Christmas in Charlotte

First Christmas in Charlotte and so much to do!!

Decorations
I have a strict rule about the Holiday season. No Christmas decorations or music until Black Friday. That means no red and green until after Thanksgiving and my body has had time to settle from the Turkey day excitement. To kick off the Holiday season, my grandma hooked up me with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It came with it's own red ornament, Linus blanket and it plays the theme song. I set up the Christmas tree, took my new Charlie Brown nativity scene out of its box, and put Ron's Christmas collar on. BOOM. Holiday decorating complete.

 

The extent of my Christmas decorations.

 Birthday Celebrations
Smack dab in the middle of the Holiday season is my birthday. I've never really enjoyed celebrating my birthday (in terms of presents) because it's so close to Christmas. I usually tell my friends that we'll celebrate Christmas and that's the end of that. Mike and Whit still cooked me my favorite dinner, baked me Christy-themed cupcakes, and even made it snow. (Ever since my mom died, it has snowed EVERY year on my birthday except that one year it was crazy warm and it just rained. A coincidence, probably, but something I looked forward to every year.) This year, it was not only warm, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Being the awesome friends that they are, they took some scissors to a few sheets of white computer paper and made it snow in their house. To cap off the evening, Whit asked me to be a bridesmaid in their wedding so now I get to be a part of their special day! Definitely one of my better birthdays to date!

 

Birthday snow :)

Christmas in Davidson
The town of Davidson is a little town about 20 miles North of Charlotte and where a few of my friends live and/or grew up. The town (and the college in it) got on the map when the little Division 2 private school went to the Final Four in 2008. Christmas in Davidson is a three day event where vendors and organizations set up tents on the lawn with everything from games to charities and bake sales to contests. There's Christmas music, carriage rides, carolers and tree decorating contests and it embodies everything about that small town feel. We spiked a little eggnog, bundled up and walked around the event for a few hours stopping to play with the wooden puzzles and watch the dance company. If you've seen any episode of Gilmore Girls, then you can more than understand the culture and feel of the town at Christmas.

 

The A2S tree at Christmas in Davidson

Holiday Office Party
We didn't have an official Christmas party but we had a decorating contest and a smorgasbord of baked goods. The decorating accelerated quickly and people dedicated hours and recycled cardboard to the cause. The contest was judged by some upper management in our department and included entire cardboard villages and even the crazy Christmas light ball from the Lowe's commercial. My team, being as no one had the time, energy, or money to devote to decorating, set up a tiny pink tinsel tree and drew a tree on the white erase board. We didn't win.

 

Part of the cardboard gingerbread village

 

Lowe's themed cookies!

Christmas Adventures
I'm usually hit or miss at Christmas. Some years I'm all about some quality family time and shopping and other times I seriously question why we put our selves through this every year. One thing I'm always down for is good Christmas music and Christmas lights. We set aside some time tonight to go to a cute little store in Southend called Paper Skyscraper that sells unique gifts and decor. We ended up at Mellow Mushroom for some serious pizza consumption and reduced our speed in one of the nicer neighborhoods to view (and judge) the Christmas lights. We ended the Christmas festivities by stopping out a big tree outside of a pub to take some pictures all the while listening to the Straight No Chaser Christmas CD. (Men's a capella, Christmas music, and festive lights can never end badly).  

 

Christmas tree in Southend

 So I got to tie in some of my favorite things with the new things I love about Charlotte. Despite my crazy work schedule, I'm gonna make it home for a two-day sprint of family time before I head back to Charlotte for New Year's! (Can't WAIT for that one!) As much as I love all the company and excitement of having people come visit, I'm excited to have a few weekends all to myself in January. No visitors, no traveling, no cleaning my apartment on Friday after work. That should give me plenty of time to rest up and prepare for the upcoming weddings and springtime fun!

Home Sweet Home

About 10am Wednesday morning, my boss walked up to me and said "You can work from home Friday." Being in retail and Black Friday being a pretty big day all around for my company, I was planning on being in the office that day which resulted in me not being home for Thanksgiving. Numerous people offered to let me crash their quality family time in the Charlotte area but this early Christmas present from my boss made it possible for me to head home.

I packed up Thursday and make my first stop at Thanksgiving Feast 1 of 2 in Lynchburg, VA. I spent the afternoon with my mom's parents, sibling's and significant others before finishing the last 2 hours of trip en route to Fredericksburg. I got home right before the end of the Redskins game, scarfed down some amazing ham biscuits and mac and cheese (Thanksgiving Feast #2) and hung out with my adorable nieces. Pajama's and two bedtime stories later, the girls were asleep and the parents, my step sister and me retired outside by my dad's newly purchased fire pit (which he didn't hesitate to tell me be bought at Lowe's).

I woke up Friday morning to an adorable five-year old telling me about the chocolate chip pancakes upstairs. My nephew (who I NEVER see) got there a little later and the children achieved full momentum around 9:30. Then it happened: my step-mom busted out the GIANT bucket of Play Doh accessories. This wasn't just a few tubs of Play Doh. It was every color, cutter and tool imaginable. We had rolling pins, spaghetti makers, cookie cutters, critter makers, all of them. I'm convinced that my step-sister and I were way more excited about the morning activity than the children because it entertained the two of us for about 2 hours. My mad Play Doh skills were nothing compared to Ashley's holiday themed Play Doh cookies.

My mad Play Doh Skills

Ashley's mad Play Doh skills.

Friday turned into a lunch date with Alex and some quality nephew time with my friend Zac. We decided to go see a movie and convinced my parents to come along. (We went to see Lincoln and I highly recommend it). You know you're an adult when you 1) willingly invite your parents to a movie and 2) invited them because you wanted them there and didn't just need a ride. Yay for growing up!

Saturday started with me picking out my Birthday/Christmas present and lunch with Mamaw (which also came with a few Snoopy-related goodies). The afternoon consisted of my little sister and fiance gracing us with their presence and the first time I got to see her gorgeous engagement ring. We talked weddings for like the next two hours and daddy cooked up some fried oysters and leftovers for dinner. Kristina showed up about 11 and we headed out downtown in an attempt to meet up with some wedding goers. Due mostly to poor planning on the part of my friends, we did not actually meet up with the wedding people and ended up hanging out downtown.

