First Birthday Party in Raleigh

Saturday, September 30

Hanna went to her classmate's birthday party today. This was the first birthday party that she has been invited to since we moved to Raleigh. It was a 50's theme party and Hanna wore Kristi's cheerleading sweater from high school.

Return to Falls Dam: Raleigh, NC

Saturday, September 30

We went hiking again this morning near the Falls Dam. Our outing was much better than the previous week's. Hanna fell once but did not get hurt or cry. Nora cried only for a few minutes when a bee landed on her leg.

Falls Dam: Raleigh, NC

Saturday, September 23

This morning we all went hiking near the Falls Dam. I had Sam loaded in the BABYBJORN, Kristi had Magnus on his leash and the girls led the way. Everyone seemed to enjoy the exercise and scenery until Hanna fell and hit her leg on a rock. After her tears passed we continued our hike toward the lake and took a short break. The view of the lake is reminiscent of Minnesota. By the time we made it back to the car Hanna had declared she did not want to hike again because her legs hurt and Sam was out cold.

Columbia, South Carolina

I flew into Columbia, SC on Thursday, September 21st. The purpose of the trip was to meet with a new client, Intel, the next morning. I had never been to Columbia or South Carolina before. The airport was the cleanest I have ever been in and had white rocking chairs lined up and down the commons area. People were sitting and relaxing in most of these like they had nothing else to do.

I had dinner that evening at Sushi Yoshi. I sat at the sushi bar and the gentlemen who prepared my order (Sushi Deluxe) poured himself a glass of sake every 3-5 minutes. Needless to say, he was in a very good mood.

On Friday, September 22 when I was flying back to Raleigh I had a stop over in Charlotte, NC. While I was walking to the gate for my connecting flight I passed someone who looked exactly like a famous figure and said to myself, that can't be him. I found my gate and took a seat and started to check my email from my Treo. About 10 minutes later the guy I saw earlier came over to my gate and sat down. It was Colonel Sanders! Not long after he sat down a lady walked over and sat by him. They had a lengthy conversation and when the Colonel got up to leave I seized my opportunity and got a picture taken with him. Coincidently, on the airplane I sat next to the lady who had visited with the Colonel. She shared with me he was in Raleigh this weekend to promote a new store being opened and he was going to be at the NC State football game.

Return from Retirement

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Nick and I had an 8:40 a.m. tee time for 18 holes at Wildwood Green. This would be my first time golfing in over three years. It was a perfect day with no breeze, no humidity and no mosquitoes. The course is a par 70 and my personal goal was to stay in the low 100's. We were paired up with a gentlemen named Rick who works for Lockheed Martin Corporation. Rick is a local who has played Wildwood before and helped us understand the course layout. Overall the course is very nice and the carts which have GPS are a nice feature that I had not played with before. My final score was 110 and Nick shot an 88. Although Nick's score was lower than mine, the one time we placed a wager on who could chip closest to the pin, I won;-)

NFL Head Coach Sighting

Saturday, September 9, 2006

Nick Bourdon was in Raleigh over the weekend and we planned on golfing on Sunday. Since I have not golfed in over three years I talked Nick into going to the driving range to get some practice in. We took Nora & Hanna with us and went to the Falls Golf Complex and shared a bucket of 180 balls. Afterward we stopped at The Piper's Tavern on the way home for a refreshment and lunch. On the way out of the tavern we walked through the patio where I noticed Head Coach Bill Cowher from the Pittsburgh Steelers sitting there. As we were walking by Nick had the best line you could hope to use, "Hey coach, good game Thursday night." Bill replied, "thank you".

The Best Weekend Ever

Post by NEM (Nora Melting)

We are at Wake Forest. We are about to go see the mist. It is 12:39 p.m. and today it is Sunday, September 3, 2006. It was early morning and it went by fast. It is the afternoon and it went so fast it seemed like 5 minutes. We are parked next to a red Impala on our right and on our left is a silver CRV just like our red CRV. This was the best weekend I ever had because we went to a waterpark at Silver Lake (it reminded me of Beethoven). I love my mom and dad they are the BEST. Never heart broken.

Silver Lake Waterpark: Raleigh, NC

Sunday, September 3, 2006 Part 2

The second half of our day was spent at the Silver Lake Waterpark in Raleigh, NC. When we drove up I was not expecting such a dated recreation center. It looked like one of the original waterparks with little or no updating since established. At first I though we should keep driving until we found a modern waterpark but after talking to Kristi we decided it would be interesting to experience old fashion family fun.

Walking up to the check in area there was 70's music blasting throughout the park. The music genre remained consistent from the time we arrived until we departed several hours later. My brother John would have enjoyed that more than I did;-) The cost of admission was not in alignment with the overall appearance of the park: $37.80 for all of us. Nora & Hanna of course thought it was "sweeeet". They swam constantly and had a great day while Kristi and I hung out with Sam on the beach.

Duke University: Durham, NC

Sunday, September 3, 2006 Part 1

Our second day into the Labor Day weekend started with a short visit to Duke University. We parked near the Duke Chapel and spent some time admiring the breathtaking view. The pictures I took can not convey the magnificence of this church. We have decided to return for services.

We walked around the campus for a short while and stopped into the student union before leaving. There are walking trails throughout the surrounding Duke Forest that we intend to return to for a longer outing.

Museum of Life and Science: Durham, NC

Saturday, September 2, 2006

We decided to get out and explore over Labor Day. To start the holiday weekend off we drove to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC. Admission cost $9.50 per adult and $7.50 for children. To take a train ride there is an extra $2.00 per passenger. The facility is expanding with a new areas opening soon that will include remote control boat racing and a dinosaur section. The outing was a success and we had a great time. I would like to go back once the expanded areas are completed.