Fall Colors Make for Sunny Days

A farm right by my house.

Since coming home, I have been so busy it's been hard to go through the normal period of post-vacation blues.  Berkeley inspired me and I have been working diligently on my MFA applications. I've also been writing up a storm for the Observer, though I have to say, that has not been with quite the same enthusiasm.  The cold weather has made me think it's holiday time and that makes me think "vacation - no work!"  Alas, I never get a week off from my many columns, which are really the tiresome part because I quite enjoy the stories. 

The fields of gold in Ballantyne.

I've also been spending a lot of time with some new friends - Rachel and Tim.  Rachel recently moved down to Charlotte from Ohio and found me through CouchSurfing.  She is a nurse on the same floor with my friend Bethany and lives in the same building on the same floor as my friend Amanda!  Such a small world.  Anyway, she also reached out to a couple other CouchSurfers including Tim who is an engineer and lives in Belmont.  She thought we'd get along well, so we all cooked dinner and played games one night at her house and she was right.  They are both such fun and interesting people and their presence in my life since returning from Ca. has been so bright and cheerful.  Rachel actually took a silk aerial class with me and really enjoyed it so she has signed up to start taking classes too.  That made me super happy! ;)  A week or so ago, Tim and I went to go see "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" at Theater Charlotte (a live performance) which was quite impressive.  The actors really imitated all the weird quirks of the mad-house patients and it was just very well done. 

Nicole and Matthew having a leaf fight.

Also since I've been back, I helped lead a dance club at Quail Hollow Middle School through my church.  Each month, we go to the school (which is a high-poverty school) and feed any students and families that come dinner, then offer clubs for the kids, day care for younger siblings and classes for the parents (on things like finances or computers etc.).  The dance club is being co-lead by a former Bobcat girl and me.  The kids really enjoyed it and said they wished we had it every week.  Next semester, we'll move to twice a month instead of once.  I shared my love for salsa with 35 sixth through eight graders and they were all very receptive to the lesson.

Matthew is trying to climb a tree...in socks.

The fall colors have really been amazing in Charlotte the past couple weeks.  I have literally pulled over on the side of the road to photograph some of the scenes around me.  A couple days ago, as I drove through Ballantyne, I noticed all these trees with bright yellow leaves.  The trees were still yellow, but the ground also had a good dose of gold and I thought "what a fabulous place to take pictures!" Of course at the time I was on my way to somewhere else and couldn't stop.  I thought "next year."  But this weekend I'm babysitting for a family who lives in the Ballantyne area (I've been watching them since the girl was 1 and the boy was not yet born and now they are 12 and 14!!!).  So anyway, the kids and I are driving through Ballantyne and about to get lunch and I decide we are going to have an alfresco lunch under the gold trees!  (I should mention, they were not exactly thrilled about this prospect, as it was a high of 50 today).  However, once we got there, their minds were changed.  We took our Panera food and perched under a tree and Matthew was like "I've never eaten under a tree before."  I told him, "Then this should be the most memorable lunch you've ever had!"  It was sort of like a treasure trove in the middle of the city - truly feeling like a magical world. 

After eating, the kids and I took many photos playing in the leaves and had a right good time.  I should do spontaneous things like such more often. 

Thanksgiving is in a few days, and I'm very happy - it is my favorite holiday I think.  You have all the decorations of Christmas (well, many people do), you have Christmas music on the radio, amazing food and the whole family gets together.  It is the one holiday where big family dinners are a must-have.  Christmas always ends up being just the nuclear family, and maybe a somewhat larger gathering later.  But Thanksgiving, there is no choice.  All relatives in a nearby vicinity (and sometimes not) must gather.  This year, the show "Brothers and Sisters" was canceled.  But I think my family should try out for a real-life version.  Family dinners with my family are loud, laughing, raucous events where everyone is eating delicious food, kids are running and playing, jokes are being relayed; and after dinner, we bust out the board games.  It just doesn't get better than that!  The only sad part about this Thanksgiving is that I won't get to see any of my Bailey side of the family.  Uncle David and Aunt Margie will be up in Williamsburg with their youngest sons, and the older two are staying in Florida, as is Grandma Bailey, Uncle John, Uncle Ben and Uncle Andy. We used to always go down to Tallahassee for Thanksgiving, so I miss that. 

