Grandfather Mountain

Last Sunday afternoon, Chris and I traversed the Blue Ridge Parkway with the end destination of Grandfather Mountain in mind. I'm not really sure how it got its name, but the brochure does say that it is 730 million years old. Though I don't know where that puts it in terms of relative mountain ages...

On our way, Chris and I had a picnic lunch at one of the overlooks and arrived at "the most rugged mountain in eastern America" by mid-afternoon.

At a height of 5,946 feet above sea level, it's famous for its "mile-high" suspension (aka swinging) bridge. I'll admit it freaked me out a little bit more than I thought it would. There was no stopping for pictures in the middle of this one for me - especially after reading the sign and knowing that there was no one even counting!

They had a fantastic visitors' center with exhibits on all of the flowers, birds, reptiles, mushrooms, etc. etc. that lived within the mountain's 3,300 acres. (I just wanted to include the picture because of the cool lighting effects). Apparently this is one of the 531 official Biosphere Reserves in the world, and there are at least 73 rare and endangered species that call this area home.

Just down the pathway from the center were the controlled animal habitats. It seems weird to enjoy "nature" in a zoo like setting, but at this point, there's not much more they can do (because state law requires any animal born in captivity to stay there). Anyway, we got to see river otters, bears, bald eagles, deer, and cougars in their semi-natural habitats.

We did some hiking, Chris climbed Split Rock and Sphinx Rock, and as we were leaving the park, we were treated to some real, up close and personal moments with free-roaming deer on the side of the road.

While it was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful place to be, this trip reconfirmed my innate desires to be a flat-lander. Just driving down from the bridge to the park entrance, there were 7 hairpin turns (and that's not counting any normal curves or turns). It was insane! I felt nauseous until we found the best pizza joint in Boone, NC called Capone's. Oh my! Great Chicago-style pizza! (Boone is where Appalachian State is - and just so you know this is another word we've been pronouncing wrong our whole lives. The third syllable is a short a and the last has a hard ch (as in chair not Chicago). While I like the hiking and the beautiful views maybe once or twice a year, it's definitely not somewhere I could ever actually live. I can't help it - I like being able to look across fields and see everything for miles in any direction.

Don't Forget to Vote!

I think we've all heard that there are three things you're NOT supposed to talk about in social conversations ... religion, politics and ?????????? (Chris and I recently had this conversation with some people and some say the third is sex and others say the third is money - feel free to weigh in on this if you know the answer!) Anyway, at the risk of broaching a taboo subject, a quick nod to the realm of politics...


I have never been a hard-core Republican nor Democrat. I'm sure if they looked at my voting record, I think I've probably voted in the primaries of both parties (in different years, of course). Politics was never something that was really discussed in my family when I was growing up. I think my parents were probably afraid my big mouth would announce who they were voting for in the school board election or something - (and in my small town, that could cause an ugly scene!) Plus, I don't like conflict, so I usually can see both pros and cons of different perspectives, so I never really have this firm, decisive opinion about who to vote for. Until now...

I won't go into political-persuasive mode here - please feel free to vote for whomever you feel is the better candidate - but for once in my life, I actually feel strongly about one of the candidates! And that is so exciting for me! For that reason, (and because of the simple accessibility of the opportunity), I volunteered some time in our local Obama Headquarters. (The office is two blocks from our apartment.) It seemed like one of those things that I should take advantage of since the time and the opportunity was right here!

I made phone calls from the "sporadic voter" list (meaning they hadn't voted in all three of the last major elections). Most of the time I just left messages that encouraged them to vote for Obama and informed them about the early voting procedures in North Carolina. I'm not sure what the policy is in Illinois, but North Carolinians could vote anytime between October 16 and Nov 1 at any of the given 16 locations. You didn't even have to be registered to vote - you could register and vote all at the same time!

I also put together lots of yard signs - those little metal stakes are greasy, I'll tell you! And, today, I organized Election Day snacks for the polls. Over 3,500 granola bars had to be taken out of their boxes, counted into big groups of 250, and then sorted into different locations. These will be used to encourage people to remain at the polls even if they get hungry and it's taking hours for them to get through the lines. (Don't worry, there won't be any "Vote for Obama and I'll get you chocolate chunk" bargaining going on. And, they'll even be given to McCain supporters if they become weary as well!).

