Day 34 of 100

A picture of me in my favorite place to get away.

Occasionally, I venture out alone to think, reflect, pray, worship, and collect myself.  My favorite place to get away is... did you really think I was going to tell you?  No one knows about my spot of choice and I like it that way.  That's half the point.

My second and more frequent spot is East Campus.  MACU owns a chunk of property on the river that is gorgeous.  Unfortunately, a lot of other people think so too; yesterday there were two people fishing and one guy playing with his dog.  Since it is often "crowded," my third spot is the pier next to my house.

After a walk, I like to stand at the end of the pier just gazing and thinking, one last final moment of solitude before rejoining the human race.  Corey and I also frequent the pier to read and sip tea. 

It's a good spot.  Jetting out into the water, the pier takes you to another world.   The pier invites you to leave your troubles in the grass and stepping out onto the weathered wood, your mind is hushed and your soul breaths deeply.  The sounds of the city are muffled and the water lapping against the dock whispers in your ears.  The cool water breeze fills your lungs and caresses your face.  Here the fog is lifted and you can think clearly.  Here your heart is free to feel as it pleases and is also re-centered.  Here God meets me and we dance.

Day 33 of 100

Yesterday Corey and I went bowling with Dan Smith, the new RHD, and his wife.

Wait... that's not us bowling.  O yeah... I forgot my camera at home.  And wait... I should have posted this yesterday.  O yeah... I left the cord to upload the picture at the office. 

Anyway, bowling was a blast.  Dan and Kathy are great and loads of fun.  I'm excited to have them on the team here at MACU.  Now all we need are students... only a few more weeks!

Day 32 of 100

What is there to do in Elizabeth City?  Nothing.  Unless you have a GPS.

Since June of 2007, Corey has been an active geocacher.  
"What is geocaching?" you ask.  Simply, it is a scavenger hunt with longitude and latitude coordinates.

Someone hides a "cache," records its location, and then posts it on the geocaching website.  You plug the coordinates into a GPS (or geocahing app in my husband's case),which will get you within about 15 feet of the cache.

Average size for a cache is a military ammo box.  Corey, being an advanced geocacher, has already found most of the larger caches in our area.  So we are typically on a search for minis, which are just that- very small caches.

Spoiler alert for all EC geocachers!
Today we went geocaching with Jason and Teri Woolard.

We went to a cache Corey and Jason had previously looked for, but failed.  We looked for some time and then Corey finally found it.

It was a bolt that had been hollowed out and attached with a matching nut to the guard rail.

 

Whoa.

Day 31 of 100

A picture of me and my love.

Corey is home and no longer sick.  The past few days have been great together.  We've laughed a lot, typically at the silliness of each other.  We've spent quality and quantity time together, both of which I need.  Corey seems to be in light spirits.  I think organizing our anniversary trip has contributed to that.  Planning something special for me is one of the few things he gets excited about.  Being with him comes so naturally to me.  It's nice to have my husband around again. 

Day 30 of 100

Yesterday Corey and I went to the beach.

I've been to the beach twice in 30 days.  I've gone an entire summer and not gone to the beach.  I don't know why I have recently developed this need to be there...

Anyway, since we were going to the beach I decided to have a little fun with my hair.  I pulled more of my bangs into my face and left the back down (I know, you're in shock).  It was a nice change of pace.

Corey never purchases his sunglasses, but acquires them (people leave them in the car, lost and found, stuff like that).  Some how we have acquired two pairs of aviators.  Weird.  Yesterday we both rocked a pair.  He looks better in them than I do.  They are simply too big for my face.

The sun was unrelenting, the sand scorching, and the water freezing.  Great day at the beach!  Corey spent most of the afternoon in the water while I spent it on the sand.  I read and soaked up some sun (a little too much on my legs) while taking a few breaks to splash around in the water with Corey and look for seashells.

After beaching it, we went to Corey's favorite OBX food spot, Awful Arthur's.

 
We got the crab dip, 1/2 pound shrimp, and 1/2 pound crab legs.  It was SUPER yummy.

Great day at the beach with my man.

Day 29 of 100

A picture of me in a hat.

This hat was made for me by Rich Meister.  Until Rich customized this hat for me, I had never found a beanie type head covering that I liked.  Now, I wear this one almost every Saturday.  It allows me to give my hair a break and to bust out a more earthy, urban style.  I dig it.  Thanks Rich!

