Pirates in Tampa - Gasparilla 2014

I know that I have a love for pirates. My football team mascot, the historic pirates like Blackbeard who left their buried treasure on the North Carolina coast, the Pirates of the Carribbean  and especially Jack Sparrow. However, I have never been introduced to the pirates in Tampa, Florida... until this year! Every year Tampa celebrates the pirate Jose Gaspar at the Gasparilla Festival in January. This year I went, and what fun it was! I went to visit my cousin, Alyssa, who lives in Tampa. We got to watch the Gasparilla Pirate Ship invade the city full of pirates! The cannons and guns were very loud as they invaded the city. Following the pirate ship were hundreds of boats entering into the Bay to throw down their anchors and have a great time socializing on their boats. 

After the invasion of the Gasparilla we went to the parade. The parade route is over four miles long (twice the length of the Raleigh Christmas Parade that I am used to walking) and attended by over 300,000 people! There were a lot of people watching the parade and catching beads. 

 

It was very refreshing to leave the 19 degree temperatures in North Carolina and spend a weekend in Tampa with temperatures in the 60's. With the sun shining and pirates everywhere I turned, I can safely say that Tampa gave me a great weekend! 

2013 Comes to a Close

2013 has officially come to a close. December finished with some fun memories! There were Christmas parties...

A visit to the PNC Arena to watch my Pirates loose to the Wolfpack in basketball.. 

A family celebration of Christmas at the Farm...

And ringing in the New Year with great friends in Apex! 

Cheers to a special 2014! 

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!