From Mayberry to the Mountain

From Mt. Airy, I drove about 14 miles south to Pilot Mountain State Park. The weather was beautiful and after that artery-clogging pork chop sandwich (and a late night adventure to Waffle House with some new friends on Friday night), the least I could do was to try to walk it off.

I drove for what seemed like forever up a winding road to get to the Pilot Mountain hiking trails. On the way up, I passed six or eight bicyclists that made me wonder what kind of stamina and/or willpower was required to heave themselves up that hill on two wheels. I then hoped they had enough brakes on those bikes to get back down the hill.

The first trail I saw was a “moderate” trail called Jomeokee which my Hooked on Phonics told me was pronounced “Yo, me OK” so I figured that was some sort of cosmic sign that I could do it (even in the high altitude) without a problem. After all, I know Tony and Beto and Shawn T. You don't scare me, big mountain! Some distance into this hike, I saw another sign for a 2.2 mile “strenuous” trail that branched off of Jomeokee. I paused to ponder taking that road less traveled. By the time I hiked up to and around the knob of Pilot Mountain and got back to that sign, I was very glad I took the shorter, less strenuous trail. I felt like one of the Toughman competitors from Friday night who needed oxygen but I powered on and finished the trail. By the time I got back to the Jomeokee sign, I wanted to pull out my sharpie marker and change it to JomeNOTokee but I’m sure there’s some sort of law about that.

I wandered down a few more “moderate” trails and kept a keen eye out for legless creatures and critters. Thankfully, there were none. I did have to pay close attention when taking photos; I have a tendency to step back to get the view I want in the lens; you can’t really do that when there’s a significant possibility of plummeting down the side of a mountain.

But, a few hours later, with no injuries except a severe case of the jelly legs, I drove back down the mountain and headed to my hotel to get ready for Saturday night’s fights.

All in all, Mt. Airy and Pilot Mountain were great ways to spend my sunny, almost-summery Saturday. I think I spent 10 dollars the whole day (Pilot Mountain was free; the Andy Griffith Musuem was 3 dollars; lunch was 7 including tip). For fun, affordable entertainment, you can’t beat that! I think I’ll be a tourist in my home state again and I’ll definitely spend my summer trying to take better advantage of the parks that are around the Triangle; I forgot how much fun hiking in the fresh outdoor air can be.

I hope you took advantage of your Saturday and that you found some adventure in an unexpected place. I hope your weekend was... Something More.

Good Morning, Mayberry!

This weekend, I worked the two-night Toughman event in Mt. Airy. It might surprise you to know that although I’ve lived in NC forever, I’d never been to the town otherwise known as Mayberry. Since I didn’t have to be at the venue until six on Saturday night, I took the entire day to be a tourist in my own state.

I started out at Mayberry on Main, a cute little gift shop with more things Andy and Opie than you could shake a fishin’ pole at. Note to future Mt. Airy visitors- Most everything “downtown” opens at 10 so if you get there early, Mayberry on Main is one of the few places you can go. In addition to the Mayberry paraphernalia, they sell local food items and a wall full of hot sauces. They have free samples… but it was too early in the day for chili peppers for me so I politely passed on the sauce. The proprietors were fantastic, chatting with me and offering some helpful suggestions for my list of “must see places”.

By the time I was finished there, everything else was open so I wandered in and out of the Visitor’s Center and a dozen or so gift shops until it was lunchtime. I counted how many times I heard “Good Morning” from total strangers. I was up to 17 in less than 45 minutes when I popped into Snappy’s Lunch, a little hole in the wall made famous on the Andy Griffith Show for the pork chop sandwich. I learned that a pork chop sandwich “all the way” includes mustard, chili, slaw, onions, and a tomato. Trying to be a good little tourist, I agreed to everything but the onions. And, let’s just say, “try it, you might like it” did not end successfully at Snappy’s Lunch. But, again, four different waitresses asked if I needed anything so they get points for friendliness. I think friendliness is a requirement for living and/or working in Mayberry.

 

I then headed to the Andy Griffith Museum where I met two more friendly folks and I wandered through a maze of photos and memorabilia where I learned all sorts of things about Mayberry, Andy, Opie, and the gang. The museum is also home to the world famous Andy & Opie statue that depicts the dynamic duo doing their favorite things- whistling a tune while headed to the local fishin’ hole.

