Greenville Greenway

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better"--Albert Einstein

Greenville, NC is a large town in the middle of nowhere North Carolina. It is the home of the East Carolina Pirates and boasts a lot of school spirit and youthfulness. I attended ECU from 2007-2011 and loved my four years here. As much as I loved it, I never expected to be back, much less find a job here. There’s not much here in the way of jobs unless you’re a teacher, in the medical or criminal justice fields. I’ve discovered lots of new places and revisited old haunts. By far my absolute favorite find was a relatively new addition to the town that hadn’t existed when I lived here. What’s it called? The Greenville Greenway. 

Right now, it’s a series of paths, mostly paved, spanning throughout the town for walkers, bikers, runners, etc. It’s even dog friendly! Most of it runs by the river and, as the name would suggest, is very green and scenic. It’s my favorite part of Greenville, especially due to the fact that most of G-Vegas is either part of the college or consists of chain restaurants or just boring, old business buildings. It’s a patch of oasis in an otherwise concrete jungle. 

What’s so great about it besides the fact that it’s super green? There’s lots of places to put your kayaks or canoes in the water. Dogs and their owners get to walk along it and meet new people. It’s a much healthier, and not to mention prettier way to get around to certain parts of the town. I now bike to the grocery store, post office, and the local library. Why not? I love the exercise and being outside, plus it saves money! There are even places where I can let my dog hop around in the river and throw sticks for him. 

Speaking of dog friendly, there’s a dog park that is super well-maintained and almost everyone in town with a dog goes there to let their dogs have the time of their lives. It’s a great way to meet fellow dog lovers as well!

I love using the Greenway to run. I choose to do a 4 mile loop on the part that is right down the street from my house. There’s also a 2 mile loop for days when I’m a little more rushed. Atlas, my dog, also loves to have daily walkies on the Greenway to strut his stuff, sniff, and meet other dogs and humans. They have lots of benches along the way to look out over the water and several piers for fishing. They even have bins filled with plastic bags to ensure the pathways stay poo free. How cool is that?

For anyone of any age, the Greenville Greenway is the highlight of my time here and is sure to be a hit for anyone who enjoys being outside. I’ve never had any sort of problem on the Greenway and everyone I’ve met is always nice. What’s even better is that it never seems crowded. There’s never mobs of people, but you do see a steady flow of people without feeling like you’re losing your personal space. Most of the time I only see a few other people. It all depends on the weather!

The only downside is hurricane season. Greenville, NC is rarely affected in any major way, but every now and then, as was the case with hurricane Joaquin we suffered major flooding of the lower laying areas. The Greenway was one of those. Nothing was damaged, but it was under a little over a foot of water for about a week. I was so bummed that I couldn’t run my loop and get my daily fix of beautiful ponds, bridges, and river views in before heading to work! 

"We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts"--Williams Hazlitt

Knott Island Pet Sitting

"To err is human, to forgive, canine." --Anonymous



My boyfriend's dad and his wife, Carey own a beautiful house on Knott's Island in North Carolina. They have a fenced in backyard on about 1.5 acres of land. Will's dad works for the city as an electrician and Carey is a professional dog sitter who also works at a vet clinic. They have four fluffy children of their own, Leigh, Owen, Easton and Ramsey and watch anywhere from 1-7 dogs on top of that depending on the season. It is without a doubt doggy heaven.

Imagine your life as a furry, happy go lucky dog. You run in to this green yard, there's balls everywhere and someone to constantly throw them. There's other dogs who love to play and snuggle. There's even a pool they had built just for the dogs... not even kidding. Carey also makes sure they are super healthy, friendly with other dogs, gets their nails trimmed, etc. It's the bomb diggity.

We were set to move June 17th from Virginia Beach, VA to Greenville, NC. We gladly accepted their proposal of pet sitting for them from the 12th to the 15th. We didn't really want to pack anyway and who would pass up a whole 3-4 days of playing with dogs, lounging by a pool and just relaxing before a gigantic move? We were not one of those people to pass that up. We packed up some of the clothes we hadn't shoved in random suitcases already and made our way down to Knott's Island.


