December - A Season for Friends and Family

December is now gone.  Where has 2013 gone?  Christmas is past, New Years is upon us…and every second seems to go by at the speed of light.  But it has been a marvelous season.

With Gma and Gpa on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was really lovely.  After celebrating with Grandma and Grandpa, my parents and I went to the mountains where all four of the “Bailey Boys” (my Uncle David’s sons) were there visiting their parents.  I’m so lucky to have such close relationships with my cousins and it was so great to see them all together in once place again.  We always used to spend Thanksgiving with them, but it had been years since we were all together.  We didn’t do a whole lot – lounged around, played games, watched movies (and in the guys’ cases, watched football) – but it was still so nice.  

Sledding in the mountains.

I got to go sledding on a snow-covered hill that remained from the week before, and Michael and I got to take a ride in the 4-wheeler to the top of the mountain where we saw the sunset over the ski mountains in the distance.  It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. 

During the month of December, I had a lot on my plate. I hosted First Friday Night Dinner at my house and we had about 30 people come.   I also took place in a shoe making party where you cut patterns from cloth that are then assembled into children’s shoes for kids in Africa to prevent them getting jiggers in their feet.  It’s cool to know that shoes I cut with my own hands will be on feet half way around the world. Erika came to visit for about 24 hours from Raleigh and we had a wonderful dinner with our lifegroup girls (she's an old member who now lives in LA), and we went out and sang karaoke together afterwards.

At work, we spent several days setting up Christmas trees in local hospitals with tons of stuffed puppies underneath.  As people have donated blood this month and last, donors got to sign little puppy tags to be attached to the stuffed animals.  The puppies are then given out to sick children in the hospitals around the area.  I personally got to deliver puppies to some of these children on two different occasions.  It was so rewarding to watch them light up as they snuggled with the little red and white animals.  

FFND with my Frisbee friends.

Lifegroup dinner with Erika

I performed in my silk aerial company’s December student show, which Mom, Dad, Grandma and Nicole came to watch.  I’m still enjoying that and it’s always nice to show off my new skills.  I also performed a dance this time, as I’ve been taking a modern dance class through Caroline Calouche & Co.’s studio too.

Christmas Eve my parents joined me at church for service, then we went home and ate a delicious dinner Mom made and watched “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  It was, as always, wonderful.

Christmas morning felt a bit lonely without Brett there.  It was like we kept expecting him to come downstairs.  But finally, we opened our presents just the three of us around 11:30 a.m.  Mom and Dad got me an under-cabinet radio/CD player/iPod player for my kitchen, as well as a spice rack.   Hopefully it will inspire me to cook… ;)

My silk performance

That afternoon, Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Bob came over for lunch and Mom had made a delicious turkey dinner with potatoes, green beans, carrots and rolls.  Grandma made yummy sweet potato casserole. It was very nice having them all over.

That evening, I headed up to Catawba to see Tiff and Mitch.  Tiffany’s baby belly is just starting to show, and it’s so exciting to know that I’ll be an “aunt” come May.  Tiff’s aunt, uncle and cousins were in town visiting her, and we all had a delicious ham dinner with plenty of fixings.  The next morning, I drove to Raleigh to see Lieselotte who was in town from Berkeley visiting her family.  We spent Thursday just catching up, playing games and watching a movie.  I always love visiting at her family’s home because it feels so much like my own.  It’s always clean and cheerful and smells good.  Her mother, like mine, is always feeding people and taking care of everyone and their whole family loves to play games and loves music.  

Shoe-making party.

On Friday evening I headed over to Erika’s family’s home in Cary.  Erika was in my bible study here in Charlotte until she moved to L.A. three years ago.  She has remained one of my closest friends, and I always go up and see her when she’s in Cary visiting her family. Her family, also, is a lot of fun and I love going to see them.  Erika’s parents made delicious chicken enchiladas for dinner that night and then all of us (Erika, her parents, her brother Aaron and I) played charades and other interactive games until it was time to go sing karaoke at a local bar.  Erika’s dad didn’t feel well, but the rest of us went.  Erika went to Chapel Hill as well and sang in an a cappella group there, so she’s an excellent singer. 

Christmas party with about 300 of my friends. :)

Aaron and I amused the crowd with our rendition of “Barbie Girl” and then he and Erika sang a rap song called “Regulate” which was beyond amusing since they are these two white kids who get up there and knew all the words and were thoroughly impressing the entire bar.  We all danced up a storm on the dance floor and all in all, had a marvelous evening.  

