So I am behind with updates...so far my trip has included a stop in Indy to see my friend Sus and her husband and little girl...then on to Tennessee to hang out with Bekah & Eric (and his brother and dad!)...fun times all around thus far...as you can see!

Sus and Jim took A and I to the zoo...the lemurs make me laugh. :)

The petting zoo is her favorite part of the whole zoo...and for good reason!

A really liked the goats!

Mom and A washing hands after playing with goats

This is one of my favorite parts of this zoo...the gardens and butterflies!

After the zoo, Sus and I went to Cheesecake Factory and caught a movie...fun times. :)

I got to Tennesse on Tuesday afternoon to visit my friends Bekah & Eric. Bekah informed me that she wanted to do some canning - for the veggies they have pulled from their garden thus far...it was a new experience for the both of us as you can see below. Eric's brother, Mark, and their dad joined us today...and were we ever glad they were here!

This is a pretty good picture of our afternoon...snapping beans, cutting/freezing veggies, grating zucchini, etc. These are the sweet times of life...when it all slows down and the company of friends is simply enjoyed.

Eric and Mark, storing the grated zucchini.

The four of us sat around snapping beans and finally finished them all up.

Getting the green beans ready for the pressure cooker...

Me and Bekah...with our jars ready for the next step!

The pressure cooker was the one part of the process that made us all a little uneasy. We were all new to canning and the directions weren't really clear on this thing. Thankfully, between the five of us (Eric & Mark's dad arrived just in time - he knew what he was doing), we got it figured out...

But as you can see...everything turned out all right! And in the morning we'll see if the jars sealed or not. :)

After finishing the beans, the boys went to the store to stock up for their hiking/camping trip over the weekend. Bekah and I went outside and got some fresh air of our own...and I admired the view from her porch - the Smokey Mountains!

So after our little break outside, we came back in and did 9 jars of pickles to end our day!
Tomorrow I'm off to Georgia to see my cousin and her family!