Show me the wood

Our first major house project is in the books! It definitely took longer than expected but we finally have hardwood floors. We knew almost from the beginning that we wanted to tear out the ugly 70s carpet and put down wood - we just didn't know when it would happen. At first we thought we could pull it together right after closing but before we moved in but then we quickly realized that we didn't have enough time. So we wrote it off as a project we'd get done in at some point during our first year in the house. One month later, we can't stand the carpet anymore.

First thing we do - start pricing out floors. We head to Home Depot, Lumber Liquidators and Lowes to see what kinda of prices we're looking at. Right off the bat we knew we were probably going to have to go with laminate flooring since that was much more in our price range. Next on our list was actually picking the floor we wanted to go with. We settled on a Pergo. Last thing to do was figure out who was going to install it for us. We got 3 different quotes and ended up using the guy that was referred to me by 2 people in the office.

On a whim, I asked him to send me a quote for hardwood floors in addition to the quote for the laminate install. I'm glad I asked because in the end, we were able to get prefinished hardwood floors for only $0.10 more per square foot than what the Pergo was going to cost. Score! The whole thing was slated to take 2 days to complete....which turned into 5 (4 days of work). It was chaotic and a mess but the end result looks awesome.

Now we're on the hunt for area rugs. We already found a navy and white chevron pattern rug from HomeGoods for the living room. But we still have the family room and dining rooms left. Rugs and decorating - that's next on the list for us!

Happy Fall Ya'll

This past weekend was quite busy! But it was an awesome way to start the fall. It started with a Braves game. They had just clinched the National League East title and were looking to maintain the top stop so they could secure home field advantage in the playoffs. Chris was offered tickets to the Wednesday night game against the Brewers and of course we couldn't say no...the seats were in the 2nd row! 

It's quite a different experience seeing a game this up close and personal. Definitely a must whenever the opportunity comes up!

Next up, Friday night football under the lights. I'm sure Chris will talk more about this football season, but this week, the Walton Raiders were away as they took on the Cherokee Warriors. It was a great game (well, for us Raider fans) as Walton went on to win 38-14, making that their 3rd win in a row.

The follow day we decided to make a trek up to North Georgia and go hiking and apple picking with our friends Joanna and Pat. It was a gorgeous, sunny fall day and perfect for the day's activities. We decided to go to BJ Reece's Orchard where we picked our own apples, bought a fried pie and some homemade preserves.

After we were thoroughly stuffed on apples, we drove about 20 minutes down the road to Amicalola Falls State Park to do some hiking. Chris and I have been talking about going up there since the spring and sine we were so close to it, we knew we had to take advantage and make the extra drive. It was beautiful!

It started off as a fairly easy hike that follows the river and eventually brings you to a viewing bridge of the falls.

If you plan to hike to the top of the falls, it isn't so much of a hike as a climb. You have to walk up 450 stairs. Talk about exhausting! But the view is well worth is!

For those who don't know, Amicalola Falls is where the Southern Terminus approach trail for the Appalachian Trail begins. It's an 8.5 mile hike to Springer Mountain where the App Trail begins. Hiking the approach trail is on our list to do in the spring. I've heard it's a pretty strenuous hike, but if we can do Half Dome, I think we can do the approach trail!

Rounding out the weekend, was the Falcons/Patriots game. Of course we had to go! Thanks to our friends Matt and Amanda we scored some tickets and had a grand ol' time watching the Patriots pull out a win (though they almost scared us at the end!). It was a fun day spent with all our southern Pats fans.

Now, we can finally rest! Although, not for long since we have a huge house project starting in a couple days!