Our trip to the north.

Our trip to Pennsylvania was way too short, but I guess that's always the case when you have fun.  I'm not really sure what to say about it other than we covered a lot of ground in just a few days, my brother is hilarious and therefore fun to be around, southern hospitality and manners really are limited to the south, and I wish my brother and his girlfriend lived closer.

On Saturday we went down to Baltimore to explore the city a little and go to the aquarium, which I hadn't been to in over 10 years!  It's incredible how quickly time passes when you're an adult.  I took some pictures with a little juice box camera as well, and those are the pictures I'm most looking forward to seeing!

Other than that, it's back to work, work, work for me.  Oh, and laundry.  How have you been?

964.8 miles

chris and i are both feeling kinda bummed today.  we had such a fun whirlwind trip visiting beca, doug, sammy and patrick, and seeing tennessee, a peek of georgia, and asheville, north carolina.  we're happy to be back with flojo and kona, but knowing that the tumbleweeds are 7 hours away has us feeling lonesome; it can be bittersweet having such rad friends to hang out with.

i didn't take a ton of pictures at the southern blogger mixer mainly because i was too busy eating plate after plate of delicious hors d'oeuvres, but to see more of the event, the food, the people, and the project, you should peek at beca's blog.  i am super, super shy until i can feel people out and see what they're like, so i was really nervous going to the mixer.  it was a great group of girls though, and it was so nice doing blog talk with people that understood!  i think the smaller group made for better discussion, and it made the event more intimate, like a lunch date with friends.

we decided to go home from tennessee via asheville, north carolina, which wasn't really on the way, but it's somewhere chris and i have wanted to visit.  our friend patrick met us in downtown asheville and gave us a tour and local architecture history lesson before we ate a late lunch/early dinner at a delicious thai restaurant.  i could actually go for another plate of phad pak right now...

964.8 miles later, i'm wishing we could be on our way back with flojo and kona in tow, of course, that way we could stay until we decided to come home.  it must be tennessee wanderlust.

travels and cupcakes

i hope today finds you well!  it finds me with orders to fill and packages to ship, and since i've been pretty good at keeping up with orders lately, it doesn't seem nearly as daunting!  i've been working on a few new pieces of art, making some cupcakes even though i know i shouldn't because i can't stop eating them, and getting some things ready for the southern blogger mixer which is this saturday - i can't believe it's almost here!

i made something for the gift bags that will be given out at the mixer, and i'm curious to see what people think.  i would show you here, but you know, the surprise would be ruined.  i have to get my laundry done today so i can start packing, because i pack about eight times as many clothes and shoes as i need in case i change my mind while i'm there (and i always do).  and chris and i also have to make a road trip playlist!  it's his favorite thing to do when we're hitting the road.

the cupcakes are pumpkin spice with cream cheese icing, and they're so moist and delicious.  my mouth is watering just thinking about them, so i think i may go eat one (but probably two) for breakfast.  oh, and they're also the easiest things to make in the history of cooking.  just combine a box of spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin, and a tablespoon of water.  then mix, spoon into cupcake liners, bake according to the cake mix directions, ice, and EAT, EAT, EAT!

don't you just love simple but tasty recipes?  i've actually only ever baked one cake from scratch - a chocolate cake for my pop's birthday - and although it wasn't difficult and it turned out well (i mean, i didn't taste it because i hate chocolate, but it looked nice and i hear it tasted good), i'll still probably reach for the box mix because it's kind of a no-brainer!  have you ever made these pumpkin cupcakes?  do you like to bake things from scratch, or do you use a mix?  just curious!

the best four days

i feel that as far as my emotions go, it's either all or nothing.  so, at the risk of sounding like a crazy person, i have to tell you that i'm in such a funk after having the best four days; i don't want to work or even think about it - i only want to look at pictures.  chris and i headed to washington, d.c. on saturday (after a stressful morning that i'll tell you about later) to hang out with beca, doug, danielle, andrew, sarah, and josh, and came home on sunday evening after eating the best food, and seeing the sights...

beca and doug followed us from d.c. to our house to stay with us until tuesday afternoon, and it's so weird without them here.  and kind of lonely.  we thrifted, ate, watched dexter, ate, baked cinnamon rolls (actually beca baked them and i stood in the kitchen and talked), rode through the woods on the trails, and ate.  surprisingly, flojo didn't even want to attack them, and kona's been asking when they're coming back.

chris and i both just enjoyed the last few days so much because these are awesome friends that know how to have fun and don't expect us to wear filters or put on airs, and that's so refreshing.  we found great treasures thrifting (and chris posed that plastic rabbit and put it with beca & doug's box of finds), and we can't wait to do it again (and hopefully danielle and andrew can come, too)!  it seemed like the countdown to the day we left for d.c. was never-ending, but those four days went by so quickly.  i just can't convey how much we enjoyed it, and i wish we could make a monthly thing of it!  you can see more (and much more attractive) pictures on beca's flickr page.

