Missing airplanes, the Ebola outbreak, the rise of ISIS, rioting and police shootings – all were news headliners of 2014. With all this depressing news, it makes one ponder did anything good happen in 2014? While at times, 2014 did cast a dark cloud over the planet Earth, it did have some happy moments, as well. I came to the realization recently that I had not posted a blog in quite some time, and while a lot has been going on in my life, I decided that I should do a blog to recap 2014 since I failed to document much of anything that happened. So, here we go ...
January and February
Hello, 2014 and hello, Winter?!?! Ugh, my least favorite season because I don’t like cold. And what greets us in January and February but none other than cold weather AND snow!! Growing up in North Carolina, snow is not something we are used to, so when the snow starts to fall, utter chaos breaks loose – people raid the grocery stores for milk and bread (that still baffles me!), traffic snarls AND people resort to abandoning their vehicles and walking home. The one good thing about having snow is that we get to make a Southern delicacy known as Snow Cream! Most of my coworkers from the Northern states had no idea what in the world it was, but basically, snow cream is a version of ice cream that is made out of God’s gift of snow to us! Why waste the snow, right? So set out a bowl and collect some snow (or scoop it off a vehicle – nothing off the ground in case any critters turn the snow yellow!), add some condensed milk and eat – you can even add cocoa if you want chocolate flavored! Yummy!!! And when the sleds won’t slide on the snow (yes, I do have a Yankee Clipper even living in the South land), bring out your Dad’s old surfboard and use that to slide on – talk about a wild and fun ride! So even though it was a cold January and February, it was still rather fun to eat the snow cream and sled (though at 31, I think I learned that I can’t handle the sledding quite as well as I used to be able to!)
March
It wouldn’t be March without some March Madness,
would it? I always kick-start March
Madness with a trek over to Greensboro to take in a portion of the Women’s ACC
Tournament, and the 2014 tournament proved to be as exciting as it always
typically is. Sadly, I was only able to attend
the Saturday games, but they nonetheless proved to be powerhouse match-ups with the typical “battle
of the blues” between Duke and UNC, and a second match-up featuring NC State and
ACC newcomer Notre Dame. I was fit to be
tied in who I was going to cheer for – I couldn’t go wrong, unless of course
UNC won. So, I decided NOT to wear any
North Carolina team gear and go instead for the Irish!
Muffet McGraw led her undefeated Fighting Irish in to the ACC Tournament as
the regular season ACC Champions and she also carried the banner of ACC Coach of the
Year. The two games we saw were complete
opposites – Notre Dame dominated and obliterated the Wolfpack of NC State,
whereas the "blue" game was a very heated match-up that featured an astounding
come back from Duke to claim the win.
March Madness held true to its name because even the NCAA Championship
game featured a battle of two undefeated teams – UConn and Notre Dame. In the end, Notre Dame won the ACC Tournament
and UConn claimed its ninth NCAA Tournament.
What a fun month of basketball!
April
We welcomed a warmer April and spring with
glee! And, what better way than to start
off the climb of warmer temperatures and the blossoming of the spring buds,
than with a trip to St. Somewhere with Jimmy Buffett? I attended my first ever Jimmy Buffett concert
in 2014 in Raleigh. It was definitely an
eventful time. I don’t know what was
more exciting – the actual concert or watching the people make literal fools
out of themselves thinking they could actually swim like sharks in the grass? He definitely puts on a great show, but the
people are just so lost because of their extreme alcohol intake, it is almost
pitiful. So, it was a nice evening to spend in the
tropics with ‘ole Jimmy and the Coral Reefer girls! Then to make April even a little sweeter, why
not take an actual day trip down to the beach for the day? A ferry ride from Fort Fisher to Southport,
walking the streets of downtown Southport, eating at The Trolley Stop and Paddy’s
Hollow, as well as relaxing on the beach and watching a few weddings is a
definite way to unwind and relax. There’s
nothing quite like the sound of ocean waves, seagulls and sand in between your
toes. Ahhh… spring has sprung and the
fun had just begun!
