The First 8 Days of Christmas

It is December 8th and it has been a whirlwind of 8 days of Christmas activities. This week included a DPAC date with Nancy to see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Downtown Durham was decorated perfectly for Christmas, so of course - two dance teachers needed a photo op!

On Thursday night I volunteered at the 20th Annual Raleigh Jingle Ball. This was a new Christmas tradition for me that I would like to continue every year. In order to attend the Jingle Ball you must bring an unwrapped toy or provide a $30 donation. The rest of the night you get to enjoy the open bar, buffet, DJ and Photo Booth. My friends and I enjoyed dressing up and volunteering at the event. In order to volunteer we took the toys at the door and helped stack this awesome wall of toys! It was so much fun seeing the toys and people coming through the doors. There was a great turnout of people and we had a great time getting in the Christmas spirit! 

Saturday night was the Apex Christmas Parade. The Apex Christmas Parade is my favorite Christmas Parade. The parade begins at 5:00pm so the streets are lit with Christmas lights and everyone is bundled up sipping hot chocolate. I love getting to watch my students perform in this parade and spending time with my favorite reindeer!

Giving Thanks

I can't believe November has come and gone. We had another wonderful Thanksgiving down on the farm. The picture above shows how quickly time has passed! All of my "little" Lanier cousins are now ALL taller than me! How did this happen? 

We have a new baby in the Belcher family. We had a fun time with this little turkey in his very own photo shoot! 

Being in Georgia Southern country was very entertaining just four days after GSU's sweet victory over University of Florida. We made a special trip "to town" on Black Friday for our Georgia Southern victory t-shirts!

This Is Our State

There has been a trendy phrase this year in North Carolina college football amongst the various college rivalries - "This Is Our State." NC State, UNC and ECU have been arguing over this sacred title. ECU has been known as the Pirate Nation for years and now NC State is phrasing the area as "our state." ECU visited Carter-Finley this weekend and has won the title! Not only did ECU beat NC State as a visitor, but by the 4th Quarter only ECU fans remained at the stadium. I was in shock that ECU fans were able to cheer their "Purple/Gold" chant as loud as they can at their home stadium. Pirate fans were thrilled over the victory against the Wolfpack and I am ecstatic that I got to witness it in person. 

My college roommate, Allison, came to cheer on the Pirates with me!

My partner in crime, Nicole - even though we were friends divided over the outcome!

Musicals, Concerts and Games!

This week was a blast! It was very eventful, and I managed to cram a month's worth of activities in 5 days! Tuesday night I attended the first Broadway musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), "Ghost." I have never seen the movie, so everything about the musical was a surprise to me! The effects and lighting were spectacular! Watching the show it was apparent the musical was written in the 21st century. A job well done to the cast and producers of this show!

Wednesday night - I attended the Justin Timberlake concert at the PNC Arena in Raleigh! We were in the nosebleeds but the concert was beyond amazing! Justin went onstage at 9:00pm and did not stop singing until midnight. Three straight hours of singing and dancing and he didn't stop! I wish I had that kind of energy! Walked away loving him as much as I did 13 years ago when I watched him perform with NSYNC in this same arena!

Friday night - I went with back to the PNC Arena to watch the Carolina Hurricanes play the Anaheim Ducks. Not only did we attend the game, we were in Box Seats! Not only did the Canes win - they won in a shootout! This was my first time going to a Canes game in 4 years and it was my first time ever getting to see a shootout! What an experience. Thanks to Amy for inviting me for a fun Friday night!

I don't know of any other NHL team that serves BBQ in their box seats. 

The Canes win in a Shoot Out!

Saturday Afternoon - I got to spend the afternoon with my Premier family to celebrate the upcoming wedding of my friend, Alana. It was a beautiful afternoon for a bridal shower and special memories were made. 

Sunday Night - My friend Nicole and I went to Chapel Hill to see Andrew Belle perform at Local 506. The venue was packed when we arrived. However we were standing in the right place at the right time. One of the members of the crew saw us standing the back and asked if we wanted to walk behind him as he parted the "sea" to make his way to the stage. We followed suit and sure enough, we got to watch the concert from beside the stage! What a great view we had for this concert! 

It was a fun week full of special memories. I am beyond thankful for wonderful friends in my life that I can celebrate these times with. 

A Busy Fall

The month of October flew by! I can't believe we are already starting our second week of November. This Fall has been full of a variety of fun activities. Here is a glimpse of what I have been up to the last few weeks. 

Mom and I made a road trip to Little Switzerland, NC to the The Orchard at Altapass. It is the oldest operating apple orchard in the state of North Carolina. The drive through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains was spectacular, especially since the autumn leaves were at their peak. The apple orchard was nestled right on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have never been apple picking, and what a fun treat that was!

