The Big News

Yep, you guessed it. I am the proud new owner of an iPhone! It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks in terms of technology for me. I've always been a little slow on the technology front... but I took several giant leaps in the past couple of weeks. From nothing to a lot of things. Yikes!

So this is where I upload some of the pictures I've been taking with my brand spankin' new phone... but, as expected, I can't figure out how to make that happen.

So you'll have to wait a little longer..... Though I can share this one with you from our mini-friend reunion this past weekend in Chapel Hill, because it was already online. And I am good at the internet.

As a side note, go Andy Murray! I am so ecstatic that he won Wimbledon. Hurrah!

Life Is Good Today: Zac Brown Band Recap

Good morning! Happy short week!

A few months ago, a big group of my friends bought tickets to see Zac Brown Band, and the night finally arrived last Friday! SRK drove down from Maryland to join us, and my friends were all able to get off work early to meet at my apartment around 3:30pm. We got over to the venue a little after 4, and got our tailgating area all set up!

me & SRK

One of our friends has a portable grill, so we grilled burgers, dogs, and chicken for dinner. We set up cornhole as well as table games, so there was plenty of opportunity for activities for all! This was truly tailgating done right.

my favorite people

We got into the concert a little after 8:00, which turned out to be perfect timing. The opening acts had finished {we'd heard they weren't worth seeing, and it took a while to gather our group and put away all of our stuff} and it was only 10-15 minutes or so before ZBB came on.

And, as usual, they were fantastic. Ever since I first saw them, I have not been able to get over how truly talented the band members are as musicians. When they play instrumental solos, especially my favorite of their covers - The Devil Went Down to Georgia - it is just unreal.

fiddler/violinist

Their concerts are always so fun because they play a wide selection of their own songs, but they also do several covers. They regularly play the aforementioned Devil Went Down to Georgia, as well as Sweet Emotion, but on Friday they also did a couple of metal songs. The crowd went nuts for these songs {and it was cool to see how versatile they are!}, though I didn't appreciate them as much as most everyone else. {Apparently one of the songs was Enter Sandman by Metallica. Whatever.}

during The Devil Went Down to Georgia

I love Zac Brown's beanie. Absolutely love it. My most favorite man with a beanie in the whole world.

After the concert, several of my friends came back to my house to spend the night. It was fun to have a little sleepover! The concert was amazing and I would recommend that even if you are only a casual ZBB fan to go see them live. It is so so worth it. Our group has gone two years in a row, so it looks like it's going to be an annual tradition as long as ZBB keeps coming here - and I am very, very excited about that!

Question of the Day:

Have you ever seen ZBB in concert? 
Who is your favorite act to see live?

Beach Day

Greetings from Maryland, earthlings! I had a very long trip up yesterday, but at least I made it safely. And in time to go out to dinner with my family :) I am also insanely happy about the events that took place in the Supreme Court yesterday. And that's all I will say about that. Back to regular blogramming!

At the end of last week, PJA, HL, and I headed to Ocean Isle beach to pick up our friend KC from her family beach week. KC lives in Nashville and wanted to come to the Zac Brown Band concert with us, but didn't have a way to get from the beach to Raleigh. So, her parents invited us to stay and take her back with us, and we kindly obliged!

We got to the beach Wednesday night around 6:45 or so, and played charades with KC, her parents, her brother & sister-in-law, and her aunt & cousin.

acting out "Grandma's Boy"

The next day, we spent the entire day on the beach {and I have the sunburn to prove it!}. {Editor's note: I applied lotion religiously and it has all turned to tan. A very weird tan, but no sign of peeling - yet - so I am pleased.} The morning started off cloudy and a little chilly, so there were very few people there when we set up at the beach around 10am.

ladder golf

Luckily, the weather soon warmed up, the sun came out, and it was a beautiful sunny day at the beach!

We spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach, drinking beer, playing games, and reading.

beach babe friends!

Truly a perfect day! Though apparently sunscreen has no effect on my skin. I reapplied every hour or so, and lathered liberally. Yet I still came home as a painful tomato!

Thursday night, we ordered take out from Sharky's Restaurant, which was delicious. I had the not-so-cajun chicken, which was an angel hair pasta & chicken dish with a cajun-flavored alfredo-type sauce. It came highly recommended by KC's family, and it certainly did not disappoint. Best news was I had enough leftovers for another 2 lunches!

