Going Away Party

Warning: This post is to share a party menu with you, but it may get a little emotional first.

Saturday I'm hosting a going away party for one of my friends. One of my best friends in the whole entire world is going to the Coast Guard. C is one of those friends who has the ability to make anyone feel better about anything. I ALWAYS have fun when I'm with him and he's served the role of both big brother and partner-in-crime. He's not the friend that I see everyday, but he's the friend that I could count on everyday. And he's leaving for the coast guard. Sighhh.

That being said, there is a party to be had. C's mom and I are doing all the cooking and I must say the menu is a pretty fantastic one. We decided to with lots of appetizers and just let everyone munch and drink all night.

Here is our menu:

• spinach dip
• mexican dip
• corn salsa
• buffalo chicken dip
• jalapeno popper dip
• meatballs
• deviled eggs
• pigs in a blanket
• ham rollups
• sausage balls
• sausage dip
• cheesecake stuffed chocolate cake
• some cookies yet to be determined.

Delish right? Think everyone will have their fill of dips when it's over? I'm thinking of setting it up like a dip bar with several different things (potato chips, tortilla chips, pita chips, veggies) to dip. Cute?

Catching Up...

Oh, y'all. I am all kinds of awful and have not updated in way too long. Please, please forgive me! I guess this post will be a mash-up of many things.

First and most importantly, my Heels tourney run is over. They did an amazing job and lost in the Elite 8 to Kentucky. Nobody expected this team to go as far as they did and I am so incredibly proud of them. I usually have this awful, sick-to-my stomach feeling after losing the NCAA, but this year all I felt was pride. This team is one of the most likeable teams I can remember and I'm so proud of them. I mean, just look at the picture above. How can you NOT love those faces? I'm hoping the fact that we didn't win it all means HB, Z and Henson will all be back next year. Can you imagine? If they all come back, we are probably pre-season favorites to win it all. Boys, thank you for an amazing season. I love each and every one of you.

On another basketball note, last Saturday was Dave Telep's Carolina Challenge. I've worked at the Challenge for about the past five years and it is always one of my favorite days of the year. While this year didn't have a John Wall (though many underclassmen seriously impressed me), this year's Challenge was one of my favorites yet. I saw kids with great character and that makes me smile.

Now that bball season is over (okay, I guess there is still that business of a National Championship, but with us and all other ACC teams out of it, I don't care tooooo much), it's time for football. In a week and a half, we'll be heading over to Craige to tailgate for Spring Football. I can't wait. I know it's going to be bittersweet without Teej, but I'm sure I'll manage. Now, here is the big question. Old football dress or new football dress. I really like my old football dress better, but should I freshen things up for a new season. Thoughts?

Well, I've Been Blessed by the Grace of Southern Charm...

I have lived in two cities my entire life, each a mere 25 miles from the other. I was born in Raleigh, NC and have lived here for all of my 24 years on this earth with the exception of four in college when I lived in Chapel Hill, NC. For those of you who aren't local, let me tell you a little about each.

Raleigh is the capitol of North Carolina and is the second largest city in the state (behind Charlotte). In recent years, Raleigh has grown like crazy. I've always thought Raleigh was the best of both worlds - not giant enough to be considered "city life," but still big enough where there is plenty to do and see. It's a nice Southern city, but not too country (in fact, I recently read where we are among the top cities in the country for the number of college educated people).

Chapel Hill is about 25 miles west of Raleigh and is, in my mind, heaven. It's a small town that houses the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - one of the best public universities in the nation. It's a very eclectic town with people from all different types of backgrounds. The campus (which takes up a good chunk of the town) is gorgeous. Through the middle of Chapel Hill runs Franklin Street. Franklin Street is full of some of the best restaurants in America and fun bars. I.love.Chapel Hill.

The two are very different cities, but I've been blessed to live in both. I'm so grateful to be from the South. When I was younger I used to think I wanted to live in New York City, that's what writers are supposed to do, after all. Now I can't imagine it. I know every Southerner thinks this and every Northerner scoffs, but there is something so amazing about the South. A few of my favorites.

