00101100 (robots will understand this)

What is the student without the classroom? And vice versa, what is the classroom without the student? More importantly, which came first; the student, or the classroom? Or was it the chicken? THE EGG!? If you drop your roommate's favorite coffee mug, shattering it into a million viciously sharp porcelain shards and nobody's around to hear it, did you really break it? These are the heavy hitters, the real tough questions that nobody wants to tackle. The one's nobody wants to even hear asked. The one's nobody has an answer to.

Until literally this very moment.

Yes folks, I am here to banish your fears. I am here to bring the great power of Knowledge down from Mount Olympus and bestow it upon your eager brain muscles. Call me a modern day Prometheus if you like! ("But instead of fire you brought... Knowledge?" You ask "Whatever, just go with it!" I retort). I make no claims to be a god, or a demigod, or even a recent Ridley Scott 2012 box office thriller. No, no claims at all.... However, I do make proclaims! And so I proclaim to you my friends! I proclaim that the student and the classroom cannot exist separately! They must go together, like peanut butter and jelly! Like Sonny & Cher! Like beards and my face! And yes! Yes if you dropped your roommate's favorite coffee mug, the one that his mother got him to fuel his rampant caffeine addiction, the drug which drove him to that frenzied state only achievable by Architecture students, that allowed him to stalk the dark halls of Storr's deep into the night, preying upon any innocent shreds of a social life that might be lurking in secret places, yes you did break it! Even if Mackswell was watching Dr. Who full blast with his ear buds in, and Jordan was eating cottage cheese from a measuring cup in his room and, ruing loudly the day mankind discovered Accounting.... You still broke it!

..... But what if I'm wrong? Now this may be hard to come to terms with, (sorry Evan, I promise I'll replace the mug) but what if my solutions to these mysteries of life, and no doubt the many others that propel mankind along our marathon of existence, may still elude the grasp of even I, the great Ridley Scott 2012 box office thriller! Perhaps I have fooled myself in my quest for All Powerful Knowledge, and I am still suspended in the pool of nothingness, and its liquid continues to permeate my pores, to seep into my being, into my very soul indeed! Perhaps I... I am... nothing.

HAH! You fool! I. AM. EVERYTHING! *thunder!* *explosions!* *maniacal laughter and a general cacophony of apocalypse sounds!*



.... Naah that's not true either. But I'll tell you what: I've been out of school now longer than ever before in my 20 years on this planet. Yep, with all my amigos and amigas going back to the past week, I've just kinda been at home. The reason behind this is I am preparing to journey across the sea in September to begin my year abroad in England and Germany. So since my term doesn't start until October, as I will be placed on a trimester system over there, I won't be going to school for the Fall semester at UNCC. This is something that truly saddens me. I'm leaving a lot of great people, things, opportunities, and one heck of a city behind here. I just keep in mind that the experiences that I'll have abroad will prove to be immensely beneficial to me in my journey through life, and in my quest for All Powerful Knowledge. But for now, I'm just a dude. Just a good dude trying to live his life the way a good dude should. Without school to occupy my mind this next month and a half before I leave, or a proper job either. Having already spent a month in this situation, I've found that it can become a bit of a drag. But I'm not the type that just wants to be dragged along. So I took it upon myself to focus my energy even more than I already have been. And since I figured the "back to school" blogs will be rolling in soon, I just wanted to throw my hat in the ring with this "not back to school" blog.

So in my attempt to continue being productive, here are a few of the things that occupy my time:

The Garden! As you can see, there are three rows of peas doing extremely well. They're pulling my lattice down, so I'll have to go and fix that probably tomorrow. But they're growing so well. My family is going to drown in peas when the harvest comes. In the foreground I tilled up the soil a couple days ago, but the hardware store where we get our seeds was closed the past few days, so I just got them today. Tomorrow I'll probably also plant in three and a half rows of a mix of turnips, kale, and mustard. The poles with strings tied around them are for deer deterrent. We have a pretty rambunctious deer population in the neighborhood, and with no natural predators, they have no qualms about hopping the fence and snackin' on some veggies. I'll probably string up some tin plates over the garden, and get those rags soaked with deer repellent once the plants start leafing up a little bit more. As I type this they're probably gnawing the peas, laughing at me... Those jerks....

Ahhh yes, a well trimmed lawn, and a homemade bench to sit upon. What more could a guy ask for on such a glorious, late summer evening?

