Chapel Thrill

Scott and I were finally able to make the trip back to Chapel Hill this weekend for a football game - UNC-Wake Forest. He has coached girls basketball for the past few years, and we haven't been able to get away in the fall before. It was a whirlwind weekend, but we had a great time seeing Dad and Judy and Amanda and Robert Stinnett. I was also happy to leave my "big" camera and laptop at home to take a break. So these pics are with my trusty simple Nikon point-and-shoot camera.

We left after work Friday and arrived in Raleigh about midnight. Luckily the game on Saturday was at 3:30 pm, so we had a little time to sleep in. It turned out to be a great game, and we also had fun hanging out on Franklin Street after. The funny thing was that it didn't get crowded until we were heading to the hotel around midnight. I should remember that college kids go out late. The street was full of college students in costume and a plethora of college girls wearing skinny jeans and tall riding boots. As we took our old selves home we laughed about the good ole carefree days spent in Chapel Hill. I miss it, but I'm glad to be a "grown-up" too.

 I had to take a picture of Carroll Hall - home of the journalism school - as we walked through campus.

 .........and a couple of the Bell Tower..................

Notice the season ticket holder taking a nap behind us. Too much fun too early for him.

We also got to see some fall colors, but I only managed to get a picture of it from the air leaving Raleigh.

Zombicon 2011

Last night I was fortunate enough to cover Zombicon for The News-Press. It's an annual event in downtown Fort Myers where zombies invade the streets. Each year it has gotten bigger, and the costumes have gotten more elaborate. There was even a real, legal zombie wedding.

The bride and groom cutting the cake, complete with a Jello brain topper, with a chainsaw.

Our online producer told me today that we haven't had 500,000 page views on a Sunday in a while and the Zombicon photo gallery went a long way to making that happen. So check out the photo gallery here to give it more hits -- please!

Here's a couple more gems from last night.....

Stinnett Visit

I took a much-needed day off this week and spent a few days celebrating the nice weather with the Stinnett family on vacation on Fort Myers Beach. It was my first time on the beach when I wasn't working in more than a year. Sad, I know, but true.
I promised Amanda I would try for a family portrait before dinner Wednesday night. I believe we succeeded, but after the first "pose," Mattie decided she was done and threw up all over herself, Amanda and Robert while Evan was wading into the water and getting his shorts all wet. It's an exercise in patience doing a photo shoot with a one-year-old and three-year-old. Actually they are great kids, and I miss them already. Can't wait to see Amanda and Robert in a few weeks for the UNC-Wake Forest football game!