I guess I should get back to work on applications since the kids are playing with friends. I have five more to submit and then I have to send in paper components for some of them, but I'm close to done!

Goodbye San Francisco

Dusk from Berkeley over SF from train station.

When Erin got home on Friday, we went straight to the Golden Gate to walk across it.  It was such a gorgeous day - perfect for walking the bridge (briskly, as it was slightly chilly with the wind).  I got some cool pictures of a sailboat below us.  It looked like so much fun - minus the fact that if I'd been on board I would've been puking my guts up as the water tossed and turned it like a bath toy.  On the walk back, the sun was setting off the opposite side of the bridge, but we weren't allowed to walk on that side because it was bikes only.  I was bummed because the rail impeded our sunset view.  It was still nice though.  When we got back in the car we called Kerri and arranged to meet her at this little alley with these authentic European restaurants along it.  The alley was draped in white twinkle lights and had outdoor tables with umbrellas and waiters trying to get you to choose their restaurant (in their French, Spanish or Italian accents).  We ended up going with a French restaurant because they had Beef Bourguignon which I had not had since making it from Julia Child's recipe with Uncle Tom a couple winters ago.  It was divine!!

On Saturday Kerri's mother arrived at the house and the three of them left for Sanoma. Mike couldn't pick me up from the train in Berkeley until about 1 p.m., so I just left a bit later and took the bus to the train station.

At the top of my run with the city of SF behind me.

Mike picked me up but soon thereafter had to go back to a day-long technology conference on campus.  I ended up working on applications and then was supposed to go to a park with Mike's friends Julie and Ashi, but Julie's car battery died and she had to call AAA.  Mike's other roommate Fred had a friend visiting - Joanna - who was supposed to come with us to the park, so while we waited and both Mike and Fred were doing school-related stuff, we walked to the grocery store and a Halloween store so I could get something for the party that night.  I had a black dress, so I got a fun looking witch's hat, some red nail polish and lipstick, gray and maroon eyeshadow and fake eyelashes with some red shiny stuff on the tips.  I was excited to try it all on that night as I've never been anything "scary" for Halloween in my life. Meanwhile, I really enjoyed spending time with Joanna as she was original from Barcelona and reminded me of my friends Carmen and Enrique from Spain.  She was a really sweet girl and I much enjoyed her company.

Erin at the beginning of our bridge walk.

As soon as we got back to Mike's, Julie called and said she'd gotten the car working and came to pick us up. We got a little lost in the park - which is really big and up in the mountains above Berkeley - so we ended up just finding a big field and laying down a blanket.  Julie and Ashi were studying accounting while I read and Joanna tried to help them (as she had gotten her MBA a couple years prior).  We didn't have much time before the sun started going down, but it was nice to be outside for a little while as the weather was lovely.

When we got back, Mike was already back and dressed for the party - even though it was only about 5:30.  lol  Mike and I worked on applications until it was time to actually get ready for the party, at which point I tried to put on my fake eyelashes.  They said they were self-adhesive...but they lied.  They did not stick.  So, scratched that, but did up my makeup and nails very dramatically and it was almost shocking looking in the mirror with so much makeup on.  I didn't feel like me!  Joanna also had a necklace that worked perfectly with the outfit that she let me borrow.

Walking on the Golden gate.

All the house residents and Joanna dressed up as rugby players.  One of their neighbor's offered to do Mike's black eye for him, but when we were ready to go to the party after the light had faded, it was hard to see.  As I finished my makeup Mike came over and said, "Umm...can you make this darker?"  Luckily, my dark gray/maroon eyeshadow was perfect when blended together to create a very convincing black eye (with just a hint of shimmer lol).  He actually had several people ask him if it was real.  I was quite proud of my artwork. ;)

We left the house about 7:50 and walked to the campus where all the MBA students were supposed to meet before walking to the club where their private party was being held.  There were quite a few good costumes including a whole group of people dressed as The Simpsons who even painted their arms/faces yellow.

