the latchkey kid

My 10,00th Day [Ideas!]

My friend Caitlin tweeted something that changed my plans.

She was in Paris (lucky lady) on her 10,000th day. She hadn't planned her trip around this milestone, but it was a lovely coincidence indeed. I'm attempting not to feel pangs of jealousy, but it's easy to bypass when said friend is deserving of fun things.

So, for the last few weeks I've been researching options. While I cannot meander around Paris (or anywhere outside of the U.S.), I thought it would be a swell idea to plan something, anything.

I'm definitely restricted by a budget, and while I pride myself on thinking outside of the box, this character trait doesn't always lend itself to planning trips. In fact, I don't think I'm always the best at this task. Maybe I become discouraged, or perhaps I don't know how to research properly, but I feel like I miss out on fun things when I visit a new city. That's not to say I've never done anything stellar in a town not my own, but I digress ....

Getting back to the task at hand. I gotta plan something. Here are a few options I'm considering, but not married to. Going on a hot air balloon is out, because I would need to sell an organ to afford it, and people, some of mine don't work well or at all, so my return wouldn't be worth the hassle. Here are the events/towns I managed to scrape up: 

 

1. Hot Springs, NC

Hot Springs is not too far away from me, and I think trying out the hot mineral springs would be an interesting experience. The town seems to have plenty of charm. I don't know if this should be an overnight trip, or a day trip, but it could be cool (not in the springs though!). There's a brewery and many outdoor options, like white water rafting. There's only a few lodging options for two, but I saw many cabins that would be fun for a group. My step dad Jamie just visited the town not long ago, so I'm anxious to get his opinion on it. 

 

2. Greenville, SC

People always tell me how much fun downtown Greenville is, and I would certainly love to visit. There's an art museum, plenty of good eats, and I'm imagining much more? This is the option I've invested the least amount of time in, but don't count it out. The previous statement is only true, because I just remembered it while compiling this list! Any suggestions would be helpful. 

 

3. Wild West Comedy Festival in Nashville

The Ginge and I have wanted to see Aziz Ansari on tour for about a year, so I was thrilled to see he was performing somewhere within driving distance. However, he performs on May 15th, and I am making this about the exact day so .... while seeing him would be a lot of fun (and funny), I needed to find something for that Saturday ....

BJ Novak is performing on the 17th though, so that's a bit of a consolation. Plus, it's been two years since I've been to Nashville, and I'm pretty sure she's missed me. Also, I wanted to try out the amazing restaurants I heard about after the fact, the last time I visited.

4. Atlanta

We were just there, but it was just so much fun! My criteria for this day was to do something I've never done before, so I'm sure I could find something. I might have to coax the Ginge with Yoo-hoos or donuts to drive there again so soon, because it's definitely the farthest away. The traffic when we were driving into the city wasn't what dreams are made of, but that was 1/20th of our experience there. (please help me think of ways to spin the heinous traffic in a positive way, people!)

By the way, I took the picture on top of our friend Katie and Dan's apartment building. What a view! I might have let the pangs of jealous take over with this one. 

5. Something at home (or in Asheville)?

I can't think of anything in the Tri-Cities I haven't tried, but someone else might know of a fun secret I haven't been privy too. In Asheville , there's several things I want to try, but I was concerned that heading over there  or staying home would be anti-climatic? 

 

You all know I would love some input. Do you have opinions on the ideas I listed or something within driving distance that I missed? I would appreciate hearing from you fine folks!

That Time We Ventured To Raleigh (Again!)

Wow, so it's been a few weeks? I can't even really be bothered to count.

So, I've been busy with work (for real, I have actual THINGS to do beyond scheduling appointments), editing Ashlee's wedding like a mad woman, and attempting to appreciate my favorite season. I won't type that "f" word that elicits screams of excitement over pumpkin spice stuff. I know everyone is tired of the that kind of talk.

