Tuesdays

I hate Tuesdays!  Anyone else feel the same?  In my (very) humble opinion, it is the worst day of the week and this is why:

Sunday: weekend day.  Enough said.

Monday: you're coming down off the weekend high so life is a little more bearable.

Wednesday: halfway there and it'll be the weekend!

Thursday: practically Friday.

Friday: at 5pm, you're free!

Saturday: weekend!  And when you go to sleep?  You'll wake up with it still being the weekend (that is why Saturday is the best day).

Tuesday?  Nothing good (except The Mindy Project...that is the only redeeming part of Tuesday).  The previous weekend already feels so far in the past and the next weekend feels like it's so far away that you'll never make it.  I hate Tuesdays.  Whenever something bad happens to me and I realize that it's happened on a Tuesday, it reinforces my (totally justified) hatred of Tuesday.  Nothing good ever happens on Tuesday!  (Watch my actual birthday to have fallen on a Tuesday... How foolish I will feel...nope, I checked, it was a Friday.  Wait... Watch PJ have been born on a Tuesday...nope, it was a Wednesday - now you're all checking what day of the week you were born on so you can make me feel guilty, right?).  Whenever I hear Juicy by Notirious B.I.G. and he sings 'birthdays was the worst days', I take out 'birthdays' and replace it with 'Tuesdays' in my head.  Tuesdays was the worst days.  

Anyway!  Since being in Myrtle Beach, I have joined a yoga studio very close to our apartment (door-to-door is about a 3 minute walk).  My first yoga studio in Vancouver was called Sanga Yoga and boy, oh boy, did I love it!  When I met my favourite teacher there, Jacqui, she told me I looked like a 'Julie' because I looked kind (compliments will get you everywhere!).  It was a small studio in Dunbar that was pretty grungy - it was very hippie and I felt pretty at home (my inner hippie came out!).  They always had something to think about during class - something to mull over.  Sometimes it was hokey but sometimes it was something I needed to hear so I beared the hokey to get to the 'profound'.  They closed and I was pretty bummed out.  My good friend, Carey, started working at YYoga and gave me some free passes to try it out.  I have to say I was pretty intimidated to go from a hippie, grungy studio to a fancy-pants studio like YYoga where all the women wore lululemon [who am I kidding?  I am one of them ... In my defence, lulu makes (made?) some very smart clothing where you would think 'huh, I never would've thought of that detail but it may have changed my life for the better (cuffins.  Cuffins made morning runs in the winter infinitely better)].  And it was super different - YYoga was very spa-like and mainstream.  There was no 'ohm' at the end of class.  And there wasn't really a 'message' from the class which I missed.  I didn't really have a problem with the switch - it was nice to go to such beautiful studios and it felt a bit more 'me' (what can I say?  I like creature comforts!  But there was much more a sense of community at Sanga).  The yoga studio here is nicer and not as grungy as Sanga because it's in a new building - the furnishings are shabby and it's nowhere near as nice YYoga!  They also advertise for some weird things... Having your aura read (no thanks!), ear acupuncture (again, not for me!), kirtan and gong meditation (wait...what?!) - all things that make me go 'huh?!  I'm only here for the stretching!'.  They have a boutique and bring in homemade food from local people that they sell.  I would say it's pretty hippy!  But I found a teacher that I like so I try to make it out to her class.  Hot flow, regular flow, and...story time yoga on Tuesday!  

Story time yoga sounds a bit funny.  But I love it.  It is a 'restorative' yoga so it's me and a bunch of old people.  Poses last a long time.  10 minutes each?  Possibly more.  Time gets away from me in that class.  The poses are different too - they never hurt and you use a ton of props to you're not pushing yourself (okay, I always fail on not pushing myself).  And my favourite teacher, Pam, reads us a story.  It is so nice.  I wear comfy clothes - a big soft sweater and my compression socks plus yoga gear (it is so slow that I realized I was too cold in just a tank top after the first class).  I almost fell asleep today.  So much so that I couldn't figure out where I was for a few moments when I came to for the next pose.  It feels like a big nap time.  And it gives me something to think about.  Sometimes, it is too hippy for my taste but sometimes it is just what I need to hear.  Pam finished class today by saying something to the effect of 'you can't control other people, you can only control your reaction to them and it is best to choose to react with compassion' - something I have heard many times before but something I really needed to hear today.  So I take the hokey to get the things I need a gentle reminder about.

