Sapphire (and Diamonds)

 I went up to the mountains with my mom, sister, and Ellie on Thursday morning. My dad and Ryan had gone up the day before, and DuBose was bringing the boys Saturday morning.

 ...A family weekend in Sapphire for the Labor Day weekend.

We were all excited and ready for some family time away.

Thursday night we all went out to dinner for pizza (including my grandparents) and on the way home we saw three bears, a momma and her two cubs. My parents have been looking for these bears for years now and we all were excited to see them. Well, when we got back to the house, Ryan took Jennie on the golf cart to "look for bears." When they came back they brought great news with them - They got ENGAGED!! He proposed on the golf course overlooking the beautiful mountains.

 She was very happy, to say the least.

 

We are all sooo excited for them and and can't wait for their big day in February. 

Welcome to the family, Ryan! 

 Here's where he asked. 

 It was Ryan's birthday on the 2nd so we had a birthday party for him Saturday night. My boys love Ryan and were excited to share his special day with him.

 Happy couples

 Although there was much celebrating and planning, we did get in some of the traditional mountain activities:

 kayaking on the lake,

 playing in the yard,

 and hiking.

 We headed into Panthertown for our hike and enjoyed a beautiful walk down the mountains.

 where we stopped to swim and to have our picnic.

 That water was CHILLY!

About five minutes after the boys and Ryan got in to swim, the sky opened, and it poured for about 15 minutes. DuBose, GG, and I hid in the trees hoping for some cover but the rain was coming down hard and fast so eventually all cover was lost and we were all drenched. The boys played in the water though with Ryan and had a blast. When it stopped, we sat in the sun to dry out before heading out. It was a fun hike despite the weather.

We headed home on Monday rejuvenated and ready for the week. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for another great weekend.

And Ryan and GG, we couldn't be more excited about your upcoming wedding and more importantly your marriage. Praying many blessings over you both!!