Quote of the day

"Unbelievable; absolutely unbelievable. He did it all. He ran the ball, kick returned, caught the ball; he did pretty much anything. I don't know what he didn't do. Throw a pass, but he probably could have if we let him do it. He's one of the main reasons why we won this game because we struggled a little bit. He gave special teams a big spark along with our offense. He did a great job."

-T.J. Yates, UNC Quarterback, commenting on Brandon Tate's spectacular performance against McNeese State

Heels 35, McNeese 27

Saturday's season opener started out HOT! We stopped by the Burleigh's tailgate first at around 5 p.m. From there, the heat really kicked in. Any time spent in the sun was miserable. Even once we reached our seats, there was no relief in sight, but I still forced Abby and Maria to pose for a pre-game photo.


The Heels started out strong, quickly scoring 14 points. Shortly after, officials suspended the game due to lightning, after which a heavy storm kept the game on hold for an hour and 48 minutes.


Although the announcer repeatedly asked fans to seek shelter, most of us in the covered areas stayed put. We had a pretty good wave going on for about 15 minutes, too! He later practically begged us to leave saying, "For those of you seated in the covered areas - and you're just sitting there - those are METAL seats you're sitting on! Please, for your own safety, return to your vehicles or seek shelter in the parking decks." But we did not move.

In this day and age of iphones and tiny digital am/fm radios, we were able to keep somewhat apprised of the situation. Of course in one truly hilarious instance, our neighbor told us that her sister (who lives near campus) called to tell her the severe thunderstorm warning had been cancelled. Moments later, the loudest boom of thunder resonated through the stadium. So much for the accuracy of weather forecasters.

The game resumed around 8:40 p.m. and after a few minutes I began to think the Heels had been drinking in the locker room for that hour and 48 minutes. Plays were bad. Players were punching each other. The shouts from fans were NOT Abby friendly.

But thank God for Brandon Tate. Without him we would've lost, and deservedly so. Tate finished with a school record 397 all-purpose yards for the Heels - the second most all-purpose yards in ACC history. Indeed, thank you Brandon Tate. Let's hope the Heels (the rest of them) have a better game next time!

In closing, I'd like to mention how impressed I was with Abby's stamina! Kept up way past her bedtime, she was perfectly behaved and a stellar cheerleader right up to the end. She is a true Tar Heel for sure! Photo below is of the two of us at the game. She tends to have a crazy-looking smile these days...

Tar Heels open football season!

I am anxiously awaiting tomorrow's 2008 football season opener for the Tar Heels. I must admit that I have no idea where McNeese State is located, if they are any good, or what to expect. I don't care. Don't get me wrong, I am a true Tar Heel fan, but I thoroughly enjoy every game I attend whether we win or not.

With Abby screaming, "Defense!" no matter who has the ball or what the play; the myriad of fans supplying me with people-watching fodder I crave; and of course the fresh-squeezed lemonade, home games are mint! Watching Abby suck the life out of each and every lemon in the lemonade is worth the $5 price of the beverage.

I hope to post photos from the game some time this weekend. In the meantime, GO HEELS!

Quote of the day

"Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind."

-Henry James

What I've learned as a single woman

I've spent most of the last 10 years of my life living on my own. While I admit that a life without roommates can make certain things far more difficult (like finding a dog sitter or getting a ride to work when your car is broken), in my experience, what I am forced to learn and do for myself proves to be of great value.

Example 1: Circa 1999
I moved into a cinderblock hell-hole that I lovingly referred to as Satan's Lair. Satan was a despicable redneck who freely spouted racial slurs and told me that he was going to run my dogs over with his tractor. (In my defense, I only lived there for 3 months). Upon taking up residence at the lair, I had to hardwire half of my own electricity, rewire my telephone connection, repair the plumbing, install new doorknobs and deadbolts and put up a fence for the pooches. Knowing I wouldn't get any of my deposit back from Satan, I did not feel at all bad about the quart of paint I spilled in the living room. Sunny yellow, semi-gloss.

