Hooray, June Is Finally Here!

One month down, one more to go! I can’t believe we’ve already been in Tennessee for a whole month. In some ways it feels like it has been so much longer than that, but it also feels like we just got here. I am now using my GPS way less, have figured out somewhat- of a routine as far as cleaning and laundry, and have even met a couple new friends. The kids had their first playdate this week, and it makes my heart so happy to finally be connecting with some other moms. It is hard starting at square one with creating new friendships, since most of my lifelong friends are still back in New York, but it’s a good way to grow. Setting up times to get together with people I just met is definitely pushing me out of my introvert comfort zone.

We have gone on a few more exploratory drives in the past week, one of which took us through the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area. It is about 80,000 acres of land that is used for hunting, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, etc. I am looking forward to someday exploring all of the ATV trails that are there. The picture below is from a little one-lane bridge crossing the Obed River. It was such a peaceful spot!

We also went to Cummins Falls State Park, and the Roaring River Falls trail. I didn’t realize that at Cummins Falls, you need a permit to go down into the gorge to access the bottom of the falls. It had rained the whole day before, so the water level was extra high. It turns out we would have needed to wade through waist-deep water to get there, anyway. I’d be willing to try that some time when we have water shoes, and possibly a babysitter to leave the kids with. Ah, yes. Another adventure we were grossly unprepared for. We seem to be having a lot of those.

The trail to Roaring River Falls started at a random, unmarked parking area on the side of a winding road. The falls were beautiful, and quite loud, which is maybe how they got their name. Unfortunately, the trail was more than a little bit sketchy and kind of looked like a hangout for some shady characters. There was lots of graffiti and garbage everywhere. You win some and lose some with these mini hikes, I guess.

That’s pretty much all we’ve been doing for the last week. We did drive by our new house a few days ago, and I’m not really sure if seeing it in person helped, or made the waiting even harder. Gotta just keep trucking along until we get to the end of June!