We spent the evening watching UNC baseball play NC State in the College World Series, which UNC won {go Heels!}. We ended up being eliminated from the tournament on Friday night by UCLA, but it is still a major accomplishment to go to the CWS and win two games. I am so proud of my team!

The four of us got up nice and early on Friday morning to head back to Raleigh/Chapel Hill so that I would be home in time to greet SRK and prepare for the Zac Brown Band concert. Yay summer!

American Saturday Night

Immediately following DC's birthday celebration, I headed out to see Brad Paisley in concert with a few of my friends. The ticket was a bit of a last-minute purchase {I couldn't decide how appropriate it would be to go to a concert the same night as DC's birthday}, but I really wanted to go so eventually I decided that it would be fine. {Side note: it was fine. By the time I got back from the concert, DC was over at her boyfriend's anyway, because everyone else had gone home. Win-win!} {Another side note: DC and JB got engaged this weekend! A big congratulations to my roomie and her brand-spankin'-new fiance!}

{source}

A summertime country concert is one of my absolute favorite things - especially in the south. There's just something about the weather, the atmosphere, the venue, the friends, the cornhole - just everything! - that makes it so memorable and perfect, no matter what. Side note: "Paisley" is the perfect southern name. Anyway, I digress.

And, Brad did not disappoint. He was awesome in concert. I was pleasantly surprised by this - I really love him as a singer, but for some reason he never struck me as a big performer. But he sounded wonderful and I knew every word to every song he played, so I was a happy camper.

our group!

I will be honest and say that tailgating is probably not something that needed to happen after the day we'd already had at DC's birthday pool party. And that's all the explanation I will give about that.

my friend NC

The Brad Man wore his signature white cowboy hat, which made me so happy because I was finally able to wear my brand new Stetson {which is kind of white, which kind of made me feel like hat twinzz with BP}! My brother bought me this Stetson for my birthday last year, and I absolutely adore it, but I don't have many opportunities to wear it {go figure}. So bring on the summer outdoor southern country concert! Boy, that was a mouthful.

We were obviously super far from the stage, but it didn't matter at all. Though, we were a bit too far from the stage for me to not freak out when Carrie Underwood appeared to duet with Brad while they sang "Remind Me." It wasn't until two days later, when I was still hyperventilating about Carrie Underwood being at the concert, that I did more research and concluded that it was a hologram. Alas, Brad. You duped me!

But I don't mind. The concert was fantastic, and it was a wonderful way to end a wonderful day full of wonderful friends. Brad is actually playing in Virginia at the outdoor concert venue the next time that I'll be in Maryland, and I am sorely tempted to go see him again. I guess I should save my money for more important things, like graduate school and paying my rent, but, Brad.....

Today.

My friend WB sent me this image to explain today:

Add in almost all of my best friends in the world {missing a couple!}, and it makes for one happy girl.

A Birthday Celebration

Two weekends ago, my roommate DC turned 26, and she wanted to celebrate by hosting a pool party at our apartment complex. So host we did. DC made vodka gummy bears and gummy worms, and she and I made jello shots along with the help of her friend JS. And we made a lot, let me tell you. They filled our fridge:

oh, you're looking for food? sorry, we don't have that.

I don't make a big deal out of my birthday, because I don't really like being the center of attention {I almost had a hissy fit the last time I caught the bouquet at a wedding - it was really mature}. But, I think it's also because I find much more joy in giving gifts to others and being nice to people than I do in receiving gifts. Shopping for the perfect Christmas gift is actually one of the best parts of the holiday for me.

But DC absolutely adores her birthday, and as her roommate I wanted to make sure she had a great day from start to finish. She ran in the Race for the Cure that morning in memory of a friend's mother, so while she was gone I decorated the entire apartment.

I actually blew up most of the balloons earlier in the week and hid them in my closet {!}, because I was afraid of passing out if I had to blow up 40 balloons in 2 hours. I also baked the cupcakes the night before and hid them in the microwave.

When she got home, I was waiting for her with the candles lit...

 ...And a Smirnoff Ice waiting for her on the floor {in a fun birthday koozie} as soon as she opened the door!