Example 2: 2004-2008 at Kinglet Ct.
I've become a fairly decent plumber since moving into my house, having replaced a little over a half-dozen parts between my three toilets. I've also become a pro at repairing garbage disposals, servicing a lawn mower and pressure washing. Oh, and let's not forget the landscaping. I very much enjoyed ripping up most of my holly bushes and replacing them with azaleas, gardenias and assorted perennials.

Example 3: August 19, 2008
On my way to Costco, there was a great deal of traffic. I sat through many lights, some more than once, and just as I was about to pass through the last light before my stop I noticed smoke rising in front of my car. Upon realizing it was rising from my hood, I started to panic. Then coolant started spraying onto the windshield and that's when I looked down at the temperature gauge. It was off the chart - beyond the red zone and the white that borders the red zone. Long story short, I made it to Costco, did my shopping and then drove across the street as a test run. The gauge seemed fine. But on the way home, any stop at a light longer than a minute or two caused the gauge to creep into the scary zone again. Nevertheless, I knew I had to get home, so I continued on. I made it home, consulted my Honda book, walked across the street to Kroger to get some Prestone, mixed it up and added it to the EMPTY radiator. In fact the reserve tank had also been depleted. I performed the checks necessary and all seemed well. Disaster averted. However, when I called my dad to get his opinion he immediately doubted me, "What did you buy? Did you add water? How much did you add?" I know he doesn't mean to question my intelligence and I really wasn't offended. I thought his inquiries were more humorous than anything else. Future note to dad: I can read, and I do have a tendency to read instructions before acting! The CR-V is due for service soon anyway, so until then we'll live on the edge of overheating.

Through these examples I by no means intend to make myself out to be Rosie the Riveter, but I do feel like I've done pretty okay on my own. I've never wanted to be portrayed as the "damsel in distress," and I think I've averted it well. To all my girlfriends, feel free to ask me any "how to" questions!

Quote of the day

"No man can be condemned for owning a dog. As long as he has a dog, he has a friend; and the poorer he gets, the better friend he has."

-Will Rogers

Fabulous Weekend

Not only was the weather here in Durham beautiful all weekend, but I got to spend time with some old friends and make some new ones, too! Saturday night I met my old friend Dondrea at the Durham Bulls game. Her husband John and daughter Ryleigh also came along and we had a great time. One would never guess that Ryleigh is only almost three. She is so smart! At one point in the evening, John took Ryleigh to the playground while Dondrea and I stayed in our seats to catch up. Of course Wool E. Bull was hanging around right by us while Ryleigh was gone, but when John called Dondrea from across the field, Ryleigh assured her that while she didn't wave to Wool E. Bull, "I know he saw me!" She is insanely cute, and looks just like her daddy.

John, Dondrea and Ryleigh



Dondrea, Ryleigh and me



Then tonight, Kerry and I took Mark out to dinner for his birthday. As I said earlier, the weather was so pleasant that we were able to dine outside and it was lovely. Nantucket Grill is always good, but this was the first time I had dessert - although I drool over them every time I eat lunch there. We all split the chocolate strawberry shortcake and it was heavenly. We were down one usual guest tonight (Caroline) but spending time with these two is among my most favorite things to do. Always smashing good fun.

Me, Mark and Kerry



Happy 34th Mark!

Saturday Visitor

Upon my return from walking Bailey this afternoon, I saw this little guy hanging around my lantana plant. It took me what seemed like hours to find my camera, so I thought surely he would be gone by the time I did. Annoyed, I quietly opened my front door and found him still fluttering about. I think he is a Western Tiger Swallowtail, and he could very well be a she. I did not research farther than Wikipedia. The he/she Swallowtail hung around quite a while - I guess that's why lantana is also known as a butterfly bush!

MyFace

A friend of mine coined this term for Facebook and it stuck. Whether or not it is a jab at MySpace, I don't know, and I don't care. MyFace just sounds funnier, especially when it is unintended. You see, one of my great old friends and I reconnected through FB and I met her for dinner soon afterward while on a visit home to Winston-Salem. I was trying to tell her about some of the other people I've found, but I couldn't stop saying MyFace instead of Facebook - even when I was trying my hardest to use the true name. We laughed our heads off.

Of course I have since discovered that there is an actual MyFace.com - another social networking site - but I'm still going to refer to FB as MyFace!