• Accents. My accent is one of my absolute favorite things about myself. It's Southern and cute, while not being over-the-top - at least not for Raleigh. When I go out of the South people seem to notice it immediately.
• Hydrangeas. Do they have these in the North? I don't think so. Even if they do, there is something quintessentially Southern about them. I'm going to have Carolina blue hydrangeas at my wedding and a bed of them in my yard.
• Family. Family reigns supreme in the South. I live a mile from each of my parents.
• Food. Southern cuisine is amazing. Especially now with award-winning chefs taking modern twists on it. HEAVEN.
• College sports. College sports are huge here. As March Madness gets started today, I know more than a few people who have taken off work. While Carolina and  Duke reign supreme in basketball, football is just as popular. Y'all know I have a love affair with tailgates and wearing pretty dresses to games. I don't think they wear dresses to games up North.
• Barbeque. Eastern style. Enough said.
• Beach music. That beer-drinking music. That shagging music. Nothing warms my heart like beach music.
• The beach. And the mountains. Raleigh is two hours from each. Perfection.
• Dogwood trees.

ACC Tourney Madness (to be followed by March Madness)

My apologies for being extremely late on this post! Things have been crazy with work, roomies' bday, coaching the boys' bball team, etc. But excuses are good for nothing and so I will begin.

Friday, the bball boys took on Miami in the ACC Tournament. We were not playing well at all. We were down 19 at one point. We never lead the game....until the final buzzer. Yep, that's right kids. Z hit a basket at the buzzer to win the game. HB went off near the end of the game to get us back in it and we closed it with the Z basket on a crucial Kendall Marshall assist.

Saturday, the Heels started off slow again, digging themselves a 16 point hole against Clemson. Really Heels? Like to give me heart attacks much? At least Harrison feels bad for my  heart and went on a scoring rampage to bring us back within single digits. We took the game to overtime and won. Harrison finished with 40. Yes 4-0.

That leads us to Sunday where an epic matchup was set for the title game - UNC v. Dook. Andddd the matchup was about the only thing epic about it. We did not play well at all. Y'all know I don't like to talk about the sad games so that will be it for that game description. Hopefully it was a wake up call for the Heels.

We got a #2 seed in the East region of the NCAA Tourney. I like the region because we get to play our first couple games in CharChar, but I dislike the region because it is loaded. #1 Ohio State is the best team in the nation and Kentucky and Syracuse are the #3 and #4 seeds, respectively. It will take some work to get out of that braket alive. But who knows, this team might just be crazy enough to do it. GO HEELS!

(Close to) Monday Morning Review

Happy Tuesday kiddos! And a very happy one indeed as the bball boys handled Dook on Saturday at the Dean Dome. Yes my friends, it was a magical day that started with Daddy and I scoring a front porch table at the Inn. I should have known then things were going our way. A front porch table at the Inn on a pretty Saturday in March is unheard of... add Dook game to the mix and it's impossible.

We enjoyed two or three hours of beer, wine and truffle oil french fries (yum!) and then headed to the game. The Heels lead the whole way and we won by 14. I have never heard the Dean Dome so loud! It was one of those perfect days.

The win clinched the ACC title for us. We head into the ACC tournament this weekend as the 1 seed and will play the winner of Miami v. Virginia.

I am really proud of this team. They are incredibly resilient. They could have folded when they lost a few unexpected games early. They could have imploded when Larry Drew II decided he was too good for us. Not to mention, we just found out Reggie Bullock is out for the season with a knee injury. This team just keeps pushing and pushing. I love it. Cannot wait for the tourney this weekend!!

