Straight Pass to Heaven

Conor & I set off this morning to go see Conor's best friend Brendan at the APS of Durham 2010 Walk for the Animals. Brendan is an old foster dog of Nathan & Alyson's that was in love with Conor. The feeling was extremely mutual, Conor loved Brendan too. That made me seem like an evil wench for not adopting Brendan, but he is a very high maintenance dog, and with only one car and a bizarre schedule, it just wouldn't be fair to Brendan to be stuck at home all day. It all worked out though, because a wonderful family adopted Brendan, and they waited at the Walk so Conor and I could say hello - he remembered us! These aren't current, but come on - how could you not love this dog!


Brendan at last year's Walk for the Animals


Foster dog parents Alyson & Nathan


BFFs

After saying hi to Brendan, we headed over to the Durham farmers market since we were so close. We just browsed a bit. We were a little close to closing time, so we'll have to head back a little earlier next time. There is also a store called the Scrap Exchange that I've been wanting to check out, and we headed there next. Wow. That store is a hoarders dream. It's basically a random crap factory where you can go to find that doo-dad you were looking for. That's about the best I can do to describe it. I was bummed I forgot my camera. We decided to head home after that - we were hungry, and Conor was headed off to a game that afternoon. But on our way back to the car, I noticed Conor stopped to pick something up off the ground. Oh, it was no big deal, just a wad of cash someone had dropped - $91 to be exact.

Now, before I tell you what we did with the money, I want you to ask yourself what you would have done. And be honest. That's not just a couple of bucks, that's some serious cash.

We waited there for a few minutes debating what we should do, and I imagined that we would find someone running back to the spot, weeping, looking for their money, and as soon as they saw that we had it, they hugged us, treated us to lunch, and gave us a $20 as a reward! Yeah, that didn't happen. We finally decided to take it back to the car, and we were both pretty silent - I think we were both a little weary of just taking the money. That could have been some bad juju, and I was feeling guilty.

When we got back to our car, we decided that we should probably call the police just to see what the policy is on something like that. Conor called the Durham police, and they sent a cop our way. When he arrived, he first asked how much it was, and he told us that he probably would have just let us keep it, but that $91 was a bit much. Damn, what's the cut-off? Anyway, he took down our information, took the cash, and told us that we'll get a receipt in the mail saying we're the kind, thoughtful, amazing folks that turned it in. If no one claims it, then in a year, we might get a check in the mail for $91. Notice he said "might" - I think that means the money will magically disappear, but that's ok. I can sleep tonight, and Conor still likes me.

In hindsight, I kind of wish this post had been about the awesome things we bought with the black market moola. $91 would have made for a fun Saturday night, Conor & Cheryl style: dinner at PF Chang's and a bucket of popcorn to enjoy while seeing a movie in the theater. If anyone out there would like to commend us for our great act of kindness, feel free to send us cash and/or gift cards.

That Wasn't Really the Direction I Saw The Day Going...

I've been sick for about three weeks, but yesterday was the worst, and I knew I needed to do something about it. I haven't found a doctor out here yet, so I decided to head out to an Urgent Care. I've spent a lot of long days at Redmond Urgent Care, either getting my high school physical, or looking for a reason to miss a couple days of school. In college, I even went to our school's version of an Urgent Care when I broke my toe. In Redmond, you always bring a book. It doesn't matter how early you show up, there is always a wait - usually over 2 hours. So, on Friday as I headed to the Urgent Care after work around 1:30, I was definitely expecting to walk in there and have to wait for at least a couple of hours. Wrong - there were only 2 people in front of me, and one of them was actually just waiting to get her prescriptions - it was about a 20 minute wait! Although, had I known what was ahead, I may have wanted to have a longer wait.

