what i'm learning about my feet

the contents of this post may seem a bit trite, but today, i bought a new pair of shoes--as i often do on payday. and i couldn't help contemplate what i have been learning about my feet as of late.

for example, i learned that i am actually a size 11, and it was my sheer vanity that has made me buy and wear (often painfully) size 10s for the last 15 odd years.

i have also realized that i have virtually no arches. that makes wearing spiky heels difficult for more than ten minutes at a time. give me a flip-flop, or a mule, or a wedge (thank heavens for the comeback of the wedge!!) and i am good to go, but try and put me in one of those stiletto numbers and i will be sitting a lot.

mostly i am learning that there is virtually nothing a new pair of shoes can't solve, whether it's just a little pick-me-up or as a cure to the 'i'm heading out of town and don't want to be sitting in my office' doldrums.

one day to raleigh

in january, julie (aka my soul-sister) and colby moved down to raleigh. in theory i was going to visit them much sooner than this, but apparently the life of a (now) stay at home mom requires even more cross-country gallavanting than the life of a single girl! this gives me great hope.

but i digress.

we have finally made it through our various travel plans and now i get to spend 10 hours in a car to spend maybe 20 with her. and it is totally worth it to me.

anne and i are headed out tomorrow and i can't wait. i love raleigh. i love north carolina in general. and i love julie and colby. my vacation mindset has not entirely gone away yet, so i am especially appreciative that i won't be sitting around here on my duff this weekend.

songs of the south

as a college freshman in north carolina i took a class in southern literature. i was on my second major, english, and the idea of a class that graded me on reading was appealing. what i didn't expect was how much i would come to love that particular genre.

the likes of whitney otto and zora neale hurston entranced me. in their words exists a richness, a warmth and a sagacity that is incomparable in my reading experience . i could feel them. i could relate to them in an inexplicable way. the life i have lived gives me no claim to the connection i feel with these stories. i have no roots in the south, nor have i spent much time there, truth be told. and yet there is something familiar about the emotion they evoke.

for the past few years, the bulk of my reading materials have consisted of biographies and historical fiction. it has been some time since i read a piece of southern lit. but before leaving for the duck, i randomly picked up a book i thought might be a quick beach read.

i never got to it. but fortunately for me, my commute into the city over the last several days has given me an opportunity to play catch up. and i am once again astounded by the beautiful prose that exists when a southern writer puts pen to paper, or finger to keyboard.

'you don't know the south if you don't know it's summers. damp and slow, rich with the textures of life simmered down to its essence and haunted by the memories of every season past.

and hot? hell yes it's hot, but that's not the whole of it. from may to september the south takes on both a veneer and a depth you don't find in any other season, any other region. it's hopscotching over a tar road to keep from burning bare feet and the slap of ice-box cold rushing out of a grocery store door on a sweltering afternoon.

to know the south is to know the smell of all things fertile and growing. of earth and leaves. of honeysuckle and lilac. and the sweet, sticky stench of rotting fruit. if you don't know that, then you don't know the south.'

what's in a name

well the day finally came. yesterday, my niece finally said my name. apparently, she yelled it out as i was passing by her in the car (she was on a walk), but mom and i were able to elicit a repeat performance. it was said under her breath the second time, but still unmistakable; "hi tara".

yay!

the truth of the matter

i guess i don't really know where to start with the duck beach travel log, which is a large reason i haven't attempted to blog about it yet--that and i'm working on getting all the photos labeled and edited.

it was an amazing vacation, but a completely different one then i expected, and perhaps the best way to cover it is to do so with snapshots and snippets.

though the 'plan' went through various iterations, i picked nathan up from the airport on friday night and headed to get anne. then we were on our way. as we were passing by richmond, jeremy called and said he was just leaving, so we arranged to meet up with him at a rest stop, where we could also grab a bite.

needless to say, i was excited to see him!

we grabbed a quick bite, and headed out for newport news where we would be spending the night. but before we made it out of the parking lot, jer called and told me that i had a flat tire (which i could not feel), so i turned around and hit the air pump. as jeremy filled my tire, the air was coming out nearly as fast as it was going in. and then the culprit was found. a screw. after having just had to replace a flat tire the week before, and given the fact that i was now officially on vacation, i was upset. but suddenly before my eyes, jeremy turned into a knight in shining armor, quickly going to his truck, grabbing some 'tools' and patching the tire. ah, my hero.

with a patched tire, we continued our journey southward. we checked in at the hotel in newport news, and setlled in for a bit, before jeremy and i decided to ditch anne and nathan (thanks for understanding!) and went to see x-men 3. we drove around for a bit following the movie, then headed back to the hotel to find anne and nate fast asleep. eventually we called it a night ourselves.