Oldest building in California - used to be an inn.

At the club, there was a band who played/sang a lot of Halloween songs and were amazingly good - especially after hearing from Mike that they were all students in the program!  How they had time to practice and prepare was beyond both of us.  By 11:30 it was hot and crowded and we were both pretty much done.  We left and tried to get a taxi back, but it only took us about three blocks because it said it was already reserved for someone else.  Thankfully, I brought a pair of flipflops along with my heels, so walking the rest of the way back wasn't bad at all.  The night didn't feel as cold as it had earlier and it's always nice to walk outside after being in a crowded, hot place with loud music for a while.  Mike and I felt kinda lame leaving so early, but whatever.  We got plenty of sleep and still made it to breakfast and church in the morning! lol  (And no earthquakes! haha).

After church on Sunday we went to Trader Joes to get food for lunch and dinner.  We decided for dinner we'd make spaghetti squash, which I'd assisted my friend Angela in making once over a year ago, and was really good.

The boat in the water.

For the rest of the day, we worked on applications (and watched Step Up 3 which had some great dancing but terrible acting).  I found out when sunset was and found a place 10 minutes away that had this big rock you could climb up and watch the sunset over SF from.  We stopped our working to drive over there and the view was definitely worth it.  While it was somewhat more foggy than it had been on previous evenings, it was still beautiful and I got some great shots of sunset over the Golden Gate.  It really was the perfect end to my trip.  When we got back we cooked the spaghetti squash, which (unbeknownst to me when we bought it), Mike had never made before.  It took longer than expected, but he did a good job!  (I can't really say "we" because I wasn't much help.  I did insist on washing the tomatoes we added though. lol).  After dinner I packed quickly and Mike brought me to the train which went all the way to the airport.  My plane left at 10:45 p.m.

Sunset from bridge over the Pacific.

Riding on trains makes one think of many things.  It reminded me of all the times I took the tube in London (which also went to the airport) and the way I feel different when I travel.  It also brings up feelings of loneliness because inevitably, when you're on a long train ride, you're leaving someone or something behind.  I remember riding on the tube to the airport when I left London after my semester there.  I was all alone and headed to Greece, not knowing when I would see my beloved London again.  The day was cold and wet, and with my forehead pressed against the glass, my tears mingled with the condensation on the window.  I felt like the world around me was crying to see me go, just as I was crying to leave.  Not that I wasn't excited about going to Greece - but I was already longing for a return to England.  Part of me worried that it would somehow cease to exist as my England by the time I returned - like it would have forgotten me entirely.  I know that sounds funny - a place doesn't remember you - but for me, it sometimes feels that way. 

Our costumes.

Being ridiculous.

As I sat on the train from Berkeley to SFO, about an hour ride, I couldn't help feeling a bit of that same feeling.  The strangeness of being somewhere for 10 days and having a marvelous time and an entirely different experience from your everyday life, and knowing it is all about to end.  There was also the leaving behind of warm weather and people I care about.  This trip made me realize just how much I have in common with Erin and Mike.  Erika, who I spent significant time with before she moved to CA, I already knew was like a soul sister.  But, with Erin for example, there were so many little things that we did where it was like "How are we not blood related??"  Even Kerri would laugh at the number of things Erin and I would say or do alike.  And Mike - well who knew he was as much of a neat freak as I am (maybe more??).  lol  We also found out we are the same Myers-Brigg letters (INFJ) - which apparently, is only 1-3% of the population!  Crazyness!  It was really nice hanging out with him because even when we were working, it felt nice just to have a friend sitting next to me who was also driven to succeed but knows how to balance work and play.  Finally, it was great getting to know Kerri better.  She is pretty shy, but I got to know her much better this trip and I really enjoyed her company (she is also an excellent cook). 

