I know, I know…
So, I’ll attach the “New Years Letter” we just got around to sending out. It is an update of the very busy year we’ve had…
Happy New Year from the Hynes’!
Yes, we missed our Christmas cards this year, but we’ve been really busy and figured we’d start a “New Year’s Card” fad.
2007 has been an eventful year for Brian and Jennifer. We got married April 28th in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains, an hour west of Asheville. It was a beautiful weekend and a perfect wedding. We held the festivities at Lakeview Lodge — a retreat we’ve stayed at several times in the past on mountain bike trips to Tsali. The owners were very gracious hosts, and guests stayed in the cottages and enjoyed the hiking trail, day spa and coffee house on site.
Lakeview at night
Friday, the day before the wedding, we rode with a small group of friends, including our minister, “Preacher Rick” Hoffarth. “Preacher Rick” performed a mock ceremony at an overlook on Tsali’s left loop, overlooking Fontana Lake. Brian wore his Tarheel Trailblazers jersey while Jennifer rode in her Dirt Divas jersey and a veil.
Many guests also got to ride Saturday. Brian hosted a group of about 25 riders on Mouse and Thomson loops while Jennifer was busy with wedding preparations and a bridesmaids’ brunch.
Saturday morning, the weather was cloudy and looked like it might rain, but by the afternoon, the skies cleared and provided the perfect backdrop for an outdoor wedding overlooking Fontana Lake. We were honored to have Preacher Rick as our officiant, with Lesley Sifford as maid of honor and Laura (Martin) Volpe and Melanie Smith as bridesmaids. Shawn Hynes was Brian’s best man, and Doug Dilworth and Tom Mathews were groomsmen. Brian’s niece Bridget was the ever-popular flower girl. We are so thankful to all our friends and family who made the weekend so special.
Once the ceremony and pictures were complete, everyone gathered in the tents for the reception and DJ Brian Hines (yes, that was really his name!) Dinner, music and dancing, cake, microbrews and wine…. the evening wasn’t complete until Brian and Jennifer rode off on a pink cruiser bike decorated by our friends, the Rank Riders.
After the wedding, we honeymooned for a week on the island of St. John, in the US Virgin Islands. We spent the week snorkeling and hiking, while also enjoying the view from the house we rented — the “Castle”. It was a gorgeous home, with mostly outdoor living spaces and spectacular views from the top of a mountain. It backed up to the national park, so there were no other structures around. It was like living in a castle on your own private mountain.
In June, Jennifer started a new job as an Engineer with Duke Energy at their plant in Mt. Holly, NC. Since Jennifer’s new job is on the other side of Charlotte and Brian is still with Azdel in Shelby (about 40 miles west of Charlotte and 60 miles away from Jennifer’s house), we decided it was time to sell Jennifer’s house in Indian Trail and move closer to both jobs. We finally closed on the sale of Jennifer’s house and the purchase of our new home on December 14th — just in time for the holidays! We’ve been moving in ever since, although we did take a break to go to Atlanta to visit with Jennifer’s family for Christmas. We were happy to see Jen’s parents Bryan and Joann along with her brother Doug, Grandmother Mason and “Grandma” Marge. We also saw the Groves (Jen’s great Aunt Fran and Uncle Bill and 2nd cousin Mimi) and the Douglass family (Jen’s Aunt JoAnne and Uncle Kirk), cousins Heather and Lisa and both their growing families. It was nice to see family during our break from our stressful move. After moving ourselves (with the help of a few friends), we now know that we should never take it for granted when a company pays to hire someone to move your household.
We are happy to announce that we finally live together in Huntersville, just northwest of Charlotte, in a great established neighborhood that seems like it’s close to everything!
We hope the New Year brings you much joy!
Brian and Jennifer Hynes
