Being as busy as it is, we haven't had the opportunity to explore NC that much, but we've done a few fun things.
Labor day weekend we went to Carolina Beach with our NC-bffs Mary and Derek for a lazy day at the beach... surprise, surprise -- Derek proposed! Since we met the two love birds, we've all been teasing Derek about when we was going to pop the question. Then out of no where he decides that he was going to DO IT.
He planned out a beautiful beach proposal. Jake helped put the the messages in bottles across the beach while I distracted Mary. After everyone was in place, she and I started walking down the shore... I didn't know how in the world I was supposed to get her to see the bottles - so I just blurted out "MARY, WHAT'S THAT?!" She knew what was coming next... a few clues later Derek was waiting for her by the water, got down on one knee and put a ring on it! It was very romantic and Jake and I felt so special to be a part of their day... they really have proven to be our biggest support down here. God took everything into consideration when steering us to the south :)
After we changed, we went out for a tasty dinner at Carrabas. NOM! The next day we all headed the opposite direction to go shopping in Raleigh. Mary and I took care of some wedding business while the boys wondered off by themselves and decided it would be a good idea to buy $25 worth of Lindt Truffles. I can't say it was the best idea, but I HAVE to credit them for the purchase. Now I know where to point the finger when my wedding dress doesn't fit. Or maybe I should blame the Cheesecake Factory... where we went for lunch that afternoon. WHOOPS :)
Jake stays busy during the week, but he likes to surprise me on the weekends. He drove me all the way to Raleigh again last weekend at 10:00 so I could see Eat, Pray, Love before it went out of theaters. Then last night he took me to the Wayne County Fair... it has been several years for both of us since going to a fair, so we were really excited. As soon as we got out of the car the smell of fair food pelted us in the face... and we decided the first thing we should do once we actually got into the fair was to find an ATM... to buy food. And more food. And then some more... to take home. We split a corn dog and a BBQ sandwich with coleslaw... then the SEXIEST grilled corn on the cob you could imagine.
Yes, we were crazy and put garlic and parmesan cheese on it... all over it... it was dirty and messy and greasy and amazing.
Then we went to go see about rides, and decided that it would be a better use of our money if we bought more food instead of riding rides. We were just being practical, you see.Jake got hooked on the quarter machine. He made a friend with one of the carnies who ended up showing him the trick... at one point we were up like $9, but then we blew it. Those machines will get you every time! Today when I asked Jake what he wanted to do he said "well, we could go back to the fair, eat some corn and play the quarter machine...?" LORD.
We munched on an elephant ear, another corn on the cob, a glass of lemonade and THEN bought a huge bag of kettle korn to take home. Had to make up for lost time, right? I had such a good time :)
It's 2:55 right now. By this time in exactly 14 days, I should be signing a paper to change my name. You can start calling me Mrs. Howland, if you feel you need to practice. I'll be ready!