We were greeted by the furry brigade and 2 extras who were lucky enough to stay the weekend. We're down there enough that all the clients know who we are and their dogs know and love us as well. One of the things we were most excited about, besides the dogs of course, was the kitchen and grill set up they had. Will's family is Italian so cooking is in the genes. We both love to cook and grill so having an enormous, full stocked kitchen and grill was complete heaven for us.

Our first night there we had a few friends over to grill out with, have a couple of drinks, and just have fun playing with all the pups. It was an all around fun time seeing great friends, not thinking about packing everything we owned and transporting it only to have to unpack it all (UGH!), and just relax.

The next day was spent lounging by the pool, cooking, and playing with dogs constantly. We ended the day by cooking more and watching good movies on Netflix while all 6 dogs tried to snuggle us at once. Pure heaven.

Want to know something that's not heaven? Short story: taking a bath while 3 dogs stare into your soul THE ENTIRE BATH. Long story: Atlas loves to follow me in to the bathroom, except when I shower just in case that means he will have to have a bath as well. No matter what, if I'm just using the toilet he has to come in with me and stare at me. Turns out Easton, Ramsey and Atlas like to team up and marathon stare at whoever is in the bathroom and especially the bathtub. Easton is obsessed with anything water and will go nuts when he thinks he can get in a pool. Ramsey just likes being around people and Atlas follows me around constantly just because I'm mom.

This was my first bath in over 2 years and I was really looking forward to finishing my book and soaking in their giant jacuzzi tub. Little did I know I had an audience. The second I got in and couldn't get back out without soaking the floor the bathroom door flies open and in comes the creep brigade of Easton, Ramsey and Atlas. They didn't even lay down. I ended up just getting out early so they would stop staring at me. All I could see over the tub was 3 floating dog heads who seemed to be plotting how to best get in the tub without me noticing.



Anyway, it was a mostly uneventful, relaxing weekend full of relaxing, pool time, puppy play time, snuggling, exercising and cooking with friends. They don't go away much, but we're hoping the next time they go out of town we get to house/pet sit again and have another few days in doggy paradise. They came back and noticed the house wasn't burned down, the dogs were all happy, and we even re-stocked their fridge with beer. Who could ask for better house/dog sitters than that?




Did I mention Knott's Island has some of the best sunsets I've seen?

"No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich." --Louis Sabin

My First Triathlon!

"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you"--Unknown

A few years ago I weighed in at almost 160lbs... at 5'3" my tiny frame looked pretty chunky and so did my self esteem. Don't worry this isn't a sob story; it's an I kicked my fat's a$$ and got in the best shape of my life story. In 2010 I weighed the most I've ever weighed in my life and I honestly didn't even know how bad it was until I saw a picture of myself one day and it completely clashed with what I saw in my own brain.

Luckily, I had an amazing support system and my best friend at the time, Laura, was going through the same thing. We launched our fitness goals at the best gym imaginable, ACAC. I started taking Zumba and kickboxing classes and got addicted to how amazing I felt after having my butt whooped, the feeling of sweat dripping, and the exhaustion...but mostly the endorphins.

Long story short....

1. I've lost almost 40lbs and haven't gained any of it back in the 5 years I've dedicated to changing my life

2. I don't eat processed food ALL THE TIME. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE ICE CREAM, but I learned to eat less awful for you desserts and also in moderation. I also learned to love veggies and if I say so myself I make some amazingly delicious healthy food. Don't ever let anyone tell you eating healthy tastes bad, lacks flavor, and is expensive. I'm living proof it's not.

3. I became a Zumba instructor and Body Step instructor and typically teach 4-5 classes a week, run 4-8 miles a week, walk my dog a few miles every day, and bike everywhere possible.

4. I work my butt off. It takes work and I'm fully committed to that. Are you?

5. Has working out made me a bitter, envious of fast food eaters, sweaty all the time person? No. I'm extremely happy and couldn't imagine going back to the way I was.

6. I started running 5ks and 10ks. Turkey Trot 10k before Thanksgiving dinner? Don't mind if I do. Quick 4 mile run while on vacation? Heck yes, let's see more scenery and discover new places. Color me Rad, Neon Vibe, Cosmic Run, and Foam Fest runs? SO MUCH FUN.

