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! 

o-HI-o

I was able to spend some quality time with the 'rents chilling in what I affectionately refer to as "Amish Land". Now I know most people think of Lancaster, PA when it comes to the Amish, but they are all over the area near my parents. I had lots of unpacking and repacking to do, as well as several online tests/classes to complete before my next assignment while mom and dad were working. My grandparents came for dinner and we made a new, yummy recipe from FOOD magazine while they caught us up on my cousin Sarah's wedding in SC. We weren't able to go due to Dad having to preach, mom having school, and my not being able to sit in a car anymore. While my grandparents were out of town my dad and uncle, with the help of some Amish workers, secretly built a deck behind their house! I'm so proud of how "krafty" my dad is with tools, and he did such a good job with the landscaping. Sadly I didn't get a picture.

I feel bad that there isn't much to write about, but it was just a nice, lazy time spent in pj's all day long and quality time with the parents sharing dinner and competing against each other in Wheel of Fortune. It was just what I needed before moving to exciting, loud, and busy NYC!

the Homestretch

I left NOLA on Saturday and drove up to Birmingham, AL to grab lunch with a "little sister" of mine. Paige is actually a foot taller than me, so she's not so little, but I adopted her as a younger sister a few years back. She's currently a Sophomore in college, studying nursing and I couldn't be more proud. I'm so glad she was able to break away from all the college fun and demands of studying to show me around campus and grab lunch at a cute place downtown.

After fueling up (on food and gas) I hit the road towards Nashville to her parent's horse farm. It'd been over a year since I'd been "home" the the farm and I was very excited for my visit with Mama & Papa T, as well as the grandparents Nons & Poppa. No visit would be complete without feeding a few peppermints to the horses or giving lots of love to the growing number of dogs! The T's always know the best places to eat in town and we enjoyed a yummy dinner at the Franklin Chop House.

Sunday I drove to Louisville to visit my sister and her roomie, Jess. I got there just in time for the Sunday evening service at Sojourn and it was so great to be there for their baptismal service where a woman was able to leave behind her life of prostitution through the church's ministry Scarlet Hope. It was especially neat to be there with my sister who has met this woman through her volunteer efforts with this ministry. Afterwards we grabbed some blizzards at DQ and headed home to watch the Emmy's (yes, that's right, I watched an award show named Emmy with my sister Emmy).

Monday I called my friend Janee on a whim as I was driving through Cincy and it just so happened that she was off work, and shopping at a mall that I was about to drive by! I pulled over and we grabbed lunch and caught up on our life post Duke and pre-her 2nd baby. It's always great to spend time with her as she's so down to earth and funny!

I finally made it to my parents house around dinner time. I was SO done with my road trip by this point. It was a cold, rainy, miserable day and my bottom was so sore from sitting for over 60 hours in one spot. Mom did not disappoint and a delicious, hot dinner was waiting for me. And so began almost 2 weeks of non-stop consumption of delicious food and laying on the couch watching some quality (thick sarcasm) TV shows like Millionaire Matchmaker, Keeping up the Kardashians, Project Runway, and all the new Fall debut shows.

Roadtrip Update #2

On Monday I made the almost 12 hour drive from Albuquerque to Dallas. The drive went much better than I'd anticipated as I popped in a book on tape that kept me occupied for at least half the day! I enjoyed watching the scenery change and as I drove through Amarillo I was a total dork and cued the Ipod to Jason Aldean's "Amarillo Sky". After driving through the plains of Texas it's easy to understand why it's called big sky country. It felt "at home" the minute I crossed the border as I was back in the South, land of conservative political views, and where there are equal radio stations playing Country and Christian music. After a stop at Sonic for a cherry limeade...and a blizzard from Dairy Queen (2 staples of the south) I finally made it to the Dirty D around 9pm.