And, dare I say, story time yoga makes Tuesdays slightly more bearable.  It is the second best part of the day (Mindy is always #1).

(Adding to my Terrible Tuesday justification: I sliced my finger while cutting carrots, I had some chicken explode in the microwave, I got some glass stuck in my foot, and I set off the smoke alarm.  *shakes fist at sky* TUESDAY!!!!!!)

Valentine's Day in Chapel Hill

This Valentine's Day was the best!  Well, every Valentine's Day with PJ is the best but this one was exceptionally great.  

In Vancouver, we would normally go out for Valentine's Dinner to the Fish House in Stanley Park.  This was due to PJ not making dinner reservations very far in advance on our first Valentine's Day (the planner in me shudders - I booked his birthday dinner months in advance!) and the Fish House was one of the few places left with availability (I had wondered why we went out for dinner was so late!).  That, coupled with the fact that he could make reservations online, made the Fish House our go-to Valentine's Day dinner spot.  Well, seeing as our annual trip to the Fish House came a little early this year (with 40 of our nearest and dearests - get it?!  I'm talking about our wedding!) and it would've been a long commute, we did something a little different.

I really wanted to get out of town and go to a big city.  We really liked the Raleigh/Durham area when we were there for the Canucks game so that settled it.  PJ found an amazing hotel and I had been counting down the days until we could leave!  

I woke up in the morning and got to work on bringing a bit of Vancouver to PJ.  You know what that means - Dutch baby time!  Judy gave me the recipe (I guess I can get the family secrets now that I'm family!) and while it wasn't as good as the ones she normally makes, I was pretty happy with my first attempt:

(Bryan, you should really try this next time - it is a giant Yorkshire pudding.  It's what dreams are made of, I promise).

Now for his gift.  PJ has really liked a college football team since we've been down here: The South Carolina Gamecocks.  It upsets me to even write it out.  He giggles like a little boy when he talks about them or says 'Go Cocks!!!!' (I am so sorry on his behalf).  And I think the word 'obsessed' comes to mind when I think about the people down here and their Gamecocks (I'm sorry again).  The former controller at the office just has a license plate that says 'COCKS' on it - I think PJ's respect for him grew about tenfold when I pointed that out.  I also couldn't figure out why an older gentleman at the office had 'Sandstorm' as his ringtone...until someone told me it's the song that the Gamecocks played while they ran onto the field.  When we were in Charleston, PJ forgot to bring a hat (convenient) and needed to buy on so as not to get a sunburn.  He got a Gamecocks hat.  Again, I am sorry.  He was pretty happy with it.

So for my gift, I decided I would get him a Gamecocks shirt.  He wanted one every time we were at the store.  I figured my gift was mainly giving my 'blessing' to wear said shirt.  A few days before Valentine's Day, he asked me if I got his gift from Target - that is the kind of high-end establishment that sells Gamecocks memorabilia (side note: I remember him telling me on our first date that he found Italian clothes and shoes were a better quality and he was buying more of them - I thought he was too fancy for me... I no longer think that!).  Unfortunately, the shirt was too tight so he couldn't wear it right away (not on purpose, I am not that smart!).

After PJ had his breakfast and opened his present, we headed off on the road!  So you know what that entails: a podcast (him) and a nap (me).  We ate breakfast late so we didn't go to Five Guys for lunch.  We got to Durham and headed to Nordstrom to go to their Bistro.  It tasted just like the Seattle bistro that I often go to with my aunt; I am loving anything that reminds me of home.  We shopped around for a bit (the Microsoft store still does not have a band for me!) and headed to the hotel.

Wow.  That hotel.  Just wow.  It may have been the nicest place that I ever stayed.  It is called the Carolina inn and is owned by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (not my photo - mine didn't turn out as well!).

