Max Patch

You might be wondering about the picture behind our title. One of us (can't remember) took it on a hike last fall. Max Patch is a completely clear grassy bald west of Asheville near the Tenn. border with an amazing 360 view. Its been my favorite spot that we've found so far in the Asheville area.


Besides the breathtaking views, the drive to the trailhead is a dream for someone like me. Off the interstate, you take about a 3-mile steep winding gravel road that is a blast to drive!

Last fall when we hiked it, it was around 55 degrees or so in Asheville, so we dressed for that weather. Being low-landers most of our lives, we forgot that the temperature would drop as we got to higher elevations. Add in the fact that the wind blows there like it does at the beach and you've got a recipe for a miserably freezing hike. I thought my ears were going to fall off (no toboggan) and Love had a thin scarf around her head...it was quite a site as you can see in the picture. I'm definitely looking forward to going again without being miserably cold.

My forgetful life in the kitchen

I'm a big fan of buying seasoning packets. Lately it seems that lots of my favorite things to make have required be buying these handy little helpers...chili, enchiladas, guacamole...you name it, they probably have a packet out there to help you make it. Well, lately I've been pretty forgetful--I get everything out to make my meal, and realize that I forgot that little packet! I've been very impressed with myself lately though, because I've decided to actually learn to figure out how to make my meals without them. I wanted to share a recipe I just tried and really liked. So save $1 and a trip to the grocery store, and try it!

TACO SEASONING

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Enjoy!

Weddings and Babies

We are officially in the heat of the wedding and baby season of life. We've been amazed at how many weddings we've gone to in the past year, and how many of our friends who are already married are starting to have babies. Also, Reece's sister Kelly and sister-in-law Caryn are both pregnant too! I understand now why people start getting baby fever when their friends start having babies. Mom says I need to babysit to ward the fever off.

Above is a shot of Reece holding baby Ben Meredith. Reece was sure to wear his Wolfpack red to balance out all of the Carolina gear baby Ben was already wearing. I'm not too sure Jacq and Ben liked that one :) We also celebrated at two weddings this month: Laura and David Sloan as well as Nik and Lindsay Franks. Here are some fun shots from their weddings:

David and Laura driving away in their sweet ride!


Nik and Lindsay during their vows!

I love getting to celebrate at these fun occasions!

1 week left!

We can't believe that in 1 week we'll begin our summer adventure in New York City! Since we'll be enjoying city life for about 7 weeks this summer, Reece and I have been trying to get out and appreciate mountain life until we leave. The picture above is taken at the top of Rocky Head Trail in Montreat, NC last week. It was either a tough trail, or we've gotten more out of shape than we'd like to admit! I found out the other day that Asheville was rated "Best Place to Live" a few years ago, and I really understand why. I wish all the people who I love and care about who aren't here would move here!

Another thing we have enjoyed lately is a certain little baby...Ben and Jacqueline Meredith welcomed their precious little cutie into the world on Thursday. He's so sweet, and I've enjoyed getting to see him a couple of times this week. Ben says that he gives parenting a 10 out of a 10...they are going to be such great parents.

Today I was thinking that this blog would be a great way to keep everyone updated on our travels and adventures this summer, so check back to keep up with what's going on with us!
We're excited, but still nervous...you're prayers are so appreciated!

The past two years

Two years ago today (May 13th) Reece asked me to be his wife. As I look back at that day, it's one of the most memorable days of my life thus far. I'll recount the story here:

I went to bed on Friday, May 12, 2006 sad to be in Indianapolis. Just 2 weeks earlier I had packed my bags and driven up to Indy from my parents' house in North Carolina. I had just begun my ministry with high school students with Student Venture. Although I really enjoyed ministry and exploring this new place, I had the looming feeling that I was supposed to be with Reece. Any girl knows that waiting for the guy's next move is hard, and yet exciting. So that's where I was. I planned to get my mind off of things by visiting my childhood friend Will, who lived up in Chicago--about 3 hours from Indianapolis. I planned to get up early...around 6am.

At 4:30 on Saturday morning, my roommate woke me up. She told me to get a bag packed...not to worry about showering. Reece was flying me back to North Carolina because he missed me. What?! First, why was Reece flying me back? He doesn't have that kind of money to fly me back just because he misses me. Maybe he has something else up his sleeve...I tried not to let my mind go there, even though I hoped that he would propose to me so bad! Secondly, don't take a shower?! I haven't seen my boyfriend in 2 weeks...I'm taking a shower.

So, I did and I arrived late to the airport...I was so thankful that something made me pack to carry on. I arrived at the airport in Raleigh to see that my friend Kathryn was there to pick me up. So strange...He flew me all the way there and didn't even pick me up. This was turning out to be such a strange and exciting day. Kathryn took me back to her house, where Reece had planned for me to have time to take a shower and get ready for the day....OHHH so that's why I wasn't supposed to take a shower. He's a smart one. So, since I had taken a shower, Kathryn and I just hung out until Reece came to pick me up. I found out that he had actually been at the urgent care all morning with Toncilitus. He was really in no shape to be having this exciting of a day.

Reece picked me up around noon and took me to the place where we ate lunch on our second date. We enjoyed our BBQ...nervously that is. As we walked up to the register to pay, I saw that Reece had a yellow receipt in his wallet, which read:

Ring Deposit: $500

Whaaaaaaaaaaat???? I was not supposed to see that! I pretty much knew he bought the ring at that point, but still tried not to get my hopes up that he would propose today. A few hours later Reece took me to Lake Johnson...which was the location of lots of hanging out our first few months of dating. We walked slowly around the lake, ending up at a bench overlooking the water. We talked while I looked at pictures on Reece's camera. Suddenly I realized that he wasn't paying attention to the pictures or really anything I was saying, and instead was looking up in a nearby tree. I followed his line of vision, and there I saw I big camera up in the tree. I was so surprised, and asked Reece why there was a camera in the tree. At that point it was so obvious that he put it there, and that I should probably not probe any further. Like a good little girlfriend I played along the rest of the way, and acted like I didn't know what he was about to do....He told me much earlier that if he sensed his girlfriend knew he was about to propose, then he wouldn't do it. Obviously, I didn't want this to be postponed.

To my excitement, he did propose that day and it was wonderful. He brought an i-pod with sweet, special songs on it and we danced for about 30 minutes right there by the lake. It was really the greatest day, and I'm so happy to be Reece's wife.