"Somethin' 'bout a boat
Sittin' on the sea
Out there in the wind
Floatin' on the free
Take you 'round the world
Bring you back home
Bring you back home
Gives a man hope
Somethin' 'bout a boat"
May
May was a month of variety. We attended the annual NC Agricultural
Festival in Raleigh and took in a tractor parade. The highlight for me was sampling a variety
of North Carolina homegrown products and coming home with a three foot long bag
of kettle corn popcorn – yummy! For the
Memorial Day holiday, we took a trek over the hills to Tennessee for the BBQ and
Bluegrass festival in the Great Smoky Mountains. Of course, we ventured over to Dollywood and
spent a week roaming around the Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Townsend areas. What scenic beauty awaits you in Cades Cove
and I absolutely enjoyed my return visit to that area. One big highlight was travelling to Knoxville
to see Dolly Parton in concert in her home state at Thompson-Boling Arena on the
campus of the University of Tennessee (Go Vols!) She put on an incredible concert, as she is
by far one of the best music entertainers. My favorite was when came on stage dressed in Tennessee Orange singing “Rocky
Top” with the entire Vol Nation singing along!
Anytime you go over the hills to Tennessee, you are bound to encounter
some scenic beauty and a slower pace of a whole different, yet relaxing
lifestyle.
June
Hot fun in the summertime and nights at the ballpark are good ways to enjoy a lovely June. In early June, we took in a Durham Bulls
baseball game for a relaxing evening of fun and fellowship at the
ballpark. Celebrated Dad’s birthday on
the 13th and then Father’s Day a few days later, as well. I don’t think any of us ever envisioned that
this would be my Grandpa’s last Father’s Day with us. It was a year of new things for Father’s Day,
as Grandpa even tried out Uncle Louie’s Harley – I don’t think any of us ever
thought that we would see that happen.
But those are definitely memories that we will all cherish and hold dear
now that he has passed.
July
Sometimes
all you need is a day trip away with your family and even to take a walk down
memory lane. July was filled with
fireworks for the holiday, but also a wonderful day trip to the beach with my
parents. We took a walk down memory lane
and visited many of the sites I grew up vacationing at as a child. A big highlight was being able to see the
owner of the hotel we used to stay at as a child. I always adored staying at the Sand Castle
Inn in Kure Beach, and to see Mr. Teague once again made me realize how much I
miss those days of simplicity of walking up the street by myself to go get hot
dogs at the local station and not having a care in the world or worried about
someone snatching me. My, how times have
changed. But what a fun day at Fort
Fisher, Wilmington, Britt’s Donuts and so many other places!
August
2014 was
the year of concerts and August was the month of concerts. One of the best concerts I ever have been to
in my life was The Script and OneRepublic.
Our seats were eleven rows from the stage and both bands came down off
the stage and throughout the crowd. It
was an unbelievable experience and an amazing concert. They are two of my favorite groups ever and
that concert totally lived up to all my expectations, if not surpassed. Amazing!
Later in the month, we attended the REO Speedwagon and Chicago concert,
which was an overall decent show even though I spent most of it feeling very
under the weather. The rest of August
was either spent at the baseball park or at local beach music concerts
throughout the area with my family.
August was a musical month, which always pleases me!
September
In the
midst of college football season, we decide to take an early fall trip back to
Tennessee to check out the fall décor.
That is one of my favorite times of the year to visit the mountains as
so many areas are decorated in fall décor and the mountains are beginning to
show their foliage, as well. This was a
much needed vacation due to the stress brought on our family by a two week
extensive hospital stay and emergency surgery for my Grandpa. Sadly, at the age of 95, he passed away on September
12th. That was such a hard loss for me
personally, as it had been so long since I lost a grandparent. His memory will live on in our hearts
forever.
.jpg)
October
It’s the
most wonderful time of the year – and yes, it is only October! It’s time for the NC State Fair and I love
this time of year more than most other things.
I was so fortunate to receive two first place ribbons and one second
place ribbon in my scrapbook entries this year.
It was a fun year with way too much food ate, many rides ridden and of
course goodies that were bought. To top
of October, Sir Paul McCartney returned to North Carolina and we made haste to
Greensboro to see him in concert. He
never disappoints -- always a three hour concert that leaves you feeling on
cloud nine. Long live Sir Paul!
November
Happy
Thanksgiving from our family to yours!
It was a little difficult not having Thanksgiving at my Grandpa’s, but
Mom, Dad and I had a nice Thanksgiving lunch in Raleigh followed by some
shopping before returning home to spend time with some of my Mom’s family. It was a nice, simple day spent with those
who care about me the most. Oh and yes,
for what it’s worth, I did have a birthday this month, as well!
December