Sunday was lunch with both sisters at a cute little place downtown called Eileen's. They had gourmet sandwiches and salads. This, of course, was another first in a city where I didn't think there were any more firsts to be had. I settled on some sort of ham and cheese quiche-esque dish that had this crazy good pesto cream on top. The women behind the counter were extra friendly and even checked on us a few times during the meal.

Eileen's in Downtown Fredericksburg. It's inside an old church and still has the "churchy" feel to it.

Whew! That's a lot. So let's recap:

1) I got to go home for Thanksgiving.
2) I got to see 90% of my family.
3) My loving parents and grandma hooked me up with a sweet birthday present and some Christy-appropriate Christmas decorations.
4) Saw the three close friends I still manage keep in touch with.
5) And most importantly...I gained a new appreciation for Fredericksburg.

I've never disliked Fredericksburg. I just knew that it wasn't where I wanted to end up. Until I moved to Charlotte, the great cities of Northern VA, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg were my top choices and Fredericksburg never made the list. Maybe it was because I had lived there so long and I was ready for change. Not sure. However, this weekend, I remembered why I love the city so much and why I feel a tiny sense of pride when I tell people where I'm from. It also helped that it's Christmas time and all the shops downtown are decorated for the holidays. You can almost feel the holiday cheer just walking down the streets.

Downtown Fredericksburg all decorated for Christmas.

I guess knowing that I was leaving at the end of four days and making my way back to Charlotte made me appreciate Fredericksburg a little bit more. It's my home. Most of my family lives there and it's where all my roots are (minus the few that are still holding on in Harrisonburg.) I got a little sad leaving Sunday afternoon knowing that my next trip home is going to be a short two days. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was leaving home rather than running towards something else. And equally as important, for the first time in a long time, I'm counting down the days until I can go home again.

A Weekend of Firsts

To say I’m utterly exhausted from this weekend is an understatement. As of 6:00 Sunday night, my body refused to do anything else that required any effort. This weekend I had my old roommates, Shawn and Rachel, our friend Aimee, and two pup dogs staying in my apartment. We've been planning the visit for a while, and I was looking forward to it so much that I lost sleep Thursday night and thus started the weekend off on the wrong foot.

Regardless of my lack of sleep, it was nothing short of an awesome weekend. To make it that much better, I had a lot of “firsts” this weekend. I did a lot of things that I have never done in Charlotte or elsewhere and was glad to share with this group of people.

First #1: Dinner Guests

Thanks to a special delivery by my aunts last weekend and some gracious gifts from my grandmother and other family members, my apartment is officially in “entertaining” condition. In other words, it actually feels like an apartment and not like I’m just passing through temporarily. To avoid the lines and confusion Saturday morning, I had picked up our 5K race packets and a tutu for one of my friends. She swung by Friday evening to pick up the tutu and I made alfredo pasta to avoid spending money on dinner. So not only did I actually cook for another person but we also had a place to sit and eat it. Check that one of my list.

First #2: The 5K

Thanks to our obsession with everything color, Rachel, Aimee, and me signed up for The Color Run a couple of months ago. The Color Run is a 5K that usually raises money for a charity partner. While you’re running, volunteers throw colored corn starch on you at regular intervals. The purpose is to wear all white to the event then end up completely tie-dyed by the end of the race. It’s been a pretty big event all across the country for a year or two now and Aimee and Rachel saw it as an opportunity to come spend the weekend in Charlotte. I worked pretty hard trying to get ready for it but wasn’t prepared for the hills and therefore didn’t do as well as I thought I would. Regardless, I still finished it and ended up completely covered in colorful dust by the end of the race.

Before....

After.....

First #3: New Foods

Aimee and Rachel are both obsessed with the Food Network and the show “Diner, Drive-ins and Dives.” There are quite a few restaurants featured on the show from the Charlotte area and the last time they were passing through, we checked one of our lists. This weekend, we opted for an old-school, 1950’s drive-in complete with ancient speakers, menus and curb-side service. We had a variety of BBQ sandwiches, onion rings and a burger called the Super Boy which has two meat patties, lettuce, pickles, and everything else. (It’s one of their signature dishes.) We ate in the car, because that’s what you do at a drive-in and pretty sure we didn’t leave a single crumb behind.

Enjoying some Drive-in Food

That night for dinner, we tried PF Chang’s which is more or less upscale Chinese food. Rachel was the only one that had ever been before and while my sister loves their food, I had never been near one. We had a spicy shrimp appetizer, crab Rangoon and I ordered crab fried rice. It was a huge dish so I took half of it home and it tasted equally as good Sunday night for dinner.

First #4: Dog Bar

It’s exactly like it sounds. LuckyDog Bark and Brew is a bar in Cornelius where you can bring your dog.. So you drink a beer and your dog makes new four-legged friends. It had an indoor and outdoor area, fully stocked bar and TV screens for sports watching. Because I live here, I paid a $10 yearly membership fee but Avery and Charlie (Rachel’s dogs) got to play for free. Since half of it is inside, it’s going to come in handy in the winter when I can’t get Ron to the dog park to run around. We stayed for about 3 hours; sipping on beers and watching the puppies make new friends. All of the dogs fell asleep in the car on the way home and we’re pretty sure they passed out immediately after we left to go to dinner.

First #5: The Panther’s Game.

I’ve cheered for the Eagles forever but since the Panther’s aren’t big rivals and we only play them every other year, I decided to make them my “home team” and cheer for them only when they’re not playing the Eagles. Plus, my coworkers tend to be in better moods on Monday’s when they win (which hasn’t happened often this season.) Since they’re having a bad year, the tickets are slowly decreasing in price so we were able to get cheap tickets for Sunday’s game. Not a bad way to kill a Sunday afternoon. One of my friends works for the Panther’s doing post game interview stuff and she was able to get us press passes so we were able to go onto the field before the game and watch the teams warm-up. About 20 minutes before game time, she took us on a tour of the press box. As we were getting on the elevator to head to our seats, Michael Jordan got off the elevator for his tour of the press box. He was about a foot away from me and we breathed the same air so I’m probably going to have REALLY athletic kids now.