When we got back to the house, Barbara (their mom) put on a Michael Jackson record and we had an impromptu dance party in the living room.  

Lieselotte and me.

The next day I went back to Lieselotte’s house and spent some time with her until she had to go to a small reunion with high school friends.  I stayed at her house with her parents and sang songs while her mom played the mandolin.  I went to bed early and slept 12 hours! (Making up for the late night before).  On Sunday morning, Lies’ mom made a delicious oatmeal and fruit breakfast and I headed out to see Professor Gless in Chapel Hill on my way back to Charlotte.  

He’s now in need of platelet transfusions twice a week and red cell transfusions every 3 weeks.  None of the therapies they’ve tried so far have worked to combat his myelodysplastic syndrome (brought on by the chemo he had several years ago).  Right now, it’s looking like his only option may be a bone marrow transplant, but his sister was not a match, so now they are trying to find a match from the donor registry.  But at his age, a transplant is not a very safe option.  He and his wife continue to stay positive, and I continue to pray for a way out of this situation.  It breaks my heart to hear of his sufferings, and I can’t imagine visiting Chapel Hill and not being able to drop by for some tea and conversation.  So, needless to say, please keep Darryl Gless in your prayers.

Erika and me at karaoke

Last night after returning to Charlotte, I spent some time with Mom, Dad and Uncle David (who was in town) and then went to Sky High Sports with a friend of mine.  Sky High is a trampoline gym in which a huge room is covered in connected trampolines – even the walls.  It’s a lot of fun and GREAT exercise.  

Aaron and me at karaoke.

Tonight is a going away party for my dear friend Bethany who is about to embark on the World Race for the second time.  Except this time, she’s going as a team leader and will be responsible for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of nearly 50 people as they travel through five third world countries over the next five months.  It will be an unbelievable challenge, but I can’t think of anyone better for the job.  

Tuesday evening my friend Zach will be arriving from NYC to spend New Years Eve and day in Charlotte.  He is a friend I met through CouchSurfing, so it will be good to see him again. 

After that, January should slow down a bit from the last two months.  But then again, it never does seem to work out that way. :)

The Seasons are a Changing

At Linville Falls.

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I've written. If life keeps going by this fast, I will be 80 before I know it.

My grandma would probably agree with that statement.  She is 88 years old today.  "When I look in the mirror, I think, 'Who is that old woman?'" she said last night.  Time has gone by so fast, it seems impossible that 88 years have passed.


Per usual, my life has been full of changes. 

Ryan and me on top of Hawks Bill.

In October, I got the chance to spend a lovely weekend in the mountains with Mom, Dad, Aunt Sarah, Grandma Bailey and Ryan.  While we were there, the neighbors had a big BBQ and we enjoyed seeing them and catching up.  The leaves were lovely and I got some absolutely beautiful photos.  I enjoyed showing my favorite hike/lookout spot (Hawksbill) to Ryan, and the weather was lovely. 

I also found out that Tiffany (whose wedding I was the maid of honor in last May) is now pregnant!  I can't believe that my best friend whom I've known since we were 9 years old is going to have a baby.  It's so strange and wonderful.  She will be due around her first anniversary, and I'm so excited to become an aunt. :)

fall leaves

We held a Halloween party at Ryan's house on Nov. 1 which was quite the success - everyone dressed up and we all had a great time.  Ryan was Maverick from Top Gun and I was the blonde instructor.  

Unfortunately, a few days later, Ryan and I broke up.  We hope to be friends again, and there are no hard feelings on either side.  I will miss his frequent presence in my life, but I know God has a plan and the "right one" just isn't here yet.

Me, Mom, Aunt Sarah at Linville Falls.

Shortly thereafter, Aunt Coleen, Megan and baby Millie came into town.  It was so wonderful seeing them and seeing how much Millie has grown in 2 months!  She is still as sweet and good as ever, but with more personality.  She is going to be one smart cookie - she just watches and observes and takes everything in.  One night, she was feeling particularly chatty and mom took a video of her "talking."  When they played it back for her, she was so funny.  She sat up straighter and her eyes got really big, and she started talking back (to herself).  It was hysterical. 