Day 28 of 100

This butterfly was in the grass outside of my office.  It was rather large and its wings were gorgeous.  I'm pretty sure it was dieing.  It sat on the grass, its wings hardly moving.  Nor did it fly away scared off by my approach.

I am a worm saver.  I will move worms from the hot pavement to the cool grass, saving them from death by dehydration.  If I have compassion for the squiggly, brown dirt eater, I certainly wanted to do something for the glorious butterfly.  But what could one do?  You can't even touch it due to do the delicate dust of its wings.  So I snapped my picture and went on with my day.

If I am moved to action by the soulless insect, how much more should I be by the downtrodden and lost of my own kind that have eternal significance?

Day 27 of 100

A picture of you at lunch.

Corey is finally feeling better (not well, but better) so yesterday we went out for lunch to the Wild Flower Cafe.

The Wild Flower Cafe is unique, has good food, is always busy and always loud.

(Did you notice my purple top I mentioned from yesterday?  And today I have on the black one.)

Day 26 of 100

A picture of you in your favorite outfit.

Just one?  I like my clothes and express myself through my style so to pick one outfit... yeah, not going to happen.

Pink and black- these colors dominate my closet.  If it's black or pink and on a hanger, it's going to catch my eye.  I have a solid black, pink, purple, and white shirt similar to the one pictured above.  This collection is the back bone of my wardrobe at present with my pink bow a renown accessory.

All that considering, surprisingly my next favorite shirt is red.

I only have two red articles; the other is a dress.  Oddly enough, they are similar in that they both have an extra... flap thing (I don't know how to describe it) in the front . I really like this shirt.  The material is soft, the buttons are adorable, the neck line and other accents add to the shirt, and I feel like a lady bug when I wear it.

There is a funny story behind this shirt.  Aimee LaFever and I were shopping together one day when we both stumbled upon this shirt.  Of course a woman's worst shopping nightmare occurred and we both loved it.  Aimee suggested we buy it and share it, something Aimee does often.  I on the other hand am not a fan; my style is my style.  So I insisted she make the purchase, acknowledging that the shirt was much more "her" than me anyway.  She complied stubbornly.  Several weeks went by and I never saw the shirt around campus.  One day I questioned her about it and she dodged the topic.  Odd.  Prior to her trip to Africa, Aimee cleaned out her closet and allowed me to go through the clothes she was getting rid of (keep in mind Aimee used to work retail so she has LOTS of clothes).  Among those being "discarded," the lady bug shirt.  What a good friend!

Here's another picture for good measure.  I love the way the grass makes everything pop!

Day 25 of 100

A picture of the most beautiful place in town.

There are actually a lot of beautiful locations in Elizabeth City, if you are on the lookout for them.  Some of the houses in town are simply amazing.  There are a few parks that are eye-catching as well.  And with the river, there is a lot of waterfront property that is simply breath taking.

But if I had to pick one place in town that stood above all the others, I would pick the Culpepper Inn, because there resides my favorite tree.  The first time I walked down this street, I noticed the tree.  The trunk is stout and the branches stretch over the entire yard.  The leaves are so dense, the thick shade it provides is ever damp and cool.

The tree is much larger and glorious than it appears here.  I couldn't even find a photo on the internet that did it justice.  So due to the lack of grandeur of my tree pictures, here are a few other pictures from Elizabeth City of things I found to be beautiful.

Day 24 of 100

I took Corey to the doctor yesterday morning.  They prescribed him something for his cough, an antibiotic, and eye drops.  No signs of improvement this morning.  And his eyes still look radioactive.

I feel so bad for him.  See..

Our visit to the doctor was entertaining.  The doctor who saw Corey had just returned from a mission trip to Ecuador.  He was telling us all about how it went, asking our opinion on how it could be better, and for our views of the worth of short term mission trips.  We were probably in there a solid 20 minutes talking with him.  It was a good conversation and I was glad to be a listening ear for him.  But all the while, it was obvious that Corey felt like death and couldn't wait to go home.  My heart broke for him, but I also knew the doc needed that conversation.  Certainly is interesting how things work out sometimes...

