A new direction

This whole blogging thing kept me up way too late last night...so i started writing an hour early. still gotta figure out a good routine. anywayz

so, this morning i woke up with mmmmbout 20 mins to get ready and catch my #6 Kings Drive bus. ive made friends with the bus driver, Diane, because she finally felt sorry for me after i chased the bus two times in a row! I made it to the bus stop, waited about 5 mins and the #18 Selwyn Ave bus pulls up. Hmm, never ridden this one in, but when i asked the bus driver, she says it will take me downtown. So i go for it. Sorry, Diane. I felt a little guilty abandoning my bus driver like that, but i wanted to see where this would take me. It was a more direct route, but it just didn't feel right. I love getting on the bus in the morning and driving through the cmc hospital parking lot stop to pick up all the 3rd shifters getting off of work...listening to the ladies laugh and gossip like old friends all the way to the transportation center. there's something special about that time, comforting. but, like i said, i wanted to see where this route would take me...

i was definitely supposed to take that bus this morning, bc when i was walking the few blocks to my building (walking a new way in), i saw the coolest photo op: 2 window washers suspended 20 stories up with an awesome reflection of the corporate center to their right. now, for those of you who know me, know that i always have my camera with me. at first i was just going to take in the moment and smile, but i couldn't resist this awesome shot. so, i very nonchalantly turned around, got out my point and shoot, and took some pics. wow. what a great way to start my morning! i hope you like it.

i thought about that story all day...how i did something different and it worked out. on the bus ride home (which was way too crowded and affirmed my decision not to take #18 again), i began to think about how cool it was that i went a different way home even though i didn't know where it would go exactly. then i got all metaphorical and decided that my life is a lot like that (except the opposite). i seem to plan so much and know exactly what im doing and exactly this and that, that maybe im missing out on something bc im not just doing something out of the routine. i'll occasionally have these thoughts in my after-work glaze stupor. idk if it's bc i stare at the computer too much, or it's my body telling me that desk work isn't for me. either way, i have that "what am i doing with my life" conversation with myself many a day on my way home. im hoping that something happens soon where i can feel like "hey this is what you should do with your life." i've got some ideas but don't want to share quite yet. still getting used to this whole blogging thing.

and speaking of the word "blog," i can't stand that word. it does not roll off the tongue and sounds like "BLAAAH." i feel like such a dork when i say, "hey, i started a BLOG!" ugh. i was complaining about this to kristin and dan at dinner tonight (@ Mac's bbq...so good), and kristin summed it up perfectly. She said, "it sounds like a bitchy girl on her period...'she's such a blog.' " hahaha

kristin has been my green thumb life saver. she planted my pink vinca flowers last weekend, and today we went to lowes for more flowers! well, originally we were going to this nice nursery, but it closed at 5. Plan b brought us to Lowe's which was fine w me bc i had to get some odds n ends. you know, a 20"x60" piece of plywood, the usual. that's a whole nother story!

we found some really cool plants and flowers, and i hope they last until my housewarming party :)

i also bought something really important to me at lowe's: an American flag. ive been wanting to put one up one ever since i got a front porch. Is it bad that i made sure it was "Made in USA" (it was) before purchasing... and that i was like, "Well, wal mart has them cheaper..." but decided not buy it at wal mart bc i would be buying an america flag at wal mart, and didn't like the symbolism. Besides, lowe's started in NC and Jimmie Johnson's sponsored by lowe's. yes i know. i'm a nut. ok

Random pic time! Here's a pic of me and Gabby by the big wheel outside of our building after lunch today. we both looked like inspectors with our khaki raincoats! We'd make quite the pair of secret auditors... oh wait.

A day for the birds (quail hollow)

Today was actually quite exciting! It started early bc i had to finish up work first thing... i wfh and typed for over 3 hours straight....only to take a quick break to make my 2nd official pot of coffee. less coffee, more water. that did the trick! mmm so good.

OK, now to the exciting part. Me, my dad, Matthew, and Mr. Morgan went to the Quail Hollow ProAm tournament this afternoon.

It my first time ever going to a golf event, so i knew only what to expect by the

movies and Sunday afternoon pga tours on tv. I thought you couldn't wear jeans, so i fished out my trusty pair of khakis that only make if out of my closet for "special occasions" aka i never wear khakis. I put on a new pink button up shirt and a new Gap scarf, pearl earrings, pearl necklace, khaki colored shoes (that used to be my grandmother's), and a khaki rain jacket just in case. Boy, did i look the preppy part! I was quite proud of this look...like playing dress up.

Matthew and i had the fancy clubhouse passes, so we got to walk through the clubhouse while my dad and Mr. Morgan met up w us on the other side. Right away, we saw MJ on the 18th hole. The crowd was pretty excited. Today is the only day you can bring a camera, so of course i brought my big camera (dan's suggestion). It was so cool how close we could get to the golfers and the action. Matthew and I posted up at 17 and watched a bunch of ppl tee off...my favorite being Rory McIlroy. I'd read a long sports illustrated article about him a few months ago, so i felt like i really knew him. Not to mention he's my age! I could recognize that curly head of Irish hair anywhere lol. So i decided to play it cool w Rory and not act like the paparazzi around him, since, i was only a few feet away from him. After he drove on 17, i decided that i was determined to say something to him and even get an autograph.

