Happy, simple things this week

Fresh produce.. bananas, sweat potatoes, avocados, apples. And more in the fridge! Limes, cherries, carrots, broccoli. I can't feel bad about eating ANY of this stuff. Unlike a trip to Only Burger. That will make you feel guilty for weeks!

My hair. It's behaving so nicely. It's most manageable and pretty on the second day after being washed. I should have had these cute bangs cut in my hair a long time ago but I was too chicken. These days I'm all lookin' in the mirror thinking I'm cute. I'm also thinking about a dark reddish brown full color. I've learned I can't do streaks. I don't even really like highlights on me. I think dark, rich colors suit me best.

Tomorrow is the first day of Fall! I love Fall! I love Fall colors, cute hats, cozy jackets, crisp air, glittery Halloween decorations, pumpkins, hot coffee. Today we visited Umstead State Park and it was so cool and peaceful. Hello Fall!

The lake with an airplane overhead..


Pretty flowers and grapevines everywhere..


Cat tails by the water..

So much happened this week!

Earthquake, Britney Spears “Meet & Greet”, Hurricane! It’s a good thing it’s Saturday evening because this week has been EXHAUSTING.

Monday meant back to work for me after having 5 days off during which I rested, celebrated my birthday at the beach, and worked on some crafty projects at home. Tuesday there was an earthquake that I sat through obliviously. I work on the 4th floor but I was across the street in a different building on the first floor. I think the quake was felt more-so by people on the higher floors of buildings. My co-workers all experienced it and someone called me to tell me the building shook so they were headed outside. I met them there and when we felt like the coast was clear we headed back up.

Wednesday I anxiously made it through the workday daydreaming about different scenarios that may occur during the “Meet & Greet” with Britney Spears that I won from a local radio station. I won tickets to her concert and then they drew my name for the meeting. It was a total surprise! I thought that anything may occur… from her wanting to be BFFs to not even really seeing her up close if they took a lot of people in at once.

Since I had to be at the station’s tent by 5:30 (5:00ish just to be on the safe side, you know) and I get off from work at 3:30, my main goal was arriving on time. I didn’t know what this event was going to entail, and one of my co-workers had a good talkin’ to with me when I told her what I was planning on wearing. I had brought jeans, a t-shirt, and sandals to change into from the jeans, shirt, and sneakers I had worn to work. My plan was to change clothes at work, then head over to the coliseum and touch up my makeup in my car. But after talking to her, she convinced me that I should probably dress a little nicer. In my own defense, I would have totally planned to dress nicer had I not found out the night before about this meeting, or have to change clothes in a bathroom stall and do makeup in a rearview mirror. There was a major time constraint, and it was HOT. I just wanted to be comfy.

I decided that I would head to the Target/Old Navy not too far from work to buy a cute summer dress or something when I got off. But I didn’t see anything I liked, time was closing in on me, and the knot in my left sneaker wasn’t coming undone for me to put it back on and get the hell up out of Target to go meet Britney. I basically ran out of Target with one shoe on. Whatever, I was going to meet Britney and every time after that when I blast her music while I’m cleaning or watch my favorite video Sometimes, I would be able to reflect back on the time when I met her and how happy she was that I was such a cool, non-freaking-out girl that just wanted to say “hi”.

Fast forward through rush-hour traffic. Melissa and I made it to the station’s tent in plenty of time to be told that our meeting was being pushed back 3 hours. Whatever. It’s not like we were going to argue. I was excited and Melissa was 10 times as excited as I was. We could have been told our time was pushed to midnight and we would have been cool with that.


We found out that our seats were upgraded from the very top 300 level to the lower 100 level, at which point we started asking ourselves “Could this get ANY better?” The universe was definitely patting us on our backs. We’re two nice girls that each couldn’t afford to go to this concert in the first place, and then we found ourselves getting the concert and all its luxuries for free!

As our time finally came and we anxiously waited backstage behind $1,000 paying VIP guests, we could hear DJ Pauly D (not Paula Dean, unfortunately) talking about how he was single or something. We could also see lighting from his show.


