so this whole "working" thing is kinda stressing me out. couple that with mandatory mediation this week and i found myself feeling rather frustrated. i needed some zen time. the girls and i headed to the hills to find some peace and quiet. i had originally wanted to go back to the nantahala river, but the thought of a 3 hour car ride with 3 children sounded less than zen like. we tried out crowders mountain state park instead and found it to be quite nice. mark this weekend out for next year though, as this weekend was the third annual meeting of basset hound lovers. it was a bit noisy but the girls wanted to pick a picnic table that was close to the action. woooo! after we ate, we went for a walk around the lake (man-made, i think, and a bit low).

it was warm, but there was lots of shade and a wonderful breeze to keep us cool. so we followed the trail and saw lots of neato naturey things...like a mountain and "wildlife" and tracks.

after that, the girls were ready to go. next time, they want to hike to the summit. i think i will do it once without them to make sure it's something they can do. i'd hate to have to roll them down to get home...