It was really lovely to have them in town that weekend, because there is nothing more distracting or joyful than a baby - and it is impossible to be sad when you see that little face. 

Baby Millie. 3 months, 1 week.

I also got the opportunity to go up to Raleigh for one night when Erika was in town and celebrated with her and her brother Aaron for their birthdays.  I always love visiting their family, and it was so good to see Erika.  I will see her and Lieselotte again over Christmas break.  

Since then I've kept myself very busy with seeing shows, going to parties, silks, Frisbee, dance and soon I'll be hosting 3 potluck dinners in a row.  The first will be with my lifegroup this Friday, then another one on Wednesday with my Frisbee group, and another on Dec. 3 (for First Friday Night Dinner). 

At a silk performance in the park.

I've also been quite busy with work, as we are soon getting a new website - and guess who is writing all the content?  That would be me. lol  Luckily, I've gotten myself an intern, so hopefully once she's fully trained, she will relieve some of the burden. 

Tonight I'm going to the "Red Hot Turkey Bash" - which is where I met my friend Jeff last year. It was so much fun last year, so I hope this year will be as enjoyable.

I'm really excited about Thanksgiving next week!  We'll be eating/celebrating with Grandma and Grandpa at the Cypress, then on Friday we'll be going up to Uncle David's mountain house where all four of his kids will be in town!  I'm SO excited to see my cousins, especially Michael.
  
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because it almost always means spending significant time with family. 

Family and Friends - Life is Good

I can't believe I didn't even write a blog in September!  I've been so insanely busy that I completely forgot about it! 

Holding baby Millie

Last night, Ryan was putting up blinds and a curtain rod in his guest bedroom and he said, "If you're bored, you can go do something else."  (I was reading on my Kindle).  I looked up and said, "I'm never bored."  And when I started to think about it, it's absolutely true.  There is never one second of any day that I am at a loss for something to do.  In fact, it's almost always the contrary - I'm frantically trying to fit everything into every second I can find.  Looking back, I honestly can't remember the last time I said, "I'm bored."  I'm sure I said it upon occasion in elementary school...but to be perfectly honest, I don't actually remember ever feeling bored.  If I didn't have set plans, then I'd read or watch a movie.  How can one be bored when there are books around?  I have a bad feeling that whenever I have kids, I will be terribly impatient if they ever complain about being bored.  I'm pretty sure I'll hand them a mop. lol

Making pasta with Uncle Tom.

Anyway, I guess the rest of August went by in it's usual blur with work and parties and the like.  At the end of the month I went to Maryland to visit Aunt Coleen and her whole gang.  Meg and John came for the long weekend (Labor Day) with baby Millie.  She is absolutely precious!  Aunt Coleen asked the night I arrived what I wanted to do while I was there, and I said, "Hold the baby."  That was pretty much it. haha  She is such a perfect, precious, good little baby.  I also got to see Erin and her kids - who are all very sweet and growing up way to fast.  Addie and I had a great time playing in the country club pool on Labor Day.  Uncle Tom got home from Ireland with Chris, so Aunt Coleen and I went to go pick him up from Chris' house in Delaware.  I got to see Molly and Quin briefly - and I can't believe how fast they've grown as well! 

Uncle Tom and I made lunch the day I left - homemade pasta and sauce.  It was delicious!

I always love visiting in Maryland because it's so peaceful and lovely out in Bel Air.  I feel a sense of calm when I'm up there and I actually got to read several chapters of a book.  :)

Blue Heron at Duke Gardens.

In September I went to Chapel Hill for a brief visit with my old roommate Krystle and to see Professor Gless.  He's the one who has myelodysplastic syndrome - where his bone marrow (as a result of his chemotherapy after cancer) has stopped producing blood products in the amounts needed.  He's currently receiving frequent blood and platelet transfusions to sustain him, and undergoing a targeted, mild chemo treatment that aims at triggering the bone marrow to do its job properly.  So far, it has not worked.  It was very hard to hear how quickly the disease has been progressing, and I just pray that this treatment will work.  Either way, I plan to see him as frequently as I can.  He's been a huge influence on my life and is a wonderful mentor.  His wife, Frederike, was also there this time and I got to visit with her too.  She was the head of the study abroad program I went on senior year, so we were acquainted previously. 

