanksgiving!

When we first decided that going back to Arkansas for the holidays was just not feasible this year, I think we were both a bit sad. Then with the realization that Brett and I had never spent Thanksgiving day together, we decided to go all out! I was really worried about cooking a big Thanksgiving meal, but with the help of recipes from our moms, it turned out amazing. We made pecan pie the night before and it was hard to resist sneaking a bite!

 

We woke up Thanksgiving morning and drank mimosas while watching the parade (and continued to drink them most of the morning...). I made a baked brie with carrot cake jam. The jam came from Cat (Five Acre Farms)! It was the perfect appetizer. Then we cooked and cooked until everything was ready. We had turkey, dressing, green beans with almonds, corn, mashed potatoes, broccoli salad, and pecan pie! We probably could have fed 12 people...

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and skyping with family! Brett also convinced me to watch a Karate Kid marathon. Later that night, Brett and I ventured out for some shopping. Neither of us had ever done black Friday shopping...we made it to the parking lot of Walmart and then turned around and went home. Haha. It wasn't for us :) We tried again around 11:30 and made into Sears. We walked around for a couple of minutes and then decided that nothing in the store was worth waiting in the lines, but it was fun to see what it was all about.

We had a wonderful holiday spent being very thankful for each other and everything we have been given!

Back in Hanover

Since we've been back in Hanover, Brett has been working non-stop as the season is coming to an end. I am so ready for him to not be working long hours seven days a week (since May). Yesterday was actually his first day off in what seems like an eternity! But more on that in a bit.

Before I left for Arkansas in September, my hours working on the farm had been cut back and since then have been non-existent. Their regular workers were back from their summer vacations and breaks so I wasn't really needed. With that being said, I have had a lot of free time on my hands (as well as a lot of alone time which has not been as fun). Brett's parents are coming to stay with us this month so I've been getting our spare bedroom company-ready and been hunting for a new job. Brett also bought me a sewing machine, so I've been trying to channel my inner Martha Stewart! My first project was a fall banner for our fireplace.

It's hard to see in the pictures, but I used my machine to do some decorative stitching on the pennants. 

The glass head (Cornelius) will soon be replaced by a pumpkin!

Yesterday was a good day in Hanover. Brett had the day off! We woke and he made breakfast. Brett LOVES to cook, but with his crazy work schedule he hasn't had much time to cook other than nights we grill out. We tried out a new church- this could be a whole post in itself, but we've had trouble finding the right "church home" for us. Then after lunch, we made our way to the annual Wine Festival of Hanover. I was surprised by the number of people and vendors! For a small town, there was a great turn out. Nine local wineries were represented. You pay to get into the festival and they give each person a wine glass (and some pretzels, ha) and you can go to any of the booths and taste as many of their wines as you want. The wineries made their money through bottle/case purchases or you could buy wine by the glass. 

Some of our favorite wines included Sour Cherry and Raspberry from West Hanover Winery (website). We also liked the wines from Allegro Winery(website). Their Apple Cinnamon wine was served warm and tasted like Fall in a glass! I'm ready for pumpkins, sweaters, boots, and cider. With lows in the 40s already happening here, I would say we are just about there.