Yosemite

Today I'm over at Real Home Love sharing a tutorial for diy-ing a stair runner. It's easier and cheaper than you think and we are in love with the results! And check back here next week when Lindsay from Real Home Love will be here sharing a fun tutorial with you that's all about fall fashion.

I just got back from a fun trip with my husband to Yosemite. I was (obviously) horrible about blogging while I was gone but I was busy relaxing and having fun in the gorgeous mountains surrounded by humongous trees. Oh, and a fire. I'm sure you've seen the news about the awful wildfire in Yosemite right now. We were far away from it thankfully, and are hoping it's all under control soon. Labor Day is a huge weekend for tourists in Yosemite so everyone is pushing to stop the fire quickly and with as little damage to those gorgeous trees as possible.

Here are a few pics from our trip. Oddly enough, we had never been in the mountains as a couple before. When we first met, my husband was an avid backpacker. You know...the kind that puts on a big heavy pack and disappears into the woods for days on end. Not my idea of fun but he always loved it.

When we were dating I bought us both a pair of nice hiking boots and we have never used them! That was almost 10 years ago! It was about time we went somewhere we could hike. I happened to have a work-related conference in Yosemite and we jumped at the chance to go. Keeping up with my uber-outdoorsy husband was a little brutal, but fun to join his world a bit more. And when you can hike to views like this...who wouldn't love it?

Our first hike was in the Giant Sequoia area. These trees are impressive, to say the least. They make our big tree look like a toothpick. Can you see us in the pictures below?

On another day we hiked to the top of a waterfall. It was a llllloooonnnnnggg hike straight up but was fun to reach the top and have that sense of accomplishment (which lasted for a while until I realized how far we had to go down the mountain to get back).

Our hotel had a fun picnic dinner one night with a great band, s'mores by the fire, yummy food, and even an archery range where I got to challenge the hubs to a little friendly competition. (and guess who won...he he he)

I loved eating breakfast by the fire each morning in the chilly fresh mountain air. We decided that one of these gas fire pits will become a fixture in our backyard. (We've got BIG house plans for next year!)

And speaking of fire...here's a distant view of the fires in Yosemite right now. It was strange to see so much smoke without smelling any of it. Smoke would waft over the roads in some areas but unless you knew it was smoke you'd easily think it could have been fog.

After this trip I think I've caught on to the fun of the mountains and want to plan more trips. What are your favorite mountain destinations?