The Lovely Adventures of Me...

i love you.

2010-01-11T18:33:00.000-05:00

Meemaw passed away peacefully today in her home surrounded by many of her loved ones, who comforted her by singing to her and expressing their love for her as she passed. She married a my grandpa over 60 years ago and raised a beautiful family of 4 children, 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. She touched the lives of an uncountable number of people and lead a meaningful and amazing life. I will always love her and cherish everything she taught me.

October 28, 1921 - January 11, 2010

Christmas Morning

2009-12-29T11:22:00.005-05:00

jack henry's 2nd Christmas!

Meemaw and Boppa singing Christmas carols

he liked my present the best!

the boys....

the girls....

Christmas was so different this year. I officially felt like an adult. Not only because I cooked dinner, but now that we have a second generation running around the living room, opening presents is more like.... quick! open the presents! the baby's going crazy! While we were opening presents, he would pick them up and throw them (he thinks everything is a ball). It's pretty entertaining... and quite hectic, in a good way. I was cracking up actually. I can only imagine what it will be like when there are more than just one running around! I am definitely looking forward to next Christmas, when Jack Henry actually knows what's going on and can open his own presents and get excited about Santa. It will be so fun! I love how the center of attention is always on the baby... he thinks the world revolves around him. And sadly (but not so sadly), it basically does.

Christmas Dinner Success!

2009-12-26T17:12:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas dinner was amazing! I am so impressed with my sister's and my cooking skills! We had some anger and frustration during the process, but everything worked out flawlessly. We cooked the most amazing dishes in the whole world... and I am still stuffed. I loooove good food!

Christmas is here!

2009-12-25T10:38:00.001-05:00

Christmas is finally here! Yippee! This is the first day that it actually feels like that time of year!

I have had such a great time with my family and friends here in Atlanta. I get to spend time with my old friends from high school, who are and always will be my very best friends in the whole world. Plus, Drew lives only 30 minutes away so he has been able to visit me here and I have been able to visit him there... how convenient!

Every time I come back from college I remember how much I absolutely love living in Atlanta, and I fall in love with it more and more every time. Even though Charleston is amazing and beautiful and so much fun, I think my heart will always belong to Atlanta. Its so diverse and culturally-rich and has a little bit of every kind of person and place... Plus, its in the south, where its warm! And... my whole family lives here.... can't beat that.

So now it's Christmas..... and we are going to sit in our living room, which is only used once a year, and admire our wonderfully decorated $25.00 tree while we open up the presents that were placed there yesterday.... (at least I'm not the only procrastinator in my family)

My sisters and I are cooking dinner today, so hopefully it goes well! AAHHH! I'm nervous!

Here's our menu:

Artichoke dip as an appetizer

Honey Baked ham

scalloped potatoes

green beans

butternut squash

a delicious salad (with goat cheese, of course)

crescent rolls

cosmos as our signature cocktail

and... spice cake with a cinnamon cream cheese icing for dessert

ummmm.... YYUUUMMMM!!! I love Christmas!

My Meemaw <3

2009-12-18T18:56:00.001-05:00

My grandma, I call her Meemaw, has been admitted into the hospital for the second time in the past couple of weeks. She has pneumonia and is getting fluid drained from her lungs for the second time. She has been trying to regain her strength and mobility at a rehab center, but she desperately wants to go home. Luckily I will be able to drive home tomorrow to visit with her and help out my mom who is taking care of her at the hospital. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues her recovery.

I've collected a few of my favorite photos of her to share with you so you can see just how amazingly awesome she is. She really is, literally, the best grandma ever!

She and my grandpa at their 60th wedding anniversary... cutest couple in the world

Holding her great-grandchild, Jack Henry!

Playing my cousin's wii.... how technologically advanced she is!!!

Performing an amazing belly dance for our family (she used to be a belly dancer)...

Her and my grandpa go to the gym in their sports attire every day!

She is the most amazing 88 year old lady I know.... I love you Meemaw! Can't wait to see you tomorrow!