I waved goodbye to Andy & Opie and a friendly older gentleman giving the patrol car tour and I headed somewhere else… but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out where. J

Thank You isn't Nearly Enough

Five weeks ago, a canoe overturned at a lake near where my parents live. One of the men in the boat made it to the shore; the other, sadly, did not. And doing what they do, the Sheriff’s Department and Rescue Squad (along with some help from agencies with cadaver dogs, scuba divers, robots, and SONAR devices) sprang into action and launched an exhaustive search. They searched the lake for over 2,000 hours in the cold and in the wind. They searched in the weeds and in the depths. They searched new places. They searched places they’d already searched. In heavy coats, hats, and gloves, in the miserable freezing cold, they searched. They weren’t giving up. That’s not in their nature.

The news covered this story, as did the local paper. My favorite superhero even made the front page, bundled up like a cross between an abominable snowman and the Michelin man. And the search continued…

And one day this week, after 36 days of continual searching, he was found. As proud as I was of the one who found him, I was also terribly saddened by it. I can only imagine what seeing something like that that does to the finder’s dreams. People trying to help others shouldn’t have to suffer from it but as is often true in the case of rescue, police, and fire, the service providers’ scars are as real as those on the victims.

Granted, there’s not a rescue member, a police officer, or a firefighter that I know who went into that line of work looking for a thank you but that doesn’t change the fact that a thank you is in absolute order today.

THANK YOU first responders, firefighters, rescue squad members, law enforcement officers, and EMS personnel. Thank you for missing ballgames and birthday parties to help strangers. Thank you for giving up your weekends, your vacations, your free time, and the feeling in your fingers and toes to search the lake for someone else’s loved one. Thank you for keeping our communities safe so that we can sleep soundly in our beds. Thank you for saving our homes from disasters. Thank you for holding our hands, for talking us through it, for getting us safely out of mangled cars. Thank you for having compassion for people in their worst moments; thank you for being calm in the midst of chaos. Thank you isn’t enough but there aren’t any words that ever could be.

From the Side of the Road

I planned to leave work on time today, partly because I’m in the red zone for having too many overtime hours and partly because I was anxious to watch the second half of the premiere episode of Breakout Kings that I DVR’d last night (because now that I have DirecTV, I can do that!) but you know what they say about plans…

About 20 minutes from home, precisely halfway between two side roads that would have allowed me alternate routes to my little castle in the sticks, traffic was at a standstill. And, of course, I was around a bend from what I correctly assumed was a wreck so I couldn’t really see what was going on. So, I sat. Not wanting to tax Fordinand (my car), I put down the windows and turned off the car. I called my sister and we chatted for a while. And I sat. And I called dad to see what he was doing (my stealthy way of letting him know that I was fine, just in case one of the three helicopters flitting around was filming the scene for the news). And I sat. I chatted with the friend I hadn’t met yet in the next car. And I sat. And I cranked up my Christian Kane CD and danced my head. And I sat. And an hour later, the lines of cars started the slow rubbernecking crawl past the accident scene and I moseyed on home.

But in all that time of sitting, captive with nowhere to go and nothing to do (counting emergency vehicles got old once I ran out of fingers; you guys know I don’t do math J), it occurred to me that these are the moments when the lessons you learn growing up come back to you. So, here’s a little reminder of some of my favorite life lessons:

1. Always have snacks and/or a drink in the car. Having a car that doubles as a vending machine on wheels has saved me more times than I can count… like those days I oversleep and don’t have time for a sit-down (cereal) breakfast, or I have a meeting right after work, or I am parking cars at the State Fair for Make-a-Wish and can smell the fair’s fried things on sticks but can’t get to them. I’m fairly certain that if I ever end up in an actual ditch rather than the proverbial one, I’ll have enough to survive until the search party shows up. I’m also pretty sure that if I’d been in the Donner Party, we could have survived on granola bars and pop-tarts until springtime.
2. Always go to the bathroom before you leave home (or your office, or wherever you’re leaving)… because you just never know when a 30 minute drive will turn into an hour and a half standstill. I refuse to comment on whether I followed this sage wisdom today or if I was doing the bathroom wiggle as I pulled into my driveway.
3. It’s better to be behind the wreck than in the wreck. I know that sounds a little strange but what I mean is when the frustrations of daily life get to me, when the schedule derails and nothing goes as planned, it’s easy to get impatient but it helps to remind myself that someone, somewhere is having a much worse day. True, it was an inconvenience to be stuck on the highway when I wanted to be home but someone’s loved ones were in those ambulances; some firefighter was missing dinner with his family because he was stuck in turnout gear in the middle of the road; some insurance agent was working overtime because she was trying to figure out medical insurance, car insurance, and how to get someone to work tomorrow. I had none of those issues to tackle today and I'm more than OK with that. Sometimes you just have to be grateful for the days in your life where nothing important happens.
4. And, perhaps the most important reminder of the day: life is fleetingly, amazingly, phenomenally SHORT. In the blink of an eye, the length of a breath, or the amount of time it takes to change lanes on the highway, the world can turn upside down and nothing is ever the same. People come in to our lives and usually, they leave again sooner than we want them to. So today, here’s your friendly reminder:

