20th Birthday

For my twentieth b-day I went out to dinner with some girls last night.  Today I have two of my four final exams (one down — Theology), so it wouldn’t have worked for today.  So last night we went to Applebee’s and aside from the the dinner coming slower than evolution, it was great to be with the girls!  Morgan, Angela, Lyndsey, Adrienne and Mimi joined me.

The Three Amigos -- and Mimi

Angela and Morgan

Angela was dissatisfied with her steak

I should have never eaten the appetizer sampler, even WITH help...

Devil’s Marbleyard, Take Three

You may be thinking that I’m crazy to hike the same mountain three times in two weeks, but not only is it good exercise, it’s fun to introduce my friends to the area.  This time Adrienne, Lyndsey, and Aaron came along.  We made good time getting to the base of the rocks (the wooded part of the trail is about two miles long) even though it was 90 degrees out.  Fortunately once you are on the rocks the breeze cools the air slightly.  We got to the third level, and Aaron would have gone further but we girls were a damper on his goals.  It was so hot on the rocks I felt like an iguana. We found some caves between the boulders where we could hide and cool off between climbing.  Pictures below.

Aaron enjoying the view

Adrienne examining her pictures

Cliff Hanger!

Strong-arming the Devil

By the waterfall

Peaks of Otter

The three amigos decided today to go hiking to the Peaks of Otter!  Originally our friends Aaron and Dan were going to go with us, but they were too busy so that’s saved for NEXT weekend.  We left at 11 am and started hiking at noon.  It was 70 degrees but very muggy, with bugs in our faces and a heavy fog over the entire mountain.  We hoped it would clear by the time we got to the top, but no such luck. We could only see about fifty feet in any direction until we were half back DOWN the mountain… don’t it figure…

At the Peak, in the lodge

Lyndsey on the peak of the Peaks

For Dad: I made it to the top!

In the Window

A salamander met us on the trail. We saw several millipedes of different colors too.

My car finally hits 100,000 miles

Devil’s Marbleyard: Take Two

I managed to get a lot done this morning, before church, and then after church when I got back to my quiet room.  I have very little homework with this light week, so I had plenty of time for resumes and writing ideas.  While I was working my friend Andrew came to my window, and we decided to head back to the Marbleyard because today was so gorgeous.  We tried to get more folks to come but no one could, so just the two of us went.  We left at 4 pm and got back around 8.  Here are some more great pictures!

On the overlook

The never ending view

Andrew

On top of the world

Devil’s Marbleyard

Today, my friends, I climbed a mountain.  A real Blue Ridge mountain.  And when I say climbed, I mean climbed. Not with ropes and pulleys, with my bare hands and feet. Well, my feet weren’t bare, but my hands were.  My friend Dan invited me to join a group and climb the Devil’s Marbleyard, a huge rockslide of marble slabs left over from the Flood and the glaciers near the Blue Ridge Parkway (Google it!  Fascinating…).  On the way out, we got lost and ended up in a town called Glasgow, where we found out in the country a hilarious sight:  Foamhenge.  I could lie and say I went to Europe over the weekend… but that would be a lie.

Specifically for Dad:  I am not yet a ‘hiker girl’, but I am on my way.

'Foamhenge'... Stonehenge made out of foam...

Clarissa and Me on a ridge preceding the Marbleyard

After climbing an hour I got to the third 'level'... didn't quite make it to the top

The beautiful view

It’s All Greek To Me…

Hall meeting sometimes has a theme that we all dress up for — 80′s Night, Gangsta Night, etc — and tonight was Toga Night.  I had just washed my blue bedsheets so I had my outfit ready.  Here are some pictures from hall meeting.

Phy and Erika, my prayer leader

Kayla and Phy

Convertible Ride!

Lyndsey’s 19th birthday is this Sunday, and for an early celebration her friend Dan invited her and her Siamese twins to go to Five Guy’s with his roommate.  It was gorgeous today — 82 degrees — and what did he pull up to take us with but a blue convertible!  We all crammed in the back seat and had some FUN!

Old City Cemetery

It’s been so long you probably thought I was dead.  I spent Saturday in a cemetery, but I have risen again and am back to blogging

Here are some pictures from Adrienne and my exploration of the Lynchburg Old City Cemetery.  It was in a Civil War brochure I found in TRBC.  The cemetery was fascinating — lots of neat headstones with cool names.  A lot of Civil War veterans buried there.

It was a great day to be outside!

Beside the Daffodils

The Angel of Old City Cemetery

Adrienne Rising from the Dead

If I should die before I wake...

Preaching the words of Life

Making Breakfast… the Liberty Way

Girls Gone Wild

So I have been told that most college students do things on Saturdays.  I guess my roomie and I didn’t get that memo, but we used Saturdays to do homework and watch movies as a reward for our work.  But today we decided to be different.  Shake things up.  Be crazy (since that is what our generation does best).

We decided to go to the mall and do whatever we wanted to.  Whatever we felt like.  We decided to experience ‘following one’s heart’.

Here are some pics from a Saturday well wasted!

Trying on some non-Liberty Way prom dresses...

Phy and Lyndsey dressed up for NO REASON!

Count calories?? Are you kidding?

Doc's Diner for Dessert

Adrienne with the 'mints', which upon opening remarkably resemble cocaine

Dive in girrrlfriends!!