With new friends at the party.

Back home, I find myself missing CA, but also being very busy with work and applications.  I'm now applying to 13 schools because I went to Chapel Hill this past Friday and talked with two of my old professors and one of them convinced me I needed to add Stanford to my repertoire.  Apparently, the reason I didn't know about it was because it is so prestigious it doesn't even offer a degree - it's just 2 years of intense writing and classes with some of the best writers in the country - and if you have that fellowship on your resume, you're golden.  And guess what?  Stanford is right below San Francisco!  Haha.  Not that I have a chance of getting in (well, about a 190 to 1 chance), but as my old professor said, "If you shoot for the moon, you'll at least land in the stars." 

That's it for now.  I'm so exhausted my fingers are falling asleep.

Sunset from Berkeley to Golden Gate.

Using my automatic timer.

Watching the sunset.

 

If You're Going to San Francisco....go in October!!

View from window of the plane - sunset over Rockies.

Today makes a week I've been in San Francisco - and what a difference a couple months make!  Last time I was here it was August and was cold, foggy, and damp.  This time, every day has seen a cloudless blue sky, brilliant sun, and mid-day temps in the 70s (or, like last weekend, low 80s!). 

When I arrived last Friday night, my friend Erika from L.A. flew in about the same time as I did.  She planned to stay the weekend with us in San Fran before flying home.  My cousin Erin and her wife Kerri picked us up from the airport and drove us to a quaint Italian restaurant near their house in the Castro district.  We had yummy dinner and caught up on each others' lives.  I was pretty tired since my body thought it was 3 hours later than it was here, but I had gotten a couple hours sleep on the plane, so that helped. 

Erin, Erika, Lauren at Twin Peaks overlook.

The next morning, Erika and I got up before 8 and went running.  Erika is a much more accomplished runner than I am, but let me just say, running in San Fran is hard!  We were both heaving about 50% of the time.  Hills + runners = God laughing.  Anyway, we ran to this little park that had big rocks on top of a hill and from the top, you could see almost all of SF and beyond the bay to Berkeley, Oakland and other areas.  After we finished our run, we returned to Erin's and took showers before going on a driving tour of SF w/Erin and Kerri. 

Lauren and Erika at the Palace of Fine Arts.

They drove us through different areas of SF and pointed out houses they loved (all of which would cost millions of dollars despite being smaller than the average house in Charlotte) and then took us to a beach very near the Golden Gate Bridge.  We were so lucky to find parking right off the bat along the shoreline, and though we didn't stay long, it was fun to watch all the people and see the bridge without a shroud of fog.  From there we drove to another beach on the opposite side of the bridge which was prettier in my opinion and less touristy. On the drive there, we saw a whole group of roller-bladers and all of them were wearing butt-less costumes.  Some had the butt cut out of their pants, some had cut off the back of their skirts - it was so bizarre.  Welcome to San Francisco!  Everyone seemed to be out and about as it was in the low 80s - unusual for SF and on the second beach, Erika and I took off our shoes and ran around the sand and waded a little bit in the frigid water.  There were a couple people actually in the water, but they were clearly insane. ;) 

Erin, Lauren, Erika with bridge.

After that, we drove through the Presidio (an old military base that is now a huge park) and went to Nob Hill to see Grace Cathedral.  The Cathedral is a decedent of Grace Church which was built there in 1849.  The present church renovation was completed in 1964 with Ghiberti doors made in Italy that are replicas of the doors on the Florence Baptistery (part of the Duomo).  As soon as I saw them I was like "Whoa, those look like the same doors" and after looking it up on Wikipedia, found out they were replicas made when the doors were removed during WWII and kept in underground storage for fear of bombing.  During that time, several replicas were made - this being one of them. 

Bridge!

After seeing the church, which was very reminiscent of European cathedrals, we went to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 where all the sea-lions sun bathe on the docks.  We bought a few little things and looked around in several of the shops on the pier.  From there we walked toward a pier that proffered a wonderful view of the Bay Bridge directly to our right with the sun setting on it, and the Golden Gate far to the left, with some fog rolling in under it.  I got some great photos of both. 

