Anniversary Trip: part one

To celebrate our second wedding anniversary we decided to take an adventure. We biked part of the Virginia Creeper Trail! We've had it on our list of things to do since moving to Virginia, and thought we'd better try it before we embark on the adventure of parenting.

The Virginia Creeper Trail is located on a 34-mile stretch of old railroad bed between White Top and Abingdon, Virginia. The trail is part of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, which is a nonprofit organization that is creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines. This portion of the railroad was likely named Virginia Creeper because of the train's slow speed through this mountainous area.



About 100,000 people bike this trail each year. Once you take a look at our pictures you might understand why. Along the trail there are beautiful mountain scenes and trestles. There are also bathroom and food stops along the way.




You can bike the entire trail in one trip or just a section at time. There are several places to rent bikes with shuttle services that will take you to your starting point.

We biked the easiest part of the trail, which lies between White Top Mountain and Damascus. You can almost coast this entire 17 mile section.

We rented bikes from JC's Outdoors in Damascus, and they shuttled us and three other couples to the top of White Top. The total cost for the bikes and shuttle was only $50 for the two of us.




The trail starts off on flat terrain, but its not too long before you are just coasting.




There was a great place to stop and take in the scenic mountain views about a mile from the starting point. There were already several people there having a picnic.





After a quick stop, we jumped back on the bikes, enjoyed the lovely scenery, and stopped for the occasional photo op. Three miles later we reached Green Cove. This old station now offers snacks, food, restrooms and a little history to visitors.






The trail was so fun and beautiful, but it was a cold and windy day. The day started off with beautiful sunshine, but we were under the trees for the most part. Toward the end of the trail, the sky became overcast. Luckily seven miles from Green Cove, there's the Virginia Creeper Cafe where you can grab a bite to eat and refuel (and for us, warm up)!





The cafe is known for their World Famous Chocolate cake. I couldn't pass that up!



From the cafe it's only six more miles to Damascus. This section of the trail does require more pedaling and was definitely a workout for me, but still worth it. We were running a little late so we didn't stop very much during this section. There seemed to be more water stream views. There's a small waterfall somewhere along this section. But with the threat of rain and being late to return our bikes, we didn't stop.

Although it was a bit colder than I would have liked, we still had a great adventure. Biking is such a nice way to view the local terrain. The trip wouldn't have been complete without getting a souvenir sweat shirt at the cafe. It saved the day!

Cash Envelopes

I feel blessed that Matt and I have very similar views about money and debt. Before we got married we created a budget, and we have successfully tracked our spending in an Excel spreadsheet for the past two years. But sticking to our budget has been another thing.

We don't go out and spend money on frivolous or expensive items. Nor do we usually go in debt, but we seem to always go over budget in our dining out and grocery category each month. This means that at the end of the month we have less to save or invest. I feel discouraged when we can't get a handle on the amount of money we spend on food. Of course food is a necessity, but when we don't stick to our food budget, I feel as though I am not being a good steward.

Mr. Price recently suggested we try the envelope system, and I thought it was worth a shot. It seems like such an old school idea. And I think I had the impression it was for people who had trouble balancing a checkbook. We've been using the cash envelope system for two paychecks, and, for lack of a better phrase...it has been AMAZING!

It has really opened my eyes. I was skeptical that we could do it, because at times, we've gone over our food and dining budget by $50 to $100. The first time we used the envelopes, we came UNDER budget! I was completely surprised.

Dave Ramsey was right - if you have cash in your pocket, you are more likely to think twice about how you spend it. You don't experience any pain when you whip out your debit card to make a purchase like you do when you hand someone cash for a purchase.

Not only does using cash envelopes help us stay on budget, but it also makes balancing the checkbook at the end month a little easier. Not to mention that many banks will soon be charging a fee for using a debit card.

I am a huge fan of the envelope system now! Hopefully we can keep up the good work. If you are interested in learning more specifics or about our Excel budget spreadsheet please e-mail us.

Playing Catch Up

My blog posting has been pretty light over the past few months. Therefore I thought I'd write a brief catch-me-up post. Hopefully this will get everyone up to speed and I can begin posting more regularly.

So here's what we've been up to...

We've gone to the cash envelope system and it has worked wonders! I will have a detailed post about this coming up soon.



We tried a new-to-us restaurant in downtown Roanoke. Thelma's Chicken & Waffles is just the place to go for some good southern cooking. Mr. Price actually ordered chicken and waffles. I opted for the vegetable plate and still had trouble finishing my meal.






Mr. Price celebrated a birthday, and this year I actually got him a gift. I am such a slacker when it comes to getting gifts for people, even my husband. But this year I planned it perfectly. I had a portrait of his dog painted.




We celebrated two years of marriage! The second year was just as wonderful as the first! This year we took a little trip to Abingdon, Virginia to celebrate.




Lastly, I'm finally getting a baby bump! Sorry we didn't make a big announcement about my pregnancy here on the blog, but I'm sure I'll start sharing more soon.

Models on the Market

Sometimes I dream about being a model. Well, okay. You got me. Every time I get a JCrew catalog in the mail! But not because I think I have the looks or ability, but because the life of a model seems so glamorous. It incorporates so much of what I love: photography, traveling and clothes!

I was recently able to get a little taste of the model life.

