We love to make a good travel guide...we felt it was about time we do a travel guide for Lookout Mountain/Chattanooga! We had an amazing week at the cabin this January and enjoyed relaxing and taking it the solitude. The cabin is booking up quickly for the Spring! In preparation for the upcoming Spring and Summer seasons, we are sharing our favorite things to do near the VRBO! 

On the way down to Florida, we spent some time at the cabin (VRBO link here). It was our first time visiting the cabin "for fun." We had been once to tour the cabin when it was for sale, and then twice furnishing the home in preparation for renters. This was our first time visiting for enjoyment. We did do some small maintenance projects and ran a few errands, but overall, we got to take in the peaceful views and enjoy time as a family. Bringing Brooks to the cabin for the first time felt nothing short of monumental; we will truly cherish these memories! We hope for the cabin to be a place that we will make many memories in for years to come. That reality sunk in, envisioning our future...family hikes, kids playing ping pong in the basement, board games overlooking the mountains. It felt like a first of many family visits. 

I'm excited to share some sketches of the house plans that we put so much thought into! The great thing about this being our 6th house (7th if you count the cabin!) is that we have a lot of thoughts pertaining to what works and what doesn't, practically. We have lived in many different kinds of layouts and have strong opinions about the entry, laundry, storage, kitchen layout, window configuration, and more. We know what we want to prioritize. Every family's needs and desires are different and we are eager to build a home that caters to our busy lifestyle, and that fits our growing family. 

Finally here to share Brooks' birth story! It's hard to believe this was 2 months ago already. Time is flying by, and I cannot believe how big my precious baby has grown in such a short time. Giving birth was the most miraculous, yet difficult experience of my life. It was not at all what I had expected!

We had an unusual travel year, where we traveled to the same places multiple times, and didn't venture on any other trips, except for our baby moon to California. As such, we only hit about 30 coffee shops this year--down from probably around 75 last year! That said, we have a STRONG list of bonafide coffee shops for those local, and those traveling, too.  This was also the year we hit our 200th coffee shop! Ironically, it was a mere week or two before having Brooks and we haven't gotten to add more to the list yet. Excited to do so in 2022! 

Initially, I thought I would be blogging during my entire pregnancy. Somehow, the time managed to fly by as we were pre-occupied with getting ready for baby, maintaining our jobs, getting prepared for a few weeks off of work, and tackling the cabin project. Today, I am sharing a brief overview of all three trimesters, in addition to the moment (with video!) that I told Ty that I'm pregnant (what I know you are all really here for!), and us finding out the gender! 

Merry Christmas all! We have been receiving a lot of questions as to the overall design "theme" of the new home we are building. You have seen us do several design schemes from Mid Century Modern (Ada flip), to coastal cottage (Holland flip), to Floridian beach house (30a project), and more. I had a hard time selecting a theme for the new build...we could do anything and are not limited to any existing design elements! That freedom to design is beyond exciting; yet, it does make it difficult to hone in one particular aesthetic.