Ten Years!

Next month is our tenth wedding anniversary. I can't believe I'm old enough for that to be true. In some ways it seems like yesterday that I walked down the aisle; in other ways it feels like a lifetime ago, because it's hard to remember life without Bill. He's my first and only love.

I'd always imagined reliving our honeymoon in the Virgin Islands for our ten year anniversary. But- it just couldn't be so. My parents would be taking care of the kids, and with Lydia's health always uncertain, my mom asked that we not travel far. It's hard to leave our kids anyway, so it was good to know we'd only be a couple hours away if anything happened. We booked a short getaway to Harman's Luxury Log Cabins in Hopeville Canyon, West Virginia.

These two pictures of our cabin and our view are from the Harman's Cabins website. It's a great place to stay if you ever visit the area.

We hiked to the overlook at Seneca Rock and traveled up to Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia. We also visited Seneca Caverns. It's not the Caribbean, but our state is so beautiful that I can't imagine living anywhere else.

 Seneca Rock.

 View from the overlook deck on top of Seneca Rock.

 I'm never brave enough to go past this sign. The warning of death is enough to stop me.

 I love him!!!

 The last time we were here, Brooke was six months old. We were with our friends Dave and Stephanie, and we all four took turns carrying her to the top. I nursed her on the overlook deck. It was also the same weekend that she said Mama for the first time. 

There's no cell phone service in the area. We had WiFi in our cabin and could iMessage my mom and check Facebook messages, but that was it. We found this pay phone- they still exist!- and called home. We only had a dollar in change, and that bought us four minutes long distance. Time warp.

Last week while researching for our trip, I decided to face my fear of heights with a canopy tour at Nelson Rocks Outdoor Center. I've wanted to go zip lining for a few years, but I've just been too afraid. Bill has zero fear of heights, so he was all for it, but I wasn't completely sure I'd go through with it. To anyone who isn't afraid of heights, it wouldn't seem like a big deal. There were twelve zip lines and three sky bridges. I almost backed out when I realized it included repelling out of a forty foot tree. Before I could psych myself out, I went ahead and paid for our reservation over the phone. Non refundable. Do or die.

 I never looked down the entire trip. I didn't even look around at the scenery. I just stared at the target straight ahead. There aren't any pictures of Bill. I was just trying to survive, and didn't think to take pictures of him. He was perfect at it though. He would come in smoothly each time, braking just right. It was almost annoying, he was so good at it! 

 The scariest part for me wasn't how high off the ground I was. I was most terrified when leaving the platform, and then again when my body turned to face sideways, halfway across the zip line. We were supposed to steer with our wrist, but I was horrible at it. I hated the feeling of being out of control. I think if I didn't have to try so hard to keep my body facing forward, I would have been able to relax a lot more.

Repelling at the end. My biggest fear on the trip. 

 I was so glad it was assisted repelling. I just kept my eyes closed until about halfway. I finally opened them, but never looked down. 

 That's me!

 That smile is my relief and joy of being back on solid ground. 

 It's over! One more item crossed off my bucket list. I'm good for life, and I don't think I'll relive the experience. It never got easier to leave the platform with each zip. Adrenaline rushes aren't my thing, I guess. Fine with me. That said, I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who's not afraid of heights. Our guides were so great! I'm sure I looked like a big sissie, but they never made me feel that way. 

 Lunch at Seneca Caverns after zip lining. 

I love him even more today than I did yesterday!

 Inside the caverns. We were the only ones on the tour! 

 They call this area Fairy Land! It was so cute.

 Beautiful!

 We drove to Spruce Knob after the caverns for more gorgeous views.

I am one blessed girl.