Travels and New Hobbies

My best friend Lieselotte is home for the month of June from studying in Amsterdam so I went up to visit her in Raleigh on Thursday June 9.  First I met her in Chapel Hill where she was staying with her brother and his girlfriend.  We all went down to the Haw River where there is a rope swing and trees you can jump off of into the water.  It was a lot of fun, but at the end, other people there caught a poisonous snake so I was happy to leave when we did.

That night we went to Franklin Street and went to Top of The Hill.  In the basement, they have darts and pool so Lieselotte and I played against Florian (her bro) and Alex (his g/f).  Lies and I won both times, and Florian was not happy. haha

Wilmington at the Dockside restaurant.

The next day, we went to her parents house in Raleigh and took it easy since we were both pretty tired.  We watched Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp - and it made us both cry several times. lol  That night we met one of her friends for dinner nearby.  At the restaurant we sat on the patio and this man had his little daughter out there and she was so precious.  Probably 1 1/2 years old, wearing a little jumper and tiny converse tennis shoes.  She had big blue eyes and was constantly laughing.  The three of us girls having dinner couldn't take our eyes off her.  And since the dad didn't have a ring on, we decided he was using his little girl for bait. lol

On Saturday Lieselotte's friend Phillip went with us to a nearby sports bar where we played pool.  He beat us every game, but we were all consistently pretty close. Afterward, Lies and I went to meet 3 of her good girlfriends from High School at Bonefish Grille for dinner.  It was nice to put faces to the names I'd heard so often.

Touching a pillar that was touched by Dawson's Creek crew.

That night, Lieselotte's parents were hosting the Dutch Club of the Triangle area at their house for Klaverjassen.  This is a Dutch card game which is very fun and every month they get together and play tournament style.  Lieselotte taught me how to play before everyone arrived.  Many of the guests were born in Holland, some had been born here to Dutch parents, and others were spouses of a Dutch person.  Most were around Lieselotte's parents ages or older.  However, a guy named Jason walked in who no one had ever seen before.  He was 27 and had recently moved to Raleigh.  His parents were Dutch but he'd been born in the US then lived in Germany for 7 years.  So yes, he spoke English, Dutch and German.  *sighs*  I feel so unlearned.  He found out about the group online and decided to join.  The crazy thing was, that his family is from Charlotte and that is where he'd just moved from.  AND, his parents live less than a mile from my house, and he used to work for the Monroe Enquirer so he knows a lot of people who now work at the Observer who used to work at the Enquirer.  It was fun to be somewhere 3 hours away and meet someone who can not only talk shop with you, but also knows many of the people you work with and recognizes your byline!  Crazy!

Anyway, it was nice to have someone besides Lieselotte to speak in English with.  Even though everyone there spoke English, most were speaking to each other in Dutch.  Jason said his Dutch was weak, but it sounded fine to me.

Wrightsville Beach.

The next morning, Lieselotte and I got up and drove to Wilmington.  I'd never been before and was so, so excited to see the town where Dawson's Creek was filmed.  We started by going to the restaurant where Joey worked on a marina.  We had a delicious seafood lunch and then went to the Airlie Gardens which were beautiful.  I was practically jumping up and down when I saw this one area where the characters of the show had many important moments.  Lieselotte took a photo of me touching a column that I know Pacey touched. lol  Anyway, from there we went to Wrightsville Beach, but it started to get cloudy almost immediately.  I walked down to the pier but they wouldn't let me on it without paying and I hadn't brought any money with me.  I took some photos and by the time I got back to where Lieselotte was resting on the beach, she too was ready to go.  We drove through some heavy rain to get to downtown Wilmington and have some cold drinks at Hell's Kitchen - where Joey worked in college on the show.  Also, I didn't know this before, but Hell's Kitchen also has Joey's boat that she rows on the creek throughout the seasons.

Hell's Kitchen.