In any case, I'm excited to have been a part of such an historic presidential election - especially in such a key place. As I'm sure most of you are aware, North Carolina is one of the major toss-up states. They haven't voted for a Democratic president in 30 years, but we're hoping it happens tomorrow. Barack was actually here in Charlotte today, demonstrating how crucial this state's electoral votes really could be! It really is exciting!

As I said, I don't want to get into any political debates with Republicans...(remember, I don't like conflict). I just want people to go vote! Tomorrow is a monumental day! Please don't forget to take advantage of that amazing American right!

The Big 3-0

Chris turned the big 3-0 last Thursday, and boy was he dreading it. For some reason he thinks that he's an old man now... But, in an effort to prove himself wrong, he's been doing things like singing "Mmm Bop" by the Hanson Brothers while jumping into walls (to bring back the memories of freshman year of college apparently) and dancing on coffee tables (in public places) among other things that people in their 30's typically don't (and shouldn't) do.


For the grand celebration, we went to Las Estrellas for dinner, which was recently voted the best Mexican restaurant in WS. I'm still pretty partial to our dear old Sol Azteca in Washington, but it had a phenomenal menu of seafood items. I had fajitas with shrimp, scallops, fish, and veggies, while Chris went with the pollo ranchero (which turned out to be completely different than any other pollo ranchero he's ever ordered).

After dinner, we met a bunch of people at 6th and Vine for their weekly "Retro Night." A lot of Chris' coworkers came out for the occasion, in addition to some other people who make up some small world connections. We randomly saw this med student from Peoria who is doing an away rotation here last weekend, so we invited him to come. One of Chris' friends from his years as a med student is doing a plastic surgery residency here at Wake, so he came and he brought one of his coworkers. That friend used to date one of the girls Chris works with - and she used to live in our exact apartment until right before we moved in! I'll save you guys the Inspiration graphic organizer of it all, but believe me, it's intertwined!

Anyway, we had a fantastic evening! Chris works with some really great people - especially Suzi, who orchestrated the whole 6th and Vine meet-up. She decorated his office with 30's and caution tape; They got him a cake and sang to him; He even came home with a blinking 30 button and a really big lollipop that says, "30 sucks." Hopefully he'll realize that 30 isn't so bad after all and he won't have to keep trying to relive his teens. (And, he has full permission to remind me of this blase attitude if I start fretting TWO YEARS from now... :)

Running the Sahara

(**I apologize - two posts in one day! And, sorry to drop this in the middle of a three-part post. This is not the expected Part Two of the Trinity...I had intended to just write this one up and post it at the end of the month, but then I realized there was something a little more timely involved, as you will see below.)

I do like running, but I am certainly not considering running across the Sahara desert. Although three people have - and they even made a movie about it! Chris and I can say we've now been to the "world premiere" of a movie - and Matt Damon was one of the producers! (He was not, unfortunately, at the premiere however...darn the luck!)




Back in September, we met up with some people (one was actually a friend of Dr. Wynn's - a Peoria medical world connection) to see the premiere of Running the Sahara, which was shown at the Carolina Theater of Greensboro. One of the three men who took on this insane adventure was Charlie Engle, a Triad area native. (By the way, the Triad consists of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point).

Three men spent 111 days running over 4,300 miles across a desert that spanned 6 countries in Africa. Can you even imagine? The movie itself is entertaining and awe-inspiring to say the least, but I think it was even cooler knowing that one of the main characters was sitting in the audience with us! I'm pretty sure it's theater release was the end of October, so keep your eyes open for it. (It's definitely not going to be a blockbuster hit, but it is an interesting view).


The other great part was all of the extra footage regarding the H2O Africa project, which is the charitable counterpart of this process involved in digging wells so the people of Africa can have clean water. You see a little bit of this in the movie, but I'm not sure if all of the PowerPoint slides and things we got to see will be in the theaters or not. It truly is moving!