What a fun weekend get-away!

I was able to mark another "first" off my list at the NC State Fair this year! I milked a cow! 

As many know, I love going to the State Fair! This year, I made three trips! I will say my favorite "food find" this year was the peach cobbler I found! I will definitely eat that next year too! 

It wouldn't be the Fall if there wasn't college football. I had a great time tailgating (without going to the game) with good friends for the NC State vs. UNC Football game. You know it will be a fun time if you are in the middle of the action of the biggest football rivalry in the state. We started tailgating at 8:30am and watched the football game on tvs from outside the stadium. Zac was a great host providing beer butt chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs. 

AND life-sized jenga! 

Sporting the red and black with these girls!

In October I went to my second Ben Rector concert of the year! He performed at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, and yes, I managed to sit in the 3rd row!!! What an amazing performer!

Another awesome artist, Tyrone Wells, opened for Ben Rector. I was able to meet him while we were at the concert! Go check out his music - you won't be disappointed!

Nicole and I loved the concert from the third row! 

Last but not least - it wouldn't be the Fall without PIRATE FOOTBALL! We had an awesome time this past weekend at the ECU vs. Tulsa Homecoming game in Greenville. It was a blast getting all of our favorite pirates back together again. I can't believe it has been 8 years since we were freshmen and our friendships began. 

Oh the memories we continue to have in Dowdy-Ficklen stadium!

Distance separates us, but when we get together it is like nothing has changed! Can't wait until our next pirate reunion!

Birthdays on the Farm!

Weekends at the Farm are always fun! But they are even more fun when we are celebrating birthdays! Last weekend we celebrated my Dad and nephew's birthday! What a special day that they share the same birthday! For a birthday present we gave my nephew his very own pecan tree! Celebrating his third birthday with his very own pecan tree is even more special because all of the trees in our orchard were planted when his daddy was three years old! What a fun right of passage for this little boy - especially since he got to help plant it!

 My sister-in-law made this AWESOME carrot cake for their birthdays! I just love this picture of the two boys blowing out their candles!

What a great weekend full of wonderful food and special times!

August Days

I guess you can say that Summer is officially over. The days are getting shorter, Summer Beach Music Concerts are over and Dance has started back. I was able to cram a lot into these past few weeks! In fact, I was out of town every weekend in the month of August! Below are few glimpses of what kept me busy! 

The last week of July we made a trip to my Grandma's farm in South Georgia for a family reunion. This year her farm had watermelons! You could see watermelons as far as the eye could see! It was such a fun treat!

In August, Jamie and I roadtripped-it to Wilmington to visit another college friend Allison. We had a great time relaxing on the beach and showing Wrightsville Beach what it's like to have some pirates come to town!

Last weekend I made a trip to Southern Pines, NC to visit my college roommate Alyssa! We had the best girls day! We ate lunch Betsy's Crepes in downtown Southern Pines, went shopping in the fun boutiques, enjoyed iced coffee, did a little geocaching, got pedicures, had dinner in the famous town of Pinehurst and went out for a much needed night on the town! It was the perfect girls weekend! 

I have a few more fun things up my sleeve for the upcoming weeks, but my days are definitely becoming slower now that Fall is quickly approaching! Stay tuned for what's to come in September!

Summer Days Flying Away

This Summer is going by way to quickly! Not teaching dance at night means I have been filling my nights with fun-filled activities. Here are a few snapshots of what this summer has been all about so far!

Ready for the fireworks to begin July 4th!

 Fun afternoons at the pool includes getting matching patriotic tattoos on July 4th!

 Great nights with fun friends!

 Wind Down Wednesdays full of Beach Music at Waverly Place!

Cherishing the moments when friends come in town to visit! 

 Celebrating Birthdays!

I can't wait to see what the last few weeks of Summer will bring.

Country Music Summer Nights

Summer nights. I just love them! Especially when there is country music involved. This weekend I went to the Chase Rice concert at local Raleigh bar called City Limits. What a fun night! Chase Rice is not on the mainstream radio just yet, but stay tuned because he is about to explode! He is a former football player for UNC and is now a country music singer/songwriter. Chase is currently well-known for writing the song by Florida-Georgia Line called "Cruise." I've been a fan of Chase for the last year, and I highly recommend downloading his album "Dirt Road Communion" if you are a country music fan. His concert was high-energy and you can tell he just loves to perform. Go check him out - you'll be glad you did!

You know me ... I was able to find a way to get a picture with him!  Can't wait to see him in concert again!