With Krystle in Chapel Hill

Krystle did our usual stroll through campus - invoking memories and the hint of tears - then we went to Duke Gardens, as I'd only been there once in college.  They were very beautiful and we even got to observe a blue heron spear and eat a fish right in front of us.  Pretty cool. :)

I also performed silk aerial outdoors at Freedom Park during "Festival in the Park" - it was a lot of fun and I had a girl come up to me on Sunday after church to say she'd seen me perform.  I'm still taking classes on Thursdays in silks, along with a dance class.  I also play ultimate Frisbee on Tuesday nights, have Bible study on Wednesday and go to the gym on Mondays.  

performing at Freedom Park

Last weekend I went to my friend Caroline's wedding.  She and I went to high school together (along with my other friends Tiffany and Kelby).  Caroline also went to Chapel Hill and worked at the Observer when I worked there.  She married Ely, another Observer reporter and friend of mine.  Tiffany, Kelby and I have all been to each others weddings, so I'm the last one.  It was a beautiful wedding on the Queens University campus in Charlotte.  I drove Tiff and Mitch and they stayed with me that night, as they had to catch a very early flight in the morning. 

That was my fourth wedding of the season, and I'm ready for a break until next summer. 

Me, Caroline, Tiffany and Kelby at Caroline's wedding.

This weekend Ryan and I are going to the Renaissance Festival - I'm SO excited. It's one of my favorite things in the fall!  

My new roomie, Caroline (who isn't so new anymore), is working out very well.  She made a habit of coming to Ryan's hockey games with me and met one of Ryan's friends (Ben) there. They are now dating, so I don't see her a whole lot. lol  She and Ben took my first roommate Alissa to a party one night and introduced her to a guy named Cory, and now he and Alissa are dating.  So, a house full of single girls now has 3 not-so-single girls.  Atecia is still unattached (as far as I know), but we'll see how long that lasts. 

Alissa, Caroline, me and Atecia - the four roomies.

The four of us gals get along quite well, and we try to do things all together about every month.  Atecia is a great seamstress, so she has been working on a lot of clothes for me.  Alissa and I watch shows and movies together if we have the time, and Caroline and I go to hockey games and other random events together.  (I now know more about hockey than any other sport - and thankfully, it's not too boring! :)).  

This is getting incredibly long, so I'll wrap up by saying that my job is going fantastic - they paid for me to take a Photoshop class which I loved, and will be paying for me to take more classes in other graphic design arts over the next few weeks.  

Life is good. :)

Grandma and Grandpa's wedding photo - I colorized in Photoshop.

Tiffany's bridal party - worked on in Photoshop.

Summer is Wrapping Up, but Not Winding Down

Mom says I'm the busiest person she knows.  I think so too.  That's the problem with loving so many things and so many people - if you slow down, you miss out on loving something. 

Michelle, Andrea, Jenni and me at the wedding in Knoxville.

Lesley and Ben's wedding in Knoxville was really great.  They were absolutely glowing, and despite being a daytime wedding, everyone danced and had a lot of fun. Most of us were all staying in the same hotel, so after the reception, we all walked to a brewery downtown and had a second dinner and just enjoyed each other's company.  Then we stood on a Knoxville street corner playing "Heads Up" - an iPhone app that is like charades.  Needless to say, we entertained the whole street.

Lesley and Ben - married!

I officially started my new position the first week of August and so far, I am loving it!  I no longer have to make recruitment phone calls - woohoo! And I have my hands in all sorts of interesting things in the marketing/communications areas of CBCC.  I am writing our newsletters, blogs, and other social media posts.  I'm writing many of our PRs, planning special events, getting local businesses to sponsor us, and various other things.  I'm particularly excited that the CEO, Martin, gave approval for me to sign up for Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator classes through CPCC.  With these design classes under my belt, I'll be able to do even more of the marketing stuff I am interested in, and eventually, relieve our current design people of at least part of what they do and therefore, part of what we're paying them.

friends at the wedding

The first weekend of August I went to the mountains for the Bailey family reunion.  All dad's brothers were there except for Uncle Ben, who had to work.  David's kids (Michael, Brian, Logan and Mark) were there, as was Brett and his girlfriend Paige.  Logan's fiance Emily also came.  Ryan came up for Saturday and part of Sunday.  It was quite the shindig! We had lots of big family meals, played card games, went hiking/sliding down waterfalls/swinging off rope swings, played charades, and various other family amusements. I LOVE family reunions, and I had such a wonderful weekend.  It was particularly nice to see Grandma, as it feels like it's been quite a while.