 And here is my cat Pounce. Pounce has lived far too long. She's been long overdue for a crushing. That's why I've crushed her in this photograph.... Naaaah! You guys are so easy! I'm just giving her a cat massage (please now leave this site, go to Youtube and paste the following words into the search bar "So Your Cat Wants A Massage?" You will not regret this decision).

 And of course some potted plants to water! For another interactive internet scavenger hunt, and this one is optional, whereas the last one was mandatory. If you still haven't done it, go do it. I won't write anymore until you have....








.... Did you do it?




....


.... Yeah!? I know it's hilarious right?!

Anyway. Go to this link: http://castspells.bandcamp.com/track/potted-plant and listen to a track by my favorite musician Dave Davison of Maps & Atlases/Cast Spells. Wonderful music hailing from the Windy City. Just press the play button and enjoy!

 And here is a little sample of my most recent hobby, which is carving and woodworking and whatnot. That walkin' stick right there is smooth as silk, it's awesome. And you can't really see the detail, but it looks very nice. I put a golden oak stain on it after I sanded it like crazy. So it has all these really nice, dark wood rings. If you'd like one, let me know! I'm not gonna charge you or anything like that. I'm just happy to have something to do. jwh7630@yahoo.com is my email.

 Ahh yes, and two more cats to hang out with. That's Pounce, Sticky and Domino from front to back. As you can see, these animals go pretty hard. They turn haters into lovers on a daily basis, just like their family taught them. So come on by and give them a cat massage. Except Sticky, he likes to bite. But they're just bites full of love and compassion, I promise. And he'll only do it if you stop scratching his ears.

 And here is one of those random projects that I've just been picking up. Just a bench my grandpa built that I've sanded down, primed, and almost finished painting. Although I think it would look AWESOME with the feet just painted like that and the legs white, am I right or am I right?

 And a favorite pair of pants to sew up, although mom doesn't quite know about this project. Or the rest of the family. They'll probably argue vehemently with me to throw them away. But I am one stubborn individual, and I will bow to nobody!

 And finally, I have my instruments to make beautiful noises with. I'll sit hunched over in that chair playing around with a loop through my guitar, or a tap my feet along with a Celtic jig on my mandolin, or just sing a little song with my banjo, Humphrey Clippings, in accompaniment. I very much enjoy this part of the world.

And not pictured are the many other things that I do to stay busy. I returned to the Habitat ReStore on Wendover today to start a regular routine of morning volunteer hours, which I am very much looking forward to. I try to keep in touch with friends who are living near me, some old, and some new. Since the family all work, I make a point to have dinner ready or close to ready before they come home. With today being an exception, as I was writing this blog for you lovely folks. And I hop on the old bicycle about every other day for a trip around the neighborhood, mixed in with some stretching and core exercises to keep my bones all in line. And sometimes I sleep. But I figure you know what sleeping is.

I am happy for my friends who are starting back at school, and I'm happy for my friends who are starting new jobs and just taking some time off from education. And it's fantastic that I've finally found a way to keep from going stir crazy in my parent's nest. After you stretch out those wings, it's hard to tuck them back in. In general, I'm just glad that the sun is still shining, the world is still turning, and I'm back at it again.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this blog. I look forward to the next time I get to type at you.

P.S. PLEASE don't tell Zeus about the Knowledge.

P.P.S I didn't actually break Evan's coffee mug.

-Jacob "Two Piece" Huffman

Wait, did I just see Joe Biden in the breakroom?

Well, hello there! It's been a while since I have posted something; I do apologize. Things have been crazy, to say the least, and I've hardly had any time to sit down and pen a nice, solid memoir. What with the conclusion of the semester and that inevitable period of chaos afterwards (you know, the one in which you the hundreds of people in Witherspoon all try to move out during the same three day span), there wasn't particularly anything in my life that I deemed all that remarkable or "blog-worthy."

That period of unremarkable events, though, quickly passed, as now it seems that everything has been happening! And by everything I mean two things: a.) the start of my second summer internship; and b.) Joe. (I'll get to that a little later.)

Now, as you may or may not know, the Levine Scholar's Program expects that its students participate in four unique summer experiences. The first summer (before Freshman year) is, of course, a 25 day course with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS.) The second summer (before Sophomore year), though, is a bit different.

