Celebrate!

At long last, I close on the sale of my other house today! To celebrate last evening, Mr. Mickey took me to our favorite restaurant, Artisanal, in Banner Elk, North Carolina.

We had some time to spare, so we stopped in Elizabethton, Tennessee, along the way.

Elizabethton is home to one of the few remaining wooden covered bridges in the region.

The covered bridge is now used only for foot traffic. The white bridge behind me is used to drive across the river.

Along the river, many beautiful old homes are dating back to the late 1800s.

Owning one of these homes is a labor of love since constant upkeep and repairs are almost always necessary.

The Veterans Monument is an Elizabethton landmark.

Another Elizabethton landmark is the old pink jail beside the courthouse. Supposedly if you had to be locked up in a pink jail in the middle of town, it would deter you from committing a crime. The plan obviously wasn't very successful since they had to build a much larger new jail nearby.

Adding more texture to my wardrobe has been my goal for fall. The animal print lace overlay top is a new item at Chico's. The silver and crystal necklace and the travelers black pants are old and also from Chico's. The bag and BCBGeneration heels are old as well.

Race Day

When you live in an area that hosts a NASCAR Race, your life will be impacted for a few days, even if you don't attend the races.

Each year Mr. Mickey and I look forward to attending a Race Day Brunch hosted by our dear friends Rose and Jerry Sorrell at their beautiful home overlooking the lake.

Spending time with these beautiful women makes me very proud to be part of this group. I always feel renewed from the positive energy and confidence each woman exudes.

Later in the day, we joined more of our dear friends for a late lunch at the Blackthorn Club. Aren't the flowers by the entrance amazing?

If you know even a tidbit about NASCAR racing, you may have heard of legendary Hall of Fame racer Bill Elliott and his son Chase Elliott.

We are so happy to be their friends.

Isn't Chase adorable?

I wore a navy asymmetric hem top from Chico's with white Kut from the Kloth jeans from Dillard's and nude sandals by Jessica Simpson via T.J.Maxx.

Party At The Farm

Mr. Mickey's lifelong friend, Ben, celebrated his 80th birthday this week.

We always enjoy the drive down to the farm to visit with our dear friends. The Nolichucky River's rolling hills are met with the majestic mountains rising up beyond to frame the horizon.

The celebration was held at the couple's weekend getaway in the country.

Guest parking was across the street from the farmhouse our friends have lovingly restored over the past few years.

One of Ben's hobbies is collecting and restoring antique Jaguars. He keeps them in his car museum.

That's a working vintage traffic signal mounted on the wall above my head.

Natalie's potting shed is below.

A guest house on the property provides additional space for the many visitors and family members who come to stay for a weekend at the farm.

Ben is retired from Piedmont Airlines, and he and Natalie have two adorable white Shih Tzus, which explains the fabulous cake.

Happy birthday Ben! May you have many more.

The fabulous band This Mountain played into the night.

At the end of the evening, I was thrilled to reconnect with an old friend from elementary school. Marty and his beautiful wife, Bebe, live only a couple of doors away from the farm. We hadn't seen each other for more than forty years!

Whenever we attend an outdoor function, I always take a hat. One never knows if it will be necessary, but it's good to have it if you need it. The hat is from one of my favorite stores in Blowing Rock, NC, Finley House Couture. The red blouse is from Express. The white cropped jeans are from Chico's. The shoes are from T.J.Maxx.

Oldies But Goodies

One of the great things about building a wardrobe that includes classic pieces is that you can wear them for as long as they last.

This Jones of New York Country jacket is from my last thin phase about ten years ago. It is embroidered in white upon a black background. 

The shoes are about ten years old also. They are by Sam & Libby, and they aren't even married anymore.

The black pants are from Chico's. The red zipper trimmed clutch bag is by Nine West via Ross.

Mr. Mickey took me to dinner at Wellington's a couple of nights ago. That was the last time I ate. I am going for my five-year colonoscopy today. As usual, I am giving you way too much information to encourage you to get all of your screenings and have all of the tests we need at this time in our lives. Mr. Mickey and I have both had cancers and other health-related issues in the past, so get all the screenings and tests our Physicians schedule for us.