the 2nd annual VOCV

hello and ohmigosh, it's friday!

we've been home from our family vacation for almost a week. it seems like the week before and the week after vacation are always completely nuts. am i right? the week before a vacation is crazy because you are are busy trying to organize, make lists, pack for you [and your family] - and packing doesn't include only clothes, you must bring food, entertainment [computers, games, workout gear], linens and household products [paper towels, soap, etc]. it's a lot. plus, you have your regular life to maintain during this week before your magical vacation. and once you return it feels like you are running on E, going 100mph, just trying to get through the week. there are 40 loads of laundry, groceries that need to be bought because there is nothing to eat, the house needs to be cleaned even though it sat clean and empty for a week [how does this happen!]...plus, there is this silly thing called work that you have to return to.
so yeah...that is three weeks of life that is just nuts all for a vacation. but it is worth every second of the crazy.

this was the 2nd annual vinson/o'connor clan vacation [VOCV - nice acronym, eh?]. our families met up in rehoboth beach, delaware. never heard of it? i hadn't either until we planned this little trip. southern delaware is beautiful. i keep telling everyone that i am not sure what i was expecting of DE, but what we found, definitely was not what i was expecting. what i loved the most is that it reminded me of home. everything about the landscape eastern north carolina is beautiful. it's luscious. green. full of farmland. vibrant. southern delaware was much of the same. farms as far as the eye could see, pine trees, beautiful beaches and marshlands.

   

we enjoyed relaxing, a lot. but we managed to do a lot too. here are some of the highlights of our trip.

cape henlopen state park 
this park was amazing, in many ways. it had well over 20 miles of biking trails [of varying terrain]. we biked as much as we could without our bodies revolting against us. we spent a good 3 days at that park, biking and saoking up all the history it had to offer. as cited from the park's website," With the onset of World War II, the U.S. Army established a military base at Cape Henlopen in 1941. Bunkers and gun emplacements were camouflaged among the dunes, and concrete observation towers were built along the coast to spot enemy ships." the history that lies inside this park is truly what attracted us to it. there are 13 observation towers along delaware's coast that were used during WWII. we were lucky enough to be able to climb one. it was amazing!

   

dogfish head
dogfish head brewery is located in rehoboth [the original brewery location, which is now a brewpub]. the current brewery is located in milton, delaware [which was only about 30 minutes away]. dogfish head [DFH] makes amazing beer. so knowing the brewery and brewpub were so close just made our trip. i think we went there every day of our vacation. and i am not even kidding. we enjoyed trying beers we can't get at home and beers they only serve at the brewpub and brewery. plus their food was delicious. we didn't mind becoming regulars for a week.

   

no sales tax
this should maybe be self-explanatory, but i'll offer some details anyway. there is no sales tax in delaware. i am not sure how many other states have this awesome law, but as a guest of delaware, i think it's wonderful. mostly because i benefit greatly from it. it is a very novel thing to see an item on the shelf for $12.99 and when you get to the register...guess what? the amount you owe is also $12.99!!! it's freaking amazing. and this also maybe shouldn't be so exciting, but whatever, it is.

time well spent with my family
this was by far my favorite part of the trip. we celebrated two birthdays, played cards against humanity [parents included. eep!], and shared lots of good beer [and wine and champagne!]. all of the silly and funny things that you do on vacation, you can take home with you as  memories, but you can't incorporate them into your life. well, because the people that made it funny aren't there [bye felicia!]. believe me you guys, it doesn't work - no one understands why they are being called felicia. but for real, i love learning more and more about my family. they live too far away and we don't get to do enough with each other, so this is our time to give each other a "crash course" on our lives over the past year. the more we do get together, the more we learn about each other and the closer we become. and that is truly what makes this vacation so special. vinson/o'connor clan, you all are wonderful, beautiful people. i can't wait for next year!

xoxo,
ks

ray rice

ray rice.

where to start. i have so many emotions, thoughts, concerns, questions. if you don't live under a rock, you have heard by now, that TMZ released the video of him TKO-ing his now wife. and shortly thereafter he was released by the ravens and indefinitely banned by the NFL.
i think both of those were appropriate responses.

