Welcome to Boone, North Carolina!

So it is about time for me to report on my fabulous stay in North Carolina with my brother, Andrew, and my sister-in-law, Leigh, and their 2 dogs, Chaco (a boxer) and Emma (a husky puppy). After finishing my summer job, and a million errands, I flew to North Carolina and spent about 11 days there. I loved it. Andrew is starting his Master's Program at Appalachian State, and I went to help them get settled-lots of painting and cleaning and errands, and one too any trips to Lowe's, right Leigh?! I had fun hanging out, eating lots of good food, playing with the dogs, watching TV and movies (Andrew and Leigh make it their task to catch me up on TV and I get my year's supply when I am there...I rarely watch TV, I just don't have time for it and don't make the time for it either), and stopping in all of the local thrift stores. My parents came for the last few days of my stay, and we saw more of Boone and the surrounding area, as well as went to ASU, Andrew's new campus. Emma, the puppy, is struggling to get potty trained. Andrew went in the sunroom/his own bike shop, and stepped in a bunch of poo. I graciously offered to help clean it off his shoe, and we used the potty pad since Emma had conveniently managed to miss going on that and going on the floor instead. My Mom decided that it looks like I am wiping Andrew's bum...uh, nice. I am such a good sister.

Here are Andrew and I dining outside at the Mellow Mushroom it is a really yummy pizza place that I got to eat at twice. It was sunny, so Leigh offered to let me wear her supercool Oakleys. I love all the scenery and the green mountains/rolling hills of North Carolina.

Leigh, my Dad, and Andrew, stopped along the main street in Boone. It has some quaint shops, restaurants, boutiques, and a yummy sandwich shop, Macado's.

Here is the Mast General Store, been there since 1883. It had outdoorsy gear, clothes, country home decorations, and an old fashioned type candy store.

Here is the look down main street-they have lots of stores selling ASU gear.

Leigh insisted that I get my picture taking in this hand on campus, hmm. I decided to do a little meditation while sitting in someone's hand.

Leigh and I in the hand.

Here is my boyfriend. He has the same sunglasses as Leigh...wait, those are Leigh's sunglasses. Isn't he cute?! He is one of the few guys in Boone without dreads and without facial hair...and with a part in his hair.

My family and I decided to pose with the school of education statues, most of us were intent on listening and learning. Meanwhile, Dad is kissing the teacher.

Appalachian State seems like a great school and it has a very pretty campus, I think that Andrew has picked the right place for him.

I have not had any tongue pictures lately, so here you go. In the background is one of the climbing walls in Boone. I loved the town and all of its outdoor lovers-lots of climbers, skiers, snowboarders, cyclists, hikers, etc.

We made a stop on campus at the official bookstore and I got some ASU gear, a t-shirt and a hoodie. I love trying on hats, and and I really love hats...I would wear them more, other than they give you bad hair for the rest of the day.

Go Mountaineers!

Me, Leigh, and Andrew are standing in a umm really cool formation?! I just love being silly.

Here is my big brother, Andrew. I am so proud of him, and know that he is going to do great in his Master's program, and go on to do lots of great things with his life, things that will benefit and help lots of people.

Mom and Dad are now the proud parents of 2 East Coast living children. Before heading into Boone for the day, we did some gun shooting, just with Andrew's BB gun, not with the real ones.

Just me and my mom...

In the Mast General Store, they had this awesome hammock/chair thing. It was super comfortable and I could have laid in it all day.

Me, my Mom, and Leigh, at an overlook in Blowing Rock. Andrew, Leigh, my Dad and Mom-we are a happy family.

Scenic pictures from Blowing Rock, you could see the mountains and hills for miles, and everything is so green.

Leigh looking at a whole new world.

I was really excited that Mom had quarters and we were able to look down into the valley. I was ecstatic about the telescopes really. It was beautiful, and I could see Grandfather Mountain.Andrew is taking his turn looking through the telescope.

Leigh and my Dad atop the Blowing Rock, there is a cool Indian story behind the rock. It is also the only place where the snow blows upward...something about how the rock sticks out and the way the wind blows through the valley.

Dad, Leigh, and Andrew on top of Blowing Rock.

Leigh, Andrew and I (they are both totally Oakley kids, and I wanted to be just like them...those bright ones are really something else on me)

My mom took this picture in memory of the time that she read a similar sign about climbing on wet rocks while we were at Yosemite National Park, and she fell in the cold river, up to her waist. I should have seen this as a foreshadowing of what would happen to me in the ocean, down at the Cliff Walk in Newport, RI with my Dad.

This is the view from Leigh and Andrew's house...forests, trees, and rivers.

This outhouse is right off the road before you get to Leigh and Andrew's mountain cabin. Andrew threatened to lock me up and make me sleep in there at night (kidding)

Emma and Chaco are so cute. I love dogs and really want my own someday soon. They play well together sometimes, and then sometimes they are mean and fight just like a brother and sister would. Here they are both looking over their shoulders.

and here they are both looking at me.

Here is the one view of the mountain cabin, also could be known as Hagrid's Hut.

Here is the road up to their mountain cabin, it's a 0.7 mile drive up, and parts of the road are a lot worse than this. My Mom was taking a picture of me, while I was taking a picture.

The driveway ;) Leigh even let me drive up and down several times, in their Xterra, my first time having to drive in 4 wheel drive up anything.

There is another view of the mountain cabin.

It is a fun place, and after lots of work, Leigh and I had it looking great, and it really feels like home...except when it is dark and late at night. I made Chaco sleep with me every night.

Here I am on the first night with Chaco and Emma all curled up on me on the couch.

Emma was attacking me with wet kisses and her slobbery tongue. She is cute, and sometimes totally acts like a cat.

Leigh and I in all our glory during painting. We painted over some nasty wallpaper and over some marker scriblings of a ranting, disturbed teenager.

Yay for painting. We had to paint over the wallpaper and marker with some primer, oil-based. We managed to get it all over us, feet, hands, arms, legs, faces, hair, yep everywhere. We had to go back to Lowe's to find out how to get it off us. We bought paint thinner and basically bathed ourselves in it outside, and scrubbed with the sponges.

Me and Leigh with the paint thinner can...we had to get the primer off because we had church the next day.

Scrubbing and exfoliating off our first layer of skin to remove the primer...

Emma sleeping.

I was reading on the futon on Sunday, and the dogs curled up on either side of me...please excuse the cheesy pose.

Andrew, Emma, my Mom, Chaco, and me on the couch. I had so so so much fun in Boone and hope to be able to visit again really soon. Don't have too much fun or too many adventures without me there, Leigh and Andrew!