good week!

well, there was one great week just a bit ago. I went to Camp Sidney Dew with my scout troop, and got to help be a leader for the first time at summer camp. I relived some memories with old friends, met new people, and generally had a great time getting bit up by bugs, sweating all day, and getting sun burnt on the lake.

Camp is a place that means alot to me because of the lifelong friends I have made, such as Evan, Andrew, Liz, and many others. I was in Evan's wedding with Andrew and Jon as well. I am attending Drew Andrew's wedding in august, and cannot wait to congratulate him. Seeing kids who you personally have taught merit badges becoming staff members at the same camp is really cool and rewarding. It is magnified when you consider that without boy scouts I definitely could not be anywhere near the person I am today.

But moving on...

Saturday the 20th was Jessica's wedding. She married her high school sweetheart Earl and is moving into a double-wide in Nebraska. JOY! ok ,well I'm kidding about the double-wide part, I think. but it was a great day, with lots of fun dancing and revelry followed by a night out in buckhead with Ross, Sara, Rachel, Samantha and Savannah. Late night Steak and Shake will never be the same after watching our waitress get run over, and then go right in to work without missing a beat. some Photos of the evening are below.
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We all had a blast. Dancing with Jessica's mom, Jill, AKA "Sugarmamma" was definitely one of the highlights. But anytime someone who you are close to has a happy day, you feel happy too.

On to other things again...

On the 22nd, we closed on the house in Athens! I officially became a homeowner. The house will be my sanctuary for three years and hpoefully will be a good influence on me to do well and get a great job out of law school! I will likely put up more about the place when I move in.

Overdue trip reports

Where: Ocoee (x2)
When: May ?? and May 25?
Who: Me and Nate; me and Evan

Ok, this is a combined entry of my first 2 ocoee trips of the season. I went early in the season with Nate and we had a good afternoon, it was hot and warm, so the dry top was a good choice. I paddled not too confidently, and it was obvious. I still had not really gotten used to the Grande, and i hope to improve sooner rather than later.

When I went with Evan, however, things started to click in the beast! I paddled easier, made turns better, caught eddies more easily. I took the boof at tablesaw for the first time, and I really liked it. That move, as simple as it may be gave me the confidence boost i needed. For the rest of the run, Evan and I practiced ferrying hard. We challenged ourselves to cross swift current quickly and without going too far down river. It was a nice thing to practice, and I am going to start incorporating it in on the rest of the river when I go.

Here are my goals for the rest of the summer:
1) Get plenty of Roll Practice
2) practice combat rolls on Ocoee
3) run chattooga IV
4) Have Fun!

2009 Stats
Days Paddled: 8
Rivers Paddled: 6
Cartecay, Tellico, Little River (Chairlift), Nantahala Cascades, Nantahala River, Middle Ocoee