NOLS Alaska: wonderful, yet not the same as a professional internship. (Unless you consider this to be business casual.)

During a student's second summer in the program, they will intern in a Charlotte-area nonprofit for at least five weeks. The expectation is that, during their respective internships, members of each class of scholars will exercise (and actively experience) community engagement in the nonprofit sector. This summer experience is, in large, modeled after the philanthropy of Mr. and Mrs. Levine, whose donations appear all over Charlotte, NC. Ideally, students will walk away from this experience with a greater sense of belonging in the Charlottean community, as well as greater preparation for a life of civic engagement and service.

With all these expectations in mind, I'll admit that I was a bit nervous when I began researching nonprofits to intern with many, many months ago. I looked in to many different places, and was very excited when I found out that I was accepted as an intern with the education department at the Museum of the New South. This museum is located directly off of seventh street in downtown Charlotte, and is completely immersed in the hustle and bustle of downtown life! And, so far, it's been great!

This is the  Museum of the New South. This is where I work. It's gorgeous. 

Since I started two weeks ago, I've learned a lot and have been given a large (and unexpected) number of responsibilities. I'm working with two other interns—Brittany and Cidney—and we've literally hit the ground running. We've been working on implementing a virtual program series to chronicle the history of the twelve images that adorn the exterior walls of the museum, and we've only hit the metaphorical "tip of the iceberg" of our list of summer assignments. Now if that isn't exciting, then I don't know what is.

Even more exciting is that I am actively participating in an attempt to engender historical dialogue in the Charlottean community. In other words, I'm getting to share my passion for the past (my love of history) with the greater community, extending an invitation for them to discover the intricate history of this region. I get to work every day with people who care about these things as much as I do and who, in their jobs, actually attempt to make Charlotte a better place. But that's not even the best part.

No, no, no, the most memorable (and exciting) experience of my internship thus far involves my "encounter" with Joe.

And by "Joe" I mean Vice President Joe Biden.

That's right. I did say "Joe Biden."

On Thursday, May the 24th at precisely 2:45 pm the Vice President of the United States walked out onto a stage in the atrium of the Museum of the New South (that's where I work, that's where I work, that's where I work!) The Vice President was hosting a private political rally for a  grassroots organization of volunteers that have been actively working to register voters and share the Democratic Party's platform. And he came to my museum! Did I mention that this was a private event, closed to the press and the public? And did I mention I was there?

Being allowed to attend this private rally made me as excited as the free tupperware to-go containers at one of my favorite restaurants, Vapiano, located in downtown Charlotte. Nothing gets better than that. 

But, yes! Joe Biden came to my building. My building! He held a rally, led a speech and thanked volunteers that belonged to the grassroots political organization. In his speech, the Vice President thanked these volunteers and then talked about how essential they are to both his campaign and the American political process, in general. He closed the speech talking about the reasons why he believes his campaign is best and, throughout the forty five or so minutes he spoke, continually thanked his supporters. It was a humbling experience to be in the room, especially as I wasn't affiliated with the volunteer groups which he was addressing. I hadn't volunteered with any political campaign and hadn't gone door to door registering voters. As such, I was honored to have been allowed to attend and thrilled to be there!

Here are the other interns and I. From left to right, we have Brittany, yours truly and Cidney.

While being twenty feet away from the Vice President speaking is obviously an exciting occasion, I would hesitate to say that that was the most memorable aspect of this typically once-in-a-lifetime event. In fact, I found the week leading up to the Vice President's arrival to be by far the most interesting aspect of this experience. To explain, I'll need to offer a brief overview of my week.

That's me. And that's Biden in the background. You know, just another day at work. Just the typical 9 to 5...

To understand the scale of this event, let me first restate that this was my first week on the job. On Monday, May the 21st I started my internship at the Museum of the New South. As expected, the first day didn't involve much actual work—I went through orientation with the other two interns and was driving away from downtown by 1:30 in the afternoon. On Tuesday, I was informed by Janeen, my supervisor (and the Vice President of Education) that the Vice President would be coming that Thursday to deliver a speech at a political event. Well, I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised.

