To jail and back

On our last day we went out to breakfast at the Huddle House and then to Southport because it was raining. We walked around, in the pouring rain, and saw the sights. The old jail was one of the first places we stopped.

I think G is in the first stocks pic and S is in the second. Shannon am I right?

Family beach trip '08

We had a great time at the beach w/ Shannon, Landon, and the boys again this year. We taught the boys how to play Bocci ball and it was a lot of fun. Plus, we all swam a lot together Dave and I really enjoyed playing with the boys. I did get stung by a jellyfish, but it wasn't too bad (Shannon took care of me). Here are a few pictures of the trip, I'll put up more soon!

Ice cream at Leaky Tiki


Sleeping Beauties

Dave playing with the kids in the ocean

Bocci Ball--the kids loved it. Too bad it didn't last long--meaning it got stolen w/ the rest of the stuff, oh well.

WE'RE GOING TO THE BEACH!

See you there Shannon and fam!

The weekend: fun times and frustrations

We went to Belechare on Saturday. We were going to go camping, but it rained the night before and we weren't sure it was going to be pretty, so we decided to head to the big festival in Asheville (Belechare). Belechare (really not sure if I'm spelling that right) means "Beautiful Living" in Scottish. It's got a lot of artsy things there, really really cool junked-turned-art kind of things and beautiful paintings and stained glass windows. They also have lots of wood creations as well they inspired the hubby for future endeavors. The festival had six different stages spread out through downtown playing all different kinds of music. We ate dinner early at one of my fav's (Doc Cheys) and listened to live reggae music outside. All in all it was an awesome day and we had a great time walking around and seeing all the different things there were to see.

However...

There were corner "evangelists" all over the place with their mega-phones and crappy signs. And I put the "evangelists" in quotation marks because they did NOT represent my Jesus well at all. Their signs were in large letters, and they had a list of all the verses where Jesus talks about homosexuality and how it is wrong. I'm not saying the verses are not true, they are, but the way they went about this evangelizing was completely wrong. Their preaching was falling on deaf ears because they were doing it all backwards! In Romans 5:8 it says "God commendeth His love towards us in that while we were YET sinners Christ died for us." It does not say, "and once we were without sin Christ died for us"--NO! We cannot change our sinful nature or even get away from it without Him. We are to come to Him as we are, and once we hand our lives over to Him, He helps us change that sinful nature. We can never attempt it without Him. It made me so sad to see those people doing that. I just thought, "that's not my Jesus...these people are being turned away from my Jesus because of these people with mega-phones." It made me want to scream and cry at the same time. Jesus came with love first. He sat down with sinners, and through love and conviction changed their lives. He did "not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13).

So...we had a great day at the festival, but it made me sad to hear the mega-phones not preaching Christ's love, but preaching the "you're going to hell" message to all the people of Asheville.

Must see!!!!

I just got back from seeing the cutest, funniest, most enjoyable chick/musical flick ever! Two other girlfriends and I went and saw the movie version of Mamma Mia today. IT WAS FANTASTIC! I'm not really a musical person, honestly, but this was just hilarious! The cast was amazing--Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Amanda Seyfried. They were phenomenal. I laughed all the way through and even cried a little bit. Shannon and Mom, you guys should go see this together. You would have a blast! I will buy this AS SOON as it comes out on DVD. I could have gone back in and watched it again right afterwards!!! Definitely the best chick flick I've seen in years....especially considering it's a musical too!

p.s. The Dark Knight was awesome as well. Great action, but a very very dark film.

Recent Proud Achievements

1) loaded a raft bus with 6 rafts (130 lbs each) from the top--I pulled them up all by myself
2) finally vacuumed out the car
3) kayaked and still had the ability to roll--most of the time
4) figured out how to make an odd numbered group of people fit into the right amount of rafts
5) went to a party where I only knew the host and still had a good time

Here are a few photos of my boys and my new hair color. The ones of Dave and Sleepy outside are from their backpacking trip last week.

new hair color--can ya see it?

I was talking on the phone to B at the time I took these. Not very clear really. You can see it better in the sunlight. Maybe I'll take some more tomorrow so you can see it better :).