The inside was wonderful.  So tastefully decorated (with a lot of UNC blue - once I found out what that was, the colour scheme made a lot more sense!).  It was just incredibly comfortable and welcoming.  Our room was so cute - I could've lived there.  Everything was in dark wood and it had a beautiful armoir.  I found a picture online of what it sort of looked like (minus the armoire):

Up to this point, I haven't mentioned that it was cold.  It was FREEZING.  I didn't want to leave again but PJ had made dinner reservations so off we went!  But not before taking a peek at the room service menu!

We went to a cute little restaurant in Mebane (a suburb) - it was about 25 minutes from the hotel.  I got a carrot and ginger soup to start while PJ got a chef's salad - the soup heated me up!  For dinner, PJ got the shrimp and grits (the grits were much better than past ones I tried) and I got the beef tenderloin. It was very nice!  But... I had my heart set on something from the room service menu for dessert... And things worked in my favour!  It was windy!!!  With gusts up to 55 mph!  Those gusts knocked the power out before we finished and they had to close the restaurant!  So back to the hotel we went (encountering some fallen branches along the way!).

I had gotten some new pajamas that I was so excited to bust out: pink flannel with yellow ducks!  (They also say 'I love my PJ('s)' on the inner waistband - appropriate, right?).

There was nothing nicer than getting in from the blustering cold, changing into new flannels, and watching a movie/reading a book in bed. 

Except.  It got better.  The room service menu had cookies and milk!!!  We had to get that (I love cookies and milk...even if milk before bed tends to give me funny dreams!).  We also got a banana crunch cake with almond ice cream.  It was so good that we didn't even manage a picture before it was gone!

The cookies (mostly) made it for a photo!  Two lemon ones and a chocolate chip toffee - yum!!!  (You can see the remnants of the banana cake on pj's lap).  

The next morning I needed a Starbucks.  I guilted PJ into going with me which doesn't sound like that big of a deal but... -9 but felt like -17 with the windchill.  And he didn't have a coat... And I made us walk 10 minutes in the wrong direction before he realized.  Whoops.  I told him he could stay at the hotel when we walked past but he was a trooper.  He got a chai tea latte to warm himself up while I got my caramel macchiato (side note - I don't need to ask for extra caramel down here.  America: 1; Canada: 542).

We got back to the hotel, packed, and headed back to the mall.  This time was for PJ so he could get some Cheesecake Factory!  

We headed back to MB after lunch.  It was a pretty great weekend.  But most of the ones we get to spend together are!  It was a pretty memorable first Valentine's Day as the newest McKnight's!  Next year?  Fish House!

I have a theory...

On why Americans think that Canada is SO cold.  Granted, a lot of the country is normally VERY cold in the winter but I'm a Vancouverite and (in my very humble opinion) it doesn't get very cold there!  I've had countless people tell me that I must be used to the cold because I'm from Vancouver, Canada.  And boy, oh boy, has it been cold here!  It was -7 when we left for work this morning but it felt like -16 with the wind.  I am not built for these temperatures and my poor PJ doesn't even have a real coat here (and yet... I bought him a really nice, warm one for Christmas...).

Anyway!  Back to my theory: the reason that Americans think Canada is so cold is because we're speaking in Celsius and they're hearing us in Fahrenheit!  That is my completely uneducated theory.  But guys!  I am pretty sure I'm right in this.  

We got back from the tri-cities last weekend (later post on that!) and were taking the elevator back to our floor with another lady from the building.  I was making pleasant chit-chat with this lady in the elevator and said 'it was so cold in Durham - it was -9 and felt like -16!'  She looked at me with disbelief until PJ interrupted and said 'No, no it felt like 2'.  I didn't understand what he was saying because a Canadian 2 (Celsius) would've felt balmy.  But then he reminded me that it was 2 Fahrenehit. Duh.  Not a bright girl.

I get the miles to kilometres.  I can somewhat understand that conversion.  But degrees?  I just can't wrap my mind around it.  And, just maybe, I don't want to understand! 

