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Category: North Carolina

What I Did & Spent on a Solo Weekend in Asheville & the Great Smoky Mountains

I really, really needed this trip. I needed to get out of town, to put on my pack and walk into the woods. I needed to spend a few hours in the car, music up and windows down. I needed to be alone in the woods, to take myself to dinner, to drink new beers, […]

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23 years ago today — the Monday after my senior pr 23 years ago today — the Monday after my senior prom — I went to MEPS, duck walked, signed some papers and raised my right paw to make a few very big promises that officially started my military career.That means my military service is older than more than half my tattoos, my Richmond residency and my relationship with my father. It’s something I started in high school that carried me into my 20s, through my 30s and now into my 40s.What’s strange is knowing I won’t mark this milestone again. Not like this. There’s no 24th anniversary waiting for me, no next enlistment. A decision I made a few decades ago ended up shaping almost my entire adulthood, and now — after what feels like both too much and not enough time — that chapter of my life is almost over. What a long, strange trip it’s been.
This week it hit me that this part of my life – th This week it hit me that this part of my life - the Army part, the Richmond part - is going to end. It’s starting to feel real in a way it hasn’t before & think that’s probably a good thing, even if it is also a scary thing.I: - spent most of the week in West Virginia covering the Region II Best Warrior Competition - ate like a raccoon- did not sleep enough- had big, big (unexpected) feelings driving home about never covering an event like that again - went to the river- cooked a perfect steak- continued building cabinets for the van Currently, I’m: - planning for work to take me to Europe for a few weeks.- listening to Noah Kahan’s new album on repeat - still reading the Heart’s Invisible Furies - making baked ziti for my neighbors- drinking wines from @fieldrecordingswine
This week felt like progress, the kind that leaves This week felt like progress, the kind that leaves a visible impact & sore muscles. I: - spent a lot of time with my hands in the dirt- took my last Army Fitness Test- celebrated my friend’s birthday with a pile of pasta @ Edo’s (hbd @hrhbethanyrose!)- aggressively cleaned most of my house- made no van progress - told my therapist my post-van career might be as an end-of-life doula- went to Buc-ee’s for the first timeCurrently, I’m:- in West Virginia for work- finally watching Shrinking - using Birda to gamify my bird watching (@birda)- listening to Hunting Warhead, a podcast about international efforts to take down a massive child abuse ring - trying to drink more water & less cold coffee#sundayreset
I aspire to be as scary as a Sunday night. This I aspire to be as scary as a Sunday night. This week, I: - remembered the mountains- battled deadlines - pup-sat my favorite niece - did not fold my laundry - attended & photographed a friend’s memorial - celebrated the professional success of my friends - met my cousin’s beautiful baby- cooked myself a few real meals Currently, I’m:- reading the Heart’s Invisible Furies- watching Schitt’s Creek with my neighbors- listening to Wine 101- very into the air fryer I got for the van, many (many!) years after everyone else jumped on the air frying bandwagon #SundayReset
My grandmother, Veta, was born April 22, 1927, dec My grandmother, Veta, was born April 22, 1927, decades before Earth Day’s proclamation and founding. I credit her with my wandering spirit because she was a woman brave enough to go, do and see. She passed in 2016, but her impact, much like these places, has never left me. ♡.Tell me: what’s a place that’s never left you?#earthday #nationalparks #publiclands

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