We tried to go to a Spanish restaurant for dinner after that, but it was a 2 hour wait and we were starving.  Instead, we went to a sushi place and I got fried shrimp since I don't do raw fish. 

The next morning we left a little after 9 and drove to Muir Woods, a National Monument (like a National park but smaller) that was across the Golden Gate.  It has redwoods there, so we went to do some tree-hugging.  I was excited because I got us all in for free with my National Park pass! :)  The woods were incredibly mystical and full of magic.  We kept expecting to see nymphs, gnomes and fairies pop out at any moment.  The trees were definitely big and tall, though not as large as the ones I saw in the far northern part of CA during my road trip.

The best beach!

After a good hike through the woods, we drove to Saulsalito for lunch.  Saulsalito is a little town right on the bay that overlooks San Francisco with tons of unique little shops and seafood restaurants.  We ate at one right on the water and then shopped around.  In one of the shops I bought a perfume bottle made in Italy with beautiful blown-glass for only $20.  Erika got one too.  We also watched as some random guy built rock formations on the wave breakers, finding small rocks and medium sized rocks and making them balance on each other in ways that looked impossible. 

Grace Cathedral.

The Florence doors.

From there, we drove back to SF and went to Alamo Square where the beginning of Full House was filmed.  While on the hill overlooking the Painted Ladies (the colorful row houses), some guy started playing the Full House theme song on a boom box and some random girls started crying she was so happy.  I guess I can't say anything though...I was practically in tears when I went to all the Dawson's Creek places in Wilmington last summer.   After that we were totally pooped and came back to the house to watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy before taking Erika to the airport to fly home. 

On Monday while Erin and Kerri were at work, I worked from their apartment until Erin got home.  When she did, we changed clothes and went to the House of Air.  This place was so cool!  It was a giant warehouse full of trampolines where you could jump yourself out!  We purchased an hour of jumping and after 15 minutes were already exhausted.  It was so much fun to play on trampolines again, since Mom sold ours a few years ago.  I practiced my front handspring and flip, and the next day, boy was I sore!  I wish we had something like that in Charlotte - what fun we had!

View of Golden Gate from Bay Bridge area.

Pier 39 - Fisherman's Wharf.

On Tuesday I did some work and then walked down to the downtown Castro district to buy a pair of sunglasses and some earphones (I left mine at home and the ones from the airplane were not very good).  I was then listening to Mocking Jay on this little recorded device I borrowed from the library and I just kept walking down Market Street.  Next thing I know, I'm in downtown SF - three miles from Erin's place.  Apparently, the president was in a hotel right near where I was giving a speech and I didn't even know it! It would've been cool to see him.  I watched some street tap dancer perform and had lunch at a burger place that was new and gave me free fries with the burger.  I was too tired to walk all the way back (uphill), so I took the subway to downtown Castro and then walked the last half mile or so back to Erin's.  A little later I walked to the Circus Center, about a mile and half from Erin's, and took a silk aerial class.  I learned a couple new moves, which was fun, and inside the gym where the class was held, other people were practicing trapeze, rope aerial, trampoline and other such circus acts.  It was slightly overwhelming to the senses, but interesting.  However, I like the classes I take in Charlotte better.  We have more silks to work with, more people, and we move a bit faster I think.  The teacher here was very nice though.  When she asked me about the moves I knew, I started telling her and realized that we spoke a different language - the moves I know are called by different names in NC than in CA, so I had to describe/show her many of them and she was like "ohhh, interesting, I can see why it's called that!" 

Bay Bridge by sunset.

Erin picked me up from the class and we came home where Kerri was making shrimp scampi for dinner and it was delicious!  I then packed a bag and Erin dove me to the train station (called BART) so I could take a train (actually more like a subway) to Berkeley where Mike was going to pick me up.  I've known Mike for about five or so years now, having been his first salsa teacher when I was teaching with Rodrigo in college.  I'd come home every other weekend to teach with Rodrigo and Mike had come in to take a class with his girlfriend at the time.  We kept running into each other thereafter, and have established a friendship over the years.  He recently started his MBA at Berkeley so I went to stay with him for a couple nights to give Erin and Kerri a break and catch up with Mike. 

