Parks are under-rated...

...and they shouldn't be.

I went for a paseo/stroll with Andreia today after work at McMullen Greenway on Rea road. Charlie and I are out and about all the time, but for some reason, we haven't taken advantage of any of the hiking trails/parks near us.

So, I know this picture is cheesy...but it was really beautiful. You wind for 4 miles through the woods and wooden pathways, over creeks and marshes. And on a day like today--the sun was shining, temps hit the high 70s--and you can't help but smile. :)

My goal this year is to check out more parks like it. Freedom park is next on the list...

Everybody loves North Carolina in the spring!

Confessions of a foodie... and avid organizer...

I love Easter time, if not just for the Cadbury eggs. I don't know why I love them so much. I've heard many complain that they are far too sweet and overpowering, but boy oh boy, I think I could scarf 3-4 in a sitting if given the chance. And this is not a joke or exaggeration. I think they should come little boxes of a dozen, just like you buy eggs at the store. While this would only last you a couple of days, it would be quite convenient. And I would stock up.

Good thing, too. I was reading an article (here) on cnn.com that says, "Compared with people who rarely ate chocolate (about one bar per month), the people who ate the most chocolate (slightly more than one bar per week) had a 27 percent and 48 percent reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, respectively, the researchers found."

I say I have the best habit around!

These past couple of days I've been also re-arraging things around the house just...because? I don't know. I've been big on Glade air fresheners this week, so maybe the new scent prompted a change.

Something that's been a huge pick-me-up lately has been thinking about the beach and being on vacation. It's nice to have a little piece of that around you every day.... I love white coral so much. I know, it's trendy right now, but it's sooo relaxing to me.


So here's what we started off with...a super messy coffee table...that was driving me bonkers. Blah.


And here is the after. Apart from the obvious de-cluttering I added some vases from the bathroom and changed the plant pot. I added a little beach and some Siesta sand, too. We got the starfish when we got engaged, and Vicki brought us the sand back from Siesta. Yay for relaxation. And yay for pick-me-ups...that I just had lying around the house. ;)

Bigger...and badder :)

Today we found out about Charlie's job prospect...he was just starting to feel stressed about the whole waiting process--especially because they assured him he would know by the beginning of the week. We were walking the dog, and his phone rang... I said a prayer, gave it to God, and in the end, this one wasn't it.

The boss directly called him to thank him personally. Charlie made it through on a fabulous resume, two rounds of interviews, and was in the top two candidates. There is a bigger plan for him and our family, and it doesn't include this particular job. Charlie is so talented, and part of me felt that it doesn't seem fair, that HE deserves it...but another part of me, the wiser part of me, knows that something bigger--and badder--is in store for him. :)

Here's some things I DO know...

Charlie is the most caring person I have ever known. And he always means it.
He wears his heart on his sleeve and his smile will melt the problems of the world away.
He's dang cute and super cool :)
He dreams big and rises to the challenge of a bumpy path in life...when I've seen many people give up.

Love you, Charlie.

Springtime!

Vicki and Chuck came to visit on their drive up from Florida this past weekend. They survived the "coldest winder in Florida's history" of 50s/60s temps and cloud-cover, but in Charlotte this weekend, the first weekend of Spring, temps hit the near 80s! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I didn't run into one person who was in a bad mood. What an ideal visit. The boys golfed for a good chunk of Saturday, and Vicki and I enjoyed the first good porch weather in a while. Later we visited the dog park and had dinner at Southpark. Sunday brought rain, but I got to test out my new galoshes...I can't complain too much. :)

I can't believe it's already spring, and that means summer is just around the corner. It won't be long until I turn 25 (really? ah!), I go to Spain, and we celebrate our 1 year anniversary. I can hardly believe it, either!

With the turn in weather comes sandals....finally. I'm so sick of wearing closed-toed shoes! This summer's trends are fun I think--flirty and very comfortable. Forget thong-sandal blisters. The only problem I foresee is funny tan lines. :/ Oh well, I'm in love with my new shoes. Thank you, Target...and the gladiators (who I believe started the trend). ;)

This week Charlie and I are also agonizingly waiting for him to hear back about his most recent interviews. He made it through two rounds, and nailed them both, and now it's time to play the "wait for a phone call early next week" game. It's a slow process, and business-wise, "early next week" has a plethora of definitions. I'm proud of him either way-- it's an exciting time.

S%#& and Roses

These past couple weeks have been really, really hard: the main reason I haven't been blogging lately. Mom had her heart surgery on Thursday, and Adam has been sick for weeks with unknown X illness that's been puzzling doctors. It's been so hard to be far away from family during this time. I think about them every day, and the distance doesn't make things easier. To top it off, work has been so stressful. Lucky for me my wonderful husband had roses waiting for me on Thursday night after karate. I think I accepted them in the horizontal position at 8:30 pm, falling asleep to some Bravo t.v. re-run. Charlie knew they meant the world to me, though.

