Facebook Reactions Are a Social Media Win

Who’s excited about Facebook Reactions? This gal! I mean, I literally want to spend all day loving posts, being sad, being angry, being wowed, and laughing at Facebook posts. I have a little too much to do, so I’ll have to purposely avoid Facebook lest I get sucked into reacting to everyone’s posts just for the sake of clicking the fun buttons!

In case you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, go to your Facebook page and hover over the “Like” button. Now you can post a reaction to a post that’s like an emoji,  instead of just liking it. Your new options, asides from like are love, haha, wow, angry, and sad. Gosh, “Liking” is just so passé now.

I did have someone comment and say that they wondered where the “dislike” button was. That must have been purposefully left out. I wanted if disliking is too controversial, or it’s just simply not a “feeling” type of reaction. Myself and others assume that there will be more reactions that are rolled out in the future. I haven’t read a lot about it yet, so we’ll see. It will be fun to see what Facebook comes up with for the future.

I also wonder how long it will take everyone to catch on to the new way of liking posts. Have you posted a reaction yet?

Crafting My Own Coffee

Coffee…because why else would I want to get out of bed in the mornings? Okay, I have some other good reasons to get out of bed, like my awesome new career in social media marketing and my equally awesome clients that I work for. But coffee….

I’m no coffee connoisseur, but I’d say I do enjoy a good cup of coffee. Sometimes it’s just necessary during a client meeting at a local coffee shop, other times it’s because I need the caffeine jolt. Maybe part of the time it’s just a reflex, coffee shop meeting = another cup of coffee.  I’m learning to drink coffee link a big girl though — black without cream and sugar. I’m trying to be healthier before our wedding plus I’m lactose intolerant so might as well learn to cut it out. I’m fortunate that in Asheville many local shops have multiple non-dairy creamer alternatives. However when I visit other places that’s not always the case. I’m pretty sure there’s not a single restaurant in the entire city of Myrtle Beach, SC that offers non-dairy creamer. The servers actually looked at me funny when I asked. Forget it.

Learning to drink black coffee reminds me of when I learned to love craft beer and IPAs instead of domestic beer. You really begin to appreciate the true flavor and you wonder why you didn’t like it before!

We splurged recently bought a grinder and a French Press to further facilitate our craft coffee experience. So much more exciting to get out of bed in the morning! K-cups coffee from our Keurig are best loaded down with creamer and sugar. Keurig coffee black is like someone added coffee to your water and well, you happen to drink hot water from a mug. I feel so fancy drinking “handmade” coffee from our French Press. It’s so adult! We’re still working on our technique, but so far so good. The French Press is definitely black coffee approved!

 

Trip to Lake Keowee

Have I mentioned that I love living in Asheville? Asheville is a great place, but we’re also fortunate that we are close to other great places! We have lots of outdoor activities that we can take advantage of here in western North Carolina and the surrounding areas. We recently took a few trips to Lake Keowee in South Carolina with friends, one of whom has a boat. Lake Keowee is so very beautiful and apparently has good water quality. It’s a large lake so we can cruise, swim, and wakeboard and water ski. It was perfect weather when we visited both times. We were out on the water all day. My fiancé John tried wake boarding for the first time. We had a blast!

I didn’t get too many pictures either time. It’s not safe for my clumsy self to operate a phone on or near water. The photos don’t capture the beauty of the lake at all!

John wake boarding for the first time!

me wakeboarding

Indoor Bouldering Adventure

I’ve reached the top!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week I went bouldering for the first time in ages. A few friends and I went to Iron Palm Bouldering, an indoor bouldering gym in south Asheville, NC. Talk about a workout! Everything down to my fingers hurt after that. But it was totally worth it, y’all.

So what’s bouldering? It’s climbing without the rope. I would say “rock climbing” but at an indoor gym we aren’t exactly climbing rocks. More like fake rocks. Any who. The wall at Iron Palm is 20 feet at the top I think…and that’s if you can make it that high.

I went again yesterday. I am hoping to go regularly and get good at it. It takes a lot of skill and muscle, which I don’t have. Yet. It’s not just muscles, it’s about balance and smarts too. You have to plan your path, strategize, it’s almost like a puzzle. Well a puzzle where you’re mid-air struggling to find the next hand-hold without falling or wearing out. That kind of puzzle…at least it was for me.

If it sounds fun to you, I recommend you try it. It’s really affordable too. You can rent climbing shoes and gear there.

Maybe I’ll see you there!

Back-to-Back Concerts

Glass Animals at The Peel

Boy is this is a late post, but better late than never! Isn’t that what they say? I couldn’t miss sharing about the week in June that we went to THREE concerts in a row. It was quite ambitious for us. I mean now that I’m 30 and all, the excitement was almost too much. First, it was Glass Animals at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC on a Wednesday night. Glass Animals put on an incredible show! I can’t wait to see them again in Vegas for Life Is Beautiful Festival. Yep, I’m going.

