Charlotte NC

As you probably know by now we were in Charlotte NC last weekend for the Carolina Panthers game and some light exploring. I was fully prepared for all the leaves to be turned and on the ground be the time we got to Charlotte cause it's late November but they were at peak foliage! It was awesome. I kept saying look at the full yellow tree or that red one haha. And it's still really pretty here right now.

These photos were taken at Marshall Park which is the furthest east of Uptown (read downtown) before crossing the freeway. We stayed at the Fairfield in right by this park and in the uptown area. It was nice because they had a free shuttle within a 3 mile radius of the hotel. After walking around the uptown area a little bit we drove about 15 miles south to Prineville to go to the restaurant Buca di Beppos. Have you guys ever been? There is one in Seattle and I would go there a lot when I lived there but haven't been in like 3 years so it was awesome that I realized there was one in Charlotte so we had to go. We got the bianca pizza and the baked ziti and for dessert the colossal brownie sundae which was amazing and huge (Clark was afraid it wasn't going to be big enough haha) 

Another must for us was getting Duck Donuts! The closest one to us is in Cary NC which is about 1:30 from us so whenever I get a chance to go to one in a near by city I always go. This one was just a mile from our hotel so on the way out of town Monday morning we stopped by and got 6 fresh donuts. If you don't know about Duck Donuts, it was started in Duck NC on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and they make the donuts fresh right in front of you so everything is hot and freshly made and yummy! We had a great time in Charlotte and I am so glad we got to explore a little bit of the city and surrounding area and not just pass through it on the way to the airport!
love, Carlee

Leggings: Old Navy

Purse: Target

Shoes: Belk

Sweater: TJ Maxx

King's Pinnacle

After we got to Charlotte we headed for Crowders Mountain State Park. Since we got in early we couldn't check into our hotel yet so we headed about 20 miles west of Charlotte and went to Crowders Mountain State Park. Originally I figured we would just climb the mile to the top of Crowders Mountain but then we parked and read the trail options and King's Pinnacle (the top of King Mountain) looked like the best trail with the best views. It was 2 miles one way and was going to take about 2 hours to get to the top and back. It took us a total of 2 hours to get there and back but we spent about 20 minutes at the top so we did it a little bit faster then that.

The hike was really nice. It was steep and strenuous at times and we took a couple breaks on the benches on the trails but for the most park it wasn't bad. The trail was clearly marked and there were lots of people out on the trail because it was a nice fall Saturday. We weren't very prepared to hike for 2 hours. We didn't bring any water or snacks. We were okay, but once we reached the top I definitely could have used some water. It was a really great view from the top and seeing all the changing autumn leaves from above was really nice.

On the way down it seems a lot faster but it usually does haha. We also took a different trail at the very end to get back to our car faster. At a few points on the way down I was afraid of slipping because the trail was covered in a pretty generous layer of leaves, but I made it all the way down without slipping so winning haha.

Anyways, you all excited about Thanksgiving tomorrow? Clark and I are going over to our friends house to celebrate with a bunch of our friends that our staying in town for Thanksgiving. I am in charge of making the stuffing and apple pie and buying good wine. It should be lots of fun. Then I am 100% planning on buying a Christmas tree the following day! I definitely hold out until after Thanksgiving every year but I do love to squeeze the most holiday spirit into December as I can!
love, Carlee

Tank: Old Navy

Pants: Nike

Gaddy Covered Bridge

Hey guys! This past weekend we went to Charlotte NC. It's funny we have flown out of Charlotte a handful of times but we have never actually hung out and explored Charlotte so it was really fun to be there for a whole weekend to just explore and see some new sites. The main reason we went to Charlotte on this weekend was because back in September for Clarks birthday my Dad got us Carolina Panther football tickets. If you don't follow the NFL there are doing AMAZING and are undefeated. They are doing so good and the game was awesome. More to come on that later. Anyways, back to my post, I was scrolling through Pinterest a few weeks ago looking for more cool things to explore in NC and I came across this covered bridge. I found the location on google maps and it was only 10 miles out of the way on our trip to Charlotte so I know we had to stop and check it out.

