Memorial Day Weekend!

Dear World,
My Memorial Day weekend was pretty stellar. I spent all day Saturday in Oak Island, NC. The journey began well enough. We rode on the ferry from Fort Fisher over to Southport, and then drove in to Oak Island.

 

During the ferry ride, we saw your run of the mill seagulls, pelicans, and blackbirds hanging around:

On the drive over to Oak Island, we saw a bunch of people pulled over on the side of the road hanging out with ginormous turtles. So we pulled over to check it out. Turned out they were African Tortoises. 

I think this guy looks like Lord Voldemort:

This is how big these dudes were.

Anyway, so we make it over to Oak Island to visit with friends, and I met an alligator. See if you can spot the little guy in this picture:

Here's a closer look at him:

We finished up our day hanging out on the beach.

Now, if that wasn't enough critters to indulge my curiosity for the weekend, there's always the seal. There is a seal in the Carolina Beach, NC area that has been hanging out molting (I had no clue that seals molt) over the weekend. Evidently it is a harbor seal and they don't usually come this far south. In fact, it is supposedly the furthest south this kind of seal has ever been seen naturally. Ever. 

So, Mom and I tracked him down. We spent a few hours hunting around Carolina Beach and Kure Beach for him, and then we finally decided to check the North End. The North End of the island is where the land is cut off with a man-made river (Snow's Cut). The cool part about the North End is that you can drive your car on it. There are few places around here where you can drive on the beach, so it was rather exciting. I threw the Jeep into 4 wheel drive and boogied on up the beach. We were starting to give up on this seal business, but we finally saw him right where Snow's Cut begins. He had police tape around him so people wouldn't get too close, as well as two officers standing guard. So here he is:

Open wide!

D'awwwwwwwwwwwww.

Anyway, I'm pretty exhausted from pretending like I'm a NatGeo photographer, so I'm going to drink Malibu and watch the ocean now. 

Love,

Steph

Two Weeks to Go

Dear World,
I finished reading a pretty cool book today. The title is An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude by Ann Vanderhoof. It was written by a lady who spent two years cruising around the Caribbean with her husband in a sailboat. It was full of really interesting information about living on a boat, the Caribbean cultures, and the cuisine they encountered along the way. The ending was really sad, obviously, because they had to return to Canada after spending two years living a tropical life. I almost cried out of pity for her. I can't think of anything more depressing than having to live in Canada. (I'm very American.) I'm glad I read the book though, because it helped me to realize something. I have been really whiny about having to move. Like, REALLY whiny.
I have been a Negative Nancy lately because I can't find a job yet. And while that is pretty stressful for me, I realize I need to be a little more excited. (And laid back. I need to be SUPER laid back to survive the Virgin Islands.) I'm moving to a place that everyone calls paradise. There will be no winter. (I hate winter.) The rum is cheap, there are many sites to see, and the flora and fauna are beautiful. Most importantly, I will finally be living with my husband. So naturally, the good outweighs the bad by a long shot.
So, no more whining about jobs. Now, when people say "Oh, you're so lucky to be moving!" I will respond with, "Yeah. I really am." There are worse situations I could be in, so I need to go with the flow, adjust to island time, and learn how to lime.
Until next time,
Steph