As I went back there, the nurse took my height and weight (how rude) and my blood pressure, pulse and temperature. I'm not quite sure why, but every time I see the blood pressure machine, my heart starts to beat like crazy. I think I have a fear that the thing will only keep getting tighter and tighter until my arm pops off. I'm such a wimp. The lady came back over to check the machine when it was done, and her eyes kind of looked like this:



My pulse was through the roof, so I explained to her my insane fear of blood pressure machines, and she left the pulse machine on a little longer so it could level out. We got to chatting a bit, and it turns out she lived in Sammamish, WA for 10 years - her kids even went to Margaret Mead, which is very close to McAuliffe! Small world... She left because she hated the weather, I told her I wanted to leave because I hated the weather here. I don't think she liked me very much. The nurse took a swab of my throat to check for strep, although she told me it looked pretty bad in there. Gee, thanks - I thought so too!

Next up was the doctor. He walked in, asked me the standard questions about how I was feeling, and told me that my swab came back positive for strep. Yay. He told me he also wanted to give me a chest x-ray because of the cough I've had for 3 weeks. Yay again. He also told me that they would give me something here at the doctor's office to help with the crazy throat pain. If only I had known...

About 5 minutes later, the nurse came back in with a syringe. She told me she was going to give me the shot first, then we would go get those chest x-rays done. I said to her "Oh man, I really hate shots." to which she replied, "Oh, well you're really going to hate this one, because the shot is going in your butt." In my WHA!?!?

I flipped onto my stomach, got really light-headed, tried to figure out any option that would result in my not having a needle in my ass, and was trying to make jokes to ease the moment. I told you this nurse hated me - I think she was getting quite a thrill out of my anxiousness over the butt shot. Needle inserted. Not bad at first. Not bad when she took it out. But by the time I stood up to button up my dignity, holy butt pain. It hurt so bad.

Everything after that is sort of a blur. I got the chest x-rays from the x-ray machine circa 1972, waited for the x-rays to develop while sitting on the good cheek, talked to the doctor as he wrote out my prescriptions, sat in the waiting room to pay, called my mom on the way home to explain the events of the day, and got my prescriptions filled at good ol' CVS.

I can't say that anyone would really prepare for a butt shot to start their weekend, but I can honestly tell you that it still hurts. But I guess it worked - it took the focus off of my throat.

Dreams Do Come True

I feel that this blog post needs a bit of back story, so please bear with me.

I love Ree Drummond. You may know her as The Pioneer Woman. She wrote a cookbook. It's amazing. Buy it if you haven't already. After writing this cookbook, she decided to go on a tour around the country. Her first jaunt around the US didn't come anywhere near NC, so I just figured it wasn't meant to be. Then she decided to do a second tour, hitting 5 more cities which included Seattle and Charlotte. She didn't forget about me. She also didn't forget about Susie.

Ree went to Seattle first, back in April. Susie had a chance to meet PW then. It didn't work out. You should read that story here. Go do it. I'll wait.

Sad, right? Well, I had a similar dilemma - I almost didn't meet the Pioneer Woman either. Charlotte is 3 hours away, I had to work on Friday, and Conor is so busy at work that he wouldn't be able to come with me. Besides, there are some things in life that Susie and I are meant to do together. This is one of them. Same with teaching, although this is yet to happen as well. We will teach at the same school one day, and we will be an unstoppable force. I predict the next plateau school will be called Allison-Glassey Elementary School.

I set off to work on Friday unsure whether or not I would actually make the drive to see Ree. Conor was a real trooper. He assured me that 3 hours really isn't all that bad, that Ree would love to meet me, and that I would be extremely upset if I didn't go. So, off I went in hopes of arriving at the bookstore just minutes before the event was supposed to start.

As I walked up to the line, I heard quite a commotion so I looked up to the second story of the bookstore, and Ree was standing there taking a picture with her iPhone and she said "I'm twittering this" - I was in the photo!!! Very exciting.


See that blue blob in the right hand corner - that's me!

I walked up to the counter to receive my line ticket, to find out I was going to be there for a while...


Oh snap. Group Q. This might be a long night.

Ree started the event by saying hello and answering a few questions and answers about herself. I honestly don't remember many of the questions because I got strangely nervous to meet her. But I do remember her answering that Marlboro Man wears boxers. Hotsy-totsy.