I'm pretty stubborn in my decision to stay Canadian while we're down here.  I continue to stick 'u's' in all the words that I can (coloUr, favoUr).  I have shown people pictures of what our smarties look like versus theirs (theirs are like our rockets).  I have not gotten a blizzard because it was a Heath versus a skor (okay, this almost happened.  It was more the service at DQ sucked so I went to a cold stone instead and had a Heath ice cream there.  But I wasn't happy about the Heath.  Ask PJ.).  I continue to call my cold-weather hats (totally necessary in -9 down here even though I was 'ridiculed' for bringing it with me... You know who you are...Judy!) toques versus the American 'beanies'.  I point out everything we do differently in Canada ('a senior?  We don't have those in Canada' 'prom?  We don't have those in Canada').  Actually, when I think about it, I have become rather obnoxiously Canadian.  Mostly. I haven't used any 'eh's'. And, much to my chargrin, I have picked up on 'y'all' and 'lordy'.  You can start making fun now.  

I just really have become so much more appreciative of Canada and the values we have up there.  Health care.  Statutory holidays.  More vacation days.  Maternity leaves (it's 6 weeks down here and is considered a 'disability').  I have always considered myself a pretty conservative Canadian (go Harp-dog!) but down here I feel so liberal.  So I just keep my mouth shut.  Unless, of course, I am pointing out a Canadian difference (which really sounds rather American of me...I do realize the irony in this).  But honestly?  This whole experience has me so unbelievably proud to be a Canadian.  And for a lot more than just gold metals in Winter Olympics and some good tennis players.  

And let's be honest, Celsius just makes way more sense than Fahrenheit. (Really. 0 should be freezing.  Not some arbitrary 32.).

(This is no way a dig at America - lots of family members are American and I do like America. But I LOVE Canada.). 

Possibly the Best Wedding Photo Ever

A Pretty Good End to My Crappy Day

So after my crappy day (see earlier post), I was getting ready to go to sleep.  PJ had come home and I was in my milk and cookie pajamas (PJ + pj's = my happy place!) getting into bed when all of a sudden my good friend, Alli, wanted to chat.

I met Alli back in university when we were in the same sorority together.  She didn't join KKG until later (she actually was at Herstmonceux Castle with PJ in her first year in England but they didn't know each other but how bizarre is that?!).  We didn't become good friends right away but I distinctly remember seeing her out at the bar the first year she was in Kappa and when I asked her if she wanted a ride home, she told me she rode her bike so she would be able to drink (the next time you see her, you should ask her about how the ride home went, it's pretty funny).  I started noticing that she was in some of my classes (shout out to all history majors!) and she was pretty cool.  The following summer, I remember being at recruitment retreat on Bowen Island - if you know me at all, you know that I can't stay up late and normally am the first to fall asleep...this has always been the case and I get very grumpy when I get woken up (ask PJ, I inadvertently have given him some pretty dirty looks if he wakes me up when we're sleeping...and may have told him that it was really 'poor' when he has taken the comforter I was using, whoops!) - anywho!  I was in the 'early sleepers' area when I found out that Alli's dad was the consulate general for Canada in Los Angeles while she was in high school.  This was pretty cool for two reasons: 1) she had diplomatic immunity which was intriguing; 2) SHE WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH THE OLSEN TWINS!  (I am actually 16 year-old girl - I blame that for my Pretty Little Liars viewing!).  I made her tell me stories about her life in LA and it was pretty cool.  And from that point on, she became one of my favourite people!

We lost touch for a bit after university  - I was in a pretty low place, stuck at a job that I really hated while commuting to downtown from Richmond.  I made the choice to start working towards my accounting designation and went back to UBC to get my accounting diploma.  When I started working downtown again, I was much happier - I had a job I loved and finally moved out on my own for the first time.  And Alli and I reconnected!  I decided to move from my apartment in the West End to a smaller apartment in a more central location.  Yes, I traded a one-bedroom for a studio but, more importantly, I traded shared laundry (which I never used and instead took clothes to Aunty Donna's) for IN-SUITE laundry!  Shortly after, Alli's roommate moved out and she moved into the apartment directly above mine!  I would run up the fire stairs in my pajamas to hang out with her, eat ice cream and watch Law and Order: SVU.  She would bring me a cupcake every time she baked (which is how she earned the nickname 'Cupcake' from a friend of mine at work who needed a way to distinguish all the names of my friends!).  We had some pretty good times together!  And we were both in post-degree programs at the same time so she understood the life of working and studying.  We would go for ice cream or Starbucks walks together.  I remember thinking (and expressing to Alli) that I would never find someone special - I remember clearly being in the Marble Slab in the West End with Alli and her saying 'I don't know when it is going to happen but I promise you that it will!'.  I didn't really believe her at the time but I am so glad that PJ was at the end of that road for me!  She has brought this up to me several times since...most recently on our wedding day.

