Welcome to the Battle of the Wilderness, sun flares included.

A few weeks back, Cole and I ventured north to the site of the Battle of the Wilderness. We've passed it many times on our way to DC, so we had to check it out. We stopped at the National Park Service hut, which does offer tours, but we didn't make that time. Luckily, I basically have my own tour guide. His name is Cole. He reads all the signs while I am wandering and taking photos. Then, he regurgitates it to me. I don't remember everything, but I do remember this was the first meeting of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. So, fun fact right there. . . .

Loving these views from Old Rag Mountain.

Today, Cole and I joined four other people on a hike up Old Rag Mountain. Personally, I was a little worried. This 8-mile hike includes scrambling on boulders and well, 8 miles. But, as of this blog, I am safely at home in my jammies drinking ice water. I am sore now, and expect troubles walking tomorrow, but ... I am glad I made the trek and conquered this beast. . . .

The rain held off long enough to hold a beautiful ceremony in James River State Park for two great people: Trevor and Brittanie. Cole met Trevor in his section at law school a little more than two years ago. Last weekend, we got to see them celebrate becoming husband and wife!

They wed under a tree alongside their family and friends in a personal, beautiful ceremony. Besides that, the backdrop couldn't have been more fall. The leaves here have just started to change and the whole drive was filled with brown, orange, red and yellow. . . .

Today, Team USA took home two more medals, a silver and a gold. The women's all-around competition kicked off at 7 a.m. here via the live stream, bringing high-flying vaults and shaky beam routines to my living room. Honestly, this is such a blessing for people who watch gymnastics. A few years ago, you'd just have to read about the competition later in a blog post. . . .

You either looked at the photo above and thought, oh, is it the Olympics already … or were glued to your computer at 7 a.m. Eastern watching the U.S. women win a gold at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Don't worry if you fall in that first group, so do 99.9 percent of people. Not me — I'll get out of bed early to watch gymnastics. Catch the are blood moon? Yeah, no, that one didn't happen. . . .