My first night in town I stayed with Holly, and old roomie from my Raleigh days. Shortly before I had moved out of our house she had brought home a little rescue dog, Addie. This little beagle fell in LOVE with me. Poor thing, she used to sit outside my bedroom door and howl her love to me. She even learned how to moan at me without setting off her bark collar.  Holly and I have a running joke that I'm Addie's favorite person, and it's an understatement to say that she was excited to see me. Poor thing, she couldn't stop howling or jumping all over me. When it came time for bed she got up several times to check that I was still there. Holly had just recently moved to Dallas and I was so excited to see her new home. She did such a great job decorating and mixing fabric prints, and I'm sad that I didn't take any pictures. The next day Holly, who works for CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), showed me around the SMU campus and then went a few blocks over for a lunch date. Holly is one of my favorite roomies and I'm so thankful for the investments she's made in my life.

I spent Tuesday night with my friend Casey who I used to work with at Duke. She moved to Dallas as a travel nurse, met a great Texas boy, got a sweet staff job, and is now engaged and busy planning her wedding. We had some great girl time just chatting about our Duke days and where life has taken us. I had heard a lot about Perry, her fiance, from my friend Jess while in San Fran and was quite anxious to meet him. He lived up to all the kind things Jess said about him and was such a great match for Casey. I really love when my friends marry good men. I also love when they indulge us women in eating at Maggiano's (one of Casey and I's favorite restaurants).

On Wednesday I ran a few errands then drove over to Fort Worth to stay with my friends Candace & Josh. While Dallas was big and showy, Forth Worth was more country and homey. C&J are friends from my days in the Providence singles class back in Raleigh. They moved out of the class because they got married...and I...moved! I was so excited to see them and we had a wonderful time together. They took me to the most authentic Texas BBQ place ever, Coopers. Candace had warned me, but it wasn't until I saw it happen that I too was slightly taken aback. As soon as you walk in you're assaulted by the amazing smells coming from the pit, and then you have to overcome the hard job of choosing which meat (pork, ribs, chicken, brisket, sausage, etc.). Once you've picked your meat they slice it and throw it on a red lunch tray and pass it off to you to go get it weighed! It's just so wrong! Why not throw it on a paper plate? Or butcher paper? We headed to find a spot at one of the long picnic tables and started to assemble our sandwiches. Each table is equipped with "fixings", bread, and rolls of paper towels. In spite of the messiness, it was hands down some of the best BBQ I've ever had! We spent our evening on a driving tour and chatting about life.

The next day Candace and I met Josh for lunch at McKinley's, they have excellent food and desserts---especially their lemon-blueberry cheesecake! Afterwards Candace and I swung by this antique store that seemed to have gone on and on and on for forever! It was so fun to look around. You just never know what you're gonna find...like a piece of pottery with a swastika on it, EEEK!

Thursday evening I headed 3 hours southeast to Austin to visit Sarah, a former college roomie turned travel nurse as well. We had some excellent Mexican food at Chuy's then headed downtown to 6th street (where all the hub bub is) for Amy's ice cream. It had a pretty funky decor, was run by some very eclectic people, and had some very interesting flavors. We went back to her apartment to just chill as she'd worked all day and I had another full day of driving ahead of me the next day.

Forest fires outside of Austin, it smelled like a really great campfire.

Friday I drove to NOLA!!! (New Orleans, Louisiana) When on my first assignment at Stanford I made friends with 2 girls Julie (who I stayed with in San Diego) and Lisette who took a travel job back home. I was really excited to see the French Quarter with a local. Lisette took me to Parkway Po'boys to get the most authentic shrimp po'boy...it was heaven! She then gave me a great driving tour of all the various districts and history, and she even braved crazy Bourbon Street for me! We were still so full from dinner that there was no room for beignets which means I'll just have to go back again! I loved the architecture of the double porches, painted brick, iron work, and the fleur de lis accents. It was also really neat to hear how she and her family were affected by Katrina since she lived near the section of the levy that broke, and for her to explain how life went on and things were rebuilt. Can't wait to go again!

I drove over 20 miles on these swamp bridges.

