Thirty

 Me with my parents {circa 1980}

 Me with my Grandpa and Nana

After college, one of the first interviews I ever went on, I was asked the age-old question, “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” I gave some canned response but the truth is, I didn’t really know. I had some vague ideas of how I expected my life to turn out, but nothing really concrete.

 Angela and me

 

 The Voyles {1986}

With no definitive goals in mind, I had various thoughts floating around in my head of what I assumed I would have accomplished by age 30. Today I turn 30 and there is a part of me that feels like I failed in not reaching these goals… I thought that I would be well traveled, that I would have a job I loved and that I might have started a family by now. In reality I am where I am because of the choices I made, I have traveled quite a bit {the focus of my travels shifted to visiting family instead of exploring the world}, I’ve had several jobs that I liked {but most recently had to leave because being with my husband was more important that any job} and we have yet to start a family {though we did adopt our dog, Sophie, last year}.  

 The Voyles visiting Papua New Guinea {1994}

High school/church youth group friends {1998}

Overall I have a really good life and I am blessed in many ways, but a small part of me still feels like I have somehow failed. Daniel thinks I need to shift my thinking and focus on the things I have accomplished instead of dwelling on what I think I have missed out on. Of course he is right, but that is easier said than done.

 Angela, me and Mark in North Bay, Ontario

Mark and me

29 was a really hard year for me. It brought a lot of change. And turmoil. And uncertainty. Loved ones were suffering and there was nothing I could do. For four long months, I lived six hours away from Daniel. In a lot of ways it was a tough year, but it also provided opportunities to grow as a person. 29 showed me what I was made of.  

 

College roommates: Lisa and Julie

 Me with Roxy, who introduced me to spelunking

So here I am at 30. I hope that the things I had expected to accomplish by 30 will come to fruition {maybe in the next 10 years?}. I hope that I make peace with who I am and that I will be thankful for what God has given me and for what is in store for my future. The first 30 years have been pretty amazing, but I hope that the next 30 years are the best years of my life.

 In Europe, hiking in the alps and touring Rome {summer 2000}

My Next Thirty Years by Tim McGraw
I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

 Daniel proposes {spring 2002}

College graduation, the Voyles {and Daniel} with Grandma and Grandpa Davis {May 2002}

Hey my next thirty years I’m gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I’ve done
Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears
And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years

 

Getting married {December 16, 2002}

Rock climbing trip

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I’m doing here
In my next thirty years

Trip to Mexico for friend's wedding {we drove 36 hours EACH way}

 

One of many hiking trips

Oh my next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers
Maybe I’ll remember my next thirty years

 Backpacking, Mt. Rogers, Virginia

Climbing South Sister Mountain in Oregon

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
In my next thirty years 

Karaoke with friends from work

 Max Patch, North Carolina with Daniel and Sophie

Gatlinburg Recommendations

If you plan on visiting Gatlinburg in the near future, I thought I would toss out a couple of recommendations based on Daniel's birthday weekend.

First of all, we got a smoking deal on a cabin through www.vrbo.com. We have been using Vacation Rental By Owner {VRBO} for the last 5+ years and always manage to find excellent places to stay. This year we discovered that you can get some good deals by waiting until the last minute and then requesting a discount. Another reason we like VRBO is that you can search for pet friendly places to stay.

This past weekend we stayed at the Apple Tree House in the Arts and Crafts area of Gatlinburg. It was $75/night plus a cleaning fee which brought our total to $206 for two nights. This is a one bedroom cabin that sleeps six {there is a king size bed, a futon and a pull out couch}. This cabin also boasts a game room, kitchen, hot tub and two full bathrooms {more than we needed}. It is a kid and pet friendly cabin. We would definitely recommend it. Our only negatives are no wifi {you can plug your lap top into the wall}, the TVs are small and no washer/dryer. But for the price, we give this cabin a thumbs up.

I already wrote about Bluff Mountain Adventures, but if you are looking to ride four wheelers, this is a great deal. Good price and a fun, guided ride. Definite thumbs up.

As for restaurants...

Friday we ate at the River's End Restaurant in the Nantahala River Gorge at NOC. It is a favorite for the views. We are fans of the food and stop whenever we get a chance.
 

Saturday we ate breakfast at the Log Cabin Pancake House. Daniel has been coming here his entire life and we have been coming together for the last 10 years. It is one of our favorite breakfast spots.
 

Saturday night, we tried Big Daddy's Pizzeria in Pigeon Forge. They are a brick oven pizzeria with fresh-made artisan doughs. This was the first time we had eaten here and we give it a thumbs up.

 

If you are in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area, we would recommend all of these places.

Project 52 Date Nights: Four Wheelers

A few weeks ago, I asked Daniel what he wanted to do for his birthday {we generally skip on presents and like to make memories instead}. The first thing Daniel said he wanted to do was to go ride ATVs in the mountains. He had been looking for a place to rent decent sized four wheelers and the only place he had found was in Knoxville. It was expensive and we would actually have to haul the ATVs to whatever trail we wanted to ride on. Considering the cost, Daniel was almost ready to just buy a used ATV off of Craigslist.

So I did a little research and came across Bluff Mountain Adventures in Pigeon Forge. They offered a variety of guided rides for a good price AND the vehicles were 4x4 Yamaha Kodiak 450s {more than big enough to make Daniel happy}. In addition, they were really cheap. Our options were to do the Mountain Trail Adventure Ride {easy with lots of scenery} for $60 or the Ridge Run Ride {some good views, lots of technical maneuvering} for $70. Daniel wanted to do the technical ride.

The thought of riding four wheelers in the mountains sounded like a lot of fun {much better than his alternate desire to go skeet shooting for his birthday} and even though I had only ridden four wheelers once before, I figured I could handle the technical ride.

Even though I had very little experience on a four-wheeler, I have ridden jet skis, motorcycles and mountain bikes. All of these experiences came in handy and we both had a blast riding up and down steep hills {on difficult terrain}, around tight turns and through big puddles. It was AWESOME! We would totally go back.

After our ride, our guide told us that we would have a lot of fun on the custom ride {$90 for an even more challenging course}. Another cool thing about this place is that you can keep you tickets {for life} and get a 15% discount on your next visit.

We would HIGHLY recommend this outfitter.

Recipe for a Happy Birthday

1. Rent a cabin in the woods.

 2. Fulfill a lifelong dream.

3. Eat at good restaurants {those you love and some new ones for good measure}.

4. Take a hike.

5. Or two.

6. Meet friends for dinner followed by coffee and dessert. 

Dinner was at Tony's Pasta Shop & Trattoria – our only complaint is that we wished we had ate outside. The food was excellent. Afterwards we went to Rembrandt's Coffee House for coffee and dessert – definitely our favorite coffee house in Chattanooga.

Happy 30th Birthday Daniel! I am so thankful that I am a part of your life.