Bridal Shower!!!

Can you believe it? It is almost to the 30 day mark in the wedding count down! WOW! Where does time go?

This past Sunday afternoon, my bridesmaids' threw me an absolutely fantastic bridal shower. The shower's theme was a "Big Hat Tea Party," and the event was held in the Parlors of the East Duke Building, the same building where the ceremony location will be held in August. It was a fantastic afternoon - great food, great drinks, great company and beautiful cards and gifts. A huge thank you to Lauren, Meredith and Cookie for throwing such a wonderful event, and another huge thank you goes to all the ladies who came out with their big hats, big smiles, and joined us at the shower - it was a fantastic afternoon!

Back Row (L to R): Mary, Candis, Christy, Winter, Lesa, Laura, Tammy, Cookie
Front Row(L to R): Marty, Meredith, me, Lauren

30

Well, it is here - and in one hour, I will officially be 30 years old. Wow. And it has been one heck of a day. This morning I was greeted with a lovely phone call from my Mom, then the wonderful Michael Brady presented me with a beautiful Tahitian pearl pendant on a beautiful necklace. I rushed off to work to be there early in hopes of getting out early. My co-workers Brian and Joy busted into my office wishing me a happy birthday and pulled me across the street to Ninth Street Bakery where I enjoyed a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll. They were also sweet enough to share a third of their Friday challah bread with me as well. And all day, I have been receiving Facebook e-mails and wall posts from all over the world - just fantastic!!!!

About noon, I headed off to George's Garage to meet Lauren for a quick lunch. We had a great meal, then I hopped in the car, turned the key - and nothing. Not a sound. Car would not start. Lauren and I start the hike back to her office in hopes of bringing her truck to jump my car, but we luckily ran into my buddy Rod on Ninth Street. We were able to push my car into another parking spot and have Rod pull up to hook up the jumper cables. By this point, Mike arrived to help, but no luck. The car would not start.

Right now, I am back at work (Rod dropped me off), and I am waiting to hear from Mike. Poor guy had to ditch his one open afternoon this week to go and get me a new battery. At least that is all I hope the problem may be. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll let you know the end of the story later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

But I sure as heck know I have one wonderful fiance and some awesome friends!!!

My internet friends

In the excitement of everything wedding, one of the most exciting things is receiving RSVP cards. I love running to the mail everyday to see if one of those little response cards is sitting in the mailbox. It always stings a bit when you get a "no" from someone you surely thought would be there, but the reality is that travel costs are beyond high, and scheduling busy people is often like herding cats. The point of this ramble is that there are three people attending the wedding who have a very special place in my life.

My internet pals
From L to R: Becky, me, Laura and Darrah

I met Darrah, Becky and Laura online, way back in 2001, I believe. At the time, I had just moved to North Carolina and knew hardly anyone. Therefore, I spent a fair amount of time online to keep myself busy. Another friend, Marissa, introduced me to the idea of "chat boards," which at the time, I knew nothing about. Marissa invited me to join a wedding chat board, at which time I was not even planning a wedding, but in that place on the interwebs I met some people that I can proudly call some of my best friends.

I have chatted with Darrah, Becky and Laura almost every work day since 2001. We greet each other over e-mail every morning, and the e-mails continue all day sometimes. When someone is sick, they try to let the others know; when someone has a crazy story, they always share. We have also been there for each other through some amazing life events. Weddings (well, one), divorce (again, one), births (um, okay - just one), breakups (probably a few), hookups (also a few :p ) - all of it. I guess in a way it's a calmer version of our own online "SATC" - just spread throughout the country. Darrah is in Kansas, Laura is in Chicago, and Becky is in St. Paul. Even with the distance, it still seems like they are close.

I only met these awesome folks in person for the first time back in 2005. We had an amazing get together in Chicago - Laura served as host, and we all spent the weekend in the city. We hit bars,a beer festival and restaurants. We vegged, we laughed, and boy did we drink. It was probably the best girls weekend I have ever had. After that, I have been able to see Laura a couple of additional times - once while I was in Chicago and once while she was passing though Durham. Unfortunately, I haven't seen Darrah and Becky since that girls weekend, but like I said - we talk every day.

That is why I am beyond excited that Darrah, Becky and Laura will all be traveling here to attend the wedding. It will be so great to have them here, and it will also be awesome to introduce them to the people in my life here in NC and all the others that are coming in for the wedding. Their every day presence in my life has been so influential in who I am as a person. When I whine, they let me know. When I sell myself short, they let me know. When I just need to vent, they listen. They are a constant in what so often can be a crazy and hectic life - especially during periods where I was in total personal turmoil. These three women were a foundation for me keeping my sanity.

