OBX

Yesterday, I set out to see some of the Outerbanks (OBX) lighthouses! It turned into a long day, but it was well worth it. :) I started by catching the ferry to Ocracoke Island and finished by making a u-turn up by the Currituck Beach Lighthouse to head home. I had planned to take some pictures from the ferry since it was a two hour ride, but I found out too late that my camera batteries were dead. Oh well. Just take my word that the ride was through some beautiful, blue water.

Once I arrived on the island, I found a grocery store to get some batteries and then went in search of the lighthouse. You wouldn't think it would be difficult to find a lighthouse, I know, but I must admit I passed this one completely missing it the first go round! It's literally in between a cluster of houses with a little boardwalk that goes out to it.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

After a few pictures, I found a fun little cafe for lunch called the Flying Melon Cafe. I had a blue fish sandwich (apparently blue fish aren't just in Dr. Seuss books!). Of course no trip to an island is complete without a little stop off at the beach - at least in my opinion. I never get tired of the ocean and waves! This picture just can't do justice to the beauty of that beach!!

Ocracoke Island Beach

After a little while of watching that beautiful scene, I got back in my car to continue my lighthouse tour. The island, after you pass the "metropolis" of Ocracoke, is pretty much Highway 12 with the beach on each side of you! It's a great drive. I caught the next ferry over to Cape Hatteras. This is my favorite lighthouse so far with its diagonal stripes! :) You can pay a fee to climb this lighthouse, but I didn't take that option yesterday.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

From here, I got back on Highway 12 to go to Bodie Island. This stretch on the highway actually had towns on it, so I couldn't see as much of the ocean. But, for all you Nicholas Sparks fans, I DID pass through Rodanthe (great book!). :) There's a long bridge that crosses the ocean between Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island. As you drive, you can see the Bodie Island Lighthouse the whole way. This end of the island is mostly unpopulated - I think because it's marshy, but I'm not completely sure.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

The last stretch of Hwy 12 is a long one that goes up to Corolla, NC, which is close to the VA border. But, that's where the Currituck Beach Lighthouse sits, so I went. :) A long time ago, my parents gave me a ceramic lighthouse that lights up, and I'm pretty sure that it's this one. I couldn't remember the name, but when I saw it, I immediately recognized it. :) Located in a park surrounded by trees, it was hard to get the entire lighthouse in a picture, but I tried.

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

There's also the option to climb this lighthouse, but I got there just as it was closing for the evening - not that I was planning on climbing hundreds of steps anyways. :) To get back to the mainland, I crossed a couple more long bridges. For me, the most impressive thing about the Outerbanks is that you can see both the sunrise and the sunset over the ocean - especially down around Ocracoke Island. What's better than that?!? This is a view of the sun setting as I drove across one of the bridges back to the real world. :)

Well, that's a MUCH abbreviated version of my trip yesterday! Have a great day!!

Jenn Goes to Washington

That is, Washington, North Carolina. :) I had today off, but it was TOO pretty to sit around inside. So, you guessed it, I headed out on a mini road trip!!

The other day, a girl at work told me about a little cafe that has live jazz groups playing during the week. Well, this was one of my FAVORITE things to do while at A&M! A group of us from church/ABS would meet at this local coffee shop called Sweet Eugene's House of Java for caffeine, games, and great music. Spades was usually the game of choice when it was just us girls. :) I fell in love with one of the local bands - Big Apple Trio - so much so that I bought their CD. Good memories. This morning, after a healthy dose of coffee, I set out.

I did find the cafe, so I'm sure that's where I can be found most Thursday nights from now on. Also, in my wanderings in downtown Greenville, I found an adorable little park. It has several flags - I'm guessing all the flags that have flown over NC in its history - surrounding a memorial listing all the names of people from Pitt County that have given all for our country since WWI.

Another great thing about Greenville is that they have FREE street parking!!!! It's been a long time since I could just park on the side of the street and not do the "quarter search" through my car and belongings to try and avoid special notes from Rita-Meeter-Maid. I got out and walked around the park for a while, and I came across a HUGE sundial! As you know, I have a great fascination (or some may say obsession) with clocks of all styles. :) This sundial was called the "Millennium Sundial", but it wasn't done until 2006. (a little confusing to me) There's not a "stick" in the middle, but there is a big plaque that tells you where to stand according to what month it is. Then, your shadow will fall on the correct time. In other words, you get to be the stick in the center of the sun dial. :)

This morning, while watching the weather on the news, I saw a live camera shot of a city near here called Washington that had what looked like ocean water. :) I'd seen signs pointing to Washington before, so I headed east to see what I could find. Not that I'm a geography genius, but I do know that the ocean is somewhere east of here! :) Well, the ocean isn't at Washington, but they do have a very cute downtown. Apparently, that stretch of the Tar River (which they renamed the part that goes through their town) is famous for blue crabs since it's where the fresh and salty water starts to mix. I bring this up because I saw several rather large crab statues as I wandered around downtown Washington today!! :) Of course, I took pictures of almost all of them. So, here goes . . .