Finally, as a group we received a pep talk. We were told to introduce ourselves, tell her if we’ve waited 15 years for this moment, ask her something if we’d like, please don’t ask her for a hug, respect her personal space, that she talks just like us, “she puts her pants on the same way we do”, and to not look scared.


Our experience was just like everyone elses. Straight awkward.

I was not good for too much for the rest of the week because I was SO TIRED from the previous few days. We were supposed to go to a Durham Bulls baseball game but it was rained out yesterday. Today was windy & rainy from the outer bands of Hurricane Irene but the sky started clearing out this evening to reveal a pink sunset.

Birthday Field Trip

That is how you know you're getting old, folks! Yankee candle on your birthday cake.

This evening my mom gave me a little surprise party. My adorable niece read me stories like Green Eggs & Ham and The Sleepy Sloth.


She is hilarious and entertaining. When she got tired of these glasses she pulled them off and in her most exasperated voice exclaimed "These are giving me a heart attack!"

Yesterday I took a birthday field trip to the beach!


First was an early lunch at Elijah's on the Cape Fear River. So delicious! I always see it but have never been so it was a very special treat. It was way too hot for Hot Crab Dip but we got it anyway to do a taste comparison and verdict was- Chris' Crab Dip is better. I got the Crab Cake Sandwich and he got the Grilled Tuna Sandwich. The crab cake was surprisingly spicy, and the best I've ever had.

Next was the aquarium at Fort Fisher.


It's a cricket and snake stare-down.


And Albino Alligator..


Waiting for a big, pretty fish to swim by..


OKAY! Okay, okay, okay! A shark is coming! Smile!


Super Colorful Science-y Birthday Field Trip of Love.



Later was dinner at Indochine, which, besides Gordon Ramsay's Maze The London in NYC, was the best dining experience I've ever had! It was so much fun! I felt like I was in Thailand.


We sat inside before I realized that the tables outside were in little huts!


Appetizer Sampler that came with 6 sauces..


Shrimp & Pineapple in Yellow Curry..


It's so cute outside. If you're near Wilmington, you have to eat here!








Finally, the beach.


And just because this day couldn't have been any more perfect, I saw a shooting star on my way home.

There are so many times that I complain about things that have happened to me, and things that haven't happened for me. And in those times I've found myself perplexed over the thought of why my life just couldn't be perfect. Or close to perfect. Or just a little bit perfect. Or simply, normal. In times like these where I see just how beautiful my life is, I'm reminded that I am so loved. I have wonderful close friends that are fun and inspiring and appreciative of me. My family admires me and we bring happiness to each other.

August 17, 2011, my 26th birthday, was literally shooting-star-perfect. I don't even know what to say about that. I'm just so thankful for everything wonderful in my life.

Bridal Show Adventures

My weekend got started Friday morning with a lucky surprise. I won Britney Spears tickets from a local radio station. Apparently, I was the first caller when they played "Oops I Did it Again." Haha.

Sunday morning Jamie, her sister, and I went to the Southern Women's Bridal Show in Raleigh. It's a good place to start if you're planning a wedding- lots of ideas and vendors. FYI- We're planning BFF Jamie's wedding.


We ate really cute mini-cupcakes, talked to some photographers & DJs, set up an appointment to look at dresses, and toured a giant limo-bus. Pretty successful day.


I'm excitedly on makeup duty and the most exciting new product I can't wait to try is Dinair Airbrush Foundation (without the airbrush tool because you can use it without it).

Fun Summer Foods

For a lady, I feel like I can hold my own when it comes to the grill. This is a delicious salmon fillet seasoned with just salt and pepper, fresh dill, and lemon slices cooked skin side down. I've learned some good grilling techniques mostly through observation.

I've been eating Rainier cherries like crazy this summer. They're kind of expensive, like $4 a pound on sale! But they're seasonal, so it's justifiable. They're like little plum-apples.


And locally grown cherry tomatoes and jalapenos...


I made the mistake of actually purchasing a Paula Dean magazine. I've only made this pie because it was such a pretty color. I think I was supposed to use a deep dish pie crust and used a shallow one instead so I had two pies. My mom was very happy to receive one.