easter getaway

we have been staying in town consecutively way too many weekends, and my travel fever was at an all time high last weekend.  we booked a last minute trip to wilmington, nc for a quick easter weekend getaway.  the weather was still a bit chilly, so we traded in our bathing suits for jackets, and settled for a stroll on the beach.  once the evening arrived, we went out in downtown wilmington to several of our favorite spots.  i love this town. . . there's so much history and amazing architecture.  we felt as if we had been transported to another place and time, not bad for a one-day getaway.

once we arrived, we didn't waste any time.  we went straight to one of my favorite sandwich shops in the whole wide world, chops deli.  my undying craving has been fulfilled for at least the next few weeks :)

   while it was still daylight, we attempted to burn off some of our sandwich and potato chips with a romantic stroll down the beach.

we met a cute crab along the way.

oh, hello future dream home.  we welcomed sunset with cold beers and shrimp cocktail on the pier at oceanic, then headed back to the hotel where we had a fabulous view of the riverfront.

we returned back to wilmington and headed downtown to end the night at a few of our favorite spots, including front street brewery and cape fear wine and beer.

this is what happens after a few strong craft beers, mixed with the excitement of being on vacation.  I can't wait for our next getaway.  is this weekend too soon?  probably.

random acts from my iphoto library

this is my friend katie (a.k.a. kromer, KLK, krome-dome, etc.).  she is one of my very favorite co-workers (okay, i love them all. . . who am i kidding?)  she is super fun, and i probably burn over 1000 calories every time i'm with her. . . just from laughing so much.  this photo is from october, 2009.  when one of our outpatient centers at work was going through a renovation, there was this hilarious-looking medical machine which probably dates back to circa 1960's.  we would pass it everyday on our way to lunch, and crack up with each other about what could possibly be the purpose of this machine (we called it "the box".)   was it used to quarantine people with unspeakable diseases?  was it a cure for people with claustrophobia?  was it used for top secret human experimentation? our minds wandered, even though i'm sure it's not as mysterious and exciting as we imagined.  one day, we finally decided to take pictures in it.  maybe it's one of those "you had to be there" situations, but i laugh every time i pass these pics in my iphoto library.  we haven't seen "the box" since several years ago when the renovations were completed, but we still have not figured out what the heck that thing is.  any ideas?   

lonerider

last friday, we celebrated a friend's surprise birthday party at lonerider brewery in raleigh.  good beer, mixed with great friends is always a good time.

brian, attempting to guzzle some beer from the fermentation tank.  the boys stayed abreast with the sweet sixteen basketball scores, by watching the games on their iphones.  & i have some of the best co-workers, hands down!

katie, operating some heavy machinery.  you should wear blue, all the cool kids are doing it. & brian drinking from his tiny beer glass.

B.L.O.U.S.'s (blonde ladies of ultrasound)

man zone/lady zone.

weekly roundup

my week started off super sweet with this beautiful spring bouquet from cory.  before i met cory, i never fancied flowers too much. . . because they were usually the typical "i'm sorry" flowers.  cory is the first guy to buy me flowers for no reason at all, and i absolutely love it (you should try it guys).  this bouquet is especially beautiful because it has yellow lilies (my favorite). 

every morning on my drive to work, i pass this piece of beautiful countryside (rare in raleigh).  there's something particularly gorgeous about it in the dawn of the morning, the way the light subtly shines over the green rolling hills.  i can't help my mind from wandering every time i pass by.  mostly,  i imagine mr. darcy walking over the hill in his tall boots and dust coat, determined to profess his love for me elizabeth bennet.  or, sometimes (when i've been watching too much walking dead) i'll imagine a crouched over zombie hobbling out of the barn.  unfortunately, this land is for sale and i'm sure it will turn into a paved lot of some sort or something horrible, like a strip mall (just what raleigh needs. . . another strip mall).

we indulged in some pizza and beer (one of my favorite combos), while watching some basketball at brixx on thursday evening.

 i'm in love with these beautiful trees that bloom with white flowers every year here in north carolina (even though they smell kinda funky).  spring is a luxury i'm a bit unfamiliar with, growing up in florida and all (although, eternal summers are not bad either).

thursday night was super romantic (LOL).  i forced treated cory to a much needed pedicure.  i think i made a dent in the calluses, but this is going to take multiple sessions.

 we celebrated a friend's birthday at lonerider brewery friday evening.  (more about that on a future post)

we had a short weekend getaway at wilmington/wrightsville beach saturday night.  (again, more about that on a later post)

ugh.  i had to endure watching the florida vs. michigan game with these two.  oh well, maybe next year florida.  go gators!!!

our easter sunday brunch on the go.