i didn't watch the video. i didn't want to. i didn't want to see domestic violence in its most brutal form. the description was enough for me. but then...EPSN so kindly shared the video during halftime of monday night football. i was so caught off guard, i couldn't look away. i hate you, EPSN.
however, having watched the video, just reinforced how awful the attack was. whatever the altercation was about, whatever started their argument, whatever led to the pushing and eventual left hook by ray rice - well, it doesn't matter. he had so many other options other than PUNCHING OUT HIS WIFE. if punching something was what he felt he needed to do, there were four walls to chose from. pick one.
what engaged me about the entire thing is that this is a person he cares about, supposedly. and he knocked her seemingly unconscious. who the fuck does that?! i mean, let's talk about that for a minute. think of the maddest you have ever been at a person. a person you care for - wife. mom. brother. friend. husband. sister. dad. aunt. whoever.
have they ever made so mad that you wanted to knock them unconscious? that you wanted to hit them so hard you quite literally knocked their lights out? sure, we've all wanted to punch someone before, but to the point of sleepy-time? would that make you feel better to know that you now need to take them to the ER?
i mean, fuck!
seriously guys, who does that? more importantly, who thinks that is OK? who thinks that hitting someone that fucking hard is acceptable behavior? ever. even if you are split-second angry. even if you are "lost your shit" angry. how is it an appropriate response? since when is giving your wife a concussion the right way to end an argument?
because once you gather yourself, regret consumes you. "what the hell did i just do?" consumes you. when it comes to your relationships, if you feel the need to hurt the people you are involved with there is either something wrong with you, them, or a combination of you together. so, the best solution is to let that relationship go.
hurt, physical and/or emotion, is not worth it.

i am not trying to preach advice. i am simply stating what should be obvious. but, we as emotional beings, have a hard time letting go of things we know we should.

today, janay defended her man via instagram. i guess, as she should. she was the one who decided to marry him. some suggest it was for money. some suggest that she can't find her way out of this troubled and abusive relationship. some may suggest that they really do care for and love each other. i have no idea why she did. on the surface, i think she is crazy. because i know if i was with a guy who knocked me out, there would be no wedding date, there would only be a court date.

she does say some things that shed light to the other side of the story - it is their life, we don't understand how it affects them, she mentions unwanted opinions from the public and media, having to relive something they regret, blah blah blah.
the thing is - they live in the eyes of the public. forever and always. it comes with being a professional athlete. if she didn't want any of the things mentioned above, then she shouldn't have dated and married a famous person. good or bad, the public is always going to offer their opinion on the matter. it is just the way of it. we always have something to say. ray rice could have been the best running back in the league, and someone would have something to say about it. it just comes with the territory. it doesn't matter what the issue is at hand, if you live in the view of the public, they are going to have "words of wisdom" for you. if janay didn't want the public involved in her life, then she shouldn't have chosen such a public lifestyle.
dealing with this incident specifically, if she wants to blame the public for ruining their life [which is ridiculous], then she should reconsider where she wants to have her arguments with her husband. because if they are going to have knockdown, drag-out fights [quite literally], then they should not have them in public places that have surveillance cameras and possible witnesses, like casinos.

at the end of the day, it is her and ray's life. but they both must evaluate and understand the life they have chosen. all of the things they have, they have chosen. everything that is happening to them is because of decisions they made. no one else. all of this is happening because of two, well, ultimately one person.

ray rice.

had he not punched the shit out of his wife, they would not be where they are today.