saturday morning we were up early. jeremy headed off for a family wedding nearby, and anne, nate, and i headed to duck. we found the house and near panic set in. the picture of the house looked nothing like the actual house. we couldn't get in quite yet, and i was praying that the interior would match the pictures we had seen.

fortunately, they did, and the house was perfect. we spent much of the day getting settled in and getting familiar with the fellow house guests.

after a dip in the pool and a laid back dinner, jeremy stopped by with his friend patrick and katrina. they got a tour of the house and chilled out for awhile, before heading back to his aunt and uncle's.

then deb, nate, georgina, and i headed to the party at the new york house. there were a couple of particularly interesting things about that evening. not even 36 hours before i had commented that i was going to freak out if i ever met anyone who read my blog whom i didn't know. ironically enough, while at the party i was approached by a guy who said 'tara, you don't know me, but i read your blog.' and so i met justin. i admit, i freaked out a little bit. i realize there are lots of people who read that i don't know, but to be face to face with one of them, suddenly had me trying to recall previous posts. 'is there anything i need to be embarrassed about?' i wondered. and the answer was yes, but oh well.

the other interesting thing about the party was that i ran into people from various times and segments of my life, and in some cases they had strange connections to each other or to friends of friends. it felt in many ways like my worlds colliding, which, though odd, was also very cool.

eventually it was time to call it a night, and we headed home.

then came sunday. sunday was one of those 'perfect days'. you know, one of those days where you look around, and you are just grateful. i sat on the beach all day with my girl deb on one side of me, and my boy having the time of his life in the water with his good friend patrick. there were many moments that i just had to pause to recognize the beauty of the surroundings and the circumstances.



after enjoying the day on the beach, patrick, katrina, anne, scott, jeremy and i headed out for ice cream and mini golf. we stopped at a roadside stand for ice cream, then headed over to jeremy's aunt and uncle's so katrina could pick up a sweater. the house was amazing, and had a virtual petting zoo inside. ferret, dog, kitten...we amused ourselves quite happily, then visited pirate's cove mini golf.

it was a fun course, but the best thing about it was the little train you had to get on to get to the first hole. almost as cool, was me ending up with the high score for the evening. high score wins, right?

before parting ways with patrick and katrina for the evening, there was a quick mcd's stop. they headed back to jer's house, and he came back with anne, scott and i.

the rest of the evening was relaxing and chill. we watched a movie and enjoyed the company of friends and housemates. around 3am, i finally drove jeremy home and called it a night.

monday was a little gray. the terrible trio (jeremy, patrick, and katrina)came back over and we spent a little time on the beach before pat and katrina headed home.



then deb, nate, jer, and i decided that it was high time for some bbq. we went in search and were quite successful. after a quick stop at the next door surf shop, we headed over to the kitty hawk monument, where we broke in to the park and had ourselves a really good time.





that evening was another laid back one. deb went to the new york house, and jeremy and i spent some time in the hot tub. we spent more time waiting for the hot tub to get hot then we did actually in it, but nonetheless, it was a perfect way to cap off the evening. he opted to crash on the couch, and we called it a night.

tuesday was another beautiful day. we spent the large majority of it at the beach, and then decided to go get more bbq before deb had to leave.


this time, we stayed a little bit closer to home, and ate outside on picnic tables.



after lunch, deb said farewell, and corey, nate, maya, jeremy and i headed back to the house. jeremy and i headed down to the beach again upon our return, where we joined up with erin.

the waves were poor, so jeremy was unable to get any more boogie boarding in, but we enjoyed the peace and quiet of the day.

eventually, it was time for him to leave. and after getting to spend five awesome and unexpected days with him, i was extremely sad to say goodbye. but alas, it was that time, so i sucked it up and sent him on his way. i really did consider tying him up to keep him there, but eventually decided against it. i couldn't find any rope or duct tape.

after his departure, and with most of the housemates gone, the few of us left relaxed and enjoyed the quiet. we watched another movie and after hearing from jeremy a couple of times on his way home, it was bedtime.

wednesday morning we (me, corey, maya, erin, jill, steph, rae, nate) decided to go try and find wild horses. we were unsuccessful, but it was another gorgeous day, and it was anjoyable just to be walking in the sunshine.

we got back to the house, packed up, and nate and i were on our way. i dropped him off in va beach to visit with a friend, and made the rest of the drive solo.

this trip didn't provide quite the relaxation i had thought it would, yet it exceeded all expectations.

for the zillions, not millions or billions, of pictures, many of which have been stolen from other people, click here.