7. I started competing in bike races   58 miles to be exact and I did it twice and shaved an hour off my time. I just can't get enough and guess what? I'm the healthiest and happiest I've ever been.

All it takes it motivation and perseverance.

Okay back to the main story, because let's be honest you definitely needed some back story.



I have been wanting to compete in a triathlon for a few months now, but I wanted to do a small one to ease my way in to this whole other realm of fitness that I knew I would either love or hate, but mostly likely love. It just so happened a very small triathlon, Life's A Beach, was coming to Hampton aka 30 minutes from my house. HECK YES! Here was my opportunity and I ran with it...among other things.



Life's A Beach Tri was a 300m swim, 5 mile bike ride, and 2 mile run. All of those distances were easy for me on their own so I didn't think I'd have a problem come race day. I'd prepared, but I could've actually practiced swimming more..oops.

I got up bright and early, kissed my pup and boyfriend goodbye and booked it to the race. I was super excited and ready to start. My heat started at 9 and of course I got there early, but it was worth it. The swimming was up first and after years of SCUBA diving I was mentally prepared and probably a little cocky...which I'm sure is why my wardrobe malfunction occurred.


The heat started promptly at 9am and while I in no way want to insult anyone I'm pretty sure that 90% of the people competing were morbidly overweight and walked most of it. While that is fantastic for those people who are WAY AHEAD of everyone who sat at home on the couch, I had every intention of really competing and going all out. I wanted this race to set the precedent for all races to come so I sprinted down the beach and plunged in to the water.

Great start right? Yes...if by that you mean my super fast start in to the water... no if you meant I kept all my clothes on.. I did the race in board shorts and a sports bra. Super versatile right? Right. Said boy shorts fit snugly on land...said shorts became a circus tent in the water. The second I dove in the water they wafted out from my hips and became a gigantic air filled ballon hovering around my mid thigh. I immediately went vertical in the water, yanked them up...by doing that I'm sure it looked like I farted the fart to end all farts and the air bubbles all came bursting to the surface, and went back to swimming.


Had I actually practiced swimming I would have known that in the years that I've lost weight I also gained a LOT of muscle. Muscle weighs a lot more than buoyant fat. SO as my pants flew off and as I   yanked them back on I sank like a rock to the ocean floor. I spent the entire 300m doing an awkward breast stroke since it was the only stroke I could do while also keeping my shorts on. I also fought gravity and what I thought would be my easiest part of the trip quickly became my most embarrassing and difficult as I dragged my heavy as bricks body through the water. The good news? I passed almost everyone in my heat, came out of the water without flashing the photographers, kids, and onlookers on the beach and I didn't drown. A for effort right?


It blew my mind that I was literally the only one running to the bikes. Almost everyone changed clothes casually, switched out gear, etc. I'm sure I looked insane and there are plenty of blog posts about that really hyper red headed girl who was soaking wet the entire race and how I probably made them feel slow.. oh well. I was doing this to please myself, not everyone else.


I jumped on my bike, unlocked it and pedaled like there was a bear chasing me. I completed the 5 miles in what seemed to me to be a very very quick time, which was fine by me. I didn't have any malfunctions, wardrobe or otherwise so that was a plus. Also, I was still wet so the blazing hot 90 degree heat didn't feel bad at all!


Up last was the 2 mile run with 4 obstacles. Running on the beach is no easy task! I did my 2 laps, my army crawl under a giant net, slid through a plastic tube, and hurdled over some beach chairs. It. was. glorious. Running over that finish line was the best feeling I've had in a long time. I did have a quick moment of terror as I jumped over the beach loungers since I thought I was going to trip, but thankfully I didn't. As I crossed that finish line I felt so happy, accomplished and just proud of myself and all that I had done to get where I was in that moment.

The results were in later that day and I finished the race in a whipping 42 minutes!!!!!! I was top 20 of all racers, and to top it all off I was first in my age group. This NEVER happens to me. I'm usually super slow in running races, but I kicked it up a notch and made sure I never let myself slack off. You know what? It paid off. Now I'm signing up for a longer triathlon for September and can't wait to attack that one head on!

"Will it be easy? Nope. Worth it? Absolutely."--Unknown