highlight of our trip to NC was the white water rafting trip we took on the Nantahala River. We did it last summer and decided to do it again this year. This is a pic of those of us that went last year as you may remember:
Jason decided to take an old camera with him to get some shots of us before the climax of the falls. Here is a slideshow of the fun we had:
n the third day of our trip we decided to go horseback riding and to explore a bit of the area surrounding Franklin besides Asheville. Our first stop was in Franklin to visit their farmer’s market, or tailgating as they call it. It was very neat to see everyone’s produce knowing they grew it all themselves as well as their choices in herbs and plants. They had beautiful Dahlia’s for $6! Too bad the Florida heat would kill them immediately. :o(
We only drove about 30 miles before we found Stonemont Stable where we would ride horses. This was Jason’s first time and it has been a while for me, so we decided that the allotted hour would be plenty of time. Sadly we have no pictures of this trip, but we still had fun. Jason’s horse was a light brown and his name was Roach. You could not have paid me to ride a horse named Roach. *shiver* My horse was much taller than the others and all black. His name was Ahab and I was told to kick him often because he “likes to take his time”. I could not bring myself to kick him very hard except for the time or two that he stopped or almost completely lost our group. We were the last horse and rider and I tried to imagine what it was like when this was our only mode of transportation. The other four horses (Jason’s included) walked practically attached to the horses butt in front of them while Ahab stayed back at least 10 feet. That’s as far away as we were supposed to be, so maybe Ahab is a rule follower? This trail, up the mountain, was very different then the dirt paths I’ve taken in Florida. It was covered in large stones the entire trail and included a crossing of two very cold rivers. I felt a bit like Ahab was perhaps new at this when he first glimpsed the river and stopped abruptly. He also was a bit unsteady on the downhill, so much so, that I took to giving him a bit of encouragement to make myself feel better about his abilities. Just before we reached the end of the trail the horses decided that it was time for a pee break, so we got to witness that first hand. The smell was AWFUL and we had to endure it while another group started their trek up the mountain before we could make our way back down the same trail. :o) A wonderful experience, but not one we plan to repeat often.
As we were waiting for our turn we were told of an old church we could explore just done the road. It was beautiful and we were able to get pictures of it. Included in the slideshow below is the fun pics we took on our way to NC this trip.
y heart was heavy as we left early Wednesday morning for NC, but we took our time and slowly I began to perk up. We finally made it to Franklin at about 830pm. We normally drive through the night so it was a big change and we were able to hang out for a bit and play some 4-player Mario before we went to bed.
This morning we got up early (but not too early) and Jason did some family stuff while Corrine (my new Mother-in-Law) and I headed into town to take the Lace knitting class. It was pretty full, so only I actually took the class, but we did a little shopping afterward. The class was my first and was very nice. I learned the knit cast-on (cable cast-on) method and started reading my first chart! It was pretty simple once I caught on, but lace is serious business. First of all, I can’t tell a knit from a purl once it has been done, so if I get in a bind and don’t have enough stitches left or too many it’s not going to be fun figuring out what I did wrong. The yarn I picked out is a beautiful light blue Alpaca Lace and so very thin. The yarn calls for a size 2 needle and I’m using a 6.
The teacher explained that knitting lace is like raising children, it doesn’t look like much until you’re almost finished. Actually, it looks like a tangled mess, but I can see the beginnings of a lovely scarf.
The beginnings of my lace scarf
The day was spent eating wings for lunch and ice cream for dessert before retiring back to the house to play some more Mario with Sheena. :o) We got the making for Enchiladas, which I have been craving for months, but due to our lack of oven have been unable to make. I hope they like it!
Due to financial issues we left a little later than we intended for our destinations over the holiday break. We set out Monday evening for NC and spent two days hanging with some of the Grebs. Sheena, Jason and I went to the lovely Franklin Sonic and had a corndog and some tots, Chili onion rings, and a chocolate shake. lol
Thursday we ventured North to Pennsylvania to visit my Great Aunt and Uncle whom I haven’t seen in almost three years. It was so good to see them! Jason got to see my “old stomping grounds” and meet some of my extended-extended family. It was also very neat to experience serious snow with him for the first time. We only stayed a day, but it was a great day! Here are some random pics from our trip.
Jason decided not to shave the entire trip and his beard was the longest I have ever seen! When we kissed it tickled my nose! I was glad to see him shave it off this morning, although he threatens that when he is in his 70’s he’s gonna let it grow long and not care. :o) I doubt I will either. Care that is…
I also was knitting every chance I got and finished up a hat for Sheena and started on a wrap for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed our trip and was happy-ish to get up at 330am Saturday morning to drive two hours to pick up the kids. We stopped in NC that evening for some much needed rest and continued home on Sunday. Our poor car was covered in dirt and salt and took a beating (literally) on the highway. We had to stop short at one point in GA and the cute little Kia behind us did not. We were not hurt and neither was the Jeep. Praise the Lord! Barely a scratch!
So our Christmas and New Year’s was not spent in typical style, but it was fun. We didn’t care as long as we were together. Next year the kids will be with us for Christmas, so it should go much smoother. Hope yours was happy.