The Panther’s ended up losing in overtime and the Eagles just plain lost to (were destroyed by) the Redskins. Luckily, I wasn’t getting good cell phone service in the stadium and didn’t see any of the updates until the final score but that wasn’t nearly as bad as having to deal with the texts/Facebook updates from my Redskins friends.

The weekend more than lived up to my hyped-up expectations but I slept most of Sunday evening missing the AMAs and about 30 emails and text messages. I woke up long enough to upload all the pictures so everyone would have something to look at Monday at work (you’re welcome) and went back to bed. I don’t think Ron minded the nap as Avery and Charlie wore him out but he was ready to go at 6:30 Monday morning.

Short work week then home this weekend to see my adorable nephew and other crazy family members. One week until Molly visits Charlotte again and we can start the birthday celebrations. WOO!

The Aunts Invade Charlotte

Thank goodness my coworkers and I went to Target the day before because there was a full-blown nerf battle in my row Friday after lunch that was mostly made possible by the artillery we picked up the day before. With only one casualty, I left work a little early to go home and get the last minute things together for my trip with my aunts. They were en route to Charlotte as of 7:30 that morning but a “quick” stop at my grandparent’s house delayed them a few hours as my grandmother has a way of keeping you three times as long as you planned.

They made it to my place around 5:30 and we unloaded the furniture that they brought for me. Well, most of the furniture. Because they had taken out all of the car seats to bring me said furniture and no one was interested in taking my car, we were short a seat in the van. In true Beverly Hillbilly fashion, we left the arm chair and ottoman in the car and took off for Cherokee, NC.

Our pimped out ride.

 The whole reason we were going to Cherokee was because one of my favorite groups was singing there. The group is Straight No Chaser and they’re an a cappella group based of out of Indiana University (look them up, they’re amazing.) I saw them once about a year ago and they are equally as good live as they are on any CD. We got to Cherokee about 9:30 and the concert started at 9. We were a tad bit late. Normally, poor planning doesn’t end well, especially for me but we got in the door halfway through a song and opted to wait until they were finished so we wouldn’t disturb anyone. While we were waiting, the usher offered to seat us on the floor as opposed to the risers that we had tickets for. We said okay and she promptly placed us dead center of the floor, three rows back. If one of them had fallen off the stage, they would have landed right on us.

View of Straight No Chaser from our seats :)

After an epic concert experience and SNC being amazing again, it was time to hit the casino. I came with no money, but seeing as not gambling wasn’t an option, my aunts slipped me a little cash to get me started. I tripled my initial $20 in the slots and then headed to scope out the black jack and craps tables on the other side. I tend to prefer the tables because you lose your money slower and it makes for more entertainment. I settled on a craps table and Aunt Ellen joined me later. After teaching her the basics and with a little help from Preston and Kenny (the employees), she was hooked and there was no stopping her at this point.

We continued for a few hours, ordering drinks occasionally and getting excited about our turn to roll. I came out on top, happy about my progress but definitely starting to feel the less than two hours of sleep the night before and the three hour drive up there. We moved onto to “Let It Ride” where my aunt hit it big on her first (and last) hand. I was tired to say the least and I had been standing for a while. My feet hurt, I was cranky, and the alcohol stopped at 2am. I was ready to be done. My aunts on the other hand, put me to shame with their stamina and prowess. I am honored to say I have them as my role models because miraculously they kept me going until about 6:30.

We decided that would be a good time to “check-in” to the hotel we had booked across the street. We got to the front desk and told them that we wouldn’t need the room but would still like to eat the continental breakfast. We still paid for the room and when you think about it, that means our breakfast cost about $130. During that time, we decided it would be in our best interest to go back to the casino for another hour or two before heading back to Charlotte.

At this point, we still had not been to sleep and it was taking every ounce of power I had not to fall asleep at the slot machine. I ended up playing craps again but with no luck and decided to call it quits and watch my aunts. In that time, Aunt Anne had managed to turn $100 into significantly more and we called it a night(day?) with all three of us being up overall on the weekend.

A quick stop at the Paula Deen gift shop and we were on our way back to Charlotte. I almost immediately passed out in the Captain’s chair in the back and woke up about 20 minutes outside of Statesville. We made arrangements to pick up Ron from Mike and Whitney’s and then headed to my apartment. After an early dinner and quick trip to Target to get some things from my apartment, we rearranged my living room to accommodate all my new furniture. We played a dice game for a few rounds and I was in no shape to object to a 9:30 bed time.

Since Ron hates sleeping in for some reason, I was up at 8:30 and made breakfast for my aunts before loading up the car and saying good bye. I’m also not ashamed to admit that I went back to sleep for a solid 5 hours after I got them safely on their way. They left me with a few parting gifts, most notably a Paula Deen cookbook and a new nativity set to kick off the Christmas season.

To say I had a blast this weekend is an understatement. It’s always a good time with those two and hopefully next time my other aunt will be able to make the trip. The highlight of the weekend is a toss-up between the ghetto-chair in the car, 3^rd row seats at SNC, and all three of us coming out on top in the casino. I don’t think we could have packed any more good karma into the weekend.

A last (but certainly not least) cap on the weekend was that my little sister got engaged to one of the most awesome guys I know. He’s been around for a while and has been a part of my family for quite some time but I speak for all of us when I say we’re glad to make it official. Bring on the wedding planning!

Just another day at work...

Last Thursday, my team at work decided to partake in a group outing. The goal was “team building” and earlier in the month we had settled on laser tag and lunch because who doesn’t want to shoot things at their boss? We left around noon and went to a place in Mooresville called Joel’s that has really good Chinese food and sushi. Since we were off the clock, some of my coworkers had a beer or two and we briefly discussed our next adventure.

Over the previous two or so weeks, the team that sits directly adjacent to us has been collecting Nerf guns. It wasn’t a problem until we noticed they were coming in with precision sniper rifles and multi-clip, barrel-loaded, 90-shot guns that could shoot well over 50 feet. It was time to suit up and if nothing else, be equipped to defend ourselves. Since the laser tag place didn’t open until 3:00, we detoured to Target.

