It feels as though we skipped autumn and went straight to winter. We had a few nights where we met 32 degrees and the days are certainly crisper. I don't mind it for the most part except when I just can't get my feet warm enough!
Last weekend it seemed we stared this change in temperature in the face. Leo and I drove up to Virginia Beach last Friday where we stayed for the weekend. Since this Noel storm was brewing to the East we had some overcast skies and strong winds to contend with. But it was kinda cool.
The first night after checking in to our hotel we found a quaint Irish Pub called Murphy's. We walked in a immediately felt at home. Mental note: find quaint Irish pub in Raleigh. The low lights, the roaring fire, the heavy Irish accents thatmust have belonged to the owners and loyal patrons and the walls that were littered with Irish flags and years of memorobelia made the place feel homey. The food was good too!
Aferwards we took the short walk towards the beach to get a quick glance at the ocean and search for local maps or coupon books to help guide us towards things to do. What we found instead were 40-50+ mph winds between the buildings. You know how stupid those weather poeple look trying to stand up against those winds? We looked like that. It was fun.
That didn't last too long though as it was pretty chilly out there, so we made our way back to our car, went to 7-11 for some cocktails for the room and called it a night.
Saturday I has an appointment at another local hotel to see a speaker , Michael Clouse, who came to town specifiaclly to speak to Arbonne consultants; thus the reason for this trip. The speaker was great and I met a very nice woman who sat next to me. The thing about Arbonne is that most people in it are really nice. You have to be to be good at this relationship business. So wherever I am, if there are Arbonne people, there are very pleasant people.
After the morning meeting I returned to the hotel to get Leo and we were off to enjoy the day. The sun was slowly coming out and warming everything up.
We went to a little diner-type place for lunch. It was less than spectacular unfortunately. But the next stop at the Aquarium made up for it. It's a pretty big place with sea lions right in front before you even go in the place where they frolick in the sun. The interior was having renovations done, but they still had great exhibits inside. We sa
w the Sea Creatures 3D movie and then went to check out the fishes. This was our first trip since I got my snazzy new camera so I was busy experimenting and taking pictures of everything I could. Leo was good enough to patiently wait for me to be done at every tank I ran into and gently guided me away when it was time. Seriously I was like a little kid - I could have wondered into a pack of strangers and been lost forever.
We hung out there for a few hours and then we headed back towards the hotel area. I wanted to make sure and get some daylight shots on the beach.
The winds from the storm had passed at that point so it was just a nice breeze and steady sunlight while we walked several blocks from our hotel along the boardwalk to a pier. It looked like it would be cool to go to the end and take a look, but of course this is America and you have to pay for the view. So we settled for a walk under the pier instead and got some other great pictures there.
By then it was still early but about time for dinner so we walked back to a restaurant we had decided on earlier. We were looking forward to a nice bottle of wine and an Italian dinner . . until I realized I forgot my ID. Oops. I made the quick walk to our hotel and back and then we were really ready for food. Unfortunately this restaurant was not what we were hoping for either. The food was a bit oversalted and overpriced. The waiter was nice but it was still a let down. And I'm not really picky about food for the most part.
We made up for it with ice cream bars from 7-11 for dessert.
The rest of the weekend wasn't super eventful. VA Beach is obvioulsy a beach town and isn't jam packed with activity in November. We missed the live music on the boardwalk and the mini-golfing and the sand sculptures. But still, it was nice to get away.
Sunday morning we woke up early (taking advatage of the time change) and went back to Murphy's (the only reliable food source besdies 7-11) for brunch before we hit the road. We went north first to see what all the fuss was about with a pair of lighthouses that I read about. We had seen many low-flying military jets so we knew there were several military bases somewhere, but we didn't know we would be going into one. Driving along we were suddenly at a post, getting our ID's checked, opening the trunck, hood and glove box so the military dodes at the entrance to this base could check it out. It gave me the willies. I wondered if they had fun intimidating everyone who came through there or if it just can't be done any other way.
You start to feel guilty when all your stuff is being checked and wonder if they are going to find something wrong even though you didn't do anything! Anyway, we got through and went on our merry way to check out the lighthouses and the beach. We skipped the lighthouse tour and opted for a quick look at the water. We even met a little crabby friend.
We were making good time before we hit traffic and parked on 95 for about 45 minutes. The sun was shining and the Leo has his Treo to keep in touch with the Sunday sports scores. We made the most of what we had.
This week has been busy. I had many an Arbonne gathering and Leo has been recruiting from the couch as usual. This weekend we look forward to going out with friends. In fact Leo is pestering me to hurry up and get ready right now.
r dinner we would have gone on a hike at the hook. We would have taken a ride to another part of town to see another part of the family . . .