As if running across the Sahara wasn't enough, Charlie recently began a new challenge: Running Across America - from CA to NY in 45 days. Unfortunately, Charlie suffered an injury early on in this endeavor and is having to finish the trip via bike, but his running partner, Marshall Ullrich is carrying on the task. They're actually making this into a movie as well and people can sign up to run sections with them as they come through the area. I just missed the timing of it all for all of you living in Illinois! He just came through on Route 24 (see map) this week, and is currently in Indiana! Bummer! Maybe you got to see the caravan though!

Anyway, may Charlie be an inspiration for all of us to set a goal - no matter how high - and push ourselves to achieve it no matter what!

The Trinity - Part 1

As my little four-year olds are learning about the Trinity of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit this evening in Mustard Seed Club, I thought I would share a little bit more about three fully intertwined happenings in my life that this awesome Trinity orchestrated for me this year. I work at First Pres, which supports El Buen, which is where I tutor two fifth graders and where I coach Girls on the Run. (Did you follow all of that?) Tonight is a special Wednesday night production at church because it is Latino Night. The members of El Buen are our invited guests for the evening and there is a special presentation on immigration issues following what I anticipate will be an amazing Mexican-themed dinner. It will be so much fun to see my tutoring kids and the Girls on the Run girls in such a different setting.


Unfortunately, I will not be able to hear the presentation with the adults because I will be off in the regular kids' programming. Mustard Seed Club really has been pretty good so far. The classrooms are so bright and colorful - how can that not be fun?! I've only had to lead music once as there's only so much impersonating a monkey I can handle... (Explanation: two of the songs just happen to involve acting like a monkey with lyrics such as:

"Who is the King of the Jungle? (hoo hoo - scratch your armpits)

Who is the King of the Sea? (bubble, bubble, bubble)

Who is the King of the Universe? And Who's the King of me?

I tell you J-E-S-U-S. Yes! He is the King of me.

He is the King of the Universe and He's the King of me.")

It really is a cute song and has a catchy tune...

Anyway, just to tell you a little more about First Pres. There are three different buildings that stretch from right next door to our apartment all the way to the end of the block. Building A (the original) houses the sanctuary, fellowship hall, Sunday School classrooms, and most important to me, the Children’s ministry department (and therefore, my office – which I share with the other assistant, Melinda, who comfortingly reminds me of my “second mom” from back home, Jeri. There’s something about the way they talk…they just SOUND a lot alike!) Building B is the “cool” building where the junior high and high school ministries are located, in addition to all of the offices of the pastors and other very important people. Building C is simply the Worship Center where the 11:00 contemporary service is held – basically it’s an auditorium with state of the art sound/visuals for the stage. It’s very much more “rock concert” than most people expect from “church.” There’s a plastic cage around the drum set, which in itself must mean something impressive, right?

To fulfill my 12 hours/week commitment, I work in the office from 8-3 on Tuesdays preparing for my Wed and Sun classes, creating newsletters, updating the website, etc. Then Wednesday nights involve a whole church meal time followed by the Mustard Seed Club where 3 and 4-year-olds sing (e.g. aforementioned songs) as one combined group before breaking up into 3 smaller classes for lessons, activities, and snacks. And, finally Sunday mornings just involve making sure all of the teachers show up for the 4th/5th grade Grapple classes. The boys and girls have separate classes and they “grapple” with tough questions like:

• Why are my friends mean sometimes?
• What if Jesus is a liar?
• Why can't I go to PG-13 movies?
• Is God a party pooper?

Tell me THAT'S not totally different than any Sunday School class you've ever envisioned!

This church has really pulled together some high-ranking names in these last few weeks as well. Dr. John Trent, award-winning author of The Blessing , and creator of the Lion, Otter, Beaver, Golden Retriever personality groups (WCC LifeGroup - we miss you!), put on a three-hour parenting conference last Saturday. Yes, in the spirit of PREPARING to be a parent someday, I went.

And, this Sunday, Laura Story, famous for her (now overplayed) song on the radio, "Mighty to Save," (and also songwriter of Chris Tomlin's "Indescribable") is going to be our guest worship leader! How awesome is that?!