We walked a couple blocks from there down to the riverfront, took a few more photos and then headed back to Raleigh.  That night, Jason came and picked us up and we all went to an Irish restaurant in downtown Raleigh.  I hadn't been in downtown Raleigh since before college and I didn't realize how much it reminded me of Tallahassee, but with fewer pretty trees.  I really liked the restaurant/bar and we had good sandwiches and then played darts.  Jason won the first round, but I won the second by quite a lot.  (However, Jason had taught us the art of "leaning" so that had helped).  Jason won the last round and then we had to go because he had to work in the morning.

I left Lieselotte's Monday morning and drove to Chapel Hill where I had a nice get together with my old Shakespeare professor, Professor Gless.  He really was such an inspiration to me in school and has so many interesting stories and insights.  He recently went to south Africa and went on a safari where he sat in an open jeep while lions and leopards and every other kind of African animal strolled right by.  He said if they'd wanted to, the large cats could have easily pounced on them, but the guide said they were so used to the jeeps they never bothered them.  I really want to do that one day.

With Jason and Lies at the Irish restaurant.

Back here in Charlotte I have just taken my first two silk aerial lessons - you know, the thing where the red silk hangs from the ceiling and people twist themselves up in it and fly around.  I purchased a Groupon for $30 for five classes which is such a deal since many of the classes are 1.5 hrs long.  I took my first lesson on Monday night for an hour and it was an intro lesson.  I caught on quite quickly, probably because even though I'm not that flexible, I'm fairly strong and fearless.  There were five other girls in the class who had never done it before either and it was really funny to watch some of them attempt to do the moves that I felt were fairly simple.  I think the main problem was trusting that the fabric would hold them which I wasn't worried about.  Anyway, after the class, the teacher said I could attend a mixed level class from then on. :)

This is an example of something I learned in Aerial Dance.

So, on Tuesday I was sitting around thinking about all the moves I'd learned and browsing the different classes they offered online and decided I'd go to another longer one that night before Charlotte ONE.  Well, that was probably not the best idea in hindsight. haha  I had a lot of fun and learned some cool stuff, but from the time I left, the soreness I already had from the day before was multiplied by about 50 and it hurt to just shake someone's hands.  Today, all the muscles in my arms hurt, my fingers ache, my hips ache, my legs ache and I have strange purple bruises on my stomach.  BUT, it was soooo much fun!  This is the problem with Groupons - they get you to try something and then you suddenly realize that you are going to start paying out the wazoo to keep it up. I think for what I want to do it'll cost about $200 every 2.5 months to take two classes a week.  But, since I'm not paying to take dance classes anymore, I guess that's not too bad.

I've also been writing a lot of articles for the paper lately since Jessy just had her baby and is on maternity leave.  I feel like they aren't going to be too happy when I leave for two weeks to go to Utah.

Crazy Busyness

I haven't written in a while because I've been incredibly busy!  I've been working a lot for the Observer, and over the past few days I've been told (not asked) that I need to write another column weekly (school news - I already do charity column), as well as pick up several extra stories per week for the Ballantyne section because the main reporter for that section is pregnant and ill and will soon be having the baby and therefore, not able to work for the summer.  This is on top of the 2 stories a week I already do for my normal South Charlotte Sunday section.  So, basically, I'm supposed to be writing 4 to 6 stories a week and do 2 columns - that's more than a full-time reporter, and I'm not getting benefits or hourly wages!  I'm sorry, the whole point of being a freelancer is being FREE.  I mean, I can always use the work, but a little gratitude never hurt.  Or a please would be nice.  Anyway, so I'm a bit stressed out since I have a lot of travel plans this summer.  My best friend Lieselotte is in town from Amsterdam only for the month of June, and then I'm going to Utah for the last 2 weeks of July.

Oh, yes - Utah is a definite!  I will fly to Las Vegas July 16 and meet up with a girl from London and a guy from China (both of whom I found through Couchsurfing).  I've talked to both, but have not met either.  They both seem like really cool people and should be very fun to travel with.

We will rent a car on the 17th and Vegas and drive to Utah.  We will go to: Zion Nat'l Park, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef Nat'l Park, Arches Nat'l Park and Canyonlands Nat'l Park.  We will camp - which means I have to fit my tent and sleeping bag into a suitcase!  Ah!  lol 

I'll return the car the morning of July 30 in Vegas and fly home that afternoon. 

