Fall in Niobrara

It’s fall already – where did summer go?

For some reason my fall is jam packed with events – which is a good thing without a doubt. But it’s making me miss Niobrara and the wide open spaces and fresh fall air. So hoping I can carve out a weekend soon to visit.

There are black walnuts ready to be gathered I am sure! And the Red Ranger has to be itching for me to take it out cruising.

Dancing Bear Beauty

Loved the wood bears throuhgout the property - my mom so wanted to see a real bear on our trip!

A few more pretty snippets from the amazing Dancing Bear Lodge.

I’m telling you this is a must if you are visiting the area and need a place to stay.  

Dancing Bear Lodge

We stayed in the neatest cabin when we were visiting Tennessee. It was part of the Dancing Bear Lodge  in Townsend, TN. I can’t recommend it enough. You can stay in the lodge.

Or in one of these amazing cabins!

How cute are they! Our cabin had two awesome bedrooms, a nice living/dinning/kitchen area, a bathroom, a whirlpool tub, and……

The best part of all a hot tub on this amazing deck overlooking the woods.

My mom and I enjoyed that hot tub every evening with a glass of wine, so relaxing and perfect!  Also included was a great breakfast each morning and the opportunity to make s’mores over a fire each night (they provided all the items).

It was quiet, peaceful, lots of trails, and totally perfect for a relaxing vacation. I think we were maybe 5-10 miles from the Smoky Mountain National Park so very convenient as well.  

This is one of those places I can’t wait to go visit again! Check it out if you’re planning a vacation to the Smoky Mountains.

Iowa Western Community College Black Tie

Last Saturday I attended the IWCC Black Tie Event with not one just one awesome date:

But two awesome dates:

What a lucky girl I am! It was so much fun as I love an excuse to get all dressed up and mingle with others. Plus a great opportunity to support our local community college (of which I am an alum) and raise money for scholoraships. 

Cruising the Country in the Ranger

I love love love our new Polaris Ranger! It's so much fun and the perfect way to relax and enjoy the countryside. Huge bonus our friends have one also!

Sunflowers and Tractors

Sunshine filled days make it easy to find beauty in the ordinary.

Izzy Travels

This poor dog has been home solo more or less the past several weeks while my parents travel for business. To say she needed some attention is an understatement. So I loaded her up and took her along for last weekends Niobrara road trip - excellent side kick she was!

Simple moments

Nothing like less traveled country roads and gorgeous sunsets to recharge the soul.

Woodford Anyone??

We went to the Woodford Reserve Distillery as part of our Kentucky  Bourbon Trail adventures.

Let me tell you it was beyond gorgeous.

Every inch of the property was breathtaking.

As were the barrels full of tasty bourbon.

This is my dad’s favorite liquor so was fun to visit and allow him to see how it’s made, he said the tour only made it even better in his mind. By far the pretties of all the distilleries we visited.  

Dream Wedding Destination

I have no groom but that doesn’t mean I can still fantasize about a dream wedding. I am a girl after all!!

This place is called The Lily Barn and it located in Townsend , TN. Hello gorgeous!

 The landscaping was out of this world with every imaginable flower, tree, and bush. Perfect backdrop for pictures and cocktails.

The barns were to die for! The “reception” barn even had a massive stone fireplace. Dreamy!

 The smoky mountains in the background added to the overall beauty.

I need to start landscaping our lil slice of heaven in Niobrara as of yesterday so that someday I could achieve this same level of pretty for that far far away magical wedding.