Truth be told, I have found many very old, very dear friends via MyFace. Friends I thought I might never hear from again. Friends for whom I have searched for years. I should thank my friend Blair, since she's the one who asked me to sign up. I've known about MF for years, but was never interested in using it. Now I wish I'd signed up long ago!

I'm going to a Durham Bulls game tomorrow night with an old swimming friend, and I'm planning to go visit an old roommate and a great friend from high school in September. I spoke to the latter on the phone for about 3 1/2 hours last night, and now I'm beyond insanely excited to see her in person!

So, for all of you who aren't MyFacer's yet, I encourage you to sign up. It is ridiculously addictive at first, but once you've been on it for a couple of weeks or so, you will gradually get your life back and hopefully have a bunch of new "old" friends to boot!

Quote of the day, with a shout out to LAF

"As soon as the doctor said, 'You've got cancer,' I said, 'Hey wait a second, I've got trials.'"

-Eric Shanteau, 2008 Olympic swimmer, upon hearing that he has testicular cancer

But as we know, Eric did go to trials and he made the USA Olympic swim team. He didn't make the finals in his event, but his courage to race has given hope and inspiration to everyone touched by cancer. After some hard news this past year, I was also inspired by Eric to join the Lance Armstrong Foundation and I wear my LIVESTRONG wristband with pride.

LAF appealed to me because it is an organization that is not specific to one type of cancer. Yes, we all know Lance Armstrong conquered testicular cancer, but his organization fights for and supports anyone stricken by cancer of any kind, type or diagnosis. I encourage everyone to view the LAF manifesto video.

I should have some LIVESTRONG wristbands available soon, so if anyone is interested in one ($1 each) let me know. Here's to hoping Eric wows us all in 2012 in London, but most importantly that he wins his battle against cancer.

Spread the Shed

Thanks to Bailey, my house has recently become unacceptably coated with white tufts of coarse hair. Yes, Bailey is a Norwegian Elkhound and his shedding is to be expected, but my house looks like it snowed INSIDE…at least 3 or 4 inches.

When I walk him each day, I have to stop several times to pull loose fur from his coat. I usually just toss it over my shoulder and go on my way, but the tufts remain, trapped in my neighbors' grass not 5 feet from my yard, haunting me with omens of the hair to follow. (Pictured right, a typical handful from Bailey at any time).

Bailey has always been a hairy, shedding beast, but this summer has welcomed a new record level of excess Bailey. SERIOUSLY. I brush him every night, yet one would think that his brush is coated with Rogaine upon seeing what he leaves behind after a mere 5-minute stint at the vet, for example. All of those supplements that claim to stop shedding - they haven't worked. The Furminator? Effects last maybe for a week to 10 days. Bailey is a never-ending creature of hair production…if only I could somehow bottle and market that to the middle-aged male. Perhaps for the Elkhound, hair production increases with age. That would be my luck.

The sweetest thing is that when I arrive to take Bailey outside (under these hairy circumstances), he seems embarrassed. He lowers his head as if to say, I'm sorry you'll have to vacuum after me later, mom. (Awwwww!)

But none of it matters. Bailey could generate a typhoon of hair, and for that my love for him will never change. Good or bad, hairy or bald, drooling or blind, toothless or fierce – for almost 11 years Bailey has been my most faithful companion.

He'll be 11 in December. Here's to hoping he's the heartiest of Elkhounds. Long live my hairy beast!

Farewell Water Cube

Just like the bloggers from the Baltimore Sun, I will dearly miss the Water Cube of the Beijing Olympic Games. I am a former swimmer who does not miss the training necessary to be wildly successful, but I cannot get enough of watching those whose talents fuel my nostalgia for the sweetest of victories.

There is no doubt that the likes of Natalie Coughlin and Katie Hoff tremendously dwarf all inklings of my athleticism, but the memories triggered by their successes make me feel like I could've won each and every gold medal.

Here's a shout out to Natalie for winning six medals - more than any female swimmer at a single Olympics ever. Completely overshadowed by Phelps' quest for glory, I hope all who realize her achievement will join me in congratulating her on being one of the greatest athletes of all time! (Not to mention that she is gorgeous).

