to clear a few things up...

1. the raft pictures below are actually a billboard that you stick your head through...can't believe I actually have to tell some of my readers that! :)
2. we do have real raft pictures, but they haven't been developed yet
3. we were not secretly at a spa while on our vacation. we put up and slept in a tent, made our own fires, cooked our own food, and needed no help from any men folk. i am woman, hear me roar!

We're back!!!

I'm not sure why I wrote the title as if I am excited to be back. I'm not. It was a wonderful trip, but entirely too short! I personally took 3 cameras on the trip, so I don't have alot of photos available yet.

Testing the waters of the Nantahala River....yes, it's friggin' cold.



Our first breakfast...at River's End!



We did the river our first morning and then drove up to Queen's Lake for some sunbathing and swimming. I have to add, that we drove up Winding Stairs road....which we later discovered is now mostly called Winding Stairs mountain bike trail. I had enough sense to keep my eyes covered the entire time, but hearing people in the car saying, "Hug the left, Corinne" did not help my stress levels. One of the girls in our group found this lovely description about the road.

This 5.5 miles of gravel road is a favorite of the avid mountain bicycle riders in the area. These people are real sadists tackling such a steep road with only pedal power. With 3.5 miles of initial climb, Winding Stairs lives up to its name and rises from 1,954 feet to 3,024 feet in that short distance.

This route offers some of the steepest drop-offs we have ever seen; so steep we wonder how trees are able to grow here. Don't daydream on this rugged route or you'll be off the road. If you want to take in the views, pull over and STOP.

Thankfully we survived it. Too bad it made Corinne lose it.


Being the proper river rats that we are, we did some major, hard core rafting...





There are quite a few photos that I would love to post, but certain women would kick my butt if I did. For one of many funny videos from our trip, visit Corinne's blog. To give you a little background on the video, we took a hike to the 'fire tower' and ran across a rattlesnake on the trail....only no one said snake at first, they just freaked out and scared everyone else! Enjoy!

It's ok to be jealous...

The girls and I leave early tomorrow morning for our Nantahala trip! We have plans to do the river(hopefully several times), jump off rookie rock, visit Devil's Courthouse and Sliding Rock, eat fresh trout from Relia's Garden, and check out some secret spots care of my cousin, Laura. Although I love camping with Daniel and I will miss him, I'm excited to hang out with my girls! Besides, I'm certain Daniel is excited about: all the steak he can eat, all the beer he can drink, all the fish he can catch, all the poker he can play....not a bad trade off if I do say so myself! See you all next week with lots of photos!

tick...tick...tick...

I went to Cleveland last weekend to visit with my Mom, sisters, and nieces. It was a wonderful low key girls weekend. We grilled out, drank cosmos, had lunch at A la Carte, shopped, and caught up! I should have taken more pics, but enjoy the few below i did snap!

Anna found a kitten at the local juke joint and brought him home. He is appropriately named Monkey after the juke joint Po' Monkeys. He is adorable and very affectionate. Rescued kitties are the best!


I wish I hadn't cut Anna out of the pictures above since I just realized the 3 red heads were all sitting together.

Dressing up in our old dance costumes and performing is a must for my nieces! Aren't' they just beautiful! I can't get enough of them!




Some doves have built a nest on a hanging planter in my Mom's garage. Each morning the father comes to relieve the mother dove and we just happened to catch them chillin' together for a moment. I couldn't get a shot of it, but the babies are hatched!


I also want to share how excited I am about the girls' Nantahala trip next week! We leave a week from today! It will be 7 of us total, and should be a great trip! I expect to have plenty of river rat photos when I return!

Let the hiking continue!

Daniel received his own hiking backpack for his birthday yesterday. He immediately stuffed his body pillow in it and wore it around the house. He also received some wonderful grilling books and several bottles of bourbon...I see MANY hiking trips in his future!


Think I should be worried that he stuffed a 'body' pillow in there?

More Luau Pics

Waiting for Daniel to arrive:






Let the party begin!







Hawaiian Games: Rock Throwing (like horseshoes)





Limbo:






Hula Hoop Competition:









I'm sure you won't believe me, but there are quite a few pics still to come. Enjoy!

Surprise!

I threw Daniel a surprise 30th birthday luau this weekend. It took alot of planning and hard work to pull it off, but we had a great time! Below are a few pics...more to come soon.







Bailey happily wore her lei and hula skirt for several hours. I actually think someone took the skirt off of her. We'll be pulling this doggy costume out for Double Decker next year!


This is MUCH later in the night. Daniel is booty dancing for those lucky guests inside the house.


Corinne, Jenny, and Anna were a HUGE help to me! They helped with planning and worked their tails off all day Saturday! Thanks girls! You ROCK!