Bailey Mountain Reunion.

When I first got to Jonas Ridge that Thursday, I was the first one there and I just took an hour or so to enjoy nature.  I sat quietly in the front yard and listened to the wind in the trees, and smelled the wild grass scent around me, and listened as the birds called back and forth to one another.  It created in me such a bitter-sweet feeling.  I remember sitting in that same spot on the grass year after year when I was younger.  Spending leisurely hours daydreaming and staring at the clouds as they floated by.  I remembered tromping through the woods playing war games with Brett and Brandon and Weston.  Now, I was the only one.  The trees I'd climbed as a kid were slowly dying, the view contained more houses and power lines, the gravel road had been paved over with asphalt.  For the most part, I'm not real big on change.  You know that old saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" That's how I feel about my mountain. 

Brett and me.

But, at the same time, I have to accept change.  I'm changing.  We all are.  I'm not the same little girl who spent summers dreaming about what I'd be when I grew up - I'm that grown up woman, trying to fit in all the plans I've made for myself and coordinate all the dreams that have come true. Perhaps, sitting atop my mountain, that's what I missed most of all - that sense of childhood freedom.  Of having the world at your fingertips, and believing it can go any direction you please, and waiting with eager anticipation for real life to start.  But now that it's here, sometimes I miss the days when I didn't have a calendar or a job or a strict schedule.  When I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself.  Not a selfishness, exactly, but an ignorance. Blissful, childlike ignorance. 

Most of the gang.

This has been quite the tangent, so I will quit my digression and get back on track.  I joined a pick-up Frisbee team in Charlotte on Tuesday nights.  I love it and the sport comes naturally to me thanks to my Daddy's former Ultimate glory.  In fact, after only the first two practices, I was asked if I wanted to join a league.  I could not, as it is on Thursdays which is when I take ballet and silk aerial, but I really appreciated being asked.  :)  This past Tuesday, unfortunately, I intercepted a Frisbee with my face.  I thought it broke my nose - I saw stars - but it didn't.  Instead, I left me with a black eye.  My first black eye ever!  (I have to admit, I'm a little proud of it.  Sometimes, you just have to get a little messy in life). 

Ryan and Lauren

Michael and Lauren at Lineville Falls.

Last Friday Ryan hosted a dinner party (with a sunglasses and hat theme) at his house.  We had quite the turnout - probably about 30 people all told.  It was a fun time and Ryan enjoyed showing off his new place.  Mom and I brought the bumper pool table from our garage over, and it was a big hit. 

Bailey cousins.

I also finally found a 4th and final roommate for the house.  Her name is Caroline and she's from Philly.  She moved in on Monday and I think we are going to get along splendidly.  Last night, she came with me to watch Ryan play ice hockey.  It was actually pretty exciting to watch, and totally amazing to me that someone could run and stop and haggle over a tiny puck and shoot and block ALL while on ice skates!  Caroline said she enjoyed it too and would come with me again sometime.

Tonight, Ryan and I are meeting Tiffany and Mitch for dinner and then going to a comedy show.  Then tomorrow, I have a silk aerial show, after which Ryan and I are going ice skating, then to a party for Ryan's friend's son's 1st birthday.

It's really never ending, but I'm loving life.

my black eye

This little baby at a recent cookout just loved me - I held him for 2 hours. lol (PS - he's wearing a diaper)

Hat and Sunglasses party at Ryan's.

Travels and Trade-Ups

I'm improving my average of one blog a month with this blog!  Let's see...I left off with my departure to St. Pete to visit Michael for the Fourth of July.  That night we met up with one of his friends, Nick, and we all went to downtown St. Pete for dinner and then to see the fireworks over the water.  We were worried the weather wouldn't cooperate, as it had been thunder storming on and off all day long.  However, it stopped just long enough for the 30 minute show and then started sprinkling just as we were leaving.  It was a great show (other than the fact that I was being devoured by the state bird of Florida the whole time...aka - mosquitos). I realized that Michael and I have a history of watching great fireworks displays together.  Many years ago, while visiting their family in Virginia over the 4th of July, I really wanted to go see the D.C. fireworks.  No one was willing to take me into the city to see them except Michael.  The traffic was, as expected, terrible.  But we finally made it and ended up watching the fireworks from near the Iwo Jima memorial. It wasn't the best display I've ever seen because there was no breeze  and the smoke lingered, but it is among my best memories of watching fireworks.  

