Thursday, July 24, 2008

Moving on Up (To the West Side... of Cary!)

Well Jeffery and I did it, we took the big step and bought a house! I said several times, "if we had done this before we got married I may have thought twice about walking down that isle," but after all the squabbling, it was totally worth it. It's a sweet two-story house with a great deck and backyard. We couldn't be more excited!

Of course with a new house come all the small things you don't think about before becoming a homeowner. Tonight I had my first encounter with the neighborhood nature, a.k.a. a bat!!! I was walking in my front door around 9:00 pm or so and I heard something that sounded like flapping, and I thought, "Birds aren't out now." I looked over my right shoulder and there was a bat!!! And because I'm a nerd and watch Animal Cops (on Animal Planet), I know that bats can carry rabies. Of course I freak out and run inside and about every 10 minutes or so look out the door to see if it's gone. I'm not sure, but it's about 10:30 now and I think it's still out there waiting to strike!

As much as I began to dislike the house hunting, the packing and unpacking, going back and forth with the sellers, at the end of the day Jeffery and I bought a house! We couldn't be more excited!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane

So I'm doing a little bit of traveling this week and I feel it's important to go over some overlooked, yet important rules of etiquet when flying.

1. Please wear close-toed shoes. Although your sandals or flip-flops maybe the most comfortable thing you own, no one else wants to looks at your gross feet! Most people are not foot models which means your feet are probably going to be ugly, your pedicure (if you have one) is probably chipped, or you forgot to shave the hair on your toes (way gross!). Basically, it's better for all involved it you can wait to get home or to your hotel room to make your feet comfortable.

2. Try to dine before getting on the plane. I understand some people can't help it, and the aroma of a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich can be a nice addition to an otherwise stuffy smell of the plane. However, if you are eating something that is going to leave your fingers greasy or your breath smelly please try to wait to eat your delicious treat. Case in point... a women I was sitting beside today brought her Popeye's friend chicken on the plane! She was slurping down drumetts while I was dodging elbows (she wasn't good at keeping to her side of the seat). Then her fingers were greasy and I was over all disgusted. Please, please, please, if you can help it, spare the people you are sitting next to an avoid dinning on the aircraft!

3. Lastly, please remember personal space. The person sitting beside you paid just as much for their ticket as you did for yours. Just think of the armrest between the seats, not so much as an armrest, but more of a divider. Both parties should keep to their side of the seat. Once again, chicken lady was a good two inches over the armrest. Granted she was a bit bigger, but if she wanted that extra spaces she should have paid for it. Just because she has chubby arms and elbows that can't fit into her seat is no reason for her to invade my space!

If you have any questions or concerns on the suggestions, please refer to an Emily Post etiquette book... I'm sure she'll back me up.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Easy Like Sunday Morning

This past weekend was one of my favorite family traditions… First Sunday in May! It’s actually homecoming at Memaw’s church and takes place every first Sunday in May. The church was built in the late 1800’s and has not been rebuilt since. I always feel like I’m going back to a simpler time when I’m there. The pews are terribly uncomfortable and the floors creek, but there is something so charming about it. After church there is a huge potluck lunch. Everyone brings blankets and chairs, and we rush to put them down in the same place we’ve been sitting in since I was a baby. This Sunday was beautiful; perfect weather, sunshine, and a slight breeze that would stir the Spanish moss every so often. Meredith and I decided to stir things up a bit this year, so we wore big hats with bows!
After lunch we headed to my Aunt Pugs house to visit with the family for a while longer. She makes the best strawberry daiquiris, so we had some of those and most of the family gathered on the screened-in porch to reminisce and catch up on family gossip. About an hour later a cousin of mine brought over two puppies! Could a lazy Sunday afternoon get any better? I think not! The whole day reminded me of how great life is when it’s broken down to some of the simplest things.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Summer Time's Calling Me...



My sisters and I decided this past week that we needed some sisterly bonding time, so we packed up on Friday and headed to Oak Island. Needless to say it was a much-needed escape from our daily lives.

Arriving at the beach house is always interesting. Memaw (our grandmother) always asks that the water be turned off after visiting, which means to turn it on when we arrive (typically at night) we have to reach our hand down in a hole, in the dark, with a couple hundred rolly-pollys, and turn a knob. It’s always interesting to see how many ways we can find to not directly touch the knob. This time it was surgical gloves.

Saturday we met Catie’s (my youngest sister) new beau at the Southport Marina for a day on his boat. However, before all the fun began we managed to get ourselves locked out of the house and poor Memaw had to drive down, unlock the door and leave us a set of keys. Other than that, the day was amazing! We left the marina, went to a spot off of Holden Beach and laid out for a couple hours, pulled up and docked at a restaurant in Ocean Isle Beach for lunch, and then slowly made our way back to Southport. It was such an amazing day for us girls, and we were able to get to know Matt (Catie’s new beau).

Today before leaving we hit the beach for some last minute sun. As Meredith (my middle sister) and I were lying out we noticed something big and shiny in the water. We debated over what it was briefly. After closer investigation we discovered it was a HUGE jellyfish, about a foot and a half in diameter. I don’t think they have jellyfish that big in the NC aquarium!

All in all, it was an incredible weekend and we all agreed to make more of an effort for beach time this summer. Hopefully there will be more stories to come of boating, sunning, and creature finding!