This weekend was so completely necessary to my survival...I was a shell of myself on Friday night, and I don't really remember it I was so tired, but I woke up on Saturday after a good night's sleep, and it was refreshing to take some time for myself. That night we went out with Lauren and Chris, our Michigander friends who just moved to Charlotte. It was nice to kick back with a drink in honor of St. Patty's day :)

A little retail therapy was also part of the equation. Purchases from the weekend included:
Target galoshes... I've ruined exactly three pairs of shoes directing traffic in rainy weather after school (ah yes, the life of a teacher), so I decided it was time to stop this nonsense. I thought they were fun and cute, and now I may save some of my suede shoes from their death.

This adorable little lantern from IKEA for our patio. I can't wait to use it... so finally we can light a candle during NC's glorious spring months. I will never forget buying it...I think Charlie was getting a bit bored near the end of our shopping trip, so he was making fun of the European things at IKEA, randomly busting out a techno tune and talking in a Swedish accent. Quite amusing.

And now comes the "S%#&" part of the post... this afternoon we took Luna-mc-lunerton to her favorite place of all...the park. We let her run off-leash (since it's surrounded by creeks and she can't really escape) and she adores it. Today she was more gutsy than usual, and she wandered behind a tree stump, when she emerged, the entire right side of her body was covered in, you guessed it, POOP. Gross, smelly, no-clue-what-kind-of-animal-dumped-it, POOP. It was stuck in the nooks and crannies of her collar and she was proudly tottering toward us. As if that weren't enough, she then proceeded to dart in the other direction and just so happened to stumble upon a huge pile of rabbit poop and she ATE IT. Ug. I was so mad at her. We spent a good 40 minutes washing her in the tub, and I swear she was laughing at us the whole time..."What? Poop is fun! I can't wait to go back to the poop place!" Fat chance dog. Oh well...she knows what she did....

"Loves" of the moment.

Yes, I know... it's been a little while since I've blogged. Okay...a long while. Life does tend to get in the way... How dare I!?!? Live life and not blog!?!? Hehe. Sometimes I wish I had the ability to let it all go, and just be a mediocre worker with mediocre expectations, but that will never be in my personality. Ever.

So, to catch everyone up to speed, here are a few favorites of the month of March...thoses defining little moments that make you smile.

1.) Netflix
Charlie and I have been "Nexflixing" lots! Basically, he went on the computer and picked out the top movies of all time (as rated by IMDb) and we decided to watch them together. We rented The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, The Prestige, and District 9. My favorite was The Prestige, but Saving Private Ryan was a close second. Now these haven't been your care-free, light-hearted comedies, but we mix it up with a movie like Best in Show every now and then.


2) La Plaza del Diamante
I've made it my goal before Spain to read as much as I can in Spanish to practice, practice... right now I'm in the middle of La Plaza del Diamante, which translates to The Diamond Plaza. It takes place in Barcelona (!!!!) during the 40s...a very beautiful coming of age tale with tons of culture, a beautiful setting, and the authentic language (although originally written in Catalan, I love it).

3) Cheese
We've been eating lots of cheese lately. Blocks of cheese, the cheese wrapped in the plastic, string cheese, brie cheese, blue cheese crumbles with cranberries (a personal favorite)...it's an all-around good snack. How can you not love it??? I saw in People magazine today that they made a "100 Calorie" Cheese pack...now THAT I just find silly. Why don't you just cut 100 calories of cheese? This is the one thing about Cheese I will never understand.

4) Luna's new toy
Luna has been eating her way through most of her toys, and they are starting to die, one by one, much to her sadness. Lucky for her, there is always a fresh supply. I bought this latest one because I thought it was freakin' cuttttte! I loved the eyes. She is quite the fan...and it just makes me smile when I see it. This one's name is "Smerkle."

5) Teaching!
Charlie had his first W. Middle School teaching experience this week...he came for a whole day and taught the entire 7th grade (who were learning about Asian culture) about martial arts and Karate. He had a powerpoint presentation in the Media Center, did a demonstration, and even brought in his sais bow staff and gloves. He was awesome and the kids LOVED it! It was fun to watch the kids make the connection that we were married, and even funnier that they said things like, "Wow! I didn't know your husband was a ninja!" and "How many knives does he carry on him every day?" and my personal favorite, "If I say that I like your husband and his presentation do I get an A?" Hehe. It was fun that he shared a piece of what I do every day.