Yep, that's a picture of our first president. :)

This town is the 1st in the US to be named after him.

This was my favorite, Forestacean!! I thought that was a very clever name.

I know that's only 2 pictures, but you get the idea. My internet connection isn't cooperating tonight. :) Anyway, it's a great town with some beautiful old buildings, and they are continuing to restore more of them. It was a very fun little trip.

Three things that make life Wonderful!

#1 BABIES!! - I love working and playing with babies. After taking two weeks off of work and then sitting through a week of orientation, I FINALLY got to play with some babies again today. :) There's nothing like wrapping up a little one and holding him/her for a few minutes. I know this probably sounds strange to most people, but I really miss my job when I'm gone for too long. I'm so glad to be back in the land of the tiny humans!!

#2 Short Commutes - Time left for work from my apartment this morning: 6:15AM; time arrived at the hospital: 6:20AM!! UNBELIEVABLE! :) I'm not sure I've ever had a 5 minute commute before. Granted, it's a Saturday, so Monday may take me a whole 10 minutes or something. Quite a change from last month! How great is North Carolina?!?

#3 mini Moonpies - My first two years of college, I lived with one of my best friends, Camille, down in Aggieland. We'd take "study breaks" to run down to the corner Circle K for energy boosts. Mine always consisted of a Sprite and a chocolate Moonpie. Well, when I went to the grocery store the other day, I found a box of mini Moonpies!! What a treat. :)

Jammy Day vs. Explorations

This was my "dilemma" this morning. :) (I know, rough life, huh?!?) I had today off after a week of hospital orientation and before I start my unit crash course orientation tomorrow through Monday. As usual, this has been a bit of a stressful week with moving, learning a new area, sitting through HOURS and HOURS of boring orientation classes, and that AWFUL test on Tuesday morning. So, I thought it would probably be wise to have a Jammy Day (my version of a lazy day; AKA "Me Day") today in preparation for learning a new unit over the next few days. But, because of a high endorsement from one of my friends, I also wanted to go see the Simpson's movie. What to do . . . what to do. :)

Well, I did a little of both! :) I found a showing of the movie in a town about 40 minutes from here this afternoon, so I set out on a mini adventure. I don't quite understand why, but there's a HWY 264 and an Alternate HWY 264. They both go in the same direction, but the alternate goes through some small towns and farms, so you only get to drive 55MPH. The other one, you get to drive 70MPH. Well, just for kicks, I took the Alternate (not realizing the speed difference). I discovered that this area of NC isn't all that different from East Texas . . . except that you need to trade a few hundred pine trees for a few hundred tobacco plants. At least I think that's what they were. I'm not sure I've ever seen a real tobacco plant other than on Gone With the Wind. Along this road, I saw TONS of old, rusty barns & silos. I'll have to remember to travel this area again with my camera. These would make great pictures for my dad to paint once his shop is built!! :)

I did finally arrive at the movie theater, got some Junior Mints in honor of my sister (or should I say "hunior meentz"?), and got ready to laugh. Well, I'm not a particular fan of commercials at the movie theater, but the Coke vs. Coke Zero commercials crack me up EVERY time I see them. Well worth the drive by itself!! :) After the obligatory 30 minutes of commercials and previews, the screen went blank and that was it. After a few minutes, I realized the movie wasn't coming on (I know, slow learner!), so I went out to let someone know. About 10 minutes after that, the lights came back on in the theater and the "in between movies" stuff started playing again. I ended up just getting my money back and coming on home. I guess I wasn't supposed to see the movie today after all! All in all, I drove almost an hour and a half to see some TV commercials and movie previews . . . and to get some Junior Mints! :)

So, when I got home, I put my jammy pants back on and decided to rest the rest of the day. What a fun day! :)

Tests and Storms

Here are some pictures of my adorable apartment! This is the first one I've been in that actually has decorations on the walls and a throw in the living room. How cozy!! :)

Check out the huge candle for me to use!! It's like they know me. :)

The 4 doors on each side of this walkway are to two walk in closets. I'd SO pick this apartment for myself!!

More fun decorations in my kitchen. Yeah, that's a rooster in the corner. :)

Very pretty room with a flower arrangement and fun tea light, tiered candle holder!