My high school best friend Tiffany flew into town yesterday morning so I picked her up from the airport and took her to her parent's lake house on Lake Norman.  We spent the day working on our computers, then we went in the pool for a while before heading to dinner and a movie.  Tiffany, her mom and I all saw Bridesmaids which was very funny, though a bit hard-edge at times. 

Today, Tiffany and I went on the jet ski and met my Uncle Bob, cousin Erin, her wife Kerri, and my brother out while they were on Uncle Bob's  boat.  We all switched off skiing off the boat and riding the jet ski.  It was a fun day and Uncle Bob was kind enough to treat us all to a yummy lunch at a lakeside restaurant. 

After swimming in the pool some more with Tiffany, we both got ready to go and while she drove to Asheville, I drove back to Charlotte and visited with the family at Grandma and Grandpa's house where Grandma made chili for everyone.  Now I'm exhausted and really need to go to bed.  I'm covering a story tomorrow, writing a couple and going shopping with Erin, Kerri and Mom. 

Disney Time!

The Irish dancer.

On Thursday we left Tampa and drove to Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park.  It wasn't very crowded at all and we went on every ride multiple times.  It was perfect weather.  The high was probably in the low 90s, but there was a lot of shade and the water didn't make us feel too warm.  I went on every ride except the straight down, bathing-suit-up-your-butt slide.

After about 5 hours, we left and went to our hotel close to Downtown Disney.  After dropping our stuff and getting cleaned up, we went to Downtown Disney and got tickets for La Nouba - the Cirque Du Soleil show that has a permanent home in Orlando.  Then we had dinner at an authentic Irish restaurant.  I had chicken and mushroom pie, and Patrick had some sort of curry dish.  There was an Irish 2-man band and then an Irish dancing girl who performed on a raised platform in the middle of the restaurant.  It was so much fun!

In front of the pub.

After dinner we walked around for a while and then went to La Nouba.  It was the coolest circus I'd ever seen!  There were amazing acrobats: trick bicyclists, trick trampoline jumpers, tight-rope walkers, trapeze artists, out of this world jump ropers, and silk aerial acrobats.  They were all so impressive.  I actually signed up recently on Groupon for 6 silk aerial lessons myself because it looked like so much fun!

Friday morning, we got up at 7:30 and drove to Magic Kingdom.  We followed the Unofficial Disney Guide's order of which rides to go on when, and it worked like magic.  Granted, it wasn't crazy crowded since it's not yet summer and spring break is over.  Anyway, we went on everything we wanted to - which was most everything except Splash Mountain (since we didn't want to get wet), and rides like Dumbo that go around and around and make you want to puke.

Around dinner time we drove to Disney Boardwalk and ate at the old fashioned soda shop in the Dolphin Hotel.  We came back in time for a few more rides and the fireworks.

By the time the fireworks are over, we are pooped, but kill a little time in the gift shops so we can let the masses leave before we try to access the parking lot.

I was so tired when we got back and fell asleep almost immediately.

Saturday we got up again at 7:30 and drove to Epcot.  We got there right before they started the countdown and pulled away the red ribbon.  Everyone flooded toward the Soarin' ride to get fast passes.  We did the same, and then followed the unofficial guide for every ride.  We again, went on everything we wanted.

In the middle of the day I left and walked over to Disney Boardwalk (which is connected to Epcot), and met my friend Chase for lunch.  Patrick decided to rest and enjoy yummy treats in the countries.  He'd slightly twisted his ankle at the water park and my running him around wasn't helping.  It was good to see Chase again and hear about the movie he's making to finish film school.  We got trapped under an awning for a while as it down-poured off and on.

With Patrick.

Finally, we said our goodbyes and I hopped a ferry back to Epcot.  Patrick and I went on Soarin' again (a simulated hang-gliding ride that is so cool), and then started on the countries.  We went on the Mexico boat ride and tried to go on the Norway boat ride, but it was dysfunctional at the moment.  By this point, I was limping terribly as my legs were killing me.  I seriously felt disabled from my hips downward.  Plus, it was still raining off and on and I was cold and miserable.  We'd planned to stay until 9 p.m. for the fireworks, but I simply couldn't make it.  I don't think Patrick was too sad I asked to leave early.