I also put an Ice in her shower, so she got iced twice before 11am, and it was great fun. Balien wanted in on the Icing action, so instead we let her pounce on the balloons for a few minutes until she popped one.

Once we got the coolers, cornhole, and cars {love alliteration} packed up, we drove all of our stuff up to the pool. It absolutely POURED the day before {and I mean poured - the roads were flooded from hurricane Andrea}, and the morning started out kind of grey, but the sun came out right when we were headed up to the pool. Since it was grey, no one was at the pool yet when we got up there, so we were able to  claim a space out of the way in a corner to make our home base.

DC & her boyfriend JB

I had to eventually leave to go to the Brad Paisley concert {recap coming!} so I missed the end of the party, but DC had a fantastic day with all of the people that mean the most to her. A birthday success!

In other exciting news, I am actually headed to the beach this afternoon for 1.5 days to bring back my friend KC for the Zac Brown Band concert on Friday {a long/complicated story}. I'll be back just in time on Friday morning to welcome SRK to the dirty south, but I'll try to pop in before the concert if I can. Off to enjoy sunshine {and one day of no work!} I go!!

A Spicy Goodbye

The day of JM's departure for Seattle for the rest of the summer finally arrived. It was full of sadness and despair, for she is one of my closest friends, and one of only a couple of girlfriends in Raleigh. The Thursday before she flew out of town, I joined her and some of her friends from law school for a last hurrah celebration at Natty Greene's. Natty Greene's is a brewery and restaurant in Greensboro, NC, with one restaurant in Raleigh. And the beer is great. {So much North Carolina beer is great! What a great state.}

We got to NG's around 9pm and enjoyed $2 pints for several hours. Of course, I got hungry, and the only thing I could think of possibly eating was nachos. This is so bizarre, because I'm not a huge cheese person {i.e. I don't really like cheese except in certain situations}, and I have never before in my life ordered nachos.  But, restaurants in the Triangle tend to make pretty bangin' nachos, so to nachos I went. {Told you I was in a weird nachos phase!}

And let me tell you. These things were SPICY. There are itty bitty jalepenos all over the place in there, and my mouth was on fire, but I managed not to ask the waitress for milk {that has happened to me before by the way. It's not embarrassing at all}

JM's friend AB; JM; me

 I forced JM to take a bunch of pictures before she left the state. She's making me so sad! I will {and already do!} miss her greatly. She and her boyfriend are planning on moving back to Seattle once they are both finished with law school {JM's boyfriend is from Seattle}, so JM wanted to get out there and network this summer. Smart for her, sad for me, and depressing for her mama!

This girl makes me laugh an awful lot.

JM and her friend MH

JM stopped by my apartment complex on her way to the airport to give me a big fat hug and to take a jello shot {for my roommate's birthday}. And off she went! And now I'm craving nachos.

Weekend in a Nutshell

Good morning, friends! Happy Monday! I'm dragging a bit this morning, and I'm pretty sure it's because it's 1. well, Monday, and 2. I had a busy go-go-go weekend and didn't have all that much time to relax by myself.

I got things started Friday afternoon when I drove to Chapel Hill to talk to the people at the campus computer store... and 30 minutes later I bought a MacBook! I have desperately needed a new laptop for about a year now, but we waited until Windows 8 came out so that we could compare systems. My dad and I have spent the past few months researching and weighing the pros and cons of a Lenovo and a Mac {the two types offered through UNC's computer program}, and finally decided on a Mac. This is a huge step for me, since I have had a PC for the past 6 years, and am seriously technologically challenged. It should work very nicely for my new scholastic endeavor, and I am very excited!

{source}

Friday night I once again volunteered at Extraordinary Ventures for one of their Friday Night Live! nights. It was very different than camp, but quite fun. I'll be out of town for the next several Friday night activities, but hope to get back there again this summer.

Saturday morning, I went to the outlets in Mebane. The 3rd-year PT student who's working with my therapist told me that the J. Crew factory outlet was having a 50% off sale this weekend {off everything!} so I went to check out some business casual pants. Of course, I left the outlets two hours later with a dress from Ann Taylor LOFT and two pairs of running shorts from the Nike outlet. You can take the hip surgery girl out of running, but I guess you just can't take the running out of the girl.