Even If…

Be generous with hugs, even if you’re only hugging yourself.

Laugh out loud, even if no one hears you.

Sing out louder, even if you only sound good in the shower.

Dance around your kitchen, even if you look like a frog in a blender.

Eat ice cream, even if it's time for breakfast.

Chase a dream, even if you never catch it.

Use your favorite dishes, even if it means you have to wash them by hand.

Wear your pearls, even if you’re wearing jeans.

Take pictures, even if you think you’re having a bad hair day.

Play, even if you only have 10 minutes.

Skip, even if you’ll get your good shoes muddy.

Even if today’s the only day you get, make it… Something More.

Slurpin' Up Some Summer

At some point during the week, the office lunch bunch (which is different than the Funky Lunch Bunch but still just as much fun) ends up at Chick-fil-A in Garner. This week, there was a flier on the tray advertising the banana pudding milkshake. While my counterparts turned up their noses at the idea (they don’t like bananas, for some reason), I was pleasantly intrigued.

So yesterday, I gave it a try and if you’re placing bets, you’d be wise to put money on the idea that I’ll have another. So yummy! It had bits of real bananas and ‘Nilla Wafers, and a big dollop of whipped cream on top (but no cherry, bleck! a cherry, in my opinion, ruins everything); if you could slurp summer through a straw, this is the way to do it! It tasted like a picnic or a church potluck where someone’s grandma made her signature banana pudding. I’m not exaggerating when I say they could have just named it Happy in a Cup.  

I didn’t research the calorie count, I don’t want to even think about that. I’d venture to say the banana pudding milkshake derailed my ‘eat better, work out more’ mission but truthfully, I didn’t care. There’s just something about splurging on a Friday afternoon with some shoe shopping and a creamy, dreamy cup of summertime.

As impressed as I was with the milkshake, I’m equally impressed with Chick-fil-A in general. Their food is consistently great and the staff is always friendly. At the Chick-fil-A we frequent, Ms. Judy is a fantastic hostess who is always quick with a smile and a drink refill. The owner, Jerry, and manager, Kim, have been instrumental in the Cops on Top events that support Special Olympics North Carolina. With just a little persuasion last year, Kim even let someone mark an item off her Bucket List!

And speaking of Special Olympics, I hope you’ve checked out my Parking Lot Polar Plunge fundraising page. March 26 is quickly approaching and it’s a great cause (especially since the Governor’s version of the budget is tentatively eliminating funding for this phenomenal program). I am actually really, really excited about jumping into icy waters to raise money for the 38,000 athletes in North Carolina who participate in the Olympic games. I can’t think of a better reason to be freezin’! I also can’t think of a costume so if you have any ideas, please send them my way! And since I’m of the opinion that it’s never too cold for ice cream, you can bet I’ll celebrate making it out of the icy pool with a banana pudding milkshake and thoughts of summer. 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Several years ago, my mom helped a little one at church wash her hands. As mom handed her a paper towel, the little one asked, “Whose mama are you?” If I had been there, I would have cheered, “MINE!!!!!!”

Raising us, mom was our mom; she didn’t try to be our friend. She didn’t hesitate to say NO when it was for our own good; she didn’t squelch on discipline because we might be mad at her for it. We are better off for it and somewhere along the way, probably because of this approach to parenting, mom stopped being just my mom; she became my best friend.  