I am truly blessed! Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 (El Buen Tutoring and Girls on the Run).

Mike and Jane's Visit

Mike and Jane got in on Wednesday night, and we packed a lot into the next three days while they were here. (And, speaking for myself, packed on a few pounds as well).

On Thursday, they explored the city and the campus while Chris and I were at work. The three of us went to Caffe Prada for some afternoon gelato (flavor: "Light in the Piazza" a mix of Italian custard, biscotti, and chocolate chunks created by the owner especially for the debut of the same titled Broadway musical that is at the Stevens Center this weekend. Interesting note: the play is about a mother/daughter from Winston-Salem!)

We then met up at the sports medicine tailgate for the Wake Forest vs. Clemson football game. North Carolina barbecue is something special. I'll have to remember to get a picture sometime. The sauce is a very liquidy vinegar based solution - but it is oh so good! Wake won 12-7 and Chris made his ESPN debut as one of the Clemson players late hit our QB right on the sideline where Chris was standing.

Friday involved Mike, Jane, and I exploring the Reynolda Village and Gardens while Chris worked. The late 19th century 1,000+acre estate of tobacco-giant R.J. Reynolds has been turned into a collection of shops, businesses, and restaurants. We ate at the Village Tavern – salads with spinach, bleu cheese, cranberries, green apples, and pecans, crab cakes, and roasted chicken vegetable soup. We also went into a jewelry store where a clerk had to unlock the door via a remote control as we entered the store. As Jane said, “It’s not your typical Zales.” The most expensive piece the clerk pulled out for us to look at “just for fun” was a necklace with 9 carats worth of diamonds that was $17,000.

The gardens there are breathtaking! (Thanks to Mike for some of these great pics!) It was so fun just imagining what it must have been like to live there. The giant leaves, the fairy dust-like bush, and the okra plant were definitely some of my favorites. I just couldn’t get over how tall the okra plant grows! (Maybe that’s because I have a long lost love with okra – apparently I LOVED it as a child, but I choked on it once and my parents never served it to me again.)

Finally, the garden shop at Reynolda is the home to a very, very sad little cat. (And they make sure the firefighters know it as well.) Millie, the one-eared cat that has taken up residence there (and is apparently quite the celebrity) has cancer – again. The story really is quite amazing. Kate, we definitely thought of you with your special needs cats. Do you have room for one more?

Friday night, Mike went with Chris to the high school football game he had to cover while Jane and I watched a movie.

Saturday morning we went to enjoy the nature out at Salem Lake and then to Mary’s Of Course for brunch – YUM YUM YUM! Our order included omelets with ingredients such as spinach, vegetarian sausage, red bell pepper, Canadian bacon, and mushrooms, as well as tofu burritos and a gourmet grilled cheese.

We then set off for a Yadkin Valley vineyard and winery tour involving three very different stops. RagApple Lassie was basically in a big metal shed, but we got to see a lot of the behind the scenes processes of how the operation works. Everything was cow-themed and their website was even written in first-person by the cow herself (again, Kate, we couldn’t help but think of you and your bloggers!) Black Wolf was the most intimate. 10 of us sat around this long wooden table with a candelabra upstairs in the small, private wine store as the owner of the place went through ten or so of their wines. While there, we learned that the Shelton Vineyards (kind of the granddaddy of them all it seems) was having a big festival complete with free tastings, tours, and more). This one was HUGE in comparison to the others! The most interesting thing we learned here was that they plant rose bushes at the start of each of the rows of grapes to act like the canary in the mine. Because roses are more delicate and susceptible to diseases, the farmers can try to find a remedy if they notice a problem with the roses before the grapes are completely destroyed.

After the vineyards, we drove up to the top of Pilot Mountain (If any of you are Andy Griffith Show fans, it's near Mt. Airy (which is his Mayberry) and it's called Mount Pilot in the show). It has a very distinctive knob on the top of it, which we can see on a clear day from our rooftop at the Nissen Building. Saturday night, we finished up with one of our favorite restaurants – 6th and Vine, where we had such fare as Crab and Ricotta Ravioli, Sea Scallops over Saffron Rice Cakes, Ahi Tuna, and a Farfalle Pasta/Olive dish.

