I LOVE Christmas!!!!

As I'm sure I've said many times before, Christmas is my absolute FAVORITE time of the year. For the most part, everyone is in a good mood - other than in crowded stores. I was able to finagle my schedule to have 2 1/2 weeks at home over the Christmas holidays. The first few days were all about travel. I spent a couple of days in the Dallas area, and then we went down to Livingston for Sean's coming home party. (He made it safely home from Iraq last month. PRAISE GOD!!!!)

Just a side note on our brave Marines, Soldiers, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard . . . Please continue to pray for their safe and quick return home, as well as for all those who've been wounded protecting our freedoms!

After we left his party, we headed to Houston to visit my nursing school roommate. We all went to church together that Sunday morning - where the hand bell choir played some Beautiful Christmas carols, - and then we went to GRINGO'S . . . some of the BEST Tex-Mex in Texas! YUMMY!!!! :)

Monday & Tuesday were filled with shopping. Unlike most people, I actually enjoy going to the stores/malls during the Christmas holidays . . . for short periods of time. (Even I'm not that insane!) Then, Wednesday was "spa day". My mom, mamma granny, and I went to a local salon for some fun. My granny's birthday present was to get a facial & massage, so my mom & I decided to join her - rough life, huh? :) I was SO excited because my hair had finally gotten long enough to donate again. YEA!! In case you've never heard of doing this, there is an organization based in Florida called Locks of Love that makes wigs for children who've lost their hair due to some illness. They take donations of hair (or money if you can't grow your hair out), and I believe the wigs are free for the children. I've been able to do this a few times, and it's always so rewarding to think that some little girl won't have to be bald! Thursday, I got to spend some time with one of my good friends in the Dallas area and her two little boys (my 'nephews'). They're ages 2 & 4 and SO FULL of energy!! I always have a blast playing with them. :)

Starting on Friday, it was time for baking!!!! I baked . . . and baked . . . and baked . . .well, you get the idea. SO MUCH FUN (& food)! :) My parents and I spent most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the kitchen. We all had a good time. All good ways to pass the time until the BIG DAY . . .

Christmas Eve, we spent some time with my Grandaddy and Granny Shirley at my aunt's house. It was good to catch up with the family again since I hadn't seen this side of the fam since the summer. Then, came CHRISTMAS!! I guess I'm still part kid, because I just CANNOT sleep in on Christmas morning!! I was nice and let my parents sleep until about 7:30, but then I couldn't take it anymore - it was time to start the fun! I love watching people open the presents I've picked out for them and seeing their reactions. It's one of my favorite things about Christmas. Later that day, we got to spend some time with my Mamma Granny and Papa Art, as well as some aunts, uncles, and cousins that I don't get to see much. Good times.

Wednesday was one of the best days of the 2 weeks since I got to go see my little Sam. He's so precious! He's really big into the matchbox cars right now, and he MUST have them lined up end to end. If one gets turned sideways, he'll just stand there and scream at it until someone fixes it. TOO FUNNY!! :)

Then came Friday . . . as a Christmas gift, my parents were given tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance in Dallas. Thankfully (for me) there was an extra ticket that I could have. There aren't words for that show!! It's "80's punk rock band meets classical music." Along with the phenomenal musicians, they had constant laser light shows, pyrotechnics, snow, or all of the above perfectly in sinc with the music. Lot's of people have started timing their Christmas lights to flash along with the music. I've attached a video of one of them. Just multiply it by about a 1000 and throw in the live musicians, and you'll have something similar to the concert. If you EVER have the chance to go to one of their shows (and aren't prone to seizures from brightly flashing lights!), I'd highly recommend you go!!!! :)

I hope the video works for you. If it doesn't, just go to this website.

So, that was my Christmas vacation in a nut shell. It was VERY busy, but also VERY fun! I hope your Christmas was just as wonderful!

Kids & Christmas!

One of my FAVORITE things about the Christmas season is watching the children's programs! This year, I got back to Texas just in time to watch one of my "nephews", Evan, in his preschool Christmas program. What a treat!!

Evan's in the white shirt with the navy vest.

Evan singing his heart out!

