Spring on Rose Ridge

I always look forward to spring on the ridge, but after a particularly long and nasty winter this one seems all the sweeter. The roses seem to be putting on their best performance ever. We've lived here ten years now and I don't remember them ever looking prettier. Here are a few reasons I named my Etsy store Rose Ridge Creations:

One of the Best Days Ever

Triple Falls at Dupont State Forest in Hendersonville, North Carolina

I've had so many amazing days since I met my David, but one of my favorites began when we woke up early in a hotel in Hendersonville, North Carolina and hiked the beautiful waterfalls at Dupont State Forest. There are three falls tiered on top of each other like a beautiful liquid wedding cake. Since we were there so early we were the only ones at the waterfall and it felt like we were the only two people who had ever explored this wonderful place. David convinced me I wasn't too old to climb all the way to the top even though the last tier was pretty challenging. The rocks were very smooth with hardly any hand holds. David of course ran up them like he was 12. It's one of my favorite things about him. He's never lost that childlike quality we all had playing in the woods. It's our favorite thing to do. Probably because it makes us forget how old the calendar tells us we are. I let David run all over the waterfalls taking pics while I had some essential zen moments just sitting on a rock letting the spray lightly wash over me. I remember thinking this day can't get any better, but I was wrong.

After exploring every inch of Dupont, we climbed in the car and headed east. One of my favorite wine varietals is muscadine and Duplin Winery makes some of the best. Since David knew this was my favorite wine, he surprised me with a stop at Duplin Winery. It's located in Rose Hill, NC, apparently right on the way to his final surprise destination. After a wine tasting of literally everything Duplin makes we got back in the car and continued driving east. Just as the sun started to fall into the ocean, we pulled up to Wrightsville Beach. We walked on the beach hand in hand in disbelief that the day had started out in the mountains and had ended with a walk on the beach at sunset. A professional photographer was taking pictures of a beautiful young woman in a white wedding dress. I talked David into taking pictures of her too. He's an amazing photographer and I had a feeling his pictures would turn out as good, if not better, than the professional ones. I'll let you be the judge.

We had been snacking all day, but hadn't stopped long enough to eat a meal we were having so much fun. Ever had so much fun you forgot to eat? We do all the time! Well, the salt air reminded us that we hadn't eaten a real meal all day and we started to look for a restaurant. Literally within feet of where we had been walking on the beach was one of the best restaurants I've ever had a meal at(The Oceanic). We went in and were seated at a table facing the beach for a ringside seat of the best show of the day. We ended the day eating amazing, fresh seafood while we watched the sun set the ocean on fire. Did you know it's really hard to eat while you're smiling from ear to ear? Try it sometime.