Hanging Rock, 21 Years, Christmas Preparation

Saturday, December 12th, Sean, Kelly, Ashley, my mom, and I went to Hanging Rock State Park. Hanging Rock is about 30 minutes east/northeast of Pilot Mountain.

The kids and I loved it. My mom loved it too until we had to hike back up to the car. We saw a couple waterfalls (Hidden Falls and Window Falls) before going back to the car. It wasn't easy hiking back, but it was even harder for my mom. We stopped several times so she could rest.

 Sean.

 

When we got back to the car, the kids and I went to another waterfall (Upper Cascades) that's across the road from the parking lot. It's a bit of a hike too, but not as far or as steep as the first two we went to.

 Kelly, Ashley, and Sean.

After coming back up the stairs from that waterfall, Sean wanted to find a way down to where the waterfall drops again. There were three wooden steps/ledges we had seen to our right on the way to the waterfall. We went back to those steps and literally had to climb down. It was very steep, almost vertical, and I had to sit on my butt a few times, hold onto tree trunks, roots, and rocks, and carefully work my way down. If I'd stayed on my feet I most likely would've slipped or tumbled down. I would've broken something if I'd done that.

 View from the top, before we started climbing down.

 Looking up at where we came from. This picture doesn't really do justice to how steep and, at times, treacherous it was. And it's hard to tell in this picture how far down we climbed.

Sean told me later that he was surprised when he looked up and saw me coming down with him. He thought I would've been too scared. I did hesitate for a few seconds, but I ignored my nervousness and went for it. It was fun, even if it was a little treacherous. Ashley and Kelly were too afraid and thought Sean and I were crazy. They sat down on the wooden ledges and waited for us.

There was another small waterfall down there, a pool and a stream, and some very large boulders.

The climb back up was literally a climb. We were on our hands and knees at times, grabbing onto rocks and roots and tree trunks trying to pull ourselves back up to the top. We made it without injury. We were just a little dirty and out of breath.

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Sunrise at our house the next morning:

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Thursday, December 17th, was mine and Charlie's 21st wedding anniversary. He had wanted to go somewhere for a couple days like we did last year, but since he had to miss some work due to his illness, he didn't really have enough PTO left to go on a trip and  take a couple days off near Christmas. That was okay though. Just as long as we're together, that's all that matters.

So, we just had a dinner date. We chose a place we'd never eaten at before - Lucky 32. I'd always heard they had good food. And they do. We loved it! Charlie had the meatloaf and I had the stew beef with rice. That Saturday night, we went back and had the kids and Ashley with us. Sean didn't eat anything, but the girls did and they loved it. I had the same thing I got last time, Charlie had the jambalaya, Kelly had the chicken and dumplings, and Ashley had the same thing I got.

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I finally did the stocking stuffer shopping last night. (I bought a few non-stocking stuffer items as well, including a couple ornaments.) I was expecting really awful crowds, but it actually wasn't too bad. Walmart, of course, was really busy, but I didn't have to wait in line long. Dick's Sporting Goods was crazy. The checkout line went almost all the way to the back of the store. So, I walked out without getting anything. All the other places I went to (CVS; Target; Kohl's; Bed, Bath and Beyond; Belk; Macy's; Belk Home Store; Rite Aid) were really easy to get in and out of.

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And now it's Christmas Eve. My plans for the day are just preparing for Christmas Day. Clean house, stuff the stockings, and wrap presents.

MERRY

CHRISTMAS!!

Pilot Mountain and a Sick Husband

Last Saturday, December 5th, my son Sean and his girlfriend Ashley went with me to Pilot Mountain State Park. (My daughter Kelly was at a friend's house and my husband Charlie was at work.) I had driven/ridden past Pilot Mountain many times over the years on my way to the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it had been over 20 years since I'd actually been on Pilot Mountain.

It was a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the upper 50s to low 60s.

After walking to the view that overlooks the knob, we walked back past the parking lot to get to the trails. We left the main path to walk the more wooded "path" near the rocks and ledges. Great views. Lots of fun climbing over fallen trees and walking on the ledges. We didn't know we were on a strenuous path (we veered from the main path before seeing the sign) until we started hiking back to the car. We thought we were going to die! lol It didn't help that we hadn't eaten. I was getting lightheaded, but we survived. Haha.

I took a lot of pictures with my cell phone. (So, not the best quality.) Here are a few of them.

Click on each photo to enlarge.

 Sean

 There's a bag of climbing gear on the left. There were a lot of rock climbers there that day.

 Notice the climbing chains.

 Notice the green climbing ropes.

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I vacuumed the church when I got back to Greensboro and then Sean, Ashley, and I got something to eat. It was around 7:00 PM or so and it felt so good to eat after going all day without eating.

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Church was on Sunday and then on Monday I did a little Christmas shopping. I did some more Christmas shopping on Thursday. I just need to get a couple more presents for Kelly and some stocking stuffers for both kids and I'll be done.

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Charlie came home from Charleston, SC, last Saturday sick with a sinus infection. He stayed home from church on Sunday. When I got home from Christmas shopping Monday night, I could tell he was feeling bad. I made him take his temperature - 100°; not too bad. He was also having pains in his abdomen. I told him to stay home from work the next day and if he woke up still hurting, to go to the doctor.

