Life is Good.. I'm on Cape Cod!

Ahh... life is good!! I am back on Cape Cod and I have several weeks of heading to the beach to look forward to!! I plan to relax and unwind!!

Travelers Open

I arrived in New England yesterday afternoon to gray skies and heavy drizzle. My parents picked me up at the airport and then we did a little shopping (car & clothes) before we made our way to Rob & Margaux's. I must say it was pretty entertaining watching my dad banter back and forth with the care salesman. Once we got to Rob's we all went out to dinner. It was an early night since we were getting up at o'dark thirty to head to CT for the Travelers Open (PGA golf tournament). Margaux was not able to go with us because she had to work. We were on the road and on our way before 6am!! UGH!! We met Rob's friend Josh in Glastonbury and then headed over to the tournament. Rob had gotten free tickets and VIP passes through work. It was so nice being able to park right at the event and have all of these extra little perks! We spent the day walking around the course and following certain golfers (Lucas Glover!). It was a fun and long day... and at the end of the day it got VERY hot once the sun popped out!! We left around 3:30 and drove back to Rob's to drop him off. My parents and I then continued on to the Cape. We stopped in Sandwich and had dinner which was wonderful (backed stuffed scallops with lobster.. yum!!).

While at dinner I got several messages about Michael Jackson dying. It was such a shock and hard to believe. What a week it has been for celebritites.. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. Very sad.

Packing!! And Getting a New Bed!

I have spent the last few days cleaning, packing, and getting organized. It is hard to believe that I leave for the Cape in a few days. This summer is flying by... I hope it slows down some once I get to the Cape!!

I debated back and forth as to whether or not I was going to clean before I left for the summer. My house was in need of some dusting and my bathrooms could all use a good cleaning. I love leaving and coming home to a clean house... but by the time I got back in August my house would no longer be clean. After going back and forth I finally decided to go ahead and clean.

Yesterday I went to Durham to pick up a queen-sized mattress for my third bedroom. Yes, the Holcomb B&B is expanding and I can now accommodate more guests!! The only glitch was that I had to pick the bed up and get upstairs on my own!! Thankfully my neighbor Gary helped me. The bed belong to Amy, my cousin who just graduated from Duke. We had to go to her old apartment (coordinating getting a key proved to be quite a hassle since Amy is back in CT!) to get the bed. I warned Gary that the last time I saw the apartment at graduation it was disgusting. I didn't think it could have gotten any worse.. but it did! I will just leave you with this... there were piles of dried puke in the corner on the carpet. GROSS!! Thankfully Amy's bed was fine and we got it up to my guest room without any issues!!

I have spent most of today packing and trying to get organized. Not only am I packing for the Cape but I am also packing for my trip to Ireland in August. It was hard packing for two entirely different trips while trying to keep it to two pieces of luggage. I just hope I didn't forget anything!!

I am so worn out and I am so ready to get to the Cape... I need some R&R at the beach!!

Congrats, Lucas!!

I am so happy that Lucas Glover won the US Open!! Just another fine example of a Clemson Tiger!!

Shen Wei Dancers

Last night I went to the Durham Performing Arts Center to see the Shen Wei Dancers with my friend Tamara. I had no idea what to expect and boy was I in for a treat!! It turns out that last night was the kick-off for the American Dance Festival. As part of the festival there were dance troupes all around the Performing Arts Center dancing. There were girls lined up along the sidewalks dancing around trees, guys dancing on the hand railings, couples dancing on benches, and so on. It was quite a site and perhaps a little too much for me!! There were even dancers inside on the stairs and in the bathroom!! The women in the bathroom caught me so off guard that I just stood there and stared. The one girl looked like a crack whore dancing on the counter.. it was so bizarre.

One of the girls dancing outside along the trees

Girl dancing on the bathroom counter

The Shen Wei dancers were interesing... not necessarily my cup of tea but it was fun to watch. The choreographer was the same man who choreographed the opening ceremonies for the Summer Olympics last year. I think it was a little to artsy for me, especially since one whole section of the performance was nude. Hmmm... I think I prefer more classical and traditional dance.

It's Been a Long Time...

So once again I have been bad about updating my blog. The last two week were really busy and I just never had the time or energy to sit down and post. Plus I suspect that Marianne is my lone reader. But without further ado, here is an update for the last two weeks.

I was supposed to fly back to Raleigh on June 3rd but Ryne and I decided that I needed to spend a few extra days together so I changed my flight to June 8th. It was so nice having a few extra days together. We were able to have a picnic in the state park, see a movie, have dinner with Ryne's aunt, and just enjoy each others' company. The weekend of the 5th we kicked things off by going to see the play, Always, Patsy Cline, at the Post Playhouse. It was opening night for the season and this marked the second year in a row that we were able to go on opening night. All of the actors are college students from around the contry -- quite a few were from Elon! Before the play we ate dinner at Fort Robinson, which was really nice. The play was really good and the two actresses were phenomenal! Once the play was over we headed to Ryne's parents' house in the Black Hills. There were bad storms that night but thankfully they were off in the distance. But our entire drive to the Hills was a giant lightning show, which was absolutely amazing!!

On Saturday we spent the day with Ryne's parents. Since it was a cold (40s!) and rainy day we decided to head to Reptile Gardens. I was expecting this place to be a tourist trap but it was surprising really nice. They had quite the collection of reptiles, lizards, and creatures there. I'll ahve to post pictures once I download them from my camera. After Reptile Gardens we grabbed a bite to eat at a diner. I love a good, old fashioned diner!!

On Sunday Ryne and I spent the day together driving around the Hills. We headed over to Mt. Rushmore and Keystone. Thankfully I have seen Mt. Rushmore several times before because it was bried in the fog. You could not see a hint of it... at all!! We grabbed lunch in Hill City and then headed back to his parents to relax before dinner. It stunk that we had to head back to Chadron that night, especially since we both knew my flight was first thing in the morning.

Monday we got up at o'dark thirty since my flight was at 6:30am. Ugh... I hate leaving but I hate leaving at that time of the day! It was so hard and sad saying our good byes. I hate watching Ryne disappear out of site as my plane zooms off into the clouds. But thankfully we will be together again in a few weeks at the Cape :)!

Work has been...hmmm... challenging. I am still dealing with an ongoing issue that has been really difficult. I have another meeting tomorrow so I am hoping that the end is in site.

Well, I think that is everything. I will try to do better about updating. I head to the Cape next week so things will start to become more interesting then.