Bleachers at The Peel

Thursday night was Bleachers with Joywave and Cruisr. Sadly we missed Cruisr due to a scheduling conflict. To think it was one of the few times we wanted to see all 3 bands at a show! This was our second time seeing Bleachers. We saw them at Hangout Fest, up close and personal. We even got a few seconds in a MTV filming of the  show. It was my 5 seconds of fame that no one will ever know about.

J. Roddy Walston & the Business at The Grey Eagle

After the show on Wednesday we went to one of our favorite spots, Wicked Weed. We were sitting at the bar and I logged into the BandsInTown app only to discover that J. Roddy Walston and The Business was playing at The Grey Eagle on Friday. Whaat?! We bought tickets and that was our third concert in one week. It was awesome yet tiring. End of story.

First Hike in a While

Over Memorial Day weekend my friend and I took our dogs on a hike to Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, NC. It was my first hike in a very long time. I had foot issues for years after a car accident which eventually led to surgery. It’s been about 8 months since my foot surgery. I’m not going to lie, the hike wasn’t easy.

The weather was perfect and I had to get outside. A little pain wasn’t going to stop me and I’m used to it by now. Ain’t no thang.

I did get off to a bit of a rough start. I stepped out of the car to put on my hiking boots. I looked down only to realize I was crawling with ants. Ants in my pants made me do a little dance…and say a few choice words in front of a family with quite a few children. Sorry kids. The Dad very generously offered to dump water over my head. Thanks but no thanks.

Needless to say, I was itchy for the rest of the hike.

It was a struggle for me but we reached the top. At that point I realized it was a little to steep for my taste. You mean, the top of a mountain isn’t flat and doesn’t have guard rails? What kind of hike is this? With my fear of heights and an active dog attached to my wrist, I wanted nothing to do with anywhere even remotely close to the edge. I am not the most graceful person. I pictured myself tripping over the dog and both of us plummeting to our deaths like in a really bad movie.

Clearly we could enjoy the view from the safety of our nice flat perch far away from the edge:

Cooper was pretty happy about the trip. It was his first hike.

After the hike we were thirsty so we popped in to Oskar Blues Brewery for a cold one. It was a good day.

 

 

Pour It Up

Pouring at Pour Taproom

Saturday afternoon started out innocent enough. My friend and I participated in Asheville’s River Arts District Art Stroll. She and I chatted up the artists while admiring art and crafts we could not afford. I aspire to one day commission an adorable portrait of my dogs by Angela Alexander. Our last stop on the RAD Stroll was conveniently located next-door to Wedge Brewing. HOORAY beer…finally a craft we could afford!

Both of our men happened to be together nearby so naturally we interrupted Boys Afternoon Out. We were totally jealous that they’d already been to Pour Taproom and they were cool with going back there so we did. Pour is the Holy Grail of taprooms, y’all. It’s really, really ridiculously awesome!

First awesome thing: you pick your own glass. Had I known I would be faced with this choice I would have read up on glassware for beer. Honestly I grabbed a stemmed glass cuz I thought it was less boring than a pint. I’m so fancy.

Second awesome thing: you get a wristband. Who knew that a wristband at a bar could make you feel so special? Alas, this is no ordinary wristband.

Third most awesome thing: You get to sample any of the 46 beers on tap. Challenge accepted.

Here’s how a trip to Pour works:

Step right up and choose a beer (or wine) to sample.

Scan your wristband. Pull the lever. Don’t screw up. There isn’t anyone one else to blame for a bad pour. Muy importante note:  you’re paying by the ounce.

The tap computer keeps score. Hehe.

Eek! It knows my name!

One of my fave choices of the evening!

Choose, scan, pour, sip, repeat. Play some Shuffleboard. Fight over songs at the jukebox thingy.  Pay at the end, after the damage is done. Call a cab. Order pizza cuz you forgot to have dinner. Umm…that’s basically what we did.

YOLO.

First Comes Love Then Comes Marriage

1 year and 4 months. That’s how long John and I have been engaged. Yeah I know, most couples would be hitched by now. If we had a dollar for each time someone asked “when are you getting married?” then our wedding would be fully funded. Next time someone asks maybe I’ll demand a dollar and see how it goes. #awkward

I don’t exactly understand what the rush is. John and I already play house so we can go ahead and check that off the list of why we’re not in a rush. Ultimately we’ve waited because we wanted more time to save up our money since we’re paying for this production ourselves. To think if I had actually been collecting dollars this whole time. Ha. That’s part of the problem. I haven’t been good at collecting or saving dollars. The other truth is that I was a tad bit indecisive about what kind of wedding I wanted.

When John mentioned a destination wedding, I initially wrote it off because it wasn’t the traditional church wedding that I had pictured in my head since I was younger. I came around to the idea though. I began to imagine a small, serene ceremony with ocean waves in the background and our toes in the white sand. BTW, that also means I can get married in flip flops and it would be legit.

I decided that I wanted to get married in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My dad’s family is from Puerto Rico. Not that John didn’t have any say in the matter, it’s just that well, he didn’t. We both wanted a tropical location, so might as well be a place that’s more meaningful to one of us. We also think Puerto Rico is a good choice because no one has to get a passport, exchange currency or learn to speak a foreign language. Another bonus, it’s a fairly affordable trip to an incredible place. May is not hurricane season and the weather will surely be no less than perfect. I am positive. The weather will. Be. Perfect.