I am horrible with tangents.  But I think back stories are important.

During the few years that Alli and I lost touch (between university and CGA), she met a boy: Tiernan.  Tiernan is a pretty awesome guy.  He is super kind and generous and easy to get along with.  Basically, the perfect guy for Alli who deserves nothing but the very best!  He is always the first to laugh in a situation which is pretty crucial because I love making people laugh!  I always tried to get my parents cabin in Point Roberts for a long weekend in the summer.  Alli and Tiernan normally come visit when I do.  When I first started talking to PJ, he took a long time to reply to my messages which confounded me!  We started talking in the summer and he wouldn't reply for a week or so!  Tiernan and Alli were at the cabin with me over a no-reply weekend and helped me (over) analyze PJ's lack of response.  Tiernan told me he was probably just busy.  I later found out that PJ was, in fact, just busy (on trips to both PG and NY).  Any guy that can put up with two girls analyzing another guys actions and contribute to said overanalyzation?  Well he's just a-okay in my books!  And now those long weekends consist of the four of us!

Through the years, Alli has become a really dear friend (and I'm pretty convinced we're somewhat related because her step-grandfather's last name is Thomas).  She is so loyal and kind and generous.  And I was so happy last November when she FaceTimed me to say that her and Tiernan were  engaged!  I couldn't think of a better pair and we can't wait to celebrate them properly on August 5th where we will be attending their wedding at the Sandals Resort in Ochos Rios!

This all leads up to me getting on a FaceTime call with Alli.  Despite being in my pajamas and having, what I call, 'flock of seagulls' hair [(which happens after I have pinned my bangs up to wash my face (if you're lucky, you might see a photo of this at some point)].  I had a feeling I sort-of knew what she wanted to talk to me about so I was pretty excited to talk to her!  She asked me to stand up with her at her wedding and be a bridesmaid.  I couldn't say yes fast enough!

I am so excited and so grateful to have a friend as wonderful as Alli!  I cannot wait until August 5th and to spend a whole week celebrating her and Tiernan in Jamaica.  It'll pretty awesome.

The whole thing made me think about how lucky I am.  I have also had the pleasure to be a bridesmaid for my dear friend Vivian a few years ago.  True friends are not always the easiest thing to find and I'm lucky to count both Alli and Vivian as ones!  

And, just like that, the past 24 hours were forgotten!

Missing Vacouver

Mostly these three monkeys:

It's kind of a wonder how fast they found a place in my heart and now I don't like being so far away!  (It kind of hurt my heart a little when some boots I was going to give them as hand-me-downs did not fit because they were TOO SMALL!  This happened in a month.  Imagine what will happen in ten more months?!  I did not say this was okay).

January Reads

In an effort to keep reading consistently (gosh, I ALWAYS use an 'a' instead of an 'e' in 'consistently' - always!  My old boss, Tiff, used to shout out of her office at me in the good ol' BoPiz days when she would read my financial statement comments: 'Jules, consistent is with an 'E'!!!!!!'  I think it actually drove her a bit nuts.  Mental block on my part!), I am hoping to post my reads here.  I seem to go through spurts and stops with reading.  But I love reading when I'm doing it!  I just find that I can be uninspired on what to read next.  And this should help me remember what I've read over the course of the year for the NYE questionnaire.  I always just seem to be able to remember the last book I've read which is never my favourite and I always feel silly for that.  And maybe you'll want to read some of these too (or, you're welcome for saving you!).

