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Anniversary

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Mark and I celebrated our first anniversary in Tennessee. Our first day was spent in Gatlinburg, where we once again enjoyed visiting The Village. We picked up a Welsh tee for Mark and some Dragon tea (which replaces the Dragon tea that was inadvertently tossed out when we returned home last time). We grabbed a quick lunch at The Hofbrauhaus Restaurant and Cheese Cupboard, and snagged some Cotswold cheese to bring home. There are about four cheeses in the world that I like and Cotswold is at the top of the list. Unfortunately, we can’t buy it in our neck of the woods, so it’s always great to find it on one of our adventures. We spent the rest of the day shopping for whiskey and car decals. And whiskey again. Oh, and then we had pastries. Awesome!

The rest of our vacation included dinner at Smokey Mountain Brewery, dinner at The Roaming Gnome Pub, great days and eats at Dollywood, and some quality time with my family at The Island.

Our actual anniversary dinner, on July 4th, was at Margaritaville Pigeon Forge. With the intense heat wave that hit TN, it really felt like we were in Florida. The food was great (especially the grouper) and the company was the best.

Being married for one year makes me look forward to all the anniversaries to come and all the adventures along the way!

19,203 thoughts on “Anniversary”

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  25. In China, people are hiring ‘climbing buddies’ for big money. The more attractive they are, the higher the price
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    Wendy Chen decided to challenge herself by climbing Mount Tai, a well-known mountain in eastern China.

    But there was one obstacle in her way: she couldn’t find a friend to join her for the five-hour trek.

    Rather than forgo her plans, the 25-year-old hired a “climbing buddy,” a young man with extensive outdoor experience, to accompany and support her to the 5,000-foot peak.

    Known in Chinese as “pei pa” (meaning “accompany to climb”), these are young Chinese men who join strangers on their journeys up popular mountains for a price. The trend has gained momentum this year, as hashtags related to “climbing buddy” have had over 100 million views on Chinese social media.

    Young, athletic individuals, often university students or even military veterans, advertise themselves on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, with profiles featuring their height, fitness level and hiking experience. They usually charge between 200 to 600 yuan ($30 to $85) per trip.

    During the climb, these “buddies” will do anything to distract their clients from feeling exhausted and push them to keep going: from singing, telling jokes, playing music, verbal encouragement, going so far as carrying their bags, holding their hands, and pulling them.
    A day on the mountain
    Chen and her climbing buddy’s adventure began at around 8:00 pm so she could arrive at the peak in time for the famous sunrise. After assessing her fitness level, her climbing buddy planned a moderate route and carried her backpack the whole way.

    When they faced chilling winds at the peak, Chen’s climbing buddy rented a thick coat for her while directing her to a walled shelter.

    At the moment the sun rose, Chen’s climbing buddy was already prepared with a national flag and other props so that she could take a memorable photo. Though she felt his photography skills still had room to improve, she rated her climbing buddy as “satisfactory.” The service cost her 350 yuan ($49).

    Though Chen paid a typical price for a climbing buddy, she acknowledges that more good-looking buddies can command higher rates.

    “Attractiveness is also part of their strength,” she says.

    Climbing buddies’ main customers tend to be single young women, but that’s slowly changing.

    A video of a strong male university student carrying a three-year-old effortlessly up a steep mountain — while the toddler’s mother trailed far behind — went viral this summer.

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  29. The surprising history of the Fair Isle sweater
    Paris adult entertainment directory
    Which fashion item is as beloved by members of the royal family as it is by JLo? Or as relevant on the runways of 2024 as in the knitting catalogs of 1960? The answer is surprisingly festive. The Fair Isle knit, a two-stranded knitting tradition originating off the coast of Scotland, has been a wardrobe staple for well over 100 years — keeping everyone from 18th century fisherman to Mick Jagger warm.

    In the last five years, luxury brands Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, Chanel, Celine, Balenciaga, Raf Simons, Versace and Dries van Noten have all sent their renditions of the heritage knit down the catwalk. London-based designer Molly Goddard has even made the pattern something of an unofficial signature, making sure to pair a structured Fair Isle-style knit with a flouncy, tulle skirt in almost every collection.

    In short, it has become a winter classic that seems perpetually in vogue. Rom-com leading man, Adam Brody, recently wore a red and white version on the cover of Stylist magazine; while Katie Holmes was snapped running errands in an old beige Fair Isle favorite from 2022.
    For those in the northern hemisphere, it’s appropriate to shrug on as soon as the nights draw in right until sweater weather deteriorates. That being said, even in season-less Los Angeles, stars like Hailey Bieber have been seen in the cozy Fair Isle knits grabbing coffees.

    Taking its name from the island of Fair Isle — part of the Shetland archipelago about 100 miles off the northeastern coast of Scotland — the knitting technique first began in fisherman’s hats during the 18th and 19th century (our beloved sweaters came much later). The two strand pattern was not only artistic, but made the tall, conical shaped caps extra warm by doubling the textile mass. They often featured a knitted interior lining, too.

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