Although I have three amazing bridesmaids here in Durham I hope that Becky, Darrah and Laura all know that they play just important of a role, and they have for many many years. Thank you, ladies, for being so wonderful, and I cannot wait to see you in August.

The final push

39 days, folks. In 39 days, I will be getting hitched to the amazing Michael Brady. As excited as I am about that, there are some major logistical hurdles to get over between now and then. We are still securing details for all sorts of pieces of the wedding and the events leading up to it. I have my fingers crossed that the stars will align this week and allow Mike and I to check a few things off our to-do list. Mike is still busy with his summer program, so his free time is quite limited. Therefore, when we do have time together, it is often "wedding, wedding, wedding." But hey, the end result is pretty awesome though, right?

I also have only 4 days til I'm 30. Geez. Where is the time going?

Good things to love by

Mama Braun forwarded me this e-mail today, and several of the items here are just fantastic advice. As I am not feeling terribly chatty today, I thought this would be a great post. We all need to be reminded of what really counts sometimes - so why not today?? (I posted a few comments in yellow.)

Advice to Live By:

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
There are times in my life where I have decided to consciously do this every morning. It has helped me get through some very tough times.

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
...damn you Kraft Mac and Cheese for being so tasty!

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
I recommend against the salmon, but again, I'm one of those veggie people.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
Whenever I start becoming a control freak, which is often enough, I always think about this quote: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Amen to that.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
You are one person on the planet. To you, your problems are huge - to the rest of us, they aren't. We have our own things to worry about.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
You also have no idea what their journey was like before you knew them.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Too many people forget this. We try to find acceptance and happiness in others - but the truth is, you will not find happiness with ANYONE until you have found happiness with YOURSELF.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
And 9 times out of ten, the answer is NO.

17. Forgive everyone for everything.
Much easier said than done...

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
I am still learning this lesson - most days I am good at it, but other days I am not.

19. GOD heals almost everything.
...or for those of us nonreligious types, our faith in all that is good in the world and those around us will get us through anything. See #9 on this list.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Nothing is ever stagnant.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
...unless you have some sort of nasty bug that they don't want to catch. But we will send you good vibes :p

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
...and if you REALLY need something else, quit bitching and do what you need to do to get it!

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
( a bit cheesy for me, but hey, whatever works for ya...)

25. Please Forward this to everyone you care about.
...or don't. But I am glad you read through this!

Only 9 days left.....

Next Friday, June 27, I will enter a new era in my life. My twenties will be behind me, and I will be 30.



I have always said that I actually looked forward to turning 30. While a lot of my 20s were fun, a lot of those years were some of the scariest, saddest and toughest times of my life. Many I have talked to say that the 20s are for figuring everything out. Your 30s are for acting on it all. That's what I am hoping to achieve. This year has been a big one for me. I graduated from Duke with my Masters, I get married in August, and with Mike going on the academic job market this fall, we may be making some very big decisions before 2008 ends. Family planning, moves and jobs will be at the forefront of discussion, I am sure. But, it's an exciting time, and I am looking forward to every bit of my 30s. And for a few months, I can say I am marrying a man in his twenties ;-)

Need something to do? PLAY MORE in Durham!

Durham Parks and Rec has started a summer concert series for the newly developed CCB plaza in downtown. I found this out today at lunch while walking to the post office. There was a great blues band playing right in the square! It looks like today is the last weekday performance, but there are plenty of evening performances planned for all musical tastes. I copied and pasted the schedule here for your review. If you want to see more, check out the series' website HERE.

Good Music is Happening in Durham
DPR Music Series at the CCB Plaza

With the completion of the downtown streetscape, DPR is introducing a new venue for special events in 2008. The CCB Plaza is a centrally located facility, making it an ideal location for after work and weekend events. Regular programming at this facility will invite audiences to stay in town after work and begin their weekends in downtown Durham. These new events will target adult audiences seeking early evening entertainment after work or to kick off weekend evenings.

CCB Plaza is located at the corner of Corcoran and Parrish Streets in downtown Durham – home of MAJOR, the big bronze bull.

Tuesday and Thursday Concerts (12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.)