Almost all the songs had hand motions :)

After the AMAZING performance, we all went back to their house for hot chocolate & visiting. While Steve, Melissa, and I visited, the boys ran circles around us . . . literally! It was so cute to watch them play with each other. :) The boys found the Alabama Christmas cd on the stereo and started blasting it as they danced around.

Joel dancing . . . His eye's a little red after he poured some of his hot chocolate in it earlier. :)

I had SUCH a great time that night catching up with friends. Then, I got to go over to my sister & brother in law's house. It was nice to visit with them that night and all day on Friday. I hadn't gotten to spend much time with Amy this year, so we had a wonderful visit Friday morning! I've been going non-stop since I arrived back in Texas Wednesday night, but it's been a BLAST!

A Stress Free Holiday

A pipe dream? Well, not when it comes to my work this year. For the first time in over a year, I had the details of my next assignment worked out LONG before it started. YAY!! :) I'm working 3 more days, and then I'll be home for TWO WHOLE WEEKS to celebrate Christmas with the fam!! Since the Christmas Day Celebration will be at my parents' house, I'll get to help with the baking - something I truly missed last year. I've already been thinking about cakes to bake! Can you tell that I'm excited?!? There's nothing better than baking during the holidays with my favorite Christmas music in the background - it's the recipe for a perfect day. (go ahead & roll your eyes at that one - I just couldn't help it) :)

I'll be coming back here to Greenville, NC, for a 3 month contract after Christmas. I enjoy working at this hospital, and let's face it - it's easier to stay here than to learn a new hospital, again. :) I'm just hoping that North Carolina doesn't have a record breaking cold winter in 2008!!!! But, even if they do, it's all part of the adventure, right?

On a side note, I had a fun experience this afternoon - one that should NO longer surprise me, but it does every time. Since my current contract is only 3 weeks long, I am staying in a hotel instead of an apartment. The plus side is that someone else comes in to change my linens and bring fresh towels whenever I want. The minus side is that I have to find someplace to go for them to do this. Well, I finished all my errands today before they finished my room, so I decided to work on my Christmas cards in the hotel lobby. While there, an interesting lady who works here (doing what, I'm not quite sure) spotted me sitting there and decided to come "visit". Lucky me! :) Now, to make things even better, I've been working straight nights the last 2 weeks, so being awake and coherent during daylight hours can be somewhat of a challenge. This lady proceeds to tell me her ENTIRE life story - complete with reports of visions of her dead mother "in the green". I have NO idea what that's supposed to mean, and, honestly, I was too scared to ask her for an explanation. I learned of her life, the lives of ALL her siblings (7 of them!), her mother and 12 aunts/uncles, her children, 14 grandchildren, and her stepchildren. Please tell me, what about me sitting alone in the back of the hotel lobby at a table writing Christmas cards BEGS a complete stranger to come and talk for FORTY FIVE MINUTES?!? I honestly don't understand how I get to be so lucky. But, mom you'd be SO proud - I held my laughter in until she left and I could get back into my room. This was quite a feat on my part, considering some of the strange parts of the story which are not appropriate for my "family friendly blog"! Anyway, thank God for having a room to retreat to with a door that closes & locks! Boy, can I attract them! :)

By the way . . .

18 Days & Counting until Christmas!!!!

Thankful

My "Sam" turned 3 a few days ago! This is a day many of us caring for him in those initial months of his life never thought would get here. It hasn't been an easy road for him, and he has more trials ahead, but I am so grateful that God has lent him to us to enjoy for a little longer! I'm so grateful for his wonderful foster parents who love him like their own son and provide a Godly home for him. I spoke with his foster mom on his birthday, and she said that he was having a great day just laughing and laughing while pulling his socks off that morning. I love seeing the world through the eyes of children - where everything is new, exciting, and so entertaining! Thank you for all your prayers for him over the years, and please continue to pray for his health and comfort.

