New Adventures for a New Year

Birthday Becky

Goodness; I can't believe it's been so long since I've written a new blog post.  I'm so sorry, but I've been without internet access for the last few days.  Quite a bit's happened for the Thublin/Schien family.  We visited my cousins in Orland; my sister turned 19, and my mom surprised us with an excited New Years trip to the mountains.  Of course there's been a lot of cupcake baking with all this celebrating, but a few unexpected adventures have transpired as well.

For Becky's 19th Birthday Party, she requested an evil witch themed party.  Complete with candied apple cupcakes and a table full of presents, it was certainly a shindig.  After she blew out her candles, we were told we needed to set about packing our bags, for the next morning we'd be heading to a cozy cabin in Fort Mountain State Park with the Tribbles (you may remember them from our 2011 Beach Trip or Summer Cabin in the Woods Weekend).

After just three hours in the car, we were up in the mountains.  A full 2,108 feet separated us from sea level.  Of course, the view was absolutely spectacular.  That's one thing you won’t get in New York City…a beautiful view filled with trees. 

Our cabin was the perfect size for our family of nine and one little brown dog.  The only thing missing was a fireplace grate.  The temperature would get down to below freezing, so this led to our first adventure.   My sister anticipated a late night New Year celebration with an afternoon nap, and the remaining three girls made the trek down the mountain hoping for an open Ace Hardware.  Just our luck, it had just closed and wouldn't be open until the 2nd.  On our shopping trip to Bi-Lo (Mountain Town's version of a grocery store), I noticed this metal stand that could become a make-shift grate.  We had our own Thelma and Louise moment and decided to “borrow” it. 

After our could-have-been-run-in-with-the-law, we went back to Cabin 9 and rang in the New Year, watching the Peach Drop on our tiny TV.



Forget the Subway, I Have a New Mode of Transportation  

The start of 2012 brought a new resolution:  I want to be more adventurous.  And on the first, I had my first opportunity...horseback riding.  That's right, this wanna-be-1950s housewife turned into a mountain woman for an hour long ride on a big horse named Picket.  Before leaving the stables, our guide comforted me by saying Picket's their gentle, babysitting horse.  Usually, it's the little kids that ride him.  But, that certainly wasn't running through my head as we broke out into a fast trot.  Of course, there were no major incidents.  The only scare you could say was when I dropped one of my monkey mittens.   And the trail was the prettiest place I've ever been too.  We saw three waterfalls and more than enough trees for me to fill my quota.  

Of course, I couldn't be kept out of the kitchen for long.  Mr. Steve Tribble is a New Years Baby, and he was celebrating a big birthday (the big 6-0).  So after our hour long ride, we drove back  I did what I do best...made more cupcakes.  There's no denying my love for him because, despite the fact that I root the Crimson Tide, our party was Auburn themed.  Navy and burnt orange sprinkles or iced AU’s decorated the chocolate cupcakes.   




The Wonderful Birthday Boy, Mr. Steve



Attempting to Make Smores

January 2nd had a few unexpected adventures as well.  After lunch, I made s’mores over our open fire (what would we have done if I wouldn’t have found that grate???).  Sure, this may not sound too crazy to some, but for me it's pretty out of character.  The afternoon ended with a two mile hike up the mountain to see the fort that's given the GA State Park its name.  The sign's a bit misleading. It just says "Site This Way:" it somehow forgets to mention that its way up this super steep hill that’s made up of  about a billion step.  But, the view from up top was breathtaking, and we took some goofy pictures in front of the mysterious fort.

I was a little sad when we had to pack our bags and leave the cabin this morning.  I know, beautiful mountain towns probably don't have the best news stations, but it sure would be fun to leave in one someday.

The Five Kids In Our Matching  Lumbermen Jackets