National Thrift Store day was celebrated on August 17, 2011. To promote the Rescue Mission's thrift store, several employees modeled formal wear on the market square in downtown Roanoke. Twelve other mission employees and I chose formal wear and accessories from the two Rescue Mission shops. The Thrift Store and 2nd Helpings (upscale resale) shop are operated to generate income to support the medical, food and shelter needs of the homeless.

The weather couldn't have been any better for modeling on the market square. Clear skies and sunshine followed us as we all rotated modeling on different street corners during the busy lunch hour. Women striking poses in formal wear is not an everyday occurrence on the market. Needless to say, I think the event generated interest in the Rescue Mission's Thrift store. Several people stopped to find out where the store was located, and many couldn't believe the prices of our formal wear.

The day after the event, someone actually called to find out where she could buy the shawl I modeled!

I think it was a success!

Online Magazines

photo credit
photo credit
photo credit

We all know the world is going digital. There's almost nothing we can't do from our computer or even our cell phones. Wouldn't you pretty much say that you feel lost when one of these devices crashes?

Even the leisure activity of reading has gone digital and wireless thanks to devices like the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook. My family loves to buy books. Barnes and Noble is one of our favorite stores. To have all our books available at anytime in one small, handy machine would be awesome!

Although I'd love to have a Kindle, I'm not as excited to jump on board with digital magazines. A few home design and decorating magazines have been popping up. They have loads of great information and inspiration, but I just can't get into them.

One of my favorite ways to relax and unwind involves magazines. I love to either a) go to B&N and spend an hour or so in the Starbucks cafe looking at magazines or b) sit in my favorite recliner, porch seat or bubble bath with a recent edition of my favorite magazine.

It's just not that easy to do when they're online.

However online magazines have a couple of benefits. They are usually free. And it's easier to save and file information on your computer instead of tearing out and keeping important pages. Bookmarking services such as Pinterest and Delicious really make it easy.

If you've never seen an online magazine, please browse through my favorites below. Don't forget you have the ability to view them full screen.

rue magazine

Lonny Mag

Kinfolk Magazine

A new-to-us game

Yahtzee has been around for awhile, but Mr. Price and I played it for the first time a few weekends ago. Yahtzee is a dice game in which you try to score the most points by rolling certain combinations of dice. During each turn you have three chances to roll five dice to get a full house, small straight, large straight, four-of-a-kind or three-of-a-kind. Plus you must roll to get three matching dice with each number 1 through 6. There are thirteen possible combinations and you only have thirteen chances to obtain them.

Of course you hope to roll five-of-a-kind, which is Yahtzee! Rolling a Yahtzee earns you 50 points, the most of any combination. Both Mr. Price and I had beginners luck. We both rolled a Yahtzee during our very first turn.

Our step-mom showed us how to play on Sunday night. And we must of played this game three times on Monday, during our relaxing holiday at the creek. Have you ever played Yahtzee? It's not a new game, but I think it's definitely worth having in your game collection.

Thank You

I'd like to thank my mom and sister for driving seven hours to Virginia to keep me company while my husband was away last week. Mr. Price spent five days in Durham, NC repairing roofs with the mission group World Changers. I was so glad to have some company for three of those five nights. Even though I didn't take them on any exciting excursions, we still had some nice quality time together. I can't wait to do it again!

This week's favorite links

Before I share some of my favorite links from the week, I thought I'd show you a few pictures from Memorial Day weekend. I took my first trip ever down the creek. On a raft that is! It was so much fun. And we think we may have seen A bear track.





More tracks...



Now I've got lots of party inspiration for you...plus a really inspirational story.

1. Now this may be my kind of party. A party for two.

2. I love parties with cool color combos.

3. We're not the only ones who love Peter Island!

4. A grown up version of this would be great for my husband.

5. You've got to read this series of posts about a writer who visits the Philippines with Compassion International. Scroll to the bottom and then read up. Blog world is in reverse order.

6. Mr. Price and I use our check cards like there's no tomorrow. So we are thinking about giving this a try. It might be as exhilarating as throwing out all my stuff.

Minimalist Living

I wasn't kidding a few weeks ago when I said I wanted to embrace minimalist living. Check out the pictures of this home:

photos from littlebrownpen

I don't know if this blogger considers her style to be minimalist, but it sure looks that way to me. I love to organize. But now I just want to throw all my "stuff" away. To have an apartment not bursting at the seams with stuff seems so freeing and exhilarating.

I've taken a few little steps to clear my clutter.

I went through all my magazines. I ripped out all the good articles and recipes and filed them.



I cleaned out my stationery drawer. As much as I'd love to bring back the lost art of letter writing, I just don't use note cards. I saved two sets. That's all I need. I will be donating the others to the Rescue Mission where I know someone else will enjoy using them.

I am also getting rid of a few knick-knacks around the house that go unused. I had tons of old hotel toiletries. Don't know why I even have those. I cleaned out my Christmas decorations. I've been holding onto these decorative tin cans thinking I would use them one year for gifts. But I haven't.



I'm giving away a few clothing articles.




And finally I went through some of our pens. Looks at all the pens! We only need as many as Big Al can hold.



I've gone through some stuff, but it feels as though I've only scratched the surface! I've been thinking I should make a list of categories such as kitchen, linens, office, pictures, books...and if something doesn't fit into one of those categories, or even if it does and we don't have space for it, we can't buy it or keep it.

Wish me luck!