The next time I remember seeing epic fireworks with Michael was junior year of college when Casey (my college roomie) and I went down to Tallahassee for spring break.  Michael drove us down to Disney for two days.  When we were at Magic Kingdom, I wore our entire party ragged dragging them from ride to ride at a breakneck pace.  It must have been 9 p.m. as we raced toward Thunder Mountain Railroad for the second time when all of a sudden the fireworks started.  I skidded to a halt (probably for the first time that day) and we all stood still as we watched the show above our heads.  It was magical. 

I don't know where our next epic firework sighting will be, but I'm sure we'll have more to come.  But there is one running theme - I want to see fireworks, and Michael humors me.  I have the best cousin ever!

After the firework display in St. Pete, we went to a karaoke bar and I sang "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and "Wagon Wheel."  Michael's friend Nick sang some patriotic song (can't remember which).  It was a really fun night!

The next day I went for a run around a big lake right near Michael's apartment.  I saw loons, egrets, turtles, cranes and all sorts of different plants.  I really wanted to see an alligator, as there were warning signs for them, but I didn't see any (and being from FL, I'm pretty good at spotting them even though they are good at hiding). I did, however, see a crane catch a water snake and then think about eating it for a good 7 minutes, then finally eat it as it wiggled all the way down.  So cool.  lol  

Dolphins at the aquarium.

By the time I returned, Michael had finished the stuff he was working on and we decided to go to the Clearwater Aquarium.  By the time we finally arrived in Clearwater (boy do I hate Florida traffic), it was down pouring.  We decided to get some lunch first at a little café, then made a break for the car to drive over to the aquarium.  When we reached it, it was raining so hard you couldn't see out the windshield.  Michael dropped me off at the front which was the ticketing area, covered by a permanent tent sort of structure.  Just running the 3 feet to get under it, I was soaked.  I made my way farther into the tent, trying to avoid the rain blowing in from the sides.  I pressed myself up against one of the ticket booths as I waited for Michael - and waited, and waited. He was trapped in his car without an umbrella.  Meanwhile, I was watching the storm and wondering if the tent was structurally sound because it certainly gave off the appearance of wanting to blow away.  I'm pretty sure we were experiencing a low-grade hurricane, because that storm was INSANE.  Finally, I suggested Michael use the towels we had in the trunk, but he pointed out that getting into the trunk would soak him.  I then suggested he use the little door that most back seats have to get into the trunk.  He didn't realize his car had this, but upon checking, realized it did, and he found a sun shield.  He used the shield to cover himself and ran to the aquarium. 

The aquarium was pretty cool, and is also the home of Winter, the tale-less dolphin.  It uses a prosthetic tail three times a day as physical therapy.  We got to watch the dolphins do many tricks and I enjoyed watching the otters.  By 5 pm, the weather had died down and we were able to see an outdoor dolphin show.  Overall, it was a lot of fun.

St. Pete Beach with Michael.

That night we met up with one of Michael's cousin and girlfriend for dinner.  Then we went to downtown St. Pete for live music and festivities. 

On Saturday we went to the St. Pete beach because it was finally sunny!  I had to take Michael to the airport that night as he had a flight to London. I drove back to his apartment and wrote a travel article and watched "Into the West" which was one of the many DVDs Michael gave me to take home with me. About 12:30 at night, I decided to check in online for my flight.  When I did so, it said I was too early to check in.  I didn't understand because the flight was in less than 10 hours.  When I went back to my confirmation email, I realized I'd accidentally booked my flight to return the following Sunday.  Well, I totally freaked out.  I was in a city I didn't know, Michael was on a plane and a taxi was scheduled to take me to the airport the next morning for a flight I wasn't on.  Mom and Dad were in the mountains with no cell service. I called Ryan who was at Myrtle Beach with his family.  He went down to the computer in the hotel to start looking up flights for me as I did the same on my end.  It was impossible to change my flight because the airline was really cheap and they don't have a number to call.  Long story short, I ended up booking a one-way on the same airline and flight I thought I'd booked.  Except the one-way cost over $200 and the roundtrip had cost me $177. 