Matthew and i had a dilemma bc Davis Love III and Jimmie Johnson were coming up too... and i wanted to get Jimmie's autograph for my old boss who's a die hard fan. So we devised a plan that i would run to 18, watch Rory tee off, run to 17 where Matthew was sure to have gotten Jimmie's autograph. Well, i made it to 18 and was not hiding the fact that i was trying to make eyes at Rory to get him to notice me as the nice, normal girl... not the crazy paparazzi girl who just wanted an autograph. After Rory hit his first shot, he was walking by me and i courageously said, "Nice shot!" He looked at me, smiled and said, "Thanks!" Mission accomplished!!! so i run back to see if Matthew was as successful...no dice. except, he did redeem himself by getting John Fox and Davis Love III's autographs.

Now to tackle the Rory/Jimmie signatures. I send Matthew to 17 and tell him the perfect place to stand to get Jimmie's attention. In the meantime, i run over to 18, snap a few pics of Rory putting and make it just in time for him to walk off the course...and i happened to be right in front for an autograph. I had him sign the info card where his name was and told him, "Good luck this weekend!" to which he replied, "Thanks!" ahhhh sweet. Just when i thought it couldn't get any better, a crazy woman said a crazy thing. I was taking pics of Rory walking away, and the woman yells to Rory, "Hey, I think that girl wants you to smile for a picture." shocked, bc like 50+ were watching, i was like, "Sure, ok" and without hesitation Rory turns back towards me, stands there and smile for my pictures... to which i said, "Thanks!"

Another success story: Matthew got Jimmie's autograph...and a kindergartner could do better cursive J's. Oh well. Terry, i hope you like it! I've got a pic for proof that it's the "real deal."

Hope you enjoy some of the pic highlights.

So, from mingling with the stars and pro golfers to pretty much becoming bff w Rory, i'd say it was a very successful day.

"And i'm spent!" (throwing the camera behind me)

On another note, I watched "An Education" w my mom, dad, Mr. Morgan tonight and liked it.

A day of firsts

Today was a day of firsts...

let me start at the very beginning (a very fine place to start!)

i decided to wfh (work from home) today since i haven't even unpacked from my Loris trip from this weekend. it "worked" out bc kristin, john, & mrs. watson stopped by to see the place and check on the pretty pink vinca flowers that kristin planted for me in my front yard. AND, my mom and nanny stopped by for lunch in between nanny's appts. i took that pic of her drinking sweet tea bc my icemaker's not working and i told her it looked like she was drinking a beer lol.

1. made my first pot of coffee

when i was in the grocery store yesterday, i made a point to get some ground coffee and french vanilla creamer so i'd be prepared for this momentous coffee occasion...only this morning, to my dismay, i'd forgotten an essential element to the coffee making experience: filters. alas, what to do? fear not, i went to my trusty google and typed in "makeshift coffee filter" and to my surprise/excitement, found exactly what i was looking for. thanks, google ;) sooo...if you're ever out of coffee filters just fold a paper towel into quarters and wing it!

with my coffee filter rigged, i now had the major dilemma (as i do every time i brew coffee): how many scoops to put in?? i read the directions and it says, "2 tablespoons for 6 oz. of water." OK. so math is not my strong suit that early in the morning... what does that mean in cups? and how many scoops do i put in?? well, i had no clue so i put in 8 scoops from my new tablespoon measuring scoopers to my 4 cups of water. now i wait. add creamer (way too much so i add more coffee). it tastes ok. i got distracted with work and forgot all about my first cup o' joe. when i went to take a sip the coffee tasted like tar. gross. urrrrgh. needlesstosay, my 1st coffee making experience went exactly as i thought (and not as id dreamed). mediocre/fail.

helpme: Does anyone have any advice on how to make a good, not too strong, pot of coffee?

2. first dishware casualty

so i went kinda crazy at the burlington antique mall one weekend bc for me, it's a retro kitchen's mecca! among other treasures i bought that day, i bought a set of 6 tall drinking glasses from the 1950s that are each a different color and have a neat design on them. well, this was also the first time i'd cleaned up from a big dinner from the night before, so i forgot that my kitchen sink is, as dan said, like porcelain. so here i am, being good and putting my dirty dishes in the dishwasher when CRASH! the poor tall white glass shatters all in the sink. i was sad to see it go, but also learned a good lesson: never put glasses in the sink. put them beside the sink.

3. first sibling/sig other dinner

matthew asked me if he and sumter could come over tonight bc sumter wanted to see the place. meredith and dan came too and we had a great time. matthew put together a big bookshelf, and my records and book finally have a home instead of the boxes they've been in. dan's mom had sent him home with a lot of her pasta w vodka sauce, so we ate that along with chicken dan baked in the oven (bc apparently my pans suck bc they're from the 80s and never been used). dinner and company was great! we even squeezed in a little beatles rockband and finished the night (sans sumter n matthew) with watching glee!

4. first blog post ever.

idk if it's bc i just watched "julie and julia" this weekend and feeling inspired, but ive decided to keep a blog of my experiences in my new home. i've been here for almost a month and im already dreading the idea of having to move out at the end of aug. that's what i get for playing it safe and only wanting to sign a 5 month lease in case i hated living alone. so far, it's been a blast. my family has helped me so much with moving in, and i couldn't ask for better friends. i hope you stick with me and enjoy the posts.

...until the next adventures!