Checking In

A catch-all, catch-up post

There are 1,133 posts filed in Checking In (this is page 27 of 114).

Enjoying the Outer Banks

We’re halfway through our vacation to Nags Head and the Outer Banks and have had a load of fun so far. If you asked the kids they would say that simply riding the waves has been their most favorite activity but we’ve done far more than that.

Sunday night upon arriving, we unpacked, made dinner, fixed our beds, and settled in for the night.

We spent Monday morning on the beach, riding waves, building sandcastles, and simply relaxing. In the afternoon Kelly went for a 4+ mile run and I went for a 17 mile bike ride. We had hauled our bicycles down with us to the detriment of our gas mileage. So far I’m the only one who’s ridden one. We hope to get the family out on a bike ride tomorrow, weather permitting.

Monday afternoon the kids took a nap in preparation to see the play The Lost Colony. When they awoke, we made dinner and drove to Manteo for the show. It was the first time I’d seen it and I enjoyed it, though the kids were fading as it ran a bit long.
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Nags Head

We spent the day yesterday packing for a week at Nags Head and got here around 5 PM yesterday. We’re staying at the “Serenity” beach house in shouth Nags Head, specifically at 10113 S. Colony South Drive. It’s a huge beachhouse. We’re not even using half of the bedrooms in it.

We brought our bikes on this trip, to the detriment of our minivan’s gas mileage. It was worth it, though, as there’s a long sidewalk/walkway just outside the house that runs for miles in either direction.
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Minivan still has some uses

I’ve been griping about our Honda Odyssey minivan lately: the lousy transmissions, the poor gas mileage, and the difficulty parking it, among others. I’ve been suggesting to Kelly that we could get by with something smaller and more environmentally friendly but she’s reluctant to part with it. She says we need it for trips but I contend we can rent a minivan for trips if we need one. I challenged her to drive it for a month and see if she still felt that way and Kelly took me up on it.

Yesterday the minivan’s value proved itself in an unexpected way when I got to play hero. On the way home from the kids’ pool party, Travis and I drove past my local bus stop. Standing there by the side of the road was a couple and five elementary school age kids. Clouds were gathering, thunder rumbled in the distance, and the first few drops of rain were beginning to fall. The father desperately waved at me as I drove by, trying to get a ride. I couldn’t stop for him then because I was driving our smaller Honda CR-V and only had one empty seat to share.

I quickly dropped Travis off at home, hopped into the Odyssey, and returned to pick up the stranded family. Two kids had to share one bucket seat but everyone got safely delivered to the local motel where they were staying! I was glad I could help and glad we still had a vehicle that was big enough to come through for some strangers in a pinch.

Rejuvenated

Last night I went to bed with some weighty questions on my mind, like how people could gleefully embrace discrimination the way they did yesterday. It seriously bummed me out. As I fell asleep I pondered what kind of world I was living in, and whether it made sense to hitch a ride with the next passing spaceship if there were no intelligent life left on Earth.

The Universe must have been listening because when my eyes popped open today I felt fantastic. I had an inspired morning, full of laughter and joking. It was just what I needed.

I don’t recall any particular dream or message from overnight, but I did get the reassurance I needed. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and everything will work out. Message received.

Mad Cow Disease

My neighbor knocked on the door a few weeks ago and gave me some very disturbing news. She had come to tell me she would be out of town because one of her relatives was sick. She said one of her in-laws (I forget the exact relation) was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or the human form of Mad Cow Disease.

She said this man had visited her in Raleigh for June’s Race For The Cure and complained about losing the feeling in his arm. Very soon afterward, he lost the ability to move his entire side. Doctors initially thought he had had a stroke but my neighbor’s daughter is a veterinarian and wasn’t convinced with that diagnosis. She urged that he get a second opinion and as such they found a doctor who willing to consider the CJD diagnosis.

According to the news reports, only one in a million Americans will succumb to this devastating disease each year. It’s a shame my neighbor’s relative appears to be one of them, and it all happened so terrifyingly fast.

I wasn’t aware that this disease was still afflicting Americans as I hadn’t heard much news about it. Looks like I was wrong.

Dragonflies

It makes me glad to see a lot more dragonflies flying around my yard. I’m not sure what has brought them to our little abode but I’m happy they’re around. In addition to other insects, Dragonflies eat mosquitoes, of which my yard has plenty. I hope these dragonflies get fat and happy on all the ‘skeeter snacks they pluck from my yard.

Sweetie weekend

Atop Hanging Rock

Kelly and I have enjoyed a wonderful “sweetie weekend” hiking around Hanging Rock State Park in Danbury, NC, after Kelly took the kids up to stay with Kelly’s parents for a few days. We boarded the dog Saturday morning and headed west, stopping by the Tanger Outlet mall to get a few clothes. Then we headed up to Hanging Rock to spend the first of two days hiking around this beautiful park.

Upon arrival at the park’s visitor center, Kelly asked the park ranger what trails he suggested. Peering around the room, the ranger noted there were no kids in tow and suggested we try one of the more strenuous trails: Moore’s Wall Loop Trail. We took that advice and set off for the trailhead near the lake’s bathhouse.

Moore’s Wall Loop Trail is a challenging hike in one direction and not so much the other. We opted to go counter-clockwise towards the highest point in the park, Moore’s Knob, and that proved to be a very tough climb! It was step after step for what the ranger said was 700 steps until reaching the base of the lookout tower on Moore’s Knob.
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Slimming down without really trying

I could scarcely believe my eyes this morning when I stepped on the scale and registered 170 pounds even. It’s what I consider my ideal weight and about thirteen pounds below my highest weight.

I’d been noticing that my waist has been slowly slimming down, so much so that I’m able to wear pants I last wore ten years ago! My waist has dropped about two inches over the past year. The other times I’ve dropped down to this weight didn’t include the smaller waist so I’m hopeful this is a more permanent change.
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RCAC gets things done

Instead of a regular RCAC meeting, tonight we had a workshop and session away from the TV cameras. Turned out to be pretty productive.

Christine Dargas from the city’s Planning Department briefed (and I do mean briefed) us on major changes to Raleigh’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Lots of questions were raised and Christine answered as many as she could in the time we allotted her. The UDO is a huge beast of a document and 90 minutes is not nearly enough time to do it justice, so I hope to have a follow-on session sometime in the near future where we can get into more detail.
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