On a happier note

NC State Game - recap

I think it's time for a photo post! Here's some pictures from the NC State versus Woffard game. For those who love football and want the play-by-plays of the game, check out the "Game Clipboard" from the News and Observer. (I couldn't tell you much other than there seemed to be a lot penalties and turnovers! Oh, and we won!)

Our version of 'tail gating' (we brought the famous 'Bojo's tailgate pack')





View from our parking spot - looking towards Carter Finley Stadium


Mr. Wolf greeting anyone & everyone


The ladies room was pretty decent for a huge stadium, and I found this reminder painted on the rear wall in each stall to be quite amusing! I guess it had been a problem!

"Please do not throw liquor bottles in toilets"

Paul in front of a recently placed wolf statue in the stadium (one of MANY around the stadium)


In our seats!


Bringing in the US Flag in style...


Video (new feature on blogger - going to see if this works)



Go Pack! The team entering the stadium


Coin toss


TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


NC State takes the ball and makes a RUN FOR IT!


It's almost over....


NC STATE WINS! 38-17, breaking the 9 game losing streak!


And finally, a little video of the NCSU Marching band

Another [not so fun] first

Apparently this is a week of 'firsts.' On Monday night I was decorating the house for fall. Yes, I am aware that it is a little early, but the cool temperatures demanded some fall foliage to show up in the house. I was nearly done with my first round of decorating when I headed to the china cabinet to grab a vase. In a split second a huge shard of glass from the door panel went flying towards the floor, but before it hit, it left a nasty gash in my leg.

I'll admit, I'm a klutz and have endured my share of cuts, scrapes and many bruises, but a deep puncture wound? Nope. New territory to me. I was home alone at the time - fighting to keep a paper towel on the wound and keep blood off the floor - so I had to make the call to Paul to "come home now!" Of course his office is a good 15+miles away, so it took him a few minutes to get home.

After he arrived, I moved my 'bandage' of 3 paper towels and I knew immediately that we needed to seek medical help. Paul agreed after looking at the glass shard and relizing that it was missing some pieces. I did not want to believe that there was glass stuck deep in my leg, but I also couldn't bear the thought of 'doctoring it' at home.

To make this incident even more complicated, we had not yet received his new company's medical insurance cards. All we knew was the name of the company. After calling their 1-800 number (which Paul had to call his boss to locate), we discovered that it's after their office hours and they could be of no help (stupid computer answering thingie!). So with no insurance information, we drove to the closest urgent care.

Thankfully the urgent care wasn't busy and they saw me quickly (which I knew would not be the care at the closest Emergency Room). The first thing I learned was that I needed a tetnus shot. This news brought on the 'water works' as I am a horrible shot taker. Horrible! Here we are sitting in the examination room, Paul, me and a nurse and I'm near bawling! They haven't even looked at my wound yet! And I'm making a scene about needing a shot. Thankfully the doctor throughly numbed the gash area before he set out locate the missing pieces of glass. Lets just say that the largest piece of glass was impressive. I did not watch. Paul stopped watching and found a chair across the room. The silly thing, we watch ER and Grey's but cannot watch this live, real show!

So, 6 external stitches and a few internal stitches later, they send me home. Well, after the dreaded tetnus shot. Which did not hurt at the time, but now that area of my arm is pretty sore. I am walking around (and going to work!) because I'm not going to let a few stitches keep me down! I am, however, going to take it super easy and stay away, far far away, from all other glass front cabinets for a very long time.

A first for us!

We attended our first NC State home football game last weekend. Wow. It was a blast! And it didn't hurt that they WON (finally, after 9 losses!). The stadium was a SEA of RED. I've got few pictures and videos to share, but for now, here's just one.

We don't look excited or anything, do we?

Today's rant - litterbugs

I see it EVERYday - a cigarette thrown out the window, a cup dropped at the stoplight, papers and trash blowing out the back of a truck bed. It boils my blood every time. With our current severe drought and high wind/dry air/fire warnings, seeing a LIT cigarette thrown from a passing car window gives me a fit of road rage.

Well NC residents, we can fight back! I've known about South Carolina's 'litter reporting' (PalmettoPride) for a while and always wished NC had one. I've recently discovered that we do!

You can report litterbugs on NC highways by submitting an online form or calling (you need to make note of their license plate). They get a nasty-gram about littering our state. I think getting something at their home address has a bit more impact than my shaking fist/blowing horn/flashing lights.