We left and drove to UNO's for dinner and it was delicious.  We both fell asleep a little after 10 p.m.

 

I woke on Sunday at 8:30 and got ready for the drive back to Charlotte.  It was about a 8.5 hr drive, and good to be home.

The Joy of Surprises

Vanessa, EA and Me at EA's Derby Party

Bird on Ft. Desoto Beach

Per usual in summertime, it has been ever busy.  My friend Patrick from Austin, TX flew in on Sat night while I was at a Kentucky Derby Party (in Charlotte).  I picked him up and we returned to the party where everyone was dressed in their big hats and derby dresses.  In the evening, several of us sat around a backyard fire, keeping the bugs off us and enjoying the nice night.

The next day was Mother's Day.  After giving my mom a card, Patrick and I went to church, then met the family at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  It was good seeing everyone, though brief as Patrick and I then went to Freedom Park to play sports with a bunch of my friends.  We played Ultimate again and it was a lot of fun, even if my team did lose. :(  Patrick also played volleyball and soccer, but I was busy reading my Disney book.  :)

On Monday I had to do a good bit of work in preparation for the week off to go to Florida that we embarked on come Tuesday.

On the beach at Ft. Desoto.

We drove to Tampa in just about 9 hours flat, listening to "The Hunger Games" in the car.  We are staying with my cousin Michael's girlfriend because she has a large place.  Michael brought a big takeout Boston Market dinner for us and then we all went to an authentic beer garden that sold German food, drinks and candy.  It was a nice atmosphere and I got apple strudel.   

Today (Wed), Patrick and I went to Ft. Desoto - a state park south of St. Pete.  The beaches were white and the water was clear.  We saw stingrays, dolphins and fish.  It was really pretty, but a little too warm.  The water, however, was perfect - refreshing but not freezing.

After Ft. Desoto, we drove to USF's botanical gardens which were pretty and shady which was nice.

At the USF Botanical Gardens.

When we got back to Elana's apartment, I found out that I had a story published in UNC's Alumni Review magazine.  I was so excited.  Here is the link: http://alumni.unc.edu/article.aspx?sid=8235.  What a treat!

Pictures soon!

The House of Constant Travelers

It's been an interesting couple of weeks. 

Me, Michael, Elena in front of the Old Well in CH.

On the Thursday before Easter Micheal and his girlfriend Elena drove up from Florida.  They wanted to visit Charlotte, Chapel Hill and the mountains.  We spent Thursday night in uptown Charlotte where Alive after Five was taking place (a large outdoor concert that happens every Thursday during the summer with various bands).  It was very crowded, but we met up with my friend Alissa there and walked all around uptown, showing off my beloved city to Michael and Elena.  Afterward, we ended the night at Press where we enjoyed the unique atmosphere and talked.

At the Carolina football stadium with Krystle.

On Friday, we drove to Chapel Hill because Elena loves college towns and wanted to see my old haunts.  Unfortunately, it rained all day long.  Literally, all day.  Once we made it up there, we walked with our umbrella's through campus and made it up to Franklin Street where my old roommate Krystle met us for lunch at Top of the Hill (the restaurant which is the embodiment of all things Carolina).  We had a great lunch and then walked through more of the old campus, taking photos and trying not to get too wet. lol  Unfortunately, my favorite buildings, Graham Memorial and Wilson Library, were closed since it was Good Friday.  However, walking through campus I couldn't help but issuing persistent sighs and looks of longing at the historical buildings, the green trees and the Old Well.  I so wish Carolina had a MFA program for Creative Writing.  There is no place I'd rather go back to school than there.

With beautiful azaleas on the Carolina campus.

Anyway, despite the rain, we had a fairly good time and about 5:30 got back in the car for the drive home - still in the rain.  Back at the house we were exhausted so we made mango smoothies and played Wii.

On Saturday morning Michael and Elena drove up to the mountains and I stayed behind waiting for my parent's return from Florida and feeling a tad been sad and nostalgic after seeing my best friend/cousin Michael and Chapel Hill the day before (both of which I had not seen in over a year). 

