East Coast – The Carolinas – Cary, NC

The plan to write more often has not been achieved.  I’m still battling bedbugs and visits from the exterminator which means packing up stuff before he comes, then unpacking stuff and doing lots of laundry after he leaves.  It’s exhausting.  The best way to handle bedbugs is don’t get them.  They are ridiculously difficult to get rid of.

2010 Christmas Card

Back to happier times. . . the next stop on my RAT was Cary, North Carolina.  I arrived late Sunday, December 14 and stayed in the Windsor by Wyngate near the arena.  Don’t be fooled by the regal sounding name. I was here to visit Laurene and her family (husband, Doug, daughter, Julianna, and pet dog, Snickerdoodle). We met at work in Colorado Springs, CO several years ago.  Laurene and her husband are native New Yawk-ers (like me!) and there is always an instant bond between New Yawk-ers! They moved to Cary, NC about 6 years ago.

We always laughed a lot together, even during difficult situations, and managed to entertain each other on the job. In fact, I do believe I was once instructed to stay away from her desk because I was keeping her from doing her work. Haters gotta hate. Laurene is a great storyteller shared some of her incredibly interesting experiences with me which I enjoyed through gales of laughter.  Some of the experiences weren’t funny at the time, but she made me laugh when telling the story nonetheless.

Another amazing skill she has–the girl can cook! But, she can’t sew.  Laurene is petite and every pair of pants she ever bought was too long for her.   We had this deal: Laurene would give me one homemade genuine Italian meatball for each pant leg I hemmed for her.  Reminds me of The Wedding Singer getting paid in meatballs for singing lessons.  Worked out well for both of us.

Their new home in Cary is lovely and it was a joy to see them all.  One room in the house is filled with a cardboard box fort.  What a fun and unique playground for their daughter and her friends!  I was sorry post-trip that I didn’t take any pictures.  I was so wrapped up in traveling and visiting that I rarely thought about pictures. Now I wish it had been a priority.  I’ll never see a fort like that again.

Laurene and Doug had to work the next day and Julianna had to go to school, so I kept my visit short.  Even though we hadn’t been together for many years, our friendship crosses miles and time and we had no trouble filling every minute with conversation.  They talked about maybe someday moving back to Colorado.  I hope they are there by the time I visit this summer.