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In early June my boyfriend Scott and I had the opportunity to escape the beach for the weekend before settling into the summer schedule. I picked the Shenandoah National Park. Just the basics were tossed into the car -- tent, pads, sleeping bags and personal items -- and off we went early on a Friday morning!We arrived at Skyline Drive mid-afternoon, stopped to pick up an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, China Rock, looking for a ride up the road to meet friends, chose a campsite at Big Meadows campground (while Scott and I put up the tent, China Rock polished off...

This is my answer to why I’m making sweet potato pies for Thanksgiving rather than pumpkin pies. I know you are asking how these two things are remotely related? A few weeks ago I told some of you that I was headed off to the North Pole to have my final strategy meeting with Santa and the Elves concerning Christmas cookies and chocolates. I lied. That meeting was in early October; a few weeks ago I went on vacation. We enjoy going to Western North Carolina and up into the Smokies for vacation. We tent camp, hike and kayak and/or...

Hello,  That's me on the donkey. Behind me are Grandma Carroll and my mom, pregnant with my little brother. Looks like a pretty idyllic family photo, right? If you said, "Yes," you'd be correct. But you'd never guess that my wonderful father had just recently been killed  in a car accident at the ripe old age of 26. That's right, in spite of losing a father, husband, and a son, here we Carroll women are dealing with the radical change we've just had thrust into our lives, TOGETHER. That's my dad in high school kicking back with the dirtiest socks...