Oh nice cool weather these past few days! Love it! We got to wear sweaters! Such a treat! lol
It is about mid-semester. I’ve chosen my classes for Spring Term. I am making it through, grumbling all the way. We have lots going on! Sheena and Charley are coming to visit for a few days! I hope they bring colder weather with them. Sheena and I will do some Bridesmaid dress shopping! That should be fun. She’d better look good in Sage (all I’m sayin’). Jason is going on a “primitive hiking trip” at the end of the month with his friend Clark from church. Primitive as in 30 miles and no bathrooms. :oP It gave him an excuse to buy a new toy. A solar cell phone charger. He got it from Amazon and it came in a Japanese box! English was the second language and they didn’t translate well. The last line said, “do not throw batteries everywhere”. Ok…
The kids are on Christmas break from Dec 18th through Jan 5th. At this point Patrick will be picking them up on Dec 19th and keeping them for most of the break. Jason and I are planning a road trip during that time period. I have yet to meet his grandmother who lives in Rhode Island and doesn’t drive or fly. I met his sister Trisha who lives in Illinois, on Skype a while back, but she is having a baby boy in November and we would like to go see her. We haven’t worked out the details, but we plan to drive to Rhode Island, to Illinois, to Pennsylvania (to see my great aunt and uncle) and to Ellwood City, PA to pick up the kids and bring them home. It’s about 5,000 miles round trip. We are planning a stop in NC on the way home. I am hoping to possibly stop in Washington, DC on the way to Rhode Island. My friend Mary lives about 20 minutes from there, so we may be able to bunk with her for a night. I’d like to be able to enjoy the trip, not just endure the driving until we get to our destination.
I once drove from Oregon to Florida, but that was many moons ago. I am looking forward to the trip.
When we went to NC I told myself that Jason was NOT going to propose in order to keep from getting my hopes up. I would tell myself to stop it! He is not going to so, forget about it and enjoy yourself! So I did. We had a great time hiking and spending time with the kids and his family.
I went off with Sheena Friday morning to go to the knit shop and wander around downtown. We went into this cute shop that just happened to have a row of Bridal gowns. I have been talking to Sheena a bit about getting married and such, so we went looking at the gowns. There was a scary rack of 1980’s rejects on sale for $99! lol Afterwards Jason met up with us and we all went to the Highlands to see a waterfall. This road was windy and Sheena and I were half sick when we got there. It was Jason, Sheena, me and the kids on another adventure.
We wandered down a million steps to the waterfall area.
I then asked Sheena to take our picture.
After we had taken our picture he turned to me and said, “wait one more thing…” “Danielle Lynn Carpenter…” and I freaked. I am pretty sure he asked me to marry him, but I was so shocked and happy and excited! The ring is beautiful.
I am so incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful man ask me to marry him.
We have talked about a date and have settled on March 27, 2010. I am a happy girl.
Indiana is full of strange animals. We went to Apple Works, which is an apple orchard. They only had Gold Rush apples that day, but they were yummy! They had a nice garden area with a creek and a gazebo. The billy goat let me stroke his goatee, seriously. It was soft! :o) There was this bamboo maze (for kids, whatever) that you had to follow the colors in exact order; yellow, red, blue (I think) to get to the golden stone in the middle. That is me on the golden stone, still sick. It was so neat. We also stopped at a yarn store that spins its own yarn and has its own sheep! We got to pet the sheep and say hi to the sheep dogs. The little baby sheep was extra soft. Their eyes are horizontal slits! I am not sure if I have ever seen a sheep up close. Goats, yes, but not sheep.
The best part was time spent with my good friend Syndi. We have always had good conversations, so we definitely took advantage of the quiet times.
Enjoy!
Rafting in North Carolina. Brrr! Here are some pics I found on my camera when I was uploading Indiana pictures.
I had a nice trip to see my friend Syndi. SHe should be here on Tuesday. What?! It seems that once I make plans to visit a friend out of state, they tend to follow me home. I don’t know.
I dragged her around Indiana hunting for yarn stores. We found two on google maps. One turned out to be very informative and the other turned out to be very smelly, yet fun! I will post pictures soon. I just got in LAST NIGHT geez. We got to pet sheep and baby sheeps too. So cute and soft!
It was absolutely beautiful weather and reminded me of PA. There is a smell that is “Pennsylvania” that I wish I knew what tree or plant it came from because I would plant them everywhere in hopes that they would thrive around the yard. It smells so good, thick with memories from childhood. :o) I was still sick, so we rested a lot, watched movies and talked. It was nice to see my friend and talk like it hasn’t been years since I have seen her. I am definitely fully refreshed and back in the groove this morning.
I am going to visit my friend Syndi tomorrow. Spur of the moment, I was checking Cheaptickets.com and came across *gasp* a cheap ticket! I could not pass up this chance to see my good friend whom I haven’t seen in quite a while. I am very excited. Not only will it be a beautiful 75 degrees the entire time I am there, but she has planned a game night (yay!) and a trip to see apples. Like REAL apples, at a farm, on trees and everything! Plus the many great conversations we will have and a chance to visit her church. Although I am hacking and coughing with a stupid cold or something, I am determined to enjoy my time with her. Plus! Two hour plane trip! Knitting time. Woot!