Before Irene:
This made me sad and extremely sentimental. Over the past 6 years I have created quite a few memories at this pier and the wonderful beach that surrounds it, Emerald Isle.
It all started in 2005 when I was still a newbie at GSK. I was still making the transition from college life to real-world-I-work-full-time life. I still hadn’t really made any deep connections with any of my co-workers. This is when Kim and Lora came along and invited me to a girls’ weekend at Emerald Isle. Thus started my love affair with this strip of earth and the girls that brought me along.
Fortunately for us, our friend Judi bought a place about 300 yards from the pier, enabling us to hold a girls’ beach weekend every summer for the past 6 years. I can’t even begin to describe the bonds I’ve formed with these girls just sitting and talking on a patch of sand. We’ve walked to the pier for the wonderful slurpies served to get a break from the mid-day sun. We’ve walked past the pier and back to wear off the alcohol at the end of the night. We’ve sat there tearing up, comforting each other after arrests, break-ups, divorces, and other life adventures that just didn’t work out as expected. We’ve laughed hysterically and praised/congratulated each other after promotions, new loves, engagements, and other life adventures that one of us were about to embark upon. We’ve people watched, giving us all a boost in self esteem. I’ve had the best advice given to me sitting right by that pier. It has marked so many changes in all of our lives.
My love affair doesn’t end there. In addition to these girls’ weekends I’ve been down for sisterhood retreats where the house got toilet papered and someone may have threatened to slit our cab driver’s throat if “you bring that fat bastard back here.” This girl is going to be in my wedding, haha. I’ve rung in New Year’s at the E Club with a bff from Colorado. I’ve watched as another friend got married with the ocean in the background.
Ben and I had only been dating a couple of months when he invited me to his dad’s beach house in NC (we were both still up north then). We arrived and I exclaimed, “OMG, my friend Judi has a place about a quarter of a mile from here! We should call her!” So began our history with the pier. We’ve hung out at the end of Bogue Inlet Pier so many times late at night I lose count. Not to mention, on top of this pier is where we held our first serious discussion about getting married. Upon seeing the pictures of Irene’s aftermath all I could say was, “I’m glad we spent some time on the pier while we were there in July.” I hope they decide to rebuild.
These are my girls:
Loved this, Sarah. We have loved this beach since we were married there 5 years ago & We go back every year in September. It wont be the same without going out on the pier. Sure hope they rebuild...
ReplyDeleteMiss you guys. Congrats and best wishes to you both!
-Lesley & Brandon
this brought back memories, sarah. i loved hearing you fill in the times you've had @EI with Ben.
ReplyDeletelove you gal.
p.s. you're on my RSS feed. i love reading about your life in houston
ReplyDeleteAwww, way to make me tear up at work, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteThat pier has so many memories for us...I can picture it in the heat of the day when the boards hurt your feet, but more often, late at night, when we strolled to the end to look out, sigh, and smile.
Whether they rebuild or not, we'e going to make many more memories on that stretch of sand...each year I ask, where will we all be next year in life, in love, in location? The answers never cease to surprise me.