When I Think of Heaven...

Sooooo...

Point A: I have the best husband in the entire world.
Point B: I unexpectedly saw my old love Adam Duritz, aka Counting Crows, the other night. Key word being unexpectedly.

We had yet to have a proper Father's Day celebration for Ryan's dad, so Ry informed me that we'd be going to Lucky 32 in Cary to finally have a family dinner for the occasion. I'm the direction guru in our little family, so when I saw Ryan swerving to take a right a bit early, I yelled at him, "WRONG WAY!!!" He slyly smiled at me and said, "Oh, we're not going to dinner." And then in we pulled to the Koka Booth Amphitheatre to see my beloved Counting Crows, the band I have been obsessed with since I was 14. I am so incredibly lucky to have a husband who takes so much pleasure in surprising me.



Naturally, a few screams of excitement came out. And then the realization that not only did we have tickets (I assumed lawn seats, naturally, which were super expensive anyhow, thus me not buying tickets in the first place). But no, Ryan pulls out fifth row seats. FIFTH ROW SEATS. I could practically touch Adam's dreadlocks!

Counting Crows is that band in my life that accompanied me through adolescence and young adulthood, through all the tribulations that at that moment are the biggest deals in the world to you. You're having first experiences, dealing with new emotions, developing into an adult that you don't really know yet. And their music was the anthem for this period in my life. So no matter what I do, no matter how my life has changed or how old I am, hearing this band's music always makes a little rumble in my DNA.

Anyhow, it was a great show... and I even nudged my way to the front row for a while (see below). When I think of heaven, deliver me in a black-winged bird.

Dude.

I have no willpower to write anything else right now.

It's Only Tuesday...

(P.S. Blogging about the MV trip soon!)

Pink Glove Dance

This video has over 10 million plays on YouTube... and quite rightly. It's a video made by St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon to promote breast cancer awareness. It's so amazing how these employees--doctors, cafeteria workers, business officers, janitors-- all came together for such an important cause... and they look so happy doing it!

I work at UNC-Chapel Hill at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (woot woot!), and we're about to celebrate the 90th birthday of our founder, William Friday. My department is responsible for making a massive card for it for all employees to sign; however, Ryan had a great idea to do something like this video instead. What a great way to genuinely get our message across to him of how much he's meant to the University and what an incredible milestone he's reached. Plus he gets to see the face of all the people that make up the heart of the Center. That's a bit more special than a plain old card with signatures!

So, enjoy the video. : ) Who doesn't love happy tears?

Martha's Vineyard

So we leave for our family vacation this coming Sunday for Martha's Vineyard! My first vacation since the honeymoon... so it's very much needed. As you probably know, Martha's Vineyard is a quaint, beautiful island off the coast of Massachusetts. Ryan's family owns one of the little gingerbread houses in the Oak Bluffs area, right in the center of town. How lucky are we?

Ryan spent many of his childhood vacations here, and he's been wanting to take me up there ever since we started dating-- after all, it's the quintessential "New England." And I love anything New England. : ) So I'm banking on a full lovely week of the following: fishing, eating lobster, clamming, walking, kayaking, drinking wine, visiting little shops and bakeries, and most importantly, relaxing. Most vacations seem to be so jam packed with activities in order to take full advantage of your days off from work that it's hard to fully experience the place you visit; however, the environment of Martha's Vineyard caters to the old-fashioned summer vacation... enjoying the outdoors, spending time with your family, and appreciating the little things in life.

Here's just a few of the little stops I'd like to make on our trip (those within walking distance are my favorite!):

Mad Martha's Ice Cream
Vineyard Haven, MA







Flying Horses Carousel
Oak Bluffs, MA
The nation's oldest operating carousel. If you catch the brass ring, you get a free ride! (Know the Dispatch song "Flying Horses"? Yep, this is it!)



The Black Dog Tavern and Bakery
Vineyard Haven, MA
Opened in 1973. Self-explanatory!








Murdick's Fudge
Edgartown, MA
Murdick's Fudge has been making fudge and brittle with the same recipes since 1887.