Pictures From Hiking

Crossing the stream with bags over shoes

Our campsite

Zach crossing back over stream on Day 2 without shoes on

Our beautiful surroundings

Cold Feet

Cold feet pretty much sums up my weekend. Zach and I went backpacking with our friends Tyler, Greg and Morgan. The date was set a while back and we were committed no matter came our way. Snow is what happened to come our way.

It was lightly snowing as we packed the car Saturday morning. By the time we parked at the trail head, there was snow on the ground and snow was still coming down. As we headed down the trail, we encountered many stream/river crossings (double the normal amount on this trail), most likely due to snow melt from last week's big snow. I lost out on the first stream crossing and got wet feet. This is when my feet got cold and stayed cold.

There was point in which we had to cross through rushing water. The guy before us warned us that his dogs nearly washed away when crossing. We tied trash bags over our shoes and attempted to cross. I believe that 3/5 of us made it through without getting wet shoes. Which really means only 2 did not have wet feet since my shoes were still wet from the very first crossing.

We made it to camp and started gathering firewood. As you can imagine, all the wood was soaking wet from the previous snow melt and the current snow...yes, it is still snowing on us. Tyler was brilliant in searching the bowels of the cave for dry wood. We were able to get a fire started (we found out the next morning that we were most likely the only ones able to start a fire according to reports from other backpackers). I was able to get feeling back into my toes by the fire, but they never really got warm. Then it was off to bed to wake up to even colder temperatures outside.

Once out of the sleeping bag, my feet froze solid. It was not until an hour or more into our hike that I began to gain feeling back in my toes. Thankfully I was able to keep my feet dry when crossing the much lower, calmer streams. Zach actually opted to take his shoes off and walk across the biggest crossing in the probably low 30* weather. But, all of us made it out with our toes still attached and working.

It was a cold trip, but a really good one. I am glad that Zach and I stuck with our commitment even if it meant having cold feet:)

...pictures to come

Snow Days

So, this year we have already gotten 3 days off school for snow. All of you who live in North, don't even say anything. It is different here as many northerners are experiencing right now. Last time it snowed, a slick little layer of ice formed on the roads, no biggie, but dangerous just the same for those of us who have never been trained in driving on ice. But this time around, we really got some snow. About 36 hours after it began snowing, all the streets have probably at least 1 inch of compacted snow/slush/ice with up to 4 inches of snow surrounding those areas. And, there are no snow plows in sight and there will not be. This would be why people stock up when we hear snow might be coming. When snow does come like this, it stays and keeps a lot of us in.

All that to say, we have had a lot of fun enjoying our 2 days in. Last night, our friends who are in walking distance (4 in total) walked to our house for some dessert and games. We played some Mad Gab. Hilarious. The best card said "Disco Pierre Knead Stoner". Any guesses? At midnight, I decided that I just had to get out there in the snow. What if the sun came out early and it all disappeared? You never know what might happen in the South. So, I suited up and eventually got everyone else on board. I grabbed a cookie sheet, foam board, plastic storage container, and a 3 ring binder. We had a lot of fun "sledding" and "snow boarding" down the hilly streets with our makeshift sleds. The winner by far was the foam board!

Little did I know that this morning we would wake up to every bit of the snow from the night before plus more. Zach and I took it slow with a good hearty breakfast, randomness around the house, and then we were out. We made some things out of snow....



And then went for a walk. On our walk, we ran into some of the neighborhood families that has young children. We joined into the snow ball fight and the sledding (they had a plastic sled). After they went inside to warm up, we finished our walk. Today has been a really GREAT day!

On the Radio

Every morning I listen to a country station because of the dj person (I don't know what you call it). This guy is so funny and always has people call in for random reasons. He also has a tendency to make fun of people when they call.

Well, this morning he was talking about double names. I just had to call in. I was extremely nervous, but I did it. It was a really short conversation, but I think it went well. One more new thing done.

Cruising

Zach and I have officially decided to go on a cruise in March. It is a rarity that Zach is able to commit to a vacation weeks ahead of time, so we decided to take advantage of it. We are going to go on a short cruise to the Bahamas! I can't wait...more to come.

My Japanese Experience

Zach and I were invited to celebrate the ending of a rough year and the beginning of a new year with a close friend. She picked to go to a Japanese Sushi Bar for this celebration. I was a little nervous but I read reviews that talked about menu items other than sushi. I know that I LOVE Hibachi grills which is Japanese right? Anyways, we accepted the invite.

Zach and I decided to split what is called a bento box. Along with the bento box, came soup, salad, a crispy shrimp roll, 2 entrees, rice, and veggies. Out came the soup and salad. They resembled what I have previously received at Hibachi grills. No surprises there. Then out come our crispy shrimp roll. As the waitress was bringing it to us, I said, "I thought we were just getting one roll." She said, "This is one roll." I replied, "I would call that 8 rolls." Everyone laughed. I saw eight little pieces of sushi (8 rolls) on the plate. So, I learned my first lesson of the night. What I was seeing was one roll cut into 8 pieces.

Next surprise was when our entree came out in a cute little box. Once again, I said out loud, "What a cute little box!" I was given some looks that indicated I should have been expecting this box. Next lesson learned was that our meal was called bento box because that is the name of the little box/plate/compartmentalized little thing that our food came in. I thought the name was something specific to this restaurant.

I gained a little culture (out loud) that night.

I'm Back

I know that I have been gone for a while. I know my mom missed me, so I am starting this thing back up. I needed a break over the holidays. I gave up a lot more than just the blog over the holidays. I gave up exercise and cooking. I pretty much gave up anything that I didn't want to do. It was rather nice, but selfish at the same time. I must admit that is was a great break though. For anyone who does not know, Zach quit his job at the bank to become a full time musician. This meant that we had 2 weeks off together to see our families over the holiday.

We spent a week in Peoria with Zach's side of the family. During that time, we did some cookie baking, skiing, hanging out, playing games, shopping, playing in the snow, eating, etc. It was such a great time with his family. One of my favorite parts was the playing in the 10 inches of snow! I shoveled snow for the first time in my life. I also got to drive in the snow for the first time. Overall, just a great trip spent with family.

Then, it was a drive through Nashville straight on to Birmingham. It was a great visit with my family, the ones still in town, for a shorter amount of time. We had a great Christmas celebration with those of us in town. Lilly Bea, my little cousin, was so much fun to watch and be around. She is 4 years old and is quite girly right now. She did some amazing posing for the camera. Here is my favorite shot!