Haircut

So I did something kind of crazy--well, crazy in my view of things. I chopped my hair off, about 4 or 5 inches and now have a sort of layered bob. My hair is more often than not unruly and sort of a interesting mix of wavy, curly, frizzy, poofball style, so I am hoping that having less hair to fix will help with that problem. I am still trying to figure out what to do and how to style it. It will likely be a process of trial and error. This picture is my attempt to tame the mane.

Alissa visits Charlotte

Now it's my turn to go on a roadtrip! I rented a car and drove up to Charlotte on Friday July 18 to visit Ruth (arrived late in the evening). We spent the weekend at her branch president's house and were blessed by their generous hospitality. Saturday was full of all sorts of fun activities. We had authentic Mexican tacos from a little mobile vendor that we ate in a park near Ruth's work (asada, barbacoa, lengua, etc). She gave me a tour of her office and then we got ice cream from a shop just down the street called the Elizabeth Creamery--all flavors are made homemade everyday. There are a lot of references to royalty in the city (The Queen City, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Queens College, etc.), in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg who had become queen consort to King George III the year before the city's founding. The locals hoped to gain the favor of the crown by honoring Queen Charlotte in this way. Charlotte is also a major U.S. financial center and home to Bank of America and Wachovia.

We visited an open air farmer's market with fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bottled products, fresh flowers, and arts & crafts. Ruth and I had planned a Sunday picnic so we purchased a variety of foods to snack on. She also bought several bouquets of fresh flowers as gifts for friends she has made here; we were little elves and delivered them secretly. Afterward, we went to the Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is amazingly enormous! The visitor's center was already closed, but we found an open gate and slipped in just to see the track. For dinner we had Eastern North Carolina BBQ (vinegar base instead of tomato base) at a place called Bubba's.

Sunday after church we visited the gardens and greenhouses at UNC-Charlotte and had a picnic in a little gazebo. They had a great display of pitcher plants and orchids and a beautiful Tibochina in full bloom. Another great weekend!

Ruth visits Atlanta

Over the weekend of June 13-15, my great friend and previous BYU roommate Ruth came to visit me in Atlanta. She had an internship at a law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina for the summer and was able to come down (about 3.5-4 hour drive). She arrived Friday evening and we ended up talking until the wee hours of the morning! Saturday was quite a full day. The day started with going to get pedicures--a first for both of us. My favorite part was the foot massage in a spa-like tub, which was quite relaxing. Then we visited the Atlanta Temple grounds where the flower beds are looking their best right now. As the summer goes on they have a tendency to get rather wild, but in mid June they are at that picture perfect stage--yea! We went to lunch at a little American continental bistro place called Fresh to Order (F2O) in Sandy Springs. Most of the rest of the day was spent at the Georgia Aquarium, which is a fairly new feature to the Atlanta touristy scene and one of the biggest in the world. We played with starfish and sea urchins, pet sharks, watched whales, and stingrays, and otters, and sea lions...and had a great time acting like kids! To finish off our day we went to a fabulous Cajun seafood restaurant called Pappadeux. Ruth was feeling rather adventuresome and ordered froglegs & fried alligator; I was much more conservative and just ordered gumbo and a greek salad. And of course, we HAD to order dessert--true southern fare: banana pudding and sweet potato-pecan pie. Yum! Ruth was able to stay and attend my ward (Northpoint) where she ran into someone she knows from her law school program! She left early Monday morning at the same time I left for work at the temple. What a wonderful weekend!