He did stay home on Tuesday and I called the doctor's office to make an appointment for him that morning. They said they could see him at noon. I drove him there and went to the exam room with him. Turns out he has something called diverticulitis - an infection in his colon. They have him on a couple medications. He's feeling a little better each day. He should be going back to work on Monday.

Thanksgiving, Caves, The Last Kingdom

Can't believe I went a whole month without blogging. I kept meaning to, but just never got around to it. Well, here it is December now. Just 21 days till Christmas. And then 2016. Seems like the older I get, the faster time goes by.

Anyway, a couple November happenings to blog about.

There's Thanksgiving, of course. Charlie, the kids, and I went to my cousin Shannon's house in Fayetteville. (My mom had to work and we never see my brother's family for unknown reasons. :-/ ) We had a nice time. Family who were there were Shannon, her husband Scott, Shannon's sisters Christine and Kim, their parents (who divorced many years ago) Kathleen and James, their dad's girlfriend, Christine's husband Billy and their three small children (Magen, Matthew, & Nathaniel), and Kim's two teenage daughters Julie and Caitlin.

We stayed until nearly 5:00. We watched the first several plays of the Panthers vs. Cowboys football game before leaving, listened to most of the game on the radio on the way home, and finished watching it when we got home. Go Panthers! :-D

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Last Saturday, November 28th, Charlie, the kids and I, and Sean's girlfriend Ashley, went to Daniel Boone's Cave Park near Lexington. (Less than an hour from our house.) The cave is right next to the Yadkin River. The story goes that when Daniel Boone was a teenager, he and his family and some other people hid in the cave from Indians their first winter in the area in 1751. I was surprised by how low the ceiling (not sure what that's actually called) of the cave was and that it didn't go back very far. There was another, smaller cave next to it.

Ashley (purple shoes) and Kelly entering the cave. I went in after taking a few pictures.

Second, smaller cave. A little more difficult to get into.

After leaving the caves, we walked/hiked some of the trails. They turned out to be much steeper than we were expecting. But we enjoyed it and I took a lot of pictures.

 The Yadkin River.

We're hoping to go to Pilot Mountain soon. I've passed by it many times on the way to the mountains, but haven't actually been to/on top of the mountain in many years. Maybe about twenty. It's been a long time. It's only about an hour away. We may go tomorrow since the weather's supposed to be nice - near 60° and sunny.

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For years I went through autumns and winters without boots because I couldn't find any like I wanted in terms of where the tops of the boots stop. (I like them about mid-calf or so.) They were either too high or too low. Or the boots I tried on were uncomfortable or too expensive or whatever. Things have been different for me this year. I've found several pairs that I like, but have only bought a few. I can't remember if I bought the first pair late last year or earlier this year, but I don't think I ever posted a picture of them.

Over the past couple months, I've bought two more pairs of black boots (one is more on the casual/rugged side, the other with fur) and finally, after searching and searching, I bought a pair of brown ones. :-) I got both pairs of black boots below at Shoe Dept. (around $35 each) and the brown boots at Shoe Carnival.

 I wore these on Thanksgiving and got compliments on them. :-)

Originally about $80-$90. I paid about $60.

Last week, I bought a faux leather jacket at Stein Mart (originally about $100; I paid $42) that will go better with my brown boots. A black jacket (I have one that's faux leather and one that's denim) with brown boots doesn't look good to me.

It's actually a little darker than this. Kind of with touches of gray or dinginess to it.

I like the plaid scarves you can get at Target right now and have bought a couple of them.

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I'm still reading The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. It's not a long book at all (about 329 pages), so I thought I'd get through it pretty quick. But it's been 2½ months and I'm still reading it. I only have about 40 pages left though. Hopefully I can finish it soon. The story is really interesting at times, but I don't really care about any of the characters. I read in bed and keep dozing off after a page or two, so that's not helping.

The Last Kingdom is one of those rare books where I prefer the TV show or movie to the book. The Bourne Identity was another one. (The book was so boring that I never bothered to read the sequels.) Seems like there was another, but I can't remember what it was at the moment.

Mountain Trip

Thursday, October 15th, the kids and I, along with Kelly's best friend Renè and Sean's girlfriend Ashley, went to the mountains for the day. (Renè and Ashley go to the same church we go to.) I wish Charlie could've been with us, but he was in either Texas or Louisiana at the time. My mom couldn't go because she was working.

We left the house a few minutes before 9:00 AM (I wanted to leave earlier, but wasn't able to) and after picking up Ashley, who lives about 2 miles from us, we hit the road. (Renè had spent the night with us.) We drove west on I-40 to Winston-Salem, got on 52 north, and, after eating breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Mt. Airy (aka Mayberry), then got on the Blue Ridge Parkway soon after arriving in Fancy Gap, Virginia.

We took the Parkway south to Boone, stopping at several overlooks along the way and hiking a few trails. It was a gorgeous day. Not a cloud in the sky, temps around 60°. The wind was chilly at times, but we all had light jackets.

