this weekend we drove down to the foothills of the smokey mountains with jay’s mom for his family reunion. i had never been to a reunion before so we packed our things and headed to the little town where his grandfather had grown up. let me just say, it was beautiful! we hiked up to some gorgeous views, spent some time at a memorial day parade, and did some antique shopping. i was even able to find some time to read a book during the trip. being surrounded with mountains and God’s creation was such a peaceful way to spend the weekend…
how was your weekend? did you spend some time with family? i hope you are having a safe and blessed memorial day!
love,
arielle
jennifer blair says
Ah, the mountains are so gorgeous! This makes me so excited for our trip in July! My family used to go to the mountains every fall, so I miss it now.
Oh, and I’ve never been to a family reunion either…but apparently that will be remedies soon for me as well. :)
arielle says
i love the mountains…they are definitely beautiful and it is so awesome seeing His creation!
hope you have a great week :)
jennifer blair says
Whoops. I meant remedied. :)
I hope you have a great week too!
Terra says
Sure enjoy myself, and the time spend with you all. Love Ya! Nice pictures!
the olive tree says
Looks like a lovey weekend!! That rock photo with the initials is very cool! HAve a safe and happy day!
arielle says
thank you!! :)
My Bookness says
Amazing pictures. Looks like you’ve had a wonderful weekend.
Delaney says
your pictures are gorgeous! I think you are so talented with your pictures, I definitely think you are going to do amazing things with your photos! Praise God for such a wonderful talent :)
My memorial day weekend was spent working but I did have a hot dog yesterday on my lunch break :) Tried to keep tradition alive somehow!
arielle says
thank you delaney! :) i hope you have a blessed week!
Alivia says
Beautiful photos of your beautiful family! Looks like you had so much fun :)
arielle says
thank you alivia :)
Debby says
Wow what a gorgeous view!
I had a very good weekend celebrating my girl’s birthday and being surrounded by our loved ones :)
arielle says
thank you debby! hope you have a great week :)
Danica says
I always love your photographs so much! You really know how to capture the most unusual but cute moments. my favorite of course is the baby sleeping in the stroller! haha. What a doll! hope your Memorial day was fun and you enjoyed spending time with his family.
Is you family in Kentucky as well?
arielle says
thank you danica :) it was a lot of fun! some of my family is in kentucky & it’s where we live as well!
hope you have a blessed week!
hope says
these pictures are gorgeous! haha it looks like your kind-a town! :)
Courtney @ The Mommy Matters says
Gorgeous photos. I love that one of you and the little guy sitting on the bench. Just beautiful!
Jessica Bussell says
the pictures are incredible and what a great time with family!
Amy says
You and your husband are such a darling couple! Sounds like you had a great weekend!
amy day to day
Tamara says
i love the photo with the grandfather’s initials…with memorial day my grandfather has been in my mind. family reunions are the best! just thinking about them puts a smile on my face.
arielle says
oh, i agree :) i hope you had a beautiful and a blessed memorial day weekend!
Emily says
I sure do love your pictures. It looks like a restful place to be. My weekend consisted of resting myself after getting back from a week of busy travel.
Scout says
Wow…. just WOW! I love the mountains and hope I get to live in them some day. That photo of your hubby and boy on the tractor is so precious!
arielle says
thank you so much scout! :)
chetreanna says
My weekend was nice. Got to hear a great panel discussion, testimony and scripture teaching on 1corinthians (5:10 I think??? I am so bad at remembering verses!) “I AM WHAT I AM BY THE GRACE OF GOD” at a women event in between my two jobs on Saturday. That was quite a blessing :). I also went to the park yesterday with a close sister of mine and we read the bible, had quite time, napped, and just enjoyed laying in the grass in the middle of a park on a Sunday. It was beautiful. She leaves for Africa soon and I really enjoyed just being able to be still and silent before the Lord with her. Plus passing out in the sun is ALWAYS fun :).
Love you and your blog. Praying you and your GORGEOUS family enjoy time together today. God bless America and our fallen soldiers who have fought to maintain our freedom.