The United States' Swim Team is truly faster and deeper than ever. The competition is becoming the tightest of any other sport in the world, and while those who place 4th and 5th at Olympic Trials might not agree, I think there is something to be said for being the 4th or 5th fastest swimmer in the U.S.

Until London 2012 - Go Team!

Quote of the day

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."

-Madeleine L'Engle

Happy Birthday Marian!

Went over to Mar and Nelson's tonight to celebrate Mrs. Rhodes birthday. Always a grand affair when these folks are involved. First we have a new photo of my girls, long time coming: Marian, Jen, Rachael and me.

As usual, Katie and Anna were out of control. I made them pose for one "sweet" photo, which they gladly did since the many others I took were on their terms and I let them view all of them immediately afterward. "Insta-photo" is apparently fabulous to 5-6 year-olds. First the sweet, then the crazy. Shout out to Katie for representing the Heels!


Then there's Ella, the most agreeable baby in the world. She is a treasure!

Wishing you a year full of the happiest times M! xoxo, T

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A book review

Author: Garth Stein, 336 pgs.

I read this book in less than 36 hours and loved every single minute of it. Narrated by the loyal lab mix, Enzo, "Racing" tells the story of race car driver Denny Swift - his successes, his failures, his loves and losses, and the undying dedication of his faithful companion.

The story begins with Enzo looking forward to his own demise, and what he believes will be his eventual reincarnation as a man, including opposable thumbs and the ability to speak. Tracking back, we learn of the whirlwind love affair between Denny and Eve, the birth of their daughter Zoe, and Eve's heartbreaking illness that only Enzo could predict.

In the wake of Eve's death, Denny's life quickly falls apart. His (assumed) past catches up with him and his disapproving in-laws vie to take everything away from him.

"Racing" is touching, often sublimely hilarious, and perfectly appropriate for any reader - animal lover or not. The ending was by far the best ending of a book I've read in the last 15 years. I absolutely adored it and cried when I was finished, more because it was over than anything else.

Even if you detest NASCAR, this book will not disappoint. The race car driving aspect of the story is minimal and never overly dragged out, and I promise that if you are a dog owner, you will look at your pal(s) a little differently after reading this book and think, "Hmmmm."

I highly recommend this book!

Way to go Blake!

Blake finished 27th, and about 4 minutes slower than her best recorded marathon time, but she still finished well within the top half of the competitors. Awesome race, Blake, I'm so proud of you! I'm betting we'll be seeing her in London in 2012.
For a little backstory, see the the following link: A brief chat with Blake Russell

Quote of the day

"I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match."

-Mia Hamm, 2-time Olympic gold medalist

Go Blake!

The women just took off on the marathon in Beijing and Blake is looking good. They said some rain helped to cool it down so that the weather isn't unbearable. At 12:31 into it, Blake's among the leaders, #3228. Blair and Scott are there cheering her on, too. Will post an update in about 3 hours. Go Blake, Go USA!

Locks of Love

My niece Abby has the hair of a typical nearly 7-year-old girl. It is fine, not thick, but she has a lot of it. Up until last year, Maria always kept her hair in check - never below the shoulders. A couple of months ago, Abby decided that she wanted to grow her hair out so that she could later donate it all to Locks of Love. While her desire to do this melts my heart and only confirms my belief that she is one of the sweetest, most compassionate children alive, I am severely dreading the "growing out" process. You see, Abby is reluctant to any brushing of her hair. The result of her aversion is most often an impossible rat's nest, haphazard tangles and knots dominating where smooth silky locks should be.

As a child, the length of my hair was not due to such an honorable cause, but nevertheless my hair was very long, and the process of washing, combing and drying was never anything I eagerly anticipated. Much to my embarrassment, I recall my response to my dad's forceful detangling and drying to be me rewetting my hair, as if to say, "Ha! I'll show you, now my hair is wet again!" This action on my part was always met with an encore of the dreaded process I so cleverly thought I had reversed. I was not so clever...

I suppose Abby benefited most from my lack of cleverness, since my own pain led to my skillful perfection of the art of detangling hair. In fact, Grammy and I are Abby's preferred hair stylists, as we are the only two she deems sufficiently gentle. Too bad Grammy and I are not available on a daily basis to tame Abby's tresses.

