Gosh, it’s been a while since my last update. Let’s catch up!
After our 2022 bicycle tour, Matt and I began our life together nestled in the small town of Greencastle, PA.
Greencastle is a lovely small town. Some our favorite places and people are in walking distance from our apartment. Matt’s Mom and Dad live nearby. Scoops on the Square and Mikey’s for home town ice cream shops. Casa Agave for excellent mexican food. Sheetz convenience stores, ELM always has excellent footwear, Darn Tough socks, and a new fitness building. Antique and consignment shops like The Shop. Mama K’s buns for fresh cinnamon buns and sourdough. Lumber Direct, ACE Hardware, Salons, Churches, Design studios, Music shop, Machine shops, etc. There seems to be something for everyone here in Greencastle.
Greencastle was also previously an agriculture driven economy, and now warehouses checker the land. It’s always nice to see the crops in the fields and the farm equipment rolling through downtown… as if to say this family ain’t selling out to another warehouse. It serves as a daily reminder on why to buy local. We have about a dozen farm stands in our area. Friendly family farmers sell their quality produce, meat, and goods. We are blessed to be in such a good area.
Matt and I have been on many adventures since I relocated to Pennsylvania.
Engagement! Canoeing! Fishing and Hiking!
We traveled to Arizona in the summer of 2023. Matt got the full road trip tour of Northern Arizona with lots of stops including meeting my family. We hiked down to Tonto Natural Bridge, where he proposed! What a surprise! Yes! Yes! Yes!
We spent plenty of weeks in Arizona in the past few years visiting family. Time well spent.
In Spring 2024, Matt and I canoed the Suwannee River. We put in at the Sill in Okefenokee Swamp, GA, and paddled all the way to the Gulf in Suwannee, FL Alligators Galore! We have since found more stability with pontoons! We ran into our friend, touring cyclist Mark Crance from Rochester, NY. We hadn’t seen him since our bicycle tour in Mobridge, SD. Before we left Florida that spring, we ran into him again three more times! Once on the river and twice on the road. I am sure we will see him again soon.
In the Summer 2024, We canoed the Potomac River from Cumberland, MD to Seneca, MD. What a wonderful time fishing!
In the Fall 2024, We hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail beginning in Waynesboro, PA to Duncannon, PA.
This hike set in motion the desire to hike the Appalachian Trail together beginning in August 2025. We will be heading Southbound starting in Maine! Matt was Alumni 2006 Southbound when he completed the AT in 5 months 15 days. I am super excited to be on adventure again with him!
In preparation for the Appalachian Trail, we purchased a Harvest Right Medium Freeze Dryer. We are currently on batch 34. It has been running pretty much non-stop for two months. Our goal is to package six months of nutritious meals for the two of us. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, desserts, and drinks. The preparation, portioning, pre freezing, freeze drying and packaging all the meals it has been more than a full time job. We believe it will be well worth the time and energy spent having delicious meals to fuel our hike.
On top of food preparation, we have been working to meet our goals of being debt free and our monthly expenses covered for six months.
To do this, we have both been diligently working our delivery jobs. Sadly, we haven’t been canoeing yet this year, but Matt and his Dad have been fishing.
In early Spring 2025, I referred my Florida and South Georgia clients to a new landscape designer in Tallahassee. It was a tough goodbye to my clients, extended family and friends. It was a chapter in my life that has come to a close, but I am excited for all of God’s plans for us!
Join along as we continue our adventures this year on the Appalachian Trail.
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