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Georgia

SHARP MOUNTAIN WINERY

Wine enthusiasts rejoice, I have found a hidden wine treasure!

An hour drive North of Atlanta will land you at Sharp Mountain Vineyards, Georgia’s 3rd oldest grapes.

We started with a tasting, which includes 5 wines. Below is what I chose and how I felt about it.


Usually a chardonnay gal, I surprised myself and went with a full pour of their ‘clean and crisp’ sauv blanc. MMM, would so drink right now! (but it’s 11am so…I digress)

Don’t let the comic sans font throw you off from the seriousness they take in their old-world style wine crafting; they grow, produce and bottle all of their own wine!

You’ll notice on my notes sheet, I wrote “only pinot noir in Georgia” which I was really pumped on as that’s my go-to red. Because of our high humidity and heat, it’s very difficult to grow in our state. Yet somehow, it’s been done, and quite well! Sharp’s was dryer than most I’ve had. Won’t even begin to sound like I know it’s because of this or that, I just know it was tasty!

One quick look at my IG and you’ll notice I’m pretty dang fond of this here (above) color. Even with impending Summer days, I don’t see it as a Fall-only pallet either. May be harder to find, but I’m on it!

Another thing I’ve been all about is-basics; you know, those staple pieces that can be mixed and matched within your wardrobe. Leaning less and less away from statement items simply because with my casual workplace and hobbies, the flashy pieces just don’t get as much wear.

At the moment, you could call my closet a ‘capsule wardrobe’ or at least the closest to I’ve ever been. Most of my favorite basics come from Madewell. Crew necks are also on repeat at the moment. Unless a client visit or shoot is happening, you’ll find me in a basic paired with classic jeans most week days.

A couple that stays together, dresses alike – that’s the saying, right?!

Back to wine, I would absolutely recommend visiting Sharp Mountain. If not only for the tasty wine but also the friendly staff and view of the mountain. There was a small group of ladies that posted up on a picnic blanket with the mountain as a backdrop, perfection if you ask me!

EXPLORE GEORGIA

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We kept last weekend plan-less because we thought we might have lots of pre-wedding things to do but ended up with just a plan-less weekend and no big tasks at hand. Even though there was plenty of activities happening around Atlanta (Red Bull Soap Box Derby, Porch & Pies party..) we wanted to keep things slow but not boring. So, on Saturday morning we got up early, packed our camping gear and drove up to North Georgia for an overnight stay in the woods.  Once in Cleveland (GA) we decided to first head to Dukes Creek Falls, that was until we took a wrong turn trying to avoid traffic heading to Helen and wound up passing by the Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards and pulled right in!

 

 

 

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The vineyard was adorable! Though small in stature they had a lot to offer; tastings, live music with an outdoor seating area and even wine slushies! I opted for the chardonnay blend-just the right amount of tart and smooth.

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Next we set out to hike Dukes Creek Falls for sights and a relatively easy 1.9 mile round trip hike.

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This is the view from the parking lot!

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The Falls are huge! There are multiple platforms for viewing so you can see all the angles of the waterfall and creek bed. It’s really breathtaking.

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Seriously could not get over the colors! Ooo’d and ahhh’d all weekend long!

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After our beautiful hike, we went to Raven Cliffs Falls to see if there were any spots to camp and while it was pretty packed out, we found a spot near a creek that was perfect.

Couple trips to the car and back and we were set up!

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Which called for wind down beverages; wine for me and beer for Dustin!

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We brought a bundle of firewood and foraged for small pieces. “Better safe than sorry if the area’s been picked over!” -D

We didn’t hike to the falls of Raven Cliffs mostly because we both had sore backs as we’re still recouping from our car accident in May and flare ups are rare for D but, unfortunately frequent for me. I’m working on it though, through PT and massages. Plus we had already seen it together. Next time I’d like to see it again, it’s a longer hike but when you get to end it’s so worth it! Post about that trip, here.

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Dustin grew up in Boy Scouts and finished as an Eagle Scout so he knows the way around a fire and is patient with all my poking and feeding-even when it probably doesn’t need a new log!  Fires are my favorite part of camping!

Ingles really brought it strong with their muffin game, this pumpkin muffin was to die for! Not pictured is the cinnamon apple one we devoured, also bomb, so moist.