Saturday afternoon, I went back to Chapel Hill for an exciting adventure with my friends: putt putt! We really love miniature golf. We went to Wheels Fun Park in Durham, and while the course left a lot to be desired, it was a very fun {and different} way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

AS, BS, WB

I am proud to say that I finished second {out of five}, behind BS. So, we beat all the boys! And both of us had a hole-in-one. It was satisfying.

AS, BS, me, PJA

After we rested {seriously. We're old.} we worked up the energy to get to dinner at Tyler's Taproom, which I've been to several times in both Raleigh and Durham, but have never been to in Carrboro. I've been on a serious nachos kick lately {more on that to come}, so I begged the guys to let me order some nachos. The gentlemen that they are, they acquiesced. 

And then, a very funny thing happened. I ate so many nachos that when my food came {the buffalo chicken sandwich, which is one of my two favorite sandwiches in the entire world}, I could only eat 4 bites before I was just full-to-bursting. So, shame-faced, I brought my entire dinner {plus a couple of nachos!} home and ate it for Sunday lunch after church. It would have been better fresh, but it was still fantastic after a few minutes in the oven.

Sunday involved church, watching the UNC baseball game {we lost; I don't want to talk about it}, a trip to Maple View Farm for some homemade ice cream {yum!!}, and a movie viewing. An extra bonus for the weekend? I'd put out a call for high school history notes - of any variety - since I foolishly gave mine away. My friend PJA answered spectacularly when he presented me with a gigantic binder of notes, quizzes, and other assessments from his sister. I am so excited to go through them and use them to study up on my history. {Nerd alert!}

Since I'm moving slowly this morning, I decided to make life happier by baking a loaf of banana bread {family recipe}. I can smell it in the oven, and I think it's almost done. Hallelujah! 

I have a busy week this week: photography class tonight, therapy and a Durham Bulls game tomorrow, 12-week surgery appointment & off to the beach on Wednesday, best friend SRK and Zac Brown Band on Friday. I love summer! 

And a belated Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there - especially mine! I know everyone SAYS that they have the best dad, but they're all sadly mistaken. Because I really do! :)

A Tough Day.

Today has been really tough. Really, really, emotionally and mentally draining. Long story short, someone pulled me into the swimming pool on Saturday afternoon, and I immediately felt my hip react. No popping or breaking or sounds or anything, but I felt immediate significant pain, and I knew it was not good news. My hip has hurt much more intensely in the three days since, and last night I tried to stand up from sitting on the couch with my surgery leg as my plant leg, and I had to sit right back down because my hip was in too much pain from trying to support the pressure. I saw my therapist today, and he was mildly concerned with how much pain it was giving me, and said - basically - that it is super duper inflamed.

I haven't had a hip-induced mental/emotional breakdown in a long time; I have been fairly good, I think, about trying to stay positive and be hopeful and excited for what's to come. Nobody's perfect, of course, and nobody can expect me to be happy-go-lucky all the time given what's gone on over the past year. However, next week is my 12-week appointment, which is the "magic date" when you are theoretically cleared to run, and after today it became evident that I am in no shape to be running - or, really, doing anything active except biking. We can't kick my ache, and now we're dealing with insane(ly painful, I might add) inflammation.

So, going back to my long story short, today has been really tough. I bought myself a pair of Carolina blue running shorts {purchasing an item of running gear here or there has helped my motivation over the last many many months} after my appointment to cheer myself up, but it didn't work as well as I hoped it would, since I spiraled into thoughts of what-if-I-never-get-to-use-them and what-if-I-can-never-play-soccer-and-run-again-the-way-I-want-to.

Luckily, my friend KB sent over this gif of a dancing Doctor {played by Matt Smith}.

And WB sent me this bear hug.

And introduced me to this page of dog gifs that I'm ashamed and surprised I hadn't found before.

So, LET'S GO {in David Tennant voice}. I have some really great & supportive & laugh-inducing-even-when-you're-frowning friends {and family}, and I am so very thankful for them.

Five Thumbs Up Friday

Friday again?! The week sure flies by when you're dogsitting an incredibly naughty pup and you get very little sleep because said pup keeps waking you up during the night because she constantly walks from one room to another and then sticks her gigantic head in your face just to make sure you're still there. Not like that's happened to me this week.

