Memorial Day Weekend

I had a great Memorial Day weekend at the Cape with my family. It was so nice getting away and being at the beach for a few days. Thankfully the weather was really nice and the pollen had not yet hit. There were quite a few people on the Cape and some were ever crazy enough to go swimming!! I was surprised to find that they were already checking for beach stickers at the ocean! I guess summer has hit...even if the Cape is just starting to experience spring like weather!!

On Saturday I went down to the beach and for a long walk. On Sunday my Uncle Bobby and Aunt Dixie had a cook-out at their house. Several aunts, uncles, and cousins were at the cook-out so it was funning catching up with everyone. My little cousin, Tanner (age 3), informed me that he is from Africa! I am not sure where he got that from but it was pretty funny! Peter and Janine brought over the Ladder game, which was a big hit! After the cook-out we then had friends from CT for dinner. My Aunt Sandy, Uncle Peter, and Kristin also joined us for dinner. I hadn't seen my cousin Kristin in a long time so it was great to catch up with her! We ended the night with a trip to the Land Ho!, which is by far, one of my most favorite bars!! On Monday Rob & Margaux had us over for a BBQ. The only problem was that we had to deal with the holiday traffic leaving the bridge. What should have been a 45 minute off the Cape took us about an hour and 40 mins. But it was great seeing them and we had a great time!

I am now back in Raleigh and am busy with work and my grant. My house feels very empty without Mistress. I keep looking for her or thinking that I hear her. She was a great companion the past 5 months. She was such a sweet cat.

It almost feels like I never went away for a few days!!

Nature Walk

Let me just say, it is a beautiful day here on the Cape! The sun is out... the temperature has gone up, and the wind died down. I decided I would take a walk today to get some fresh air. My walked started on the Lady Slipper Trail, which starts in the woods behind my parents' house. This trail goes through the woods and around several of

the kettle ponds. Over the winter the town did some work on the trails and added some informational signs as well as built a new handicap accessible bridge over one of the brooks. Funny thing is, no one in a wheel chair could ever make it to the bridge!! The trails are somewhat narrow, sand, and rather bumpy from all of the tree roots. And the kicker... it cost $70,000 to build the bridge!!! In case you are wondering... the

brook that it spans is maybe 3 feet wide at most.. and you're lucky if you find a spot in the brook that is a foot deep! When I was growing up, my brother, cousins, and I used to cross the brook by either jumping across it or using a tree limb. Lady Slipper trail brought me by Herring Brook, which connects the kettle ponds to the bay. Each year the herring return to the kettle ponds to lay their eggs. I lucked out and was able to see the herring waiting to return to the bay. Herring are somewhat endangered and it is illegal to catch or harm herring. The town also blocks off the brook and only opens it when when

it is high tide so that they don't get stranded at low tide. From there I walked down to the bay. There were several men surf casting off the beach for stripers. It was really nice at the beach and there were even some people swimming!! I did find lots of sea glass on my walk. I also saw a few horseshoe crabs. It was such a nice, enjoyable walk. I think I will have to do it again tomorrow!!

Summer Vacation

Now that classes are over (yay!!) I can take some time off from work (my grant) and get away for a few days. I, of course, will spend a few weeks at the Cape this summer with my family. I will also be heading out to Nebraska to see Ryne in June for 10 days. I am really looking forward to my trip and seeing him! We've already begun making plans for my trip. One thing I am really excited about is our get away to a cabin in Chadron State Park. Ryne booked us a cabin in the park for two nights. I think while we are out there we are going to have a cook-out at the cabin for some of his friends and family! We're also going to spend some time in the Black Hills (SD). While we are up there we will go see Mt. Rushmore as well as the Cosmos! Now let me just tell you.. The Cosmos is something to be seen! While you are there you can roll a ball UP hill as well as appear significantly taller than someone who you are normally shorter than. I've joked with Ryne about going there ever since November!! It should be a fun experience. We will also spend time with his parents. I am looking forward to seeing the baby buffalo! They are so cute!! Maybe I will get to name one... We always have tickets to see Oklahoma! on opening night. We will be rather busy but I know we will have an amazing time together. I will be sure to post pictures from my trip!!

Back on the Cape!

I'm back on the Cape after my 14+ hour trip up the east coast!! My mom flew down to Raleigh last weekend to spend some time with me. While she was in town we began the search for her mother of the groom wedding dress. What an ordeal this has turned out to be!! So far we have not seen anything that she has liked... well, anything that she has liked that hasn't cost over $800!! Crazy!! Anyways... we left Raleigh yesterday morning with Mistress at 6am. Surprisingly we did not hit any traffic and made it to Eastham in record time. It's so nice to be back on the Cape, even if it is only for a long weekend. I am really looking forward to getting back up here for the summer!!!

