Mt. Mitchell

In June, Chris and I are going to Wyoming to go backpacking with my dad and a few other guys for a week. We are climbing Gannett Peak - the highest peak in WY. This equals lots of training. A weekend or two ago, I did a training hike with my dad and a family friend. Dear Lord. If that hike did not help me lose some fat and build some muscle, then I give up. Here's the low-down:

5.6 miles with 50 lb. packs STRAIGHT UP...



Sucking lots of air and water...


(This actually resulted in me getting the hiccups like 20 times)

Rejoicing with all of my heart when we get to the top (but not really looking like I'm rejoicing) ...



Pouring the water out of the 6 2-liters I was carrying and clomping 6 mi. back down to the bottom. Whew! Needless to say, I was tired. But, I will admit, actually hiking on a trail up a real mountain is waaaayyyy preferrable to repeatedly hiking up and down the stadium stairs at school and "backpacking" the greenway like a hobo. I will be ready for this trip, and I will look like an absolute fool doing it. Anyone wanna join? haha :)

Summer Reading

I absolutely love to read, and am so excited to get back into it this summer! The past couple of years my reading progress has been greatly stunted by the immense amount of academic material forced upon my brain. Blech. Professional journal articles are not conducive to enjoyment OR staying awake, for that matter. BUT with a public library card and a Barnes & Noble within walking distance, I am set for the summer! I may even make a little trip to Ed McKay's used books in Greensboro (best place EVER).

Here's my list so far (let me know if you have any suggestions!) This may look a little ambitious, but I am a fast reader and so far have no job, sooo....

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Being poor, Chris and I are waiting until the movie hits the dollar theater to see it, so I'm trying to read it before then. And of course, the public library has like 13468 holds on it (a.k.a. I won't get it for 4 years) so I will be spending multiple hours in Barnes & Noble to read it for free. :)



Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
I've read the first 4 chapters or so, but really want to finish it. It's one of those that you can only read one chapter at a time.



Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
My mom read the whole thing to me when I was younger. I remember her crying at the end of the chapter where Beth dies, and I remember thinking "this is sad, but why is my mom crying?" haha I think I may have read it another time since then, but it's been way too long. Time to read it again!



Religionless Christianity by Jeffrey Pugh
Again, a book that I started but haven't finished. It's about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Christian during WWII who, because of his religious convictions, attempted to assassinate Hitler.



Persuasion by Jane Austen
A classic. And I love Jane Austen. And one of the books I managed to read for fun this semester was Pride & Prejudice. And I truly am a romantic at heart. Need I say more?



The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner
Because we own it and it's one of the top novels of all time.



So yeah, I'm gonna start with these. And if I really get into a book, I can go through it pretty fast, so I will most likely be adding more soon. It only took me 5 days to read all four Twilight books- very sad, I know, but it was spring break and I felt like I needed to catch up to popular culture since I hadn't seen/read any of them :) So again, I am open to suggestions! No-obligation summer reading, here I come!

New Beginnings

These past couple of weeks have been absolutely insane!! The last week of classes held lots of scrambling and super late nights. Chris and I had projects to finish, papers to write, a few finals to take, and an apartment to move into. We had to/wanted to move out of our old place by graduation time, and thought that moving the day after classes were done would be a good idea. Friends would be available to help us, and we would have a week to set up before graduation. Silly, silly us.

We moved almost all of our stuff to our new place on Thursday (it is absolutely amazing how much stuff you can fit into a 2 1/2 room apartment). Friday, my mom and Bill came and brought our washer & dryer, guest bed, etc. Also, Chris and I both had finals Friday morning. Great life decision. Saturday we went strawberry picking with our church and then spent the rest of the day moving the last of our stuff from the old place and trying to unpack enough stuff so we could wear clothes the next day.

This is Leeann "helping"...


The next week was full of unpacking (which takes waaay longer than packing), taking advantage of as much free senior week food and activities as possible, and hanging out with friends. Friday and Saturday involved multiple graduation festivities, cookouts, luncheons, picnics, visits, etc. My dad stayed with us through Sunday, and then we finally got a little breather. Has it hit me yet, that I am done with undergrad? Nope. :)







Now, we are finally getting into the swing of things, setting up stuff at the apartment, diving into our jobs (Chris), looking for jobs (me), and beginning an active pursuit of Christian community and friends outside of HPU. This is a big transition in our lives that hasn't really hit us yet, but we're beginning to understand that we really are adults now (as if being 21, married, independent and completely responsible for ourselves wasn't enough to tell us that). I deal with change a lot more easily than Chris does, but this is a big one for both of us. Our entire perspective and outlook on how we do life is changing. I am excited about it, and the possibilities that it holds, but I know that it will take some work. I know that we are right where God wants us to be, so I look forward to all that is to come.

Here are some highlights of our new place!

Guest Bedroom/Office (bet you can't guess whose desk area is whose!)




LOOK! A KITCHEN!!! An oven, four burners, a full-sized fridge, cabinets, 2 sinks, counters... I'm in heaven!



I am lacking a pantry (hence the cardboard boxes you see) but Chris is going to build me one! He's the best :)



AND I can wash my clothes in my own home! LOVE it! And don't worry - I will be organizing this area soon. With so many things to organize, I am really enjoying myself! :)



These are my flowers and Chris' tomato plants, Harry and Lloyd.



We are currently refinishing a coffee table and a side table, so I will put up pictures when they are done. :)