When I got to the airport the next day, I asked about cancelling the second half of my original flight.  They ended up giving me a $38 credit after taking out all the fees and whatnot.  So, it ended up being a very expensive trip, but I'm glad I went - I had a great time. 

First Friday Night Dinner at my house.

The next week was a good time in Charlotte.  Ryan and I had dinner with his parents on Monday night as they were in town from Canada.  Ryan and his mom made a delicious dinner and they were really delightful to talk with.  

That Friday night I hosted First Friday Night Dinner at my house (even though it was the second Friday).  We probably had about 20 people and it went off very successfully.  Ryan and the other guys cooked on the charcoal grill Mom and Dad gave me making sausages and steaks.  Alissa made sloppy joes and I made my famous sopapilla cheesecake.  Everyone else brought random items and it was really great.  At the end of the night we busted out the Just Dance for the Wii and Ryan was the only guy brave enough to do it.  He actually enjoyed it and had a lot of fun.  Everyone said, "Yup, that's why Lauren's dating a Canadian - because he's the only one man enough to dance in front of a whole room of people to a Brittany Spears song." hahahaha

Adam, Lindsay and me - all CBCC employees and my friends :)

On Sunday Ryan and I picked up a washer and dryer from a couple off Craig's List.  They are only 5 years old and were $300.  I think I got a pretty good deal!  However, once Ryan and Dad helped get them in my house the dryer wouldn't work.  We thought it was the house, not the dryer, but we weren't sure and Uncle Bob was on vacation so we didn't want to call and bother him.  Ryan also hadn't gotten washing machines for his new house, so both of us went over to Mom and Dad's to do our laundry and eat dinner and use the internet. We also watched So You Think You Can Dance with mom.

This past Monday, I made dinner at my house for Ryan.  I made caprese salad (tomatoes, basil and mozzarella).  I had fresh basil and tomatoes from Mom's garden, and the cheese was from Whole Foods.  It was very yummy!  I also made pasta with Prego sauce, but I added lots of yummy veggies to the sauce so it was kind of like homemade.

On Wednesday we went to Coyote Joes for line dancing lessons, so we now have six dances in our repertoire! 

The guys at First Friday Night Dinner.

Today at work was great!  I was offered a promotion at work - a real one this time - and will be the new "Communications Coordinator" as of Monday with a significant raise (which I also bargained for! Go me!) and my own office.  I'll be doing marketing work more full-time and the C.E.O. even agreed to pay for me to take classes in computer design programs like "InDesign," "Photoshop" and "Illustrator."  That way, in future, I can start bringing design work for CBCC in house.  My boss promised that this is only the beginning of great things for me at CBCC, so I really hope to move up even further in future.  

I also negotiated with AT&T for my internet service today.  They were going to charge me $40 a month plus a $150 for equipment/insall fee.  Then my roommate found out that she could switch her Time Warner to our place for $38 a month for slightly faster service without any fees.  So I called AT&T to cancel, and they said they'd give me even faster internet for $28 a month with one $50 fee.  I said "SOLD!"  Yay!  Way to pit them against each other!!

I am now typing this from Knoxville where I drove with three other friends after work for my friends' Lesley and Ben's wedding.  I've never been here before, so I'm looking forward to seeing the city tomorrow. 

June

June was a very busy month for me (as though that's a change!).  For starters, my friend Alissa and I moved into our new home (the one Uncle Bob bought to fix up and eventually flip).  He said if we found two more roommates, we could rent it out from him through at least next July.  So, we spent June moving in, cleaning and painting and fixing and hanging, and searching for roomies.  I finally found two girls who will move in mid-July: Kenya and Atecia. They are both writers (though Kenya writes books and Atecia does web editing and writes for NPR).  Kenya is very outgoing and laughs a lot.  I met her a few years ago before I went on my cross-country road trip.  She'd originally planned to come along, but got a job just before the trip was about to start, and couldn't take the time off.

Alissa and me.

Lauren, Danny and Lieselotte at River Jam.

We recently re-connected when she invited me to her book release party for her newly published book: The Chronicles of Koa. I wanted to interview her first for an Observer article, and when she came over I mentioned we were looking for roommates.  She loved the place and eventually decided to commit to the move!  A few days after the interview, I went to her book release party.  I was happy to be there to support her, but as I walked around the party, I realized why I always rank as a slight "introvert" on personality tests - not knowing another soul in the room, I was having a mild panic attack.  My skin was clammy and I felt as though everyone was looking at me thinking "Why doesn't she have any friends to talk to?"  Of course the rational side of my brain said that no one probably even cared, but none-the-less, I felt very awkward.  Not wanting to just leave, I sat down at a long table where people were gathered on each side of me talking amongst themselves.  I waited for a good 10 minutes before I found an opening to talk to the small group to my left.