The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling):

I accidentally read this book first instead of the Cuckoo's Calling.  The whole time, I kept wondering what they were referencing in the past!  When I finally looked up the order of the booksonline, I was already too far in to stop.  It feels like I read this forever ago but it was just the beginning of January - which was kind of an entire lifetime ago.  In my opinion, JK Rowling does character development super well.  It was the best part of the Casual Vacancy (which I hated because I felt like the ending was rushed and didn't satisfy me - kind of like when my favourite TV shows end without notice and I don't get closure!  Hello Gilmore Girls!).  Anyways!  I really grew fond of Comoran Strike and appreciated the mystery.  I am horrible with mysteries.  I used to read the last page of my Nancy Drew books after the first chapter - in my (feeble) defense, I would always read the entire book afterwards.  It's difficult to be an impatient person and have the ending (literally) in your own hands.  My Kindle makes this a lot more difficult.  Thank goodness for Wikipedia. And yes, I did look up the whodunit.  This was a great read for me - nothing too heavy (amidst the life craziness), an engaging plot, and great characters.  I powered through it pretty fast!  It reminded me a bit of the 'Harry Hole' series by Jo Nesbo and of the 'Department Q' series which were also good reads.

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith:

I did end up reading this after The Silkworm even though I was out of order. I also found out the ending of this before finishing the book.  (In admitting this, I feel a little bit like Joey from Friends when he has to defend himself: 'I'm Joey, I'm disgusting'.  Take out Joey, replace with Julie and you'll know how I feel!).  This was very similar to the Silkworm and would be a good read if you want something light with some mystery.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed:  Cheryl Strayed is one of my favourite authors.  I loved her book 'Tiny, Beautiful Things' (I love short story collections that have some form of wisdom impacted onto me!  It explains why I read Maya Angelou's 'Letters to  My Daughter' in an hour at a Target in Florida).  I put off reading 'Wild' because it seemed too popular for my liking and I don't particularly care for hiking (reading about it seemed even worse).  I'm happy to say that I was foolish for waiting this long to read it!  It is more of a personal journey than hiking and, like her other books, she shares a lot of personal wisdom.  For me personally, Cheryl Strayed hits the nail on the head about how it feels to lose a mum so young.  I don't know how this is going to do as a movie because the greatness of the book was more in what she learned, not so much the hike itself.  Maybe it'll be narrated to include personal, inside musings?  Anyways, for me this was a must read!

Sorry for all the tangents, inside my head is a jumble!

A Too Short Weekend in Charleston

I decided that we should celebrate PJ's birthday by spending a weekend in Charleston.  I knew that he would be leaving on his actual birthday to fly back to Vancouver from work.  His family would be with him to throw a proper family dinner (with pie!!!...and dog poop...and lettuce bugs) but wanted to do something with him before he left.  So Charleston it was!  

We left after work on Friday.  I napped, PJ drove, and there was some Podcast listening.  And, a Five Guys stop.  What can I say, I like my routine!  Charleston is pretty close to us - a two hour drive - and I am very thankful for that because it means that we can go back without too much issue!

We arrived at our hotel, the Francis Marion, which was in a pretty central spot.  Our room was quite small (it's a very old hotel!) but we were out exploring most of the time anyways.  There was a Starbucks on the ground floor so I could run down and get a coffee first thing (and some ice for PJ's diet Pepsi....it was his birthday weekend after all!)  I was a little creeped out by the hotel, it kind of reminded me of the hotel from the Shining:

To the north of our hotel were lots of restaurants and bars while to the south were shops.  So after we checked in, we quickly headed out and headed north!  PJ wanted to check out what the bars looked like for the following night and I wanted ice cream (from a shop that I spotted when PJ almost killed us by driving the wrong way on a one-way street - just kidding, we weren't in any danger but I was sufficiently spooked).  PJ found a bar/lounge that he wouldn't mind going to the following night so we headed to Jeni's Ice Cream. The decor was reminiscent of Rain or Shine in Vancouver but the ice cream was not as good.  There is nothing that can beat the salted caramel from Rain or Shine!

We started out Saturday morning with a trip to Fort Sumter.  We walked down to the docks and took a boat to the fort.  It was pretty neat to see - it was an American fort when South Carolina seceded from the union at the start of the war.  The South Carolinians wanted to to be handed over to them but the union refused. This went on for a number of months during which time South Carolina ended up joining the confederacy.  Finally, South Carolina got fed up and fired on Fort Sumter which were the first shots of the Civil War.  While it was interesting to see, there is SO much to see in Charleston that I don't know if I would've done it if I had the choice again (unless we were there for a longer period of time).