First time I've actually replied to a tag

I don't usually do tags, cause I feel they are kind of like forwarded e-mails, I usually ignore them. But, this one isn't too ridiculous or difficult so I'll consent.

What I was doing 10 years ago:

Well, I was 15, so I was probably at camp for the summer, maybe AWANA camp. I probably spent the rest of the summer with friends around the pool, pining over the boyfriend I had gotten at camp that year, or elsewhere, lol.

What are my favorite snacks:

I love salt, so some of my favorites are roasted peanuts and salsa w/ corn chips. When it comes to the sweet stuff I like Terry's chocolate oranges, which are hard to get over here, so Helen and Mervyn & Sylvia sometimes bring me over some when they come or mail me some for specially occasions (thanks Helen for the two for my birthday! One is already gone!). I love nice creamers to go my coffee too, those are great for desserts or nights of coffee w/ board games. OH, and I LOVE Coke. I crave it sometimes. And when I go to the movies I almost always get chocolate covered raisins--love those too!

What are 5 things on my to do list today:

1) go to the grocery store
2) tidy the house and try to put away Dave's camping stuff
3) take the dog for a walk, if he's not too tired from backpacking for the last 4 days
4) vacuum and clean out car (done)
5) take trash to dump

5 (plus 1) Things I would do if I were a billionaire

1) give more away! Wuhoo! I love to be able to give things/money to people that need it. It's so much fun!
2) start a trust fund for children we MIGHT have in the future, B & D, my adopted sister, and all my nephews and nieces
3) build a fully energy efficient house wherever Dave wants to live
4) buy a motorcycle for both Dave and I and a green camper van (like the VW van but better) that can run on vegetable oil
5) travel, travel, travel, travel......TRAVEL!!!!!!!!
6) buy my parents an awesome, brand new car, and fix my dad's Maverick.

5 jobs I've had:

1) worked in a camp kitchen for the summer-hot, dirty, exhausting job!
2) lifeguard and swim lessons teacher at RCP for several summers--good times!
3) worked in an after school program at a christian school with 3-5 graders for a year in Winston-Salem
4) was ropes course manager and climbing club coordinator at Medeba for a summer
5) lead instructor and raft guide for Group Adventure Programs at NOC (still there!)

5 places I've lived:

1) New London, NC--grew up here (1983-2000)
2) Winston-Salem, NC--went to school at PBC for 2 long years (2001-2003)
3) West Guilford, ON, Canada--Medeba LDP program for a year(2003-2004)
4) Richfield, NC--lived here for the year before I was married and during summers off and on (04/05)
5) Bryson City, NC--moved here when we got married and still lovin' it! (2005-?)

5 random things people wouldn't know about me:

1) I don't really like animals, honestly, but my dog is special, I love him, but I really don't like other animals, unless I can eat them.
2) I am pretty certain I want to adopt children in the future
3) I want to be a teacher, but I'm scared to death I'll suck at it.
4) I'm scared of ladybugs. I know it's stupid, but I just am.
5) I am an advocate for christian love to people of all races, religions, denominations, political parties, and sexual preferences...and i understand that you may not understand this.

5 cd's I would take to a desert island:

1) Pressure Chief by Cake
2) Willie Nelson's Greatest Hits cd
3) a dance music cd, probably R & B or some kind
4) Newsboys greatest hits
5) a James Blunt cd

And I'm not tagging anyone, cause you guys have already been tagged. Enjoy!