Chapel Hill Bucket List

Most people know where my heart lies. It lies with delicious food, it lies with stunning clothes, it occasionally lies with cute boys, but more than anything it lies in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill is my one true love and will have my heart forever. The DTH (the student paper at UNC) recently published a Bucket List of things every UNC student should do before they graduate. I thought it'd be interesting to see how many I've done and if I have any fun stories associated with each. And for the ones I haven't done... I'm getting on them asap. I may have graduated, but in my mind I'll forever be a UNC student.

1. Ride a full circle of the P2P route Done. Several times. Oh heyyy, freshman year.
2. Play in the fountain at Bynum Circle Done.
3. Explore Wilson Library’s Rare Book Collection Done.
4. Get frozen yogurt at Yogurt Pump Obviously. Oreo is the best.
5. Have your picture taken with Rameses Done, despite my fear of mascots.
6. Drink from the Old Well on the first day of classes Done. (The tears are starting to well up)
7. Eat a cheddar-chicken biscuit at Time Out after 2 a.m. Done. You'd never know something that tasted so delicious late night, could be so utterly repulsive in day light.
8. Celebrate Halloween on Franklin Street Done. Four years in a row. Let's see - flapper, Daisy Duke, fairy, lady bug.
9. Pretend to fire the ROTC cannon Don't think I've done this one... can't say I have an overwhelming desire to.
10. Eat lunch at the counter of Sutton’s Drug Store Duh.
11. Go stargazing in Kenan Stadium Yes. :)
12. Pull an all-nighter in the UL If you haven't, you aren't really a UNC Student.
13. Get covered in paint at the Holi celebration on Polk Place Uh... I don't even know what this is.
14. Listen to the Pit Preacher and argue back I'm not sure I argued back, although he did tell me multiple times I was going to hell for wearing shorts.
15. Sunbathe on Polk Place Yes :)
16. Eat breakfast at Ye Olde Waffle Shop Yep.
17. Hula hoop at Weaver Street Market Been to Weaver Street, but never hula hooped.
18. Tweet at a UNC varsity athlete Of course. But even better than tweeting is actually talking to them. Preferably late night at Lucy's.
19. Play a round of golf at the Finley Golf Course Does the driving range count?
20. Play four-square in the Pit Nope.
21. Get ice cream at Maple View Farms in Carrboro Yep.
22. Visit a professor during office hours Of course.
23. Visit the Duke Botanical Gardens No. Do you see the first word in there?
24. See a star show at the Morehead Planetarium Done.
25. Complete a DTH crossword Only every day for four years of my life. Plus Sudoku the last two years.
26. Have a snowball fight on McCorkle Place Yep.
27. Climb the Bell Tower on Senior Day Yep. Tearrrr.
28. Persuade your teacher to hold class outside on a sunny day Oh yes. One benefit of having super liberal teachers.
29. Drink an extra-large coffee at the Daily Grind No. I've been to the Daily Grind several times, but I don't really like coffee.
30. Become a member of Local 506 and see a show Oh hey, freshman year. My friend's band played here several times.
31. Find and eat at the taco truck in Carrboro No. Food trucks didn't get big until after I left.
32. Sit outside Memorial Hall at night and listen to a show over the loudspeakers No, that's weird. I just bought a ticket. Oh Ben Folds, you were amazing.
33. Climb the rock wall in Rams Head No.
34. Hang a hammock and have a picnic in the Arboretum I've been through the Arboretum multiple times, but honestly we called it the Rapeoretum because it was really scary.
35. Run the stairs at Kenan Stadium Yes. Kenan, my love.
36. Watch the sun set from the 8th floor of Davis Library Yes.
37. “Borrow” cutlery and dishes from Lenoir No. I wasn't much of a Lenoir gal since I lived in private dorms the first two years that had a cafeteria and lived off-campus my last two years.
38. Crash a prospective student tour No!? That's rude.
39. Run or walk a 5k on campus for charity Tar Heel Trot, yay! Plan on doing Eve's run soon.
40. Get tickets as a senior to the UNC-Duke game Of course.
41. Dance in a library flash mob Didn't participate, did witness.
42. Walk across the Morehead Planetarium sundial on your way to Franklin Street Yep.
43. Get a letter to the editor and a kvetch published in the DTH No.
44. Attend at least one game for every UNC sports team Wow. As hardcore as I am, I don't think I ever went to a men's lacrosse game. I could be wrong though.
45. See (or participate) in the library streaking during finals Yep.
46. Attend a Zumba class at the SRC or Rams Head Yes, but Absolution is the best class ever.
47. Visit the basketball museum at the Dean Dome Yep.
48. Have a drink and listen to some bluegrass at Fridays on the Front Porch at the Carolina Inn AHHH now I'm really crying. YES.