The nerf gun section at Target.

And there we were. Thirteen professionals dressed for a laser-tag battle royale shopping for nerf guns in the Mooresville Target. By the end of the 45 minute trip, we came away with one sniper rifle, two semiautomatic 10-shot blasters, a few six shooters, a double-barrel shot gun complete with shells and a nerf sword. (The sword was for my boss. To explain his logic for this is another post in itself.) Armed and prepped for battle, we headed to the laser tag place.

I haven’t played laser tag since I was 10-ish so I was more than excited. We opted for girls against boys for the first game then planned to switch it out but the girls called a rematch when we saw how close we were to beating them the first time. I came in first for the girls in the first game and beat all the guys except one (my boss’s boss) because he apparently does this more than once a year. The second game, my vest wasn’t working and I couldn’t really be shot. Once I figured this out, I launched a suicide mission and just walked around shooting. I was more or less invincible.

The Pit where we played laser tag.

They beat us again but only barely and I came out on top of everyone thanks to my defective vest. (I only took a little credit for the victory). We left about 4:30 and I promptly went home and took a nap waking up only to let my dog out and watch Glee. I then viciously cleaned my apartment in preparation for my aunts’ arrival and settled for about two hours of sleep. Thank goodness I had a relaxing weekend ahead of me (sarcasm; see next post).

Election Festivites

Woo! Elections! Convenient that they always happen the same year as the Olypmics. It is not confusing AT ALL for a country to come together and cheer on their athletes for a month then choose sides down political boundaries and yell at each other for the next three months. Politics make me uncomfortable and queasy, and I usually assume the fetal position and put my fingers in my ears when the topic comes up at lunch.

I know I'm not the most "informed" citizen. But I'm willing to admit that. I know that I would much rather watch Nickelodeon and ABC than any of the news channels. But, being an American and wanting to exercise the right that so many people have fought tirelessly for me to attain, I made it a point to get informed, read up on the candidates and show up at the polls on Tuesday. I voted, wore my sticker proudly, and promptly pushed all political thoughts, news and posts out of mind.

But seeing as my friends can turn any event into a reason for celebration and I am never one to turn down good food and wine with great people, Tuesday night I made the trip to Davidson to watch the election results with a few coworkers. I expected us to huddle around the TV and carry on light conversations as the results came in, cheering when certain states leaned a certain way. What I didn't expect was a full-blown election party complete with decorations, two TV screens and blank maps to color.

Lauren's Donkey Deocrations

Lauren bought the "Democrat Package" which was a ton of decorations with donkeys and no elephants to be found. (Needless to say she and most of the other people at the party were nothing-short-of-outspoken Democrats.) There were streamers and table decorations and Lauren sported a red, white and blue cowboy hat. To make the evening complete, they had printed out blank maps and gathered an assortment of red and blue markers. As the results came in, we colored in the state with red or blue depending on the results.

The coloring maps with the first few states colored in.

I keep a mental list of things I want to do "better" and being more informed about politics is one of them. I am consistently surrounded by both Republicans and Democrats and people who claim to be Independent though 9 times out of 10 they always vote the same way. I didn't cheer for any states in particular nor did I cheer for any candidate as the results came pouring in. In fact, coloring was the highlight of my evening and I left their house before the victory and concession speeches started. (Probably not the best way to become more informed.) However, I am proud of myself for actually reading up on the candidates and forming my own opinion rather than going in blindly based on the opinions and views of my friends and family.

Will I talk about the election or the candidates after this week? Probably not. A lot of the big "issues" don't concern me and don't affect me at this point in time which I think is directly related to my lack of interest in general. Regardless, I voted and plan to vote again in four years and again after that because the right to vote is something I know is both a responsibility and a privilege for living in a free country. Not about to give that up any time soon.

Homecoming!

Since I recently wrote an article about a weekend at JMU, I thought it would be appropriate to give a different perspective on a weekend with me in my favorite place in the world. I asked my friend Ashley to recount the weekend from her perspective, a guest blogger if you will, so it wasn't just another 500 words of me writing about how I love Harrisonburg.

So here's Ashley's recount of that weekend...

--

This was one of those weekends you look forward to for 365 days  (give or take a leap day.)  Some would say it's even better than Christmas, Thanksgiving, and what used to be summer break combined. It was JMU Homecoming and Halloween: a lethal combination of football, alcohol, and witty costumes.

Friday's classes dragged by ridiculously slow- like Christmas Eve with all the excitement but without the hassle of wrapping gifts.  I met up with Connor to finalize some last minute costume changes.  (Who’s Snoopy without Charlie Brown!?) Because people question my sexuality regularly anyway, why not be a single girl with relatively short hair going as a couple’s costume with another female?

After a ridiculously long night of baking 96 miniature pumpkin spice cupcakes, we all met up to tailgate about 9am. Normally I am the overjoyed fool gleefully running to hug Christy when she comes back to town.  Apparently she’d been watching Freaky Friday because our roles definitely switched. The fool was excited to see me!  

Now, if you’re gonna drink that early, ya might as well be classy with mimosas and strawberries and a sheetz croissant for breakfast.  (Sheetz trip #1.) 

Nothing says classy like Mimosa's out of a solo cup.

Three mimosas, 7 jello shots, a peppermint patty shot, a turrential rain storm and a whiny hurricane later, it was game time!  Due to previous experiences, Doug, Christy, and I dipped early to make it to the stadium in time to not only beat the masses, but catch the pregame huddle, the team coming in, the inflatable Duke Dog, and the marching band. 

Despite being damp, sick, sober, and looking too much like J.Beibs, Duke reigned supreme.  Dinner plans were made but the beckoning of a hot shower and a power nap were much too strong.  So, Christy and I picked up Sheetz (trip # 2 for those of you who are keeping track) and headed back to Jess’ (who later joined us) to regroup.  Showered, fed, thawed out, and costumed, we headed out to Saunton for Alex and Lacy's Halloween party.