Anyways, about two weeks ago the Ginge and I visited my sister Lauren, her husband Chase and my niece Isla in Raleigh. This was the Ginge's first time meeting Isla, and I can positively say he is just as in love with her as the rest of us are. I knew this would happen, the Ginge is kind of a baby magnet. They just love him. I think it's the hair.

And to get this out of the way, NO I DON'T HAVE BABY FEVER. I just love my neice, and I'm enjoying the fact that I get to be an aunt. Hopefully I will be the one who always has gum, ya know?

The group mostly did laid back type of activities that we enjoyed, but don't make for good blog content. However, we did visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. It was free, awesome, and filled with kids/parents dressed up in Halloween costumes. It was a good time. We ate at this local walk up burger/hotdog establishment beforehand and it was delicious.

Now, roll that beautiful bean footage:

There were a lot of interactive exhibits, so it was really neat to see Isla take everything in. There were even college students with snakes, turtles (I touched one!), Guinea pigs, and other animals explaining each creature's habits, diet, etc. My absolute favorite part was the Living Conservatory. Butterflies glide right beside you as you walk around. It's filled with tropical plants and a SLOTH (there's a video of our time in there on Instagram, if you follow me there). The conservatory is meant to recreate the sights, sounds, and smells of a dry tropical forest.

I also took family photos of the Putnams, but since they very well might use them as Christmas gifts, I will wait to post a few until after the holidays. I would hate to spoil any surprises.

Needless to say, I enjoyed my time once again in the great city of Raleigh. It's fast becoming one of my favorite cities in the Southeast.

I hope you all are happy to slow down and enjoy yourself during this busy time of year. 

A Sunday In Asheville

I know it's been awhile ... I kind of lost any inspiration to write for whatever reason. I believe most of us inclined to blog go through these spells. 

This past weekend I went to Asheville, NC with a few of my very best friends and the Icelandic Swede, so that two of them could get tattooed. First, we went to The Laughing Seed where we dined on the patio. The weather was perfect. Days like that make me appreciate summer, if only for a day. haha (I'm already acting as the obnoxious person wishing for fall)

The food was pretty darn good, and I tried out and loved this IPA. It's my new favorite, for sure. If I could find some for my fridge, that would be lovely. Also, aren't Sarah's strawberry nails awesome? I think the detail is done so well. Way to go Frances (she works with me at the spa)!

We ended up having loads of time to kill before Sarah and Monica got their "bro tats," so we headed to Jack of the Wood. Upon entering, I felt like I had stepped into another part of the world. There were Irish players in the far right corner and the crowd was quite a bit older than our particular group. I really liked it there, and I would love to go back and grab a bite to eat as well. 

I was casually talking about needing a group picture and that I might need a stranger to help us out, not really planning on taking the picture right then and there but alas, a man heard our conversation and snapped the pic. Does anyone else feel anxiety when handing over your camera? I kept thinking: please don't drop it! Monica told the guy she runs fast, so he shouldn't try to swipe it, haha.

We made it to Empire and the ladies met with Randy (everyone else knew him other than me, but hey, I can be informal and include him in the post right?). The process itself was very short. I think we were there an hour! Shannon had to leave early, so we said our goodbyes before the others were finished with their new pieces. Then, we decided to check out Asheville's Skybar. You guys, we all loved it. I will most certainly be going back.

 

Other than the tattoos (which Monica and Sarah are very excited about in the picture above), this trip served as our last hurrah before Monica moves to Sweden with Gudbjorn this week. 

It's been quite an ordeal for her to secure a visa, find a way to send her belongs and cat, etc etc. I think I got distracted by mundane life stuff that I pushed aside any sad feelings -- until that night. I might have gotten emotional in public, which is the most embarrassing thing for me. I was having difficulty playing it cool. I was the non-Fonz.

