Christmas

I had a wonderful Christmas this year at my parent’s home in Chattanooga. Chris came up from Birmingham and spent a few days with us. Kate & Johnny also spent Christmas Eve & Day with us before heading over to Memphis to see Johnny’s family. We all had a wonderful time Christmas Eve at the Candlelight service, Christmas Eve dinner, checking out the Christmas window displays downtown and ending the night with our kid tradition of watching/falling asleep to Home Alone. Sadly, it was just Chris and I this year; Kate has left the tradition and decided she just had to go home with Johnny this year, being married and all...sad day. But the two of us are keeping the tradition alive, for now.  Christmas day was wonderful as well. We started the morning off with a wonderful breakfast made by my dad. He makes the best country ham, with red eye gravy and biscuits this side of the Mississippi. The rest of the day we spent opening presents and hanging out around the house. In the evening, after my brother’s wonderful girlfriend, Lauren arrived; my whole family went to the movies to watch Sherlock Holmes on opening day. It was a great movie. And we ended the night at Big River with some friends. It was a wonderful day. The only pictures I have are of house decorations…etc.  I am waiting on my sis to send me the Christmas pictures she took of the family, but until then, the ones I took will have to do!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas & I wish everyone a Happy New Year! 

Cozy Fire Place

gift quantity may appear larger than it actually was

December Snow

Thanksgiving

My family (minus Kate & Johnny) had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year up at the Manley’s farm in Louisville, Ky. The Manley’s are some real close family friends of ours. It was so much fun being back up in Louisville for Thanksgiving just like the good ol’ days growing up as kids when we would spend Thanksgiving at the Corrie’s on Floyd’s Knob, Indiana.

Manley's Guest House and Barn

Chris and I stayed at our buddy, Clay Manley’s condo in town. We enjoyed having a little break from the grownups so we could hang with some friends and make it out on the town at night. During the day, we would head out to Clay’s parents farm to hang with everyone. We had a great time shooting guns, shooting skeet, eating WAY too much food, using dixie cups and getting to see everyone including the Corrie’s who came over the day after Thanksgiving.  

Shooting Skeet

Shooting Skeet

Val & Wheatley

Chris & Wheatley

Shooting a Century .45-70   

Arguably, the most powerful revolver ever made.

Fly Fishing Trip

I was able to go fly fishing for the first time this past month with some buddies on a private creek located just outside of Sherwood, Tennessee. The creek was located on a gorgeous piece of property located just north of the Alabama/Tennessee line at a private hunting/fishing club where my friend is a member. You can close your eyes on the drive in and then open them up and you swear you’re on some stream out in wild Montana. It is breathtaking. And the trout are huge! I’ve been fishing many times for trout using just spinner rods out in Colorado and down south, but this was my first experience using a fly rod. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to get back out in a stream and do it all over again. The experience of just going would have been enough, but actually catching my first trout on a fly rod made it even better!!   

Me

Rainbow Trout 

Blue Ridge Parkway & Dad's Homestead

My family visited North Carolina this week to visit with family from my dad's side. We had a great time catching up with everyone attending birthday parties, dinners, and enjoying some homemade ice cream. On our way back, we drove through the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. 

Gorgeous View Along the Parkway

Dad playing on the Blue Ridge Parkway

It's Teamwork Picking Blueberries

Wild Blueberries

Dad Enjoying Some Wild Blueberries

The Family Along the Parkway

Childress Vineyard in North Carolina

House my Great Grandfather Built

Grandpa's Famous Cedar Trees

My Grandparents

Baptism My Dad Painted When He Was a Teenager

Orange Beach Fishing Trip

I spent this past week down at Orange Beach fishing with my brother and a couple of buddies. We spent almost every day out on the boat or hanging out on the island beach soaking up some rays. It was an incredible week full of adventure, great fishing and on occasion some relaxation. We spent a couple of days fishing in the bay and then a few days out in the Gulf after the weather calmed down. Here are some pictures from the week:

Skipjack

on the island 

stud

Spanish Mackerel

King Mackerel

Red Fish/soon to be dinner

Eating our Red Fish at a nearby restaurant, where they cooked it up for us both blackened and fried.  It was so good! Also, we officially became the first guys to clean their fish in their front parking lot. Keeping it classy.  