I've fallen in love . . .

with Tennessee, that is. :-) What a pretty stretch of the country! Let me start at the beginning:

My contract in Greenville finished last Saturday, and I caught a VERY early flight home last Sunday morning. Perfect timing for me to be able to spend Thanksgiving at home with the fam. (amazing how that worked, huh?) My sweet parents picked me up at the airport, and we headed to one of my FAVORITE Tex-Mex restaurants to meet Amy & Ronnie for lunch. YUM!!After a good visit with them and filling my belly, we set out to return to my parents' house. Monday & Tuesday were "all business": unpacking summer stuff, packing winter stuff, and sorting through a bunch of mail - some junk, some not so much. Monday night, I did get to go to my parents' dance lesson. HOW FUN!!!! :) We were doing some form of swing dancing - one of my favorites. Poor dad had two partners that night, so he never got a rest, but we sure had fun! Tuesday night, after my parents got home for work, it was time to start the decorating process. YAY!! When they walked in the door, I was surrounded by Christmas lights I'd been checking. We got a lot done that night, and I got a few pictures. (shocking, I know) :)

My parents' tree all lit up!

Most of their collection of Nativities

Wednesday was "grandparent day". Dad & I ran a few errands that morning until mom got off work around lunch time. Then, we were off to visit two sets of grandparents. We first went to my Grandaddy & Granny Shirley's house. It was so nice to visit with them. After this, we went over to my Papa Art & Mamma Granny's house. As an extra bonus, one of my cousins, Jason, and his friend, Angie, were also there. It was like a mini family reunion. :-) He had just come from the north east on business and warned me about the "unforgiving" I-40 through TN & NC. Boy was he right! It was so much fun to visit with them while eating some of Papa Art's famous fish. :) While the guys were in the garage cooking, the girls were inside decorating the Christmas tree. I didn't get a picture of this one, but it turned out VERY cute. When we got home, we put up my little tree in the game room that has all my ornaments I've gotten while traveling - my souvenirs.

Yep, that hat says "I believe in Santa Claus!"

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, was at my Papa Joe & Mema's new house. It was delicious as always and so nice to see the family again! Everyone got involved in the preparations and the clean up, which made it fun and go much more quickly.

Jenna & Chloe washing the dishes . . . & counters & walls & floor etc. :-)

Friday was all about finishing the last minute details before leaving Saturday morning on my return trip to NC and being the 12th Man from afar for THE GAME that afternoon. How proud was I of my Ags that evening after their win against t.u.?!?!?!? Words cannot express!!

TEXAS A&M 38

t.u. 30

So, Saturday morning, I headed out on my trip back to North Carolina. My plan was to make it to Nashville, TN, by Saturday night. It was amazing . . . the trees started showing amazing colors as I crossed from Arkansas to Tennessee. I got to meet with some of my friends for dinner in Nashville as they headed home from spending the holidays with family in Chattanooga. This morning, after a small "Jenn detour", I found I-40 and headed east. I'd hoped to finish my journey and end up in Greenville tonight. But, after 11 hrs in the car, I had to stop driving about 2 hours short of my final destination. All this to say, I love the views in TN! The drive from Nashville, TN, to Asheville, NC, is absolutely amazing!! I wouldn't recommend it in the dark or when you're tired because it's full of tight curves and hills. But, the trees and rocks are AMAZING!!

So, that was my trip in a nutshell. After doing a few things here in Raleigh tomorrow, I'll be heading back to Greenville to start another 3 weeks of fun with miniature babies!! I hope your Thanksgiving was a great as mine! :)

WOW!

I finished packing up and cleaning my apartment early today, so I decided I should play the rest of the day. So, I went to my favorite mall and walked around for a while. I almost cut all of my hair off, but I was one inch short when she measured it (I need 1o inches). Guess I'll have to wait another month. After I checked out all the Christmas decorations the mall had to offer, I headed to a nearby state park. The drive along HWY 540 was absolutely GORGEOUS with all the colorful leaves! The park was just as pretty, and it's much safer to stop & take pictures! I'd been told over & over that the leaves wouldn't be pretty this year because of the drought. Well, if these are the bad ones, I can't imagine what they look like on a year with plenty of rain!

Another 13 Weeks Flown By

Hard to believe it, but my contract here in Greenville finished today! I must REALLY be getting old because time is absolutely flying!! :) It's been a great 3 months. So great, in fact, that I'm coming back after Thanksgiving to work here a little more before Christmas. I'm flying out early Sunday morning - my flight LEAVES at 7:30, which makes for an early start even for me! - to go home for Thanksgiving. I'm so excited to get to spend the holiday with my family. Have a wonderful weekend!