Tobacco Road Series - Tobacco Road is a blues series co-produced with the St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center highlighting our rich Piedmont Blues tradition.

• June 3 - Jasmé Kelly
• June 17 - Will McFarlane

Thursday Night Concerts (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.)

As an early start to your weekend, enjoy a series of some of the region’s favorite alternative bands.

• June 12 - Coolius Caesar
• June 19 - Dasan Ahanu and Picasso present Jim Crow Jackson
• June 26 - Dom Casual and Shipwrecker
• July 10 - Fontana and Maltswagger
• July 17 - Kim Arrington
• July 31 - Fire in the Woods, Roxcetera and The Beloved Binge
• Aug 7 - The Urban Sophisticates
• Aug 21 - Future Kings of Nowhere
• Sept 4 - Menes and Back Street Productions
• Sept 11 - Veronique Diabolique and The Wigg Report
• Sept 25 - A Guilt Free Affair
• Oct 2 - The Bad Mothers
• Oct 23 - The Beast

Friday Night Concerts (6 p.m. – 9 p.m.)

Third Fridays - The Friday Cultural Crawl and art-making activities held in conjunction with the monthly art gallery tour. This programming adds music to this informal visual arts tour of Durham.

• June 20 - Piedmont- The Backwaits, Dry Heathens, Midnight Gladness (TRY TO COME OUT TO THIS ONE FOR SURE! OUR BUDDY STEVE WILL BE UP THERE ROCKING OUT ON STAGE WITH HIS BAND, THE DRY HEATHENS!!!)
  
• July 18 - Scrap Exchange & Triangle Sound Painting Orchestra
• Aug 22 - CAPS Program
• Sept 19 - Gospel Rap Extravaganza
• Oct 17 - Community Arts Program (TBD)

Youth Event – Durham Parks and Recreation will host an evening of fun and entertainment for and by the youth to celebrate the new school year.

• Aug 29 - Youth Back to School Night

Saturday Night Concerts/Jazz Series/Latin Series (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.)

This series will include six Saturday evening concerts showcasing Durham’s very active local jazz scene.

• June 28 - Stanley Baird
• July 12 - Oscar Wright and Simba
• July 19 - Freeport Jazz
• Aug 2 - Freeman Ledbetter and Generations
• Aug 9 - Martin Eagle
• Aug 23 - DPI and Kirk Keyes

This four-part Saturday evening concert series was developed to highlight the culture of Durham’s fastest growing population.

• Sept 6 - Maria Rocha
• Oct 11 - Julio Martinez

Saturday Night Special (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.)

A festive mix of upbeat rock, rhythm and blues bands.

- Sept 13 - Rock and R&B Band (TBD)
- Oct 18 - Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos
- Oct 25 - Rock and R&B Band (TBD)

We raced for the cure!!

M, me and L heading to the start line of the 2008 Competitive 5K
at the 2008 Triangle Susan Komen Foundation Race for the Cure

I am happy to report that Lauren, Meredith and I all successfully raced for the cure on Saturday! With beautiful weather as a welcome companion, we all set out early on Saturday morning to Raleigh - chauffeured by Mr. Brady - and hit the starting line just after 7am. My cold still has a slight hold on me, but thanks to Meredith's pacing and encouragement to continue, I only walked three times. Twice to get water and for about a quarter of a mile right after mile marker 2. The turnout for the race was amazing - it was a sea of people. To see lots of photos and a few video clips, go here: http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/story/3044561/. All three of us were interviewed by WRAL, but I think only Lauren made it into one of the videos. I have yet to go through them, but if you watch all of them, we show up somewhere!

After finishing the race!

It was an inspirational day seeing so many people come together to support breast cancer research. It was also heartbreaking to see the names of all the friends and family lost to the disease on the backs of so many participants. Let's keep racing for the cure - next year, will you be at the start line??

RACE DAY

Tomorrow is race day. Unfortunately, I haven't run in over a week due to this cold I have been fighting off. Therefore, I am more than nervous about tomorrow's race. But, if so many women out there tomorrow have beat breast cancer, I can run a 5K while recovering from a cold. To all of you who supported me by giving a donation, thank you so much. To those who were not able to support monetarily but sent me an e-mail of "good luck," thank you so much for that, too. I will hopefully snap a few photos at the race tomorrow. The starting gun fires at 7am for our race, so by 7:30 or so, we should be at the finish line. Wish us luck (Lauren, Meredith and Taylor are running, too), and I will report back later this weekend!

