Durham Farmers Market

I had a fun Farmers Market outing Saturday morning. I love Durham. Growing up I, of course, thought it was the most boring place on the planet with "nothing to do". But one summer in high school I visited Berkeley and San Francisco where I met a lot of other students. And while I absolutely loved SF, one of the many things I learned during that time was an appreciation for where I was from. I don't know if it was home-sickness or just a growing realization, but I came back with a more open mind that gave me the ability to appreciate my home city more. Over the past few years I have watched Durham grow and become even more eclectic. I'm proud of its growth and everything it offers. And while I'm not even far away from it (at all!), there's something special about being proud of the unique, growing city that I call home.


The Durham Farmers Market is located in downtown Durham across from the new Durham Central Park. The Durham Craft Market is also operating across from the Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.


The Farmers Market was super busy. So much produce, cheese, flowers, baked goods, crafts, PUMPKINS, and more!

Speaking of pumpkins.. I love Fall so much that if it's pumpkin flavored, I'm getting it right now. Dairy Queen Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. Coffee-Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer. Febreeze Pumpkin Harvest & Fall. Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale. The only thing that I don't have right now is a pumpkin, but I will!


The Farmers Markets smelled like a carnival. There was a kettle corn popcorn truck bringing that wonderful fragrance to us on such a beautiful day. There was also an organic coffee van, and the pizza truck, Pie Pushers.


I got the Breakfast Slice from Pie Pushers. Cheesy, bacony, sausagey, potatoy, crispy goodness.


There are great spots for Food Truck eatin'.


I bought my mom some banana nut bread and I got myself this cute beeswax owl candle.


Is that owl candle sitting on top of a newly painted table? Yes it is!

Pretty awesome day

Today during lunch I ran down to the Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market because I heard they were having a honey festival! I love honey. Honey in my tea. Honey on my toast. Honey as a replacement for sugar in my recipes. My mom buys locally grown honey and it's delicious. I'm still working through the sample jar she gave me months ago..

I sampled some salad with honey vinaigrette. Yum!


After work I got my hair cut. I love my Hair Stylist. She cuts my bangs perfectly every. single. time.



Then I went by to visit my Grandma. She always has a cake on the table and today it was strawberry. Sweet treat on such a sweet day!

A little at a time gets the job done

It was beautiful here this weekend. Full-time Fall! Saturday I opened the doors and windows and painted these tables in the cool breeze.


My neighbor gave them to me when she moved. Side note- I also have a really daunting paint project for a tall cabinet that I found in the trash going on right now. I let it sit in the corner and be all scuffed up and silver (like I found it) for a really long time. Now I've taped it up and covered the mirror part with paper in preparation for painting, but I haven't actually started painting. It's so big! And lattice-y! Alas, I have decided to go the spray paint route, so she will hopefully be completed by this weekend. It will be a bookcase.

Anyway, these tables were so easy and fun to paint. Their feet are like little Fall-time pumpkins.


I'll share pictures of the finished product later this week.

Zoo!

This weekend we visited the NC Zoo and I fell in love with the Horned Puffins! They are so cute! The Puffins exhibit allows you to view them in a large aquarium that provides above-water and below-water views. That way you can see them diving for food. These birds can swim! They're like little penguins. They were moving around so fast that I couldn't really get a good picture.


It was so H-O-T. Too hot for animals to be coming out from under the shade to say hi to us.


These turtles were enjoying sunbathing..


There was so much walking involved. Like miles of walking through pretty nature.


When we finally got to the North American side from the African side, I wanted to dive into the glistening blue pool with the Harbor Seals. It was that hot!


Hotter than an otter!

We waited in the longest line ever to take the Tram back to the other side of the zoo to get back to the car. I almomst gave into a $3 bottled water from the vending machine, but I resisted and survived until the closest convenience store.

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.