MJ B-day 2014

I discovered the perfect gift for my birthday this year - tickets to see....

I found the tour schedule while poking around on their website.  They were going to be in Durham on November 5 - perfect!  For those who may have missed the single best vocal band on last year's Sing Off, here is one of my favorite covers they perform.

We thoroughly enjoyed the drive up to Durham, which was only about 45 minutes.  The trees were in full Fall colors.  I took a picture and I wish you could see better, the road was lined with beautiful yellows and reds and oranges.

The concert didn't start until 8:00pm, so we had some time to eat dinner.  I wanted to try something totally different - tapas! We found Taberna on Main Street, downtown.  We ate things like Croquettas Serrano Ham and Bistec a la Plancha.  Chris was not having a good time at all, as he didn't like the small portions nor the hard to decipher menu.  Dinner could have been better, if we both had enjoyed what we were eating, but we tried to make the best of it.

The Carolina Theater was only a few blocks away, so we hurried over after dinner to await the much anticipated (by me anyway) show.  No pictures allowed during the performance, so there's not much I can share, sadly.

While in the lobby waiting to be seated we walked through a small historical exhibit

This theater was restored to it's historical version. At one point one of the band members was asking if everyone could hear them really good, and said "how about you guys up in the Lincoln seats?" The balcony had to have been the best view!

Just goofing around, waiting for the show to start

Chris does not like country music, so I know it was a stretch for me to have dragged him to this concert.  He wasn't on his best behavior, and I ended up skipping the line afterward, where I could have gotten a picture with the band.  Not the best end to the evening, and I have to say, I wasn't too happy about it!  Unbeknownst to me, in the weeks following our night out in Durham, Chris had felt really bad about not being more supportive of my birthday concert.  He penned a sad sounding email to Home Free, and begged them to help get him out of the dog house.  (I never would have thought to do that - amazing!) Imagine my surprise when I get an envelope in the mail from the band! They had responded and sent me a signed picture..  I have such an amazing husband!

I hug it on my fridge to remind me of how thoughtful my hubby can be!

This nice gift from my hubby made this a wonderful and warm memory of a birthday I will always treasure - way better than the actual concert!

Charlotte Conference and Sightseeing

Many times throughout the years we have considered foster care and adoption, and looking into it here in the State of NC brought us to Focus On the Family's Wait No More conference.  It was perfect timing for us to attend, and so we planned to stay an extra day in Charlotte so we could spend some time there in the city.

The conference started at 10:00am on Saturday, so we made the 2-hour trip to Charlotte on Friday after Chris got off work.  We are so blessed to have amazing neighbors, and even after having to put down their 13-14 year old dog Sage (whom we have dog-sat on lots of their trips including a 2 month visit to their kids in Australia), Rocky was willing to look after our two large beasts.

The drive is pretty quick, with lots to look at along the way so it was no time at all before we arrived in Matthews, a suburb of Charlotte where the conference was being held.  Our hotel was right beside two Mexican food restaurants and one Mongolian Grill, which was our choice for dinner.  This was WAY more involved than YC's that we are familiar with in AZ.  I managed to mess it up and didn't like mine so Chris very graciously traded with me!  But it was a fun experience. 

Saturday morning we were only a quick ten minute drive to Carmel Baptist Church.  We enjoyed our free breakfast at the hotel before arriving at the church.  It was huge! More the size we were used to attending in Phoenix, Carmel's facility reminded us a little of where we had come from at Vineyard Church.  Walking into the church, there were photo's on poster boards throughout that we were told were kids who were eligible for adoption.  The whole conference was very good, very emotional and provided so much good information and encouragement. We heard stories from two women who had been in foster care, and also from families who had adopted. It was powerful and by the end we were exhausted!

The pile of resources and information we got at the conference

Having finished with that, we were looking for something fun to do to take our minds off a tough and heavy subject.  We decided to find out what the Discovery Zone was - you know that anything mentioning an aquarium Chris will want to check out! Turns out it was a kids place and not much there for us to do.  We watched an IMAX movie about the coral reefs of the South Pacific, which was really fun, but we were hungry by the time it ended! 

We decided on Sushi because Chris always tries to talk me into it.  You can't order small portions, when they make a roll you have to take the whole roll! He wants me to learn to like it so I can share with him.  I agreed, feeling adventurous that day! It wasn't too bad, and we both really liked the special roll they make there, deep fried in panko.  YUM! 

The one he's picking up is the one we both liked the best!

After lunch we were walking, looking around and found we needed a restroom.  We went into the Mint Museum thinking we'd just use the facilities, but what we discovered there turned out to be a major find.  Here are some of our most favorite things we discovered there.

Love the pottery, this was my favorite

This exhibit was made of thin and long plate glass, which obscured the items behind it, creating this color/design 

This is a blown glass skeleton, done with meticulous care, and afterward a silicon is blown over the top, creating this leaf-like look when lighted from behind

SO impressive, this chair is made from sheets of paper glued together!

They have a display in the gift shop, and you can put your dot on where you are from! Chris and I are the yellow dot at the top of NC - the first ones from Greensboro.. the red dots are all the artists who have a display there

We stayed until the museum closed, and when we left we wandered the streets in the beautiful fall crispness just settling into the air of the evening.

We found a festival in the park - enjoyed some Blue Grass music and weather that was perfect for this sort of thing!

Sunday morning was leisurely, and we took our time with breakfast until we had to check out at 11:00am.  Our only plan was to hit the Mint again so we could finish what we hadn't seen, then lunch and then back on the road to home.

