Ever have one of those days that's just off? Yeah that's today. It's one of those days that make you feel like you weren't supposed to get up when you did, but you did in fact get up, so now everything is thrown off.
Because of a spontaneous meeting this morning, I was able to get my paperwork done earlier than usual which is good because it leaves my afternoon free, but also bad because...well, it leaves my afternoon free. Unfortunately my bad timing left me competing for the office computer, and launched me into a cranky mood for hours.
Now I hadn't gotten a call all day, and when I finally did, it happened to be A) when I was on the pot, or B) when I'm already on an important call, in the middle of a parking lot, with a leash in one hand and a huge stack of paperwork in the other. After that I stopped at Redbox to return my scratched rental that took me a good four hours to watch. Although I've been to that Redbox a dozen times in the past month with no more than a 5 minute wait, today the Redbox man was there with both machines open and unready for use.
I tell ya, my timing is just off. Today I was thinking, wow we've been in Charlotte almost a month and we don't have much to show for it. I have a gigantic list of things I want to see and do while we're living in NC and I've only done one or two of those things. That's pretty pathetic for a girl with 9+ hours of free time on her hands every day. So with some of that free time, and to combat the horror of my off day I compiled a smaller, more direct list of things Jason and I have to do in Charlotte before we return home to Utah.
More than a month ago I called Jason about getting tickets to see Usher in Charlotte. I had researched concerts in the area and was thrilled to find that he'd be right in our (future) hometown. We agreed we had to go. What an awesome show it would be. A month later our friends Sydney and Preston spotted Usher at the mall the day before the concert. I'd totally forgotten about getting tickets and now it was just too late to go. I was crushed!!
I'm not even going to mention that the PGA tour was right here in Charlotte, probably 15 minutes from our apartments. I heard about this within a few days of the tour, definitely not enough notice to go. What did I say about off timing??
Fortunately for me, Tiger was out with an injury and wasn't even able to attend this year's tour. Yeah he may be a lying, cheating scoundrel, but who wouldn't want to watch him in person??
But enough about regrets, on to the things I will see, and I will do.
This Sunday Jason and I are planning a trip to Carowinds, Charlotte's amusement park. Apparently Carowinds houses the Southeast's tallest, fastest, and longest coaster. Shoot, count me in! I'm all about amusement parks. Who doesn't love cotton candy, carousels and coasters?!
Another thing I'm dying to do is to hunt down a good old fashioned farmer's market and return home with buckets full of fresh produce. Sweet strawberries, crisp corn, red radishes, you name it! Doesn't that just scream summer? I've been crazy about fruits and veggies lately insisting we eat one or the other with every meal. What could come at a better time than the farmer's market!
I'm also on the lookout for a good flea market for some good vintage finds. Haven't seen one, but I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Just down the road from us is a good-sized nature preserve connected to the also good sized Lake Wylie. With few places to walk Ollie around our apartments, a nature preserve would be a fantastic plan for a Sunday afternoon. Last Sunday we discovered a really awesome "park" that seemed right out of a Nicolas Sparks book. Right on the other side of a tall group of trees was a sandy beach at the feet of the Lake, complete with geese in the water and sun setting orange. It was absolutely beautiful, and definitely a place we need to visit again.
Okay
Okay I absolutely can't wait to visit Charleston. A large colonial city with quaint houses and cobblestone streets just calls my name. I've heard the shopping is grand. But with a 3 and a half our drive each way, this may be a trip I'll have to bribe The Captain to make.
Ohmygosh the Queen's Cup Steeplechase. How bad do I want to go to this. Picture this: delicate hats, seersucker suits and Seabiscuit-ready horses all together in one Saturday racing event. I want to go soooo bad! When else would I get to see something like that??
One word: Mez. As we were exploring Epicenter, the center of uptown, quite obviously, we stumbled across an amazing restaurant that was all decked out for Easter brunch. I looked into it, as it looked quite fancy, and it turns out Mez is home to quite a few celebrity birthday parties/wedding luncheons/etc. It's won all kinds of awards for best this and best that, and the prices aren't all that bad! I told Jason that will be our reward one Friday night when we bring in an extra nice paycheck. ;)
Ah, the Bechtler. I hear this museum has an astonishing collection of 20th century art. The building alone will catch your eye, that is if the gigantic aztec bird sparkling outside wont. This would be a fun outing for a rainy day, or maybe just a boring Monday that needs some spicing up.
Isn't that an amazing picture?? The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden has acres of themed gardens and exotic plants and flowers. Complete with an Orchid Conservatory, this couldn't be a better place for pictures. I'd better not forget my camera!
So every summer the locals host the annual Charlotte Restaurant Week where upscale restaurants show off their best appetizers, entrees and deserts for a swingin' deal. Since anything involving food is fine with me, this is definitely something I'll be trying. It reminds me of my old days doing food reviews for the Dixie Sun. Shoot, maybe I'll do a food review of Restaurant Week on the blog. Bet I could score some good pics! ...and a few extra pounds! ;)
So long as I'm gaining weight, why not try the Taste of Charlotte, a food festival welcoming more than 150,000 people! Live music and fantastic food, say no more! I'm in!
This is cool. The Whitewater Center in Charlotte offers class 5 rapids, hiking, biking, and a thousand foot zipline! That sounds like a blast, especially in the 90 degree heat we're sure to get sometime soon. I haven't done something like that since youth conference at the Snake River, and that was one of the best times I've ever had. I've told Jason forever that we have to go white-water rafting one day. Well Jace, that day might just come sooner than you thought!
They always say you should write down your goals to ensure you reach them. So last summer I compiled a list of things I wanted to accomplish over my summer, then posted it to my blog for accountability. Then come fall I revisited that post and blogged again about my accomplishments with pictures, stories, etc.
This summer I'll do the same, but with the things I've done here in Charlotte. It's different now, my priorities. I still want to get things done, but mostly this summer I want to take advantage of the place I live. I doubt I'll ever live here again, so this is my chance. Anyone want to join me??
:)
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