Detours & dopplegangers

Thursday morning I woke up thinking we were headed to Hawaii….but I was wrong.  When we got to our gate in Chicago to catch the connecting flight to LA, the screen indicated the plane was headed to Norfolk, VA.  I assumed we were at the wrong gate and looked around at the nearby gates….and then I noticed Brian's huge grin as he tried to suppress his laugh…and enjoyed watching me operate in my confused state.  We weren't headed to Hawaii….and Brian had a surprise in store for me!

So the obvious question is why did he plan a surprise weekend that was in the opposite direction of where we were ultimately headed.  The reason was this….

Brian has been a huge fan of Pat McGee for a long time and he got me hooked shortly after we met.  Down the Hatch OBX is a 3 day event in the Outer Banks that Pat McGee hosts and organizes each summer where invited musicians and bands come to perform.  It is small and intimate (only about 150 tickets are sold) and everyone stays at the same hotel and you are basically hanging out with the artists the whole weekend.

The event kicked off with a session on the deck hotel Thursday night and then went all day and night Friday and Saturday.  There were beach sessions, more deck sessions, happy hours, a BBQ, pizza on the beach, and larger shows at a nearby bar on Friday and Saturday night.  In a word…..aaaahh-mazing!

We had such a blast and the weekend was perfect.  No one was working, no phones, no laptops…the only reason I opened my laptop was to map out my runs.  I got a brutal 5 miler with strong wind on the way out and heat on the way back and then an 8 miler that was perfect.  Getting those runs in made the beach-side drinks more guilt-free :D

One unexpected source of entertainment was stalking my brother's doppleganger!  We saw this guy Thurs night and Brian and I immediately drew the comparisons - he could be a stunt double for my brother, no question.  Little did we know that "this guy" was Graham Colton!  That made it even better!!!

Come on, it doesn't get better than this!

I finally caved on Friday night and embarrassed myself by showing Graham a picture of my brother to get his reaction.  Brian tried to talk me out of it and said he wouldn't see the similarities himself….he was right.  Graham definitely thought I was nuts, but it was good entertainment!

Brian and I have each pulled off some good surprises for each other, but this one might take the cake - especially since he booked it back in November and never uttered a word or gave the slightest hint.  I did think it was odd that the law school was willing to pay for our hotel for four extra nights when his conference doesn't start till tomorrow :)  So now we are en route to Hawaiiiiiii!

Alright, tell me what you think - is Graham Colton's my brother's twin or not?  


Do you like giving or getting surprises?  Do you keep your mouth closed or end up taunting and teasing the person?