Scenes from a day off.

I took the NCLEX yesterday (!!), so I woke up today with neither a thing to study nor a licensure exam to worry about. I can check the results tomorrow morning, so hang on tight for the conclusion of that chapter of my career-change journey.

We're having absolutely GORGEOUS weather here in Raleigh this week (believe me, you should be jealous), so I spent much of my day out-of-doors at one of our favorite places, Umstead State Park. Being just a few minutes down the road, it's become our go-to spot for playing/hiking/running/camping/picnicking when we want to get into the woods. You just can't beat it when you want to maximize your outdoor time and minimize your car time.

I only had my cell phone with me for pictures, as my actual camera is sitting on the kitchen table, completely dead and begging me to recharge its battery. One day, Cannon. One day.

This was the first one I took. And I promptly sent it to Matt.
Who was at work. Inside of a cubicle.
I am not proud of my behavior.

Teeny, tiny toadstools.

Ferns are one of my FAV flora.
But what is that spiky-looking stuff in the bottom left corner?


Gotta be a fungus. Gotta be.


Blazes hold a special place in my heart.


Beautiful stone dam. Probably not built by beavers.


A gorgeously plush blanket of moss.


Another blaze. The sight brings comfort, even though I know this trail by heart.

Babbling brook. Chatting creek. Whispering waterway. Whatever floats your boat.

Bubbles!!

I know. Another one. I can't help myself.

Blazes remind me of all my past hikes - most all of them have been marked by blazes. On new trails, they greet you every so often to reassure you that you're on the right track, or to nudge you back onto it. Couple them with a map of the area, and I'm one happy clam. You know I have a thing for maps, right?

I hardly saw anyone out on the trail, it being a weekday, which I think is why I got to spy on so many different creatures: gazillion different types of fungi, squirrels, birds, and fish; 4 five-lined skinks; 1 toad; 1 frog; and 1 baby white-tailed deer. Needless to say, my cell phone camera skills were no match for most of these creatures.

Little Brian!

Last week, Matt's sister Katie, her husband Joe, and our nephew Brian swooped into town for a quick visit. Joe had a work meeting in Research Triangle Park, and Katie and Brian tagged along for the trip so we got a quick fix of Reuben family goodness!

The night they flew in, we met near their hotel at City Beverage to enjoy delicious food and cold drinks out on their patio. We had not seen them since January, so WOW was it amazing to see Brian running around! Our last memories were of him poised on the brink of figuring out crawling. Now he's an energetic explorer, who glances back at you with his huge, cheeky smile to make sure you're chasing him.


I know, it's horribly blurry. But a blurry cell phone picture is better than no picture, so we'll take it! Plus, you know if he's this handsome while blurry, he's crazy cute in person!

Since my younger brother's name is also Brian, we have come to affectionately refer to him as "Big Brian" and our nephew as "Little Brian." Coincidentally, we also both have sisters who are named Katie - but I call mine "Dee dee", so we don't really have a problem there.

Graduation Par-tay!

The weekend of my graduation, we were so very lucky to have my parents, Matt's parents, my sister and her boyfriend, and my brother all in town for the celebration!

While there was a lot of catching up and visiting with each other, by far the most delicious part of the whole weekend was our cookout that Saturday. Matt got up early to start the main course - pulled pork. Just acquiring the pork butt (aka - Boston Butt or pork shoulder, but I like my name better) was a bit of a fiasco, as he wanted to get it from a particular store (for animal welfare reasons, which you might think is ironic since we then ate said animal, but that discussion's for another time/post) and in the end it took a few trips out there. But he get it, he did, and he started it smoking out on the grill early that morning. After bringing it in to finish it in the oven, having our power go out (yup, for 3 hours on a 102F day), then having to move it back out on the grill to finish it, the pork was done as stomachs started rumbling.

Coupled with sides brought by our lovely families, and some of Matt's homebrew beer, we had quite a feast!

Matt made homemade BBQ sauce, but provided store bought too, just in case people had different preferences. That bottle was never opened.


As if it needed a label...and sitting next to it is farmstand corn from the NJ coast - courtesy of Tom and Julie (Matt's Mom and Dad)


I know, this pic is horrible quality, but everyone was hungry and I thought fists might fly if I didn't let people start to dig in!

Completing the meal is a tomato, feta, and caper salad (thanks Julie!), fiesta black bean salad (thanks Momma!), MD watermelon (thanks again Momma!), and homemade buttermilk coleslaw (thanks Matt!).

It was a delicious and festive meal for a fabulous family weekend. Thanks everyone!

disclaimer: i drooled a bit on my keyboard during the writing of this post.

Thank you, Grandma!

Thanks, Grandma Ruth!

Note: Apparently I am now blogging quite retrospectively.

Thanks to some Christmas money from my Grandma Ruth last December, Matt and I were able to purchase our long-awaited, home-away-from-home, TENT!

It arrived in early 2011 - smack in the middle of the chilly season that only sometimes earns its name down here in NC. Winter. So we waited, til we could try it out during warmer temps, a no-rain forecast, and a free weekend. And June was our reward.

Our first trip in early June was to Carolina Beach State Park, which is a mere 5 minute drive from beachfront glory at said Carolina Beach. Since we had no other gear aside from our tent, sleeping bags, 2 chairs, a lantern, matches, and marshmallow roasting sticks - it was the ultimate experience in minimalist camping. But really, sometimes, isn't it enough to just have a campfire, s'mores fixin's, beer, and a place to sleep? We spent all day out at the beach, tried a few local spots, and headed back for dessert at our campsite. But of course, I forgot my camera. So all you get is text. Stay tuned, pictures will accompany the story to follow...

So that brings us to trip #2 a couple weeks later in June. Venturing all the way out to Umstead State Park (yup, 8 minutes down the road from our house), and this time we brought along some of the gear we'd manage to acquire from careful research (thank you Matt!), price comparisons, and sales. So now we can add camp cooking to our list of survival skills. To avoid turning this post into a novela, let's just say balsamic vinegar and goat cheese were involved. And french press coffee. But not all at once.

This trip, we spent our time out on long hikes, sitting by the campfire, and practicing our cooking skills. And we've gotten pretty quick at the set-up and tear-down of our sweet tent (thanks again GMa).

Unfortunately, Summer down here earns its name 10 times over. So we patiently watched for a decent forecast (hoping for some overnight lows at least down in the low 70s) and a weekend I didn't have clinical shifts at the hospital, and in mid-July, we got lucky.

Out at Jordan Lake State Park, we tried out the Crosswinds Campground and some of the hiking that this large state park has to offer. We visited the New Hope Overlook area, partly to check out the primitive, hike in-and-out sites (so far, we've only done car-camping), as well as to try the trails on that side of the lake. While most of path is within the woods, there are a few spurs that get you out to the water. Which was nice for a picture break (i.e. - water and snack break):

Little fish in a big pond.


What a Happy Camper. (hardy, har, har)

Lately, it's been waaaay too hot and humid for camping, for us at least. But we'll keep an eye on the forecast and hopefully have another trip before too long.