Good times w/ Mom

Since Sunday mom has been visiting. Dave is off on a camping trip this week with the youth group, so I asked mom to come and visit for a few days. Sunday I met her in Asheville and took her to lunch at the Olive Garden for a late birthday lunch. It was so nice just to sit down and talk and laugh with my mom, I have missed her badly. Afterwards we went to the mall and did a bit of shopping. We stopped at Starbucks for coffee, and again, it was just nice to have a conversation with her. I used to really enjoy sitting down for coffee with mom, but I hardly ever get to do that now. I realize I only see my family a handful of time per year, and that is difficult since I grew up with everyone around. But I've always been the traveler and the adventurer, and I try my best to balance that with time spent with the family. Sunday night Dave, a friend of ours, and I taught Mom how to play my favorite game now, Settlers. She really liked it, but I think it's still a bit confusing. It's ok Mom, it's a lot to take in :). Monday Mom and I went tubing down Deep Creek. She really loves tubing there and it was pretty relaxing and funny as well. We got stuck here and there and I got tipped out once. I love to hear her laugh. We went out to eat for lunch. That night we curled up on the couch and watched a movie. Tuesday we had a relaxing morning and I cooked brunch around 10:30. She talked to Dad a bit on the phone and figured out B's school schedule for the fall. That afternoon we went rafting. It was a nice time just to talk and get soaked, but then it started to rain and we got a bit cold. We were both a bit worried about going through the Falls in such a small boat, I hadn't guided one that size in a long time, but we made it through without tipping over. Mom would have killed me if I let her fall out, again :). After that we were pretty chilled and decided to have homemade potato soup for dinner. It turned out pretty well. I got the recipe from Grandmama's church cookbook. Best cookbook I have ever gotten, seriously. Well, Mom left this morning, I was still in bed, I think she left before 7, and I have to head off to work in a couple of minutes. Just wanted to update you on what I've been up to.

P.S. Mom, you'll be glad to hear I replaced Fred's water. He looks much happier not swimming in green goo :). I love you. I had a wonderful time this week. I wish I could see you more often. Call me to talk more often ok?

Happy Birthday Daddy!

I know you are out of the country right now, but I wanted to send you some birthday love anyway. You taught me how to ride a bike, though I bent my arm without my training wheels shortly afterwards (seriously folks, BENT, not broke it, at an 45' angle). You taught me how to shoot a basketball, kick a soccer ball, and hit a baseball, and practiced with me for endless hours. You gave me my love for the outdoors and now I love working and playing in them. You showed me that heights were ok with the right kind of gear, and now I can do my job with a calm heart, knowing my rope will hold me. You introduced me to "horsey trees" and taught me how to identify trees. You spent time with You modeled what it looks like to have a Godly father and showed me how my Heavenly Father feels about me. You showed me what real love is and what to look for in a future husband. I love you Daddy, thanks for being there for me, past, present, and future.

Please help this woman

I encourage you to check out this blog (http://swedenforachange.blogspot.com/). My very dear friend has a huge heart from Sweden and really wants to go there and minister to the people for the next year. Swedes are very smart and, for the most part, financially stable, but very few believe in Christ or any form of god. My friend, Maleah, is trying to go to Sweden through Campus Crusade for Christ, but needs financial support quite badly. If she does not pull in her support before August she will not be able to go. I am supporting her as much as I can, please pray and consider doing the same. Her blog (linked above) explains everything about her desire to go to Sweden and also the circumstances she will encounter there. Thanks for listening guys! Please add Maleah to your prayer list.

Bday pix

This me calling to see who all is coming to dinner. We actually had a really big group, but we forgot to take pictures of that part


After dinner Lee j., Dave, and I hit up Wild Wings and just happened to be there when this band was playing. They were superb!!! We even bought their CD. Really awesome






This is us at the end of the evening. It was around 2 am when we got home, but it was an awesome birthday. Thanks everyone who came! It was great to celebrate with you!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!! You taught me how to read and lose myself in a wonderful book. I'm still making summer reading lists and looking forward to reading my next book. You tried oh so hard to teach me math, but alas Mom, it didn't work, not for the lack of trying on either part though, I promise. You and Dad introduced me to the love of camping. I can never sleep as well at home or anywhere else as I can in a sleeping bag inside a tent on a cool night. You taught me how to dance and I can now be caught dancing around the house on any given day. You taught me how to be independent and strong, to search inside myself for the talents God gave me and be the strongest woman I can be. But most importantly, you taught me how to lean on Christ, and trust Him when things were good or bad. You're an amazing Mom, woman, and friend, I love you dearly Mom!

Sun--Father's day swim party

Ya'll better be thankful for these pictures cause it took me about an hour to get them all uploaded!!! Blogger and Safari were being slow this morning. Enjoy!


