School Days

While studying my course, I just hit a point where I have to brush back up on my grammar skills. All that adverbs and adjectives mumbo-jumbo. Something I always thought back in school I would have to learn once, and never really have to think about it again. At least not think too hard on it, hehe. Got me to think though, when did I become an adult?? I guess I know when that happened, a big step was getting married. But sometimes I miss being a kid. When I was in school, I couldn't wait to get out! I always heard from adults that I should count myself lucky, because once they were out, most of them wished they were back in. Oh the joys of responsibility, oye! To be a kid again, and not have a care in the world, your biggest concern was what to wear to school the next day. Or once spring hit, when was dad going to get our bikes down out of the shed, so we could be free again. Oh, and hoping and praying for those snow days in winter, be up at the crack of dawn to listen by the radio, fingers crossed you would hear your school be called. I remember those days all too clearly, and some days I wish for them back. Even though at the time, I dreaded them, especially school, I still wish for them. Now I am the adult, which sometimes scares me, but I just move on with what I am doing and try and forget about it. I can't believe that in less then a week it will be my birthday, and I will be turning 27 years old. I don't feel that old, time really does fly by. But I am at a point now, where I think I should be, married, moved out of state (which I never thought would happen), own a house, trying to make myself a career. I am so thankful for all that I have, and the family that helped me get this far in my life. Love you all!

Fireflies & Bunnies

Sometimes looking outside my windows is like a children's storybook. As soon as the sun starts to go down, dozens of little lights start to glow. Darting from tree to tree, and clinging to the screen. Fireflies were more rare up north where I grew up, but down south, they seem to be everywhere! It's so much fun when it starts to get dark. Makes me feel like a kid again.

We also have wild bunnies in our neighborhood, quite a few of them. They keep busy reproducing, hehe. They are so cute, it's fun to walk out the door, and out of the corner of your eye...hop hop hop! That's another thing I never saw much of, wild wattits. :-)

He's home!

Well, Toby is home with us, and so far so good. He is a great lil dog, and freakin' adorable! I can't believe he was almost put to sleep! He and the cats are trying to adjust to each other, he is a little afraid of them. I can't say I blame him, he tried to sniff them and they nearly took his face off.
He is like having a big puppy, he is silly at times, always by my side, and he basically knows nothing, hehe, he has no manners, whoever his original owner was, mistreated him, and his foster mommy didn't have alot of alone time with him, she rescues lots of other dogs...so he is learning the basics right now. Hopefully he will catch on fast, he is trying. Poor lil guy, I will just have to keep after him. And get him neutered soon!
So glad he is here though :-) Our house feels more like a home to me now, I was used to having at least one cat and a dog in the house! Now we do.

Meet Toby!

Well, after alot of searching, Mike and I are going to set off tomorrow morning for our first dog together!! We are so excited, Toby is a 3 year old collie/cocker spaniel mix. He was rescued twice, first by a shelter, then by a kind woman who took him shortly before that shelter was going to put him down. Can't wait to meet him!

And they called her...Rite Aid

While stopping at the local Rite-Aid in Reidie-ville, dad spied with his little eye something orange on the sidewalk...He proceeded to rescue the little gal from getting fried in the sun, and became our little traveling buddy for the day. She earned the name "Rite-Aid", seemed appropriate. We are sure she will decease soon, she has already done what she was put on this earth to do (procreate). Which became obvious when she proceeded to lay her eggs later that night at 'the farm'. But now she had a ride like no other regal moth before her, and will die content in mom and dad's flower pot. :-)

...Playing Tourist cont'd

One other place we went to was the Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum. Not that I condone smoking, but my gosh, the things that tobacco has done for this state, let alone the Durham area is astounding. I will admit I wasn't too excited about going to a tobacco museum, but we were floored when we heard all that went into growing tobacco, and all that is has done for the area in the past...without it they wouldn't have Duke University, Duke Energy (the local electric company), the Durham Bulls baseball team, or even baseball cards! Anyways, here was some of the stuff we saw...

Um, yah, this was a replica of the Liberty Bell, made entirely of tobacco leaves!

This would be one of the buildings they originally would of dried the leaves in.

And this is what it would of looked like inside.

This building they would "beat" the dried leaves, as demonstrated by our guide....

And we saw the original house the Duke's lived in, very simple, very small inside...and very warm, I am sooo grateful for my central air :-) It was fun learning a bit of history.

Playing Tourist...

Today Mom, Dad, Beepa, Cortney and I went on a *venture. We did the tourist thing and went around to some places in Durham. First stop was the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. These beautiful gardens occupy 55 acres. It is recognized as one of the premiere public gardens in the United States, and I could see why. It was started early in the 1930's in an area that they had hoped to turn into a lake, of all things, but funds were too short. This place is just huge and beautiful!! We spent over 2 hours there, and easily could of stayed longer.

