Our Wedding

And so it begins... The journey of two people united in life by love and devotion; to live together and fellowship in harmony... Blah blah blah

Well, we got hitched on Sept 8th 2007- in between the anniversaries of September 11th and hurricane Katrina. It was definately a beautiful day and really was a special little event.

Amy and I got into town the week before so we could take care of all the little things. We got to hang out with our friends and see our families for the first time in a while so that was cool but mostly I think we were both a little brain-dead in lieu of the big day.

At first I was in Hattiesburg toolin around with the boys and catchin up on old stories and jokes while Amy did her thing in Vicksburg preparing for the wedding. I'm not sure exactly what she was doing but she must have been busy because everything was taken care of and done beautifully. All I had to do was show up on time with the kegs- DONE!

The week prior there were some showers for us at Rachel's momma's house and the Vance boy's house (Vance Manor). They were cool but we both agreed that it was weird having all the friends and family at a place just for us and having all these people giving us gifts. It was meaningful though, realizing how many people care for us enough to throw us a get- together just cause we are in love. (sniff)

On Friday we Gathered the wedding party and headed to Vicksburg to check into The Corners mansion where we would be staying. We rented out the whole thing and got married in the back yard of the mansion. It was really cool that a lot of people stayed at the Corners because it was like being at someones house in that we could just walk around and hang out, visiting with each other, and no one had to leave to go to sleep.

Our families came together at the rehersal dinner and we all sat down to some good southern food that was much welcomed by Amy and me cause we haven't grubbed down southern style in a while. I don't even consider the food out here grubbable- You can eat the food but you can't grub down- you don't even need a napkin out here! (well, Amy does- but most people don't) Anyway- The rehersal dinner was neat because there were three huge round tables. Everyone could sit at the tables and talk and there was no one stuck at the end of the table- out of a conversation.

Back at the Corners on the night before the wedding we hung out with our friends and talked the night away. We got into one the kegs (you know) and all had a good time on a little mini-vacation.

The next day was pretty hectic and went pretty fast. The girls went and got their her did (hair done) and me an' the boys (I guess that makes me Heavy D) just milled around and hoped for good weather. The rain came for about an hour in the early afternoon and let up. It was perfect becaust it cooled off the day and burned off some of the humidity and so we were all pretty sure that it wouldn't rain any more. As the sun started to get lower it was time for the ceremony to begin.

Everyone took their seats and my dad (the best man) and I took our spots. The bridesmaids and groomsmen filed in and Kim and Ethan did their duties- although I think Ethan thought we were all a bit crazy for having him get dressed up just to carry some pillow to his momma. You could see him thinking "WHAT is the point of this?"

Then it was Amy's turn to shine. Her Dad walked her out and she looked SO beautiful. She really was incredible looking. Linda McComb did the creremony and she did it just right. It was sweet and matched the way we feel just right. That didn't help with our nerves though. We weren't nervous about the relationship- just the wedding itself. I was sweating so bad I had to wipe my brow about 10 times- my fingers were swollen and the ring barely went on!

When we walked back inside the house with the wedding party we hugged and were joined by the rest of the party in a spontaneous group hug. It sounds cheesy but it really meant a lot to Amy an I cause it was like a blessing of our relationship by our friends.

Finally we were married and it was time to celebrate and drink a beer. The Blues Dudes played some good rock n roll and we all hung out and had a good time the rest of the night.

Memorial Day camping

On memorial Day '07 we actually had time off of that thing called a job so that we could do something other than sit and watch crap on TV. YAY! So I packed up our poop, also known and referred to as 'shinizzle' and we set off on a little journey to central Washington to camp and hike. (not necessarily in that order)

We drove east of Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass and just on the other side of it at the exit for the town of Hyak we turned off and went down a short road that became gravel and one of the endlessly enumerated forest service roads. it looked as if we were the first people on the road this season because the plants were overgrown and wreaked havoc on the ol' paint job. Also, there were some snow patches that covered the road and it didn't look like anyone had been over them yet. (plus in one spot there was a big washout of the road and it was creepy going around it.