Day 23 of 100

Corey was sickly yesterday.  Being a good wifey, I made him dinner.  Yum!

But that isn't the interesting part.  Corey and I have a history of buying a single item of food in excess.  Corey gets it in his mind that we need something and buys it every time we go to the store.  At one point we had so many bottles of maple syrup it wasn't funny.  Eventually, that item goes on the DO NOT BUY grocery list.  This also happened with single wrapped Velveta cheese.  It seems we have always had those things in the door of our fridge.  So yesterday while making toasted cheese sandwhiches, I took a look at the experation date.  November 2008.  No joke! 

Yes, I still used it.  I know, you are totally grossed out.  But really what I am more concerned about is that despite being several months beyond a year expired, the cheese looked like I just bought it yesterday.  WHAT IS IN THIS STUFF?  Luckily there are only two more pieces left. 

Day 22 of 100

A picture of you that is hard to recognize.

Ever since I was little I have had a thing for catwoman.  Growing up my favorite action figure was my Catwoman (followed by Rogue and then Storm).  In high school I planned to one day have a catwoman costume made for me.  I figured it would be a few hundred dollars well spent (for the record, I refused to see the Halle Berry Catwoman movie because of her costume. If they couldn't get that right, I can't imagine how terrible the rest of the movie was).  When I discovered the names I liked for my children (if I ever have any) had become popular, I considered going with Saline and Kyle instead.  Now, one of the tattoos I would like to get is a cat paw. 

Two years ago for Halloween, a group of us decided on a Batman theme.  Naturally, I was to be catwoman.  I searched the internet for costumes and was disappointed with what I found.  So I decided to put together my own.  I went straight to eBay and started looking.  To my pleasure I discovered that in China they make full body "fetish" outfits.  Not really my thing, but exactly what I needed to pull off catwoman.  After spending a week researching sellers, I picked what I thought was a reputable one and placed an order.  When I received my full body suit, I was very disappointed.  Despite giving my measurements, the suit was tailored for someone who was 4ft 2, not 5ft 8.  There was absolutely no way this lanky frame was going to fit into the petite suit I received.  I complained, but to not avail.  Halloween was quickly approaching and I already spent a pretty penny on the suit, so I had no other choice but to work with what I had.  In order to get into the thing, I cut the suit across the waist, cut off the gloves, and cut off the seam at the toes.  Some articles from my punk days, a corset I bought online, a little stitching, of course the catwoman mask and a whip finished the look.  It wasn't the costume I dreamed of in high school, but it was pretty awesome none the less.  Until now, I hadn't had a reason to wear it.

In Vegas, I was struck with another idea for my suit.  Locals dress up like Elvis and Vegas show girls and tourists pay them to take their picture.  Anyone up for donning a Poison Ivy or Hurley Quinn suit and hitting the streets of Vagas for a few extra bucks?
 
Check-out my Facebook for more pictures!

Day 21 of 100

The highlight of my day.

This one was easy.  After two long weeks, my husband is finally home!

Day 20 of 100

This is me most days at work:

But some days are more like this:

I am the Student Life Director at Mid-Atlantic Christian University.  I know, my title doesn't really give you any idea of what I actually do.  When people ask me what that means, I always find myself struggling to describe it.  I do a lot.  There really isn't one term I can say to sum up what I do and if you aren't familiar with how MACU works, then it becomes much more difficult to explain.

But what I am here for is the students.  They are what drives me, what gets me through the day, what inspires me to improve the system, and what makes all the tedious and not fun work worth it.  I want to see each student grow and succeed while they are here at MACU.  I love the students.  Without them, this job would be just another desk job.  They make it a ministry and something I love to do.


Only a few more weeks until they are back on campus.  Can't wait!!!

Day 19 of 100

Back to my assigned pictures.  A picture of you at dinner.

Last night I had dinner with Jo and Taylor.

They made enchiladas that were AMAZING!  It was Dr. Larsen's recipe originally so of course it was good food.  Later we had peanut butter chip brownies with ice cream.  Yum!

Thanks guys for having me over while my husband is out of town.  I really needed the company.  You are great friends!

Day 18(ish) of 100

Yes, I missed a day.