HELP! I'm addicted to Weeds!

So the truth is that really, I have discovered an awesome awesome TV show. Thanks to the nasty cold that kept me home two days this week, I explored the "watch it now" section of my Netflix. There, I found that the first two seasons of Showtime's "Weeds" were available to watch online. At less than 30 minutes per episode, the timing worked perfectly with the average amount of time I was able to stay awake in between meds.

The characters are great, the dialog is often very witty, and the story line is so far fetched and so possible at the same time that it does great things for your imagination. I highly encourage you to go check out this series. Keep the kiddos away - it gets a bit graphic in parts - but for the adults, I think you will seriously enjoy this look at the darker side of the suburbs.

Another bonus: During one episode, I realized that I heard a familiar voice in one of the songs. A fave indie "band" of mine, "The Mountain Goats" performed a song used in Season One of the show!

My first published photo

I have had my first photo published, although not that impressive. I downloaded a lot of my England pictures to Flicker some time ago, and I received an e-mail that the Schmap Travel Guide wanted to use my photo of the Radcliffe Camera for the online guide. I agreed to its use, and I received an e-mail today that the guide is complete and online!



If that doesn't work too well, try clicking HERE.

JUNE 14 - MJ vs Prince REUDX

As I had to stay home from work sick today (damn summer cold bug finally hit me), I am pushing myself to recovery because Saturday is a big day. That morning, I am running the Susan Komen 5K race. I hope I am back to normal by then. That evening, I am heading to Club 9 for Jeff and King's second annual blowout: Michael Jackson vs Prince. Last year was a blast, and something tells me this year will only be better. Get a cool outfit together and get ready to dance.

THE DOUGHMAN: Reflections

NOTE: The cool "I hEArT Durham" shirts are my own inspiration, and I made them at home. If you want one, let me know - I could possibly throw together a few more for a fee ;-) Those shirts one us the "best costume" for the race!

I know I didn't post any photos of the Doughman, for I didn't bring a camera. But thanks to a few folks who participated and did have cameras, I can show you some of our team's experience. Credit for photos goes to Pae Wu, one of the race organizers, and Dain of Dain's Place.

The team at registration

I was the first racer of the team - that meant I had to eat a full breakfast at Foster's then bike about 5 miles through Durham. Here I am, in all my glory (bike helmets are the most unflattering accessory EVER) trying to scarf down an egg and cheese biscuit with a side of potatoes.

(I'm in the right corner in the white shirt)

Quite possibly the worst photo of me taken - EVER

Unfortunately, I got us too behind to have our team available for photos when Lauren lunched at Nosh. She had to eat a spinach and turkey wrap with a side of chips then dash to Luther's off east campus. There, she tagged Mike who had to eat a chili dog and a side of hush puppies. Mike ran like the wind to the East Campus pool, swam in a floatie across the pool, then tagged Meredith. She had to run about a mile to Dain's Place.

This is our team dancing to EYE OF THE TIGER while cheering on Meredith...

...who had to eat a whole order of cheese fries at Dain's place.

Meredith ran and tagged the whole team at the Locopop's stop in downtown where we all ate a delicious SEEDS popsicle. After that, we all dashed to the finish line at the farmer's market. The final results say it took us almost a half an hour longer than the team in front of us - I have no idea how that happened, but alas - we still finished!

The Final Results

It was a great experience, and it appears we will try to compete again next year. Maybe we can come in "next to last". YAY!!!

All the participants of the inaugural Durham Doughman.

I'm in love with the City of New Orleans....

Mike and I traveled to New Orleans last week to celebrate the wedding of our friends Matt and Kimberly. The weather was nice and balmy, and the city welcomed us with open arms. Mike and I took the first flight out of RDU at 6am to arrive in NOLA by about 9:30 in the morning on Thursday. First observation - the airport in New Orleans was empty. The place was like a ghost town. Even though it was early, our taxi driver informed us that we were only his second run of the day. Before Katrina, we would have been his 15th or 20th. We made our way to the Hotel Chateau Dupre, our hotel for the stay. We booked a combo hotel/air package on expedia, and it made the hotel only about $80/night. It was not extravagant by any means, but it was fine for us. We didn't plan on spending too much time in the room anyway.

As soon as we dropped our bags, we headed directly for Cafe du Monde, right down the street from the hotel. We grabbed a table and shared a plate of beignets and each had a cafe au lait. If you haven't had a beignet before, just think funnel cake :-)

BEIGNETS!

