Tis the season

The Thanksgiving cruise was a delightful trip, a nice getaway from the working life, and some precious time with the other five Hurd members. The boat was humongous with endless activities to do. We saw a comedy show, an opening night play, did some gambling in the casino, read by the pool, relaxed in the sauna, hit the fitness center, saw a movie at the movie theatre, checked out many of the 18 bars; the sports bar, the piano bar, the bar with Michael Jackson and Billy Joel trivia, the champagne bar, and the Irish pub, just to name a few. The eating schedule brought me right back to college. While we had dinner reservations a few nights at the sit down restaurants on the boat, most of our breakfasts and lunches were in the buffet-style cafeteria. All you can eat, endless choices, everything you can imagine, just like the dining commons at UMass offered. It’s a good thing we were only there for 4 days because the freshman 15 wouldn’t have been out of the question. I forgot I was at sea the majority of the time, but rather felt like I was in the biggest shopping mall of America, as the center of the boat was modeled like a European village.  All of my fears about being stuck in the ocean and having to eat Spam like those poor souls who were stranded the week before we left, fortunately, didn’t have to worry about anything like that. There were a few instances where we could feel the waves and choppiness of the ocean, but it was a very cool thing. Caroline, Rebecca and I witnessed a sexy leg contest the final day by the pool, as men of all ages got their dance on and showed their leg muscles (if you can call them that?) off to the judges, hoping for the ultimate prize. Let me tell you, it was entertainment to watch these random men come out, because they wouldn’t know what song they would have to groove to, and they had to let the female judges feel their legs so it was just a thing to watch. They had us all laughing the whole time.  Also, as part of the cruise, we got to spend a good majority of a day in Cozumel, Mexico. The Hurd clan all went snorkeling in the clear, blue water, where we saw colorful coral, schools of fish, starfish and other neat things. Also, a good form of exercise, swimming for an hour, but my expectations were high after snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Not much can top that experience. Another thing that made that trip so great was that the group I was with, while we spend hours checking out the various sea life and colors in the GBReef, we also played our own game of charades under water, one of the funniest performances ever. Good times.

We had some friends in town from Colorado last weekend, so we set out to take advantage of what Charlotte has to offer. Since the cross club championships were Saturday, many of the bars downtown let the runners in for free for the post-race party. Everywhere was packed but we had a good time.  There was also the Thunder Road marathon and half marathon in downtown Charlotte on Saturday morning. Actually, Ed ran in the half and without any training (he decided to run it 2 days prior), finished sixth. The little nugget he is just is fueled by his competitive nature, proofing he’s still got it. Before we went downtown that night, I got to witness the big cross-town rivalry game of Charlotte and Davidson. I think Charlotte’s team is down this year, and they’re in a rebuilding stage with their new coach. Davidson won pretty easily. But the crowd atmosphere was fun, fans chanting against each other in the cozy Davidson arena. We went to a sports bar before the game, owned by an alumni of Charlotte, and all of the 49er fans were there chanting beforehand.

Well, tis the season. This past week was fun-filled with many Christmas party appearances. I went with Ed to the Charlotte athletics department Christmas party, where I watched Judy Rose, the athletic director, down a free margarita. The free wings were a plus, but nothing compares to Pippa’s wings. In not just being bias, it’s the truth. Customers at Pippa’s have told me that we should advertise that we have the best wings in Charlotte. It’s a well-known fact, so sorry Picasso’s, but my wing expectations are high. I think all the frat boy roomies would agree. But, I digress. Last night’s festivities were highlighted by an ugly sweater party, which Shivers accompanied me to, hosted by a wonderful co-employee, Emily, from work. It was fun to hang out with lots of work friends, not to mention the holiday spirit, cheer and costumes. I found the greatest set of tacky Christmas pajamas at Target, so I couldn’t help but purchase them and wear them to the party. I won the best costume award, although I couldn’t help but think it would have been so much better had they been onesies or zip up pajamas like I loved to rock when I was little. Oh well. Tonight is the Pippa’s café holiday party, so we’ll close a little early and celebrate with free food, beverages, and probably some karaoke.  With less than a week till Christmas, I’m a little out of the jingle this year. The weather has definitely been cold down here, so it’s not due to that; I guess Christmas has just snuck up on me.  I will say, however, that this year was the earliest I finished ALL of my Christmas shopping.