By Sunday I was feeling much better and went to church in a bright Easter skirt.  Later, the family all went to my cousin Kelly's for Easter dinner and it was so much fun seeing the little ones and hearing about what the Easter Bunny brought them.  I love having a big family. 

With baby Camryn at Easter dinner.

That evening, five couchsurfers came to stay with us.  They were all in town raising money for a non-profit organization which they volunteer with.  The money the raise in various cities up and down the East Coast goes toward a trip they will soon make to Africa where they will spend 6 mo. to a year helping with housing, water, education and health care.  Three of them were from Japan, one from Korea and one from CA.

Monday was their day off, so I took them all to Discovery Place where we had a ball.  The new renovations there include a 3D movie about sharks and a duct tape station.  Yes, duct tape.  In this room you can make anything you want out of rolls and rolls of different colored duct tape.  I made a little clutch purse out of tie-dyed duct tape.  Lacey (the one from CA) and I were like kids in a candy shop. 

With Dad and Sydney and Easter.

On Wednesday evening my friend Erika from California came into town to stay until Saturday.  It has been so nice seeing her again.  There are certain people in life that you just feel a connection with from the first time you meet them, and Erika is one of those people.  She used to be in my Bible study group, but since moving to LA, has missed it very much.  Even though her family is in Raleigh, it means a lot that she comes to visit her friends in Charlotte. 

The couchsurfers left Thursday around 5:30, after having a late lunch with me at Cracker Barrel (which, I told Lacey was a necessary experience for the Asians in the American South).  I think they quite enjoyed it.  I'll never forget the reaction I got last summer when I took Enrique, Carmen and Theresa to Cracker Barrel.  They thought they'd died and gone to heaven.  Now, the house feels quiet as Erika is out meeting with clients for her job today and I'm home by myself. 





Next week will be back to normal, but the following week I will likely be going to Disney World which I am totally thrilled about.  More details on that to come! :)

Mercy and Grace

I've been thinking about grace and mercy lately and what they mean.  According to the dictionary, grace is the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.  Mercy is compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power. 

Because of God's grace, he shows us mercy.  Without understanding that you have been granted mercy, you can't understand grace.  And if you don't show mercy to others, you don't understand grace.  Christians should show mercy, for they are the ones who should most understand it.  That Jesus came between us and our terrible, impoverished end, took it upon himself and served as our shield.  He took what we deserved so we wouldn't have to suffer it ourselves. 

This all goes hand-in-hand with the continual Biblical teaching of not judging others.  When we see someone who is spiritually and physically impoverished, we should stare down their sin, really understand where they are, how they got there, the extent of their sin, and say, "I understand what you deserve, but I'm going to give you nothing but love.  Nothing but the best.  Nothing but support."  Because that is what Jesus did.

James 2:13: "For judgement is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgement." 

Good Days are Here to Stay...at least for now :)

So my spirits are much lifted since my last post.  I don't see my job returning anytime soon for various reasons, but I'm still doing a lot of freelance articles and I'm happy with that.  I'm also happy with my decision to apply to grad school to get my MFA in 2012. 

There are also some wonderful things coming up that I'm thrilled about.  First of all, my best friend/cousin Michael is coming up over Easter weekend with his girlfriend Elana (sp?) and we are going to Chapel Hill which I miss soooo much!!  I'll get to see Krystle and probably my friend Erika from CA who will be in Raleigh vising her family.  It'll be so wonderful to see three of my favorite people all in one weekend!

I'm also trying to convince Krystle to go to Disney World with me the second weekend of May b/c I really miss Mickey.  lol  But no, seriously, I want to see the festival of flowers at EPCOT and that's the last weekend before it's over.  I don't think I've ever seen it, so that'll be awesome. 

In June, Lieselotte is going to be home from Holland and we are planning to go to the Outter Banks together.  I've never been and cannot even tell you how excited I am to see both her and the pride of our state. 

I don't know if the trip to Spain will happen in July - I was hoping to get over to see Enrique and Carmen - because tickets are outrageous with the oil prices being so high. 

Anyway, I'm now off to a Carolina Young Alumni event! :)