Trees that "POP"

There's this tree across the parking lot from my apartment that turned this gorgeous, bright red color a few weeks ago. I've been watching it in amazement as it was the only one that had changed. Yesterday morning, on my way home from work, I noticed that the rest of the trees had finally turned. But, they were all orange. Being that it's my last week in this apartment, I decided to get a picture. :) Hmmmmm . . . Random observations from Jenn. Have a great day!

Fall Colors

I went back out to the garden at Duke University yesterday. It was a beautiful day, and I just felt like walking around outside. What better place than an area where I can be surrounded by pretty flowers? :-) I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Incredible Perspective!

A friend of mine just sent me "Eliot's" story, and I thought - a perfect story for my blog. Eliot is truly a miracle. The faith of his parents is amazing and inspiring. I've only seen a few trisomy 18 patients at work, and NONE of them made it out of the nursery alive. What a blessing for us that his parents shared God's gift with the rest of us! To see his story, just click on his name above. But be warned . . . you're gonna need some tissues to get through it!!

Halloween Warm Fuzzies

We were sharing trick or treating stories today at work, and a friend of mine had THE BEST! After a long night of going door to door with her 2 kiddos (5 yrs. old & 7 yrs. old), the kids were hyper and less than obedient. So, as a last resort, she threatened to take away all of their candy and give it to the kids at the hospital. Her son (the 5 yr old) looked astounded and asked her, "Are there really kids in the hospital? I thought kids just went to the doctor." Paula then explained to him that there were kids of all ages that had to spend holidays in the hospital. A little while later, both of her kids had collected about half of their candy for her to take to the kids at the hospital!!!! How sweet is that?!? :) I hope you had a great Halloween and got a lot of good candy!

Mixed emotions . . .

YEA for Boston Red Sox!!!! In case you didn't know or don't follow baseball, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series last night over my Colorado Rockies. I was very excited about this year because two of my favorite teams made it. So, I wasn't going to be too disappointed no matter who won. :) Although, I would have preferred the series last a little longer AND for the Rockies to have won, I'm happy for my Sox. All this to say . . . baseball is officially over for this year. I'm looking forward to spring! :) Have a great week!!

Time's running out

As of right now, I only have about 3 more weeks here in North Carolina. As usual, contract negotiations are dragging their feet. :) So, I decided I should probably go & see some stuff on my "to do" list since I had today off. As surprising as it may seem, I headed to the Outer Banks this morning! (not surprised? huh) When my family was here earlier this month, we weren't able to go see the Wright Brothers' Memorial, so I decided to go today.

I'm sure I heard about the history of their famous flights back in at least one of my history classes, but it was one of those things I remembered for the test & forgot as I left that room! So, I learned - again - about their flights today. :)

This marker represents their 4th flight that day, the one that was recorded with the Smithsonian Institute. Something I thought was cool was that a piece of the original machine they used was taken to the moon. How sentimental of NASA!! :)

So, after walking around the memorial for a while, I started back towards the mainland to go to an aquarium. There's NOTHING (at least in my opinion) more relaxing than watching fish swim around. I used to sit & watch my big fish, Beauford, swim as a form of "study break" in college. . . fewer calories than the Moonpie/Sprite Circle K runs!! :) What better way to spend a few hours before another weekend at work, which can be a bit stressful at times?!?

I'm not sure if I've ever been to an aquarium this close to Halloween, so I don't know if this is a common practice, but this one decorated almost all of the fish tanks with skeletons, pumpkins, spider webs, etc. It was pretty cute!

Tiny Sea Horses around the skeleton

After this, I decided I should come on back to the real world (or as real as it gets when you work 3 days and play the other 4 every week!). :) I did see something fun on the drive home, though. I took a different back road coming home than I took this morning so I was in unfamiliar territory. Otherwise, I would have pulled off the road to try & capture it on my camera. With the rain & humidity this evening, there was some fog, but it wasn't down on the ground like it usually is in the morning. These were just little "clouds" of fog caught in some of the trees off in the distance. Talk about setting the mood for Halloween!! Thank goodness it was still daylight or it could have been a little creepy. :)

Great Quote!

Give me the ability to see good things

in unexpected places,

and talents in unexpected people.

And give me, O Lord,

the grace to tell them so.