♥cheche
lori says
Such great pictures! You have such a beautiful family :) Happy memorial day!
arielle says
thank you lori! hope you & yours had a beautiful weekend!
Hannah Nicole says
Love this. Beautiful, as always!
Marie says
Oh gosh, the Smokies are my favorite place in the world. My grandparents live in Knoxville and I spent a lot of time in those mountains as a kid. And Dollywood! I love Dollywood.
Lovely photos! Looks like such a wonderful time.
arielle says
my husband and i lived in knoxville and we loved it….very beautiful views of the mountains! :)
have a blessed week!
Kristen says
The Smokey Mountains are soooo beautiful! I was actually in Gatlinburg this past week enjoying the views!
You captured some wonderful pictures!
arielle says
gatlinburg is beautiful! we lived right by there for a while…gorgeous views :)
Hannah says
Your trip looks so magical!
As a Christian teenager who is BLESSED to know God, I find you are an inspiration to girls like me! You aren’t afraid of showing how deep your love is for him, and that is an amazing quality. Thanks for showing me how cool it is to share your faith <3.
arielle says
thank you so much hannah! that was so encouraging to read :)
keep pressing on to know HIM! <3
my Beautiful Life says
It looks like you guys had an amazing time. That is really special that he can say those initials were carved by his granpa 70 years ago! I love small towns, and being surrounded by hills or mountains. Glad you guys had fun!
P.S. Gorgeous photos *as usual*.
arielle says
me too…small towns are usually so beautiful and have so much character!
hope you have a blessed week :)
~arielle
Yolanda Fields says
What an amazing trip! Both Gregg and I said, “Wow” in reply to Jay’s grandfather’s initials being carved on that rock. What a history and a heritage! =)
arielle says
thank you yolanda! :) hope you all had a great weekend!!
Sarah Mendenhall says
Oh, what fun your first reunion! I had a wonderful weekend. I am in the rolling hill/mountains of southern Oregon visiting my grandmother. I will never forget spending this time with her.
arielle says
oh my! i bet that is beautiful! enjoy your time there :)
emily says
looks like a beautiful part of the world… I feel the same, I am so peaceful inside when surrounded by nature and old, pure parts of the world. Sounds gorgeous x hope you have a beautiful week!
arielle says
thank you emily! :)
Jenni Austria Germany says
love your braids.
just emailed you!
Jennifer says
your pictures are beyond words, as always!
im glad you had a great time…
we headed to the beach for the holiday and my highlight of the weekend was been able to do some reading… how i missed my books.
have a blessed Tuesday!
DY says
I love visiting your blog, it’s so peaceful and the photos are beautiful.
Kaylan says
LOVE the smokies. SO gorgeous. Great photos- you guys look so relaxed and happy. :)
Jessica Zigenis says
Your photos make me smile. I love that one by the pool and the last one with him walking. So beautiful. I spent a lot of time outdoors, too, but my favorite part was simply being with family and having a BBQ. It was relaxing.
Amylou says
How wonderful! I love family reunions. I’m actually going to mine in a few weeks. Looks like you all had a wonderful time!
Andrea says
oh dear, this is such a precious post! i adore these.
and do you use photoshop to place that pretty font onto your photos?
~Andrea @ http://hecallsmewifey.blogspot.com/
Jay says
Every Time I go to Pineville for our Reunion, i get my picture taken at the same place, where my grandpa carved his initials into the mountain. You should see the funny pictures we took when I was 11 or 12 and again at 16. Plan to keep that tradition going, and have Leland continue it :)
kelly ann says
I always feel such peace when visiting your blog, Arielle. <3 I'm so glad you had a wonderful holiday!
Liesl says
This looks like such a fun outing and what beautiful pictures! I am simply loving your blog and am so glad I stumbled upon it!
Liesl :)
Kristy Life n Reflection Photography says
You have a beautiful blog and a talent!
Flor says
lovely pictures! where is this at? i would definitely enjoy a ride on such a colorful ferris wheel!