She even did her Ethel Merman impression!

Once she got settled upstairs, I realized just how long this might take, so I was trying to think of something to do. I walked down to Starbucks to get a frou-frou drink. That only took up about 5 minutes. Then I called Susie and we chatted about what a travesty this was that we were thousands of miles apart on such a special occasion. I told her I would try and make a friend like she had in Seattle. Yeah, that didn't work. Everywhere I looked, there were groups of people. 2 friends dressed all cute holding their books. Groups of 3 chatting about their families. Moms and daughters bonding over Ree. And a few stragglers, like me. Although, they all seemed content to sit and not look over at me while I feebly attempted to "hit on" them. I'm no good at making new friends, I like the old ones.


See, these people all had each other.

I guess I was going to have to make my own fun.


Ah yes, my section. Love you Edward!


I spent most of my night here, on a tiny little bench reading Sh*t My Dad Says. It's pretty funny, actually. But then I thought about how depressing that was, reading by myself in a corner, so I walked around the bookstore a bit. I did a lot of walking.


I think this might be something you would only find in a North Carolina bookstore. Susie definitely didn't have this experience at her PW book signing.


Conor would have sat here the whole night if he had been able to come.

The letters slowly kept being called, but she finally called Q. It was my time. As I was walking up the steps, I started realizing that it really was a bummer that Susie wasn't going to be there. Separate, we're alright. But together, Ree would have invited us to the Lodge and would have realized that we were meant to be lifelong friends. I swear, I'm really not that creepy, I just wanted to share the moment! And then I started thinking about how I was going to get to meet her, and that Susie didn't. This was an opportunity that just couldn't be passed up. Now it was just a matter of if she was going to think that I was crazy. Once I reached the back of the line, I snuck a peak and saw her.


So close!

There was a group of 3 just in front of me, and Ree was chatting with them quite a bit - she ended up taking their picture and I'm sure they'll be on the blog later. I'm not in the military, and I didn't make an I "heart" PW sticker, so I didn't get my picture taken.

The couple just behind them brought her a bag of Honduran coffee because they just went on a mission trip themselves. Thoughtful.

The lady just in front of me was having a book signed for a wedding present. She barely said a word. I realized she might be nervous, and then that made me realize that I should probably be nervous too. Was she really going to do what I was about to ask? Oh man, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Then it was my turn. It's still a bit of a blur, but I do remember walking up there and not even saying hello. I just sat next to her and nervously started talking.

"I have sort of a strange request." - jittery Cheryl
"Uh oh, what's that?" - amazing Ree
"Will you write 'Suck it Susie' in my book?" - Cheryl, pondering if she actually just said that...
"I'm not even going to ask, I'm just going to go with it." - befuddled Ree
"She tried to see you in Seattle, but she had to leave because of a school function, and I she's going to flip-out when she sees this. Thank you so much!" - blushing Beaker
"I think this may be the first time I've ever written "Suck it Susie" in a book before!" - fantastically understanding Ree


If you look close enough, you can see me giggling while she is in the middle of writing "SUCK IT SUSIE"



I also asked her to sign my copy of Muriel's Wedding because it's also one of her favorite movies.


She signed "I heart T.C." on it too, Toni Collette is the best! I have to be honest here though, I think she just wanted to get rid of me at this point. I officially may have freaked out the Pioneer Woman. This is what I mean - Susie and I are meant to be together so we don't do stupid things like this while apart!


Ree and I together, future besties.

I still can't even fathom the night's events. Calling Susie afterward was the best, you'll have to read her story here about it.

Thank you Ree for a fabulous night - I was on such a high that the 3 hour drive at 10:30 at night didn't even phase me! Oh, and Susie - I got to meet her in person, so SUCK IT!