After a solid breakfast we set out for home. Then…we saw signs for a wild animal reserve and had to see what that was all about!

When we parked our car we were greeted by a fallow deer named Lucky. As a youngin he was struck by lightning leaving him with lopsided antlers, which added to his cuteness! I shared my banana with him :P

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We got the reserve’s history from the little girl who’s dad runs the place. She said that it started with one animal needing rescue which led to another being handed over then people just started dropping animals off! Some of the animals have been seized by the court and given to the reserve because the owners were treating the animals poorly.  So if you ask, is it sad? Nope! They are being well taken care of and some are living the better half of their lives inside the Chestatee Wildlife walls!

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Across the lot from Lucky were two grizzles, one of which had bad arthritis so it walked with a slow pace and a limp and seemed to love soaking in the little pool.

The coolest experience was attracting a herd of zebra over and feeding the striped beauties! Look at those ears and mohawk!

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After hanging with all the animals we thought, why not continue the festivities and hit up a corn maze! We went to the Tomato House off Cleveland Hwy which had everything you could ever imagine a roadside shop having! Seriously, the place is packed with stuff; candy, knickknacks, every genre of toys and housewares..I could go on, it’s bizarre how much crap (sorry..) is in this place! Anyways, they had a bunch of really cool pumpkins and squash –

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If you’ve been to a corn maze, you’d probably agree how it’s both pretty and creepy at the same time. There was a slight breeze making the tall plants sway back and forth, crinkling against one another. Besides the noise of cars in the distant, it was fairly peaceful.

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Bought this Stetson hat for the honeymoon but wore it all weekend. Love it! Lightweight and very comfortable.  Took some getting used to the rigid bill, figured that out quickly when getting in and out of the car, doink!

Find it here.

While this wasn’t the slowed down weekend we originally expected, it was a freaking awesome adventurous time! Love me some spontaneity!!

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CREEPY RIGHT??? Happy Halloween week!

Oh and it’s also my wedding week! Ahhhh

SERENBE FARMS

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Months and months ago we bought a Scoutmob deal for trail riding at Serenbe Farms. For one reason or another we kept having to reschedule and finally got to ride this past weekend. We both agreed that it was a blessing in disguise that we had to move it to Saturday because the weather and trees were beautiful!  We were scheduled for the 10am ride and got there a little before and walked around the barn, petting Cricket the farm cat and chatting with the guide. Then, much to my surprise a friend and her roommate showed up for the same ride! Love how small everything gets when you live in the same place for an extended time.  So after we got helmets and were given our horses we saddled up and went on our way to blaze the trails!
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Because of my skill level, or rather lack there of, I was put on Seminole because she was supposedly chill.  Initially she wasn’t happy with the bit in her mouth and was slinging her head back and forth which made sense because it doesn’t seem comfortable at all.  At first, this scared me but I quickly learned how she wanted the reigns to be and if I left them really loose she was calm.  If other horses got too close she’d nip their butts which I was afraid would affect the rider but luckily the horses seemed to be used to her. Whenever she spotted green leaves she’d stop and eat on them, which kept making us fall behind the group.  Then Dustin told me that she was taking advantage of my leisureliness and I needed to show her who’s in control. After I tugged and didn’t let her near the green stuff she behaved.  I nicknamed her Sassy Seminole because of her antics which the guides thought was fitting.  She put up with my lack of knowledge and we bonded and learned each other’s ways.  I had a really enjoyable time!
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Dustin grew up riding horses and was a pro! At one point we crossed over a fallen tree and while everyone else had their horses casually step over the tree he did a little kick technique and leaped over it like he was competing in a show! He looked like a modern cowboy-it made me laugh so hard!
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Above– at some points it was difficult riding with my camera but it was so worth having it! Below– this donkey almost pulled my camera out of my hand trying to eat the strap!
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Above- After our ride we took advantage of the day and went exploring around town and found this wooden trail.
Below-  We stumbled upon a shop called Greenhouse. We all wanted so many things!  We left with a practical buy, a muddler, for our cocktail bar. The owner was also so nice and let us swoon all over her 11 week old standard poodle puppy, Charlie. Look at that face!
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After shopping we went to the petting area to play with bunnies, mini horses, donkeys, goats, chickens and pigs. The bunnies didn’t want much to do with us but the mini horse was very friendly! Even let us style its mane into this hershey kiss up do!