It turns out that earlier the Secret Service had swept the building, deeming it appropriate for the Vice President. They arranged to use the space but originally, none of the museum staff—myself included—had expected to attend. We had been informed by the Secret Service that, by noon on the day of Biden's arrival, we were to have "evacuated the building." (That is most intimidating way possible to state "please take off work early.") All of the staff was a bit taken aback, but that was mostly due to the very intimidating nature of Secret Service agents. (Yes, many of them were as scary as you would imagine.) Many of us were a little disappointed, but the fact that the Vice President was displacing us from our workplace was still something to celebrate. And, honestly, how often can a fellow say that on the fourth day of his new job he was sent home early due to the second most powerful man in the nation?

Here's Biden and some of the guests at the private... ahem, private political rally.

The next day, though, I received an email that gave cause for celebration! The Secret Service had granted the entire staff permission to attend the rally (I assume after an extensive background check,) provided that we promptly inform the powers that be. (In other words, we just had to RSVP.)

... And a close up!

So of course I RSVP'ed, allowing me to have the privilege of placing my arm around the Vice President of the United States of America. (See above image.) He was a very nice person and, much to my surprise, took photos with the crowd for at least half an hour after the rally. He seemed very down to earth, despite his entourage of half a dozen aides, Secret Service agents and other assorted personnel. I'll be honest: there were times when I was waiting to see the Vice President that everything just seemed so surreal. There I was, standing shoulder to shoulder with over 200 people, less than ten feet from the Vice President of the United States. It was hard to believe that everything was actually happening; I kept thinking: "pinch me, I must be dreaming."

The whole experience was just remarkable and I have never felt more politically empowered. (I've also never felt more secure—between the police helicopters buzzing over the museum, the bomb squad dogs and the many armed federal officials, I've never felt more secure in my entire life.) While I won't specify my political beliefs, I will say that the chance to attend this rally was a wonderful glimpse into the American political system. It was exhilarating. I

And if that was only on the fourth day of my internship, imagine what I'll be doing seven weeks later. Or even eight. The prospects are amazing and I am very, very excited.

It's ONE of the best times of the year...

Okay, so I know what everyone’s thinking…Christmas! It’s the best time of the year!  But wait…why are you posting in…April?  WELL, I’m just saying, you haven’t experienced Greek Week!  It’s easily been one of the most fun weeks of my life here at school.  Basically, the whole week is a competition between sororities and fraternities.  Throughout the week there’s Greek Games (think Olympics but wayyy more simple), Scavenger Hunts, guest speakers, trivia, a canned food structure, and the most EPIC event of it all…Airband (and we’ll get to what that is later, don’t you worry!).  But basically, Alpha Delta Pi takes this week seriously…probably more seriously than you can imagine.  Especially since this year, we were trying to win for the SIXTH year in a row!  Yeah…pretty intense!

It all starts off with a day full of competition, Greek Games.  I participated in the “Amazing Race”, in which I did dizzy bat and Tug-of-War.  There was also basketball, beach volleyball, musical chairs, and more!  My team won Tug-of-War, and ADPi won overall!  It was a great day.

"Get your game face on!"

My big and me reppin' our founding year, 1851!

2012 Tug-O-War Champions! Intensity at its finest.

I didn’t get to participate in the scavenger hunt due to my classes, but the next night I was in was Trivia!  The theme of Greek Week was “Around the World”, so questions were asked about culture and geography.  My team decided to dress up as nerds, just to put a little spin and fun on the competition ;) And even better…our team won!  ADPi took first, in a winner-take-all trivia game…yes!

My team and our faculty member who helped us out!

Thursday was canned food structure, which was awesome because all the cans that the fraternities and sororities used got donated to Second Harvest Food Bank!  We also had to stick to the theme still, and my big and I (both being architecture majors of course!) designed our structure, a world with a hot air balloon coming out of it!  It was hard work, and we got third, but it was pretty cool to watch our structure grow and then it be donated to a good cause (:

FINALLY the day we had all been waiting for, Airband!  Now let me tell you a little about this.  First imagine, playing air guitar…you play and imaginary guitar, right?  Well in Airband, it’s all about lip-syncing.  Each fraternity and sorority has a theme which they make music to and have different singers in each dance.  It’s really awesome to watch all of the teams reveal their themes, because it’s kept really secretive all throughout the practice period!  The day of, we revealed ours, and it was “Once Upon a Time”.  We opened with a huge book backdrop, and one of my sisters played a little girl who falls asleep and has one big twisted fairytale dream! The dance started with Mr. Sandman and dream-fairies taking over, then the big bad wolf and little red riding hood coming out, Pinocchio, the seven dwarves and snow white, then a big finale!  We all had different, hand-made, awesome costumes!  And even better…we won first!  Our hours up late practicing paid off! Here's the link to the dance: (I HIGHLY recommend you watch it...it's pretty awesome!)

