Linville Camping Trip - Day One!

 Hi all! So, as promised, I am going to write a little review/blog about our most recent trip camping in Linville, NC. Last year we decided to camp on Father's Day weekend, and decided to go again this year. It is a great time, weather-wise in NC to tent camp. It typically isn't too cold, and typically it doesn't rain a great amount in June (this week is an anomaly). So, in true Kayla-plan-ahead fashion, I had been working on an "itinerary" of sorts for about 2 weeks. I picked out some places to go, 2 state parks, hikes and overlooks that would be either on the way to our campsite or in the area that we could go to. I printed out the directions to the campsite, with some stops along the way, and the reverse directions. I know this is really old-school and some people would shake their head at this, but I will say, when you are directionally challenged like I am, and you have no service, these print outs are a life saver, literally.

So we had most everything packed up on Thursday night to leave Friday morning around 7:30. We had our tent, our canopy and chairs, my sleeping pad, Tim and Zoey's sleeping bags, pillows, about 5 blankets, towels (swimming and showering), our kitchen supplies, fishing rods, our Blackstone griddle, our lights/lanterns, Uno cards, and our clothes. All of that seems pretty reasonable but we were packed to the brim. (We drive a 2023 4Runner for reference.) 

All packed up and ready to head out

Linville is about a 2 hour drive from our house, so not a terrible drive. We had tickets for Grandfather Mountain that morning, so that was our first stop - we had reserved tickets for 10am. Grandfather Mountain is one of the few state parks in North Carolina that charges for entry. Also, they encourage everyone to reserve/buy their tickets online. When you arrive they give you either a USB or a CD that guides you through the park. I really found this helpful since this was the first time we had visited the park. It lets you know where the stops are throughout the park, and what you can expect to see. 

The sign for the entrance to the park

The first stop along the way is a beautiful overlook. This is a great spot to get your first peak at the mountain, and to get a great photo (we had a little photoshoot, see below). Next stop is an area with bathrooms, picnic tables and a nice little nature walk (about half of a mile). While we were there we saw two little baby birds, which Google told us were Eastern Phoebes.

The next stop going up the mountain was to Spinx and Split Rock. These two rocks are older than the mountain itself and it is said that they were part of a rock formation older than the Appalachian mountains and higher elevation than Grandfather Mountain. It is said that the Sphinx rock weighs more than 2 million pounds, even though I am not sure how they would know that! These rocks are really worth a close look, and there are some great views near them as well. There is a little parking area where you can park and walk to the rocks.

                

    

The next stop is the Nature Museum and the Wildlife habitats. Inside there is a gift shop, a small little cafe, and some small nature exhibits. There is also some auditorium and classrooms for groups. The gift shop was kind of small but had a lot of cute stuff, all reasonably priced. We didn't get food at the cafe, but I found the prices a little high. If you are planning on eating while there, you probably should pack a lunch and just eat at one of the picnic tables in the park. At this location you can walk around and see the wildlife habitats as well. There are elk, a river otter, eagles, cougars and bears. Unfortunately, we were only able to see the elk, otter and eagles. The other animals were not able to be found in their exhibit. They do have presentations and feedings for the animals, so you can see the schedule for when the keepers will be having these. They all seemed very informative.

Elk munching 

Unfortunately, that is when our trip to Grandfather Mountain ended. The day we went, winds were very high and they actually ended up closing the Mile-High bridge, which I would argue is the main attraction at the park. The gate up to the bridge is right outside of the habitats, so we couldn't even continue up to see the other lookouts or go to the hiking trailheads. That was the big disappointment of the trip. We will be heading back eventually to go to the bridge, but despite having clear skies this trip, the wind was not in our favor. I would definitely encourage you to not buy your tickets way ahead of time and to really look at the weather, not just the temperature/rain. Also, the temperature on the mountain, and especially on the bridge, is going to be cooler than it is at the bottom of the park. So we cut our park trip early, and headed toward the campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had spent some time looking for things to do while on the trip, so there were several overlooks I had pinned. I had Google Maps pulled up for the drive, and you can see in map mode all of the overlooks along the way.

View of Grandfather Mt.