But to make any trip complete, of course a stop at Sheetz is necessary (trip #3.)  And of course you get carded for buying a pong kit which is nothing more than solo cups and ping pong balls- your fun fact of the day.  Snoops, One of the Cat in the Hat's "Things", and I arrived at Lacy and Alex’s for a fun filled evening of pong, cake, and either the most horrific or awesome dancing I have ever seen.  Kendra, Lacy, Jess, and Christy danced the gangnam style and brought on the hurricane, and this time Alex broke the light fixture so I’m out of the doghouse on that one.  (The last Alex & Lacy party I attended Connor and I managed to shatter a light globe…oops!)

The Cat and the Hat with Thing 1 & 2

After being up for 19 hours and consuming alcohol for 18.5 of them, we all passed out in random places throughout the house.  The weekend of awesomeness culminated in Wesley sketchy dipping and leaving behind his cat tail from his costume, breakfast at Kathy’s, waffles with chipped beef, and stirring up the church crowd to Wobble Baby Wobble. No epic weekend would be complete without one last group Gangnam style and a pulled calf muscle. 

--

So that was Ashley's perspective on the Halloween/Homecoming awesomeness that was my first Homecoming as a JMU alum. As of now, I won't be going to any more JMU games this year unless they have a LONG home playoff run. With my birthday and random people visiting, I'm pretty busy all the way through Christmas but I'm looking forward to a weekend in the Spring where I can have all day Saturday to enjoy the parts of Harrisonburg I miss every weekend because of tailgating  (the farmers market, Jack Browns, walks on the quad and visiting old coworkers.) I may even plan it around a basketball game so I can drop in on my favorite concessions employees. 

An Epic Weekend of Sorts

For various reasons, I knew August was going to be a good month. I had many people come to visit, I spent some time at the beach and went back to JMU for my first football game as an Alum. Sepetember proved to be equally as awesome and due to this past weekend, and October is pretty close behind. In fact, October could  pass the others if Homecoming and Halloween festivities live up to my expectations.

There are five things that I try to do/see as often as possible and that, for whatever reason, make me blissfully happy no matter what kind of mood or mental state I'm in at the time. They are (in no particular order):

• Roller Coasters
• Parades
• Fireworks
• Anything with water (pools, lakes, oceans, water sports, etc)
• Snow (snowboarding or just being near snow, doesn't matter)

Fireworks, snow and water things are very seasonal activities. Sadly, I found out recently that North Carolina, at least the area I'm in, doesn't get a lot of snow. (Note to self: plan ski weekend for winter). I'm lucky enough to see the ocean at least once a year and make it a point to live around water (by that I mean, my complex has a pool). Parades usually occur around Holidays (LOVE parades and Holidays) and my access to roller coasters is limited to the warmer months.

Fortunately, the amusement parks open on the weekends through the end of October to do some kind of fall festival or scary event. Kings Dominion has Fear Fest, Busch Gardens has Howl-O-Scream and Carowinds has Scarowinds. I tried to coordinate with my sister to get her down here for a Scarowinds trip but she blew me off (numerous times) and I ended up going with some coworkers. I don't get scared easily, the scary parts are more funny than anything, but I DID get to ride a few roller coasters and spend some quality time with my coworkers. (Yay roller coasters!)

The Intimidator at Scarowinds

I woke up early on Saturday but spent most of the day in bed recovering from my adrenaline rush from the roller coasters and my work week in general. I mostly caught up on my shows from the week and of course, watched Saturday morning cartoons. I got up (eventually) and met Mike and Whitney for an adventure down in the city. (Side Note: this is the first of many trips into the city together). A couple of weeks ago, Mike and Whit introduced me to the comedian, Amy Schumer, via one of her stand-up acts on Comedy Central. She was playing in Charlotte for the weekend and we got tickets to see her stand-up act at the Comedy Zone at the NC Music Factory. Two guys (also very funny people) opened for her and then she did about a 40 minute bit of some of her (mostly old) stuff. If it hadn't taken over an hour to get our car from the valet and start heading home, the night would have been damn near perfect.

Me, Mike and Whit at Amy Schumer

Since sleeping in is now only a myth that I can't seem to figure out, I woke up early Sunday and beat the crowd to IKEA to pick-up the correct cover for my new couch and FINALLY get the thing put together. (Thanks Mamaw!) So, my now not-as-empty apartment has a couch AND a coffee table AND a side table with a cute little lamp on it. I'd like to pretend that I started to finally unpack my last couple of boxes but I felt breaking in the couch with a much needed nap yesterday afternoon was a more appropriate use of my time. (I had to make sure it was "nap worthy," right?)

SOMEONE forgot the "No Sitting On the Couch" Rule

So, roller coasters? Check. Stand-up comedy? Check. New couch AND a nap? Check. Not a bad way to end the week. Homecoming in Harrisonburg this weekend and my all-time favorite holiday next week. Bring on the candy and awful orange and black outfits :)

Home Sweet Harrisonburg

This past weekend I got to spend another glorious few days in Harrisonburg and see some people I haven't seen in quite a while. The weekend started with homemade Mac & Cheese and some much needed catching up with Rachel while we waited for Shawn to get home. It felt like old times minus the work drama and the fact that I wasn't in my PJs and Ron wasn't running around bothering Avery.

I eventually made it to Harrisonburg to meet up with some people at Ham's. At this point I was not only full (Thanks, Rachel!) but also waning on straight-up grumpy as my day (thanks to work and driving) was nothing short of exhausting. I can only be sorry for being in such a bad mood but hope Ashley, Jess and Connor didn't expect too much from me to begin with. I managed to eat half of a cookie skillet and sip a Blue Moon only to go home and pass out promptly on Jess's floor.

Saturday we made a game plan (pun intended) to tailgate at 10am with a kickoff time at 3:30. Five solid hours of beer and burgers complete with cornhole a couple of trips to visit other people in the area. My attitude went downhill quickly when I realized I wasn't feeling any of the alcohol and was full on junk food. We made it to the game and I anxiously watched the first two quarters before meeting up with Jill and my FAVORITE little sister and Mike.

Surprisingly enough, I decided to actually get concessions food and opted for a soft pretzel and hot chocolate. To my surprise, the cashier had NO idea what she was doing (I knew that place would fall apart without me). Resisting the urge to reach over and do it myself, I walked her through the transaction (flawlessly, I might add) and got her through Molly's too. She was more the grateful but I made sure to tell my old boss, Mike, that the new people weren't hacking it.