After Fort Sumter, we headed back to Charleston to get lunch.  We got a bit lost and walked 15 minutes in the wrong direction, whoops!  We had wanted to go to a place called Husk for lunch but it would've been too tight as we had a walking tour in the afternoon.  So we settled for Five Guys!

We made it to our tour on time.  It was given by Free Tours by Foot (you name your price of what you think it was worth after) and our guide, Scott, was fantastic!  I have loved walking tours since I took one in Berlin and this one didn't disappoint.  Charleston is so beautiful on its own but it was very interesting to be able to hear some of the history that we wouldn't have known without the tour.  This tour was a Civil War tour and we learned so much.  Charleston was one of the wealthiest cities at the time the Civil War broke out.  Scott told us that some of the wealthiest people could own 3,000 slaves and, in today's dollar, each slave cost anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000.  So the people of Charleston had a vested interest in not allowing slavery to be abolished.  It made me feel sick to my stomach to see such beautiful surroundings and know the awful history behind it.  So much of Charleston was built on the backs of slaves.  I've read some fictional books on slavery over the years (The Invention if Wings and The Book of Negroes to name some more recent ones) and it was surreal to be standing in a place where slavery not just occurred but was one of the major contributors to it.  Scott showed us where the slave boats would land, where the slaves would live (while getting plumped up and made to be more desirable), and finally where they were auctioned off.  And now, that same spot is just a parking lot.  Unreal.  The tour was fascinating and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Charleston.  We logged about 20,000 steps that day (number courtesy of PJ's Microsoft band) so the walking tour are probably only good for those who are okay with lots of walking.  When we go back, I really want to see the Old Slave Mart Museum (and yes, that is a Masonic symbol on the firehall next door):

After the tour, we headed back to our hotel room and had a nap before going out for PJ's birthday dinner.  PJ loves a good steak so I normally try and take him out for a nice steak dinner on his birthday.   The best rated restaurant in Charleston on TripAdvisor was a steakhouse so I figured that was our spot!  I booked the reservation back in October (always a planner) because I was worried that it might fill up.  I told PJ where we were going a few weeks ago and he kept looking at it.  He said that he had never seen a place rated as high as this restaurant, Halls Chophouse.  We were pretty excited and it did not disappoint.  When we got there, they asked if we were celebrating anything special so I said that it was PJ's birthday.  They sent over some champagne for us and it was delicious (this coming from someone who has often said that she hates champagne).  Every person came over to wish PJ a happy birthday. We both started the meal with a wedge salad and it was unbelievably good.  It was a buttermilk peppercorn dressing and had the best piece of bacon on it.  For dinner, I got an 8 ounce filet mignon with black truffle butter on top and PJ got the 12 ounce with bernaise.  I was hesitant about ordering the truffle butter as it was $11 (for butter?!) but I figured it was a special event (thanks for being born PJ!) so I went for it.  And Oh.  My.  Gosh.  Was it ever worth it.  It was a huge scoop!  And was delicious! I gave PJ half because he liked it so much and I had so much of it.  The steak just melted in my mouth it was so good.  We ordered the asparagus for our vegetable and the mac and cheese for our other side.  I have never tasted anything quite as good.  I used some leftover truffle butter for the asparagus.  PJ even noted that he had never tasted asparagus quite that good.  I was stuffed.  I had to do a back arch to stretch my tummy out and take some pressure off.  But of course we had to get dessert!  We compromised and only had one: a 14-layer caramel cake with bananas foster on top.  Everything about the meal was beyond delicious.  I have been wanting to go back ever since!  We will have to to again before leaving SC.  They were so kind and gave both of us hugs as we left.

We headed to a bar called the Belmont for PJ to grab a quick drink before heading back to the hotel.  A very cool vibe but I was beyond full!

We started the next day by going for brunch at Poogan's Porch.  They had delicious biscuits!  PJ wanted to go to Husk but unfortunately they were closed that day to give their hard-working staff some time off.  Husk wasn't in our cards for this past trip but hopefully next time.