Yesterday at 3:45am I awoke to begin my trek back home. I left Vegas at 6am and arrived in Atlanta.  I had 30 minutes to catch my connecting flight so I sprinted through the airport only to arrive at my gate and find my flight was delayed an hour.  Then it was delayed another 15 minutes.  Then we had a gate change.  Then it was delayed another 15 minutes.  And then another.  And then we had a gate change.  And then another.  Finally, we took off and landed in Newport News at 5:59pm.  I got something to eat, got my car and headed back for Elizabeth City.  I was home about 9pm and exhausted.  So you can see why I missed a day.

Thanks for your understanding.


Sam and I spent Monday in Boulder City.  We visited a jewelry shop that replicates jewelry from old black and white films, bought chocolates from a local candy store, and meandered through a very large antique shop.  For lunch we went to a local sandwich place where we played an intense game of Scrabble.

Of course I stink at Scrabble due to my lack of spelling skills.  But it was a blast just the same.  We eventually started going off the board and stacking the letters.  We used all the letters but one E, one I, one A, one F, and one Q.

For more pictures (and a few videos) of my trip to Vegas, check out my Facebook.

Day 17 of 100

Viva La Verve

Sam moved to Las Vegas 14 months ago to help with a church plant called Verve.  They have been having services since March.

Sam runs the computer on Sunday mornings so we were at The Venue (where Verve meets) two hours before service.  They were very professional and took the quality of the service very seriously.  Verve is very seeker friendly and makes those who are new feel comfortable and at ease.  As always, I am impressed with Vince Antonucci's handiwork.  I pray God uses Verve to impact lives in Las Vegas.

16 of 100

Confession: This picture is purely to meet my requirements.  There is no purpose, no theme, no artsy element or cool story.  I had planned on taking pictures during the evening to document our adventures in Vegas, but Sam and I left our purses (with my camera) in the car.  We later returned to the car solely to retrieve the camera, but then decided instead of riding the mechanical bull in the casino down the street we would just go home.

So for the sake of my challenge, here is a picture of Samantha and I after a night on the town in Las Vegas.

Day 15 of 100

O Nicole, what did you do while you were in Vegas?

While I waited 3 hours for Samantha's car to get fixed, I colored in Fat Burger.

Day 14 of 100

For the next several days I am visiting my college roommate in Las Vegas!  I am taking a break from my "assigned" photos (don't fret, I got permission from the husband) to highlight my trip.

A picture of me with Samantha.

A summary of my trip thus far?  On my first flight I was on a very small plane and purposely picked a seat in the exit row to have more leg room.  When I boarded the plane, an older gentleman (I use that term loosely) was in my seat.  I questioned him if he was indeed in the right seat and he answered yes without hesitation.  LIAR!

Sam took me to the "In N Out Burger" where I shared Sam's animal fries.  

Sam drove down the strip and I experienced sensory overload.  But not so much so that we didn't notice a rubber glove clinging to the back bumper of an occupied police car driving down the strip.

It was 97 degrees last night.  The AC in Sam's car isn't working.  Rolling down the windows does nothing against the heat.  Sam describes it as swirling oven air.  The air is so hot and thick it almost seems difficult to breath.  And that was at night after it had cooled down!

Despite staying up until the wee hours of the night, I only slept 5 hours.  I see a nap in my future.

Day 13 of 100

A picture of you and music.

Music and I have a long standing relationship.  Music ignites me with passion and excites my soul.  Music motivates me.  Music also has a way of fueling my frustrations, but I don't mind because Music simultaneously calms me down.  Music has a way of moving me few can.  Music knows just how to comfort me when I feel alone.  I can listen to the same lines over and over again and it never gets old, but only makes me fall further and further in love.  Long drives with Music are the best.  I've spent many a night under the stars with Music, sometimes just reflecting together, other times dancing with abandon.  Music takes me where I am and helps me get where I want to go.  Music is always with me, in my heart and stuck in my head.  Music has given so much to me and never asks for anything in return.  Any day with Music is a better day than it could have been.  I love Music.

Day 12 of 100

A picture of you in your room.

My room is typically a little disheveled so the idea of taking a picture of it didn't exactly excite me.  And there really isn't anything special about it to show off.  No decorations.  No theme.  Just a bed (more like two mattresses on the floor), a closet, two dressers (his and hers) and two night stands (his and hers).  However, there is a section of the room that is more "mine" and characteristic of me.