After an exhausting day and a failed dinner outing due to every place having a 45 minute wait, we went back Jess's and ordered pizza and cookies. We managed to entertain ourselves for a few hours thanks to Doug playing puppet with Kate's shoes including British commentary by Connor. Breakfast with Keitha and Leslie and a impromptu stop at Rachel's to see her new pup dog made my weekend complete.

The first time I went back to Harrisonburg a few weeks ago, it didn't feel any different. I was hanging out with the same people and doing what I would be doing if I was still going to school there. The only difference was I actually got to watch the football game instead of working it. Even that was only half-enjoyed as I was running around visiting people and trying to make sure I saw EVERYONE.  Naturally, I was sad to leave and return Sunday knowing I had to go to work the next morning.

This time felt a little different. I guess now that I'm more settled into Charlotte, I actually felt like an alumni this time; like my home really wasn't in Harrisonburg any more and I was just visiting. I found myself judging the freshman and their hipster attitudes and watching and analyzing the game instead of just trying to see who else was there. It was definitely a different feeling and this time, I wasn't as sad to leave. I'm still going to miss the people but my longing for Harrisonburg is slowly turning into a need that can be satisfied with a few days and some awesome people. Nonetheless, it's still in my top two favorite places in the world; only second behind Vegas but who can really compete with that?

Counting down the days till Homecoming! Ikea, Scarowinds and a stand-up comedy act with Mike and Whitney should get me through the next weekend until I can make it back to VA for my FIRST Homecoming as a JMU Alum.

Food Trucks and Tequila

In kindergarten I met this girl I couldn't stand. The story of how we met depends on which of us you're talking to and to this day I can't really be sure which one of us is right. Regardless, we officially became friends in 3rd grade when I didn't want to sit next to this other girl at lunch. We stayed close through college and once I got settled, I convinced her to come visit me down here. I use the term "convinced" lightly mainly because I didn't have to beg her to leave Fredericksburg for the weekend. We both have a mutual love/hate relationship with that place.

We started off the weekend with a Food Truck rally in Southend. I have a few coworkers that live down there and it's probably one of my favorite areas of Charlotte so far. The food truck rally is pretty much a gathering of random food trucks from different parts of the city in a gravel parking lot. They make a giant circle and you walk around and buy food from their trucks. They usually relocate during the week and drive around catering (intentional play on words) to the businesses uptown, but every Friday night they can be found at this parking lot.

The food ranges from turkey sandwiches, Mexican fusion and various cup cake trucks. For the most part it is BYOB. There are a few picnic tables in the middle but most people gather in the field behind the trucks to eat on blankets and fold-out chairs. Alex and I and one of my coworkers settled on The Queso Truck which was sporting a giant cheese-themed mustache on the top. I got a sandwich called "The Big Cheesey" which was pretty much a giant grilled cheese and Alex got a BBQ sandwich that was topped with Mac and Cheese. Moustache truck for the win!

Moustache on top of the Queso Truck.

Saturday morning consisted of my couch getting delivered (yay!) and a few hours at the pool which is crazy considering it's only in the high forties today. After a quick power nap and a nothing-short-of-stressful wardrobe change, we headed downtown to meet up with some coworkers. One of them was turning 30 this weekend and we all went out to celebrate and pretend we didn't have to act completely professional again on Monday.

A few bars and shots of tequila later, we were in route to head back home. To say I didn't do anything Sunday is not a general statement of just not being productive. After breakfast at Ihop and going back down to the city to pick up my car, I literally did not move the rest of the day. By dinner time I was able to get up and meet Mike and Whitney to do so much needed catching up with them. I'm still not quite sure how Alex was able to make the 5-hour trek back to Fredericksburg when the 20-minute drive to Mooresville about killed me, but she made it safely with plans to return for my birthday. 

In keeping up with exploring my new life, it's always nice to integrate the old with the new. Two weekends in row with people visiting from VA plus reuniting with people I'd never thought I'd see again have been a nice little detour from the regular routine I've settled into. If the stars align correctly, I'm headed to JMU this weekend for some much needed time in my other favorite city and take a break from Charlotte before we see Amy Schumer and I maybe go to (fingers crossed) Scarowinds the weekend after!! Here's to hopin.

Quality Family Time

Being away from my family sucks but so far, they’ve all tried really hard to make it easier. My sister came to visit before the beach, my older sister and parents send pics of my nieces and nephew and I try to talk to my grandma at least once a week. Though it was hard to find a weekend that worked for all of us, I was more than grateful that my dad, step-mom and grandma could work a weekend in Charlotte into their busy schedules.

It was weird to show them around my new "home." It's equally as weird to call a place home when it’s that far away from the people that mean the most to me. But regardless, I've fallen in love with Charlotte almost as quickly as I fell in love with Harrisonburg and was glad they were able to see the city I keep talking about.

I took them down and drove them through the actual city, being sure to stay on the roads I was familiar with to give the allusion that I knew where I was going. My grandmother was impressed that I’ve learned my way around so quickly and while I definitely know it better than an outsider, there’s still a long way to go.

We spent most of Saturday with a planned outing to Ikea and they surprised me by showing up to my apartment with Bo-berry biscuits from Bojangles. (Seriously the best breakfast I've and probably ever will have). We trekked through the Ikea showroom where I somehow convinced my grandmother to buy me a couch, a coffee table and end table for my otherwise empty living room. Maybe now I can actually invite people over to my house. I didn't figure out until about 10:00 Sunday night that I had picked up the wrong cover for my couch and have to make another trip back to warehouse to get the right one.

We all agreed on an afternoon nap followed by dinner at 131 Main. I wanted to take them somewhere they couldn't eat at home. Not only was this place suggested to me by one of my friends but also way too expensive for me to ever consider going on my own. (Good thing they were picking up the tab.) We ended the evening with a rousing game of Apples to Apples and while my initial plan was to go meet up with some friends afterwards, I was secretly grateful when they called and cancelled.

