A Tar Heel Icon

Guess who I ran into at a Carolina Hurricanes game the other night? UNC's very own Tyler Hansbrough! He led the Carolina basketball team to their fifth NCAA tournament championship in 2009, and he's now playing professionally for the Indiana Pacers. I couldn't help but feel like a giddy little schoolgirl when I saw him sitting in a box, a few rows up from our seats. Now that's a local celebrity. :)

Not the clearest photo, but hey, at least I went up to him!

Biweekly Round-Up!

So there have been lots of fun activities in the past couple weeks! We showered Tara, one of my best friends, in anticipation of her upcoming nuptials in November. It was a fiesta-themed shower based on her destination wedding in Mexico, which we'll be attending in a few weeks. Our passports, tickets, and reservations are all ready to go! We'll be spending four days/three nights in the Iberostar Paraíso Maya all-inclusive resort on the beachfront of Playa del Paraíso, between Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen. And can you say "lazy river around the resort"? YES. That's where you'll find me when I'm not doting on the bride. Here's a photo of me with Tara and Katie at the shower. We've been best friends since about 7th grade. Unbelievable.

Clockwise from top left: Tara, me, and Katie

Ryan and I also attended the North Carolina State Fair last week. I have an odd love for this event... always have. People from all over the state (under whatever rocks they live beneath) emerge to convene at this melting pot of crisp fall weather, fried food, rickety rides, and bizarre spectacles. This year Ryan and I pigged out on the following (yes, all of it): giant turkey leg, roasted corn, lemonade, philly cheesesteak, al's french fries, deep-fried twinkie, root beer float, and a vanilla milkshake. We strolled around the stables to see all the cows, visited the art exhibit and craft vendors, and took our annual exhilarating ride on the Fire Ball. I can't stop laughing for about ten minutes after I exit this ride...so scary, but so much fun.

In the cow stables at the NC State Fair

The "Fire Ball" ride at the fair

Finally, this weekend we went up to Norfolk, Virginia to attend Aiden's fall festival. Activities and rides, cotton candy and popcorn, craft vendors... you name it. Aiden had a great time running around with his class buddies, and we got to sit outside on this sunny fall day, picnic, and see how many blow-up prizes Aiden could win (I think he got a microphone, an M&M guy, oversized blow-up shoes, a giant flower, and a fish... and probably more). On Sunday we took a trip to Newport News, VA, to visit the Virginia Living Museum, which exhibits more than 250 species of animals and plants native to Virginia (including sea otters, red wolves, and bald eagles!). It also had tons of cool indoor and outdoor exhibits, gardens, and a planetarium show that we attended on the Virginia skies. All in all, it was a great way to spend a Sunday with the family.

Ryan and Aiden at the fall festival (with his inflatable prizes)

Posing with the statue outside the Virginia Living Museum

Aiden inside a giant turtle shell, with his little round head

Two Years!

Ryan and I celebrated our two-year anniversary yesterday (already?!). Two years have never gone by so fast. And like the wonderful husband he is, I received this beautiful arrangement at my office yesterday afternoon:

This weekend we celebrated by going to our favorite restaurant in town, 18 Seaboard, located in downtown Raleigh. Ryan always gets the filet mignon and I always get the salmon; we really should try new menu items, but we go so rarely (in order to appreciate it more), that we can't miss out on our favorites! Not only are the entrees fabulous, but some of the sides are to die for, including the goat cheese smashed red potatoes and cheddar grits. How can you resist that? For dessert, the special creme brulee of the night was pecan pie. Again, how can you resist that?!? They also surprised us with a delicious cake with "Happy Anniversary" scripted in chocolate. I. love. this. restaurant. 

Ryan and I both got crafty with our anniversary gifts to one another this year. He made me this awesome pinning board (that we've now hung in the front halllway), strung with hemp so we can pin mementos, notes, and photos on it as time goes on. How to pin them? Lovely farm red clothespins. I had a custom print framed for him of our beloved North Carolina. There's a white silhouette of the state on a storm-gray background, with a red heart marked on Chapel Hill, where we got married. I like to think the heart encapsulates this entire area: it's where our friends and family are, where we met, where we grew up together, and where we call home to this day.



