In the Land of the Palm Tree, Orange Grove, and Boiled Peanut

When a southerner asks you if you want a bowl of peanuts, there's a good chance you misunderstood their drawl. A "boiled" peanut is a Southern delicacy and a staple in the Southern Food Pyramid. It also tastes like wet cardboard wrapped in a soiled diaper.

While we didn't eat any boiled peanuts this weekend, we sure had plenty of opportunities. On our whirlwind Thanksgiving tour of the southern states, we passed boiled peanut vendors, orange tree orchards, and more fireworks superstores than you could shake a stick at. For a moment, I was back in my mission, wearing a black name tag and gaining weight by the minute. You'd think North Carolina would be the same, but it's not. It's very Yankee in comparison.


Our first stop was Savannah, Georgia. Sweet Moses, what a beautiful city it is. It's a lot like Charleston: full of cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and authentic Southern homes that predate the Revolutionary War. We didn't stay long, but in our brief 2-day stint, we fell in love with that city.

City Hall, Savannah, GA

We then headed further south, into uncharted territory. Neither Celeste nor I had ever been to Florida. We had seen enough pictures, though, that we weren't surprised at the fruit stand at every mile marker, the palm trees that lined the roads and the highways, and the 85-degree weather at the end of November. We felt slightly guilty when we received news from Utah that they were facing a bona fide blizzard and sub-zero temperatures. It sounded so awful and we got so cold that we may have even turned the air conditioner off. I don't remember.

We had the BEST time in Florida, and not because of Florida itself. I mean, sure, it was nice, but it was truly wonderful to be with family for Thanksgiving - something we missed out on last year. This year we stayed with my cousin Rob and his wife Janelle. The fact that they had two 5-month old twins at the house was a huge bonus in our favor. We got to play with the boys all day long, and I don't remember changing a single diaper (although I was vomited on).

Dylan is dazed, Nickolas is ready to fire.

Thanksgiving Day was exactly what it should be: family, food, and football. I saw family from my dad's side that I hadn't seen in over a decade. My cousin Michelle, my Uncle Mike and Aunt Sherry, and my Aunt Cathy who I hadn't seen since I was seven. Crazy how we let time get away from us. The next thing you know, you're twenty years older.

The Fam

On our way back to North Carolina, we stopped in Charleston, South Carolina, where I served 16 months of my 24-month LDS mission. Charleston will always feel like home, in part because of the wonderful people who remain there. One such person, Sarah Buggs, is one of the best friends I will ever have. I taught and baptized Sarah in 2005. During that time and since then, she has been burdened with more medical problems than most people experience in a lifetime, from cancer to knee replacements. On more than one occassion, doctors have braced Sarah and her family for the bad news that death was no longer knocking, but in the kitchen. With the faith and patience of Job, Sarah has braved the storms, beat the odds, and kicked death to the curb. She is a walking miracle, and on Saturday, Celeste and I were able to visit her again and spend some time with her in her home. It was an emotional but happy meeting. Every time I see her, I say to myself that it might be the last. Every time I say that, she proves me wrong.

It was a long and wild trip, including 4 states, 5 cities, 1,500 miles, 2 twins, 2 cousins, 2 aunts and an uncle, lots of food, lots more pie, 7 football games, and about 50,000 calories a piece. We couldn't have written it better ourselves.

Beautiful downtown Charleston, SC

Sick as Dogs

If you were to walk into our front door right now, you'd see Celeste lying on the couch in her pink polka-dotted bath robe and her black stretchy pants. Surrounding her is a garbage bag, empty cups of herbal tea, discarded Dayquil packages, and an army of used tissues. It's not a pretty sight.

Celeste got decent for the photo shoot.

And while Celeste is in the thick of a sickness bubonic in nature, I have only just escaped from its coughy, achy, soar-throaty grip. We each missed a week of church, and we each missed two days of school. I could have probably used three days. I know this because on the day that I came back to school, a colleague walked in my room to tell me about an upcoming field trip. Our conversation went something like this:

"Hey Mr. Olsen. How you doin'?"

"Not great, Miller. But I'm here."

"Well, you look like sh*#. I'm just going to throw that out there."

"Thanks, Miller. Thanks."

Me, giving up on life.

Now, while the last seven days have been anything but a parade of puppies, but we're hopeful and optimistic going into this week. On Tuesday, we'll be driving 11 hours to Tampa, Florida where we'll be spending the holiday weekend with the extended Olsen family. We can hardly wait. This 70-degree weather has gotten a little too brisk.

How we feel.

Musical duels, Law School, and We Are the Champions!

We've been lazy with the blog lately, and I'm sure you've all been chewing your fingernails into bloody stubs in anticipation for more news. Rubbing alcohol should do the trick. Our lives are a robust mixture of mayhem and meetings, juvenile misfits and zealous Mormons, with just a dash of balance and a pinch of sanity. C'est la vie.


So for starters, Celeste and I had some visitors a few weeks ago. My beautiful sisters Mandy and Kristen decided to come to North Carolina to see our schools, experience our classrooms, stay in our luxurious apartment, and in general, sponge up the splendor of rural North Carolina. Oh, and the fact that they came at the same time was a complete coincidence. And the fact that they happened to arrive on the very same weekend of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was just a surprise. And, as you can guess, they had NO idea that we only live 3 hours from D.C., where the rally was held. Well, seeing as we had no other major plans, guess where we ended up going? That's right. Waffle House. Oh wait, that was just me. I meant WASHINGTON, D.C.!!!


Good times were had, and the rally was incredible. It was basically like a two-hour episode of the Colbert Report and the Daily Show mixed with Shakespeare in the Park. There were several bits, skits, and musical guests, including the most amazing musical duel between Cat Stephens and Ozzie Osbourne (Peace Train vs. Crazy Train). It was...scrumtralescent.


Once the insanity of the sanity rally wore off, I finally had the time (and the sanity) to submit the last of my law school applications. As in, they're IN. Those accursed, painfully drawn out applications are finally in the hands of the schools to which I seek admission. Now all we have to do is endure another painfully drawn out process: waiting for their response. The schools we've applied to are as follows:

-University of North Carolina
-University of Utah
-Northeastern University (Boston)
-American University (DC)
-Howard University (DC)
-Catholic University (DC)

We're taking bets on predictions, so cast your votes now!

And finally, last week I coached what will likely be my final middle school football game. I know, I know. You're all saying, "Contract extension, salary increase, blue chip recruits". Trust me, I've heard it all before, and I just can't see myself doing it again, despite the glamorous perks that would most assuredly be mine. On the brightside, however, the HMS Rams finished the season with a 7-1 record, clinching the MAC-9 Conference Championship. Here's a link to a story ran by our local paper: http://hendersondispatch.com/view/full_story_sports/10156194/article-Rams-win-MAC-9?instance=main_article


All is well in Tar Heel Country. Until next time, farewell.