As Abby is a ridiculously active child, I am open to suggestions to offer my sister-in-law for keeping her hair from becoming a hive of dreadlocks. I am hesitant (almost to the point of refusal) to discourage her from such a generous act; so please, please, please, anyone who may have suggestions pass them on to me!

Quote of the day

"It's never too late to be what you might have been."

-George Eliot

Extraordinarily talented athletes also possess extraordinarily large hearts

I am so impressed, touched and in awe of the camaraderie that is evident between many of the American athletes competing in Beijing. In particular the swimmers - their attitudes and phenomenal outpouring of team support have rendered me almost speechless. I guess because many of them do not train together or have a past team affiliation on which to build a particular bond, it is refreshing to see such a collection of talented people come together as a force to be reckoned with, especially when one teammate is courageous enough to divulge the details of a very personal battle with cancer. I am still bummed that Eric didn't final in the 200 breaststroke, but I congratulate him on a personal best time, and even more so because of the fact that his semi-final swim time would have placed him 7th in the final!

While on a much more amateur level, I suppose the Olympic team is a bit like the Zone teams I participated on in my teens. Similar to the Olympic trials, the Zone team members were selected based on athletes' performance at the state Junior Olympics. The top 5-7 performers were selected to participate on a team representing the state (for me, North Carolina).

In the case of Zone teams, most of us actually did know each other pretty well. While we certainly didn't all train together, we spent many weekends competing against each other across the country and formed friendships along the way. In fact, I'm fairly certain that I was far more acquainted with many of my swimming competitors than I was with most of my classmates.

I have recently reconnected with several of my former swimming peers. As stated in my previous blog post, I'm sure the ongoing Olympics is fueling my nostalgia, but I must admit that for the first time in a very long time, I'm finding myself missing the swimming pool. However, the key bit of info is that I don't miss training, but I'm only missing the connection I shared with some fabulously talented athletes - those who pushed me to try harder, picked me up when I failed, congratulated me when I succeeded and carried me through a 15-year underwater career.

I was never an Olympian, but I was a 2-time high school conference MVP, a state finalist in the 200 I.M. and 200 free and I qualified for Y Nationals in the 400 I.M., 200 I.M., 200 free and 100 free.

And to attest for the power of support, I must say that I felt most successful after swimming the 200 freestyle my senior year at high school states, with my dearest friend Kerry cheering me on. In and out of the pool, she has always inspired me to be a better person.

As for the Olympics, I will now focus my attention on the women's marathon, directing all of my good thoughts to Blake Russell, the sister of my friend Blair Phillips. Kick A$$ Blake! We are all behind you!

Quote of the day

"Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures."

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

My life as a swimmer

As most of my dearest friends are aware, I spent a great deal of my childhood and early adolescence in a swimming pool. To be exact, I began my "serious" competitive swimming career at age nine and didn't come to a full stop until my junior year of college at age 21. (Of course the nostalgia is running rampant with the ongoing Olympics).

The early years were fun and full of fresh adventure, but soon after my fourteenth birthday the novelty was a distant memory and bitterness set in. I hated swimming. I hated that I had to go to practice every day while my peers led their carefree lives. I remember my coach giving us a speech, telling us that while we might think of our lives as boring and regimented, surely there were hundreds of kids who would have preferred to be in our shoes. I still beg to differ.

In spite of my misery and bratty disregard for the sacrifices my parents made to support me in my athletic endeavors, I was afforded reasonable success. Nevertheless, extenuating circumstances and life-challenges ensued, bringing my rise to stardom to a screeching halt. But to this day, my greatest friends are those I met while swimming. For them, all that was endured was more than worth it. Kerry, Mark, Susan, Caroline and Scott - you are my treasures, gifted to me perhaps for enduring the Bob practices we grew to hate. You are all forever close to my heart.

Quote of the day

"One does not see anything until one sees its beauty."

-Oscar Wilde

The Eye of the Beholder

Beauty, love, admiration. These things truly are subjective, varying in degrees from person to person. It is these variations that maintain the balance between conventional and eccentric, conservative and liberal, middle of the road and leaps beyond.

