rdu: recap

This weekend, drove up to rdu area for brief visit with family and friends. No plans, rhyme or reason, really, though there was a gigantic consignment sale of kids’ items at the fairgrounds, to which I went, determined to score a dresser or possibly even a bed for my children, but no such luck. However, it was still a treasure trove to which I’ll venture again a few months from now, better prepared. Like I’ll actually bring bags or other, possibly wheeled, container to put things in, rather than assuming that carrying armloads of games and clothes and toys and things, while navigating a side-by-side stroller filled with two cranky children is plausible. It’s harrowing, is what it is.

Tour Highlights:

• On the drive up, I was convinced I saw a real, live man perched on the very top of a billboard. On the way back, I saw that it was a dummy, with a dummy sign, something like, “I can see such-and-such car lot from here!” Glad the man was okay.
• Driving J.Lo’s vehicle (for supposed, non-existent furniture pickup) was briefly unnerving, being different and bigger than my own vehicle… then eventually empowering, in that section of I-40 where it’s claustrophobic and everyone drives a little crazy. Briefly pondered Bigger is Better Power Complex ingrained in our society. Would I be affected?
• Although, speaking of said claustrophobic I-40 section, many were abiding by the speed limit? Which I found odd. I guess the police department needs money and drivers need to keep their money? Or maybe it was an odd couple of days.
• The children didn’t sleep well the first night, continuing the trend…
• I've concluded that my children’s behavior isn’t necessarily abominable, but it seems as such when I’m sleep-deprived. It’s a sad and stuck perception for all of us, difficult to extract oneself from…
• Caught up a little on sleep Friday night, thanks to my mom, who stayed with K.Lo. Thank heaven.
• At the sale, my favorite find of all was a set of Hogwarts robes for the kids’ dress-up bin. Gryffindor!
• Took home bounty of garden veggies from my parents: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini. Yum!
• Saturday: farmer’s market with friend J, and though I’ve been several times before, this visit was borderline depressing, putting our local markets to shame. RDU’s is perhaps 20x bigger, open 7 days a week, with so many more vendors and variety and shoppers. Which incidentally drives the prices down. And then there were several meat and poultry vendors, another thing we simply don’t have much access to in ILM. It’s very limited by comparison…. ah, whatever. Can’t really afford it anyway. Stocked up on peaches and onions and corn, and fresh lemonade.
• I ordered 2 cups of ice cream intending to share with all, and then it’s like no one wanted any, so I had all this ice cream to myself.
• Which was fine, but the next stop with a cupcake bakery. (Joined up w/ friend N.) Chose a Brown Betty, spilled cup of water into my purse while cleaning up children.
• And then the stop after that was a chocolate shop. Sheesh! Amazing chocolate, though, some of my favorite ever. Stocked up on a couple of bars, though my company opted to select small boxes of hand-painted chocolates with alluring combinations such as chocolate and lavender and I can’t even remember what else… next time.
• Though I sort of hate the feeling of “catch-up” on returning, it can be good to get out of town sometimes if one is in a rut or funk… I feel shaken out of it, for the moment. Hooray. :)