My mom is the only person who, on a regular (almost daily) basis, can finish my sentences and know what I’m thinking before I even know what I’m thinking. She’s always saying that being a mom is her job; I’ve fired her several times for using those telepathic superpowers on me. Within 10 minutes, she finds a way of getting re-hired. While she’ll always be mom, I really like those moments when she trades in her mom hat for the friend hat, and we talk about everything from the complicated stuff like shoes and adventures to the simple stuff like work and finances. And we may be the only two people in the world who prioritize like that; it works for us. J

But better than her ability to know what I’m thinking, what I love most about mom is that she gets me. When I say things that seem to make perfect sense in my head but that actually make no sense when the words hit air, mom knows just what I mean. I don’t even have to try to explain myself. She’s just right there in my thought with me. I like that. It saves time (I have big complicated rambling thoughts!)

And she makes me laugh A LOT. If you’ve ever spent any time with mom, she’s a funny lady but you have to be a quick and quirky thinker to keep up. Since we have the same sense of humor, keeping up is no problem for me but there are times we leave other people in the dust. And I’m OK with that, we are like our own little secret silly society. Giggling makes the world go ‘round, don’t you think?

And, on the flip side of being hilarious, she’s the strongest woman I know. She handles trauma and tragedy with grace and tact. When she’s hurt, she takes the high road and doesn’t say the things she’d be well within her bounds to say. When I have a decision to make, I do what I think mom would do in the same situation.

Mom’s always there when I need something and she always keeps me on my toes, asking questions that make me think and that make me wonder how far I could go if I set my mind to it. She pushes me to try new things and to go beyond what I think I’m capable of. She supports everything I do, even when the idea is wacky or nonconventional. She has, however, drawn the line at skydiving. She only wants to know about that AFTER the fact.  

So, today, as she celebrates her birthday, I hope she knows how much I love her, how much and often I need her (even when I say I don’t), and how grateful I am that she’s figured out how to be my mom AND my best friend.

I love you, Mom. Happy Cake & Candles Day!

Two Kinds of Kaniac

Anyone who has read this blog for more than, say, two minutes, knows how much I love love love Christian Kane. You know I’m a CD-blasting, t-shirt-wearing, concert-going, twitter-following, facebook-stalking Kaniac. Being a Kaniac has turned into one of my most favorite things to be. But last night, I got to be a different kind of Kaniac.

A few days ago, I received an email offering me a few tickets to last night’s hockey game which pitted the Carolina Hurricanes against the Florida Panthers. So, I grabbed a buddy and off we went. Our seats were fantastic and wow, was it crowded!

While I’m able to give you a play-by-play of the Daytona 500 and I could be a commentator for football, baseball, or MMA, I have to confess that I actually know very little about hockey. I wore red and black, the Hurricanes colors, and tried to blend in as a Kaniac, the term of endearment for Hurricanes fans. I cheered when the people around me cheered. I assumed they knew what was going on because almost every one of them had on red and black, or a Hurricanes jersey, and they were using words that I knew enough to know were phrases of "hockey lingo". I think maybe they’d been to a few (thousand) games before.

Since I was sitting with a gaggle of gals, the chit-chat inevitably turned to which players might be ‘single and searching’ and the fashion that is (or isn’t) a hockey uniform. After much discussion (and more than our share of giggling like school girls), and a few suggestions to scoot on down to the penalty box for a little up close and personal investigation, we decided the uniform was shorts over either tights or some really tall knee socks over a bunch of padding. We also concluded this ensemble makes determining the fun yummy factor of a hockey player a bit of a challenge but we used the jumbotron and the player calendar to pick our favorites. There were also discussions of why Florida would have an ice hockey team in the first place, why we didn’t learn how to ice skate growing up, the job requirements to be a member of the Storm Squad, and what everyone’s upcoming weekend plans were. What can I say? We may be sports fans on the outside but we're still chatty, curious girls on the inside. Oh, yeah, and somewhere along the way, we did actually watch the game (when we weren't scoping out what the people around us were eating). We’re multi-taskers, we are! The Canes won and a good time was had by all J

All in all, the Carolina Hurricanes hockey game was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a night in the middle of the week. And today, I blasted my Christian Kane CD and celebrated being two kinds of Kaniac. And, I'm thinking that the Canes should take a tip from the Colorado Eagles hockey team and make The House Rules their team theme song.