Etowah Indian Mounds

Things around here have changed. Chris having every weekend off means a lot of time that we aren't used to. At first we were like "oh we will have plenty of activities to fill our schedule." Now, we are like "we have got to find things to do before we strangle each other go crazy."

This past weekend we got in the car and just drove northwest. We literally picked a random direction and drove. We ended up in Cartersville, GA at the Etowah Indian Mounds.

They were breathtaking. I had driven past some other Indian mounds here in Georgia before and always thought they were cool but I had never visited them. We walked through the museum and watched a quick demo on Native American tools and games. It was all really cool. Then we headed over to the mounds.

The mounds look like a pyramid minus the top. It is huge when you are standing next to it. It was a climb up those mounds but the view was amazing. You could see forever and there were butterflies playing in the field below every where! I felt like we were in a movie.  After our trip to the top we walked down to the river to relax and watch the geese. I cannot explain the feeling there. I don't know if it was because I was baptized in that river ( a little farther down) or if it was because of history there but I felt so at peace and so close to God. It was amazing.

We finished it up the trip with a walk along the nature trail. I have decided my butt needs to get in shape. Chris didn't even break a sweat... the same cannot be said for me. Haha.

So this was adventure #1. You can find more information about the mounds and the village that was in this area here. We have so much planned in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned!

- Mal

Wine Bottle - 1, Mallory - 0

So last night I wanted wine.

 I needed wine.

Work was a nightmare, I was PMSing, and nothing had gone my way. I grabbed my corkscrew and the bottle of wine I had been saving. Not the everyday wine the good stuff.

Right away I could tell something was wrong with the cork or the corkscrew or me. It would not work. I was getting frustrated. Sure, I could have waited the 5 minutes for Chris to get home and handle it but " I am woman, hear me roar!"

I took matters into my own hands...

I tried to dig the cork out with a knife... no luck.

I tried to open it like Whitney did that time with a shoe. It had worked once before for me but this time nope.

So finally I got creative.... ( read: dangerous)
I found a screw and screwed it into the cork and then grabbed a hammer to pry the screw and the cork out. This is where I messed up. I pulled and the cork started to give and then it stopped. So I pulled harder and heard a loud crash and felt instant pain.

 Hindsight: Glass and hammers don't mix. Also, I probably should have used a table for leverage so the hammer and the glass never met. 

I looked down and my hand was gushing blood. Then bottle was still in my hand but the neck of the bottle was on the ground in half with the stubborn cork still wedged in there. Once the shock wore off I bandaged my hand, poured the wine in a fancy decanter I had also been saving and disposed of the evidence right as Chris was pulling into the driveway. He never asked about the bandage or why the decanter was out of the China cabinet. (smart man)

Then I drank the entire bottle of wine. It was the best wine I have ever had so there's that. Oh, and I didn't spill a drop during the whole fiasco.

Why can't we just stay lazy?

So Chris finally got that new job. Yay! The hours are better, the pay is great and full benefits. He is pretty happy. Actually he is a totally different person.

If you think about it we spend like 30%  (or more at his old job) of our time at work. If you hate your job that is a REALLY long time. As hard as he tried, he brought that negativity home. We fought at work over work stuff and then we fought at home because of his attitude. I tried to remind myself that he couldn't help his feelings but I got severely offended when he complained. He worked for my family and for some reason I took his hate for the job as a personal attack.

Skip ahead 3 weeks and wow. He is like living with a different person. He is happy and carefree and he laughs y'all. Like actual belly laughs. Our marriage is benefiting 10x over.

Know what else is benefiting?

His health. ( where did you think that was going?)

He has lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks. He is snoring less and his face is already looking thinner. Here is the problem... I am perfectly happy being lazy. Now that he is getting all buff and crap I am going to have to get more active. I mean, I know I need to do this anyways but he has a head start and he gets paid for his physical activity.

So I need quick workout ideas. Like 30 min every AM to get started. And how do y'all stay motivated? And which diet plans work the best?

HELP!