we're back from our island

i don't even know where to begin. we had such an amazing time and discovered such a gem, that i can barely process everything i want to tell you! let me just say that it was absolutely gorgeous; an island that hasn't been excavated, or built up with hotels and restaurants, and is just pure, natural beauty for as far as the eye can see. i'm not sure of the exact number of people that were on the island while we were, but i can tell you that we pretty much just saw the same 8-10 people maybe once a day each day we were there, so it definitely feels like you're on your own private island!

we went down a day early so that we could explore beaufort, nc and morehead city, nc before we took the 1 hour ferry ride over to the island. sadly, we barely took any pictures or videos (i think it's because we were so busy conch shell collecting, birdwatching and sleeping), but here are a few from our day on the mainland.

chris and i have already decided that we're going to make this our new vacation spot, but because of the undiscovered and uninhabited quality of the island, and the fact that the people who have been going there for 30 years like to keep it hush hush, i can't say too much about it! once the rain passes and i can see sunlight again, i'm going to try to get some pictures of the treasures i came home with!

i hope you've had a good week since we last chatted. have you done anything exciting or taken any trips lately?

one of my favorite things

kassi and brandi asked me to share my favorite thing about my trip. i actually have two (and one may be pretty obvious) and choosing them was a no-brainer! one of my favorite things was visiting pebble beach and carmel. seriously, so beautiful it almost hurts! i took way too many pictures, walked on the beach, played in the water even though it felt colder than ice, and watched sea birds, sea lions and little sea creatures. also, you may notice in my picture posts that i'm the only person, making it look like i took a trip by myself; i did have a travel buddy, amy, but i only have one picture of the two of us, and she basically made me swear on my life that i wouldn't share it with anyone. ever. i really tried to pick out just a few of my favorites, but this is still REALLY image heavy!

i loved those starfish! i've actually never seen a living starfish before then (no, i didn't kill it and keep it), only sand dollars in florida. i told amy that if i thought i had to live my life knowing that i could never visit pebble beach again, it wouldn't be worth living! i LOVED it!

how has your weekend been? do anything fun?

i'm going to san francisco!

aaaahhhhhhh! i'm so excited! it's my favorite place on earth, and i'll be there in less than two weeks! auntie amy and i are going for a few days just to have fun and non-stop girl talk. on my list of things to do: walk around telegraph hill talking to the wild parrots (but that one is obvious), go to haight-ashbury and get vintage clothes, and if we have enough time, we're driving down to carmel and monterey for the day to take in its beauty (but that's really up in the air as there is so much to do in san francisco we may run out of time).

images from we heart it and google search.

here's my one problem with traveling: i'm too cheap to check my bag, and i have a really difficult time fitting everything into my carry-on. since california weather is SO different from the weather in virginia, i know i'll have to bring extra clothes so i can dress in layers, so i'm thinking about using lauren's idea from when we all met up in june and basically shrink wrapping everything in ziploc bags so it takes up less space! she's a genius!

i know the city is huge, and there's so much i haven't seen, so if you have any suggestions for food, shopping (keep in mind i'm a cheapskate) or anything else, let me know! i don't require much sleep, so i like to try and cram in as much as possible on trips!

have you taken any trips this year? do have any planned for later in the year?

venice, california

After I left my blogger meet up weekend, I stayed with my friend Haley who lives in Venice, California. We did a little eating, a little rocking and a whole lot of shopping! I'd never been to Venice, but I'll tell you, I saw a lot. A whole lot. Abbott Kinney has too many great shops for my wallet, but if you find yourself in Venice, and I suggest going at least once, be sure to visit Skylark!

So, we went to the Promenade and shopped at Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and American Apparel, then we went out on the boardwalk to a restaurant called Fig Tree Cafe. All of their food is organic, and I got fish tacos worth selling your grandma for!

The next day we went back out on the boardwalk in the daylight so I could see the craziness that is Venice Beach. I bought two huge rings for $2.50 each, I saw a two-headed turtle, caught a contact high from all the legal marijuana, and spied these decorated motor homes where the homeless beachcombers live.

Before we left the boardwalk, we went out on the beach for the drum circle that happens every Sunday. I definitely enjoyed it, and I really liked watching this Native American man dance with his feathers.

When we left the drum circle, we did a little more shopping (okay, a lot), then we went to a greek restaurant and I got the best authentic pita sandwich I've ever in my life eaten. Once we got back to Haley's apartment, she changed her clothes and did my eye makeup (I'm so not a girl) in preparation for the show at The Viper Room! We went to see her friend's band, Stevie Starlight, and it was an awesome show! We drove through Beverly Hills on the way there so I could see all the places I'd never be able to afford.