I was telling Amy about the times in Colorado, growing up, that my family would be on some little Mountain pass in the Trooper and we were glad that the Trooper was so narrow- Cliff up on one side, cliff down on the other. Although, my momma never saw these areas due to the closing of her eyes- adrenaline junkie she is not.

Finally we came to a spot that was 4wd specific. 3 foot deep snow for 100 yards... aint happenin'... So we set out on foot the short time to the trailhead (trailhead- ha!)

Sometimes the internet is cool- sometimes it lies. We (ok- I) found a trail on the net that would take us up this steep, short trail to a beautiful lake. Judging by the topo lines we were near where the trail should be but because of snow cover and a liar of an internet we could not find a trail.

Now, my route finding skills are rudimentary,but I have a little bit of them. I guarantee that we were NEAR the trail but we were damn sure not on it. I question the fact that there even IS a trail, there might be a WAY up, but it ain't a trail.

See how happy Amy is? She didn't bitch at me once! I promise ;)

So after going up (and I mean UP) for a while we decided to go down. This decision was not at all affected by the giant cliff in front of us.

We decided, and by 'we decided' I mean I was told, that we weren't going up the cliff and that we wanted to camp in the valley because we were nervous about going up a cliff when there wasn't a trail. We agreed and set off down the huge valley wall that we just spent an hour going up.

After a little while we found a spot suitable to pitch a tent (or pinch a tit, as Ball would say). It was the first time we used the Marmot Swallow tent and that tent is BOMBER!

It was cool breaking in the new tent on a few feet of snow. Get it done right first time out.

The night came kinda fast and we spent the time on a rock eating and looking at the view while the shadows crept up on us.

The next day we decided to go up a road that we could tell goes most, if not all of the way up the opposite wall of the valley. This trail was easy. It was a road! the walking was eays but we had no idea of what to expect once we got on top of the ridge.

If you look close, you can see Rainer in the background. (to the right of us)

This is the other side of the ridge- thats I90 going up Snoqualmie Pass, and a ski area where the trees are missing.

Up on top of the ridge we came up on a snowy meadow with one little space of ground. It was flat and dry and so we decided to camp there. It was a great spot. We set up camp and ate a snack then lay down and got suntans. The weather was awesome. It was about 75 in the sun and we had shorts on just laying around wasting time on vacation- PERFECT!

We spent two days up there chillin in the snow and enjoying the nothingness. On the second day we hiked most of the way up the ridges highest point, stopping just short... another one of 'our' decisions. But the view was beautiful and we WERE high up the ridge- only rocks stood between us and the pinnacle. We could see the lakes that we had origionally attemted to get to. There ain't no damn trail, I promise. They were frozen still so they wouldn't have been any fun anyway... maybe next time on 'The Adventures of Jeff and Amy"

Amy pondering the cosmos (Rainer in background)

Lazy bastard

Yes, she is standing up

We're Back!

OK So a lot has happened since I last wrote to myself. (I don't think that anyone actually reads this) Amy asked me to marry her and after some convincing I said 'yes'! Then in February we moved to Ocean Shores, WA. This town doesn't even have a stoplight! It was more of culture shock going from Portland to here than Mississippi to Portland. There ain't ANYTHING going on here 'cept the rent! It's ok cause our house is a cool loft and it'll help us save money for the wedding.

Getting engaged was interesting. We said when I get my credit card bill paid I would get her a ring, and she was thinking that I hadn't done anything about it. Meanwhile I had her ring custom made in secret. On Jan 24th we both had the day off and were planning to go to Multnomah Falls and check it out.

The day before I went and picked up the ring and stuck it in my jacket pocket- planning to give it to her at the top of the falls. We made the hike up to the top and it kinda sucked, It was a small wooden deck that didn't stick out over the falls, and there was a family sitting there eating- not very romantic...

So I was thinking quickly- where should I ask her? We decided to keep following the trail and see where it went. About 100 yards up the trail there was a cool little area on the creek that made the falls that had some big rocks and mossy trees. Amy was saying how pretty it was and how she liked spots that looked like this, and that she wanted to get a picture there.

So quickly I debated myself and said What the hell? she told me the place was pretty and there might not be a cooler spot... so I took it. I set the camera to take 10 pictures to get the sequence of me askin' her and her reaction. It took me forever to get the camera set and she was getting bored standing there by herself.