After brunch, we headed out for a Historic Charleston tour with Scott.  It was just as, if not more, wonderful than the day before.  During the tour I took of Berlin years ago, it struck me that you could still see all the bricks that had bullet holes from WW2.  On this tour, Scott pointed out the slave-made bricks and how you could feel the slave finger prints and hand marks in them.  We got to see what a city slave quarters would look like:

It was the bank slave quarters for the slaves who 'worked' for bank employees.  They would make them hot lunches during the day.

Charleston has some pretty picturesque churches as well:

The city was pretty empty when we went to Poogan's Porch on Sunday - most people are at church and the city feels like it shuts down during that time.

Scott showed us the oldest house in Charleston, it was selling for $800,000 but you are restricted from changing certain things inside so the washroom and kitchen situation was a little tricky, I don't think you were allowed to put a washroom in as it would take away from the historical integrity of the house:

We ended the tour by seeing Rainbow Row - a spot where the gentrification of Charleston first started in the 1920's:

After the tour, we hightailed it back to the hotel to get our things to leave.  It was, after all, Super Bowl Sunday so we had some important things to do back home.  It mostly involved PJ looking like this: 

All in all, Charleston was fantastic.  I could have spent a week exploring.  We will go back and have a few things on our list: the USS Yorktown, the Old Slave Mart, the Old Slave Mart Museum, Husk, Halls, etc.

A Day Trip to a Battleship

We have been trying to take some trips every second weekend. Some of our trips have been longer (Durham, Charleston) and some have been quick trips.  Everything is a lot closer on the east coast so we're trying to take advantage of it.

PJ and I were both history majors during our undergrad.  We both focused on World War Two history.  So, needless to say, when we found out there was a nearby WW2 battleship, the USS North Carolina, in Wilmington, it was a when versus an if we would visit it.

We drove to Wilmington which was an hour and a half drive.  I napped.  We listened to a podcast.  A pretty typical trip for us.  And of course, like with all of our road trips, we stopped at a Five Guys.  The Wilmington Five Guys had exceptionally good fries.  And I started wanting malt vinegar on my fries (PJ-style).

We got to the battleship and PJ was slightly disappointed by my initial reaction.  Truth be told, I was a little underwhelmed by the size.  I was used to seeing big, modern day aircraft carriers in movies and this was not that.  However, once we got on the ship, I was rightfully impressed by the size and what they fit on that boat.

It was a like a small city was on board that ship!  They had a mailbox, a barber, a laundry room, a cobbler, a kitchen, a bakery, a butcher shop:

It was pretty cool to see how the men lived on that ship.  The bathrooms for most men looked horrible.  I don't know if I would've been able to use it.  I would've had to make it to officer because they had a bit more privacy.  And they had no bathtubs?!  Just showers (with no privacy - they even had signs up telling the men that they lost their right to privacy when they enlisted).  There was a note that said the men who worked in the laundry room would fill us the washer with hot water to simulate a bath...sometimes someone would turn the machine on while you were in there!  And the beds!  They looked pretty uncomfortable - they were hanging from the ceiling with a chain and would be four beds high

PJ turned into a bit of a little boy on this ship.  He knew a lot about all the different types of guns and wanted pictures with all of them (I happily obliged!  ...okay, somewhat a bit begrudgingly when he wanted me to centre him a better than I had and made me retake photos!).

It was a pretty fun day.  I am so thankful for all the sacrifices that military men make for us and touring the USS North Carolina helps remind me of all the men gave us to protect our freedom.  We spent about three hours touring the ship and it was incredibly cool.  I highly recommend it for anyone who comes to visit us.  I know there is a WW2 aircraft carrier in Charleston that is just waiting for us to explore it!

Happy 32nd Birthday PJ!

It's PJ's birthday today!  We had a great weekend celebrating him in Charleston (including the best meal both of us have ever had!).  More details to follow...

This morning I made him a sandwich, packed him off, and now he is enroute back home to Vancouver.  I miss him a silly amount already but am happy he gets to spend some time with his family where they will celebrate him!

Happy birthday McNugget, I sure do love you!