A Charleston Christmas!

2009-12-17T15:47:00.000-05:00

I love Christmas in Charleston. The weather amazing (except when it rains...). We have a few warm days every now and then, and the cold nights are just cool enough to feel the Christmas, wintery feeling, but not cold enough to make your fingers and nose feel like they're going to fall off. The city is decorated all over with wreaths, red bows and Christmas lights, which gives me warm fuzzies when I walk down the street. I must say, Christmas palm trees are the prettiest thing I've ever seen!

Of course, Cupcake at Christmastime is so fun! We listen to the Nutcracker soundtrack, while decorating cupcakes with candy canes, sparkles and festive sprinkles. We also go a little overboard sometimes and make ridiculous, inedible cupcakes to display, like this enormous snowman made of extremely sugar-filled icing.

Spending time with my favorite people decorating gingerbread houses with the largest candy supply in the world was definitely the highlight of my Charleston Christmas. We had tons of fun laughing at each other's fallen, broken houses (mine and Drew's) and envying the perfectly decorated and put-together ones (Olivia and Tyler's....) I have eaten way too much sugar this season!!! I have no self-control.

Octopi...

2009-12-16T18:03:00.000-05:00

Watch this amazing video about octopi... I told you they were cool! They are so smart... they've started using tools. How exciting! This video is so strange and hilarious, it fascinates me!

Octopus Snatches a Coconut and Runs

Semester Officially OVER! and a Charleston Christmas Parade!

2009-12-14T17:56:00.002-05:00

Okay... finals are done, car stuff is taken care of, house is clean and I can finally sit back, relax and have literally nothing to worry about. That is until next semester. This is the first time I have actually been able to sit at my desk on my computer... That is terrible, I know. I basically use my desk as a place to store binders, books, papers, bills, etc... during the semester. Where do I do my school work? In my bed and on the couch.... so pathetic, I know, but oh well!

Last week, while I was winding down from school, Olivia and I were in Charleston's Christmas Parade! I was actually a little worried about it beforehand. We went with Cupcake of course, and I was in it because no one else would volunteer and I told Olivia I wouldn't do it unless she did too! It turned out to be an absolute blast! Co-worker, Noodle, and I ran beside the cupcake cars and handed out candy, gift tokens and coupons the entire time. It was so hilarious! I would get so far behind the cars that I had to run full speed to catch up. I looked like such a goon... but so did Noodle. Olivia decided she would just sit in the back of the Cupcake station wagon and wave to the crowd instead of running around... smart decision. I was so tired afterward!

So I was literally dressed as a pink ball of fur... and I ran around like a crazy person. People were yelling at me from all directions to give them candy! It was a little stressful but absolutely fantastic at the same time. Drew's parents were in town that weekend (what great timing...). Lucky them, they got to see me look like a goon and take embarrassing pictures to send Drew... fabulous... but I was so excited to see familiar faces on the sideline! It made my day.

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The underwater world fascinates me

2009-12-13T19:09:00.000-05:00

We went to the Atlanta Aquarium. It was so amazing! I am fascinated by the underwater world. It really blows my mind that there is literally a whole second world on our world that is even bigger than our world... does that make sense? The ocean creatures completely amaze me, they are so strange and interesting. I especially love the octopi... they completely amaze me. It's also my life goal to see a Blue Whale. Seriously, the most amazing creature on earth, mainly just because its huge but I would absolutely DIE of happiness (and shock) if I ever saw one. The aquarium in Atlanta is the largest aquarium in the world (weirdly enough), they have Beluga Whales annd whale sharks plus every other kind of creature you can imagine. Its pretty awesome.