After that, Mike and I spent the afternoon wandering all through the quarter. We went to art galleries, thrift stores and upscale clothing stores. Everyone was amazingly friendly and chatty - we had a great time on our explorations. We also had to hit a few requisite places along the way. About noon, we went to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop and each had a Pimms. I hadn't had Pimms since I was at Oxford, so that was a welcome treat. We sat in the window at the best table in the place. We watched the people go by and enjoyed the treat of a cool breeze.

Mike enjoying the French Quarter

Reflecting at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

That evening, after the rest of our crew arrived at the hotel, we all got dressed up and grabbed a drink prior to the rehearsal dinner. We stopped by a local brewery and had a decent $8 beer.

The Duke Boys: Mike, Dave, Stefan and Brendan

Mike and I

After that, off to the rehearsal dinner - I didn't take any pics AT the dinner, but it was fantastic. We made some great new friends and enjoyed all the toasts and cheers to the couple. I know some people get bored with the various toasts, but I always find it moving and entertaining hearing from other people's perspectives about the couple. As none of us were ready to call it a night after the dinner, we went back to the hotel and changed to go out. It was recommended we check out a place on Frenchman Street called "d.b.a.", so we took the advice. AMAZING. The live music was beyond great.

Live music at d.b.a.

We headed out of there after 2am I think, and we crashed out for the evening. Well, I take that back - one brave group headed to Bourbon Street in search of food. Mike and I went to sleep! Next day, we were up and ready to wander some more. Brendan found a place called Petunia's that is supposed to have a great brunch/breakfast. We found the place and actually waited in line outside to get in, but it was well worth it. Saucy waiters (I ordered has browns with my omelette and the waiter told me no - I said please - he said no - I got no hashbrowns, and thankfully. The portion was so huge, I wouldn't have been able to touch the hashbrowns.)

Waiting for a table at Petunia's

After breakfast, more wandering. We went here and there, but the best stop was the hat store. I found THE hat. Oh, I love this hat. I had people stop me on the street and compliment me on this hat. I love you, awesome hat :-)

THE Hat

We of course had to make a stop at Pat O'Brien's for Hurricanes. Yumm.

Mike's Hurricane

After that, we took a breather for a bit as the big wedding was coming up that evening. Everyone rested for a while, then we got dressed up for the wedding.

Enjoying the wedding

The wedding was lovely, the reception was lovely, and we had a great time.

The full group of Duke boys (L to R):
Brendan, Dan, Dave, Matt, Mike and Stefan

The lovely couple, Matt and Kimberly

Leaving the reception at the New Orleans Country Club!

After we all made it back to the hotels, it was time to start the after party. Someone recommended taking over a table at the W Hotel's courtyard, so that's what we did. We brought drinks and snacks, and we hung out for a decent amount of time.

At the W (thanks for the photo, Winter!)

Several folks were ready to crash out after that, but many of us were not. So, we rallied the troops and headed off to Bourbon Street. I was having so much fun walking around and talking with friends that I didn't capture too much on film. But I did get a few things.

My other new hat and my new friend Megan

I think we finally made it back to the hotel about 3am. It was a loooooong evening. Mike and I promptly collapsed in bed, only to wake up the next morning to find Mike with the hangover from hell. Poor guy - it was the damn "Hand Grenade" at the end of the night that did him in. Dan, Brendan, Dave, Stefan and I headed off to breakfast and sadly left Mike behind to sleep a bit more and gain his strength. We put together a community doggy bag breakfast for him, but he wanted nothing to do with it when we presented it to him. Understandably so. We ended up spending a few hours just doing this:

High School Musical, Glengarry Glenross and Hilton songs - lovely

Eventually we roused ourselves to enjoy our last day in NOLA. We all jumped on the ferry to go over to Algiers, LA. It's a free boat trip, and the wind is welcome when dealing with hot New Orleans air. "Mardi Gras World" is in Algiers, and we sought it out. We found it, but they charge $17.95 admission. No thank you. We got popsicles instead and walked back to the boat.

Entrance to Mardi Gras World

By that time, Mike, Dave and I had to head to the airport. We said our goodbyes and left the city. It was a FANTASTIC trip. We met new people, we got to spend quality time with friends we hadn't seen in too long, and like so many weddings, we received a good dose of reaffirmation in love. It was a great 2.5 days - it seemed like a week. I am seriously in love with this city, and I look forward to going back as soon as possible!