Cherney’s Wedding!

This weekend I attended my pledge brother Paul Chernausek’s wedding down in Birmingham, Alabama.  It was a wonderful wedding weekend of celebration and catching up with my Sigma Nu pledge brothers. We had a great time to say the least. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Oh and I also had the pleasure of running into my wonderful friends from Auburn, Phil and Ashley Gentry and was so happy to hear of their wonderful news of expecting a baby!! Congrats! Also, I want to thank you Ashley for most likely being the only person to actually read this blog! 

Rehearsal Dinner at The Club

All the Sigma Nu's at the Wedding Reception at Old Overton Club 

2001 Sigma Nu Pledge Class at Samford University

Dougherty Gap & Chattanooga Valley

This past weekend I took a bike ride down the steep Dougherty Gap Road coming off of the south side of Lookout Mountain down towards W Cove/Chattanooga Valley Rd in northwest Georgia. It is a spectacular road with beautiful scenery all around and surprisingly, on this bright and sunny day, I might have passed three cars the entire time I was riding. It’s funny how beauty can be so close to us and yet we won’t take the time to break from the city’s strip mall mania to visit it. Actually I guess its better this way. I wouldn’t want someone to start thinking we needed to build a gas station and a strip center in the middle of this beautiful forgotten ol’ farm road due to the spectators.  

Camping on Pigeon Mountain

This past weekend I went on a solo camping trip up to Pigeon Mountain, located in northwest Georgia. I needed to get away for awhile and clear my head of some things and thought what better place than Pigeon Mountain. It’s been one of my favorite places since high school when my buddies and I would frequent the area to mountain bike, boulder, four-wheel or just camp. I remember many nights we would wait till 10 pm before getting the urge for a night of camping up on the mountain. So we’d pack up our trucks and make it out to the mountain top well after midnight for a late night of sitting by the campfire with our buddies talking and laughing.     

View from the Summit

Taking it easy by the campfire

Expedition 25 tent getting some exercise. It misses our trips.

National Cornbread Festival

I had a wonderful time attending the National Cornbread Festival this past weekend for the first time. It’s held each year in the sleepy little town of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, aka the “Cornbread Capitol of the World”.  South Pittsburg is a small town located just 36 miles outside of Chattanooga towards Nashville. I remember hearing about this event back in high school, but never really had the urge to go until now. It was definitely worth the trip and I’m so glad I got to experience it. The cornbread was amazing!! The festival had such a wonderful atmosphere with all the different booths, local shops, events, food, bluegrass musicians and of course the wonderful down to earth small town southerners. 

Just be careful you cook your cornbread the right way! These people take it serious. I learned of an old city ordinance pertaining to the cooking of cornbread. The law declares: “Cornbread isn’t cornbread unless it be made correctly. Therefore, all cornbread must be hearby made in nothing other then a cast iron skillet. Those found in violation of this ordinance are to be fined one dollar.” Haha I still can’t believe that is really a city ordinance. Luckily though, I purchased my first 12 inch iron skillet a few weeks back, so I am good to go. My new skillet is what really got me excited about attending this event.  I’ve wanted one for many years, but never took the time to get one. But I just love it, and have been enjoying cooking with it and have really fallen in love with the wonderful old tradition that comes with it. 

Bluegrass Street Musicians

Me and Deputy Barney Fife

Mayberry Police Car

My Sis’s Wedding!

My Sis got married Saturday to her lovely new hubby Johnny Carr. I’m so excited for my little sis and proud of her for successfully planning her beautiful wedding day. I’m also excited about my new brother in law. The ceremony was held at the beautiful Signal Mountain Presbyterian church up on Signal Mountain. It was absolutely breathtaking and everything ran real smooth. The reception was held at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club overlooking the Tennessee River. We had so much fun. The weather cleared up and it was a beautiful night. The dinner and the band were incredible. Here are some pictures I’ve got so far. I will post better ones later. 

The Tucker Kids

The Boyz

Marcus and I

The Tucker Family with Johnny