-Written by an anonymous 17th century nun (Having a Mary Spirit, pg 231)

Howdy, Folks!

You guessed it, I went to the state fair this past weekend . . . just not the Texas one. :) Saturday, I went to the North Carolina State Fair. In spite of the lack of a ginormous cowboy greeting everyone with the phrase, "Howdy, folks!" it was a great fair! As I've mentioned before, I love fairs & festivals, so a state fair is the ultimate treat. I enjoy looking at all the displays, especially the arts & crafts people bring. One building (I think it was the hobbies & crafts building) had all kinds of projects people had done that were judged for the fair. One entire section was devoted to scrapbooking pages. I spent a lot of time looking over their pages in admiration & trying to get some ideas for when I get to scrapbook all of my travels. Two of the pages were on Washington, DC, so that was fun. :) Next to this section was a huge grouping of homemade cards. This was fun to see, too, since I've dabbled a little in making cards. I think my favorite was a Christmas card (shocking, I know). On the cover, it had a crab standing on a beach with the phrase, "Merry Christmas, from Sandy Claws." Pretty punny, but it made me laugh! :)

There was another section on gardens that was really pretty with lots of different water features.

Later in the day, I met up with one of my friends from here. We found the places with the free food samples - always a favorite. :) Never before have I seen a $5000 turkey, but I did that day! We went through the building with all the 4H or FFA champion animals, and there it was . . . the grand champion turkey. Now, not being a turkey expert, it looked like any other white turkey to me. And, as sacrilege as it might sound to the kid that raised it, I immediately thought of Thanksgiving! YUM!! :) One pin had a pig and about 10 adorable, round piglets. They were TOO cute! On the way out of there, we stopped to watch the goat judging, which is incredibly similar to dog judging. Some of them were really pretty. Who knew? It was kinda funny to watch these poor people trying to lead stubborn goats around a ring. After riding one insane, flippy ride - not really sure if I was upside down or right side up more on that one - we staggered over to the petting zoo. I thought I got a picture of a goat resting on top of a cow laying down, but I'm not exactly sure what happened. It was hilarious!

All in all, it was a great day. I was very impressed with the fair here! But, the next day, I realized how out of shape I've gotten since leaving the DC area. While there, I was used to walking around for hours on end while doing touristy stuff. Apparently, I've lost that because my legs were SORE on Sunday!! :) I did snap a quick picture of the leaves starting to change on Sunday before I headed home, though.

Now, how pretty is that?!? Trees like this one lined a good part of my drive home, which made it very enjoyable. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to seeing how pretty the trees get over the next few weeks!

A Clean Sweep

Well . . . The Colorado Rockies are going to the World Series!! Who would have thought it possible?!? :) I've liked this team pretty much since they were formed. My parents were out in CO for something back the year the team was formed and brought us all back T-shirts & shorts with the Rockies logo. I remember thinking - "How pretty, purple & black!" I've been to Coors' Field there in Denver a couple of times, and it is just gorgeous! I love watching the waterfall in outfield. We went one year on vacation while my favorite baseball player was still getting to play - Javy Lopez - for the Braves. We got to see a couple of games that year. I don't remember who won the games, but I do remember how cold it got at night . . . even in July!! :) Javy started spring training with the Rockies, but he went into retirement before the season actually started. How cool would that have been if he'd gotten to stay with the team as they went to the World Series?!? What a way to end your career! :) Oh well. I'm very happy for Todd Helton, who's been with the team since the beginning (I think). He must be on cloud 9!! VERY EXCITING! I can't wait to see who they get to play . . . Go Red Sox!!!! :)

Partying with the Poes!

North Carolina will NEVER be the same! :) My mom, dad, mema, and papa Joe flew into Raleigh this past Thursday for a 5 day visit. They came, they saw, they laughed. We had a wonderful visit and saw a lot of the state of NC. I think we're all ready for a vacation after this "vacation". I, for one, am tired and ready for a nap. :) Here's an overview (complete with pictures) of what we got to do:

Thursday:

I met up with them in Raleigh after they arrived and picked up their rental. We piled into one car and drove around Raleigh a little through the Historic Oakwood area. While doing this, we found an old cemetery, so we pulled in to see if there were any "Poe" headstones there. We knew that we had some relatives that lived in the area a LONG time ago. We also found the Confederate Army section of the cemetery. All the headstones had been replaced with marble ones like at Arlington Cemetery. There's one that was a Union soldier mistaken as a Confederate and buried here. OOPS!!