49. See a movie hosted by CUAB at the Union Yep.
50. Play volleyball at a sand court Yep.
51. Grill some hot dogs at a residence hall grill Done.
52. Sit on the Davie Poplar bench — with someone else Aw this is sweet. I'm sure I have, but I doubt it was cute and romantic.
53. Play racquetball at Fetzer Gym No.
54. Eat a deep-fried candy bar at the State Fair No and this has nothing to do with UNC.
55. Swim some laps in the Bowman Gray pool Nope.
56. Stand on your feet for 24 hours with UNC Dance Marathon No, but donated time and money to it!
57. Paint yourself blue for a football game I've done it for a basketball game (risers, Wake Forest, senior year). I really try to look super cute for football games.
58. Trip on a brick in the Pit More times than I can remember.
59. Get a blue cup from He’s Not Here Of course.
60. Visit Gimghoul Castle at night Yep.
61. Fall asleep in a couch at Graham Memorial I don't know if I've fallen asleep, but I love Graham Memorial. It became my official study spot senior year.
62. Sing “Hark the Sound” and link arms with a stranger at a sporting event Yes. This is one of my favorite feelings ever.
63. Go to Duke’s campus wearing a UNC shirt Yep.
64. Watch a basketball game from the risers at the Dean Dome Yep. Wake Forest. T-Hans. Miss you senior year.
65. Appear in an STV show No.
66. See a movie at the Varsity Theater Yep. I've seen a couple, but I remember seeing Brokeback Mountain there.
67. Pit-sit for a student organization Oh yeah.
68. Go swimming in Jordan Lake Yes, but again, I'm a little confused about how this relates to UNC. I guess for out-of-staters?
69. Take a weekend road trip to see fall foliage in Asheville  See above.
70. Head eastward and lie out on the beach in Wilmington See above.
71. Eat traditional Southern food at Mama Dips Yep. Not my favorite Southern food in CH, but it's one of those things you have to do.
72. Buy flowers from the ladies on Franklin Street Oh yes. Flowers sound like a great idea late night.
73. Check out a book from each of the eight floors of Davis Library I doubt it.
74. Have a hot dog at the season opener at Boshamer Been to season opener, probably didn't have a hot dog.
75. Make a gingerbread house in the Great Hall during finals week No.
76. Climb on the roof of a building on campus Yes. :)
77. Visit the N.C. General Assembly building in Raleigh No?
78. Play basketball in Woollen Gym Did I play basketball in Woollen? Are you kidding me? Four years of intramurals - I think I bruised half of campus with my sharp elbows.
79. Feed a squirrel on campus I had a bad experience with squirrels on campus. One fell out of a tree a mere 3 feet in front of me and broke its neck as I walking to graduation proceedings. Like really??? I think it was telling me not to graduate.
80. Participate in a football tailgate Y'all know this is my favorite thing ever. :)
81. Introduce yourself to Holden Thorp I don't know if Holden and I have met yet. He wasn't there when I was. (Which I'm making sound like it was a hundred years ago - it was less than 3)
82. Work on an election campaign for student government Yep.
83. Memorize the words to James Taylor’s “Carolina In My Mind” Of course!
84. Go to a Clef Hangers concert Oh Clefs, you have a little piece of my heart, too.
85. Sign your friend up for clubs at Fall Fest — without his or her knowledge No, but do remember Fall Fest.
86. Make money by participating in a research study on campus Haha no, but really debated it a few times.
87. Get a parking ticket and appeal it No.
88. Eat cheese fries at Linda’s on Franklin Street Yep.
89. Attend an “I Heart Female Orgasm” lecture No?? I don't even know what this is.
90. Paint a cube in the Pit Yes :)
91. Read an issue of each student publication Many times.
92. Go to a UNC Board of Trustees meeting at the Carolina Inn No.
93. Eat one of everything off the menu at Alpine Bagels Mmm, no need to eat everything. Everything bagel with bacon-scallion cream cheese is where it's at.
94. Go dancing at Players Hahaha. All of my good friends know the story behind this one.
95. Attend a Durham Bulls game and buy a baseball cap Yes, but the best ones are the plastic baseball caps that hold ice cream. :)
96. Peruse the ties for sale at Julian’s on Franklin Love me some Julians.
97. Win an intramural championship T-shirt Sadly, my stellar basketball skills never won me an Intramural shirt.
98. Head to the drive-through window at Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen and order a biscuit Mmm, yes.
99. Take a walk across campus early in the morning before anyone else is awake Yep.
100. Rush Franklin after beating Dook — and run all the way there from the Dean Dome Yes. And even cooler, Rush Franklin after winning the National Championship --- and run all the way there from the Dean Dome.


