The Weekend of Brad

So Hank's friend from Penn State came down this weekend and we had a blast. Brad arrived Friday night and we had a lovely dinner of homemade pizza and salads to start the weekend right. On Saturday, the boys woke up so early to go fishing at the Rocky Broad River near Chimney Rock, NC. They were gone for quite a few hours before they came home starving for lunch. Luckily, I had some time that morning to get a lot done for the wedding...nothing like leaving it to the last minute. So, the boys ate pizza again :)

I decided to go back to the Rocky Broad with them after relaxing for a little while at the house. Everything was going good, I was the only one not in waders...but it was fun and the water wasn't too terribly cold. So, I thought...wow-I made it through the day without getting completely soaked. I needed to go to the car and drop my real off when I realized I needed to cross the river and grab the key fob and cross again...haha (you probably know where this is going)! So worried about getting that brand new key fob wet, I stuck it in my bra with the thoughts that I won't let me chest get wet---especially in this cold water. So half way across the river, I thought I was safe~until I hit pebbles with some fast and shallow water moving over it. Apparently black rocks are the slickest. Brad saw it happen from the start, I lost my right foot balance and did a running man kind of thing until I ended up face down in the water. The funny thing is that I immediately tried protecting the fishing pole and forgot about my chest and the key fob~that's right...face first! The key fob was soaked and I was freezing! Hank came running over to the rescue and grab the fob (leaving me behind) to get the car door open because that was the only thing we took with us (that's right, didn't even take the key). Lesson learned. Brad said he was privileged to have fished with Michael Phelps...

So we relaxed to another night of pizza (keep in mind, our fridge is empty because we'll be in and out, we didn't want to stock up). Went to bed early with hopes of getting up early to head to the Davidson River in the Pisgah National Forest.

Sunday morning came pretty quick but we made time for a huge breakfast. I think the weather was around 83 degrees that day, so it was hot! We fished until 1pm and someone out of the group got the brilliant idea to go tubing. We knew we needed some calories in our system before hand, so we ate at our favorite BBQ joint first, then began our adventure seeking tubes. After a few stores and about 30 minutes, we went to Rite Aid and bought 2 flat rafts and an inner tube for Hank. We put in about a mile up from where we parked and man was it fun. I seriously can't remember a time when I laughed so hard~the water was about 40 degrees and we didn't have wetsuits...so it was an experience! As if once wasn't enough, we wanted to do it again and headed half way up that time. The water didn't seem to be as cold the second time around. Brad got pretty beaten up~fun times! We then walked around the First Forestry School exhibit until we dried off and headed home.  So on our way back to Asheville, we wanted some good Easter food....that's right, we hit the Chinese buffet! *mmm* I tell you, it was an Easter we'll never forget!

Boat tour on Lake Lure with my parents

So we headed down to Chimney Rock this morning with the intentions of hiking the Last of the Mohicans trail to the gi-normous waterfall. When we stopped at the Visitor's Center, we quickly found out that since the State bought the property, they aren't allowing the "normal" tours anymore. They are remodeling the area for safety reasons and do not have the elevator working, which means we would have to hike up to around 23 flights of stairs (a little too hardcore for us today). So, we wondered around a festival they had on the Visitor's Center lawn and signed up for the boat tour of Lake Lure. Come to find out, since the lake is privately owned, you can only the majority of it by water and they charge a $600 boat launching fee for "outsiders"...holy crap! It was really cool to hear the background and see the gorgous houses that are hidden within the lake. We also met the original owner of the Crab Shack in Folly Beach-Charleston, SC...he was our tour guide! We then drove back to Asheville, walked around Biltmore Village while dad took a nap on the couch. Mom convinced me to try gelato...*mmm*, there goes my diet! I had grapefruit flavored sorbet, which didn't have the eggs--still just as good and light!! We came home and had a big dinner to relax to a storm coming in....overall we had a great day!

                         

                     

Fly Fishing 04.07.2011

Alright, so I was convinced to learn how to fly fish. I always thought it looked awesome from the movies (and hard), but I didn't realize how fun it is! I caught a Brook Trout~super small and Hank had to take it off my line for me! Alright so my right arm is going to get buff if we do it all the time-so I tried convincing Hank tonight that we need to split it up with hiking and biking, a lot of biking. We came to an agreement that we would live diverse recreational lives, meaning mucho biking :). Anyways, here is a photo of my first time, we went to the Broad River by Lake Lure. Hank took this photo of me that looks like I'm possessed and pissed off....not sure what happened there---but I was having fun, I swear! Hank also took a video, check this out.  (I'm going to attach a video from Hank's first time out with a fly rod at the Davidson River in Pisgah Forest, Brevard). Enjoy!

(see how small/narrow the creek is?)

      HE HAS COME A LONG WAY!

       My first time~I was really concentrating!!!

Only 25 more days!!!! AHHHH!!! :)

Alright, so I realized today that we only have 25 more days until the wedding! I'm really excited, but nervous about getting everything done. I now know the meaning of stress!!! Some things left to do:  (1) get my rings cleaned and soldered together (2) make music play list for the boat (3) steam dresses (4) make groom and best man's pins (5) stuff the parting gifts and I know there is more~but we can't wait to see everyone!

My folks are coming to see us this weekend and of course, it's suppose to rain :(...bummer. I wanted to show them around Asheville, but I guess next trip.

Hank's really picking up fly fishing. He loves the sport and I got my fishing license yesterday. I think Hank's friend, Brad, will be coming down to do a weekend of fishing with him the weekend before our wedding. We are excited to see Brad!

As for me, I'm trying to get ready to start some pre-med classes. I interviewed at a local Spa and may have a job as Massage Therapist lined up for the Summer...which is super exciting! I need to get some money coming in to pay for books and the minor fees that comes with school! Oh, I enrolled in a Summer Biology class that will be for a month and a week, meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning! I'm excited to start college again :)

We are really enjoying all the recreation Asheville has to offer. Believe it or not, but we have not been climbing since we moved here! Other than fishing and hiking, I did a 40 mile road bike ride last month in Brevard. I hardly saw any vehicles and felt alone the entire trip...it was really enjoyable and difficult at times. I am addicted to road biking now, I can't wait to get back out there and even hit the Blue Ridge when the weather permits! We have a pretty sweet apartment, we thought it would be too small at first but it's turning out to be perfect for the two of us.