While this post might seem to be heading down a rather existential path, all I'm really getting at is that I personally find my tiny terrier, Zoe, to be irresistibly cute. My dad insists that she is weird looking, abnormally boney and an all-around pain in the A$$. OK, yes, when wet she closely resembles an anorexic Chihuahua, she can't stand to be away from me (meaning she barks and paces non-stop until I appear before her once more), and she has a tendency to bite (especially the rear end of dark-haired males who come within two feet of her). Don't we all have our faults? I feel entirely reasonable offering the disclaimer, "Approach with caution and at your own risk." I too value my personal space, so far be it from me to force Zoe to tolerate encroaching intruders.

In all seriousness, Zoe has managed an astonishing improvement in her behavior since I adopted her in November of 2005. She has almost completely ceased biting, she's far less skittish around strangers, and she's developed an impressive tolerance for "youngster curiosity," meaning that she doesn't really mind Abby poking her, picking her up, petting her with a bit too much force, squeezing her, etc. (Good girl, Zo, keep it up!)

**Note: not so much in the last photo, but Zoe has a tendency to resemble the "Heat Meiser" from "The Year Without a Santa Clause." I add this note in honor of my old friend, Heat!**

So, back to "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I bring that up because I realize that quite possibly, it is only a mother who could adore the face pictured in the following photos. Rat-looking, boney, demon-eyed - what have you - Zoe is my baby girl and her face is one of the most beautiful I lay my eyes on every day. May you all find yourselves as lucky as I am to have found TWO of the most amazing canine companions, with whom I gladly share my life. Bailey and Zoe: you RULE!

Quote of the day

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

-Dorothy Parker

A Tribute to Fuzzpa

After Abby was born, nobody had given a great deal of thought as to what the nicknames of her paternal grandparents would be. At the time, I still had (2) living grandmothers: Grandmommmie and Nana. So mom became Grammy, but dad was a bit more reluctant to come up with a name for himself.

While I don't know all of the details, apparently on some road trip, mom and dad noticed the personalized license plate, "Fuzzpa." Since dad has had a full beard and mustache since he left the Air Force, the name Fuzzpa seemed entirely appropriate and Abby enthusiastically adopted it as the name for her beloved grandfather. Dad is now Fuzzpa to us all.

So while dining at Provision Company on Holden Beach this summer, I noticed the license plate pictured above and knew it must be photographed in honor of dad. Although we don't know exactly what Fuzzpa meant to the driver of the car carrying the Fuzzpa tag, we think of our Fuzzpa as the one and only!

Quote of the day

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."

-Maori proverb

Holden Olives

Olive Shells (those I found this past week pictured right)
Family: Olividae. Number: about 400 species.

These small glossy gastropods are found in tropical and warm seas. Shaped like pointed olives (more like torpedoes to me), they have been used for jewelry and ornaments since prehistoric times. Each shell has its own color and design, due to a dye the animal secretes continuously over its lifetime. Using its large foot to pull its prey down, the olive snail feeds on worms, bivalve shell animals and crabs. Olive shells are popular with collectors because of their almost limitless range of patterns and colors. Most markings in olives consist of zigzags, chevrons and small tent-like (inverted V) markings.

The shell of the lettered olive, Oliva sayana, is the state shell of South Carolina in the United States. The shell coloration can vary from cream to a greyish exterior with reddish-brown zigzag markings. The common name of this species is derived from the darker surface markings that sometimes resemble letters. (See shells below darker center shell and to the left).
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In case you're wondering, I've included this brief informative entry on Olive shells because we became absolutely obsessed with finding them. So help us, we even planned some of our activities around the possible "prime Olive shelling" times. Maria is a pro. Honestly, I felt like a beach-combing virgin trying to keep up with her.

Interject: Phelps just CRUSHED the World Record in the 400 I.M. I don't miss swimming, but WOW, that kicked ass. Go U.S.A!

So, since it was our last morning today, Maria and I rose at 6 a.m. to search for the last of the Olives. While the beach wasn't loaded with the treasures for which we searched, we did find enough to make the trek worth it. Of course the champion of the week was Abby, who on Thursday found a fully intact Sand Dollar, almost without any effort at all!

Maria, double-fisting the caffeine while I snapped her photo under the pier

Saturday morning's sunrise

Me at sunrise (at this time in my life this is a RARE sight!)