Kerri, Lauren and Erin hugging redwoods.

After he picked me up, he drove me back to the humongous house he shares with five other MBA students.  It was built in 1901 and is gigantic and kind of spooky with many hidden doors and secret closets.  Mike definitely got the best spot in the house - the entire attic is his and is so large with so much storage it actually fit his entire 3 bedroom apartment from Charlotte.  He has a great view off his balcony and the angles of the roof and the redwood walls/ceilings are so lovely.  The house has so much character - I want to live in a house like that one day.  Much more interesting than the cookie-cutter houses new developers make. 

pretty

The next morning Mike had class at 9 so I worked from his place for a little while, then walked the 20 minutes to the Berkeley campus.  It is really a beautiful campus and I LOVED the library - it was so great with old sofas and chair and oriental rugs and chandeliers.  I spent some time there reading and then met Mike when he finished his class at 12:50.  We walked back to his place and ordered pizzas for pickup from a local joint. Before his 4 o'clock class, Mike tried to get some homework done and I worked on some grad school apps.  While he was in class until 6, I ordered my GRE scores to be sent to the schools I'm applying to and edited my writing samples.  When he got home, we made pasta for dinner and relaxed some until it was time to go salsa dancing. 

Hanging out with a tree.

The place we went to dance reminded me so much of Morehead Street Tavern in Charlotte where we used to salsa dance on Wednesday nights in Charlotte. I met some of Mike's grad school friends there and we had a fabulous time dancing.  Though when I wasn't dancing with Mike or his friend Will, I was not entirely happy with the creepy guys there.  As soon as a dance ended, I'd step one toe off the floor and another guy would be like "Bailar??" (dance??).  Finally, by 12:30 when my feet were killing me, I was like "sorry, I'm done." haha  The atmosphere of meeting his friends and hanging out with everyone there made me really miss school so much.  I'm getting more excited about the prospect of grad school.  I almost wish there were any top MFA programs out here.  It really is a different world and kind of magical in its own way.  Unfortunately, the only top programs not on the East coast are in Boulder, CO (Univ of Colorado); Austin, TX (UT) and St. Louis, MO (Washington Univ), and I'm applying to all of them as it were.  I'm also applying to Univ of FL, UNC-G, UNC-W, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Hollins University, and UVA. 

At the top of our hike.

That night, I woke up a few minutes past 5:30 a.m. thinking that Mike was shaking me awake.  I woke up scared because I thought maybe there was a fire or something, but when I opened my eyes, there was no one there.  Mike was on the couch and I was in his bed, which was rocking forward and back, forward and back.  It was then that I realized - I was experiencing my first earthquake and it was completely surreal.

The next day I told Mike about it - he hadn't woken up - though he's a much sounder sleeper than I am.  I told him to look it up online because Erin said all earthquakes are recorded in a list online.  Well, as soon as he typed in Berkeley earthquake, it came up as an actual news article.  "3.9 Earthquake Shakes Berkeley."  hahaha  He was bummed that he missed it.  I'm sure being the attic also helped with feeling it, though 3.9 is fairly strong and Kerri even felt it in SF, despite the epicenter being in Berkeley. 

Erika and me in Saulsalito.

Rock statues with SF in background.

After we got up on Thursday, we went to a nearby coffee shop for breakfast and worked on our applications - his for fellowships and mine for grad school.  At 1:30 we left and went to lunch at this kosher place called Holy Land where we each had pitas stuffed with meat, tomatoes and lettuce.  As we walked back to Mike's house, we passed the most famous ice cream place in Berkeley and since Mike doesn't eat ice cream, I of course had to get one and try it.  It was, admittedly, amazing.  I even got Mike to try a bite.  Back at the house, we watched Revenge which he'd kindly recorded for me.  It made me really happy how closely he listened to my whole recap of the show this far and really paid attention and when watching the show, would pause it and ask me questions.  So many people would've been like "whatever." 