Friday:

After a full day of travel on Thursday, we got off to a later start on Friday. We went to a city about an hour south of here, New Bern, NC. By far, my mema's FAVORITE part of the trip! :) They're restoring the downtown area, and it's very nice. Pepsi, by the way, was invented by a pharmacist in New Bern.

We also visited a beautifully restored church downtown. They have a silver service for communion that was brought over with the 1st rector of the church when the settlers arrived. AND, they still bring it out to use on occasion! George Washington took communion off of this service.

After lunch at Captain Ratty's, a great seafood restaurant, we went to the Tryon Palace. This was the 1st capitol and governor's mansion in NC. It has some very nice gardens to walk through!

Saturday:

One of my patient's moms told me about a festival not far from here taking place this past weekend. Being a festival/fair lover, I suggested we go. :) It was The North Carolina Seafood Festival, and it only happens once a year. How lucky were they that it was during their visit?!? :) We got to see some great NC artists, hear some live bands, and eat some GREAT food. I was having so much fun looking at all the arts & crafts, I forgot to take any pictures of the festival! But, on the way home, we stopped at a Wendy's for an ice cream & potty break. Inside, they had a "wendy" cut out that we could get our pictures with . . . so we did!

Mom

Me

Mema (making a silly face) :)

The guys didn't want to "be Wendy". Go figure! :)

Sunday:

Sunday, we hung out in Greenville. We went to church, and then watched some football. My mema loves the NC Panthers - which makes her popular in this area! - so we all watched/napped through the Panthers game. I'm so glad they won, since it made for better moods all around! :) After the games, we went to a couple of local stores, and I got my mema addicted to Starbucks! I introduced her to the "mocha frapucinno," and she was immediately hooked. Everywhere else we went, she was watching for coffee shops and wondering if they might have a frapucinno. :) In our shopping, we three girls found cute straw hats and decided to form the "Vanilla Floppy Hat Girls Club", or the VFHG. We wore them Monday and took our pictures all over the Outer Banks with our hats on!

Monday:

The above picture is us waiting for the 1st of 2 ferry rides (my mom's dream come true - a day on the ferry!) we took while touring the Outer Banks. We went out to Ocracoke Island to see the lighthouse there. I had planned on taking everyone to the restaurant I went to last time I was there, but it was closed. So, we found an even better one, Captain Ben's (are you catching the theme in food, too?!?). :) After our tummies were full, we went to my favorite beach spot to collect shells and get our feet wet. Not paying much attention to the size of waves headed my way at one point, I got MUCH more than just my feet wet! :) I had gone on & on about how beautiful it was, and no one was disappointed after we got there! I just can't say enough about how pretty the beaches are!

Dad & Papa Joe on the beach

We caught the ferry to the next island and the next lighthouse.

Dad & Mom on the ferry boat

After seeing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, we drove (& drove & drove!) up Cape Hatteras until we reached Bodie Island, the place of our 3rd & final lighthouse stop for the day. Cape Hatteras is a VERY, VERY LONG island!! By the time we finished with the Bodie Island Lighthouse, it was too late to get in the Wright Brothers' Museum.

Tuesday:

This morning, we went out to breakfast, they checked out of the hotel, and we had just a little more time to visit until they needed to head to the airport.

It's been a WONDERFUL 5 days, and I've thoroughly enjoyed having some family around! I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Let me just say, if you've never "partied with the poes" (pretty much any Poe), it's a lot of fun! Everyone should have the opportunity at least once in their life. Now, I'm off to take a little recuperating nap. :)

Ags win two ways

Here are the standings after today's games per ESPN:

Standings Conference Overall
Big 12 - South W-L W-L
Texas A&M 2-0 5-1
Oklahoma 1-1 5-1
Texas Tech 1-1 5-1
Oklahoma State 1-1 3-3
Texas 0-2 4-2
Baylor 0-2 3-3

Not only did we win again today, but t.u. lost (again)!! :) This put us as #1 in the Big 12 South. WHOOP!!!! Who knows how long this will last, so we MUST celebrate and enjoy our victories as they come. Gig'em!