"Swat a litterbug"

"Let us know when a person is littering by contacting our Office of Beautification Programs through the Swat-A-Litterbug process:

* E-mail us: On-line Swat-A-Litterbug form to report a litterbug (click here)
* Mail in the Swat-A-Litterbug card*
* Call our Customer Service Office at 1-877-DOT-4YOU (1-877-368-4968)

Upon receipt of the litterbug information, we will:

* Notify the vehicle owner of the littering offense
* Inform the vehicle owner of the penalties for littering
* Urge the litterbug to stop littering

Vacation! (a month ago)

Yeah, so we've been back for a while now, but I still wanted to share a few pictures from the family vacation last month.

We spent a week at Folly Beach, SC, a.k.a. the "Edge of America," in a nice townhouse on the waterway. We = mom, dad, Justin, Paul and I (and Baker for a night or 2). The townhouse = 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 levels, with views.

On our first full day of vacation, Paul celebrated his 30th birthday.
Mom and I decorated the walls with silly banners and signs that read "lordy mercy look who thirty" and the like.


We grilled out a steak dinner and had a lovely cheesecake birthday cake for dessert. We were kind and kept the candles to a minimum ;)


We attempted to enjoy the beach. It was a little too hot to really enjoy being on the beach for more than an hour or so, but we had fun. Here's Justin just chillin' on the beach (um yeah, you've got a bit of molten chocolate on your chin man)


We cooled off at the pool - while watching dolphins swim up and down the adjacent waterway


And of course we ate - that's what vacation is all about! Eat! Eat! Eat some more!

Mexican dinner at the Taco Boy (in Folly Beach)


A 'haunted' dinner at Hyman's Seafood (in historic Charleston)


Dinner at the [flipped] Charleston Crab House (why "flipped"? check out our favorite tv 'flipper's,' Trademark Properties - more on them later too)




Yummy sweets at Sonic



There was much more feasting, but in order to protect the innocent, I'll refrain from posting additional glutenous photo evidence.

What we did on vacation (besides eating, sleeping and melting in the heat)

Despite EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS, we took a trip out the hottest place in ALL of Charleston, Ft. Sumter. Why? Because we're history junkies how could we have NOT gone?

On the boat getting read to make way for the Fort. We're happy. We're just a little warm. We have no idea the torture that awaits us, see, we're smiling?!


Approaching the Fort on the lovely SpiritLine boat (at 9:30am - it was already 89 degrees with 89% humidity!)


Are we melting yet?


We desperately needed protection from flying/biting insects of all kinds... mom spraying Justin down.


You'd think the 'sea breezes' coming in off the ocean would make it feel a bit more pleasant. Well, they did not. Mom and I, trying to catch some [slightly] cooler ocean breezes


Honestly, not much of what you see if really from the Civil War era Ft. Sumter. It was bombed and blasted to bits in 1865 (check it out here - seriously). Looking down on the parade grounds and back towards the city of Charleston

We are seriously melting. This is 2.3 seconds before I discovered the AIR CONDITIONED museum a few steps away. Needless to say, I wasn't the only one to discover this cool spot.

"Can we go now?" (just before jumping back on the boat to return is to [hopefully] cooler places)

"Bye Fort!" (mental check - been there, don't have to return!)

The Bridge & USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier

Paul and I ended up spending the afternoon at the SC Aquarium (it was slightly cooler)


Then we ALL (mom & dad included) went to see Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix (in 3D!) at the IMAX. Justin is now a fan, mom and dad are now throughly confused (this was their FIRST Harry Potter exposure)


You'd think we'd had enough of the hot and steamy weather to stay indoors and just play the Wii, but no, mom and I were determined to do some walking around downtown Charleston. I wanted to take some photos for a project I'm doing at home and apparently mom is just as crazy and I, so we headed out for a day of sightseeing and melting [again].

Here's a few of my favorite shots of homes/gardens/etc in historic Charleston






(doh! I just discovered that my favorite shots haven't been uploaded and are sitting on our external hard drive at home, trust me, I've got some beautiful pictures of homes and gates along the Battery)

And for good measure, here's a few random parting pictures. Needless to say, we had a great time and we were not ready to return home.

On the beach one last time


They always think they're so funny (right?)


Trademark Properties downtown Charleston retail shop - recently seen on TV (The Real Deal or The Real Estate Pros on TLC)


Their James Island office and car (yes! I am a dork - I had to check them out as we drove by this office everyday!)



Haunted? St. Philip's cemetery at night (oooooo, spooky!)


And finally, the lovely downtown Charleston from the water