E North: October 2005

Fall tends to be a favorite season of mine. In fact, it would take the cake if it weren't for its position directly preceding winter. Now that wedding day details aren't consuming every waking moment, we are slowly resuming life as normal and enjoying the fun that fall has to offer!

If you have been keeping up to date with Jeremiah's blogs, you already know that his dare devil training is in full swing. He is gearing up for an epic adventure. Check out the "Events" page for a clue. So on Friday, as he was summiting Reddish Knob after already riding 5 hours, I was having a blast at one of the 6-Pack Downhill rides. We all met up at the usual Food Cat to stock up on the ante, but it looks like Jack and I were the only ones that were able, er, allowed to make our purchases - jack because he was in the market for A&W, I because I slipped through the cracks before Sue attempted to buy her beer without any idea and then said "oh nevermind it" when the register girl asked if she wanted to run out to her car and get it. "Oh nevermind it" is teenage code for "I don't really have an ID that says I am 21." But Sue does.... oh well. The JMU boys do what all college boys do, and they just seemed to make beer appear.

The ride was a good time. We rode up on Narrowback near the radio towers. I made some new friends and was happy to see many familiar faces return! With the days getting shorter, we have to find shorter downhills to race, but we were in for a treat when Thomas said that we had time to complete two timed sections! We started with an unnamed section that is famed for 20+ nasty water bars... "Never raced here without a broken collar bone," warned Thomas. It was fast and we were on our way back up the climb before we knew it, but not before the sun went down. The second dowhhill was a bit trickier for those of us without night vision.

We completed a TON of yardwork on Saturday, visited a pumpkin patch and cooked a fall-feast for dinner. I can confidently say that I have PERFECTED my butternut squash soup recipe.

Sunday was spent in Williamsburg for the Tidewater Mountain Bike Challenge, see Jeremiah's blog for the -extensive- recap. It was great to see our friends from Maryland. Jeremiah and I both left wishing that they all lived closer and we could get together more often.

We both have busy weeks ahead, I am going to a conference in DC, Jeremiah is going to tackle a 10-hour ride.

Next weekend is going to be filled with fun... can you say INVITATIONAL?

Happy Halloween
Erin

P.S. Tomorrow night is the cross ride, be there.

posted by Erin # 6:11 PM 0 comments

When your parents start calling you by a new name, you know its official.

I took advantage of today's rainy weather by going to the court house, picking up some copies of our marriage license and began the task of assuming my new identity. I have to admit that there is a bizarre feeling of namelessness associated with being "between names." I froze in confusion when asked to sign forms. 'Which name,' I had to ask clerks all afternoon. At the Social Security office a form actually had me sign using both names in different sections. I also think I encountered a loophole on this same form that would have allowed me to change my date of birth. Tempting, but I didn't; 1981 was a good year for me afterall. At the DMV, I was amazed to see my new driver's license photo was amazing. I took care not to wear a shirt the same color as the backdrop this time...

With my sparkling new ID in hand, I stopped by the coffee shop for a warm pick-me-up. The guy at the cash register even asked to see my ID after I swiped my debit card. I was so excited to show off my new name, I practically threw it at him. Too bad the name didn't match the one on my bank account. DOH!

So, for the time being, I am going to have to get by as Erin North-or-Bishop; whichever suits you, or convenience, best.

Jeremiah and I are going to put together a page of wedding pictures and highlights to recap the day's celebration. In a nutshell, the past month has been filled with THE most fun we have ever had!

Trying to get over a mean case of jetlag.

Erin

posted by Erin # 12:30 AM 0 comments

Wild Weekends

Mrs Bishop

Ms. North

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