Probably more latent Holden news to come. We had a smashing good time!

Quote of the day

"The beach was crowded, people tossed like ripe corn, buttering
themselves as they went..."

-Anne Sexton

Greetings from Holden Beach

Mom and I arrived safely at Coastal Living on Saturday night. We were both exhausted, so after catching up with everyone else, we all retired early. Sunday morning we decided to go to the beach for a while and then head out to the Tanger Outlets for the last day of tax-free weekend. Grammy (mom) was supposed to come down to the beach soon after we left, but she never came. We all wondered why but assumed she just decided to skip it for the day.

When I got back to the house, I found all of the rugs hanging from the back porch railing and all of the furniture relocated to the other end of the house. Grammy was in the shower. When I asked her what happened, she screamed from the shower, "Oh I've had SO much fun since you've been gone!" I thought she'd just gotten a wild desire to clean. I was very wrong.

When she came out she said the washing machine "exploded." All of the clothes remained in the overflowing machine and my mom spent the early afternoon frantically searching for a mop and then feverishly sweeping the river of water out the door. She was all alone in her quest, and not happy about it! It is the following morning and the rugs are still not dry.

This morning, my dad who cannot sit still, decided to weed and mow the lawn. He just cut the cable cord with the lawn mower. Abby is now facing a week without Sponge Bob. What else can go wrong?! Hoping my next report will be more positive.

Photo 1 below was taken Sunday, Todd and Abby body surfing.
Photo 2 is Abby (morning hair extraordinaire) and Maria, taken today.

Quote of the day

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry."

-E.B. White

Coastal Living

Later today, mom and I will be heading to Holden Beach (Supply, NC) for a week with the family. The name of the house we rent is "Coastal Living" and we absolutely love it. The owner is a friend of dad's, so Casey and Zoe get to come, too. Bailey isn't allowed because he will bolt if given the opportunity, and a beach house with two main entrances and a six-year-old occupant (the niece, Abby) is highly likely to provide him with many chances to escape. I really don't think "escape" is his intent, since he always appears to be relieved when I find him hours into his free venture, but that is a story for another time. Anyway, I truly believe Bailey would rather spend the week with the Burleighs and his pal Emma than to sweat it out at the beach.

Holden is an amazing family beach - very quiet, no large hotels, clean and close to other areas of interest: Kure Beach, Fort Fisher, Southport, Myrtle Beach and more. Our favorite restaurant nearby is Fishy Fishy in Southport. Not only is the food fabulous, but the atmosphere is perfectly relaxed (great for kids but you don't feel like you're at Chucky Cheese), and the dockside location offers a view of fantastic sunsets. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend giving Fishy Fishy a try.

The photo of Zoe hanging out by the dock in the back yard is from the summer of 2006. I'm sure I'll be posting current pics upon my return. And remember to always wear sunscreen!

Happy trails...

Cheese and rice!

I read a blog entry yesterday from on my pole about misheard song lyrics (funny stuff!) and it reminded me of the humor my assistant and I find in movies that have been edited for television. While I'm sure it can be challenging to make certain movies acceptable for the general audience, it is apparent that there isn't always a lot of thought put into the words that are substituted for R-rated material.

Some of Jen and my favorites are below. I did not include the actual lines because that would require quite a bit of profanity, but I don't think anyone will have trouble figuring out what the real lines are.

"You can wipe that my pits don't stink look off your face."
Max to Ray in I Know What You Did Last Summer

"Judas Priest!"
Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist

"Your mother sews socks that smell!"
Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist

In The Faculty, when it is revealed the Delilah is an alien and she takes off, Zeke screams "Fooey!"

"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps!"
Walter to Larry in The Big Lebowski

"Yippe-kay-aye, Mr. Falcon!"
John McClane in Die Hard

"Hand me the keys you fairy godmother"
McManus, Dean Keaton, Fenster, Todd Hockney & Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects

"We bury the funsters!"
Sgt. Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon

Quote of the day

My dear friend Kathy gave me a magnet that portrays the following message (of course I substituted photos of my "children")

"To you he's a dog. To me he's an adopted child who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly. I have no problem with any of these things."