simple and good

We spend quite a few weekends outside of Knoxville… sometimes it feels like too many. Something was different, though, when our friends Claire and Mike invited us to their cabin for the weekend. There was no agenda. No event. No expectations. Not even a dinner out.

Blissful, if you ask me. So we went.

It was everything we were hoping for and more: good friends, good rest, good football (well, some of it… boo Florida),  good play, and really good food.

 

Did I mention that there was a hot tub? The rain let up for awhile on Saturday, so all the boys partook… and loved it. 

 

 
Mike, our happy host, and baby Henry (6 months old).

 

 
I was jealous. I wanted to be Henry in that moment. 

 

 

Trying to maximize the rainless hours, Curtis and Mike decided to do a little fishing too.

 

 
I’m not sure it was the most successful fishing ever, but at least they tried, right?

 

They even let Cooper tag along and scare away the fish! His favorite method? Rocks…

 

 
…flung into the water. Too fun! So fun, actually, that he fell into the pond and had to be brought back inside for a full change of clothes (hence the lovely outfit)!

 

The rocks, however, couldn’t hold a candle to playing with the dog. Maiden, Claire and Mike’s dog, is slightly obsessed with playing fetch. Ironically, so is Cooper.

 
Each time, he would get the ball back from Maiden and start running…

 

 
throw… (usually about 4 feet in front of himself)

 

 
and watch Maiden go.

 

 
If only I had brought my Flip to capture on video the laughter and squeals of delight- every time- as Maiden ran to find the ball and bring it back.  Happiness in its purest form.

 

 
Claire, Henry, and I had come out to be a part of the action and were certainly glad not to have missed any of it.

 

 
I was also particularly glad not to have missed this.

 

Wait, no. This.  Ohhhh, the preciousness.

 

Later, I enlisted Curtis to help me with a special project… my only real contribution to the weekend worth of food. Delicious food! Mike smoked a pig and made unbelievable barbeque, Claire baked scrumptious pumpkin muffins, and they served us meal after meal with little to no help from us. It was amazing.

 
Curtis collected some sticks from outside and used Mike’s pocket knife-

 

to make these-

 

 
so that I could make these. Yum.

There’s just something simple and good about a caramel apple. Seemed to fit the weekend just perfectly…