Photos 15-22/365

This week was a big week for me as I was presented with the Ambassador of the Year award by the Chamber of Commerce! I also found a great farm in Mills River and luckily I remembered to keep my camera (and memory card) with me at all times. Enjoy Week Three:

Day 22 ~ 19 years ago today I was four and a half hours into sixteen and a half hours of labor that would soon produce a 9 pound, 10 ounce bouncing baby boy who would one day fill theses size 11.5 Nikes. Whew!!

Day 21 ~ A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. Proverbs 14:1

Some days my job offers me a chance to meet some wonderful people who've led extraordinary lives. Yesterday was one of those days. This is Dana Carpenter, a resident at the Villas at Lake Pointe Landing and one of the most interesting people I've spent time with in a while. She showed me her home and told me her story and I just took it all in. When I asked if she had any advice for the younger generation, she replied, "Find your bliss," as she held her hand over her heart. She added, "Listen. Listen to your heavenly Father. He will lead you." Look for this beautiful lady's story in an upcoming ad for Lake Pointe Landing.

Day 20 ~ So yesterday this award was presented to me at the Ambassador's meeting and then promptly taken away from me so they could give it back to me tonight as a substitution for the bigger one - Ambassador of the Year - which should be here soon according to Mitsy. Thank you to Mitsy for trusting me to be an Ambassador. I love it!!

Here's my part in the article in our paper (by Leigh Kelley) ~ The Chamber of Commerce/United Community Bank Ambassador of the Year Award went to Paula Roberts with the Times-News. The award recognizes ambassadors for each quarter of the year and an ambassador of the year. Quarterly selection and yearly recipients are based on the number of points an ambassador earns through attending and assisting with chamber-related functions and activities.

Roberts, who has been with the Times-News Advertising Department for five years, said she was “honored” to serve as an ambassador for the Chamber.

“Having lived in Western North Carolina all my life, I was honored to be asked to be an ambassador for our local Chamber this past July,” she said. “I love volunteering for the United Way and I thought the ambassador role would offer more opportunities for me to volunteer. Being the Ambassador of the Year is like an extension of my job and falls directly in line with my desire to promote business and industry in Hendersonville.”

Day 19 ~ Ryland Novak, Skateboarder

I met Ryland and his mom, Cindy, when I spontaneously decided to check out the skateboard park at Patton on my way home today. I've never been to it and thought I might be able to get some shots. I wasn't the only one there and I kept getting in a fellow camera clubber's way so I only got a few shots but I can't wait to go back.

Ryland and his mom were super sweet to let me take his picture. He and I share a strong dislike of excema and we bonded quickly. His mom is a scrapbooker, too, as I noticed on her FB wall. Today I met someone new. Two someone news! It was a good day.

Day 18 ~ Mills River Farmhouse caught my eye from the road. I must have snapped about 30 pictures before the Sheriff's Deputy kindly tooted his horn to get me out of the middle of the road ... oopsy.

Day 17 ~ Main Street Project - according to an article by John Harbin, dated January 5, 2011, in the Times-News, "The project, which covers six blocks, will be completed over the next four years. Two blocks will be finished each year from January through April until all the sidewalks from First to Sixth avenues have been finished. In the final year, workers will repave all of Main Street and install new crosswalks, again from January through April.

The project began Monday and was approved by City Council last year. In addition to resurfacing the sidewalks, repairs in the renovation project include removing and replacing large portions of sidewalk, replacing old and failing street lamps, removing remaining overhead wires, replacing diseased or damaged trees, removing and replacing sub-standard storm drainage system, abandoning a 75-year-old water line, repaving the street and parking bays, installing new high-visibility brick pattern crosswalks and realigning sidewalk ramps with the crosswalks."

Day 16 ~ Pink Tag Sale. Lucky me got to go shopping in Greenville on Saturday and there were lots of clearance items. I got two new sweaters, two pair of dress pants, and one pair of pink jeans.

Day 15 ~ First Phở - our first time trying Phở. We've watched Anthony Bourdain eating it too many times not to try it once we found the restaurant in Greenville. It's called Phở 99 and it was delicious!

Phở (Vietnamese pronunciation: [fə̃ː] is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (pho bo) or chicken (pho ga). The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with basil, lime, bean sprouts, and peppers that are added to the soup by the consumer.

The origin of phở is uncertain, and is mostly culled from oral histories. While a distinctly Vietnamese dish, phở has French and Chinese influences. Still, the consensus among academics, diners and restaurateurs is that it originated about a century ago in northern Vietnam.

The specific place of origin appears to be southwest of Hanoi in Nam Dinh province, then a substantial textile market, where cooks sought to please both Vietnamese (local rice noodles - originally of Chinese origin) and French tastes (cattle before the French arrival being beasts of burden, not frequently sources of beef). It was originally sold by venders from large boxes, until the first phở restaurant was opened in the 1920s in Hanoi.