Something's Different...

This is the new view when you enter our house through the front door. Notice any additions? Large ones?

That's right- we got a piano!!! Today. For free. Totally and completely free. Don't be too amazed- you can always find free pianos on Craigs List if you are willing to move it. I've been looking almost every day for the past couple/few months, and finally there was one that I wanted, was close enough to get, and wasn't already taken.

{Bella, striking a pose.}

I cleared this space in our living room a few months ago when I realized it could be the perfect (and only) place for a piano. I've wanted a piano for years, so we moved our computer to our bedroom. I took lessons for 4 years when I was little, and have regretted quitting for a long time. I can barely even read music which is a real shame since I love to sing. I remember many times at Denise's house, crowding around the piano and singing hymns together. I love music and I want to fill our home with it.

Sam said he would give me lessons. After I figure the logistics of it I can't wait to get started. With maybe a brief delay for Molly to have a baby.
(By the way, it's actually a cool one too. It's a Crown model by the George P. Bent Piano Co, built sometime between 1930 and 1933. Before we got the piano I planned on painting it some bright, cool color, but I kind of like the wood. I know, me.
Dreams can come true!

Best for Last

When I began running a couple of months ago I knew it would be a process. I knew it would be hard, that it would take resolution, and there would definitely be some embarrassment involved. I actually prefer running in the early morning or at night to secure as much solitude as possible and avoid said embarrassment while relishing the time alone. As I started thinking about races I wondered and worried about coming in last place but thankfully dismissed the notion since many people walk the entire course, giving me some room for accomplishment.
Well, it happened.
I was last.
Dead last.

And actually, it wasn't so bad. I crossed the finish line smiling while every other race participant looked on, cheering. It was however, my second race of the day. The kid's fun run I did with Bella after my own 5k on the morning of the 4th, of which while close, I did not come in last.
Bella has been vying to join me on a run and in a race since I started telling her about my first 5k. Since she can't make it down the block without lying prone on the sidewalk I seriously doubted her commitment or ability to either of these endeavors, but not wanting to quash a worthy ambition I indulged her and paid the $10 to register her for the 'Fun Run'.
From the onset there was an abundance of complaining to which I responded by informing her of my impromptu first rule of running: There is no whining in running. I told her that running is hard and everyone knows that running is hard but we can do hard things. Apparently my pep talk didn't have much of an impact on her because not more than a few yards in she lost the capacity to voluntarily propel herself. The rest of the race consisted of me holding her hand, more or less pulling her along, continually telling her she was doing a great job, asking if she was ready to try running again, reminding her that there was no stopping during a race all the while observing kids of every age running past us. At some point a bribe of chocolate milk was offered.
By this point we are secured in our hindmost position, nearing the finish line with everyone watching from the sidelines. I try to inspire her to finish strong and somehow, perhaps motivated by he crowds, the cheering, the promise of chocolate milk, she runs. Everyone who has participated in the event and the event planning is standing on the sidelines cheering, singularly for Bella. An older gentleman reaches his hand out to give her high-5. The announcer calls her number and congratulates her. Hundreds of people, from young children to seniors are all clapping, calling, and cheering for this one little 4-year old as she pushes herself and those little legs over the finish line. I lope along just behind her, a bit sheepishly but mostly blissful as she crosses and a medal is bestowed upon her neck, a prize awarded to all the kids in the fun run. As she receives this commendation she aptly responds by declaring 'I never dreamed of this!'
After this she doesn't seem to have any recollection of being last, only of finishing. Only the applause and the award. We stop at the grocery store on the way home for our hard-earned recovery chocolate milk and she wears her race bib and her medal through the store frequently telling me she 'can't believe she got the first medal!' Why would I correct her?
I doubt she'll remember this for very long, having the fickle memory of a 4-year old. I hope she will participate again so she can experience the thrill of victory, the triumph of effort and the sound of hundreds of voices raised in chorus of praise for her alone, if only for a moment.
How often do any of us get to appreciate that?