**Click on photos to enlarge them.

Renè, Kelly, Ashley, and Sean. Fox Hunters Paradise overlook.

Stone Mountain overlook.

Mahogany Rock overlook.

Brinegar Cabin

Renè, Kelly, Sean, & Ashley. Climbing the rocks at Alligator Back overlook. I went up there, too.

Taken from the top of the rocks at Alligator Back overlook.

Alligator Back overlook.

On the trail at Bluff Mountain overlook.

Renè and Kelly on the Bluff Mountain trail.

The Lump overlook. Tough climb, but doesn't take long.

View from the top of the big hill at The Lump overlook.

Another view from the top of the big hill. Christmas tree farm in the distance.

Mt. Jefferson

When we got to Boone, sometime between 4:00 and 5:00, we went to Dan'l Boone Inn Restaurant for dinner. My family and I have been going there for years. Love their food!

We were going to go to Mystery Hill House after eating, but they were closed. :-/


We had a really good day in the mountains. Charlie was hoping to go when he got home from Louisiana (he had started off in Georgia back in mid-September and from there had gone to Kansas, Texas, and Louisiana before finally coming home last week), but not only has it rained all week so far, but our dog Pippin got really sick with pancreatitis and had to stay at the emergency vet Friday night through Sunday (we picked him up around 10:00 PM Sun. night), costing us a lot  of money. So, we probably won't be going to the mountains this week. We were wanting to go straight to Boone and do some things in the area - Linville Caverns (my kids have never been), Blowing Rock, Mystery Hill House, Grandfather Mountain. I hope we can do that before it gets too cold.

This and That

I'm really looking forward to going to the mountains soon. I was going to go today, but when I called my mom last night (because I know she's going to want to go with me), she was already asleep. :-/ I'll call her about it later today.

Sean wants his girlfriend Ashley to go with us and Kelly wants her friend Rene to go with us. I can only fit five people in my car (including me), so if my mom goes, only Ashley will be able to go with us. (Sean asked first and I said yes before Kelly asked about Rene.) But if mom can't go, we'll bring Rene with us if she wants to go and is able to.

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Charlie left for Georgia a few weeks ago. After that, he was sent to Wichita, Kansas. And then Houston, Texas. He arrived there on Saturday. He should be home next week.

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Autumn is here (my favorite season, along with spring) and that means wearing my fall wardrobe. As much as I love clothes, I don't have nearly as much to wear in the fall and winter as I do in the spring and summer. (Just a few skirts and a few shirts.) I've been trying to fix that and was able to get a few things over the past few weeks.

Back in early August, I bought a plaid skirt ($14.99) at Forever 21. I was going to wear it a few days ago, but I didn't have anything to wear with it. I found something I think will look good with it at JC Penney.

I will probably wear this zipped most of the way up. I wish I'd found a picture of it zipped up.

Other items I've purchased over the past few weeks:

Purchased at Stein Mart for $34.99. Original price, $48. I wanted a vest that's shorter and cooler than the hip-length knitted vests I already have.

Ralph Lauren. I bought this at Belk. Originally $125, I paid $80 after tax. I took this picture in the fitting room. I'm trying to find some boots to wear with it. Black doesn't work.

Target. I just wear this around the house. It's really comfortable.

Stein Mart. Original price, $68. I paid $24.99. I was looking for a jacket to go with my brown skirt (I have a black denim jacket and a black leather jacket, but black doesn't go with brown) when I saw this one. 

I was in need of new flats and was able to find a few pairs. Most shoes are not comfortable to me; including shoes I already own. And especially closed toe shoes. I was looking for soft, flexable shoes. These three pairs of shoes were comfortable in the store. I hope they will still feel comfortable when I wear them for more than a couple minutes.

Macy's. Rocket Dog. Originally $49, but I got them on sale. I can't remember how much.

Macy's. American Rag. Originally $39.50. I got them on sale.

Shoe Carnival. Rocket Dog. Originally $44.99. I paid $24.98.

Calvin Klein. I bought this for my mom at Macy's. Purple is her favorite color. (This is aubergine.) She loved it.

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I normally have a few umbrellas in my car. That way each of us (me, Charlie, the kids) have an umbrella to use if we need one. Though I'm the only one who ever uses one. lol 

It was a chilly, rainy day on Saturday. The kids and I and Sean's girlfriend Ashley were on our way to Great Clips so Sean could get a haircut when we passed by a lady walking somewhere without an umbrella. So I turned around and gave her one of mine. She was really grateful and seemed sweet.

I also vacuumed the church sanctuary on Saturday (as I do pretty much every Saturday) and after doing a little shopping (vest & jacket for me; 3 shirts & a sweater for Kelly), the kids, Ashley, and I went to Red Robin for supper.

Sunday was church and it was really good.

This is one of the songs we sang:

We also sang "I Can't Hold My Love Back From You" and "Oceans". And something else, but I can't remember what.

I came home after church, made French toast (using French bread) and bacon, took a nap, and then watched a little TV. Including the premiere of season six of The Walking Dead. I was excited, but also nervous. I don't want any of my people (Rick's group; except Gabriel) to die. Especially Daryl, Carol, Michonne, and Glenn.