January Highlights

January has flown by, and Matt and I can't believe it. After this weekend, we will have managed a whopping 3 out of 5 weekends IN town. For us, that's quite an accomplishment!

So that we can get current with our blog and start February off on the right foot, we're going to post some highlights from January. Here goes:

1. UNC vs. College of Charleston - Earlier in the month, we headed to the Dean Dome to see the Tar Heels take on College of Charleston. The Cougars kept it close for the first 15 minutes of the game, but thankfully, the Heels pulled away and ended up with a victory. We were sad to leave the Dean Dome, because it was the last UNC game we'd get to see in person this season...or so we thought : ) .





After the game; UNC won 108-71













2. Gatlinburg - During the weekend of my birthday, Matt and I headed to Gatlinburg to meet up with my cousin Skip and his wife Abbey. For our wedding (in 2006), Skip and Abbey gave us an awesome "romance gift basket" that included a stay in Abbey's family's chalet. Matt and I hadn't taken them up on the offer due to the difficulty of getting to Gatlinburg from D.C., but easier access from North Carolina allowed us to give it a go. Because we don't get to see Skip and Abbey that often, we decided to ask them to join us. It was a good decision, because we all had a blast. We laughed a lot throughout the weekend, which you may be able to gather from the below photos and video.

Mmmmm...Pancake Pantry, Gatlinburg Edition

















NOT Mmmmm; Pantry Plate o' Butter (the butter from each of our meals combined on one plate)









Being goofy at TreasureQuest Indoor Golf...















































In front of the frozen fountain in "The Village"...
























The guys showing some appreciation to the chef...












Sampling the birthday cake that Skip and Abbey got me












SO excited to discover the Museum of Salt & Pepper Shakers (honestly...who knew?)





















Beginning our 18-hole adventure at Camp Thunder












"We're #1!" - Matt (basketball) and Skip (football) both got the high score on their respective games













Fun with Go-Karts
(Abbey is the red #8, Matt is the silver #40, Skip is the blue #24)

By rule, whenever you see a shrimp mascot, you must stop and get a photo ("Say Shrimp!!")












My Birthday Surprise, Courtesy Bubba Gump


It snowed the morning we left...a great way to end the trip!













3. First North Carolina snowfall - Luckily for us, the snow from our last day in Gatlinburg made its way to North Carolina. We got back to our house the night of the 19th, and on the morning of the 20th, we woke up to several inches of snow in our yard. It was beautiful. Because of the Inauguration (and because I work out of our D.C. office), I was already off of work that day. After braving the slick roads into work only to discover that most of his co-workers had stayed home, Matt ended up home for half the day as well. So, we enjoyed our first snow in North Carolina by drinking hot chocolate, taking pictures outside, and watching the Inauguration on TV. It was great!

























4. UNC vs. Clemson - The day after the snowfall, we got an unexpected chance to see the Tar Heels play basketball again...this time at an ACC conference game. One of our friends, Nathan (the husband of Angie, my roommate for 3 years at VU), travels to Durham for business once every month or two. Since he's a Clemson grad, he wanted to meet up for the UNC/Clemson game. As it turns out, he was able to get a couple of free tickets. After buying a third ticket right before the game, we were off to the Dean Dome yet again. Luckily for us (but not so much for Nathan), the Tar Heels won 94-70.

One of our favorite parts of Carolina games..."Jump Around" at Tip-Off



Some shots made possible by the AMAZING courtside seats we were able to sit in...

























UNC's Chancellor (light blue shirt, right of the security guard) sat 3 rows from us; here he's singing the Carolina fight song with his family












5. Rutgers/Seton Hall Watch Party - Last night, we headed to Champp's at nearby Southpoint Mall for the Rutgers/Seton Hall basketball game. Matt is VP of the local Rutgers alumni club, and they did a joint watch party with Seton Hall grads. We had a good time hanging out with everyone, but unfortunately, Rutgers lost by three points.













As you can tell, January has been a full and exciting month for us. We've been so happy to be in town so much, because it's really helping us settle our house and connect more to this area. It's a great place to live, and we're excited about what the future holds here.