END OF STORY.

what makes us southern

one day i was sitting in our classroom cutting out pictures from the august 2013 our state magazine. as i was looking for particular pictures to cut out, i was also skimming the articles, features, events, and stories. it is such a soft, sweet, and inviting magazine. i wish everyone spoke with the grace and kindness that this magazine is written. the feature article particularly struck my fancy. it is entitled what makes us southern. there are so many amazing things about living in the south and being southern. i am quite certain that among all of us we could come up with a very lengthy, yet accurate list.

the our state article listed only six things. i find each of these things so important to being southern and to being north carolinian.

screen doors. you just can't live in the south without a screen door. [at least] three seasons of the year, there are days where it beautiful enough to have the windows and doors open. [last night was a perfect example of that].

grits. most people either love them or hate them. southerners love them. they complete the country breakfast. what is breakfast without grits? well, it just isn't.

tobacco barns. our state is covered with farm land. and with farms comes old tobacco barns. some are falling apart and a complete mess, and some are still intact and used today. both are quite beautiful. all of these barns tell a story and share our history.

from our state august 2013

swamps. i don't think i appreciated the beauty of swamps until i moved to eastern north carolina. they are so mysterious. so silent and so still. they are eerie. and they are full of life, hidden right before your eyes.

copyright: me :)

cheerwine. i don't think this one really needs an explanation. if you are from north carolina, you love cheerwine. there is no other option.

kudzu. it's nice to look at, but it ruins everything. it takes over the world because it is so invasive. it fills in gaps and softens jagged edges, but it is cumbersome. it is everywhere! as a southerner, you understand the love/hate feelings that are associated with this plant. it just wouldn't be the south without it.


i encourage all of you to read the full article [scroll down to FEATURES and you will see each item listed] to learn more about why these six things are just so important to being southern. other than being an old "stand-by" or simply present in a southerner's daily life, together, they have created a way of life.

i find all of these things truly southern. what i loved the most about this list, is that it wasn't overly cliche. these things truly represent the south as a culture instead of a stereotype. these simple six items show that the south is made up of far more than BBQ and football. i would suggest that each region/state of the US represents a specific culture that consists of its own history, traits, and functionality to which each respects and is extremely proud of.

and the south is no different.

xoxo,
ks

OBX recap

two weeks ago we spent a glorious vacation with our family on the outer banks. the weather could not have been better if it had tried. we did a family reunion type trip with my mom's side of the family. as we say with all of our family, we really never see them enough. it was wonderful to spend an entire week with them to actually get to know them as the awesome people they are, share in many laughs, memories, and bottles of champagne.

as you know [or should know by now] keith and i have quite the love affair with OBX. we were almost overwhelmed with the thought of spending an entire week there [are you kidding?!] we didn't know what do with all of that time.

some of the things we did were old favorites...

• outer banks brewing station [surprisingly we only stopped in once. i am disappointed in us.]
• currituck beach lighthouse

• the good life [x3] [it's our favorite place to get breakfast.]
• trio [beer, wine, and cheese shop. it's too good not to go.]
• manteo/elizabethan gardens

• poor richards [yummy sandwich shop/bar in manteo]
• mini golf/pamlico jack's for painkillers afterward [we did this during our wedding week. we had to continue on with the tradition.]

some of the things we did were new adventures...

• weeping radish [GO THERE NOW. the food is amazing. the beer was pretty good too. all made in house. it is definitely my kind of place.]
• avalon fishing pier [scariest pier i've ever been on.]

  

 

• tommy's natural market "sip and sample"/waterfront shopping [all of this was in duck. tommy's is a great little natural food market. however, the free "sip and sample" left us desiring more. there was plenty of food to sample, but the sipping portions were for that of a very small child, if that. oh well. you don't know unless you go. and now we know.]
• duck donuts [OHMIGOSH. that is all i am going to say about that. and that they have FOUR locations on OBX!]

 

• full moon brewery [it is located in manteo and was much better than we expected. we've tried the restaurant and didn't care for it much, but i kept seeing ads for the brewery, which is only 2 years old. so i was like, "let's just try it out." and we were glad we did. we will definitely be back.]

some of the things we did were in celebration...

• ryan and stephen got married! so we had a small "surprise" reception for them when the returned from maryland on tuesday night. it was very sweet and lots of fun. it included our signature drink, the painkiller, food, cake, and you guessed it...champagne!

