Growing Greggs - A Love Story

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Random Josh Games - Senior Year

Watching Josh play soccer for these past 18 years has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I loved it so much because he was so passionate about the sport. For the longest time his passion bordered on obsession. He loved everything about it - the practices, the games, the coaches (mostly), but most importantly, his teammates. He loved the brotherhood that develops when playing year after year with the same group of teammates.

There was a year in Portland when soccer was pretty brutal and the high and lows (I would say more lows than highs) of collegiate soccer was gut wrenching, but the rest of our soccer experience was a beautiful thing.

It is hard to believe that that journey is now over. For so many years we were so invested in Josh's journey that now that it is over it seems a little bit surreal, but man, I am so glad for the ride it has been. Watching Josh play soccer was a huge gift. I am so thankful for the experience and the joy it brought not only Josh, but me too.

An empty field after the last home game.

A week after this game was played this college campus was decimated by Hurricane Helene.

Elizabeth was my trusty side-kick and attended every single one of Josh's games with me. Andy and Sarah came when work/school allowed them to. Bob came when he could too, but it was Elizabeth who would drive hours with me to attend an away game on an obscure Wednesday at 2 pm.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

A Weekend Away - North Topsail Beach

It is no surprise to anyone who knows even the littlest bit about me that nature is my happy place. Desert, mountains, oceans, you name it - I love it.

I will say that between the mountains and the ocean my preference will be the ocean every single time. There is something about the ocean that is so centering and calming. I am actually afraid of the ocean - the secrets it holds, the animals that call it home, its vastness and depth, its strength, and my powerlessness in it, and yet despite this fear, I am drawn to it time and time again.

Bobby was gracious enough to whisk me away for a couple of nights two weekends ago. I desperately needed a chance to recenter myself. It had been months and months since I had been to the ocean (a travesty considering how relatively close we are to it) and it was calling to me. Screaming at me, actually.

The weekend away did just the trick. I was able to decompress and re-center myself (or at least begin that process) and came home in much better shape than when I left.

We were lulled to sleep every night by the crashing of the waves, as they were right outside our door. It was amazing. We ate good food and sat on the porch when we weren't exploring the beach. I woke up in the middle of the night the first night we were there and sat with the moon as it cast its glow on the ocean as it made its way across the nighttime sky. It was so beautiful.

I know that I would never go back to this part of the island again. The sandbags just turned me off completely and there weren't really any stores nearby to grab groceries or even a beer. Plus, you had to be pretty strategic when you wanted to walk the beach because of its limited access with the tide. The island is 22 miles long though, and I could see myself spending a weekend down at the other end of the island which has less erosion, more convenience items like grocery stores, and a pretty cool beach area.

Overall, I am so glad that I have a husband who plans excursions for me when I need a time-out. It is so appreciated.

A long military helicopter flying in a cloudless deep blue sky.

With multiple military camps/bases surrounding this area, it was almost a given that we would see some signs of them during our trip.

The tide is about halfway up the beach, but there is probably only 10-20 feet of beach exposed in this picture. At high tide there is half of that . To the right of the picture is minimal beach grass/brush. The road is super close to the beach as well and is to the right of the picture as well.

Because of erosion there is not a whole lot of beach left in North Topsail, especially at high tide.

A view of the ocean from the balcony of our Airbnb. The sun is behind our building so the deck area is shaded, but the beach is full of bright sunshine. The tide is going out and there are gentle waves - the ocean is so calm is almost seems like an extra large lake. The sky is blue and entirely cloudless.

A view of the beach from our balcony.

Dad took a picture of this jelly like creature that is not a jelly fish, but we couldn't figure out what it was. Neither of us have ever seen anything like it before. There is a clear coating over the creature with a bunch of neon orange dots all around it. It is shaped in a circular position, but you can tell that the animal opens up into a 'c' shape. There is a bunch of seaweed surrounding the unknow creature as it sits in the sand.

A pink jelly fish - just like the ones in Finding Nemo. It had washed up on the shore and was obviously dead.

Another view from our deck - this time the sun is shining brightly in the upper left-hand corner of the picture. The sun's rays are apparent on the ocean as it quietly moves in and out with the tide. The beach is empty of people.

A view from our porch of the sun rising. In the distance there is a deep orange hue that makes a line across the horizon. The sun has started to come up, but is not fully up. You can see a half-circle orb coming up. In the forefront of the picture there are countless sandbags which is the only thing keep the ocean from reaching the buildings along the shoreline as erosion has erased any separation.

A view from the beach of the sunrise. This time the horizon is shaded purple and orange as the transition from dark to day comes to its zenith. The ocean and sand are dark in color as both wait for the sun to reach them. The waves are rolling gently in towards the shoreline and the sand is barren of any people.

Dad and I (from left to right) taking a selfie the first day we arrived. We are standing on a very windy beach with the sun shining and a cloudless blue sky behind us. Because of the wind (I presume) the waves are numerous and angry. Dad is wearing a gray winter hat, forest green puffer jacket with his Charlotte FC blue t-shirt and his glasses. (He also has a beard and mustache.) I have my silvery gray hair pulled back into a bun and am wearing my sunglasses and navy/gray Oregon sweatshirt.

It was so windy this day making it feel much colder than it actually was.

