Sometimes the best thing to do when you get off track is just to start over. In a way, I felt like coming to Charlotte and starting a new season of Homeland was a do over. After all, it was when I was in Charlotte for the filming of season one of Homeland that I became pregnant. Now that Marshall and I are talking about trying again to get pregnant it feels like deja vu - only hopefully with a better outcome this time. Who knows how long it might take us to get pregnant, but we are both hopeful that sooner rather than later we will be blessed with a baby to take home and raise. Even though last night was my first night in my apartment, it wasn't until today that I really unpacked and got settled in. Marshall was even here to help me. It did feel a bit like I was starting over today. There is something fun and exciting about being in a new place in a different town. It didn't hurt that this was a part of Charlotte where I've never ever stayed before. Everything about this was new for me and for Marshall. Once unpacked, we decided to wander around the southpark area and get acquainted with the surroundings. It goes without saying, but this of course included a very expensive trip to Southpark Mall. I did manage to start my day off by attending what I thought was Zumba class at the local YMCA. It turned out to in fact be Bollywood class instead. I met Meredith (the writer of the current Homeland episode) there and even though we both expected to be Zumba-ing it up, we did rather enjoy our Bollywood time.
I am sure for people that don't travel for work this is hard to understand, but there is something freeing about being in another city for an extended period of time for work. You are this weird local/tourist hybrid where you neither belong nor are you unwelcome. You get to explore all the things about the new city like a tourist, but then you end up staying so long you eventually become more local than visitor. You become the person out of towners stop to ask for directions. You are the person telling others where the good restaurants and shops are. For however brief of a period as it might be, you become an expert on that city. Okay, so maybe not expert. To be sure, I can still not navigate my way around this town without my handy GPS. Just in case, I have not one, but two of them. I have yet to become an expert on anything in southpark, but in just a week I have managed to become rather acquainted with the Harris Y. Now if you actually went to this Y, you might understand why this would be a feat. My mother-in-law referred to it as the Poor Man's Country Club. I know I've already mentioned how big the Zumba classes are, but the whole Y is quite spectacular. So for a moment today, I was actually the local tour guide as I showed Meredith around the Y - the 2 indoor pools, the gym, the indoor track and the grandiose upstairs exercise room. Even the parking lot is huge. You almost don't even need to go to the gym once you've parked at the outer spaces and walked all the way to the door of the Y. I thought this must surely be the biggest Y in Charlotte, but my husband assured me there were several more just as big, if not bigger.
The rest of the day was spent with Marshall showing me around this side of Charlotte. A Charlotte native himself, Marshall was well versed in the southpark area. I tried to keep up with all the directions he was giving me but his side trips down memory lane kept confusing me. We drove by the house where Marshall grew up and the junior high he went to. We even drove by where the well used to be but was now covered up - the well where Marshall found his violin. It was a beautiful day and we had a lovely time just driving around. Marshall reminiscing and me listening and trying to keep my bearings. Finally, we ended up back in the neighborhood where we decided to dine at a new place - Taco Mac. The food was pretty good but Marshall was more impressed by the beer taps at our table and our personal TV. It really was a shame that neither of us drink beer but we did snap a picture to send to our beer drinking friends. This would be the perfect place to watch football games and I imagine this restaurant is packed during football season. If you ever go, I highly recommend the queso dip. Yum. So far this was my best day in Charlotte. It did feel like a new start at things. A do over, if you will.
Sometimes the best thing to do when you get off track is just to start over. In a way, I felt like coming to Charlotte and starting a new season of Homeland was a do over. After all, it was when I was in Charlotte for the filming of season one of Homeland that I became pregnant. Now that Marshall and I are talking about trying again to get pregnant it feels like deja vu - only hopefully with a better outcome this time. Who knows how long it might take us to get pregnant, but we are both hopeful that sooner rather than later we will be blessed with a baby to take home and raise. Even though last night was my first night in my apartment, it wasn't until today that I really unpacked and got settled in. Marshall was even here to help me. It did feel a bit like I was starting over today. There is something fun and exciting about being in a new place in a different town. It didn't hurt that this was a part of Charlotte where I've never ever stayed before. Everything about this was new for me and for Marshall. Once unpacked, we decided to wander around the southpark area and get acquainted with the surroundings. It goes without saying, but this of course included a very expensive trip to Southpark Mall. I did manage to start my day off by attending what I thought was Zumba class at the local YMCA. It turned out to in fact be Bollywood class instead. I met Meredith (the writer of the current Homeland episode) there and even though we both expected to be Zumba-ing it up, we did rather enjoy our Bollywood time.
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