Moved To Greener Acres!

We recently moved from our large suburban home on a third of an acre in Pennsylvania to a small mountain cabin on 40 acres in the gorgeous mountains of Tennessee, along the North Carolina border.

Life in Roan Mountain, TN

People ask us “Why here?” One, we love the mountains. Two, Tennessee taxes are amazing. Seriously, I have never had anything good to say about taxes but we got a major break moving here. Third, we are closer to my mom in North Carolina and now it’s so much closer going to visit than when we were coming from PA. To give you some context, I graduated from Appalachian State University way long ago and moved to Pennsylvania to get a graduate degree at Eastern University. I went onto to achieve an MS (Masters of Science in Urban Economic Development), an MRS (married to Brian Peppel), and an MOM (mother of two beautiful girls!). It took me 29 years in the North before I moved back South and we are loving it!

People go on to ask “What are you going to do with all that land?” Well, we are considered forest property by 22.5 of our acres so those trees will stay as they are and remain home to the abundant wildlife from deer to possums to bears (which we hear are coming as the weather warms up). We also have over 10 apple trees on the property, a large fishing pond with bass and blue gill, trout-filled natural streams and we plan to have beehives (Go BEEKS!), fig trees, paw-paw trees and more. And, just have fun. Our side of Heaton Ridge has old but maintained trails up the top of the ridge and we are having fun with our new side-by-side taking people on tours up there. Not far is the very beautiful trail up to the top of Roan Mountain which is home to the part of the Appalachian trail which runs along the PA/TN border.

On a professional note, Brian continues working from home as an IT technical manager and I am still teaching some virtual classes at the University of Valley Forge, and working part-time as a marketing consultant for Free Reign Farm (more on this to come!)

More pictures to come (especially when our new bluetick puppy arrives in 2 weeks)! If you are ever in the area, look us up!

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Sweet Sixteen Care of Toyota Venza

Last week, two very amazing things happened. One, my baby girl turned 16! Second,  I received a Toyota Venza to drive for a week which I had to make clear to my daughter she was NOT getting for her birthday but we could use to make her birthday all that more special with so many fun features to get us where we needed to go.

On the day the Venza arrived, it was raining. Uggh, what a yucky day but I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw my test car pull up in same sleek black as the other three cars in our family “fleet.” We have a black Suburban, black pick-up and black sportwagon so a black Venza was like one of the family.

I drove the Venza to work all week,  to the barn on Saturday, to the grocery store for party supplies, to church on Sunday and finally to a WINNING Phillies game on Monday night. The features I liked are as follows:

TOYOTA VENZA FUN FEATURES:

Back-up camera – As you can see in the picture below, the Venza has the camera that shows you what’s behind you when you are backing up. This was uber helpful down a tight driveaway at a friend’s house.

Roomy Interior – The Venza is as roomy as any SUV without the massive feeling of a truck like my Suburban and not as small as the Jetta we have. It was the perfect blend for the tall people in my family.

Phone Charging Slot – It’s a small add-on but totally shows a shift in our modern culture. There is a place near the front console to insert your phone and have the wire go through the bottom to the storage area where the charging slots are available in USB and standard cigarette lighter style slot.

Toyota Venza

 

OTHER IMPORTANT TOYOTA VENZA POINTS:

Starting price: $28,915 MSRP

Engine: Available in 4-wheel & V6.

Features: low center of gravity, wide stance and available 20-in. wheels.

Hill Start Assist Control: Keeps car from rolling backward on a hill.

Amenities: Dual zone automatic climate control, Star Safety System including 6 active safety features, seven airbags, blindspot mirrors and so much more.

Smart Key System with Push Button Start (at $31,960 price).
The smart key system took some getting used to. You set the key somewhere near the starter in a cup holder or door holder and push the start button. It was very easy to leave them in the car, shut the door and have to reopen to get them out so I could lock the door. The week the Venza arrived, we had just had several cars stolen in the neighborhood (and returned by the police since the joyriders left them in the next neighborhood) and I was very conscious of needing to lock the car.

Then, before we knew it, it was Party-time for my Sweet Sixteen daughter — look how much room in the back! (Gif image by my techno-savvy daughter). We loaded up with each stop for more party supplies and we had room to spare.

Thank you, Toyota, for a fun ride. Perhaps when one is two years old and has a few miles on it to bring down the price, maybe we’ll invest.

toyota venza

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