My friend Christen and me at Pops in the Park.

The guy sitting next to me was named Ryan and we started talking about various things.  My cross country road trip came up (as my connection to Kenya), and Ryan asked if I'd made it up to Canada during my trip.  I said yes, I'd been to Vancouver and also to Toronto a different time.  He asked if I'd ever made it anywhere farther north, like Price Edward Island.  I just about fell out of my chair.  "How do you know about Prince Edward Island?" I said with enthusiasm.  "I've wanted to go there since I was four years old, but no one's ever heard of it!  Do you have a mother or sister obsessed with Anne of Green Gables?"  He said, rather shyly, "Well, my mother likes it.  Yeah, we used to go camping there as kids."  I'm pretty sure my jaw was hitting the table as I tried to grasp the fact that this guy actually got to spend significant time in my dream destination.

performing silks uptown on an outside rig

Then I found out he was Canadian, and it all started to make sense. We spent the rest of the night talking about this and that.  He's an engineer for Siemens and keeps giant energy generators from blowing up (at least, that's my take of the very long explanation of what he does).  When the book party ended, we went outside the pub and played giant Jenga (which I won), before he walked me to my car. He got my number so we could hang out again.

Over the next week we hung out several times, going line dancing at Coyote Joe's, ice skating (and since he plays hockey, he really showed me up there), playing scrabble and having a cookout at his apartment pool.

Lieselotte and Danny also came to visit Thursday afternoon to Friday morning that week.  It was a short visit, but I was so happy to see them both.  I gave them a driving tour of Charlotte and Thursday night we went to River Jam at the White Water Rafting Center (which is a free concert at the center).  It was really fun and we ran into several of my friends there as well.  After that, we stopped by Saddle Up (a new line dancing/country bar), and while we had a lot of fun riding the bull and dancing on the completely empty dance floor, it wasn't nearly as authentic or cool as Coyote Joe's. Friday morning I went with them to Cracker Barrel very early in the morning, and (of course) Danny being from overseas thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. "I can't believe you can get this much food for $8!!" he kept saying. 

Ryan (blue shirt), me and 2 of his friends who helped him move.

The following week he was moving into a new house he just bought close to Ballantyne.  On Tues and Wed after work, his former roommate and I helped him load the U-Haul and move all his stuff and unload the U-Haul.  Then I drove him to the airport on Friday b/c he was flying home for Canada Day (July 1). He spent the weekend in Toronto with his two brothers and one of their French Canadian friends, then they all flew back to Charlotte on Tuesday.  Tuesday night, all four of them stayed at my new house because Ryan has almost no furniture in his new house. We all had a good time and there were many laughs to be had, though we stayed up far too late considering I had work on Wednesday.  Wednesday morning, when I left for work, Ryan and the Canadian crew all set off for Myrtle Beach where they would spend 4th of July weekend.

Wednesday after work, Mom, Alissa and I all went to Cirque du Soleil with a group from my silk aerial class.  The day before I'd gotten to take a class at our studio from the primary silk aerial performer from the show, which was so cool.  I didn't realize how amazing she really was though until I saw her in the show - WOW.  I couldn't believe her strength and speed doing silks 50 feet in the air!  Afterward, the dancers from my studio (including me) got to go back stage with Tania (the aerialist) and have a little tour.  The show (Quidam) has been running for 17 years and is truly something to behold.  The oldest person in the show is 51 and he was so strong and amazing - he was doing all sorts of strength and contortion.  The youngest person was 19, but most were 21 or older (which is hard to believe because some of them are sooo tiny).  I'm so glad I got to see the show!  Mom loved it too!

Today is the Fourth of July and I'm currently in the Greensboro Airport (where I drove this morning) to take a flight out of here to St. Petersburg, FL where I'll visit with Michael (my cousin) for the weekend. I hope it doesn't rain the whole time!  It's been raining almost nonstop on the East coast lately. 

I guess those are most of the highlights!  Pictures coming soon!