Haha wow I'm getting bad at this.
Following my adventures, or lack thereof in Tennessee I pressed onward into North Carolina. My first stop was in Asheville to visit with my father's younger brother and his wife. They definitely fall on the more liberal side of my father's family (probably not as far as my parents, but probably the next furthest over) Additionally I haven't seen any family in quite some time. Catching up with them was good, so was having real food for the first time in a while. My aunt took me out to eat at a greek/med. cafe the first night. Unfortunately my uncle had a very busy work day and didn't back till much later. Anyhow the food was amazing, so was the dessert! I was in heaven. After having put up with fast food due to small town ness for the past while, I felt amazing. Following this we went up to this really famous ritzy hotel up on the hill... unfortunately i'm having trouble with the name at the moment. Anyhow lotsa famous people have stayed there, and they have a huge terrace with an amazing view... oh and two HUGE fireplaces. I could probably use one of them as a bedroom. Anyhow, the terrace has a great view of the town, and we watched the sun set. Was purdy :D The following day we went out to the Vanderbilt estate. The area is absolutely gorgeous and the mansion is impressive, mostly due to its size and decadance. I think my favorite parts were the winter garden, napoleon's chess set, and the whole of the Library. Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures inside, I understand why but i'm selfish :< so I am sad. Got some good shots outside though. That night we went to a bar/pizza place followed by the French Broad chocolate shop. Both were excellent and the good times rolled. .
I love my grandfather and step-grandmother. They're very nice and I'm happy that for the most part they have their mental faculties. However, there are several things which exasperate me. The first of which is their attempts to force protestantism upon me. I have no trouble with the faithful, but it is very difficult for me to abide with those who try to force me into a religion. I do not appriciate it, and their attempts were almost constant. I was looking forward to the wedding on Saturday of a second cousin of mine. I didn't expect to know anyone else there... but I was hoping it would be fun. What it was was long and drawn out, with a reception that was primarily people praising Jesus while wearing mild expressions on their faces without extreme expressions of happiness, joy, sadness, or anything else that would indicate that there was a celebration going on. The day following I narrowly avoided being forced to attend church against my will, and in the afternoon my cousin David stopped by. It was good to see him again now that he's got his master's and a job in public health. It's kinda neat really. And he provided a welcome respite. Oh I should also mention that this whole time most of what I said was ignored and overwritten. As a result, in order to get done what I needed to get done, I ended up mostly keeping to myself, while taking care of my errands on my own. I love my grandparents... but it was so... very... frustrating.
After leaving my grandparent's place I made my way the 60 miles to the family of my mother in Thomasville. Unfortunately, my mother's brother and his wife had just left for Italy upon my arrival. However, my cousings Samantha, Jacob, and Jana-Marie. The first half day I was there Jacob and Jana-Marie were out shopping in Charolotte. So Sam and her friend Christine showed me around the UNCG campus, which is really cool. A short tour around town too. It was great fun and they took me to a coffee shop and then a bar with deleecious food. After that we went back to my uncle's place and watched The Life of Brian. The following day Sam, Christine and I went to Old Salem and wandered around for a bit. Generally the settlement of the Unted States doesn't interest me that much, but every so often learning about it is pretty cool. This was one of those times. It was interesting to see how a successful town was established and maintained. The buildings have been beautifully restored. The one bad thing was the MESDA which was very boring... furniture and stuff :/ Boo!. After a long day of walking around we met Jana-Marie and Jacob for dinner at a decent local place, followed by the local Krispy Kreme... THEYWERE MAKING HOT DOUGHNUTS WHILE WE WERE THERE... it was so good. After that we went to Jana-Marie's apartment to just hang out for a bit and visit some more. I haven't seen them in a VERY long time. It was good to catch up with them, especially since we seem to share common intrests now. All in all, a good time!
I am currently in Staunton, VA. I plan to check out Woodrow Wilson's Library this coming morning, Monicello in the late morning, and then on to Virginia Beach!
I love my grandfather and step-grandmother. They're very nice and I'm happy that for the most part they have their mental faculties. However, there are several things which exasperate me. The first of which is their attempts to force protestantism upon me. I have no trouble with the faithful, but it is very difficult for me to abide with those who try to force me into a religion. I do not appriciate it, and their attempts were almost constant. I was looking forward to the wedding on Saturday of a second cousin of mine. I didn't expect to know anyone else there... but I was hoping it would be fun. What it was was long and drawn out, with a reception that was primarily people praising Jesus while wearing mild expressions on their faces without extreme expressions of happiness, joy, sadness, or anything else that would indicate that there was a celebration going on. The day following I narrowly avoided being forced to attend church against my will, and in the afternoon my cousin David stopped by. It was good to see him again now that he's got his master's and a job in public health. It's kinda neat really. And he provided a welcome respite. Oh I should also mention that this whole time most of what I said was ignored and overwritten. As a result, in order to get done what I needed to get done, I ended up mostly keeping to myself, while taking care of my errands on my own. I love my grandparents... but it was so... very... frustrating.
After leaving my grandparent's place I made my way the 60 miles to the family of my mother in Thomasville. Unfortunately, my mother's brother and his wife had just left for Italy upon my arrival. However, my cousings Samantha, Jacob, and Jana-Marie. The first half day I was there Jacob and Jana-Marie were out shopping in Charolotte. So Sam and her friend Christine showed me around the UNCG campus, which is really cool. A short tour around town too. It was great fun and they took me to a coffee shop and then a bar with deleecious food. After that we went back to my uncle's place and watched The Life of Brian. The following day Sam, Christine and I went to Old Salem and wandered around for a bit. Generally the settlement of the Unted States doesn't interest me that much, but every so often learning about it is pretty cool. This was one of those times. It was interesting to see how a successful town was established and maintained. The buildings have been beautifully restored. The one bad thing was the MESDA which was very boring... furniture and stuff :/ Boo!. After a long day of walking around we met Jana-Marie and Jacob for dinner at a decent local place, followed by the local Krispy Kreme... THEYWERE MAKING HOT DOUGHNUTS WHILE WE WERE THERE... it was so good. After that we went to Jana-Marie's apartment to just hang out for a bit and visit some more. I haven't seen them in a VERY long time. It was good to catch up with them, especially since we seem to share common intrests now. All in all, a good time!
I am currently in Staunton, VA. I plan to check out Woodrow Wilson's Library this coming morning, Monicello in the late morning, and then on to Virginia Beach!