hinton life

I guess you could say I'm officially settling in to West Virginia life.

This week I've been spending hours upon hours in any given establishment with wireless (my favorite: the Chestnut Revival coffee shop). Work has been fairly busy, so I'm grateful for that, otherwise I'm not sure what I would be doing, since Luke has been gone all day every day running another camp somewhere even MORE out in the middle of nowhere than here.

It's a different world here, for sure, but I've been enjoying observing all the little things that make this place special. First of all, the mighty New River flows directly below the town of Hinton, and we're tucked away here in the mountains, which makes for incredible scenery.

Hinton is a tiny town and people here are living a totally different lifestyle. You'd be hard pressed to find a single store open past 5pm. Luke and I have running tabs at the joints we frequent the most. In fact, Jerry and Mrs. Alice over at Kirk's Market keep a tab for us all week long and then, when it's time to settle up, they quote us some absurdly low number (last week it was $6.50 for a week's worth of meals PLUS a jar of strawberry rhubarb preserves) and won't accept more money when we try to give it to them! You guys!

One of the most incredible things I've seen here so far were the falls at Sandstone. One day I decided to follow some vague signs on the other side of the river to what I hoped would be a good place to spend the rest of my day while Luke was still at camp, and I found true refreshment for my soul. It has been so long since I've allowed myself to be in nature with no other distractions, only writing, thinking and taking the outdoors in.

There was a boardwalk over the marsh and plenty of trails, but I wanted to see the mighty falls. I passed this...

...and thought that was it. Beautiful, but not as mighty as I'd hoped. I found a little place beside a creek and wrote for a long time. Then I decided to venture a little further until I came upon the river. Looking upstream, I saw even better falls.

I veered off the beaten path and forged toward those falls, hoping for something better. To be on the banks of the water is a really comfortable place for me. My feet always feel nimble hopping from stone to stone; ducking under branches, I can move quickly over rough terrain. The house I grew up in was surrounded by woods and just a little ways up from a creek, and I would often find myself alone, trekking through the woods or along the water, daydreaming, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of nature. It was a beautiful place to find myself in once again. I felt like part of me that had been submerged was rising to the surface. And it was so worth it--the falls I came upon were beyond anything I was expecting to see. The sight took my breath away. And I was completely alone with God and the falls, and I knew he had led me there just to show me something beautiful.

Is there anything better than the sound or sight of rushing water? It's scary, too, to think of the sheer power that lies within that much water. But I sat on the massive rocks, knowing I was safe, knowing I was there for a reason, and stayed as long as I possibly could. What a glorious day.

Overall, I'm really happy and content here. There's something about our environment that is rejuvinating us. My relationship with Luke is being challenged and built up in incredible ways. I am so lucky that he is my one and only. To see him in his element as a coach, making connections and building mutual respect with these guys, helping them better themselves as athletes and men--it makes my heart so very proud.

It was really tough to make the decision to come here. When the question was first posed, I was so hesitant to step out of the comfort and familiarity of our life. And then when it was decided that we would do it, I was like "Couldn't it be somewhere other than West Virginia, for crying out loud?" But now I can't imagine if we didn't do this. I would encourage anyone at any time to detach themselves from what is comfortable and typical, take a risk, and place yourself outside of what is normal life. You never ever know what you will learn about the world or yourself.

regarding river

A couple weeks ago I posted this on my facebook wall:

Just so no one gets the impression that Luke is a big meanie, I want to expound a bit! Getting a puppy is high on our priority list, but unfortunately not an option for us right now. We're really lucky to live in an apartment that is provided for us by Luke's assistantship, but that means we have to abide by their no pet rules. Trust me, I've really tried to convince Luke otherwise. I've attempted to talk him into rebelling against the college and all their rules and get one anyway. My husband is just not a rule-breaker!

Soon enough we'll be able to bring home a pup, I hope. Luke grew up with an amazing golden retriever named Meggie and I love the stories about how kind, loyal and smart she was. I guess because of Meggie I've fallen in love with goldens, and there's absolutely no question that we'll be getting that breed when the time comes.

