It's FALL in NC...

cool days,

crisp nights,

lots of pumpkins,

and colorful, falling leaves.

Maybe tonight we'll have a fire outside...

Reflections on a Word

I just finished typing out an email to an old friend...and, toward the end, I said something about her "grand stories." Then I stopped and reflected for a moment on just how much I love using the word, grand.

Maybe it strikes me as especially poignant today because Noah and I saw Where the Wild Things Are last night. That's a whole different matter, but grand seems to be the perfect word when describing certain wonderful and extraordinary things. Think, grand pumpkin (which to me, conjures up fabulous images of a giant thing, extra orange and extra rotund) or grand cup o' joe (which is what I'm getting ready to go grab...it's pretty much guaranteed to make my morning a little more, that's right, grand).

Ellie the German Shorthaired Pointer

Dad's birthday was yesterday. Happy birthday, Dad!

.

Mom got him the BEST gift ever:

I hear Dad and Mom are enjoying their bird dog.

I think Molly's ready for a pointing contest.

Watch out, Ellie.

Summer of Love

Noah and I talk a lot about our wedding. We're having a blast with all the planning and can't wait to celebrate on May 22, 2010.

Planning a wedding gives you interesting perspective on other people's weddings. I have to say, we've been lucky to be a part of so many beautiful, meaningful and FUN weddings this summer. Here's a little toast to all our newlywed friends.

Meredith and Duncan, May 2009, Charlotte, NC

Erin and Allen, August 2009, Wilmington, NC
*photo from Jenn...thanks!*

Emily and Pat, August 2009, Southern Pines, NC

How fun...Pat's Samoan so in good Samoan tradition, his grandmother serenaded the new couple while his mother performed a welcoming dance for them. Later, the men all danced circles around Emily, whooped and hollered, while the women tucked money into her dress. How's that for becoming part of the family!

Sarah and Ross, August 2009, Greensboro, NC

That look on Sarah's face means...yes...the cake went down her dress. Hopefully the slight mishap didn't lead to any sticky situations!

A celebration full of old friends and new made for a superb night.

*thanks for the photos, Katie!*

Congrats also to Tom and Meaghan who got married last weekend in Louisville. We're sorry we couldn't make it. We've heard it was a most stellar event! **Tillo, you best have enjoyed my chicken.

AND...Noah and I were thrilled to find out that our friends Lisa and John (bee and chicken keepers extraordinaire!) officially became wife and husband in July. They waited to share the news...now we just want to keep congratulating them. I thought about stealing a photo from their blog - instead I decided just to post some of our own from their upcoming wedding celebration. Stay tuned...

Exciting News!!!

It's been awhile since my last post - mostly because Noah and I have been busy celebrating our engagement!!! That's right...Noah completely surprised me a few weeks ago. He popped the grand question at our *favorite* ice cream shop, Maple View Farms. Maple View is a very special spot - Noah and I had our first date there a little over four years ago. Plus, I think they have the very best ice cream. They also cater weddings - you might want to prepare yourself for ice cream instead of wedding cake.

Us...just moments after I said, "YES! Of COURSE!!"

Since that perfect afternoon we've been pretty busy. My childhood friend Erin got married at the beginning of August which brought us to Wilmington. We celebrated our engagement with Mom, Dad and Cara.

The Gregson fam, minus Jordan - who's just gotten home from Alaska!

Just after our trip to Wilmington, we were off to Southern Pines, NC to celebrate our friends, Pat and Emily's wedding. We came home to another celebration with Noah's sister and brother-in-law.

Celebrating with Jessica and Brian

Smack in the middle of all the weddings and visiting we were able to celebrate another great summer of Student Action with Farmworkers interns. It was quite a party...

We spent the evening hearing about the summer and catching up with old friends. It was good to be with people who were there for the beginning of us (props to SAF...we owe you!).

SAFistas!

This weekend we're off to another wedding...hooray Sarah and Ross! It's good to be surrounded by lots of love. We can't wait to celebrate with all our friends and family!

Tomatoes!

The garden's chock full of these beauties. Such a summer treat.

Temperance in Ashe

This weekend, Noah's band, Irish Temperance, played two gigs in Ashe County, NC. The whole band stayed with some friends where we enjoyed this lovely view...

The New River snakes through Ashe. On Saturday morning, I found a great trail that meanders alongside the river. I couldn't have asked for a better running path. Noah made his way down a steep slope, fly rod in hand, to see what he could catch. What a great morning!

After my run I thought it would be nice to check on Noah. I hiked down the path to the river (which proved no easy feat!), searched up and down the bank but couldn't find him anywhere.

Then I spotted this little speck of a fisherman:

I think he only caught one little fish, but I know he had a great time. I enjoyed the trees...

The band played a neighborhood party at our host's house on Saturday afternoon, and then we all headed over to the Ashe County Arts Council for their evening gig. We'd heard ticket sales had been slow, but by the time the show started, the venue was packed. The stone building made for a most perfect music hall.

And I'm pretty sure the guys gleaned a good number of new fans.