Leaps of Faith

One of my favorite bible verses is Hebrews 11:1, "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of we do not see." Sometimes being a woman of faith isn't as easy and it isn't without its trials and tribulations. Many of you may have heard that 1) i have decided to go to Maine this summer to be a camp counselor and 2) that Claire Mayes has decided to transfer to UNC next year. Obviously making a summer decision and a life decision are two different things but after talking to Claire about it we discovered our decisions were not that different. We both were faced with opportunities to go out of our comfort zones and were feeling the pressure from others around us to make the right decision. I got offered my job to go to Maine in mid January and i had about two weeks to make my decision. I really did not have to decide where I wanted to go to college so this was the biggest decision i have ever had to make. I revived endless support from my family, friends and teachers to go to Maine but ultimately this was my decision. Of all the words of wisdom people tried to give me this was probably the most convincing piece of advice....

I found this on Pinterest and when I read it i knew that good ole Walt had a point and I needed to have the courage and the faith in God to trust that this was what I was supposed to do. Inside everyone is a passion, a dream and a purpose but so many fall short because they don't have the determination, motivation and courage to pursue them. 

I am so happy for Claire for taking the opportunity to go to her dream school even though it means leaving Boone! Almost all of my crazy freshman adventures happened with her right by my side. I don't know what I am going to do without her next year! I am so proud of Claire for having the courage to pursue her dreams of going to Carolina!

Let's toast to Claire, Maine, Courage and God's Amazing plans for each of us! 

That's all I got for now folks. Exams are coming up so i can't promise a whole lot is going to happen but i will be sure to keep muh fans informed. Thanks for reading peeps! 

MUCH LOVE,

HAYUP

Devils Cellar

I just wanted to take this time t say thank you to all of my readers! My last post got 77 views in 4 hours! Keep reading and i will keep writing.

This past Sunday i went with Outdoor Programs to Devil's Cellar in the Linville Gorge area. Now much to Claire's thoughts was not my place of birth. HA! It was probably the most beautiful day in the Boone Area yet this year! It was sunny and warm and the perfect day for hiking and climbing. Fun Fact for the day! The reason it is called Devil's Cellar is because it casts a shadow of the devil on the rocks. I really enjoyed climbing and hiking all day long! I was completely worn out by the end of the day but it was so worth it! I even got a "red neck" from the hot sun! This climbing experience was different from other times because i climbed a lot within the crack I cannot really describe my climbing experience but here are some pictures so you can see for yourself!

This is at the bottom of the cellar. We climbed on the left hand side.

This is a top view before we hiked down.

EUKY!!!!!!

This is me climbing! I am straight cheesin here because i was in a lot of pain after climbing to the top.

A little late but....EASTER WEEKEND!!

Wow, time is flying by. I cannot believe that it is already April and Easter has already come and gone! It felt great to have the entire family together! Mom, Dad, Jannell, Snuggles, Mercer and Myself....one big happy family! Not only was Easter weekend filled with celebration for our risen savior but also for the engagement of Jannell and Brian! In less than 8 short months my big sister is getting married! However, if you know anything about the Uptons or the Dunaways then you know we aren't waiting until December to start celebrating! We kicked of the engagement with a FABULOUS engagement party at the Hanover Sea Side Club..my summer home. We had about 120 of our closest friends and family there to celebrate. In addition we had delicious food from Angie's of Chris' Restaurant, great decorations great music and beautiful decorations that we all worked very hard on! Jannell and Brian had friends come in from LA and Brooklyn to celebrate with her. Obviously I, the Maid of Honor, enjoyed myself! My two best friends Emily and Chamberlain were there along with my Aunt Beverly, 92 year old Granny, Uncle Robert and my future brother-in-law/old friend Kevin! I ate, drank(sprite zero) and danced the night away with my family and friends. Just when you thought the night couldn't get any better the moon started GLOWING! Over the water this was one of the most beautiful moons I have ever seen. Jannell said this was truly a "nod form God" and a true testament of his blessing for Jannell and Brian.

With all of the crazy commotion of the Engagement Party we had a very low key Easter. We were kindly invited to the Dunaways for brunch because they had quite a bit of family in town. Because of this we did break tradition and went to the 9:00 service at our church. I wasn't quite on board with going to the service but after words of wisdom from my mom she encouraged me to go and said that the combining of two families requires us to start new traditions. It was worth it to get to spend Easter with my family and my soon to be extended family. After brunch I went straight to the beach with Caitlin and Connor to try and savor all the beach time I had before I had to come back to the Mountains.

After the party and Easter I spent the last two days of my break in complete chill mode. I went to the beach, laid by the pool, at tremendous amounts of leftovers and spent time with my mom and dad. As much as i love Boone and the Mountains it was a challenge leaving the beach! Just 3 short weeks until HayUp will be back in the 910....but only for a month!

I would like to give shout outs to....

-Brittni Winslow, a fellow bridesmaid and admirer of the blog, that i finally got to meet at the party.

-Zach Stone and Chamberlain for holding me accountable to keep the fans informed and to make time to blog.

AND LAST

-Sarah McCullough!!! I didn't get to see you and i am soo sorry! I miss you so much and I know you don't like my blog but hopefully this will warm you up!

Euky and i went on an adventure yesterday but i will have to wait until tomorrow to blog about it!

Enjoy some pics!!

LOVE ALWAYS,

HAYUP

I was in charge of Jannell and Brian's Marriage advice line. Couples wrote there advice and clipped it onto the line!

Family Pick! Check out the moon in the background!

Kevin and I dancing! Thanks for sharing your dancing partner Meredith!

Trinity!

Daddy with his girls!

Justified

As many of you may know or not know I am a recreation major. I started out as a communications major but after my fall at Appalachian I decided to switch to recreation. I have hopes of becoming a travel agent and an international event planner.

For my intro to recreation and leisure I was required to attend a recreation management event. My teach Dr. Joy James, who has become one of my favorite people, lead the hike. We started out at Moses Cone along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a part of the parkway I have never seen before. It was more of a carriage pathway with wide open mountain ranges. The sunset was beautiful and along with the change of scenery it was also a change of colors that I had never seen before on the parkway. Sunset was beautiful but after that the darkness started to become eerie. However, the darkness and rains clouds in the sky only added to the hike and made it even more of an adventure. Those rain clouds finally let their bottom fall out and the rain came. As recreation majors we pursued on and continued. The winding road leads to overlooks of Blowing Rock and Boone and finally a fire tower. This fire tower was about 5 flights high with not a whole lot of siding. Also the rain and darkness only added to my nerves of climbing up this fire tower. I am proud to say that all of us made it up and down without any injuries. Standing on top of this tower overlooking my college and surrounded by my friends that share my same love for adventure justified my decision to become a recretion major.

During this hike I talked to a guy in my class who as aactually hiked the entire appalachian trail. It took him 5 months and 3 pairs of new shoe to hike north from Georgia to Maine. Hearing him talk about is experience made me realize that he could do it so could I or anyone for that matter. I also got to discuss studyind abroad with my professor. Knowing that in a year and a half I could be studying abroad anywhere is an overwhelming but exciting experience.

Right now I am on my way home from Boone and cannot wait to be with my family to celebrate my sisters engagement but also Easter! Get out your sundress ladies becuas e everybody knows that easter Sunday is the social debeut of the season!

xoxoxo,

HayUp