Grandfather Mountain

Last Saturday Brent and I woke up at 4:30am to drive 3.5 hours for a day trip to the western part of NC to Grandfather Mountain to hike and visit the Mile High Swinging Bridge. Apparently it used to be privately owned property, and only in the last few years has it been open to the public. They're actually still transitioning it into state park.
The bridge didn't really swing, although we probably would have liked it more if it did. :) But it was still cool to visit...once.
After we visited the bridge, we went hiking on Grandfather Trail Extension and then hit the Grandfather Trail. We hiked 6 miles (round trip), but it took us about 5 hours to complete. The trail is marked "strenuous". We loved it!!!!!!!!! There were lots of ladders:
And lots of places to go bouldering:
Other than super fun, it was also pretty rewarding:

Why I Love Where I Work, Part 3

For some odd reason, my boss wanted to leave this on my desk for me:
Yeah, I wonder why, too. But please, don't touch it.

Fall and Christmas

Well, fall is certainly getting closer. It's the smell of the crisp morning air, the cool evenings, and the leaves beginning to change to deep reds, oranges, and browns. It's also the time when pumpkins begin their dominance in grocery stores, porches, and, of course, my kitchen. A perfect Saturday afternoon = watching football while baking two loafs of pumpkin bread and 24 pumpkin muffins to give away to friends (with a few muffins left for us, of course!):
Speaking of Saturday, we went with our neighbors to a R.E.I. garage sale. I can't believe I'm about to blog about shopping (I usually have the patience of a 2 year old when it comes to shopping...wait, that's probably true all the time), but I know my mom and sister will appreciate this. We bought a $110 pair of hiking boots for only $45, everyday/walking tennis shoes that were $99 for $20, a bicycle rack for $20, and a 4 person tent (regularly $270) for $100.
Here's a picture of what our tent looks like when it's set up:

I can't wait to break in our new tent - we used our last one so much that it finally ripped beyond repair. So hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have some pictures and stories up about our new tent excursions!

When we got home from R.E.I. and unpacking our items, Brent said "It feels like Christmas!" And I have to agree. Happy (early) Christmas to us!! :)

Story of the weekend

Scene: In the car, on the way to a live concert that starts at 8:30pm in Carrboro. (For those unfamiliar, Carrboro is kinda like a squished town...everything's within a 4 mile radius of each other off 2 or 3 main roads, there's lots and lots of pedestrians and red lights, and there's very little parking.)

7:58pm
Brent: Remember when we used to talk on the phone for hours and hours back when we were dating? I usually don't talk on the phone well...we must have so much in common in order for us to have talked that long and that much.

8:20pm
Brent: Let's park the car in this lot right here and walk around until we find the venue.
Me: Ummm...wouldn't it make more sense to find the venue first, then park and walk?
Instead of parking, we circle the block so we can decide what to do.
Brent: But we can get around faster on foot!
Me: But we don't know where the venue is! What use is it to walk around fast but not know where we're going??
Brent: That's the point! We'll be able to look better when we're not in the flow of traffic. Then we won't have to worry about red lights or running people over.
Me: But we'll miss the show if we just get out and walk around! We need to find the venue first!
Silence while driving around the block (for the 3rd time) continues.
Brent: Man, we're so different. Sometimes it just so infuriating!!!!!



(And for those who want to know how the story played out, we got out and walked around for about 10 minutes, then we finally asked for directions, then got back into the car to drive the 3 - 4 miles to the venue. Just sayin'.)

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Wow...I hope the title to this post doesn't get that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. I think I'm already lost to the cause...

Anyway, Labor Day was yesterday. Did I use the day off from work to clean up the apartment? Finish folding the 5 loads of laundry that had piled up? Unload the dishwasher? Reload the dishwasher? Sanitize the counter tops with Clorox wipes? Clean the bathroom? Make our whole apartment smell like bleach from cleaning every available surface? No, I did none of those things. Instead, Brent and I went with a couple from church to Hanging Rock, a state park in the mountains about two hours drive away. I love being outdoors, and hiking up in the mountains is right up my alley. Little did I know I'd find a new passion in life!! Bouldering!!!! I've always been a bit of a daredevil (hello motorcycle!), and although some might say it errs on being a little off my rocker, I love it nonetheless! (Which reminds me...I still want to go skydiving...) I see it more as conquering my fears. And also as super fun. My goals from yesterday were to 1) have a lot of fun (check!), 2) do something challenging (double check!), and 3) not leave until I get at least 3 souvenirs...of which I mean - scrapes or bruises (check!!). Yes, that was seriously a goal, and yes, I fulfilled it! (I guess it helps I bruise easily.) What an awesome, fun, exciting day!! :) This seriously competes with the top 5 of my "Best Days Off...EVER" list. Here are a few pics:

First, we hiked to a waterfall:

Brent had to hike up the waterfall, and of course I couldn't be outdone:Then came the bouldering:
Yeah, it was pretty much straight up:
Or straight down, depending on if you went up first or last:
Here's our friend Amy showing us how to get it done:
And finally, the top! I loved the climb up, although some took the path around instead... :) Awesome, gorgeous view!



Also, on a completely different subject, I might be the last person in the world to find/use it, but RedBox has become one of my favorite new things! I love, love, LOVE movies, and the fact that it's $1.07 to rent it for one night, and that there are two RedBoxes right across the street from our apartment, is pretty awesome. Who said living right by a busy intersection is a bad thing? Especially when you have not 1 but 2 RedBoxes side-by-side in the Harris Teeter. Love it!

Letter to Sam's Club, Part 2

Dear Sam's Club,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your prompt correction of your wrongdoings. I'm sure the motivation was from reading this here blog and finding out we could no longer be friends, as well as the lack of my $500 a year revenue. Yes, I'm sure that was the motivation. Since you are once again stocking hummus, we can be friends again. I always knew deep down we'd be friends again. Pay no attention to the scissor marks on my membership card.

Best Friends Forever...for real this time,
Lori Gail

Cake time!

Cake flour, sugar, milk, shortening, egg whites, butter, all purpose flour, and baking soda: $27.79
Mixing bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons, and stand mixer: $397.55
Your sister asking you to make your first official eaten-by-many cake: Priceless


My sister has asked me to make the cake for her husband's 40th birthday party in January. I'm so honored and excited and nervous all at the same time! So, in an effort to start practicing early, I made a cake work and here are the results:
It's devil's food cake with chocolate buttercream icing with raspberry buttercream filling.

I'm sorry if you didn't get a piece...but look, I did save one for you!