Research . . . or Roadtrip?

Yesterday morning, I decided it was time to hit the road again for a little "exploring". :) Since I have family coming for a visit this next week, I thought it might be good for me to have some fun things we can do. So, after looking online for a while on Wednesday, I set out to explore Raleigh some. North Carolina State University (NOT to be confused with UNC!!!! - a very serious offense) is located in Raleigh and has a small arboretum, so I decided to check it out. There were still a few roses blooming, which made me happy.

When I arrived, I stopped in the visitor information center to get a map of the grounds. A sweet older man was in there and decided to give me the history of the gardens. In what seemed like a warning, he told me that these gardens "aren't for pleasure, but they're for research." It was hard not to laugh!! Can these two things not co-exist when it comes to flowers?!?!? Anyways, I listened to his story, thanked him for the maps, and headed out to NOT enjoy the walk through the garden. :) What an odd thing to tell someone! I almost stopped back by the center to let him know that I'd enjoyed the gardens even if they are solely for research, but decided against it.

Just down the road from the garden is the North Carolina Museum of Art. They're doing construction all around it, so it was a bit of a challenge to get to, but it was well worth it. I spent most of my time there in the European art section. As you know, I have a fascination (some might say obsession) with hands. :) I was amazed at the detail some of the artists put into the hands in the portraits & pictures. Some, you could actually see veins and tendons! Of course, having the morbid thought processes that come along with my line of work, I was judging how many sticks it would take to get IV's in all these pictures' hands. :) I also thought it was funny to see how some of the artists totally side-stepped the difficult job of painting detailed hands by making just that section blurry. Or, sometimes they'd make the back of the hand "fat looking" so you wouldn't expect to see the detail. The only problem with this method was that some of the "fat" hands were on otherwise skinny people. All in all, it's a nice museum, and I thoroughly enjoyed wandering around inside it for a while.

Before I went downtown, I decided to stop & get some lunch at this Mexican fast food restaurant I was introduced to while living in Birmingham . . . Qdoba's. YUMMY!!!! After having my innards set on fire by lunch, I set out for downtown. :) The beach had been brought to Raleigh the week before where someone had done this sand sculpture in the mall area. I found the Raleigh Visitor's Center, mainly looking for a downtown map since I'd forgotten to print one before I left that morning. Well, I met a "Chatty-Cathy" behind the information desk! (shocking, I know!) Amidst learning about where she & her husband are from, where all they've lived, how much she loves NC, and what she gives her friends for Christmas, I got a map of the downtown area and a couple of my questions answered. :) If she didn't have to stay at the desk, I'm afraid I might have had company on my self guided tour of Downtown Raleigh! After spending so much time with her, I didn't have much time left before places were going to start closing, so I just hit the highlights - namely the old capitol.

The NC flag still catches me off guard. It looks like someone turned the Texas flag upside down and put a few letters around the star! It messes with my head. :)

Since I was parked in a public lot, I thought I should probably get back to my car by 5pm just in case they closed the lot then. The lady at the visitor center didn't know anything about when the public lots closed, so she told me where she parks everyday and what time she leaves. So very helpful! :) I remembered driving through Oakwood when I came through here back in the spring, so I thought I'd go check it out again. The majority of the homes have been refurbished and are beautiful! Sorry, no pictures of them as I haven't mastered driving through a neighborhood and snapping pictures without running into cars and/or people. :) Maybe I'll get a chance to walk through it someday.

Between this neighborhood and the governmental district sits the Governor's Mansion. I did get information from the visitor center lady about how to get a tour of the mansion - which requires 2 weeks notice. That will be put on my "To Do" list . . . especially if I extend my contract and am here after it's decorated for Christmas!! Unlike the White House, I'll be allowed to take pictures inside of all the Christmas decorations. :) How fun! I did get a couple pictures of the outside of the mansion. The detailing on the roof is interesting. I'm sure there's a story behind that, and I know where to go to get more information if I don't mind having to sift through a LOT of personal history to get it.