This picture was taken from the very end of the island as it curved from the ocean into the marshes. The sand is white here and there is ample room to walk around regardless of where the tide is at. The ocean can be seen in the distance as the forefront of the picture is mostly white sandy beach. I think the breeze was keeping people inside of their homes because Dad and I saw only one or two other people on the beach and we hiked for several miles.

Dad took this picture of a bare ocean, pathways leading from the ocean to the parking lot (which is out of view), beach grass waving in the wind, and a clear blue sky above. The camera is angled so that we are viewing the left hand side of the beach for as far as the eye can see. The contrasts between the beach grass, the sand, the ocean, and the sky are stunning to look at. (Again the beach is barren of people.)

Dad captured me walking away from the camera and exploring a tidal flat at the other end of the island (which was 22 miles away!). The tide has just turned and is coming back in towards the shore, but for now I am walking on a decent size sand bar. The ocean is to my left and crystal clear water is to my right only several inches deep. The sand is rippled here where the tide has worn it away. There are the white caps of the waves in the distance. I am in my element exploring. I am wearing my black, open-front sweater with a pair of blue jeans rolled up to my shins. I am carrying my black flip flops in my hand as I explore.

I love exploring sandbars.

A photo of the ocean taken while standing in the water. The sea foam is surrounding me from all sides as the waves crash into the shore and spread out for several feet. In between the countless bubbles is wet sand and deep ocean beyond.

A forward facing picture of me in my element - walking the beach. My hair is straight and down. I am wearing a sky blue t-shirt with dark blue jeans rolled up to my shins. My sunglasses are on. The sun is behind me, the ocean behind me and to the left and the sandy shoreline to my right.

There is a set of stairs leading from every building in the complex (there were either 8 or 10 buildings) down to the beach. Because of the erosion though, the stairs get partially submerged every high tide. This is a picture of the tide reaching the first 3 stairs.

Not much beach area to explore when the tide is rising on this part of the island.

Me standing with my back to the camera on the main deck of our condo complex (the one with the stairs that lead down to the beach) taking in the view when we first arrived. The tide is right at the deck. I am resting my elbows on the railing of the deck and am wearing my black sweater, blue jeans, and flip flogs.

I have never been anywhere where the erosion has gotten as bad as it has here. There are countless sandbags all around this part of the island guarding the buildings from eventually being taken out into sea. 2024 was a bad storm season for this stretch of coast and wore away a lot more of the beach than was predicted. The sandbags were pretty unsightly and definitely took away from the beach/relaxing vibe, but were a good reminder that we are no match for Mother Nature.

While these sandbags serve a much needed purpose - they were very, very ugly. They reminded me of a herd/pack/bunch of seals laying on the shoreline.

Sunday, March 16, 2025

A Walk In The Woods

I am almost caught on up the posts that have been sitting in my draft folder for months, which is why some of these blogs may seem redundant. I do spend a lot of time at Forney Creek and my puppies regularly make me smile and do ridiculous things that I want to remember for always; hence what appears to be (but is actually not) duplicate posts about the same places seemingly over and over again.

Because we are lucky enough to live near trails that not too many people frequent, I am almost always able to unleash our pups and let them run free while I am walking through the woods. I love this for them as I can see how happy they are running around like nuts and seeking out the places their noses bring them. Plus, an added benefit for me is that it tires them both out in a way that walking on a leash does not. Anyone with a dog under two can attest that tiring out a puppy is a godsend.

This puppy loves sticks in a way none of our other dogs have before. And it's weird because he only likes certain sticks, although to my human eye I cannot tell what makes a good stick worthy of playing with verse a bad one, but Miles sure knows.

Taking a hiking break to chew on his stick for a moment or two.

There is a very small wooden deck that I am standing on with a beaver den right behind it. The path in front of us tends to flood when it rains which makes it a little bit scary for me as there is a good amount of water year-round on the left and right of this narrow trail.

Miles has been so good for Max in so many ways. Before Miles, Maxi did not play like a dog. Now he does - even if he's not as exuberant as Miles would like him to be.

Now for a little dip in the swampy waters too cool off. (Ew,)

This 5-pointed leaf caught my eye. I thought it was cool.

This kid will go to the ends of the earth to try and make new friends. He isn't specie specific either. Dogs, cats, ducks, geese, birds, deer...you name it, and Miles will try and be friends with it. Here is trying to swim out to some Mallards to make friends with them. They, obviously, have no desire to do so.

Trying again to befriend the Mallards...

And again...

I thought this spider web was both extremely cool and extremely scary. It was huge! (Not to mention the freaking ginormous spider in the center of it. Eek!)

A storm had recently brought down this tree and the park rangers decided to make a spot to sit at the end of the trail before heading back the 2+ miles to the trailhead.

I was trying to count the rings to see how old this tree was, but wasn't very successful. I then looked at the growth of the rings to see which years were very wet and which were dry, drought-like conditions.

A foggy, misty morning over the pond.

Max digging to China while his buddy looks on and supports him.

I was trying to take a picture of some mushrooms that I had found, and just as I snapped my picture a little boy I know got right into the frame, stealing the show.

Said mushrooms.

The work of the beavers.

One of my all-time favorite pictures of this guy. Running at full speed, ears flapping, tongue hanging out of his mouth coming to get his buddy Max,

Those ears!

Miles would swim in manure if there was enough water in it. That little boy loves, loves, loves to swim. Max is a bit more discriminating in his watering holes.

The beaver dam. I swear these two ding-dongs are going to fall through the roof of the beaver family's home one of these days.

More shenanigans