View of Lost Cove Cliffs

While driving along the parkway, we ran up to Linville Falls, so we got out to stretch our legs and take a peak at what they had to offer. There is a little visitor center with some small-ish souvenirs and bathrooms. There are a couple of hikes from the visitor center - we chose to go to the Upper Falls and it was about a mile round trip. The hike wasn't too difficult, but because of the hills, I would say it is moderate. I found the waterfalls beautiful, but if you are looking for size, these aren't really that big.

After stretching our legs, we jumped back on the Blue Ridge Parkway for two more overlooks before reaching our campsite.

View of North Toe River Valley

Chestoa View

And we were off to the campsite to get everything set up. We stayed at Bear Den Campground, address was in Spruce Pine but it was very close to the town of Linville. The campground offers tent and RV sites and cabins. They have a lake with fishing and swimming, an arcade, playgrounds, laundry, and events. You can rent a golf cart from them, and you can buy firewood and ice at the campground. I will warn you, the campsites have gravel tent pads, so make sure you have a lot of cushion. I also found the sites rather close together, and you will not be very secluded. The campground advertises that they offer Wifi, but I wasn't ever able to use it, but that could have been my service as well (T-mobile). 

Our campsite, A41

The lake, looking at the swimming, beach area

After checking out the lake and doing a little bit of fishing, we went back to our site and hung out for a little while by the fire. Overall it was a very fun, and full first day. 

I decided to split the trip up in a couple of blog posts because there was so much, so I am sorry ahead of time. I hope you enjoy reading about our mini camping trip to Linville. Day one complete!

Us 3 at Grandfather Mountain!

Long time coming!

Y'all, I know I say this all the time (time and time again) that it has been way too long since I have posted. I want to change up my blogs and post some more travel-ish blogs with reviews. We recently went out to Linville, NC and my next blog will be a breakdown of where we all went and what I would recommend for you to do in the area based on what we did, and saw! This will not be full of fancy restaurant recommendations, but fun activities that a family can do. 

Also, for those that don't know me. 

Hello new readers. I am Kayla! I am married and have a daughter. We live in a small town in northwest NC. I am political and pretty open about my political leanings. Since COVID, I have built a love of hiking and being outdoors. I stay pretty busy with my daughter's activities, but when I am able, I spend my free time reading or hiking! 

I intend to write a blog for all of my activities, so hopefully I will stick with it. I will try and get my Linville blog published in the next few days! Keep an eye out for it!!

Mom guilt

 Shew, yesterday was one heck of a day. Mom guilt is real guys, and it is a tough pill to swallow. So, just some background information for you all. We have been remote learning since August voluntarily. I have a heart condition, so we thought keeping Zoey at home would be safer. It has been a big adjustment since I am still working full-time, but most days it goes pretty smoothly. Yesterday, it did not. Yesterday I kind of flipped my lid, and you want to talk about feeling like shit. It is bad enough that I feel like I am holding her back by her not going to school, but I feel terrible for acting like it is all her fault. 

I am not a teacher, I did not go to school to be one. I always made a distinction about how I could NEVER teach children her age (elementary), but now I am doing exactly just that. 

The morning started out like normal. She didn't want to get up and do school work; finally forced her to get in here to do her work. She finished her math and started on her art class. I had an hour-long meeting, and I told her to finish her art and start on her Prodigy. My meeting ended a little early, only to find out she did not do her art or Prodigy, but instead watched Youtube the entire time. Ugh. So no more Youtube or breaks for the rest of the school day. So we moved on to Reading/English. She watched her video of the book read aloud, and went on to work on her worksheet, and it was like she couldn't describe or explain anything she had heard. So she watched it again, after I told her to 5 times. She still didn't get it. This child can explain in finite detail a Youtube video she watched 3 years ago, but can't describe a character in a book she heard 5 minutes ago. I don't get it, and I still don't. But I flipped. 

She was crying, I was holding back tears. All the stress of the past few months bubbled out and exploded, on the one person who is the most vulnerable. She didn't deserve it. She deserved patience, and teaching, but I gave yelling and whatever the lack of patience is. I wish I could take it back, but it I can't, it already came out. 