Alpha Delta Pi, "Once Upon a Time" Airband 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv4fM46orx0&feature=youtu.be

My Pinnochio group! We were supposed to be like a boy band!

My dance group on stage!

After winning first place :)

The Sunday after, when the whole week was done, there was a results ceremony for the whole year.  Alpha Delta Pi came out with different community service, outstanding senior, and sorority of the year finalist awards, as well as…drumroll please, you guessed it, Greek Week Champions!  Six years in a row, it was the best feeling in the world to win and be apart of this sisterhood.  This week was the best week ever, and I can’t wait till next year!

Pi pi ADPi, I sure love my ADPi!

XOXO Elizabeth 

James Martin Middle School

Hello internet world!

As busy students, working to balance a schedule chock full of rigorous academics, exciting social schedules, and, yes, even the occasional chance to sleep, it is sometimes difficult to imagine it possible to add yet another activity to our daily routine. But one thing that can definitely be said about Levine students is that we are very passionate about our service to others. Nevertheless, when I moved here to Charlotte from a small town north of Wilmington, I was worried that it might be difficult to find a way to get meaningfully involved in such a large city.

One of the most rewarding things that the LSP has given me the opportunity to do this year is work with the students of James Martin Middle School. I was so excited to learn at the beginning of the year, that as our freshman service initiative, we would be helping to pilot the brand new Leadership Class at JMMS. This class is the first district-wide to combine the academic and social learning spheres and hopefully the participation of the scholars can have a huge impact on its future success. As passionate young leaders ourselves, this gives us an excellent opportunity to foster this same spirit in a group of kids who might otherwise not be able to find the role models to grow into the wonderful leaders that they can be. And certainly, as this year has progressed, these students have grown tremendously.

The very first class was a little bit chaotic. To be honest, it was really a mess of shouting and everyone trying to get noticed by the cool college kids. I distinctly remember one of them asking what college parties were like. Once the general excitement of having college students in a middle school class started to wear off we began to get into more a serious leadership curriculum. Throughout the year, we have discussed the students’ opinions of ideas like what makes a good leader, the key aspects of teamwork and how they can improve JMMS, as well as had an opportunity to share our own examples of what we have found to be successful leadership characteristics.

The JMMS class has even taken the lead on several projects in the school. By far the most exciting of these was their coat drive for Crisis Assistance Ministry. The class proved what a force they could be in the school, leading their classmates to collect 106 coats! As Kevin C. pointed out, many of our own high schools haven’t been that enthusiastic! But even better than that admittedly impressive number was the smile on all of the kids faces when they presented us with their haul and the donations that they would be sending to Crisis Assistance Ministry.

As the class has progressed we have also been able to tie leadership ideas into their academic work. Most recently, we have been tying the idea of role models into Wes Moore’s book The Other Wes Moore. Our foray into the world of Wes & Wes started out with the class’s exploration of role models from North Carolina and others who have had a personal impact on their own lives. As they began to delve into the book, we also got to have discussions about the role models for the book’s central characters. Most recently, we facilitated a fishbowl discussion, where college and middle school students alike were able to delve into the ideas of ethics and good social behavior as has stemmed from the ideas in the book. It was great to see the students, who in the beginning were more interested in getting to talk about their day begging to be let into the circle to express their own opinions. As a capstone on the idea of role models, the class will take all the ideas that they have learned this year, and put them together to make “Minute Memoirs” as a guide to success for the incoming sixth grade class.

The opportunity to work with JMMS this year has been a unique one. Coming into my freshman year, I never expected the chance to watch a group of young people transition through one of the most important formative periods of their lives. Throughout the journey I have witnessed so much growth in the students. Many have gone from barely being able to introduce themselves in our very first meeting to excitedly presenting their own ideas. They have taken the charge in the social issues that plague their school. I can only wait to see what amazing things they accomplish in the future.

Spring Break 2012!

Well, hello there!

You know how they say that "time flies when you're having fun?" Pardon the grammatical transgression here, but 'ain't that the truth?' I'm specifically referring to Spring Break which, for those of you unfamiliar with the UNC Charlotte calendar, was last week from March 3rd to 11th. And, as you may have guessed (by the subject of this blog), I have plenty to tell you about!