I can't say enough about the girl. She's been a true friend, one of the only people whom I could relate to when my Mom died, and honestly, she's just a blast to be around. She's a funny person, a fellow goober. Clearly, she's adventurous and I just know once she feels acclimated she's going to have the best time in her new home.  If not, we will murder Gudbjorn ... just kidding dude! ;)

This year has brought a lot of change, and it's far from over. 2013, you're one crazy year!

Lady Hike to Holston Dam

My three super amazing friends and I finally found the time to hang out together. This is a long time coming, people. 

Sarah, Shannon and Monica (plus Sarah's dogs Vinny & Violet and Shannon's dog Sam) hiked for about 40 minutes up to the dam at Holston Lake. Hiking a "new-to-me" trail was one of my goals last year, but hey, I made it happen this year!

It was one of the best days I have had this summer. We are all busy ladies, but it has been more important as of late to really schedule quality time together. Our Monica is moving to Sweden, so while we are crazy excited for her, we all are really going to miss her too. Plus, maybe this is just my opinion, but life wouldn't mean much without friends. I get by with a little help from them, ya know? ;)

I believe the pups had as much fun as we did, if not more. Sam (the one sporting the bandana) loved to bite at the lake waves & play frisbee, Vinny (the pit with a heart of gold) was quite the swimmer & loved to play, and Violet, a girl after my own heart, wanted to keep up but needed breaks every now and again. haha

It was a hot day, but not too hot. Breezy and beautiful, really. Since I'm Casper's twin sister, I received a slight burn since I forgot to reapply sunscreen, but really I can't complain. I used ice packs and rubbed coconut oil on the areas, and everything was just fine the next day. Since I didn't have aloe vera, I tried out the oil and it really did work. Just throwing that out there.

When we left we stopped by BK and got ice cream cones. I said this to the ladies and I will say it to you: who needs a fancy freaking car? Happiness is ice cream in a cone.

Am I right, or am I right?

Well, I hope you all are having a happy July 4th. It's supposed to rain here all.dang.day. So, festivities will have to be indoors. I'm not super into this holiday, but still, that's a bummer for everyone else around me who enjoys it.

Keep it classy, readers.

 

Blue Plum Music & Arts Festival

I was faced with an all too familiar dilemma with this blog of mine: break up a post or just feature one big photo dump.

I chose the later, so prepare your eyes to bleed from all the pictures!!

Ok, that was dramatic. Anyways, here are some photos from the Blue Plum Music & Arts Festival, that is held in downtown Johnson City. These photos span three days, so I will try my best to be as concise as possible. So, here we go!

Friday:

I saw a derby bout, we ran into our friend Matt and his dog Oskar, Kick.Snare.Crash played at an older bar call Peanut's Mecca Lounge, and I engaged in one of my favorite pastimes: people watching.

Saturday:

This day I walked around with Shannon (the out of focus beautiful blonde haired lady) and she saw a million people she knew, we drank fresh lemonade, I was able to take in more vendors, and my sister Mary Ellyn (the other blonde cutie) & her friend Sara(h) watched the Red County Gospel with us, a local act, play one of the outdoor stages.

Sunday: 

That morning I watched Kick.Snare.Crash play again (this time on a main stage) and enjoyed a cinnamon crepe at Brew Plum, which is inside Nelson's Art Gallery. 

I didn't stay too long that day, because shortly after I was en route to Raleigh to be there for the arrival of my NIECE! (more on her later)

I will attempt to post more regularly, but let's face it, I've haven't done too well with that lately. I suppose when you work on a computer all day at work, you want to step away from it when you get home.

In other news, I have several shoots on the horizon, baby showers to attend (seriously, I can't drink the water anywhere), weddings later on in the summer, and many friends to see. My hope is that I can fit it all in, without this season passing me by. I mean, it's already the middle of June for goodness sake, so I need to concentrate my efforts on savoring some moments.

Happy Tuesday, readers!

 P.S. In case anyone was wondering, I will post all of my photos in a facebook album in the near future. I know some of you (aka the felllas in Kick.Snare.Crash) wanted to see the rest. :)