I write this hoping you don't think I am a terrible mom, but to let those of you going through something similar, you aren't the only one. Life right now is hard and different. Make sure you have a way to git rid of your stress so you aren't blowing up on your little ones like I did. And if you do, remember, someone else is doing the same thing. And also remember, you are their parent, they love you no matter what - so just make sure they know you are sorry for overreacting and give them extra hugs and kisses. (That seemed to help me!) 

See you all later! 

Inauguration Day

 Who would I be if I did not take the time to write something about yesterday. I am in a bit of an emotional freefall so if this blog doesn't make sense, I am sorry about that! Yesterday we said goodbye to the most terrible president the United States has had, and welcomed change. It was such an emotional day, full of changes. One of the best changes, I had been hoping for forever; we finally have a woman Vice President. Kamala Harris is our first WOMAN Vice President; and our first person of color Vice President. Can you believe it?! It only took 200ish years, but going forward our history changed forever yesterday, and for the best. I was so proud to watch the inauguration yesterday with my daughter. Showing her all of the strong women on that stage yesterday meant something. It is about time that women are getting the equality we deserve. We have a long way to go, but we definitely shattered a glass floor yesterday! 

I know we need to take baby steps to get things back to normal, but normal is no longer enough. We need big, bold changes, and I am just not sure this administration has it in them. Biden was not my first choice by a long shot, and neither was Harris. I am Bernie supporter for life. However, for right now I am very happy he will be our Budget Committee Chairman. Biden and Harris have a lot that they will need to work towards to make America happy and better, and I hope that they have it in them. Biden has already signed a long list of executive orders that will put us back on track with the environment, some things to help the economy, and get us being able to tackle COVID. I hope he doesn't back away from reducing student loan debt, and giving us better health care. I hope he doesn't shy away from racial and gender equality, and that he helps the immigrants already here in the US and the ones who dream of coming here for a better life. I wish for a more united country that values other humans. We need to get rid of discrimination, hatred and poverty. There are so many things on the list of important items we need to focus on, and I hope this administration doesn't let us down. 

I think over the past four years I have become a jaded. I used to be so positive when it came to politics and politicians. I didn't think someone like Trump would ever happen to our country, but it did, he did. The past four years I have been so confused as to how the people in this country could support someone as hateful and spiteful and non-informed as he is/was. I can't trust the people in this country or in our government like I once felt I could. I no longer KNOW that our government is doing things to help us, and that is a terrible news flash. I hope these next four years, I can regain my hope in politics and politicians. I hope that I can feel less worried like I used to.

Cheers to the next four years! Cheers to girls and women knowing that they can do and be anything! Cheers to a vaccine! Cheers to economic freedom! Cheers to racial justice! Let's make shit happen! And let's get shit done!

Talk to you guys later! 

READY TO KICK 2021'S ASS!

Late night thoughts because I couldn't sleep. Thought I would write them out, and maybe someone is experiencing the same thing. 

Have you ever had those terrible thoughts about not waking up the next morning? Like what if this is your last sleep. Ever since COVID, I have had these feelings all too often. Tim is usually passed out before I can even get comfortable, and my mind begins to race, which definitely doesn't help the sleep. Every nightmare scenario running through your mind. I think COVID has brought the reality of how fragile life just is to the forefront. COVID doesn't care if you are young or old, if you have a degree or not, if you have kids or not. It can be deadly to anyone, and I have seen too many young people die to not take this seriously. But beyond that, it has made me realize all of the things I have yet to do, like travel or work in government or truly make a difference in the world. It also makes me scared of what life would be like for Zoey without me. I couldn't imagine not growing up with my mom. 

I fear everyday that my life is passing me by, and instead of enjoying it, I am stuck in this mundane routine just doing what is expected of me. And if you know me at all, that is not what I do. I want to travel more; I want to experience life to the fullest. I want to be able to lay down at night and not worry about it being my final rest, but instead thinking about the awesome memories I have made and knowing that if it is my last sleep, I had an amazing last day. I am sure we all go through this period at some point in our life, and this might be my mid-life crisis, or it could be the Sagittarius in me. I just know that something in this mundane routine needs to change. I need to get out, to travel, to experience all there is to experience. I have lived through my books too long. It is time to write my own. Change can be scary, but it can be fun. I think we all deserve a chance to make life what we want it to be. Hopefully I can work towards doing just that for my own.

