Soccer Player

I rarely take my big camera to Jack’s soccer games anymore—and by rarely I mean never.  Playing club soccer, he has so so many soccer games each year (at least 20 to 25 a year) and this is, I think, his 5th year of club soccer.  So, maybe I take watching him play for granted a little bit.  Jack has developed into a very talented soccer player, especially on defense (just like his mama—but he’s much more technically skilled than I ever was).  Jack’s just a great athlete in general.  So, I do love watching him play—I just don’t get my camera out during his games.  It was a nice surprise, however, when a friend’s mom emailed me a few shots of Jack she had taken at a recent game when her son had subbed for Jack’s team.  Thanks, Chaeli!  I love having pictures of my soccer-playing boy!  

Asheville Weekend: Lookout Trail in Montreat

On Monday of our long weekend away, we packed up our car, armed with a picnic lunch, and headed to Montreat for a hike before heading home.  I wanted a hike that took us to a wide-open view of the mountains and foothills and, again, wasn’t too far out of our way.  I used the AllTrails app and found just what I was looking for—Lookout Trail in Montreat, just down the road from where we were staying in Black Mountain.  The hike was pretty steep climbing to get to the lookout point, but we encountered very few people along the way so Olive was in hog heaven off leash.  The view went on for miles—you could see some snow-capped mountains in the distance from the previous night’s snowfall (and some was on the trail, too) and the fall colors were just starting to paint the trees. 

Asheville Weekend: Catawba Falls Hike

At the end of October, Jack had a soccer game scheduled in Asheville on a Sunday.  The kids also happened to have that Monday off of school.  So, we booked a dog-friendly house in Black Mountain for a nice 3-day weekend.  Our first morning in Asheville was spent horseback riding on mountain trails outside of Asheville, a special activity that Jonathan had booked for us as a surprise (see Instagram post for pics of that).  We also hit some breweries, ate at some nice restaurants (Curaté being the highlight), explored the shops in downtown Black Mountain, snuggled up on a snowy night at our little mountain townhome (yes, it snowed there at the end of October), and, of course, watched a soccer game.  While it was a little chilly for the weekend we were in Asheville, the beginning of fall colors were just beautiful and we had clear, sunny weather on Sunday and Monday, so we had to get in a few hikes, especially for Olive’s (she didn’t come all this way for nothin’).  On Sunday, we only had a little time sandwiched between Jack’s soccer game and reservations at Curaté, so we chose a relatively short (and easily accessed from the highway), but very scenic hike to a waterfall.  Catawba Falls was a beautiful hike to a large waterfall.

Family Portraits

A fellow former manager from Deloitte became a photographer herself in her post-Deloitte life—she is amazing and a true artist with light.  Once I saw her work, I knew I had to book us for our next family portraits.  I was quick to snatch up a mini session as soon as she released some fall dates.  I highly recommend Carrie Howland Photography!

Instagrammin’ in October

I love October!  I spent a lot of time outdoors, logging my October 100 miles per usual, but we also enjoyed a long weekend in Asheville this month.

olive always helps me get through my miles in october. | at beatty | our nephew jake traveled to nearby fort mill for a band competition. | we got to see the rest of the crosson clan for a visit, too. | another beatty hike, but this time with jonathan | and olive, of course | we clean up nice for our family portraits. | squirrel nut park | another beautiful fall day for a hike | with the whole fam this time | we went horseback riding in the mountains outside asheville | over a river and through the woods | in the slight rain | and my horse tried to wipe me off on a tree the entire time. | next stop, brewery hopping in downtown asheville | olive joined us for this bit. | plus, vortex donuts | our weekend was planned around a soccer game of jack’s in asheville. | brrrr—it was chilly! | beautiful hike at catawba falls | we clean up nice again for a dinner out in asheville | at curaté | and home and snuggling with olive by 8pm on this snowy night in october in asheville | snow-capped mountains the next day | one last hike before we head home—this time above Montreat for some spectacular views | halloween! | ella was maleficent. | jack was jason. | and olive was a panther…reluctantly (it’s more of a muscle tee—i guess she needs a medium!).