Spoiler: this is going to be a long post. I think you'll enjoy it, though!

Our Spring Break plans began one dark night in January on a late night trip to Target. Kelsey, Tyler and I were discussing potential things to do over Spring Break, as none of us wanted to commit to the monotony of staying home all by our lonesome. Ideas were thrown around in the car when the sudden realization hit us: why not use what we already had? All of us had ties to different beaches—Kelsey lives on Topsail Island, NC; Tyler lives in Virginia Beach; I have contacts in Surfside Beach, SC. And the thought struck us: why not travel to each locale, spend a few days, see family and then move on up the road to tour different places and experience new things?

Our route! Just under 900 miles.

It sounded perfect. After a few days (and a few brief phone calls), the plan was set. We even picked up a few extra people, too, in the form of Noelle, Jessie and my fantastic suitemate Hunter! The final plan entailed Kelsey, Tyler, Noelle and I leaving on Saturday morning; Hunter and Jessie left Friday to spend a day in Charleston. We would all rendevous in Surfside Beach that night and would leave for Topsail on Tuesday. We would spend two days there and, afterwards, on Thursday, we would head forth to Virginia Beach. Hunter and Jessie wouldn't be joining us, though; they decided to head back to Charlotte on Thursday instead. Needless to say, we were all very excited.

And then the trip began!

We're off!

We left early Saturday morning and stopped to fill up the gas tank in Florence, SC, a good 2 hours down the road. Normally I would not think this detail worthy of a retelling, but it was Noelle's first time pumping gas! Ever! In her entire life! Apparently in New Jersey pumping gas by yourself is illegal; someone is paid to do that for you. And so, logically, she'd never pumped gas before. Ever. Until now!

Coincidentally, this trip was quite the learning experience for Noelle. She learned what a "semi" was, having always referred to those big rigs as "eighteen wheelers." She even learned the lovely Southern expression "sic' 'em," as featured quite lovingly in the country hit "Sic' Em' on a Chicken," recorded by the good ol' Zac Brown band. She'd also never been to a Piggly Wiggly OR a Family Dollar before! (I know it's shocking, right!?) We can all proudly say that our New Jerseyan friend has now been a little bit more Southern-ified than before!

Anyways, we got down to the beach Saturday afternoon and went to my favorite restaurant in the world for dinner. It's a really, really small place hidden in a tiny, tiny strip mall--The Southside Grill. Fantastic. Hunter and Jessie got in right after dinner and we called it a night.

The next morning we all woke up and eagerly awaited the beach... but it was cold and rainy, so we spent most of the day inside instead! (It was fun, anyways, and relaxing is never a hindrance!) That evening we decided to make dinner--a delicious pasta primavera from scratch. I should probably mention that this was also Noelle's first time really "cooking," and she did well!

Cooking with the crew!

(And the meal was incredible, too.) Hunter and Jessie even made some delightful garlic bread! It was a feast!

It absolutely adore a hodgepode of multicolored vegetables. Especially with pasta. Yumm...

The next day we finally got out to the beach! (It was about time!) The weather was a bit chilly (or at least I thought so. Then again, I'm the most cold-natured person in the world, so I'm the wrong person to ask!) Jessie got a few group pictures and, well, they look really nice! Here's a few!

From left to right: Jessie, Hunter, Tyler, yours truly, Kesley, Noelle and my brother Kyle!

We went on exploring down the beach some more and snagged a photo at a pretty nice bridge. I've got to admit, we look like we belong on a cheesy album cover.

Can't you see it? "Beach Roadtrip: Greatest Hits." Okay, maybe that's just me.

The rest of the time at Surfside Beach was pretty down to Earth. We cooked out that night and grilled the most delicious vegetables in the world. (I'm sorry I keep referring to food. I just love to talk about it.) And that was it for Surfside! On to Topsail!

Before we got in to Topsail, though, we made one delicious pit stop to Kelsey's favorite restaurant: Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn! It's a spectacular place and if you're ever within 2000 miles of Wilmington, you HAVE to go. I ordered the delcious Veggie Deluxe burrito, complete with the following: roasted red peppers (these are my favorite vegetables ever--I could eat them like candy), zucchini & squash, lettuce, diced tomato, sun dried tomato dressing, marinated & grilled eggplant (this is probably my second favorite thing in the world), portobello mushrooms and tofu (marinated and grilled to perfection.)