Now that I'm officially in tears and missing Carolina more than ever, I absolutely cannot wait to be over there for the Dook game Saturday. And since I'm all nostalgic, here are some of my favorite memories from UNC.

My brother tailgating at Spring Lane. I don't think I realized at the time what a big deal it was for my dad to give up his normal tailgate spot and come to my house. I'm very appreciative now. We had some great times there.

Miami football game in Chapel Hill. You can't tell, but this is a picture of them being cocky and dancing to our music. We won the game and they looked silly. This was one of the first big football wins when I was in school.

One of my best friends and I at a Carolina football game. This one particularly stands out because the guy behind us kept calling the other team "Sneaky Creatures" and whispering it in a weird, creepy voice.

My little sister from my sorority who turned into family. One of the best friends I made in college. This was at a Valentine's Cocktail. We always made the events our own. :) 

I always had fun when my friends from home came to Chapel Hill. Here we all are at Spring Lane getting ready to go out for Halloween my Junior Year.

This is my favorite bar in Chapel Hill. It changed its name to P.T.'s, but will forever be Lucy's in my eyes. You will find many references to it on this blog.

This was at one of my best friend's apartments. I spent many hours on that couch, reading magazines with a rum and diet coke, while he played XBox. Those were some of my favorite, quiet moments.

Wine, cheese and pepperoni became a tradition that my little sister turned best friend and I participated in often. I miss those afternoons/evenings more than anything!

Daddy and I in the Dean Dome for my last game as a Carolina student. Tears.

Mom and I before graduation.

My brother and I at graduation in rainy Kenan.

Daddy and I at graduation at Kenan.

Chapel Hill,

Please keep being forever amazing and let's continue this little love affair of ours until the day I die.

Always yours,

Lindsay

Oh heyyyyy Harrison!

Goodness gracious y'all. Last night we played FSU in Tallahassee. It was a back and forth physical game throughhout. We didn't play particularly well, but when we had a seven point lead with just a few minutes left, I thought we were okay. Silly me.

We turned it over several times and were down 70-69 with 18 seconds left. Kenda drove and was blocked. Timeout Roy with 11 seconds left. Harrison got the ball, dribbled for what seemed like five years, pulled up for a three at the top of the arc - buckets. 72-70 Tar Heels win.

I haven't been so excited about the ending of a Carolina game in forever. It was ridiculously awesome. And taking a three there  - gutsy move, Harrison. I like it. and you.

Dook also won there game to make Saturday's game for the ACC title. Bring it, Dook. :)