Dirty Myrtle

My Dad and Kathy have a timeshare in Myrtle Beach, SC and invited Conor and I to join them last weekend. We packed up Thursday night, went to work on Friday, and drove straight to SC. Friday night was pretty low-key since we got there so late. We ate an unfortunately not-so-great dinner at a restaurant called Chuck's. We were all hungry, and just wanted to find somewhere, and there is a Chuck's in Hawaii, but it just didn't quite stack up to that one. After dinner we played a round of Five Crowns, which I won, and went to bed.

Saturday morning started with a really fun walk down the beach - there isn't anything much better than walking barefoot in the sand. We talked about what to do that day, saw some cool shells and animals, and enjoyed the hot, but breezy weather. We decided then to walk around the city and see what Myrtle Beach has to offer. And that is what brings me to the title of this post. Wow, Myrtle is not quite the resort town that I think my Dad and Kathy are accustomed to after vacationing around the world and spending so much time in Hawaii. Dirty Myrtle has 3 main streets that all parallel each other, and they are unique in their own special, dirty way. There is one store that sells beach items and souvenir crap, and it is on every city block, but it has about 5 different names, and it's almost an adventure to see which one you will see next. Waves, Ocean, Eagles, Whales, and probably more. We spent most of the day walking down what a resort employee had told us was the boardwalk. He was wrong. It was one seedy, cheap motel after another. We stopped at Eagles for some air conditioning and so Kathy could do some shopping. Conor found a killer hat.


I love that the owner of this particular "enter beach-themed store name here" is just looking on.

Next we had some lunch, and drove to the actual boardwalk. I am SO glad we did. I'm predicting a 2013 Jersey Shore-style show in Myrtle Beach. Only way more skeezy. The boardwalk is where the Ripley's museum is - that is a reason to come back to SC, that kind of activity couldn't be fit into one weekend trip when you have the rest of the boardwalk to see!


Right in front of the Ripley's museum. I wish I could remember the song they were playing, I feel like it would add to this already glorious display of Ripley's.

On the boardwalk, there was lots of airbrushing stores, a store called the Gay Dolphin that I was scared to go into, and an arcade that we spent some time in. The arcade was awesome - we played some Skee Ball, this really fun baseball pinball game, and Kathy tried to win some stuffed animals. We also walked down Pier 14 for some photo opportunities and to watch people fishing off the pier.




After walking around the boardwalk, we drove back to the resort and spent some time at the pool before Conor and my Dad grilled some chicken for dinner. We watched a movie that night, and after looking at my awful sunburn, I decided it was best to sit in front of the fan for the rest of the night and cry myself to sleep. And to think, this was only the beginning of that burn. I'm an idiot.

On Sunday, we had a nice breakfast and Conor and I snuck away to check out the Kiss Coffeehouse and play some mini golf.

The Kiss Coffeehouse was in this weird little Hollywood district of Dirty Myrtle. There was the Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, and little shops that somehow related to Hollywood. We were just there for the Kiss Coffeehouse, so we snapped some pictures, Conor got some coffee, and we left. We easily could have stayed there all day. Conor ordered the frozen Rockuccino which had ice cream in it, and we bought Matt McGovern a bag of coffee too.





Conor and I really had our pick of the litter when it came to selecting a mini golf place, but Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Goff won the prize. First of all, what is goff? Am I missing something? And Mt. Atlanticus? The flyer said that the lost city of Atlantis arose out of the Atlantic ocean one day and landed right on Dirty Myrtle to produce the greatest mini golf game of all time. Good stuff. This is the first thing you see when you enter, good thing he was behind a cage!


I apologize in advance for this face. At the time, this was hilarious. At the time. You'll be seeing this face a few more times.


Yup.


Hilarious, no?


Don't worry, I think that's my last minotaur pose.


Sexy.


For the most part, the course was pretty easy. You can tell they put their money into the scenery and minotaur story, rather than the actual difficulty of their holes. Out of context, that could sound a bit gross.




Ew.


Should we have called animal control? Is mama duck's next litter of baby ducks going to be mutated and grow a third foot? Or will they all turn into baby minotaurs? That can't be healthy.


No! Conor, watch out!


Conor's attempt at the minotaur face. And a ride on a dodo bird of some sort.