Not only that, but he gave me a beautiful handmade bag that I had marked on Pinterest. I think he could tell how much I loved it after I screamed upon opening it. Bonus points!!

And finally, here's a few photos to look back on from that wonderful day, 10/17/09. I still get butterflies when I see them. 

Nothing Like a Girls' Weekend

My Birmingham girlfriends and I had a great weekend together and got to do all those things that only a group like us could enjoy: lots of walks, great conversation, and most importantly, fall activities! I proudly led Mariel and Lauren through their first corn maze experience (welcome to North Carolina!). While at Phillips Farm for the maze, we also dug into some fresh doughnuts made right before your eyes, loaded with cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar. Lauren also partook in the corn cannon and pumpkin launcher activities (she's such a badass). The maze turns into a haunted one at night, but I'm saving that one as we get closer to Halloween. Oh how I love this time of year. :)

Me, Lauren, and Mariel at Phillip's Corn Maze

Lauren, getting ready to shoot the corn cannon

With Ryan after our maze adventure

The girls also got a full tour of UNC's campus, which is ever so lovely with the autumn temperatures. The Morehead Planetarium's rose garden was in full bloom, the football stadium was open and clear for viewing, the Old Well's water was tasted, and the old cemetery was the perfect setting for a stroll with the upcoming holiday. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast at Elmo's Diner in Carrboro, and dug into a margarita pizza for lunch at Artisan Pizza Kitchen, right on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. For dinner on Saturday night, we met up with my local friends at Sitti, an authentic Lebanese restaurant in downtown Raleigh. Sitti has an extensive menu of hot and cold mezze, multiple entrees, and house-baked flatbreads. In other words, delish!

The girls also got to meet the Moose-man and thoroughly enjoyed his grumpy sensibilities. Actually, he purred the whole time they were there, so really they just enjoyed his grumpy face.

Bullwinkle

Moose is becoming a snow bunny once again with his emerging winter coat. He's also decided that he LOVES to drink ice water out of real cups. Apparently water in a cup tastes better...and doesn't drench his face. I thought the Bullwinkle cup was appropriate. :)

Hershey Kiss Pretzels

So this is the best little treat to make in a blink of an eye. In lieu of the season, I made these Hershey Kiss pretzel treats with fall-colored M&Ms. All you do is melt Hershey Kisses on top of Snyder's Snap Pretzels (275 degrees for 3 minutes), remove, and immediately press a single M&M on each. Then refrigerate them to make sure they're nice and solid! It's a lovely way to get a quick sweet/salty fix in just a bite.

(Pair it with an Octoberfest brewsky and you're golden.)

Welcome to NC!

Two of my best friends, Lauren and Mariel, are flying in to visit me this weekend (!!). Both dear friends that I met while interning at Coastal Living magazine in Birmingham, Alabama, Mariel still resides there, while Lauren is living it up in Nashville. My two years in Birmingham hold some of the best days of my life, and the city will always hold a special place in my heart. I can't wait to have some quality time in my home state with these two people who were so deeply a part of those memories.

Mariel, Lauren, and I at the Yazoo Brewery in Nashville. 2010.

Speaking of Birmingham, here are a few of my favorite "landmarks" that always make me sigh and think fondly back to my newly post-graduate days. What a wonderful life decision it was to go there.

Five Points South (the site of countless breakfasts and dinners).

The Alabama Theatre, which holds annual viewings of Gone With the Wind.

Naked Art Gallery: My favorite gallery in Bham. I could walk here!

Vulcan Park and Museum: World's largest cast iron statue, seen all over the city.

Rojo: My favorite restaurant in town, located in Highland Park.

The Blackstone, my old apartment building. Conveniently walkable to Rojo!

The atrium inside my old company, Southern Progress, where I worked for
Coastal Living and Southern Living magazines. It's now Time Inc.

And here's us, all of six years ago. Playing football in the park. :)