    

random acts from my iphoto library

these photos were taken one week after our first "date".  the top row is us from that friday (2.11.11), at what is now one of our favorite restaurants, dos taquitos.  the bottom row is us that saturday (2.12.11) at the big easy in downtown raleigh.  i always smile when i look at these photos, because it was during that awkward beginning stage in a relationship when you don't really know the other person at all . . .but you still feel as if you've known them your whole life.  two years later, i still learn new things about cory everyday. . . but i feel as if i've known him forever and i can't imagine my life without him.  he's pretty great.     

beach music

i'm in the process of making a playlist for our vacation to jamaica in may.  i'm including all songs that i want as background music for laying out on the beach while drinking a red stripe (ya know, music to get a sunburn to, haha).  i was super excited to discover this fun band, the dirty heads from southern california (see above video).  i will definitely include them in my playlist, along with the obvious choices, like bob marley, sublime, and some kenny chesney.  any suggestions? i would love to hear them!

weekly roundup

still sick this week, so i made this delicious detox soup to kick this cold in the butt.

so, remember my post last week about the arrival of spring?  that may have been a bit premature.  this is what my outfit looked like most mornings this week.  i'm beyond ready to retire this coat for the year!

lots of movie watchin' this week.  i finally saw the hobbit, which of course led to watching all three lord of the rings again (not all in one night, i'm not that crazy).  we also rented les miserables, which was as amazing as i expected it to be.  if you watch this, please make sure you have your tissues handy.

after a week of healthy eating, we treated ourselves to some delicious thai food friday night.

we had some friends over for a little pizza/movie party saturday night.  we all tried our hand at juggling, but ryan is the only one who would have the possibility of a career as a professional clown.

sunday mornig breakfast with banana pancakes! so yummy.

is it weird to be emotionally attached to your dishes, because i'm kind of in love with these plates?

random acts from my iphoto library

after dinner at the yard house one friday night, cory and i decided to make a pit stop at the nearby harris teeter to pick up a six pack.  on the way out of the store, this fun green dragon was just calling our names for a photo-op.  we had so much fun acting like total dorks, as random cars drove by staring at us in disbelief.  sometimes, it's the unexpected moments in life that are the most fun.

st. patrick's day

this past saturday we were lucky enough to have a short bout of beautiful weather, just in time for raleigh's annual st. patrick's day parade and festival.  we spent the day with some great friends, while indulging in timeless irish traditions. . . like day drinking.  we had a great time, and vowed to make this an annual tradition with our friends.  here are some of my favorite photos from the day. 

 action shots from the parade.

^^^katie and i discovered after nearly five years of friendship, that we have almost the exact same eye color.  i also learned after looking at this photo that i may need to visit a dermatologist, due to an early onset of crow's feet. 

i love this guy.

girlfrans.

don't let these pictures fool you, we are really not that great at billiards :-)

 

weekly roundup

i began the week harboring a nasty cold, even though i did my best to fend it off with zinc and fresh squeezed oj.  i guess i can't be mad, since i survived flu season without getting sick once!

spring has sprung people! i'm so thankful this beautiful season is finally arriving.

gotta love the free soft serve at jason's deli. (please excuse my appearance. . .  i worked all day, was under the weather, and had just worked out for an hour.  hence the need for a little ice cream.)

this is what shopping with cory at target looks like.

our weekly tradition of friday night tacos.

 we celebrated st. patrick's day with some wonderful friends (more about that on a later post).

sunday morning breakfast.  i don't make cory eat the vegetarian bacon, and i think that makes me a good girlfriend :)