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

Happy Labor Day!

Well, it's now September, which means the beginning of fall! This season brings happiness and yummy turkey. :) Cooler weather - for those of you who enjoy that - is just around the corner. Pretty leaves and fall colors are headed our way, so get out your cameras. For all of us baseball lovers, the season is winding down, which means playoffs and the world series!! :) Last, and most importantly, the weekend before Labor Day marks the beginning of COLLEGE FOOTBALL season! GIG'EM, AGS!!!!

The season got off to another good start with a win this past Saturday night at Kyle. And, we started the season ranked! WHOOP!! I'm excited to see how we do this year. :)

I hope you have/had a terrific holiday!

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!