Yes, we ate (and drank) a lot – but it was definitely worth it! What’s better than sharing good food with great family?

Our First Visitors

How exciting – we hosted our first Illinois visitors this weekend! Our friends from the medical world in Peoria, Arthur and Paula, were in North Carolina this weekend. He interviewed for the minimally invasive surgery fellowship in Charlotte on Friday (and was intending to interview at Wake Forest on Monday, but scheduling issues caused a change in that plan).

It was fun showing them the town, going out to dinner, and walking around campus Saturday morning. There really isn’t a connection between us or what we did that day with this picture of the Chapel on campus, but it’s a pretty cool building. The only shred of connection is that Arthur used to be a pastor before entering the medical field, which I think is pretty remarkable as well.

Paula’s Saturday plans initially involved running a half-marathon trail race here, and unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), that didn’t work out either. She had asked me if I wanted to do it as well, but I knew there was no way I would be prepared for that distance. Plus, when I read the website’s description, I knew it wasn’t for me: “Running this race is a true adventure that requires more concentration than road running. The terrain is rocky and rooty and can be treacherous. Fallen leaves conceal rocks, roots, sticks, and holes.”

This apprehension from the mere race description was further solidified Saturday afternoon after Arthur and Paula left. Chris and I decided to spend the glorious day (a beautiful, sunny 75 degrees) riding our bikes out to Salem Lake and then running the loop around it. We have ridden our bikes on the loop several times, but this was the first time we were going to actually run out there. About 10 minutes in to the run, I stumble on the outcropping of a dark rock. I took a one-legged lunge forward to try to catch myself (to no avail!), and then finished it off with a full-body, two arms outstretched, sliding-into-second type of skid on the sandy/rocky terrain. Right as I hit the rock, I let out a giant gasp (as I do in most startling situations), so Chris was pleased that he at least got to see the whole thing in action. His estimated measurement of my skid marks was 15 feet!

I laid there for a second, hands stinging but otherwise seemingly unhurt, and thought, “I’m gonna be tough here. I’m good. Chris is going to be so impressed that I’m going to just get right up and start running again…” And then I saw the blood trickling down my fingers… Obviously my hand wasn’t gashed open or anything, but there was definitely a lot of blood coming from my hand (Chris will even attest to that) – especially when you consider how tiny the wound actually was. (I can’t even see it today – it was the tiniest pinprick of a hole). I didn’t have a clean swatch of cloth to wipe it on (as my entire torso was covered in the grimy, red sand), so I sat there trying to stop the bleeding with the inside of my sock.

Chris kept telling me to stand up – there was a bug that was going to crawl up my leg. Seriously? A bug? I don’t care! I’m BLEEDING! Between bugs and bleeding, I’ll take bugs any day! After a few more seconds of insisting, I finally stood up. And that’s when my ears got really hot and things started to go dark. I sat down quickly enough so I didn’t actually pass out (I’ve learned to recognize those signs and know that the closer you are to the ground, the better off you are – less distance to fall and all…) And that’s when I started to cry a few tears – dang it! I just wanted to be tough.

We did carry on and finish up our planned route, but for the rest of the run, I had to endure Chris telling me to watch out for every rock we ran by. I suppose I deserved that. But then he also had to ask me if I thought I had MS (as I did trip over an uneven sidewalk a few weeks ago as well) – but I figure it’s not like I’m falling on a flat surface without some sort of catalyst. And then he commented on my vasovagal reaction to the bleeding and asked me how I was ever going to make it through childbirth…Yes, I know…thank you very much. Yet another reason I’m apprehensive about it.

We are having more visitors this week – two who probably hope I get over the childbirth thing soon so that they can have some grandchildren someday… Mike and Jane are coming in for the Clemson game on Thursday night. (It’s the ESPN game of the week – we’ll be sitting behind the Clemson bench about 30 rows up and Chris will be on Wake’s sideline of course, if you want to try to catch a view of us…)

I promise I’ll try not to wipe out or pass out or anything else crazy like that while you’re here!