Part of the Bourbon street craziness.

the Carousel Club, I wanna go!

me and Lisette, my NOLA music junkie

Roadtrip Update

Saturday
I made what I'm hoping is my most boring leg of the trip from San Diego to Phoenix, AZ. The destination was not boring, but the desolate drive was! Shortly after leaving SD I came across what looked like giant gravel, see below:

Then I encountered border control where they made me open my trunk and prove that I wasn't hiding any Mexican immigrants. They also confiscated my fresh fruit but wouldn't let me throw my trash away :( Somewhere between the California/Arizona border and Phoenix I literally drove through the desert, see below:

Then finally when nearing Phoenix I saw some of these fun guys!

I was really excited for Phoenix because my sister had visited there earlier in the summer and loved it (sadly I didn't have time to go to the fun places she got to visit) but also because I would be staying with my friend Laurel. We went to nursing school together and haven't seen each other since! She's originally from AZ, moved home after college, started working at a children's hospital, met her husband, and now has an adorable little boy! She was so gracious to take me downtown to Postino's for their amazing bruschetta board and cucumber-melon lemonade. I know, you're wondering what a bruschetta board is at the same time thinking that cucumber-melon makes you think of all those Bath & Body Works lotions you got back in the 90's! Seriously, check out their link and click on menu to be inspired...it was so yummy! As always, it's fun to catch up with an old girlfriend and reminisce about college life, update each other on friends, and just enjoy where we are in life now. While I will miss her, I will not miss the heat! Living in Norcal has made me such a weather wimp!

Sunday
After a yummy homemade breakfast by Laurel, I got out the door right on time for my long drive to Albuquerque, NM. I was really amazed at the scenery in AZ. It was a lot more diverse than I'd thought it would be. Once I reached Flagstaff, about 1/3 into my journey that day I was surprised to see how green and forested it was:

Shortly after passing Flagstaff the land became drier and blander and once I reached NM it was just HOT!!! I passed a lot of desert and when I did see signs of life, it was either advertising for Native American tourist traps or Casinos, and some pretty red mountains:

I was strongly starting to doubt my GPS when it said I was 20 mins from my destination because I still had yet to see anything resembling a town...but sure enough, a few minutes later I rounded a corner and there was Albe (I got lazy on the typing). I was excited to catch up with "Aunt" Terri whom I'd met over a year ago at a friend's wedding. She was equally excited to have some girl time. We stayed up way too late just chatting about life, and I can't get enough of her stories. She's lived such a FULL life! She also has a love for her Savior and deceased husband that are such an encouragement. Just like the last time we ate at Sadies (local Mexican) for dinner and then the Flying Star for breakfast. Thankfully this time I did not have any tire issues and was able to hit the road on time for my almost 12 hour drive to Dallas!

And the Road Trip Begins!

After Labor Day I had to fly back to California to get my car and begin the drive back East (over 3,700 miles!). My dear friend Anne picked me up from the airport and we had dinner with her family at a Mongolian BBQ and then she and I went to see Sense and Sensibility at a local playhouse. It was such a wonderful evening. I was also able to catch up with the girls at the Villa before packing up the car and hitting the road! September always seems to be a month of transition, and especially so at the Villa. Kari, one of the first friends I made at Grace is about to be married and will move to Houston, new girls have moved into the house, and my friend Jana is going to Tanzania where she will use her law degree working to help widows maintain ownership of their land, check out her website Inherit Your Rights and consider buying a chicken or sewing machine to help out.

Thursday
After fueling up (on gas and coffee) I hit the road and took the 5 down to LA where I met up with my friend Brandi. She was previously working at the Painted Turtle Camp where I had volunteered last fall, and we hung out several times during my LA days, and she even came to visit in July! It was so fun to see her new apartment and it is truly the perfect LA-single girl pad. She was so gracious to let me stay with her after just having settled into both a new home and job. I'm so proud of her and excited as she begins her career teaching at a private school in Beverly Hills! You should hear her stories just about the celebs she sees in the carpool lane! We spent a fun evening together dining Vegan at Native Foods (it was so delicious, I swear it tasted just like meat!) and then catching a late movie together.

