Party Weekend!

October 27th

This weekend I headed back to my mom's house for a weekend of celebrating. My long time friend, Heather is getting married on December 15th and my brother is getting married on December 1st. So on Saturday morning, a handful of us hosted a bridal shower for Heather at my mom's house.

It was so fun to catch up with old friends, reminisce about old times and make new memories. We are all so excited for Heather and Walcy and we can't wait to celebrate with them in only a few short weeks.

Ben and Shelby chose to celebrate their fast approaching wedding with an engagement party at her brother's house on Saturday evening. We had a great time catching up with some of their friends and family and meeting new people.

I am so glad I was able to make it to both of these parties and I look forward to both weddings in December.

Since Frankenstorm (Hurricane Sandy) was fast approaching, I decided to get up and out early on Sunday to make sure I could make it home. Looked like everyone was getting ready for the storm so there was very little traffic on the road which made the trip pretty easy.

We spent Sunday evening just hanging out and carving pumpkins with some friends.

Being Mauled by a Tiger

October 20 - 23

This weekend I headed south to watch Tech play Clemson. I was able to stay in Charlotte on Friday night and had the chance to spend some time with my nieces and Joel and Leigh. It was great to have some time to just hang out and catch up.

Saturday morning came way too quick and Kilby, Christy and Jeff hopped in the car with me to head down to the game. It was a pretty quick and easy drive down to Clemson until we got of the exit for the game and then we were just stopped. We thought we had left ourselves plenty of time for traffic but we were not expecting this. We spent 50 minutes trying to find parking.

By the time we were walking to the game most people were already in the stadium. The Clemson fans we did see out and about were very nice and helped direct us to the stadium. Some even stopped us to get a picture.

We made it in the stadium and to our seats just as they were kicking off. I was a little bummed that I missed there intro but I was so glad to be there.

Tech game out strong but Clemson was just a little too much for us to handle at the end. Clemson played a good game and their crowd was really loud and definitely affected the game. Clemson does a cool thing after the game where they let all the fans that want come onto the field and sing along with the team to the Alma Mater. So we went and walked around on their field and headed up the hill the team normally runs down at the beginning of the game.

On our way home, we stopped at a hot dog place that Christy's family owns and operates called Skins. It was really great and a fun stop to get our minds off the game.

On Sunday, after church Jed and I head out to enjoy the weather and the changing leaves. This time we chose to go to the Cascades. It brought back lots of old memories and stories. It has been a while since we have done that hike and it did not disappoint. The pictures just don't do it justice.

We ending the evening by celebrating Jed's birthday early with dinner and friends at Macados.

On Jed's actual birthday, he had to work late. He was able to sneak out for a few minutes to grab a quick bite for dinner at Big Pizza. And then we headed out for drinks late that night with friends at the Cellar.

But the highlight was definitely on Tuesday when we drove down to pick up Joel in Greensboro after work and headed to Carrboro, NC to see their cousin's band, Zap & The Naturals play at the Cat's Cradle. They did an AMAZING job and I look forward to seeing them again as soon as possible.

Home Sweet Homecoming

October 13th & 14th

This weekend was Homecoming here at Tech. We had a great time tailgating in the morning. The weather was cool but really nice. Jeremy & Remy made the trip for the weekend and Evan, Jackie & Terri all came to the game with me.

The game started off a little rocky but we found our rhythm in the second quarter and never looked back.

Congratulations to the Hokies on there 200th win in Lane Stadium and the largest come back under Coach Beamer.

Sunday, Jed and I went and supported a co-worker at his church as he gave the message this Sunday. He spoke about happiness and did a great job.

After church, we went driving. Seems to be a theme for us on Sunday's. This Sunday, we hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway and ran into Mabry Mill. We haven't made the trip to Mabry Mill in years so it was so great to visit and enjoy the changing leaves and the cool weather.

There was a 2 hour wait for the restaurant so have we walked around for a little while, we decided to see what else we could find. After a little while, we ended up in Meadows of Dan at a fruit stand called Poor Farmer's Market. It was really cute and a lot of fun. Right beside the market was a homemade candy store called Nancy's Candy Company. We had to check that out! Lots of fun homemade candy and you could watch them make the candy but they had the day off.

After a few snacks, we decided to head down the road and see what else we could find. We got to Hillsville and thought we would stop for a late lunch but nothing was open so we kept going. We knew of a great smokehouse in Galax so we decided we would just go there for an early dinner. We were so excited when we got to downtown Galax and headed into The Galax Smokehouse but were quickly realized that it was 3:20 and they close for the day at 3. We were definitely disappointed but we were determined to find BBQ so we were on a mission. We found Squealers Authentic BBQ and decided to try that. We got there at 4:10, they closed at 4. So off we went again. By this time, we decided we were just going to hope onto the interstate and head towards home and see what we could find. We thought the detour to Wytheville for dinner would be a success but it was strike three and instead of trying something new for dinner we made it back home in time to go to one of the BBQ places in Christiansburg, Due South.

All in all it was a great road trip and we had a great time laughing, taking pictures and just enjoying each other and all the beautiful scenery and small towns that are all around us. Can't wait to see where the next road trip takes us.

On the Road Again

October 6th & 7th

Danielle and I set off super early on Saturday morning and headed south to Chapel Hill, NC.

Our first stop was the Tech - UNC Ladies Lacrosse game. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time supporting Burker and the team. There were very nice UNC fans there that helped Danielle & I try and understand the game a little better. It helped a little but we have a long way to go before we understand what we are watching.

After the first half of the lacrosse game, it was time to head towards the football game. UNC has a very pretty campus and we quickly found a place to park and started the walk to the stadium. At there stadium, there was kind of like a track around the field where you can walk pretty close to the field.

We were able to walk up there and talk to Jed and Brian before the game and get a few fun pictures.

The game was another difficult game. We were unable to pull off a win so we drop to a 3-3 season for the first time in a really long time. But I still believe in this team and thing and hope we can turn the ship around.

After the game, we were determined to still have a good night. So we made stops at Trader Joes, an outlet mall & PF Chang's before getting back home for the evening.

Sunday was a much better day. Our friends, Eric & Audrey were on the east coast for weddings and family time and they invited us to join so we hoped in the car and drove east to Newport News for a few hours.

It was really great to see them and catch up with them for a little while before heading back home to start another jam packed week. But on our way home, we were able to make a quick pit stop in Richmond for dinner at The Village Cafe. Love there stomboli's!