My dresser sits in a closet and on my dresser I keep all my perfumes and lotions, two jewelry boxes, a jewelry bag, and random other junk that happens to find it's way there.  Above my dresser I have a cork board that I altered and fashioned into a display for my necklaces, most of which I have made.  My dresses hang to the left and my wedding dress, scarves, and Corey's ties (random) reside on the right.  On a high shelf I keep a bunch of spa appliances given to me when I got married. 

Every morning I stand before this shrine of girlie merchandise and crafted garnishes to accessorize and amp up my style.  It's a good space.

Day 11 of 100

A picture of you at breakfast.

Breakfast is pretty much a big deal.  As you probably know, I have a thing for cereal.  I'm not too picky about brands or types, but if I don't have cereal in the morning my whole day seems thrown off.

I always read something when I eat breakfast.  When I was young it was the cereal box.  Now that I'm all grown up (HA!) sometimes it's a book, a magazine, or a random piece of paper that was left on the kitchen table.  I am currently reading the Book of  John.

Breakfast is an essential part of my day.  I wouldn't make it to lunch without it!

Day 10 of 100

A picture of you and your favorite drink.

I like a lot of drinks.  White Cliffs coffee from Muddys, Naked Smoothie Drinks, Ocean Water or Lime-Berry Slush from Sonic, Orange Aid from Andy's... but one is always a constant.

Water.

I am not particular about my drinking water at all.  I grew up with well water.  I have lived in EC (Elizabeth City) for years drinking the city water which most people say is disgusting.  I don't notice; it's water.  I do, however, have a thing for water in weird bottles.  Once on a road trip I bought an overpriced bottle of water just because of the packaging.  It was in the shape of a flask and was called "Fred."  HA!  Hilarious!  Who could resist?!?  Recently I purchased a bottle of Voss, "sparkling mineral water from the untouched nature of Southern Norway" (quoted from their website).  To me it tasted the same as what comes out of my tap.  But the bottle is awesome.  It's sleek and easy to carry around and looks good sitting on my desk.  It just begs me to drink from it.  And even though I may be paying $1.69 for a 20oz bottle of water that doesn't taste any different to me, it's fun and helps keep me hydrated.  I'd say that's worth the few extra pennies.

Day 9 of 100

A picture of what you like to do.

This is Gerome the Gnome before.

This is Gerome the Gnome after his make-over.

Like I've said in a recent post, I am a crafter.  Corey and I were walking into the house yesterday and he commented how faded Gerome was.  I immediately took him into the house and gave him a face lift.  I'm sure Lola, his voluptuous girlfriend, will be pleased with his new look.

Day 8 of 100

A picture of you and someone in your family.

Again, I'm going to have to cheat on this one.  This is my new favorite picture of my mom.  It resides on the top of my entertainment center in my living room.

When I was young, my mom always had a knack for making mundane chores fun.


When I was in cross country, my mom would sprint from one part of the course to another to cheer me on and she was always at the finish to congratulate me. 

When I was a teen and majorly sassy, my mom was patient and understanding. 

She always knew how to make me laugh when no one else could.

My first all nighter was spent with my mother working on a science fair project.  It may have been the wee hours of the night, but I'm pretty sure we both got a little buzz from the rubber cement we used.  We were both so giggly.

My mom has always been there to listen and offer wise advice when I need it.

Her passion and joy for God is contagious and I credit my own personal relationship with Christ to her.

I have always found her inward and outward beauty stunning.

My mom is easily the most influential person in my life. 
Growing up she was my role model and mentor.  She has become my best friend. 
Every day I find myself becoming more and more like her, a fact I am honored to acknowledge. 

She currently lives in Colorado.  I don't get to see her nearly as often as I would like.  I miss her often.

Day 7 of 100

A picture of you being silly.

Done.  But now the question is, who that be in my photo?!?

Day 6 of 100

A picture of you and something inspiring.

As many of you probably know, I am a crafter.  I enjoy sewing, making collages, making jewelry, and scrap booking.  When I am in the creative mood, but find myself lacking in ideas or direction I flip through a craft magazine for inspiration.

Sometimes it works like magic and I am struck with an awesome idea and get right to work.  Other times, like last night, I'd rather just watch a movie and eat popcorn.