I’ve been a little crippled the past week. Don’t laugh, but Thursday, Charlotte woke up to massive amounts of ice and freezing weather. I went out to start my car to defrost it, like I normally do about 10 minutes before I’m going to leave for work, but I didn’t realize how icy it was. I slipped on the front steps, feet up in the air and everything, and landed on my back and smacked my head.  I’ll admit that when I witness someone fall, my immediate reaction is to laugh. I know it’s mean, but it’s just a funny thing to witness. However, when you’re the one falling, the tables have turned. If it’s just sheer embarrassment you have to experience, that’s one thing. But when it’s excruciating pain, well that’s a horse of a different color. It was not a pretty moment, to say the least. I had to lie there for a minute to regain my composure, check out my battle wounds, and use the railing to get back to my feet. Long story short: I didn’t go to work that day…and I’m still in massive amounts of pain from it. This week I think I’ll be making a trip to a walk in clinic, maybe get some x-rays. Word of advice: Be more careful! Down South, the post-snow and ice procedures are not as dominant as they are up north. FAIL.

Anywho, this past Friday night was very exciting. A few of us went to the Tennessee-Charlotte game, which was at the Time Warner Arena, downtown, where the Bobcats play. I was not expecting a close game by any means, considering Tennessee was ranked 7^th and Charlotte didn’t even put up a fight against Davidson last week, but it must have been the psyche and atmosphere that proved me wrong for this game. Charlotte won, 49-48, in a game that went down to the final second, and it was a thriller. Before the game, we went to Whiskey River, a well-known bar at the Epicenter of downtown Charlotte, where they were letting all alumni in for free appetizers and drinks. We went back there after the game as well, to check out the atmosphere. Before that though, I enjoyed a meal at Five Guys, for the first time in my life. I very much enjoyed it, and I couldn’t put the fries down. Sometimes, fast food is just what you need.

I fly back for a short trip to my homeland on Thursday night. Sometimes, being an adult just stinks. This will be by far the shortest amount of time allotted to go home for Christmas break in my life. Even the last 2 years as an intern, I got a decent amounts of time off, but this year, since I have a full time job and I’m all responsible and stuff (probably could argue that one), I have limited time. I already have so much packed in those three days that it’s far from a vacation, but that’s what happens when you leave home and return every so often. There are always so many people to see and so much to cram in for the short amount of time. I am very much looking forward to going home for the holidays though, and I haven’t seen my doggies Lucy and Addy in 3 months, so I can’t wait to see those crazy pups. The third annual Vets alumni basketball game is high on my list as well. Love getting back on the court with all my homegirls, so that will be a blast as well. Also, my best friend Nicole and Dave just moved into and purchased a new HOUSE, which is so exciting. I can’t wait to see it and get together and catch up with them in a new house, which is all their own. I’m so proud of you guys!

While I was debating for a while what to do for New Year’s, Ed and I finally decided that we’re going to go to Charleston, S.C.! This is major news because I have wanted to go to Charleston my whole life. Yes, I will have to go back in the spring, summer when I can actually go to Folly Beach, but I’m so antsy to see the culture, history, nightlife, ghost tours, and atmosphere of the city. Cousin Geoff was kind enough to allow us to stay at his place, and I have a few friends who know the city well, and are going to tell me exactly where to go. Can’t wait!!

This week’s trivia question:

What is the biggest selling Christmas single of all time? No cheating ya’ll! Hope you were all able to follow my random rambling. HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT HOLIDAY! WARM WISHES AND SAFETY!!