It's funny because Clark was giving me a hard time a few weeks ago about springing little detours on him when we go places. I will usually navigate and then we end up at like a super kitchy road side attraction and he is like "this was out of the way huh." haha. So now I make sure to let him know if I want to make any stops along the way. This one was super easy to get to and not hard to find. Once you parked it was about 300 yard walk to the covered bridge. The water was really high from resent rain and flooding but the covered bridge still looked so darn cute out in the middle of the woods.

It is once again that time of year to wear my favorite poncho. Since I only have one it doesn't have much competition but I might go so far as to say it's my favorite top in my closet! Back to the covered bridge, it is located in Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge and it on a little back road after some very pretty farmland. We were there early in the morning and there was still frost on the ground and it was so pretty!

Poncho: Forever 21

Jeans: Macys

Boots: American Eagle

Things I screenshotted v.03

Hey guys, I am just here sharing with you some things I have screenshotted recently. I got a new computer (a new Macbook Pro) but now the new Macs have the Photos app instead of iPhoto so things are laid out a little differently but what I do like is that in the Photos albums there is a screenshots tab so now I don't have to scroll through weeks out photos on my phone or computer to find the screenshots they are just all in one tab now so that's cool. This post was inspired by Natalie cause she did it first and I loved the idea.

Anyways just some random things to fill up your blog reader on this Friday.

Totally want this Chloe for Nordstrom purse but it's like $400 so not gonna happen haha

I love these Teva Sandals. I know Tevas are usually REALLY comfy and I want something cute and comfortable that I will be able to wear all around Italy when we move there in July.

Totally want to try this, this December.

You should totally go check out elizabethpawle.etsy.com her stuff rocks and I totally want to try to make a wall hanging like one of hers pictured above. I don't work much with fabric or yarn but I think this would be a fun project to try out.

Some really cute DIY Halloween costumes from this past year!

The 12th man (Seahawks fan page) retweeted me a few weeks ago so that was cool.
And below just some more random funny things.

Have a wonderful Friday.
love, Carlee

Carolina Tiger Rescue

On Saturday, Clark and I headed to Pittsboro NC to the Carolina Tiger Rescue. I have been wanting to do this for a while but whenever I would look at tickets they would be sold out for the days we could go. But this weekend I knew we didn't have any major plans so on Wednesday I booked us 2 tickets to see the tigers, lions and other rescue cats at Carolina Tiger Rescue. It was a really great experience. Our tour was at 1pm and the weather was perfect. Sunny but a little chilly, enough to wear a sweater and beanie. They have the cutest little gift shop and all proceeds go to help the facility take care of the cats that they house.

 Vulture's that just sit in the trees and wait for scrapes from the big cats. 

They had 15-20 cats on the grounds that we saw. Most of the cats that we saw were rescues. There were a few that were from their breeding program in the late 90s. (They no longer bread their animals.) All the Tigers and Lions were rescues. There were 2 tigers that were pushed out of a truck near Shelby NC and were left to wander on there own. Lucky the tiger rescue existed and someone called the organization and they took in the tigers. The lions were from a Mississippi zoo that was shut down because of horrible conditions.

One of the ocelots had a really sad story. Someone called in saying their friend had an ocelot that they could no longer take care of and was wondering if they could take it. They people hung up and the next day the Carolina Tiger Rescue had a ocelot in their yard in a little dog kennel. They said that the ocelot had been in the kennel so long that it's back legs has loss muscle strength and it has rubbed its nose raw on the mental kennel wires. It has since made a full recovery. It is crazy because in North Carolina it is illegal to own a deer, squirrel, or other native animals but you can own an exotic animal legally in NC so that is why people have these animals in captivity in NC. I think it's really great that there is a place that takes in these poor animals that aren't living in good conditions. Anyways, if you are ever in NC near Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill I would totally recommend going and see this place.
love, Carlee

Sweater: Target

Hat: American Eagle

Tank & Jeans: Old Navy