Beaufort, N.C.

This is the apparently sleepy seaside town located right next to Morehead City where we were staying. Unfortunately we didn't go to see this beauty until the second to last day of our trip, but as soon as we stepped out, I was smitten. We parked and got out on Front St. which as its name would suggest, is water front. The street is lined with these charming antebellum homes with historic placards dating their construction, most in the 1700 or early 1800's. All of them were beautifully maintained with manicured gardens and picket fences enclosing their front yards and Southern rocking chair porches. All of the houses looked directly onto the water and the docks.
Like I said, I was smitten.

Window boxes: a certain sign of small-town charm.

I love these signs and their names.

Amazing woodwork and what looks like a reconstructed gas lamp.

The evening boardwalk scene.

I loved these oyster shells used as ground cover. Brilliantly cute recycling!

Just imagine.

Live music, nightly. I loved these two guys doing versions of the Beatles and the like. Love that scene.

Picture-squee.

(These boats were a favorite subject of mine.)

Can you say, 'privilege?'

Some guy building a boat inside the Maritime Museum.

These side-by-side bed and breakfasts were for sale for about 1.7 million each and would nicely fit my mom and my dream of running one. Sigh.

*Sigh.*

This badly-taken photo from my car window shows the city's town hall in what appears to be an old train station.

Look at that green copper roof! Those steps, that porch, that fence, that brick entry...

Where we had my fancy birthday dinner. I love outdoor seating cafe types.

That about says it. It was indeed, a general store. The owner was so cute and talked to me for a while about the town, its residents, relocation etc. It had old wide-plank floors, ice cream and 25 cent candy along with the requisite tourist shirts etc that we obligingly bought.

Another take on that cool house.

I loved this sight of a woman with her dog and small child in their boat off the dock. Idyllic.

That chimney must surely be original to the house! I love it.

Can you imagine having your own boat slip, private with your name on it? So cool.
Apparently Beaufort and this area are called 'the graveyard of the Atlantic' because of the amount of shipwrecks located off the shores. Specifically Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge. It is a scuba diver's haven! They lead all kinds of Pirate and hisotical tours by boat and by foot. There is also a smaller island that is still home to wild ponies, which you can see from a boat tour as well. Perfect!

I'm always obsessed with real estate and frequent the Allen Tate website, so this inspired a new rash of inquiries into small seaside towns. Beaufort specifically, but it is probably out of our reach. Even though statistically it only costs 1% more than Charlotte, there doesn't seem to be an abundance of available houses in our budget, for good reason. I've always wanteed to live in a small town. Liek a real small town, where yuo know everybody and everywhere you shop is locally owned and ran, you smile and talk to everyone on the street, you leave your doors open (theoretically)...Timm has always wanted to live on the water to indulge his hydro-adoration, and I have always loved the water and the peace and tranquility of the shore. The quiet, local, private types, not the crowded noisy smelly and unsightly public beaches. I have done dozens of googling along the lines of 'best nc coastal cities', 'affordable nc beach towns', 'smallest nc beach towns' and the like. Maybe not soon, but I think it's a dream that we could realize. It's not out of the question and one huge perk of Timm's profession is that we can relocate wherever we want. There will always be teaching jobs all over the country offering the chance to relocate and reinvent. Since the inception of my idea for us to move to Charlotte it has just felt right. Since we moved here it has felt right, like home. I really love North Carolina. I have always wanted to find a home and stay there- raise my family in one place that they can always remember and come back to. Because of this I don't want to bounce around, and i feel like Charlotte could definitely be the place where we settle indefinitely. Put another way, I have no intention or plans of leaving anytime soon, if not Charlotte, then North Carolina. I love this state and I look forward to exploring more of what it has to offer- the western region with the Smoky Mountains and Asheville, the numerous beach towns, the south-of Charlotte rural areas ... It feels good to fit.
But I will still continue to search real estate and job listings for other parts of the state, just to keep ou roptions open. Afterall, if we're going to relocate (within the state) we better do it sooner than later so our kids will be rooted.

