Delicious weekend in Charlotte

I had the most amazing weekend in Charlotte! Even though I was born and raised there I found three great new restaurants; Vivace, Soul and, Georgia's.

On Friday night we celebrated Lauren's 20-something birthday at Vivace. Normally, Italian food isn't my favorite but I loved the four cheese ravioli. The atmosphere is sleek and modern which provided the perfect backdrop for a girls night. One downside, it took a long time to get our food. Think 2 hours. Maybe it is all part of the European vibe?

Saturday night was spent with my best friend Natalie, her roommates, and a new friend. We went to Soul, a tapas bar near Central. WOW. What a great menu. We kept ordering and to be honest our bill was not out of control. After a cheese plate, calamari, ham plate, tomato salad, lamb skewers, two rolls of sushi, and some other goodies I was about to pop. Best part of the night: A lady came over to our table to tell us we were like the Charlotte Sex and the City :)

Finally on my last day I went with my family to George's. French cuisine is my favorite so I was a happy camper. We ordered beignets for the family. Of course, mom thought they were just ok but this is coming from the woman who has dreamed of starting a beignet shop. I had eggs benedict, LOVED IT. I wish I knew how to poach eggs. Actually, I wish I knew how to cook period.

What a delicious weekend in Charlotte!

Foot Loose

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to dance. A few problems: I have two left feet, no rhythm, and I can never find the beat. My sister Sumner always asks why I am snapping at inappropriate parts in a song. I am good at one thing: choreographing. As soon as I hear a hip hop song my mind clears and I picture myself in an MTV music video. I start moving and I feel like I look GREAT. That is when everything stops and my straight laced boyfriend says things like…

“That does Not look nice”

“There is no in between with you; it’s either off or all out of control.”

“Do you have to dance like that?”

This confuses me; I think I look like one of Jay Z’s back up dancers. Maybe even J Lo? Not to Derek. Sometimes he laughs and sometimes he says things like “can you just tone it down?” I respond with “well maybe I should just stop dancing”? To my surprise, he said “I think that would be best!” How rude…

To all my fans: I will never stop dancing. There is someone special who loves to watch me dance, we even slow dance together.

On On PC

Dear College,

Can I please come back?

Love Always,

Natalie

I graduated from PC over a year ago and I still wish I was a student there! My college experience was everything I could have imagined. I have to admit, I was a bit worried about my Freshman year roommate. Her name was Lauren; she was beautiful, smart, unbelievably kind, and a bit too perfect for my tastes. I selfishly thought to myself...PC will ruin my self esteem at this pace. I didn't know if I could live with the girl who was always dressed to a T, couldn't put her makeup on with her heavy duty make up mirror, and had to sleep with a noise maker. How was I going to be able to keep up with Barbie?

Believe it or not, she became my best friend and we lived together all four years of college. I now have a heavy duty make up mirror and can't sleep without a noise maker. Along with Lauren, I met many amazing girls that will be my friends forever (shout out to Jordan and Erin, just to name a few).

What I miss about college:

• Crazy nights at those nasty fraternity house
  
• Living with my best friends


• GDH food (I know what you're thinking)


• Professors that helped me become the person I am today


• ADPi


• Having about 20 closets


• Being involved in a variety of organizations


• Providing me with the tools and opportunities needed to excel, thanks to the faculty and staff!


• This list could go on forever...
  
  
  
  Thank heavens for nights like this...

Like Nick said at our graduation, "on, on PC will go." His thought provoking speech reminded the graduates that contrary to our common belief, PC will go on without us. Sadly, he was right. PC has gone on without me. Now one question remains: can I go on without PC?

*Leave your comments about what PC/college meant to you*

How NOT to apply sunscreen

My family and I have been enjoying a wonderful vacation in Isle of Palms. It has been beyond hot and my mom has provided the whole family with SPF 100 sunscreen. My sisters and I were hoping to come home tanner than we left so we have been using 30 SPF. I don't have too much color yet and my sister Sumner is tanning nicely.

Then there is Lauren. Year after year we run into this same problem. Lauren truly believes that she applies her sunscreen to the best of her ability. What do you think

I have never in my life met someone who has this many issues with sunscreen. To be honest, the picture doesn't do her burn justice, it is about 10 times worse than it looks.

I suppose I shouldn't be talking because I often have the same issue but she wins for worst sunscreen application EVER.

Bless her burnt self...

This is what I like to call "a hot mess"

My new blog

I have to say, I was a little hesitant to start a blog. I kept asking myself "does anyone want to hear what you have to say?" Never the less, here I am writing my first post!

Work has been stressful recently and I couldn't be more excited that this is my vacation week. I am in Isle of Palms with my family and loving it. This is such a magical place, I enjoy being near the beach and only about 15 minutes from Charleston. Though we have only been here a night guests have already starting visiting us. My dad has a business partner staying for the night, my sister's boyfriend came by, one of my best friends Natalie and her boyfriend Durning came, today a friend brought by her 4 month old baby, and right now I am waiting on Lauren and Brittany to come visit me. It has been great to see all these people but I wonder if I will get all the R &R I need if we keep going at this pace.

Wondering why I need the vacation? I work with Special Needs children from birth to five and they certainly give me a run for my money. My case load is high right now as we are currently looking to hire. My 21 beautiful children bring me so much joy. I am able to go into the child's home, teach the families ways to foster their child's development, and coordinate any special services they may need. It isn't always easy and sometimes I get discouraged. I live for the days when a child does something remarkable (clap their hands, crawl, talk, you name it!) I enjoy working with all the children but when I am working with a baby, I am all smiles. I feel blessed to have this job and I learn something new everyday. I strive to make each child's day better than the one before and that is what keeps me going.