I officially started my new job today. I was welcomed to the hospital by taking a 5 hour essay test about all things NICU (well at least most of it was about babies). :) With my great love of tests, this just about did me in. So, I was very grateful that the day was complete once I finished writing! After having lunch with my new friend (who - intentionally or not - basically called me "old" to my face, TWICE) at a fun little place called Bear Rock Cafe (or something similar to that), I came home and did pretty much nothing while I waited for the phone call telling me whether or not I passed the test. My nurse manager from the hospital finally called tonight around 7:30 to let me know I get to stay here in NC for the next three months!! YEA!! :) If I hadn't passed the test, my contract would have ended, and I still have a long list of things I want to do here. That would have been bad. While talking to her, she said that she'd try to get me in the unit either this weekend or first thing next week. That made me happy because babies are SO MUCH MORE FUN than orientation, sitting in a classroom, and taking tests!!!!

Tonight, I encountered my first North Carolina storm. It was a pretty impressive show of lightening and thunder with a little rain, although very short lived (about an hour at most). It was a perfect excuse for me to stay in with a movie in stead of running the errands I needed to - Pride & Prejudice is my reward tonight for taking the test earlier. There's always tomorrow for errands, right?!? :)

Claudia

One of my friends' foster children passed away this Tuesday. She will be missed, especially her gentle, big eyes and her beautiful smile! But, for the first time EVER, she is healthy and getting to snuggle with her Creator.

Wayne Watson - Home Free

I'm trying hard not to think you unkind

But Heavenly Father, if You know my heart

Surely You can read my mind

Good people underneath a sea of grief

Some get up and walk away

Some will find ultimate relief

CHORUS:

Home free - eventually

At the ultimate healing

We will be home free

Home free Oh, I've got a feeling

At the ultimate healing

We will be home free

Out in the corridors we pray for life

A mother for her baby A husband for his wife

Sometimes the good die young

It's sad but true

And while we pray for one more heartbeat

The real comfort is with You

Pain has a little mercy

Suffering's no respecter of age

Of race or position

I know every prayer gets answered

But the hardest one to pray is slow to come

Oh Lord, not mine But Your will be done

CHORUS:
Home free - eventually
At the ultimate healing
We will be home free
Home free Oh, I've got a feeling
At the ultimate healing
We will be home free

Comfort Zone

I know you've been anxiously waiting for the conclusion to my road trip back home. :) I made it back to the Tyler, TX, area Monday evening!! HOORAY!! :) As much as I LOVE my car, Roony, I was totally ready to get out of it for a while once I arrived home. All in all, I believe my trip home consisted of about 25-26 hours in my car spread out over 3 days. It was a beautiful drive, and I got to see a lot of North & South Carolina that I hadn't seen before.

The last part of the trip home was pretty uneventful, which is good since I was exhausted by that point. It's great to be back home with the family - my personal "comfort zone". I took the short drive over to Dallas yesterday to have my 6 month dentist check up. YUCK! My dentist is VERY sweet, and he's so excited about my next assignment in NC. He & his wife recently took a driving tour through North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. With his fingers busy in my mouth, he was telling all the things I needed to "be sure to see" while I'm out that way. :) While in the area, I was able to visit with some friends from where I used to volunteer at the March of Dimes and also at the hospital where I started my NICU career. (They're my NICU family!!) It was great to see them & share stories. I got to have lunch with my sister, which was great because I haven't gotten to spend much one on one time with her since I left Texas last January. Sister time is the BEST!! :) Lastly, on my visit to Big D, I got to see my precious "Sammy". He's just started walking, and it's absolutely ADORABLE! He's still so unsteady and preferring to crawl if he's in a hurry, but the few independent steps he took just warmed my heart! He's such a miracle! I can remember SO many times while taking care of him in his first year of life that we weren't sure he'd even make it out of the hospital. Now, 2 1/2 years later, the little stinker is starting to walk! What a special gift from God to share him with us this long! :) Please continue to keep him in your prayers as he continues to struggle with serious health issues.

Needless to say, I'm having a great time and making the most of the 2 weeks I have back here at home! I hope to be able to visit with everyone here, but if I don't get to see you in person, please know that I love & pray for you!! Have a wonderful rest of the week! (I know I will!) :)

Back to Birmingham

Today, I spent several hours in the car, again, ending up in Birmingham, AL. It was fun to see the area again! :) No fun excursions today really, so I just thought I'd put up some of the random thoughts that went through my head as I drove. I didn't start my 2nd book on tape today because I just wanted to listen to music. What better way to spend a Sunday than to listen & sing along with about 4 hours of worship music. And then, to listen to another 4 hours of Josh Groban. All the while, seeing beautiful (& some not so pretty) countryside. :) So, here are some of the thoughts that amused me today:

Dr. Pepper vs. Mr. Pibb: For some STRANGE reason, people outside of Texas seem to think that these two drinks are one in the same. Well, they don't taste the same. When I stopped for some lunch this afternoon in South Carolina, I ordered Dr. Pepper with my meal since it was listed on the menu. Well, the screen where you verify your order (yeah, it was a McDonald's) said I'd ordered Mr. Pibb. When I brought this to the guy's attention, he said that they were the same so the screen displays "Mr. Pibb". I corrected him and told him that I'd take a Diet Coke instead. Not wanting to change my order, he told me to pull up to the window, and we'd discuss it there. Again, he tried to make me take the Mr. Pibb, this time explaining that "Dr. Pibb" (Did he honestly think I'd fall for it if he changed it from Mr. to Dr.?) was the same as "Dr. Pepper". A little irritated at this point - both from having a stupid argument over this and from waiting too long to eat - I told him to change my drink to Diet Coke - "just in case there is in fact a difference between the two!" :) After a sigh, he changed my order. I paid, pulled up to the next window, picked up my food, and left (AFTER verifying that I'd received a Diet Coke!). I know, it was stupid of me to get into a discussion with the guy working the drive through over this, but WHERE's the customer service?!? A little ways down the road, I just had to laugh at the whole scenario!!

Inappropriate Signs: There's a billboard in the Houston area (or probably several of them) that advertises "Budget Funerals $99.99"! NO LIE!! :) The first time my dad and I saw it, we both nearly died laughing. Well, that still holds the #1 spot for inappropriate signs, but today, I saw one that came as a close 2nd. On a sign advertising help for people suffering from alcohol &/or drug addiction, the add read: "Contact the Breakthrough Addiction Recovery". Seriously?!? They couldn't come up with three other words to express their message without the initials spelling the word "BAR"?!? Maybe they did this on purpose - had some reasoning beyond what I can comprehend. But, I found it hilarious! :)

Appropriate Sign: "Flying" around the loop in Atlanta, GA, I saw a sign that said we were on the "Silver Comet Trail." As people flew by me like I was riding a bicycle on the freeway, I thought: Well, that sign is VERY fitting for this stretch of road.

License Plates: As you probably know by now (if you've read my entries from my road trip about 3 months ago), I have a habit of looking at license plates every time I'm on the road. Last time, I even kept a tally of the Illinois license plates. Well, today I saw 5. But, that's not the point of this. Coming from the DC area, where I saw license plates from probably 40 of the 50 states in America, I was noticing how much more infrequently I see out of state license plates the further south I go. More impressive, though, was that once I got out of the northern part of North Carolina, I haven't seen ANY DC plates. It just made me wonder - do they ever leave that area, or do they just fly to wherever they are going? It was nothing to see them throughout VA & MD, and sometimes even PA. But I can't think of a time when I've seen one further than that. Curious.

So, that was my day: driving, listening to/singing with music, and random thoughts! I did, however, have a WONDERFUL burrito from Qdoba's after arriving here in Birmingham tonight. Good times. Tomorrow, I start the final leg of this journey home!

Have a great week! :)

Moving Day . . . Again

Yesterday was the last day of my contract in DC. So, I packed up and started my LONG trip home this morning. I had no intention of spending the whole day in the car today, but I had that opportunity anyway! :) The stretch of I95 between Arlington & Richmond was incredibly slow today for some reason. What would normally take 1 1/2 hours to travel took me about 4 hours today. Quality time with Roony and strangers on the highway! Thank goodness for interesting books on tape. I started the new James Pattterson book as I left Arlington, and it finished tonight as I was returning to my hotel. It's VERY good, by the way - lots of twists & turns!! I also practiced contortionist moves as I tried to reach snacks and drinks in the cooler behind my seat while sitting on the highway.

I stopped in Raleigh, NC, this evening after spending about 7 1/2 hours in the car. Since I was so close, I decided to go over to Durham to see the Durham Bulls play. They won - Hooray for the Home Team!! :) It was kinda a slow game until the 8th inning when the pitcher from the other team couldn't find the strike zone. This made life great for the Bulls! I met a sweet family at the game with a 21 month old little girl. She was ADORABLE! We had a good time visiting, and I loved watching her cheer. The only negative from the experience is that I couldn't find my collector baseball hat cup of ice cream there. Granted, I didn't spend a lot of time looking for it since I'd arrived to the game so late. None the less, I was a little disappointed. I had intended to take my camera to the game, but I forgot. Sorry for the lack of pictures. :)

Well, I'm off to Birmingham, AL, tomorrow for the 2nd leg of this 3 day journey back home. Have a terrific Sunday!