Sunday morning they snuck me into their hotel for continental breakfast and to my surprise, my dad did not protest. He’s usually against anything that breaks the rules but I guess the risk was too small to put up a fight. 

I promptly went home and went back to bed upon their departure only getting up to meet some friends and watch the Panther’s game and a later trip to the doggie park. I expect my Sunday’s will look pretty much the same until after the Super Bowl.

For the rest of year, I have random weekends filled with visiting friends and family members and could not by happier. My evil master plan is to slowly convince ALL of them to move down here so I can have all my favorite people in my new favorite city. A girl can dream. 

Randomly Reuniting

My first time on JMU's campus was when I went in June for Orientation. We were separated into small groups by major and went to various computer labs to register for classes. I met a girl named Jenna, we exchanged numbers, became Facebook friends and that was the end of that except for random sightings in Harrison Hall. We really didn't see each other that much until one random class during Senior year that I took for my major (her minor.) We ended up grouped together on a project and worked together for the whole semester.

And once again, it just ended there. I checked her Facebook periodically to keep up with her racing career (she drives race cars), but I found out she had relocated to Charlotte during  a Thursday night Panther’s game. We met up for drinks last week in South End to catch up and in keeping in trend with my recent vow to try new things, we picked a little hole-in-the-wall market hidden down an alleyway.

The place is called Common Market and is a beer market-gift shop-deli combination with an eclectic collection of beer. I had to search to find anything resembling Bud Light or Blue Moon but opted for a wheat beer with an owl on the label. We went up to pay and I asked the bartender if I could keep my bottle cap. He asked if I wanted some more and I agreed thinking he would throw a few more into my hand. To my surprise, he reached down and emptied the ENTIRE  box of bottle caps into a grocery bag. I now have a target back full of bottle caps and more than a few ideas of what to do with them.

We sat outside on the patio and watched what slowly turned into an open mic night of sorts. It started with a few guys but they kept recycling musicians and bringing in new people. Eventually it turned into people hopping up and playing a song or two, both covers and originals, and then various people then joining them by playing the bass or the drums or whatever else seemed to fit. It was an impromptu concert coupled with an unexpected reunion.

Jenna just accepted a job with Nascar and will be based in Uptown starting two weeks from now. She’ll be in the area for a while and we’ve planned a few trips back to Harrisonburg in addition to a few random events in Charlotte. The way we met was weird and even weirder that we reunited because of a random Facebook post. It’s still one more person to add to my Charlotte network and one that shares my love for Purple & Gold.  

It's All in the Cards

I don’t really buy into palm readings, tarot cards or psychic powers but I’m not about to turn down a learning experience. One of my coworkers is a psychic. She says she has an intuition that lets her see and feel things when she reads tarot cards. She and her mom both have it. They are called “healers” so after the reading is done, they work with the client to work through the reading and decisions to plan out their next move.

So one Thursday at Brickhouse (our regular Thursday happy hour spot) my coworker agreed to do a reading for me. The client (me) is supposed to think of a question and it’s up to the psychic and the client to draw meaning from the cards to answer the question. So armed with my deep dark secret, she handed me the deck to shuffle and cut and she laid out my 10 cards (picture to come).

The first two cards represent my question and the one thing that opposes it, good or bad. The next two are my past and future and the two after that are my family and support systems and the foundation for wanting to ask the question. The final four are my answer, the support to the answer, my mood/feelings right now, and the outcome. When she was finished explaining what each individual card meant, she asked me to look at the cards and point out symbols or anything that stood out to me. She used my own “insights” to provide further clarification to some of the things that she had noticed.

All in all, it was an awesome experience and one I will more than likely repeat. For the most part, I feel like there is a little something to this tarot card concept. I know the idea is to be vague so the clients can draw their own meanings from the cards but there were a few things that related directly to my question that I’m not sure she could have known otherwise.

I don’t need to go into detail about the question, or the reading or the what the “outcome” might be but I’m not going to pick up and move to another country or look for a husband whose last name only starts with a “Q” (which apparently, others have done). If nothing else, it gave me a little insight on things that have very little importance in my life right now and gave me a new respect for the psychic world.

25 Things That Haven't Changed in 25 Years

Last week, I was able to get a few days off of work to the go the beach with my family. When I tell people about this vacation and our long running history with this particular island, they don't quite seem to "get" the impact this has had on our lives. This is the only family vacation I have ever known. My family has been going to this beach for roughly 28 years. Even the year we went to Disney World, we stopped at the beach for a week on the way back. This year was my 25th time visiting Sunset Beach, North Carolina and whilst my life and many other aspects have taken some dramatic changes, I take comfort in the fact that this little part hasn't changed much at all.

Here are 25 things that haven't changed much at all.