Our elder tour guides :-) sitting by the iris fountain.The entire outer circle is rose bushes!

Dad being my model, banana trees, I actually used to plant those when I worked at D.S. Cole Growers (greenhouse) up in NH. But they were less then an inch tall, the largest I ever saw them get was about 2 feet tall...I've never seen them this big!

A shot of the Teien-oike Garden Pond.

A bunch of monkeys hangin' out in the bamboo! Of course they had many magnolia trees.This was some of the Terrace Gardens, there was just level upon level of raised gardens.

At the top of the Terrace Gardens is the Pergola...covered in wisteria.

Shhh...Cortney's huntin' wattit.

A view at Millstone Pond.

Cortney took this one, she made us all pose. :-P

Lots of lily pads...some were easily over 5 feet wide.

I easily took over 100 photos at the gardens, it was so pretty, and so much to see...would love to go again!

Still a little homesick

Don't get me wrong, I love my new state, but every once in awhile I get a sad feeling. I still miss New Hampshire, and I think part of me always will. Although Michael assures me we will visit as often as we can, I still miss walking out my front door and being there.

Things have been much easier for us since moving here to North Carolina, and the weather is great (except for the hair frizz from the humidity sometimes, hehe). But I was one of those die hard new englanders that loved being able to say that I live in NH. The little state most people don't even know about down here. At least I can say that I grew up there. It's one of those, you appreciate it more after you lose it kinda deals. I always thought I would be able to share alot of the things I did growing up with my children, but my kids won't know what it was really like growing up north. That kinda makes me sad. They won't know the huge family gatherings I did growing up, because unfortunately I can't move all of my family and friends down south. Won't be able see it when you drive down a snowy road, just after a storm, while everything is still pure white, and when the sun comes up, the snow looks like pink lace on the tree tops. A quick drive to the coast, and your in the sand, and free to explore tide pools. Or a trip to the mountains in the fall, and hiking to the top of a mountain, and it looks like the forest is on fire from all the changing leaves. Those are some of the great things I loved seeing growing up, and I am thankful to my parents for taking us everywhere they did, Alot of hiking and camping trips left alot of great memories. I am looking forward to trying to find all the hidden places here.

We will just have to enjoy NH on our vacations! At least I know I'm not the only one that feels like this, Cortney is still referring to North Carolina as "South Hampshire" hehe. But who wouldn't miss being a short distance from this?

Southern Funny...

Hunting in the South

A couple of hunters are out in the woods in the deep south when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, and his eyes are rolled back in his head.

The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls 911. He gasps to the operator, "My friend is dead! What can I do?"

The operator, in a calm and soothing voice, says, "Alright, take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead."

There is silence, and then a gun shot is heard.

The hunter comes back on the line. "OK. Now what??"

More pics of the house.

Just another photo of the front of the house, which with any hope we will have flowers in the gardens by next spring...
...and this would be the house's rear end ;-) where we relax and enjoy Mike's grillin skills!

We have slowly been decorating, and replacing furniture, as we can afford it...we have alot of plans and stuff we eventually want to do, like alot of painting...but this is how the inside looks so far!

What you see when you come in the back door off the deck is the kitchen...
..other end of the kitchen, you can see the laundry room, all your basic stuff, and all new appliances.
Obviously, the dining room...
...where we sit and dine :-)

Living room...
...and the fireplace.
And going upstairs we see Lilly...she follows me throughout the house, Katie sleeps most of the day :-)

This is the Guest room upstairs...
..and another view of the Guest room.
View from the balcony to the fenced in backyard...Under that blue tarp is our 'just like new' riding lawnmower, thank you Mom and Dad!! At some point the playhouse will go bye-bye and where the mower is currently sitting is a nice cement slab, just waiting for us to build a new shed :-)
...another view from the balcony more of the yard, back there somewhere :-) is the basketball court...we plan on clearing out all the small brush.



A view of our bedroom...with our new bed!! Love it, so much more comfortable, and beautiful to look at! I now make the bed much more often, hehe.
other side of the master bedroom...where you can see the little storage dormers...they are great!! Especially since we have no basements down south, and our house has no attic.

...and that's most of the house!

Funny Observation

Just a funny little observation...our kitty Katie usually couldn't care less that the TV is on. But every time we watch the Planet-Earth series, she gets totally engrossed and finds it hard to look away from what is going on on the screen. As we watched her do again last night, she's a silly girl. :-) And yes, I realize I just typed a blog about my cat, but it was funny.