The Outer Banks

For 3 years running my family was able to go to an amazing 2 million dollar beach house in Charleston, South Carolina thanks to the generosity and talents of my mom and dad. One year they invited us to Nantucket as well, due to the same generosity and talent. However, the last 2 years have been beach-less which is a travesty. The beach (or 'shore' if you're an Easterner like me-)has long been my favorite getaway, respite, and true vacation. This year Timm was able to hook us up with a house in the Outer Banks, North Carolina and my parents footed the bill, allowing us to convene there with them as well as Ryan and Miles. Last Sunday morning we made the 6+hour drive to the coast to spend the week in Morehead City. We could only stay until the following Friday and I am now in the post-weekend hangover/mourning mode.
This little Sandpiper laid a nest in a seemingly ill-planned place right under a small tree by the road and our driveway. She chirped and cheeped in loud protestations every time we came near which was frequently. She and her mate also entertained us with diversions and distractions of every kind. We hoped for the eggs to hatch before we left, but after monitoring it several times a day we left the eggs as they were. I love beach wildlife.
This house in Morehead City was located on the Bogue Sound, right on the water. As in, their backyard was the water. They had their own dock. It was so delightful. Here is said dock.
This is the side entrance where we came and went. I love the Carolina Jessamine growing around the door and the beautiful hydrangea bushes flanking its side.
This is the rear of the 3-story house, seen from the dock-a frequent vantage point.
Timm's idea of fishing. I don't blame him.
I painted my and Bella's toes a couple of days before we left and neither one of ours held up too well. I blame the demise of my polish on running, and Bella's on being a 4-year old.
We made many trips back and forth across that dock.
This was the rock buffer along the beach behind the house.
Our access onto the beach during high tide.

One of the rocking chair porches we spent a lot of time on. It seemed there was always a gentle breeze off the water and it would rock the chairs. I loved it.
This was one of our views to the right. That bridge is the causeway over the water to Atlantic Beach, and my dad and I went running to, over, across, and back twice while on vacation.
Our dock as seen from the deck off the living room. One of my ultimate favorite things to do was lay on a lounge chair on this deck and read. The surf was constantly lapping, the breeze cooling the air, sea birds cawing and the occasional boater going by. Private, serene, picturesque. Ryan and Miles could usually be seen fishing at the end of the dock with the rest of us frequently going across the dock or swimming in the sound.

Across the water you could see all of the colorful houses on Atlantic Beach.

Sailboats were common visitors to the sound. Bella aptly called this one the 'candy corn' boat.

Fiona enjoying some one-on-one dotage from both grandparents.

She soaked every bit of it up.

Sigh. I just love the beach. It is the perfect destination. It just feels right when we're there- the water, the salty air, the spray, the vibe, the community, the lackadaisical attitudes, even the humidity...It feels right, like we belong, like the way the world should be. A sense of utopia. A life and a lifestyle I could readily adopt. One I really want to adopt. I dream of it. I yearn.
I fell in love with the neighboring town of Beaufort in particular, which I will document in detail later. I feel like it is my destiny to realize a life in a sleepy beach town with my family. Maybe someday it will happen or maybe I will have to wait for the Celestial Kingdom, but in either event I am holding on to the dream.So what did we enjoy while there? The usual good food, many many games of Bananagrams in which Timm drove me insane with his speedy plays, a wonderful birthday celebration, naps, sleeping in, lots of help with the girls, catching up with Ryan and Miles, enjoying the dotage of my parents, swimming, reading, lounging, walking the beach, collecting shells, and finally exploring the other beaches and nearby towns.
For the most part our little piece of the beach on the sound fulfilled all of my beach needs. It was private, we could swim, fish, stroll, lay in the sun...we rarely needed to leave for anything. I wish we still hadn't left in fact.
My thoughts are so disjointed right now and I'm not sure why. Maybe because I am trying to haphazardly watch tv while I write this and remember...I need to reflect in a quieter environment.
More later.