By the way, it has been awhile since I have been on here. So, hi, I am Kayla for all those who don't know me. I am 31, a mom, a wife and clearly someone with serious issues, haha. I am deciding that 2021 will be a year of living, not only for myself, but for everyone in my family. I want to make the most out of the short time we have on this planet. And what better time to start than now. Who is with me??

Catch ya later!

Help the children

 You know, less than a month ago I wrote about being bamboozled about people not knowing about freedom of speech and not freedom from consequence, but today, I am still bamboozled but about something different. Why are children not being supported in this country.

There are so many examples of this, it isn't even funny. Lets just look at education/school systems. You have children being shot in school and loudly protesting, but they are being ignored. Everyday they fear that their school will be the one that shows up on the news - another school shooting. Their safety in our schools for some reason is not a priority, but instead, we must make sure everyone can obtain a gun. Rights to a WEAPON is more important than our right to be safe.  Also, education funding is being cut on local, state and federal levels. Children are going to schools that do not have adequate infrastructure, not enough books, do not have adequate technology. Children are not available for free daycare and/or pre-k, dependent on several things (in NC). When it comes to education, every child should have the same access and same opportunity to the SAME education. And every child should not have to fear going to school. School should be a place where child can learn freely; they should feel at home and welcome.

#NEVERAGAIN #REDFORED

Lets also take a minute a discuss health care. CHIP and Medicade protects millions of children and allows them to go to the doctor and get health care for free. Both of these programs are being significantly impacted by the federal budget, and many state budgets. Children who are poor, or those with pre-existing conditions, could lose their health care, and do what.... be sick. We are literally letting our children get sick and die.

#PREEXISTINGCONDITIONS

Now, lets mention that there are children, YES CHILDREN, who are being put in dog kennels in abandoned Walmart buildings. We are separating children from their parents who come into this country "illegally" and we are placing them in dog kennels. We are doing this to encourage people to stop coming into the country. I can't begin to fathom the fear, the sadness, the anger that both the parents and their children feel. Could you imagine coming into a country and being locked away and not being able to see your parents, not being able to communicate (more than likely). I just couldn't imagine - and for this to be taking place in the United States. Are we not better than this? Do we not care about human rights?! You  might feel that illegal immigrants are breaking the law and should not be in this country, but this extreme measure has gone too far. Might I also add that this treatment is also being done to families who come here seeking asylum from domestic abuse situations. I just cannot fathom this.

Now, so this isn't all just my opinion, I would like to quote the Republican party platform, you know the party of family values:

"Children raised in a two parent household tend to be physically and emotionally healthier, More likely to do well in school, less likely to use drugs and alcohol and engage in crime and/or become pregnant outside of marriage." 

Now, I may be crazy, but the same people who believe the said quote, want to separate children from their parents to encourage them to follow laws? Based on that quote, doesn't it seem the exact opposite would happen? Just yesterday, Jeff Sessions, our Attorney General, quoted the BIBLE to condone the separating of children. First off, this isn't a theocracy, and you should be using, I don't know, LAWS to condone this. But second off, how ridiculous. You think, as a devout, evangelical Christian, that God or Jesus would condone this inane behavior and terrible treatment of INNOCENT children?! I just can't, you guys.

As a mother, I could not imagine going to another country to have a better life only to be separated for who knows how long without seeing or speaking to my child. To not know what she is going through and whether she is being taken care of. To not know if she is being hurt or molested. I just can't. But that is what this country is about nowadays. Who cares about our children? Who wants to make sure they have the best future that is possible? The United States government DOES NOT. They don't care if they are educated, or if they are healthy or if they are safe or if they are criminals. They care about one thing, and one thing only: MONEY. As long as your child grows up and pays taxes, that is all that matters.