NC Roads

Let me just tell you how much I hate the roadways of NC!! For an area known for the engineers, the roads in Raleigh do not make any sense and are next to impossible to navigate. Today I had graduation at a local high school in Cary (suburb of Raleigh). The address for the school that I was given was not found on Mapqust nor was it found on my GPS. I used an address that was close by thinking that I would get close enough to the school. Well no such luck. It turns out the road I was on (McCrimmon Pkwy) is the worst road to navigate on the face of the earth!! The road literally comes to a dead in some places, zig zags in others, and has no rhyme or reason to it. Unfortunately I ended up on the "wrong" side of McCrimmon and was unable to navigate to the other side. You see, there is literally a section of road missing (see map below!). I never made it to graduation...even after I spent a hour and half driving around. Both my dad and Ryne tried to help me find my way but we were unsuccessful.

So my question is this? Why would you design a road that you cannot navigate? Just to stay on McCrimmon you need to make a series of turns and take other roads. Even though you may not be lucky because you could end up like me and hit the "dead end." Man do I hate the roadways of Raleigh!!!

Cape Cod

If you have never been to Cape Cod, you are truly missing out on one of the most amazing places on earth. There is just something about the salt air, the sound of the ocean, and the sandy beaches that just relaxes you the instant you get there. I have been spending my summers at the Cape ever since I was born.

Nebraska Adventures... and Vegas!

I figured I needed to post something happy and upbeat after my last posting. And what better way to lighten the mood than to share some of my memories and adventures from Nebraska. As many of you know, I have been making trips out to the midwest to visit Ryne the last seven months. We've had some great times and very memorable experiences. Below is a recap from my trips. I hope you enjoy!

November - December 2007

My first visit to the great state of Nebraska was COLD!!! I left the warm, 70 degree weather of Raleigh for the bitter cold. Ryne and I went to the Chadron playoff football game... and sat there in the snow! Unfortunately Chadron lost but I still had a great time. We also got and decorated our Christmas tree. This was Ryne's first tree that he has had on his own.



February 2008
I was able to spend a week with Ryne in February! Luckily my trip coincided with Valentine's Day which was a nice treat. Ryne gave me a beautiful bouquet of red and orange roses (orange for Clemson, of course!) and took me out to a very nice dinner. We also took a trip up to the Black Hills where I got a nice tour of Wind Cave and Custer State Park. I also had a nice little "camping" trip while I was out there. Let's just say that it was unexpected but I survived!


March 2008

In March Ryne met in Las Vegas for an extra long weekend. I was in Vegas for a conference so we decided to turn it into a mini vacation. We had a great time touring the strip and visiting all of the casinos. There were some pretty amazing lobbies -- the Bellagio, Wynn, etc. We were lucky enough to get tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's Love at the Mirage. What a FANTASTIC show!! I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing it was!!! We also took a tour of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Yet another thing we got to experience. When we got there it was sunny and nice out. Within 15 mins the clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped, and it started snowing!! It was crazy! All in all we had a fabulous time in Vegas. I think both Ryne and I were ready to say good-bye to Carrot Top though after being there for 6 days!! He was headlining at our hotel and his scary face was every where!!

April 2008
I made another trip out to see Ryne in April. Unfortunately my luggage did not make the trip with me! Poor Ryne had to see me wear the same outfit every day... thank goodness for his washing machine!! We spent with weekend with his parents in Custer, SD. It was such a nice trip and I had a great time meeting his family. I'll be heading back in June and we are going to go see the College World Series in Omaha.

I'll keep you posted on my other travels to the Cornhusker State!

In need of some good news!

It's been a rough few weeks for me. It seems like every time I turn around, I get more and more bad news. I am hoping that all of that changes soon!
Last week I traveled to CT for my uncle's funeral. My Uncle Victor was a wonderful man who was extremely proud of his family. He took such pride in his nieces and nephews as well and always made sure to spend lots of time with us. I will always remember spending time with him... from the many trips to Joe's Bar (at the ripe old age of 6yrs to play pin ball and drink Shirley Temples) to teaching me how to ski. Above is a picture of Victor with my Aunt Susie at the UConn - Duke football game a few years ago. I also included a picture of me (age 2 1/2) from their wedding. He will be missed greatly!

A good friend from grad school was also recently diagnosed with Hodgkins, stage 2. Erin has already been through a lot and has a long road ahead of her. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts are she begins her treatment.

On to some happier news... the semester is winding down for me. I submitted the last of my grades today! I was so happy to have them over and done with! I am going to celebrate the end of the semester with some friends over a few margaritas!

More to come later!
Lori