Carolina on my mind

I can't believe it's been 9 months since I'd last visited Raleigh! Seriously, where did the time go? Not only did I want to go visit Raleigh, but my car tags had expired so I HAD to go and get my annual car inspection. On Thursday I left OH and drove to Burlington to have dinner with the Williams family. Mike and Amy were such influential people in my life while I lived in Raleigh and I'm so thankful for Mike's Biblical nurturing through our Sunday School class and for Amy's accountability and comfortable friendship. The fact that they have one of the smartest and most adorable little boys that I've ever met just tops off how much I like them. They were so kind to let me join them for dinner and fill me in on their new life post Raleigh and pre-baby #2. It was so great to hear how Mike's new church is growing, and to listen to Amy's excitement about their little girl as Luke played UPS man and delivered multiple packages for the baby. It was a great evening together. I left shortly before Luke's bedtime and made a surprise visit to Duke. Fortunately there were several people that I still know who were working and it was fun to take them some of the chocolate and pumpkin whoopie pies I had made. After saying my goodbyes, and feeling so confirmed about leaving there when I did, I made my way to my friend's house and crashed on their couch for the next few nights.

Friday started off with breakfast with Lara and BK before they left for the mountains, then a car inspection (which didn't take very long at all), a quick run home to renew my tags online, then out to lunch with Amy to get my chicken salad fix at Edward's Mill Bar & Grill. Just when I couldn't think about any more food my friend Annie called me back so I met her for some Caribou coffee. It was really great to see her and hear about her engagement and plans post CRNA school. After getting caught in a thunderstorm I ran back to my friend's house and then we headed out to dinner then back to the house for a low key night of the Office, Parks & Rec, and random Youtube videos about "Batmanning" as seen here:

and then an ultimate, make at home, adventure for a hot sunny day...

Saturday morning came and that meant CAMPING! If you'll recall a previous post from my Cali days I am not a camper, so agreeing to camping on the beach (another first) was a big step for me. It also means that I have some great friends and will go wherever and do whatever I need to in order to spend time with them. It really was a great time with some great people. After a fun ride in the "single girl car" to the beach we grabbed some Cookout (thanks ya'll for fulfilling my craving) before picking out our campsite.

At Cookout, there are about a million milkshake combos, and
in case your meat entree wasn't enough protein for you
then you can also order corndogs, chix quesadilla, or
a bacon or chix wrap instead of the hushpuppies,
fries or onion rings. The options are endless.

Setting up the campsite was lots of fun, and while I've only set up a tent once I think I did pretty well with it the second time around. A few of us went for a long walk on the beach, dodging fishing lines, gathering seashells, and rescuing starfish. After everyone from our group had arrived, we made our way into town to grab some local seafood at Fish Bites. There were about 12 of us and we were a little overwhelming for this small joint, but it didn't matter to us as the food was good and conversation was lively. All too soon it was time to go back to Carolina Beach and really begin the camping experience! Like any good camping trip, we had a bonfire and made s'mores. I tried my best to stay a safe distance from the smoke as my eyes are really sensitive and I was trying to avoid puffy eyes the next morning to accompany my bed head and salty skin. I know, I can paint a really lovely picture. Around 11 we made our last trek to the port-a-potties and headed to bed. I'm a pillow top, warm and snuggly kind of sleeper so the rock hard sand combined with non-windproof tent in 40 degree weather wasn't exactly ideal sleeping weather for me. I maybe clocked 3-4 hours tops. Sunday morning finally came and with it the rude awakening from the park ranger that we had about 30 minutes to get off the beach or we'll be ticketed. While Mel and Meg threw together some scrambled eggs and bacon the rest of us tore down the tents and loaded up our gear. It was fun, we all were fed, and even got off the beach before getting ticketed! 

We made a few pit stops and I especially appreciated the one at Port City Java, the caffeine made me feel human again. Next stop was the aquarium in Fort Fisher and I have to say, I was pretty impressed. It's been years since I've been to one and it was bigger than I expected. Check out these pics:

Total tourists!  

Thanks ya'll for such a great camping experience!

After a picnic lunch we packed up, and divided up for our ride back to Raleigh. After spending 60+ hours alone in my car I really enjoyed the company of Meg, Mel, & Jonlynne on the way to the beach and then riding home with Matt. Conversation was great for both, but Matt's car ride had the added bonus of a sing-a-long! Our playlist included Foster the People, Steve Green (not kidding), and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors. 

After showering (is that why people camp? because showering feels 10x's better afterward?) I met up with Val for a late night tea. It was so great to see her new digs downtown. It had such charm and kitch decor and made me crave a home like that. After some much needed girl talk, I headed home, had a lil' heart to heart with Mel, and then slept so well after my sleep deprived camping experience! 

Monday morning I packed up, ran a few errands, had coffee with Cassie, then lunch with Lori at Nofo (I'd always wanted to go there) where we dined on spinach burgers (yes, a patty of perfectly seasoned spinach) topped off with goat cheese. It was so good to see both of these ladies. Cass is always such a sweet and sensitive spiritual encouragement, while Lori is outrageous and scarily synced to what I think and feel. Lori had just had the most surreal NYC experience and hearing about it made me 10x's more excited to be there!