Friday
I attempted to avoid the inevitable LA traffic and drove south down to San Diego just in time for lunch to meet my nursing recruiter. I've been talking to Christina for over a year and while we know so much about each other and she is in charge of important details about my life (job, housing, money, etc.) I had no clue what she looked like! I'm so glad she was able to grab lunch and as we dined on fish tacos it was confirmed that she was exactly who I thought she was over the phone, and we're not just business partners but friends. I highly recommend her to anyone looking to get into travel nursing. She was so patient with me when I started the process, and so personal too. I love that it feels like talking to a friend each time I call, which to me is very comforting since there are so many unknowns in the travel world!

My recruiter took me back to her office
and showed me what she looks like when
we're talking on the phone!

After lunch I met my friend Julie, whom I'd met on assignment in Palo Alto, in La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya) for pedicures. She found this great place called Dan's Nails and it has a beautiful view overlooking the palm trees and ocean. After grabbing a snack we walked down to the ocean so I could see the seals. I'd come here over a year ago with a friend on my birthday and there were NO seals :( Fortunately they were out this time enjoying some sunbathing. We headed back to her house to freshen up, then rode the trolley down to Little Italy. We ate at Zia's and it was SO good...and so was the bottle of Chardonnay that we shared! I realize that I have become THAT girl, the one who now has to look at the wine menu even when I don't want to drink just to see if I've been to one of their wineries to relive my Napa days! After a great night out on the town we headed back to her place to just veg infront of the tv. I know this will sound so immature but I haven't had cable in over a year and the idea of watching mind numbing shows like those on E! and Bravo just sounded heavenly. The next morning we grabbed some Starbucks, made plans for our next visit together (hopefully in NYC!) and then I hit the road.

Stay tuned!

Labor Day

For the holiday wkd I flew to Louisville so Em (my sister) and I could drive to WV and surprise our Grandpa for his 80th birthday. It was a great wkd on so many levels!

Em picked me up at the airport and let me use her car the next day while she was at work so I could run some errands and meet up with friends. Lindsey (one of my Em's friends from church) introduced me to Sweet CeCe's froyo...so good! Em and I then met up with our dear friend Jenelle for dinner at Havana Rumba...amazing food! It was so great to spend time with some of my favorite people. I went home with Jenelle, while Em volunteered with Scarlett Hope  , and got to spend time with her hubby and "babies" (2 pomeranians and 1 cat). We had a great evening together enhanced by a bottle of Malbec and her husband's guitar playing.

Friday Em and I grabbed some Chic-Fil-A and headed to WV for our grandpa's 80th bday celebration. Roadtrips with my sister are always fun...even when we learn that our smartphones are not actually smart in WV and we ended up in the middle of nowhere while looking for a Starbucks! Eventually we found coffee and made it to our Aunt's house where we were just in time to surprise our grandparents.

Most of us had arrived by Sat morning so we headed down to the Marina to enjoy a day of boating, picnicking, and jet skis. It was a great day, despite the 2 thunderstorms we got caught in! An old college friend of mine was able to join us and he's quite a pro on the jet ski! Let's just say he's quite proficient at throwing me off and the next few days were quite painful. However, it was a ton of fun and so good to spend time with him and he was the best person to help make the most of our bad weather situation. The wkd was also really great because I got to see a lot of family, some of whom I hadn't seen for several years. Some of the highlights were meeting my cousin's fiances, spending time with healthy children, cuddling with a baby, deer spotting with my grandpa, and cliff jumping.

Unfortunately the rain ruined some of our plans, it even affected the WV v. Marshall football game on Sunday. We still made the most of our time together and I'm so thankful I could go back East! Em and I drove back to KY on Monday...and we made a pit stop in Huntington to go shopping at Gabe's! It was such a great visit!

Tuesday morning Em dropped me off at the airport and it was so exciting knowing that this was one of my last long coast to coast flights! On my second flight from DFW to SFO I sat next to this really nice guy who was a part of the National Guard and this was his first trip home after a year in Kuwait. It was one of the best plane rides I've ever had and I'm so glad I was able to talk to him during our flight. Unfortunately we got separated while deplaning and I couldn't find him at baggage claim and was never able to say goodbye. I'll forever be thankful for his honesty and his service to our country.

So, what did you do for Labor Day?