• on friday it was my cousin, erin's, birthday. we had cookies, cake, and of course, champagne!
• we toasted to and celebrated vacation and our family...A LOT.

now that we have been home for almost 2 weeks, i still really miss the beach. a lot. it gets harder and harder to leave OBX each time. our hearts are there. in due time, our lives will be there too.


til next time, OBX.....

xoxo,
ks

whirlwind

keith and i had a bit of a whirlwind weekend. well, really, whirlwind day and a half.

my oldest friend, carly, was on the outer banks with her family and friends. a couple of weeks ago she asked me if we wanted to come out to visit them during their trip. umm. a visit to OBX and i get to see an old friend?! we quickly responded, "hell yes." we ended up going out friday night and staying until saturday. we left greenville on friday afternoon earlier than we expected, so we thought we'd stop at our most favorite place, outer banks brewing station [OBBS], for a beer and some grub. this worked out kind of perfectly as carly and co. were busy getting ready [showers, etc] to head out for dinner themselves. after our separate meals, we met them back at the house they had been staying at in corolla. it was wonderful to spend the night catching up with carly [and sean], meeting and hanging out with their friends, and just relaxing at the beach.

Us at OBBS. yummm.

we slept in on saturday before heading out to the beach around lunchtime. it was a warm and sunny day. the water was chilly, but felt great on a warm day. there was a slight breeze. it was restorative to the soul.

unfortunately we could not stay all day, as we had to get back to greenville. [we had tickets to ECU's first football game of the season.] on our way off the island, we made two quick stops at a couple of other favorite spots, the good life and trio. we crammed in as much as we could in 20 hours at the OBX. even though we will be back in 2 weeks [fucking yay!]. we got back to greenville kind of late due to our stops, but we did make it to the football game! ECU played old dominion in a night game and won our home opener. it was an offensive battle and a very good game to watch. our seats were amazing and there is something spectacular about a night game. the atmosphere is electric.

go pirates!!! ARRRGGH.

come sunday, we were exhausted. we slept wayyyy in. i had a migraine [ugh]. so, i guess that was my body's way of letting me know she was very tired. i listened and rested all yesterday. why not?

having an extra day off was welcomed and much needed. we took care of business around the house and for work. and now, this long weekend has come to an end. rest and relaxation never seem long enough.

i hope you all had a wonderful last weekend of summer! i hope you enjoyed time with your family and friends.

xoxo,
ks

p.s. bring on fall! i am so ready for cooler temps, pumpkin beer, and hockey.

muddin'

keith and i have decided to do the MS mud run.

it is a boot camp style run.
this means mud. dirt. obstacles. costumes. it will be slippery and sloshy. and oh yeah, its 6 miles.

but it's all for a good cause. to support the National MS society!

once we get registered and have a team and everything, I'll post the information for you guys.

but back to the event. it's on september 24th. we decided 5 weeks prior to such a race that we are going to run a 6 mile race. scratch that. a 6 mile muddy race. if i had to run 6 miles tomorrow, i'd never make it.
the good news: we've made a training plan to get us to 6 miles by the 24th. plus, this is a race with obstacles. so it's not a traditional race. so when i get tired, i'll have a stopping point to climb through a pit of mud 6 feet deep. or something restful like that.

the bad news: it's a 6 mile race filled with muddy obstacles. what the hell have i signed up for?! so basically this kind of race is just prolonging the agony of the race.

but let me be real with you guys for a minute...and only a minute, so read fast. but seriously, i have been trying to find motivation to get back into exercising for months. and i couldn't find it anywhere. i wasn't motivated to do anything. running? boring. biking? no thanks. swimming...when it's 100 degrees? that doesn't sound refreshing...i'll pass.

by registering for an event or race that you want to do or are excited about....you become MOTIVATED!!! i am motivated to get moving and running! and to get my body into shape and to be healthier.
now, i am slightly scared about this race. but also excited. it's a team event. plus it's designed to be fun. they encourage costumes for crying out loud. so it's going to be a big sloppy mess. and it's going to be awesome.

so, i am inviting all and any who want to come watch this ridiculous mess that will make all mom's cringe at the thought of the clean up.