1. The trip down. It always rains and takes well over two-hours the time we could make it in. This year was a tad bit different since I left from Charlotte but it still rained and was yucky most of the day.
2. Unpacking the car/rearranging the whole house. We rent a house, always oceanfront, and when we get there, nothing is ever the way we want it. We move furniture, rearrange the kitchen cabinets and clean out the cars while my dad promptly plops his ass on the couch once everything is safely inside.
3. The grocery run. This may not seem like a big deal but all of the rental properties down there rent on a weekly basis from Saturday-Saturday so the initial grocery run when we get there is usually organized by what we can find to make for dinner and breakfast until we can come back the next day. And, since planning ahead is frowned upon on vacation, we strive (and I mean literally put effort) into going to the grocery store or the corner market every day.
4. First step in the ocean. It's a pretty monumental thing. When we were little, it used to be the first thing we would do: run to the beach, step in the ocean, run back home. We can usually hold out until the first day now, but it's still a pretty heart warming moment to be in the middle of something so huge and the feeling is the same every year I do it.
5. Sunscreen. The daily sunscreen application. This happens twice a day and is always a big event. The best part is you can blame the person who did your back if you get sunburned.
6. Outdoor showers. All of the beach houses have outdoor showers. I personally think all house everywhere should have them. It is socially acceptable at the beach to walk outside, up the stairs and sit on the deck post shower in the sun and not have to worry about being judged by your neighbors.
7. Bocce and paddle ball. Sadly, I didn't get to play this year before I left but these are two beach games that we have been playing since we were old enough to pick up the balls.
8. Drip castles. I'm sure everyone has done this at some point, but it's when you pick up a handful of wet sand and let it drip out and make cool "cave-esque" towers. The secret is to build a really sturdy foundation so when the tide starts coming it, it doesn't wipe out all of your work.
9. Calabash. Calabash is a little area right before you get to South Carolina. It's a giant gift shop with a bunch of crap that nobody needs but we make at least one stop there every year. We usually go once early in the week to scope out the merchandise then return later to actually buy things. I, personally, enjoy their selection as most of their nick-knacks match the color scheme in my apartment, but I would be happy with just buying the pound and a half of fudge we get every year.
10. Putt Putt. AKA the ultimate beach tourist attraction. We love putt putt and tend to venture to the same place every year as it's pretty close and fairly easy for all involved. This year was my nephew's first attempt at mini-golf. My sister and dad both play golf so their technique is impeccable but this year we were literally in awe when my grandma knocked in FOUR hole-in-ones. Despite her amazing performance on those four holes, she still managed to lose.
11. Calabash Creamery. This is a little home-grown ice cream store that was featured in Southern Living a few years back. The best part (other than the ice cream of course) is the GIANT rocking chairs outside. You know you're in "The South" when you eat homemade ice cream while rocking on the front porch.
12. Shrimp night. We manage to make shrimp and crab cakes at least one a trip and my dad takes tremendous pride in being the shrimp man. His job: boil some water, throw the shrimp in, season to liking. Usually his liking, not any of ours, which is why they're usually too spicy for the rest of us.
13. Coozies. A long LONG time ago, we used to have a solo cup stuck inside a coozie that was labeled with our name. Then we would rinse out and reuse the cups in a effort to save money. We don't do the cup thing any more but the coozies still manage to make it back to the beach every year and, now that we're old enough, keep the beers cold on the beach.
14. Some big television event. Whether it's one of the big golf tournaments, the Olympics, or the Republican National Convention, some huge televised event happens every year. It usually comes down to who has the most power as to what we're stuck watching, and up until this point, that person has never been me.
15. Yahtzee, Phase 10 and Poker.Nothing says "Family Vacation" like a bunch of board games. And, to make sure we don't forget anything, my grandma is in charge of maintaining the "Game Box" year round. It has all of our score cards, chips, pens, dice, whatever you may need for a rousing night of family fun. We play Yahtzee every day a lunch and I'm pretty sure that game alone is the sole reason me, my sisters and my cousins can do math.
16. Lunch time. Our daily routine includes a morning on the beach, lunch, an afternoon on the beach, and then some kind of nighttime activity. My lunch fluctuates between two meals: ham and swiss or peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes there's bananas involved and I might switch from strawberry to grape but it's one of those two. Then there is also always cheetos and crystal light. I don't eat cheetos year round and therefore usually go through about 3 bags at the beach. I also usually get yelled at because the Yahtzee dice are covered in cheeto dust, but that is the small price I'm willing to pay.
17. Weather Man in Residence. My dad missed his calling in life. If I had to pick his favorite channel, it would most certainly, without a doubt, be the weather channel. I know what you're thinking: "It doesn't do anything except show the weather." And you're absolutely right. But he loves it. And by loves it I mean he can leave it on for hours and spit back facts about the cold front coming in or the Hurricane going up the coast. We got him a weather machine a few years ago that sounds the alarm when bad weather is in the area and he usually runs to a door or window to get a glimpse of the first lightning.
18. Family tension. I don't say this as a bad thing. When you put 10 people in a house that have different schedules, needs and wants, its hard to find something to please everyone. My sisters and me, who generally get along really well, can always find something to fight about before the trip is over. It's just nature and I would call BS to any family that claims they don't get a little testy being that close to one another for an extended period of time.
19. At least one rainy day. Plain and simple. We loose at least one day, usually more, to bad weather. Fortunately there is shopping and board games to keep us busy. My favorite part is sitting on the deck and watching the storm roll out to sea and I usually want at least one storm so I can sit outside and watch.
20. Holden’s market. Two beaches up from us is Holden Beach and there is a little farmer's market there that has THE BEST cantaloupe, peaches, corn and Peach Salsa. It's worth the 15 minutes trip to go out there and get fruit for the week.
21. Ghost crabs. No beach vacation is complete without a late night walk on the beach looking for ghost crabs. These white little guys generally only come out and night and are used to people chasing after them with flashlights. They eventually run into their holes but their sideways crawl is quite comical.
22. Pelicators. Most definitely my favorite beach life. Pelicators, also known as pelicans, are by far the coolest birds. They walk, swim and fly, and are constantly nose diving into the water for fish. Even coolor is that they fly along the stops of the houses so that they can ride the drafts coming off of the peaks and don't have to do any work. Genius. Why do we call them that? Well, I'd have to double check, but I'm pretty sure it's what my older sister used to call them when she was little. For a very long time, I thought it was their real name.
23. Ode to Mom. I don't talk about my mom much, and while I miss her every day, both of these double at the beach. It was her favorite place and for two weeks a year, I got to see my mom relax, not be a nurse, not working nights and enjoying every minute of having other people watch her kids. We find a reason to bring her up whenever something reminds us of her. It's a sad thought but a good one because we know she's glad we still make it there every year.
24. Last day on the beach. This day usually consists of complaining about having to leave, discussion travel plans and eating everything possible from the fridge. We all say we don't want to leave but secretly, it's comforting to know we can settle back into a routine when we get home.
25. Planning for next year. Since this vacation is somewhat of a constant in our life, we spend a great deal of time at the beach planning for the next year at the beach. We start the trip by picking up reality books and driving down the street to look at potential houses for the next year. We're picky, mainly because the houses have to fit certain requirements that we have become accustomed to over the years. 

 The next house is booked, we're all home safely and so begins another 365-day countdown to the next chapter of The Chilton Family Adventures at Sunset Beach. I don't hesitate to call the little island my second home because nothing else (other than Fredericksburg) has been so constant in my life. Thankfully, as long as we continue to commit to this trip every year, the next generation of Chilton's will know the wonders of spending every summer there, too.