While looking online, I also saw a newer mall not too far from there that has some of my favorite stores. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to write down where it was, but I remembered it was along HWY 540 (which isn't a very long highway). I found it without too much difficulty and discovered a great coffee shop! Caribou Coffee YUM!! I'd put it above Starbucks on my "coffee ranking scale". I told them that they needed to expand into Texas and share the wealth! :)

After getting my mint chocolate coffee and a cookie, I headed home so I wouldn't miss the Grey's Anatomy premiere. A very fun day!

Shoes, Wine, Soap, Tides, and Seahorses

Tuesday, I set out to find some new "work shoes". As anyone who works long days on their feet knows, comfy shoes are an absolute MUST!!!! I'd squished all the comfy out of my current ones. :) I found an outlet mall about an hour south of here, so I headed out. On the way there, I saw a sign advertising a local vineyard/winery that offered tours and a sign for a lighthouse I hadn't seen yet. So I thought, I've come this far, might as well see what else is around here. After lunch, I went and toured the winery. It's family owned and operated. I'd never toured a winery before, so it was pretty interesting.

After the tour, I explored a couple small towns in that area. One of them had a homemade soap store. I went in to see if there was anything I might "need". :) Well, I got to visit with the owner of the store, and that was TOTALLY worth the stop for the entertainment I received!! He's the one that "creates" all the soaps and other wellness products on the shelves, and boy did he have a LOT of self-proclaimed expertise in wellness/healing. I ended up buying a few bars of soap because I felt I should pay something for all the laughs I would enjoy every time I thought back about our encounter! As anyone who's gone in public with me knows, most people I meet have NO problem telling me more about themselves than I asked or EVER wanted to know. This man did not disappoint! :)

Since I didn't think I could stay in that store much longer, I got back on the highway and started toward the lighthouse. Unfortunately, the next sign I saw said it was 2 1/2 more hours down the road. Not wanting to make this a full day trip, I decided to catch one of the other highways that led back to Greenville so I could see new territory and not have to double back. Well, between phone calls and zoning out for a bit, I missed my exits. So, as a friend of mine put it, I had some "unplanned sightseeing" (which sounds better than saying I got lost, again!). :) The next thing I knew, I was 20 miles from the beach. At that point, I couldn't NOT go! I went and sat on the beach to watch the evening tide come in. Probably the MOST peaceful way to spend an hour that I can think of.

Near that beach, I saw a sign advertising an aquarium.

Yesterday morning, after watching a Bob Ross episode (the owner of the original white man fro) and a Vegitales episode (King George & the Great Pie War), I decided to go back out there and visit the aquarium since it was closed by the time I got there on Tuesday. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I got there in time for the 3PM feeding frenzy in the big fish tank. It was fun to watch the fish go crazy while the big sea turtle (who eats at a different time) just kinda floated around. Sea turtles are SO much fun to watch! I couldn't get a good picture of him, but I did get a good one of one of the seahorses. I've never seen such an active seahorse! He was swimming around almost the whole time I was standing near his tank, which made for some blurry pictures. :)

Autumn

Today was an absolutely GORGEOUS, autumn day! I had all my windows open and completely enjoyed the breeze coming through my apartment as I listened to my music and read a great mystery. Don't you just love how God gives something beautiful to enjoy when situations in life can be a little discouraging?!? No rainbow, but a promise kept none the less. :)

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt.

Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it."

-Psalm 81:10

TRUST

"Living a life of worry guarantees a shrinking soul. When we try to be

God by grabbing control, we shrivel because we cannot bear the weight.

Enlarged souls live comfortable with the unknown because

they choose to trust God."

- Paul Borthwick

Weekends

For the most part, weekends are ALWAYS great! It's usually synonymous with PLAYTIME. :) Well, this past weekend did not disappoint. Saturday, I met up with a friend in Richmond, VA, for a girls' day. Good food, fun times at the spa, and some shopping made for a wonderful time!

Then came Sunday . . .

One of my FAVORITE (probably my #1 favorite, come to think about it) artists, Bebo Norman, was in concert with Shane & Shane (Gig'em, Ags!) in a city not too far from here. So, I set out to hear him live. What an incredible time of worship! I'd recommend going to the Pages Tour if it comes to a city near you. I can almost assure you that you'll be blessed from it! :)

(Sorry, the pictures came out a little dark.)

Bebo Norman singing :)

Shane & Shane