Finally I got it set and pressed the button and ran over to the spot. The ring was in my Napoleon pocket in my jacket and I was digging around for it. Pictures were snapping away and here I am digging in my pocket... Amy was saying "Baby, look at the camera. BABY, what are you doing?" Finally I realized that the ring was in my OTHER Napoleon pocket- NICE! So I grabbed it and real quick just said- with all the subtlety that I'm famous for, "Baby, will you marry me?" She screamed" Oh my god!" right in my face and got teary, then said yes and made me hug her for abouty 5 minutes straight...

We hiked a little further up the trail but we were just thinking and talking about how she was suprised and had no idea about the ring and how I thought she knew and was playing it all out.

Redwoods Vacation

So... Finally new stuff worthy of talking about! Our friends Ball, and Kaygan flew up from Mississippi to visit us for a week. It was a great time and a much needed holiday for everyone involved. We picked them up from PDX and just went home cause their flight was delayed and they didn't arrive till 2am. Friday morning we all woke up and milled around for a minute and then went on a little tour of Portland making sure to not travel too far between brewpubs. We also made the obligitory stop to REI for browsing and dreaming, and some food. Later we went back home and rested up for the coming week. Saturday morning we took off for Mt. Hood (left) and drove up the backside to Cloud Cap for some cool pictures and even better views. It was a clear day and we could see Mt. Hood, St. Helens, Baker and Adams- four volcanoes. It's pretty crazy knowing what volcanoes can do and being able to see four of them at the same time.


Pictured here are Baker (left) and Adams.









<--View from the Bluff Sunday we got up and headed south to start the trip. We went through Eugene and ate lunch at Ball's old stompin grounds. We even went into town to get more supplies, got em and went up to Skinners Butte to check it out. Good supplies... Next, because the day was getting late,we decided to skip the idea of driving through Crater Lake cause it would have put us getting a campsite at midnight. We wanted to see it, but because it was late we drove on down to Valley of the Rouge and camped for the night. The site was cool, no one was around us. After dinner Ball and I charged up the glow-in-the-dark frisbee with the truck headlights and played night frisbee. This is easier than it sounds. The girls played with the camera until we started checking out the stars, which were bright and numerous. Through a fluke Amy snapped a crazy picture that started us on a frienzied pic taking escapade:

Monday we woke up and drove down to northern California to the Redwoods parks and found a camp at Gold Bluff Beach. The weather looked like rain, so we set up our tents and a tarp in conjunction with a log wall made to block wind. We had two walls and a roof and not 5 minutes after we got it set up the rain came.

The rain lifted after 10 min. and we were just in time to see the sun go down over the Pacific. In the morning we got up to a beautiful day. The rain was gone and it was a good bit warmer. We packed our things up after spending some time on the beach, and headed down further in the park to a trailhead that would take us to a campsite that was an old logging camp called Camp 44.

This hike was short but semi-strenuous mainly due to the fact that we were packing in two bundles of firewood and 25 microbrews. Well... about 19 micros and a few of Kaygans Bud Lights... the site was small and there was virtually no view but there were huge stumps where the old trees had been logged and they were pretty trippy. There were also plenty of huge ferns that looked really crazy in the firelight.

The next day the hike was MUCH easier cause we had all shed about 10 pounds off our backs. We hiked it on back to the car and set out to find Bald Knob in southern Oregon. Bald Knob is a fire lookout on the top of a hill (obviously) and the view is amazing. The directions that I got from Mapquest were wrong at best, but I got a packet that explained how to get there from the north. We were coming from the south so it took a little guesswork and arguing but we found it. It was really remote and we drove for miles on dirt roads. We even saw a black bear running down the road at one point. We got there at dark and Ball whooped up one of his famous steak dinners. I crashed out and had to be woken up for dinner but it was worth it. We all fell asleep shortly afterwards and slept till 8ish. When I awoke ( to the chants of 'get your ass up') the view was incredible in all directions. Unfourtunately, we had to get on the road quickly to make it back to Portland before too long.

Good times, good friends...

And we'll be sober tomorrow.