Again, when you're by yourself, and you have a camera, sometimes you think pictures like this are a good idea. I'm pretending to stick my finger in his ancient Atlantis butt. Smooth, Cheryl.


This one was difficult. That's my ball to the right. It was supposed to go to the left.


This is the 19th hole - if you get a hole-in-one, you get a lifetime of free Minotaur Goff! There was a wall full of people that had made it in, but sadly, Conor and I did not get to add our faces. Our balls fell into the blue abyss.

After 18 holes of goff, I was VICTORIOUS with a score of 39 to 44. I rocked. I even got two holes-in-one. Conor usually wins, so this is definitely blog-worthy.

After our morning out, we headed back to the resort to hang with Dad & Kathy. It was so nice, but apparently I've decided that I can only get sunburnt in tropical places like Hawaii, so did I put on more sunscreen after getting back from mini golf? No. Should I have? Hell yes. Don't worry, I didn't take any pictures, but imagine what a lobster looks like, and that is what Conor and I looked like after a full day in the sun.

We first looked for my Dad and Kathy, but couldn't find them, so we decided to go play in the Atlantic Ocean! I love getting tossed in the waves. At first I wasn't planning on getting in, but Conor is persuasive. After that, we found Dad and Kathy and had some lunch before going down this slide they have at the resort. I'm pretty sure it is made for 10 year-olds, but my Dad, Conor & I had a blast! Kathy tried to take some pictures, but it's hard when the slide lasts 3 seconds, and you're already in the water before the picture goes off. We hung out in the sun for a bit before playing a game of shuffleboard. This message goes out to everyone I know. Shuffleboard is AWESOME! I hope to be 70, retired, and a shuffleboard master. That is now my life goal. Although the game took almost an hour, Conor and I won! If you're keeping score, Cheryl has been victorious all weekend. I'm just sayin'.

After shuffleboard, we cleaned up (which is where I discovered my lobster body) and decided to go out to a fancy dinner at a Myrtle Beach favorite called Thoroughbreds. Don't worry, they don't serve horse. This steak was a bit better than Chuck's, Conor had the duck, Kathy had grouper, and Dad had the rack of lamb. We came back to the hotel to play a game of Trivial Pursuit - Beans vs. Spouses. Dad and I won, and although my Dad answered most of the questions for us, I answered the final winning question - a first! Again, victorious Cheryl. We played one more game, one my Dad is very good at because he is the crossword King, and although I was ahead most of the game, he won in the end. Quiddler is a good word game, if you're in the market for one (Five Crowns was really fun too.)

We headed off to bed so we could pack since Conor and I had to leave in the morning, and doused ourselves with Aloe Vera. This is usually extremely painful because I like to put it in the refrigerator and then torture myself with the cold gel, but we bought a spray bottle of Aloe. Genius. You thought spray suntan lotion was cool, just wait until you try this stuff!

We had a great time - thanks Dad and Kathy for spoiling us with such a fun weekend!

Motivation

I'm posting these pictures as my motivation to use our tax refund. And let's talk about what an adult purchase Conor and I made using our tax refund. A treadmill? Really? We're still in our 20s. It should have been a PlayStation 3 and as many games as we can get our hands on. Oh well. I guess when we're in our 40s we'll have a mid-life crisis and buy a Lamborghini. Well, a toy one that we can put together ourselves, of course. We're a journalist and a teacher here, people. I'm not sure we'll even be able to afford the model car.

Well, that got out of hand quickly. Here are pictures of the treadmill. Hopefully I will soon be showing pictures of our hot bods. And no, I will not be posting my weight and telling you how much I'm losing . I have no major goal. My goal is to use it. How's that for a goal.


Right next to the TV and a fan. Probably the only logical place to put it, I wouldn't use it otherwise.


I hope to upload videos to youtube someday of either my dog or child doing something HILARIOUS with this.


It's actually pretty awesome - tracks all the good stuff AND has an iPod hookup with speakers!

Wish me luck! Or rather, make me accountable!