The city is surrounded by beautiful trees, so you can hardly see the skyline

Back at the Mint!

Lunch was YUUUUUUmmmmmy.  This place was so unique - they gave us a card when we entered and then we had to scan that card at various stations and pay at the end before we left! Plus, they had gummy bears at the hostess stand instead of mints.  LOVE, love!

Our table was right on the street, so we could enjoy the beautiful weather

Not exactly sure where else you'd see something like this!  It was driving down the street

Sort-of-impromptu weekend in Charleston SC

Cassie and I had talked about Charleston as our train ride trip, but after all the activity in Charlotte, we decided to stay closer to home.  But, trying to save a buck, I had purchased a groupon for a boat tour of the Charleston Harbor.  I needed to use it before the end of the month, so it was a great opportunity for Chris and I to get away for a couple of days just the two of us.

Initially I thought the drive would take only three hours, but it ended up being more like 5.. Ooops! But it was still a fun drive, getting to see South Carolina.  We drove down Friday afternoon, and got there around 5pm.

We stayed at the Charleston Harbor Inn, right at Patriot's Point.  Our room was so cute and had some great views.

We had a little bit of a time getting to downtown Charleston, where we had planned to eat dinner.  It didn't pan out as we hoped, so we ate a quick bite on the street and headed back to the resort.  Tomorrow will be better!

Saturday morning while Chris slept in a little I was itching to get down to the beach.  Well, surprise, there was no beach at our resort, only rocks. Not exactly what I had in mind, but it was still pretty.

I walked the long pier out back

This huge freighter was coasting by

After we got ready, we used the bikes at the resort to get ourselves down to what Chris had been salivating over since we drove in - USS Yorktown.  We got in line for our tickets, and somehow ended up with the wrong ones!  We were herded down to a ferry with a group of people, not really understanding why, when the ship was right there.  We soon realized we had purchased tickets to Ft. Sumter.  Initially we sadly watched as people walked to the USS Yorktown, but then got excited about the new plan.

Waiting for the ferry to leave the dock - steaming HOT, we were already drenched in sweat and couldn't wait for the breeze to begin once we finally took off

The ferry maneuvered through the posts and around the USS Yorktown, it was pretty impressive actually 

Our first glimpse of the island!

Where it all began, the Civil War

The original Confederate flag flown at the Fort 

Some harsh words in this cartoon, it says "annihilation to traitors", talking about the Southern Confederates

We had to hurry once we got done with Ft. Sumter, because our boat tour - which had turned into a sail boat tour - was leaving at 2pm, and the ferry docked at like 1:15pm.  We were starving!! A quick bite to eat in the resort bar, and luckily the hotel's pier housed the tour company.  Once we got there, we realized we were in for a very different boat ride than what we thought.

Another couple was joining us, which made for very tight spaces on the boat.  The captain walked over everybody, getting the sails in the air and we were ducking to avoid the boom hitting us in the head!  What we soon realized was that the couple had hijacked our harbor tour for a sailing lesson by this captain they had met at their country club.  She mentioned to me at one point, how did I get the Groupon? The light dawned and I began to wonder if he hadn't told them something like "come along with me on this boat tour I have Saturday, it's just a Groupon and I'm not making any money off it so I can show you some stuff while I'm schlepping them around."  We all took turns steering, rigging and various other sailing activities.  While it may have been interesting, it was also very scary.  I have no pictures because we were hanging on for dear life, but we looked something like this:

That was us, perched on the edge as the boat tipped up on it's side

The captain is getting the boat ready, while we watched the clouds form in the sky.  Hopefully we don't get rained out!

This was a working boat ride, no leisurely harbor tour as advertised. Chris is a little worried.

Our boat mates seemed to enjoy the impromptu sailing lesson

There were several times when Chris, being on the low side, almost had his back in the water.  We had no life vests on; we were not tied off to any part of the boat.  Chris did not find it fun.  The time seemed to stretch on and on, as the captain explained every little line, pully and rig.  The couple asked millions of questions.  The temperature was in the high 90's, and the humidity was at a peak 100%.  The salt water of the ocean created a film that mixed with the sweat on our skin, and my shirt stuck to me like glue.  It wasn't the most fun experience in the world, but I have to say it was interesting.  I don't think I would have ever taken a sailing lesson, so it was an experience we won't ever forget!

Sunday we had to head home, but we wanted to go back to visit the USS Yorktown before we checked out of the hotel.  So back on our bikes we went, but this time we knew exactly where we were going.

 First up was a tour of the submarine

It was so stifling down there, and we were drenched in sweat within minutes!

The next ship was a Destroyer.  They played a movie in the gunnery, and it made it feel so real, the attack these guys endured. This ship was hit with 5 suicide planes and 2 bombs, and it was still afloat afterward. It became an enduring inspiration for soldiers in the war.

Then we finally got onto the big guy in the dock, USS Yorktown. Chris had been waiting for two days to see that ship! We still didn't get to do the entire ship's tour, since we still needed to check out of the hotel and get on the road.  We'll just have to go back.

Fun times.  Lunch was next, and I wanted to try something local.  Enjoyed a yummy hot dog and then our last stop of the trip would be at Boone Plantation.

Avenue of the Oaks - makes for an impressive entry to the plantation

The main house

At the slave quarters learning about the Gullah/Geechee people

 After a tour of the inside of the house, where we were not allowed to take pictures, we walked through the gardens.  Beautiful!

So ended our trip to the charming but sweltering HOT Charleston, SC.  On toward Greensboro, and other adventures at the homestead.