We had made reservations at the Farmhouse for 1:30 and made way over to get our fried chicken game on. That may have been the best fried chicken I’ve had-ever. Seriously so yummy!  So as you can see and read, we had an amazing Saturday and would highly recommend a visit to Serenbe!

BLUE RIDGE, GA

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Last weekend was spent in North Georgia with Dustin, his cousin and her husband.  They have three kids and wanted an adult-only weekend in the mountains taking in the changing leaves, sipping pumpkin beers and chilling out. We gladly accepted the downtime! We even got to sleep in, which is always amazing since a lot of weekends we get up naturally early or have to be somewhere. Saturday while we were hiking around the backyard I snapped photos of the surroundings.  The backyard was STUNNING! There was a big creek, man made waterfall and water collecting system, several porches and bridge. We didn’t have to go far to feel like we were way up in the mountains!
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After exploring on Saturday we went to downtown Blue Ridge to check out the cute little town.  The only photo I took was of this train that does a scenic tour of the mountains. We climbed aboard and peeked in but didn’t ride it since it didn’t seem to be active at the time. While in the city we grabbed some locally brewed beers, German pretzels, played corn hole and popped in a few shops. Adorable!

If this post didn’t get you in the Fall spirit – I don’t know what will!

Have a great weekend, hope it’s filled with pumpkin patches, spiced apple cider and sweaters!

RECAP | GEORGIA HIKING

14290748924_fc7301642b_bTo add to the holiday weekend my boss gave the entire office off this past Friday just cause (what a nice guy right?!!) so Dustin and I decided to take advantage and skip town for a night! Through Air B&B we booked a nights stay at a historic home and headed to North Georgia-specifically the Cleveland/Helen/Dahlonega area-to hike and take in the sights.  As one would expect I took a TON of photos so I’m splitting it up, this post is all about the hike we did through Raven Cliffs Falls.

14311426583_c964cbab0f_b14311412043_10cf1689ce_bThe hike from start to finish was around 5 miles and in that time we came across 2 salamanders (we held one!), 3 snakes (did NOT hold these..), a clicking beetle, lots of butterflies, a HUGE toad (biggest I’ve ever seen) and a bunch of millipedes/caterpillars/snails!! We are both nature lovers and took it all in with a smile that was until I swallowed a medium-sized bug of some sort and then I chocked for a bit until I got it down with some water and trail mix. Laughed it off and kept going..with my mouth closed!

The woods were so green that the trees made a nice canopy that kept us cool. We had forgotten bug spray but thankfully didn’t really get bit. The weather was pretty humid until a small storm rolled through and chilled things down a little, we were scared at first thinking we are going to get drenched since we had two cameras on us but our tree canopy helped with this as well. The actual trail is a mix of dirt, rocks and LOTS of tree roots which made it hard to take your eyes of the ground at many points if you didn’t want to trip or roll an ankle. I really enjoyed the actually climbing parts when we hiked down to a few smaller falls, especially since I had a handsome man helping me!

14268127916_2f285b86aa_b14104602138_e622386f1f_b14104549319_6e44f07567_bThis mega waterfall was the “end” of the trail, aka our mission, which we reached in just shy of 2 hours after stopping and playing with all the bugs and things we saw along the way. Dustin had been on this hike about a half dozen times so he knew it well and told me that the “ultimate view” was getting ON TOP of this cliff {waterfall} and looking down(!!!) I agreed to try and we hiked up the rocky “trail” to the side of it to the almost top. Then I slipped down some clay and was trapped under a fallen tree holding on for dear life and laugh-crying while experiencing the WORST WEDGIE I’ve ever had and couldn’t move (thanks overall shorts..) So once Dustin helped me up and I gathered myself and dusted off what clay I could, we hiked back down to the normal trail and started our way back to the car. The only injuries I faced from my slip and fall was a really dirty bum and dyed forearms from the clay.

14268089316_83c822c3e5_b14289295802_7a77a5f1bc_bI felt good having an Eagle Scout with me on the trails, however, next time I should remember Dustin is an experienced hiker and that “easy trail” may mean that’s it’s more difficult to me! Our next visit to N. Georgia we’d like to camp on the premises of the trail, after all it’s first come first serve and FREE as well as go tubing!

Coming up: photos from Mountain Laurel Farm Bed & Breakfast!