ALSO: though we do love the name River, shortly after we talked about it we heard of someone else naming their golden retriever puppy that very name (a soccer player Luke follows on Twitter)! Weird! So we've been re-thinking it even though we don't know these folks. Funny how that kind of thing can change your mind, just doesn't feel like it's our name anymore! Any other suggestions?

I've reverted back to my 10-year-old puppy loving self! My family didn't grow up with pets except for a short time with a black lab named Shadow. She jumped on my younger brother too much when he was a toddler, so we gave her away to a sweet old lady who owned a farm. I think Shadow was happy there!

Just look at these beauties. I want one so very very much!

25th birthday

My 25th birthday was seriously wonderful. I'm so blessed with a husband who was incredibly over-the-top in his thoughtfulness and kindness and love all weekend, an amazing family who sent me treats, wonderful friends who called/texted/facebooked and everyone who went out of their way to wish me well! Thank you so much to you all.

I thoroughly advise having your birthday on a Sunday so you can call that weekend "birthday weekend." It was very effective. Some people try to pull off the whole "birthday week" shenanigan, and I commend them. But in my experience, those around you will begin to feel suspect and it's hard to keep it going. Oh, but birthday WEEKEND is perfect. It will go something like this:

Wake up on Saturday and it will be a gorgeous, flawless day. Your husband will announce that it is birthday weekend and then treat you to a latte and a delicious egg sandwich (you all know how I love egg sandwiches!) from a local establishment. Then you will take a leisurely walk on some local trails. That will be the perfect start to birthday weekend.

Although your husband will have to spend the day in class and you the afternoon catching up on work, you will pick up on birthday festivities later on at your friend's band's show. Good music, good friends, good times.

On Sunday, don't worry if you get a little frustrated trying to decide what to wear to church as you rush to get out the door. It won't ruin your brithday. It's a perfect day outside and you'll get a pour-over coffee before church even though it makes you 7 minutes late. Your friend's band is now the worship band at church, score. Your pastor will give a rockin' sermon from the end of the book of John. You will be so happy you go to this church on your birthday. After it leaks to several people that it is your birthday, you'll get some birthday hugs. Yay!

THEN it will come to your attention that there is a Nyack street fair today! You'll get birthday treats from the street fair! There is too much awesomeness in this day. After that, you and your husband will spend the rest of the day in New York walking, shopping, and ultimately eating one of the best meals of your life. Holy smokes. This birthday rocks.

Here are some birthday photos!

High Line above / Chelsea Market below

The Chelsea Market was one of the coolest places ever!

Spying on some bakers

Relaxing in Madison Square Park

Ready for dinner!

We went to Craft for dinner thanks to Doug and Phyllis Gaerte who generously gave us a gift card! THANK YOU SO MUCH DOUG AND PHYLLIS! I cannot even form words that describe how good the food was. We both got seafood and had ramps for the first time (highly recommend them). I got scallops and Luke got swordfish. There was a creamy, lemony, incredible risotto that we enjoyed too. And they personalized a menu for my birthday! That was a fun surprise. I came back from the bathroom and there it was. I thought Luke had called in beforehand, but he said he had not, and then we realized they must have seen my tweet! Are you kidding me Craft?

So that's my birthday in a nutshell. I feel so happy and blessed by all the love shown to me this past weekend. Thank you! I love you! I'm excited to be 25. WOW, I just had that moment when it really dawns on you that you are your age...I'M 25! How did this happen?!?

Martha Stewart Weddings: Bridal Market 2011

My employer Bryn brought me along to an event at the Martha Stewart headquarters on Monday! It was so much fun! Of course, my favorite part was the food. We ate the smallest food you could ever imagine (prepared by Peter Callahan. have you seen his awesome book of mini food wonders, bite by bite?). I'm talking burgers the size of a quarter.

And mini fish tacos with mini margaritas in mini Patron bottles.

And Guinness in mini beer steins, mini sushi, mini spring rolls, mini cupcakes, and shrimp lollipops. Wow, Martha really goes all out. Rumor has it she showed up, but we missed her (darn it!). The space at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is pretty stellar though...really cool to see.