With the Painted Ladies.

After the show, we walked to the park that is directly across the street and played some Frisbee then just lay on a picnic blanket enjoying the warm sun.  It was a gorgeous day, warmer than the day before, and it was just the perfect ending to the day.  That evening, Mike drove me to the train station and Erin & Kerri picked me up on the other side and took me with them to the oldest bar in San Francisco where one of their friends was playing live music.  We had a yummy dinner and their friend was very good - though the world series postponed his set quite a bit and as it was, he had to start before it was over since they went into so much overtime.  I must say though, it was getting fairly exciting when they went into their 10th and then 11th inning.  I can't believe St. Louis ended up winning after being down most of the game. 

Kerri and Erin looking at the Painted Ladies.

Today I went running and went to the top of Buena Vista park from which you can see the Golden Gate, then I went to the same spot with the rocks on the hill where Erika and I had run.  I sat there for a while looking out over the city and listening to a podcast on my iPod. 

Now I'm back at Erin's working and waiting for her to get home so we can either walk or bike across the bridge.  Tomorrow she and Kerri are driving Kerri's mom to Sanoma for her birthday, so in the morning I'm going back to Mike's until my flight leaves on Sunday night.  We're also going to a Halloween Party on Saturday night which I'm looking forward to! 

Mountain Weekends Full of Color

Me, Bethany, Vanessa at sunset in Jonas Ridge.

I went to the mountains for the last two weekends and it was glorious! The weekend of Oct. 7-9 I went with some of my life group girls for a little bonding retreat.  Bethany, Vanessa and I arrived first and took tons of pictures with the sunset which was breathtaking.  By the time Whitney and Lisa made it, we had tacos ready for dinner and we all sat around chowing down and having a good long catch-up session.  With everyone's busy schedules lately, it's been difficult to really know what we've all been up to.  Lisa is up to her eyeballs with her new position as a teacher at Matthews Elementary, Bethany has been working hard to raise the $22,000 for her 11-month mission trip, Whitney just got back from Costa Rica on a business trip, and Vanessa recently took on a new position at the bank.  On Saturday we went to Upper and Lower Falls (my favorite place to hike).  Bethany almost immediately fell in and got soaked, but luckily Vanessa had an extra shirt.  Then, as we hiked up the gorge toward Upper Falls, I decided to take a timed group shot w/my camera.  I set it up and then, realizing I only had 10 sec to get where they were sitting, tried to jump over the water.  It didn't work and I got drenched from waist down.  Whitney and Vanessa both got their shoes wet.  Pretty much the only one to stay dry was Lisa (also the most cautious).

Vanessa and me in Jonas Ridge.

After we rested a bit at the house, we got back in the car and drove to an apple orchard called Alta Pass off the parkway.  We tried to pick apples, but it was a little past the time and they were mostly picked out.  We filled the rest of our bags from the barrels in the shop and then stopped by Wal-Mart to get ingredients to make apple crisp that evening.  It was amazing by the way.


The next day the girls headed out fairly early and then I worked on writing for my grad school apps until Mom, Dad and Grandma Bailey arrived from Boone.  They had been staying with Uncle David at his mountain house Saturday and Sunday morning (Grandma drove up from Tallahassee on Friday).  We all played a new game called Qwirkle and then I drove home with Mom since she had to work the next day.  Grandma and Dad didn't drive back until Monday.

Me, Bethany, Vanessa watching sunset in Jonas.

The next weekend, I was scheduled to go camping with 25 people from Charlotte ONE in Linville Falls.  Mom, Dad, Grandma B., Grandma and Grandpa all went up to the mountain house together.  Camping was amazing - it was so beautiful up there.  It really was the perfect weekend for the colors.  I brought my two 4-man tents which were utilized and we had s'mores and hot cocoa and it was really nice.  On Saturday we hiked around Linville Falls and Chastity, Ben and I ended up behind everyone else as we marveled at the trees.  At the last overlook, Ben got me and some other random girl from Duke to follow him off-trail and we explored and saw some really cool views and found a neat rock to climb - but by the time we got back, everyone else was gone.  As Ben and I walked back toward the parking lot, we ran into my family who were there seeing the views which was nice. 