It's been another good week of life, despite some hip frustrations (yesterday was the 8 week mark, by the way!) that I'm hoping to talk out with my therapist when I get back there on Tuesday. Here are snapshots of 5 things making me happy this week:

Itchy pandas-

The ramp my dad made for our dog so he doesn't have to go up a step to come inside-

 Roly poly fluffy puppies-

Swirly margaritas for a Friday lunch with my bestie SK-

My own sweet adorable {15-year old} camouflage pup-

 Have a safe and happy holiday weekend! Enjoy the extra day!

Question of the Day:
Any plans for the Memorial Day weekend?

Merci Buku

You guys, I might be the worst blogger in the history of blogging. {Okay, this is probably not accurate, but whatever.} I went out to lunch today, sat outside, ate delicious food, drank a beer {sorry, work}, and enjoyed the company of a fabulous friend, and did not take a single picture of the food, the restaurant, or the beer. Fail. I will chalk it up to enjoying the company and not being worried about photos.

At any rate, I had a lunch date today with my dear friend BS, who lives in Chapel Hill but works in Raleigh, which is convenient for me and my belly. This time we tried Buku, a "global street food" restaurant neither of us had been to yet. {The name Buku is a slang twist on the French phrase, Merci beaucoup, which means "Thank you very much" in English.} The restaurant has a pretty unique selection of foods; from its website: "inspired by the pushcarts of street vendors in cities across the globe, our chefs harvest an array of unique and distinct flavors and present them authentically, in a virtual kaleidoscope of plates."

{source}

They're not kidding - there is a wide range of tastes and cultures on the menu. I selected the empanadas {chipotle-braised chicken, tomatoes, guacamole, queso fresco} and BS went with the falafel {chickpea fritters, house-made pita, tomato, cucumber, hummus, tzaziki, tahini}. Both were delicious!

empanadas {source}

My empanadas were fresh and very flavorful, and the crust was light and airy. My only complaint is that there were only 2 - I probably could have used a third one to really fill me up. But, still good!

It was a very lovely lunch hour being able to sit outside in the nice spring/summer day and chat. All of my closest friends left for a week-long vacation to Cabo today, so it was great to be able to see BS. I chose not to join the trip for various reasons, but now I am really wishing that I were on vacation. Plus, I can't talk to my best friends at all for an entire week, and that is a mild form of torture.

Cheers to good friends, good food, and a good life!

Questions of the Day:
Do you have a go-to restaurant, or do you like to mix it up and try new places each time?
What was your favorite vacation?

Durham Bulls

Last Thursday night, a group of friends went to a Durham Bulls baseball game. The Bulls are an AAA minor league team that plays in - obviously - Durham. Even though I've been close to Durham for 5 years, this was my first game! I love baseball so it's strange that I haven't been to one until now. 

After a few rainy weeks, the day of the game was absolutely beautiful. Even better, it was $1 snack night (hot dogs, french fries, and popcorn were all just $1). And the Bulls beat the Syracuse Chiefs, 4-2. Hooray!

view of the park from Tobacco Road

We got to Durham a bit before game time so that we could enjoy a couple of beers at Tobacco Road, a sports cafe with locations Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill. In Durham, the bar actually overlooks the Bulls' stadium, so you could watch the game from the comfort of the bar if you wished.

view of Tobacco Road from the stadium

This, to me, is the coolest thing - ever. We actually ended up going back to Tobacco Road after the game for another beer before heading home. The big bull sign mounted on the Tobacco Road patio is a game for home runs - if a player hits a home run and hits the grass on the sign, a particular row will win free salad; if a player hits the body of the bull, the row will win steaks. Fun!

Though we had seats for the terrace, which is near where the infield ends and outfield begins, we sat in the outfield. The seats weren't bad - and with my new, nifty camera, I could take close ups that looked pretty good. We bought our tickets through a Living Social deal {those are the best!}, but I'm told that outfield tickets normally cost only $7.50 or so. Totally affordable.

me & my amigo HL

It was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful Thursday evening - summer weather, beer, baseball, and my best friends.

Questions of the Day:
Do you like watching baseball?
Have you ever been to a minor league game?