Note how, as Kelsey says, the burritos appear swaddled in foil. And they're huge, by the way.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the place, especially Noelle:

I told you so.

Lastly, who can't love a place with a sign like this?

Oh, yes, we rocked out.

We then finished the drive up to Topsail and immediately headed down to the beach, which was gorgeous, I might add. We were on the beach for at least an hour and a half and only ran into ten or so other folks strolling; since we had the place to ourselves, we definitely got to relax! That evening we had dinner at Kelsey's place and welcomed Lauren and Riley, two of our friends who came to spend the next day with us! More people! Yay!

We got up the next morning and drove on down into Wilmington to spend the day. Downtown Wilmington is awesome, by the way. There are so many different shops that are all incredibly quaint and, at times, pretty strange:

Your guess is as good as mine: "the Jessi-topus? Octo-essi?" Either way, Jessie found some octopus, well... actually, I have no idea what to caption this picture as. Excuse the rambling.

Later that evening (once we were back at Kelsey's) we all went down to the boardwalk in Kelsey's neighborhood which overlooked part of a coastal inlet. It was a bit of a hike--we walked a little over a mile to get there, but it was definitely worth it, as the view was gorgeous. With the moon in the background, the scenery was incredible.

From left to right: yours truly, Kelsey, Tyler, Jessie, Noelle, Riley and Lauren.

And now that you've seen the standard, portrait picture, let's flash to the inevitable silly picture:

I didn't say that it didn't take us a few attempts to get a good, serious, non-ridiculous picture.

And that right there concluded our time on Topsail! It was a lot of fun and we all really enjoyed it, but it was time to mosey on up to Virginia Beach. Lauren, Riley, Jessie and Hunter headed back home, while Tyler, Kelsey and I charged forward.

Or, rather, we "defied gravity." Why, you may ask? Well, because of this:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's right: we got to see Wicked that night, courtesy of Tyler's parents. (We were all incredibly appreciative and floored at their generosity.) The show, though, was amazing. Not only was all of the acting spot on, but the scenery was beautiful. And the lighting was fantastic. And the effect scene when Elphaba appears to float in midair? Gorgeous, magical, amazing! Nothing was as fantastic as the final scene, though, which almost brought tears to our eyes. It was very well portrayed. I think, besides the actual "show," though, my favorite part of the evening was the occasion of the night. Let me explain.

All of us after the show, complete with fancy attire and playbills in hand!

As a college student, I don't get to treat myself to many "nights on the town." The same holds true for Kelsey, Tyler and Noelle, I'm sure. Most of our time is spent either studying or doing things which are typically cheaper than a Broadway show. It's not that we don't all enjoy the theater, but it's a lot more practical to spend time with friends getting coffee (which averages $5 a purchase) than going to see a musical (which is more than $5 an evening.) Thus, the concept of "dinner and a show" is a very rare one, indeed. But this occasion was different!

Eagerly awaiting the show!

Also "different" was our choice of dinner before the show. While standard custom might dictate going to a somewhat "fancy" restaurant in our somewhat "fancy" clothes, we decided to get it old school, choosing instead to go to Doumar's, a diner founded in 1907 and recently featured on Guy Fieri's show "Diners and Drive-Ins & Dives!" So there we were, fancy clothes and all, eating food served on paper plates. You've gotta love it.

At Doumar's!

So, yes, that evening was amazing. Hands down.

The next day was pretty low key, as well. It poured for most of the day, so we all spent lots of time doing homework at Tyler's house. That night we went to Waterman's, a restaurant on the oceanfront at Virginia Beach and then headed back early the next morning. The drive was a long one:

US 58: 105 straight miles of this.

We got back that evening around 5:00 and then went to dinner at Amelie's about an hour later. It was delicious, as usual, and definitely a nice way to conclude the week long excursion. We let loose a little steam, of course:

After all, 350 mile, 6 hour car rides are long.

And that was our roadtrip! It was obviously lots of fun and provided a great chance for all of us to spend time together, away from the stresses and burdens of school, simply enjoying life and each other's company. It was probably the best way that I could have imagined Spring Break 2012 and I am so blessed to have had the chance to go.

And that's a wrap!

Hunter in one of those quirky Wilmington shops.