We did run into a few other people I was excited to meet: Nole from Oh So Beautiful Paper (one of my long-time favorite blogs), NYC photographer Jen Huang, and one of the sweetest -- Jillian from 100 Layer Cake, who jumped in on our photobooth photos! So from left to right is Bryn, myself, and Jillian.

My favorite part of this was when Bryn got the shutter button and prompted us by saying "We love EVERYTHING!" I was cracking up.

What's that you ask? Why, yes, I was embarrassingly underdressed for this event (see venue photo above - is that a person in an actual wedding dress in the lower left?). Maybe it's a good thing we didn't run into Martha after all. You know, in case she doesn't think fondly of people who wear jeans to her parties.

Tried not to let it take away from the fun, but it was also 150 degrees in there and that sweater is wool. Yikes! Perhaps there will be a next time. Perhaps then I'll arrive prepared. And by that I mean I'll be carrying a large tote bag to fill sneakily with bitty foodstuffs. Ain't no party like a Martha party!

Proving My Worth

So, lately I've been waiting tables to earn a little extra cash. I haven't really told anyone because, to be quite honest, I was kind of embarrassed by it. I associate myself so directly with what I do that I was afraid of the opinions of my friends/acquaintences if they knew. Sad, yes, but I think it is such a natural human tendency to consistently look to other human beings to convince us that we are likeable, that we are in a desirable place on the social ladder, that we are going somewhere, that we matter.

I'm currently reading Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What in which he expounds on what he's dubbed the Lifeboat Theory. Simply put, we're all just trying to prove our worth to one another in much of the same way as we would if we were in a lifeboat, say, that's carrying too much weight. The group needs to throw someone overboard, so you must prove that you don't deserve that fate--you must prove you have enough value to be kept in the lifeboat. He goes on to say that God intended that we would find complete and utter satisfaction and worth in His opinion alone, but since the fall of man we have looked instead to others. It's really fascinating. And I think he's dead on. Our jobs, our clothes, our cars, the people we associate with, what we tweet or write in our facebook status updates, all these scream out to be validated by others. For me, here are just a few of the things I really try to portray in a particular light in an attempt to prove my worth:

My home. I would be really embarrassed if someone showed up unexpectedly and the apartment had everyday items strewn about on floors and surfaces or the sink held the day's dishes. When I expect company I go into a frenzy cleaning and even redecorating. I think this frustrates my husband, who would rather present a comfortably lived-in home for our guests.

My job. As I mentioned previously, I do not want to be associated with a job that's uncool. I pride myself in the environments I work in instead of being thankful I have any job at all. I have a standard and, if I were to lose my job tomorrow, I would never consider taking a job I felt to be below that standard for fear of judgement from others. I myself cast judgement on others. It's a despicable thing.

My marriage. I want the marriage everyone thinks is perfect and hopes to have themselves. I want others to think Luke and I have it all together and have amazing communication skills. The truth is I'm often a selfish and bratty wife and when I'm upset with my husband I go into a stonefaced stalemate and refuse to talk to him or resolve the issue until I "feel like it."

The books I read, the way I portray myself on the blog, the way I dress, the photos I post, the things I pin, I'm attempting to carve out an image in others' minds which portrays me as this person they might look up to, want to be, want to be friends with. It's exhausting. It's worthless. It's a rat race many of us are running and I don't know how to stop. Do you all know what I mean? Wouldn't we be so carefree if we weren't always thinking about our image? Do you share any of my same struggles? 

All that just to tell you that--anticlimactic alert--I was waiting tables, and now I'm not anymore. I quit. But not because of my image, mostly just because I remembered how horrible waitressing can be and how stupid and slow and stressed it makes you feel and how people don't leave good tips and how at the end of the day it's so not worth the toil. Waiting tables is not a fun, easy or cushy job. In fact, you should go get a job waiting tables right now just so you know how to treat your next server. So I'm mostly done there, but will continue to fill in once in awhile. I'm cool with that, it helps cover my commuting costs.

Okay, my last words are that I always want to be honest on this blog rather than just try to impress you all. I mean, I'll probably still do that too but I'll try as hard as I can to just be the real me. I hope you like the real me.

Thanks as always for reading my ramblings.