Photo courtesy of WedAffair. Photo of ceremony at the Hilton Caribe (one of our potential venues).

The wedding planner, Carmen with WedAffair sent me the most BEAUTIFUL image from one of our potential venues Oceano restaurant (I wish I could share it but you know, copyright and all). You can see some of the amazing views on Oceano’s Facebook page. I’m also working with Suzette from DestinationWeddings.com. I can already tell it’s going to be very pleasant working with both of them. I am already way less anxious about the process.

So about that daydream of our beach wedding ceremony….the one thing I can’t quite picture yet is what I’m wearing. According to my research, I’m supposed to go dress shopping sooner than later. It’s about to get real! My dilemma so far is whether to go with a short white dress or a long dress with no train. What about a long dress with a sexy slit? We will see!

First Trip to Sierra Nevada NC

Sierra Nevada WNC Taproom

On the day of my 30th birthday I was in Hendersonville for a late meeting, a.k.a. the perfect opportunity to visit the new Sierra Nevada Brewing Taproom. I heard that the brewery was impressive…and it was. Just driving up to the property was impressive. The long decorative concrete drive was accented by river rocks, paver stones, stone walls, wooden fencing and copper pieces. I felt special going through the fancy gate!

The taproom was even more amazing. We sat down at a big table and I ordered a Beer Camp Hoppy Lager from our friendly server. I love a good hoppy beer. Lately I’ve been into stouts, particularly chocolatey or coffee stouts. For me there’s not much better than chocolate and coffee and beer. Naturally my next beer was the Narwhal Imperial Stout. This is their description of the Narwhal Stout: “featuring incredible depth of malt flavor, rich with notes of espresso, baker’s cocoa, roasted grain and a light hint of smoke…” Spot. On. I could even taste the hint of smoke. Instant new favorite.

And then there’s this: The Glutton.

Meet “The Glutton”

This monster is a fried chicken and doughnut sandwich with thick bacon, cheese and maple syrup. I didn’t order it, I swear. I did try a bite though. It was even more delicious than I could have imagined. I will not try to explain.

That was basically my brief experience at Sierra Nevada. Sadly my fiancee didn’t get to come and I couldn’t stay long. This was due to my dogs deciding to give me the wonderful birthday gift of fighting amongst themselves, which led to a birthday vet bill. Thanks guys.

Sierra Nevada, it’s okay. I’ll be back again.

Con Thien Scenario Game

Like. A. Boss.

 

I turned 30 last week and instead of planning a party, I decided to play paintball. A few of us went to the Con Thien scenario game at Paintball Central. I won a free entry to the game, so why not go? This was my fourth scenario game and my first one at a different field. The 3 other games I played were at Command Decisions Wargames Center in my hometown of Taylorsville, NC. I can’t say enough great things about Command Decisions, but I’m partial!

Anyway for you non-ballers, a scenario game is an organized game that has a theme. Each scenario game varies, but typically each side fights to win the most points by completing missions for points, holding bases for points, finding props for points, etc. Each side is usually led by a General who helps organize the game and missions along with other officers. This scenario game was based on the real battle for Con Thien, a U.S. Marines base during the Vietnam War. My friends and I played on the Marines side and we “fought” against the North Vietnam Army (NVA).

Con Thien Game Map

It seemed like the Marines were badly outnumbered (I’ve heard 3 to 1. Yikes). While sadly we lost the game, we at least got a lot of action! I shot at loads of people and I got shot at even more. I have the bruises to prove it. The whole day was like *pew pew* shoot a guy and someone else pops up in his place. Or in the woods there would be 3+ people shooting you and you never even knew where they were. Once I got stuck in a bunker with 2 guys and we were surrounded with no cover above us. That was fun. Needless to say it wasn’t long until we all 3 went hiking to the dead zone.

A the end of the day, the final battle was intense. The gunfire was loud and constant. To start, they had each team set up on either side of a “city” and then they turned us loose against each other. The goal of the final battle was to hold a particular centrally-located building after 15 minutes. If you got shot out, you could tag the dead zone and come back in. That was an epic not-quite-15 minutes. I lost count of how many times I got shot. I was getting nailed in the back trying to tag back in. Paintballs were literally flying everywhere at us. If someone wasn’t shooting directly at you, you were dodging paintballs that were bouncing off buildings, dirt mounds, and people. My body was telling me to hit the ground and curl up like a high-school tornado drill but my brain was yelling HOOYAH! Well I guess I should say the Marine version: OORAH!

Check out this video of the final battle by OP5BigNick. He was on the NVA side. I’ll have to see if there’s a video posted later from someone on our side so you can see how it went down.

All in all, it was a fun day. I can’t wait for the next scenario – Walking Dead at Command Decisions. I’ll try to take more pictures of that game.

Game face.

After-game face + paint-covered jersey = game over