Life & Love

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November Strikes

I feel ridiculous complaining about temperatures in the sixties (just bear with me please), but ever since Sandy swept through, I canNOT get warm unless I’m in a steaming hot shower or buried under a heap of blankets!! Lows in the 30s, highs in the low 60s, with no end in sight… I’m all wrapped up in my warmest clothes, ate and drank a hot breakfast, but I’m still all hunched up. Of course, it’s way too early to turn on the heat, so I’m just gonna suck it up as long as I can.

Really though, this is such a stark contrast to last fall/winter here in NC, which was incredibly mild and beautiful. I swear it didn’t get this “chilly” until January. Sigh. I want my moderate beach climate back! I guess we’ll see what happens after this front runs through? I sure hope it’s not here to stay.

In other news, yesterday was my last shift EVER at the pharmacy. I was feeling a little sad at first. After all, they’ve been very flexible with me, and everyone is so nice and overwhelmed… until I got paged while peeing. Seriously, I’m so excited to return to a work environment where I won’t feel guilty for all hell breaking loose because I took a quick bathroom break after several hours of holding it.

Today I go in to the Chamber for some more training. One of their biggest events of the year also happens to be tonight, so I’ll be staying late to participate and observe their Annual Coasta Roasta Oyster Roast! All you can eat shrimp and oysters, open bar, and live music on the river. I have a feeling I’m going to like this job 🙂

Our “H-Squared (Halloween & Hurricane) Party” was a big success! Despite the heavy rain and wind gusts, pretty much everyone still managed to show up. Not only did they show up, but most stayed late, got creative with costumes, and partied/danced hard. Probably too hard for some of them (us…) but we all need those nights 😉 I am still so sore!

The only disappointment (for me) was my costume! I was Cruella deVille, and it looked okay in person, but I didn’t get a single good picture in it. I guess it’s hard to take decent pictures in dim party lighting – especially since we had black lights, strobe lights, and those string party lights in spooky purple. Most of my shots of pretty much anything came out fuzzy 😦 Anyway, After getting caught out in the Hurricane helping someone find parking, my wig and make up were so messed up that I just ran to the bathroom and only kept on the dress (and red shoes of course.) Too bad!

Everyone else looked great though. Chuck and Shane were among my faves – they were LMFAO. Don’t they look RIDICULOUS?! Good times 🙂

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Yesterday Was a Great Day…

… The weather was fab. I ate a healthy breakfast and felt amazing. Chuck came home at noon. I GOT A JOB… yessss!

So finally, after a whole year of retail pharmacy and temp jobs, I got a full-time, salaried  offer at the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, managing events and member services. My bank account and resume are not doomed after all. I am so relieved!!!

Plus, I’ll now have something to keep me occupied while Chuck is gone. Deployment should go at least somewhat easier for me then!

Anyway. SOOOO happy!! 😀

On Sunday night in Savannah, Chuck and I met a darling older couple who shared a cab with us from dinner at Elizabeth’s. We ran into them again later when we got cocktails at 700 Drayton – finding them quietly enjoying each other’s company by the hotel pool.

They were celebrating her 60-something birthday. He was from Montreal, she was from Mobile, Alabama. They had been married 37 years – he proposed at Mardi Gras after dating for only 6 weeks. She was slightly tipsy…cute, blonde, and chatty, dipping her feet in the pool, telling us about how she “got him good” at his surprise birthday party a few weeks earlier… and he was suavely leaning back in his lounge chair, smiling and sipping a martini very similar to the one Chuck held in his hand. I realize there’s always more than what meets the eye, but they were exactly what I want to be in 37 years…

I have a habit of asking happy older couples we meet what their secret is to a lasting and loving marriage. I always get the same cliched answers, about never going to bed mad, keeping things sexy, not rushing kids, and (from and for the guys) just let the woman win every argument…lol.

But I think what I’ve learned just from watching them, is that the most important thing is to have FUN together. This couple was in their 60’s, had been married for decades, and were still laughing together, adventuring together, surprising each other. They admitted to trials and tribulations, arguments and tension, but there in the Savannah twilight by the pool, they were nothing short of happy.

Maybe that’s the key to every relationship though, romantic or otherwise. Respect each other, yes…but mostly, just laugh together.

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Two years ago today, I married the love of my life in a quiet family ceremony on a Friday afternoon. He left that Monday and I went back to life as normal…

… One year ago today, my returned war hero husband and I celebrated the beginning of our actual life together with a big crazy fun wedding 🙂 While I still don’t know whether to call this my first or my second wedding anniversary, I can say for sure that married life is wonderful and I am one happy girl!

We had the most wonderful time this weekend in Savannah, which I will post about soon. In the meantime, here’s to many more anniversaries with my Chuckles!

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I just love the way Annie chirps goodnight before curling up in her usual spot right at my side, purring softly all the while. It’s so calming… So therapeutic. Great way to end a long day.

So, I’ve got a snuggly kitty on one side – cuddly hubby on the other. I’m one lucky girl! But I will say that Annie’s noises are nicer… 😉

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Dream Come True!

Today I filled a life long dream of holding a baby tiger, and I did it without having to travel to some far, exotic land. Months and months ago, I pinned a photo of baby tigers to my Bucket List board on Pinterest, including a caption that explained how someday I needed to hold one. A random stranger commented and told me there was in fact a place that I could do it right here in Coastal Carolina.

Myrtle Beach Safari is pretty much the coolest thing ever.  They have a 50-acre plot of land where you can personally interact with tigers, wolves, falcons, a variety of monkeys, an elephant, and even a liger! At $240 per ticket, we decided to wait on that, but the photo session with the cubs was more reasonable, if not cheap… and totally worth the few moments we got to play with the little tykes!

All the proceeds go to sustaining the wildlife and funding efforts to conserve and protect endangered species, so I feel like every penny was well spent. I DO plan to go on a full safari tour next season, once I can (hopefully) relax our new budget. But seriously – I was just so excited!! You can totally tell what a crazy person I am in the photo – not that most flattering shot, with my crazy eyes and tensed-excited body langauge and bulging forehead vein!! Chuck, on the other hand, looks suave and chill as a cucumber… and the tiger cubs… well… they truly just steal the show 🙂

Of course, I couldn’t wait to get back to my very own little cublet back at home. I may be crazy for wildcats, but Miss Bean will always be my one and only ❤

With the exception of cozy sweaters and rich, satisfying beverages, I’ve never been one to get excited for the fall. Northern Virginia tends to skip fall and spring… it goes from the extreme of summer to the extreme of winter, rains a bunch in between, then starts over. Thus, I’ve always been an (early) summer girl! Fall is simply a gray, wet forecast of the winter to come…

But the summer here in NC has been incredibly hot, muggy, and wet. Most of August has been rainy and sadly lacking on the beach front. We had a gorgeous spring and fall however! No extremes, and just a reasonable amount of rain to mix things up. Simply gorgeous – with lots of time outside.

Thus, for the first time in ages, I am looking forward to autumn for more than those pumpkin spice lattes. I can’t wait for long days eating and drinking beachfront with friends at Daddy Mac’s, lighting the firepit in the backyard, and taking evening strolls through the Cottages to glimpse the geese on the pond. 🙂 August is almost over!