The party that wants to make sure you don't have an abortion and does not want to fund family planning, makes sure you have inadequate education, more guns in school, less access to affordable health care, and doesn't care about you if you are a "criminal". The irony is HILARIOUS and yet so sad.

Please remember that in November, you must VOTE. Use your voice and stand up for our children. They are our future. We need them as much as they need us.

Work-life-weight struggle

Shout-out to moms; I need some support.

So I am sure I am not the only one out there who looks in the mirror and is displeased by what she sees. I remember the days in high school when I was the cheerleader with one of the smallest skirts; I remember the pictures I posted on facebook when I was in college of me in a bathing suit after tanning in my backyard. Now just 3 years after graduating from college, I can barely take looking at myself in the mirror. None of my clothes fit right; I have curves where I have never had them before; I had to buy new bras and underwear. I hate it. I hate that when I finally became proud of my body (I faced many harsh criticisms growing up about being too skinny), I became fat and ugly.

Granted this isn’t how many people see me. And at a staggering 120lbs, I am far from fat. But this is how I see myself. I am no longer proud to wear a bathing suit or wear tight clothes. Hell, I can barely fit into my one pair of jeans that I now own. I look in my closet and see a bunch of small clothes that I remember wearing a short two years ago, and wish I could fit in them now.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified. I was totally blindsided, especially considering I didn’t find out until I was 5 months along. After my first trip to the doctor I was hit with some crushing news. The whole time I was terrified it was going to be something with my heart (I had open heart surgery when I was 5 months old), but boy was I wrong. The doctor asked Tim and I to step in the next room after my sonogram; I thought maybe it was just to go over what they seen – how far along I was, the baby’s size, you know normal stuff. Instead he gave me really bad news. I was to leave there, pack a bag and head to the hospital to stay for a week. Why? Because I pretty much had zero cervix and the baby could fall out at any time, and considering I wasn’t far enough along for the baby to have much chance at survival, I had to be hospitalized. Well, I stayed in the hospital for a week with pretty much zero positive results, except my cervix lengthened when I was not standing up (a.k.a. the baby wasn’t pressing down on it).

You are probably wondering why I am telling you this. I went from a very active 22 year old – working out daily, going to work, eating healthy – to a pregnant 22 year old on bed rest. I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t go to work (had the luxury of working from home), I couldn’t even walk around when we went to the grocery store (I had to ride one of those scooter things). It was terrible – I was miserable. Tim wouldn’t even let me wash dishes because it could cause too much stress. I pretty much laid around all day, which as a person with a life-long heart condition is not good, because the physical activity is good. But besides my heart weakening, I was gaining more and more weight and no way to work it off. The day I was induced (I had to be because of my heart), was a great day. I had my little bundle of joy, Zoey Michelle without anything going wrong with my heart, and with her being a VERY VERY healthy baby.

With her second birthday quickly approaching I am now, more than ever, realizing I haven’t lost pretty much any of the weight I gained from being pregnant. I hate it. I have never had to lose weight before. My metabolism was always fast, and anything I ate just burned off. Well not now. I am calorie counting and trying to work out. But I can’t seem to make any time. I work a full time job (M-F) and I don’t get home most days until 5:30 or 6. Tim usually cooks supper when he gets home, so when I get home supper is ready. I sit down, eat, watch some TV and before I know it, it is time to go to sleep. I can’t seem to make time in my busy life to take care of myself. I try working out, but it is difficult when you have a munchkin running between your feet or jumping on your back. I can’t afford the time to go to the gym – I would never see my family. I can picture it now, get off at 5, pick up Zoey at daycare at 5:30, drop her off at home at 6, eat something, workout 7-8, get home, shower, go to bed at 9. I did not bring that child into this world to never see her. This work-life balance is a struggle, and I am struggling big time.

So moms out there, especially those with full-time jobs, please, give me some advice. Currently I am keeping my calories at or below 1300 (based on an app), I have cut down to drinking only one pepsi a day and I am trying to work out at least 3 times a week for 30-45 minutes. I am seeing the most trouble counting calories and keeping my pop consumption reigned in on the weekend – but I am trying! Am I on the right track? Please tell me yes!

It has been a while since I have written on here! Sorry about that!!!