This was the picture I was trying to get when I fell in. I'm soaked here.

Upon reaching the parking lot, Ben and I realized there was no one else from our group there so we jogged/walked the mile back to the campground.  We also found two woolly worms on our way!  After we got back, everyone else was already ready to go hiking again, so we scarfed down some lunch and I led the way to Upper/Lower Falls.  While no one fell into the water (that I knew of), Ben, Josh and Jenni all slid down the waterfall at Lower Falls.  It was so cold - I can't imagine getting in willingly, but they did and I got some cool photos. Afterward, they were cold, but they did what they could to warm up and enjoyed their new-found fame. ;)  By the time we finished hiking Upper and Lower Falls, only about 15 of us were left - the rest had gone back to the campground early.  I convinced my group (who wanted to watch the sunset) to come with me to Grandma and Grandpa's mountain house in Jonas Ridge where they have an amazing view.  When we all got there, it was starting to get quite chilly and they were glad to warm up.  Everyone introduced themselves to Grandma C. and she taught us a game called "Spirits Landed" or something like that.  We all got a kick out of it and it led to other people in the group showing us other games like "Black Magic."  All were games that involved something that seemed "magical" but really involved some sort of trick between the two game operators which the crowd had to figure out. 

Whitney, Vanessa, Lisa, Bethany, Me - Uppper Falls.

Unfortunately, the sun was not going to set as soon as we thought it would, so we had to leave before it did to start making dinner back at the campground.  Ben showed everyone how to wrap up pieces of chicken in tin foil and he cooked them over the fire.  The potatoes were wrapped up and thrown down into the embers.  While it took a while, it was a pretty decent meal for camping.  I totally would've just gone with hot dogs. lol

Hiking in Linville Falls

The next morning we had bagels and cream cheese and peanut butter and jelly and packed up everything pretty quickly.  My family came to pick me up and we went back to Alta Pass apple orchard because Grandma Bailey wanted to get some apples like the ones I had gotten the weekend before.  Afterward, we stopped at Chestoa Overlook where you can see the Jonas Ridge house quite clearly atop the mountain. 


Overall, two weekend in a row in the NC mountains was lovely - the perfect time of year and beautiful weather for both trips.  I've been entirely blessed with weather lately - and good friends. :)

With Chastity and Ben at Linville.

Off trailing with Ben.

Beautiful fall colors in Linville.

My crazy friends sliding down the water fall.

The Jonas Ridge house from the Chestoa Overlook.

Perfect Sunday

At EA's bday lunch.

Today was a great Sunday.  The weather was in the 60s, finally making it feel like fall.  I picked up Grandma to come to church with me for the first time and it was so nice to have her along.  We enjoyed the message a lot and she got to meet some of my friends.  A little later in the afternoon, I went to a big lunch for my friend Elizabeth Anne whose birthday it was and then to Freedom Park where a bunch of church friends usually gather on Sundays.  Even though there were only a few people there today, it was just really great.  It's amazing how wonderful good weather can make you feel.  My friend Ben was there with his family and my friend Lesley was there and she ran about 2 miles or so with me around the lake.  It was such a nice afternoon and when I got in the car to come home, I got a message from my friend Erika in LA saying she could come up for a weekend to San Fran while I'm there to visit. 

When I got home no one was here, but after I got out of the shower, Mom got home with her friend Linda and we all watched Everwood together which was a nice end to the day.  I'm just so blessed by the friends and family in my life. 

Last night I went to a clothing exchange where about 20 girls brought all the clothes/shoes/accessories they were tired of and we all just swapped.  I got a few cute new things and had a lovely time meeting new girls and catching up w/older friends.