"cheese!"

"I can do it by myself thanks"

The non-swimmers and gawkers eating ice cream


"Yay! Daddy's in the pool!"

The "rock-n-lounge" was a pretty big hit for all! Though mom almost got dumped out :)




"pees" have some ice cream?

Sat--rappelling with Daddy

Teaching Amy and Jeremy how to belay



Daddy doing his famous flying rappel



Teaching how to tie a harness



Sending someone off the tower

Father's Day weekend

This last weekend I went home to see my dad before he leaves the country for a bit for a mission trip, and because it was Father's Day. Saturday morning I helped him with a rappelling group. It was so neat to be able to work with him doing that again. I took lots of pictures of him doing what I remember him doing best as a kid--teaching Challenge. I enjoyed our time together immensely. Sunday I went to church with mom and dad and then the family had lunch together at grandmama's house. We ate and swam and had lots of fun. It was nice just to chill with the family. I got the chance to have some great conversations with mom and dad this weekend that I really treasured; it was truly memorable. Hopefully I'll get pictures up here soon, but I worked late today (11 hrs total), and I haven't really had time to spend with Dave since Thursday. G'night all! PIctures to follow!

hair cut

It feels SO much lighter! Wuhoo!

Before


After


But the girl went a little nuts with the blow dryer--so it looks kinda frizzy in the after!

For the Love of The Game

My Settlers of Catan game came in a few days ago and the girls and I got to play last night! It was SO AWESOME! You don't even know, seriously, amazing. And Shannon, I'm brining your game back next weekend, just keep reminding me. If possible I'm going to bring this game with me and we MUST play, but it takes a long time guys, like a few hours. It's kinda like Monopoly in that way, but SOOO much more fun and worth the effort. Maybe I can convince Mom and Dad to play with me, ya think? The girls and I ended up playing two games in a row, one with 5 people and the last one with just 3. We played from 8 until 1:30 am (for both games)! So so fun. I can't even explain really.

Today I'm FINALLY getting my hair cut. I haven't had it cut since NOVEMBER! It's so long that when I pull it up into a high ponytail, it still covers my neck. I can't handle it in the heat--yeesh! We've started leaving the air on pretty much all the time now cause it's so hot by midmorning the house is already too warm. I'm not working until 3 pm today--weird huh? I have training for a couple of hours and then I do an Alpine Tower sampler--which is basically a shorter version of what we do during most days. People can pay less and just come and check out the A.T. for a 2 hours. I think it's a pretty good deal actually. So I'm just chillin' here until it's time for my haircut in an hour and then I'll do some housework until I head to work.

The last of breakfast--for awhile

This morning will probably be the last time Dave and I have breakfast together for awhile. I'm pretty much on the schedule at work for the next 14 days straight. I work this afternoon too, but at least I can go to church first. I'm none too pleased about this work arrangement, but I can't do much about it. I'm not sure what my "rights" are concerning a day off, but I think half days count so that works out for them. I have a half day on Wednesday and Friday, so I guess that counts as one day off this week. I think that's all they have to give me. Fun stuff. I'll be on the ropes course in this scorching heat for the next couple of days and then I get my first water trip of the season--which I'm actually excited about, even if it is a ducky trip (inflatable kayaks).

Yesterday was pretty fun. Dave and I slept in and then he made me waffles with strawberries. Then we hung around the house for awhile and took a really long nap. For lunch we went to Na-Bers Drive-In. Really good! They're like our local Whataburger Shannon! They even had Cherry Lemon Mt. Dew. No, it's no Sundrop, but it's still good! Afterwards we headed to the river to do a short kayaking run. Then I talked Dave into walking up the creek with our boats as opposed to walking on the road with our boats back to the house. The river intersects with the creek behind our house about 1/4 of a mile down. So we walked up it--it felt so good as hot as it was yesterday. Then we got home and let the puppy out and all played in the water. We decided to have a cook-out with our neighbors who live on the other side of duplex. We did cabobs with whatever you wanted on them. A great day actually! We were going to go see a local band play last night, but then ended up heading to bed. Though I did stay up until about midnight just reading. Ah, summer livin'.