So, while we were there these people gave us these special tickets to go see some kind of shark exhibit. I was pretty excited because they are like $30, and we got them for free. I really wanted to get tickets to the 3-D show about a cartoon fish named Deepo, but since we got tickets for the shark thing for free, we had to go. I thought it would be fun and interesting.... but no. I couldn't be more wrong. It was the longest, most boring museum of my life. Well, maybe not the most boring, but it was pretty bad. I am not a museum person, I'm too ADD to pay attention and read everything. I just look at the pictures and keep moving. However, Drew is the complete opposite. He wants to read every single little thing. I was so impatient, I was literally acting like a 5 year old and tugging his arm to keep moving. Since when is Drew so interested in SHARKS??? WHO CARES about what each kind of shark tooth looks like??? or what a shark diving cage is made out of??? NO ONE! It had nothing interactive in the entire museum and no real sharks to look at. I was dying. I would have much rather bought tickets for the 3-D cartoon fish movie.

Anyway, after the boring shark museum we got to go to the place where you can pet real live sharks and sting-rays, and that was WAY more up my alley. I was actually in heaven.

The world is against me...

2009-12-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

Sooo... I was driving back from my very last final of the semester. I was thinking, ohh my life is back together! I have a rental car, my other car is getting fixed and my last final is OVER!! Ohh joy! Then.... all of the sudden....I get hit... hard. WWHHAAATTT???!?!!!! I couldn't believe it, what is my luck???!!! This time I wasn't even scared and shaken up like last week, I was just pissed off and annoyed.... but then I calmed down pretty much right away and thought, well, everything will work out. Once again, I'm just glad everyone was safe. One car was totaled and the other had to get towed away. Luckily, I was the one with the least damage and could drive away safely. It's okay, though... accidents happen, right? And sometimes bad things always happen all at once, so hopefully, this is the last bad thing for awhile. I can always hope!

I can cook! (some things)

2009-12-10T00:53:00.002-05:00

While I was home I took advantage of my parents spacious kitchen, their various appliances and the abundant amount of ingredients to make some awesome, delicious food. First, I cooked this butternut squash lasagna that olivia made for one of our dinner parties a few months ago. I messed up during the process of making it, of course, but it still ended up tasting great! Good thing!

And for dessert... I continued to cook some amazing. delicious. mouth watering. pumpkin chocolate cookies. I have to say, I cooked them perfectly, but the batter was for sure, without a doubt, my favorite part. Seriously, best cookies ever. And they're really not hard to make at all!

Can't wait to go home for Christmas break so I can cook even more! It makes a world of a difference when you can actually chop vegetables on top of a counter, instead of a washer and dryer... like in my miserably cramped kitchen here in Charleston....

I got fat and I don't care, because I love Thanksgiving!

2009-12-05T16:16:00.000-05:00

I love to stuff myself full on Thanksgiving! I always get a bit of everything and then mix it together and eat it. Yuumm. My uncle makes the best turkey in the whoooollleee world. It is always so delicious!

I made the croissant rolls... because they're pretty much impossible to mess up!

Rita made lots of delicious dishes including an amazing salad with goat cheese and a balsamic mint dressing... oh it was fantastic!

My mom made the most delicious stuffing in the world....

Our dining room table was so pretty and festive for the holiday!

And my favorite part of the whole day, was finding out that my sister trained her baby, Jack Henry, to make this face whenever you say, "funnyy facce!!!" It was soooo adorable and hilarious.

We also went to see the Blindside, and I highly recommend it! How I looooovvvve Thanksgiving!

Yeah, so I've been MIA, oopss!

2009-12-04T01:43:00.003-05:00

So yes, I have been MIA the past two weeks and its because of a lot of things... first, Thanksgiving break I was busy busy spending time with my family, playing with my nephew, cooking, baking, seeing the Blindside, seeing my cousins, hanging out with Drew, going to the aquarium, attending a comedy show, spending time with my sisters and of course, working on just a little bit of homework. My Thanksgiving break was wonderful!

BUT THEN.... it became one of those weeks when everything goes wrong.... on my way back to Charleston someone crashed into my car, which then made me collide into the car in front of me. Everyone was okay but obviously it was terrifying and after recovering for an hour waiting for the police, I had to continue to drive 100 miles to Charleston with my car falling apart, cracking and creaking. I pulled off on an exit and lucky me, some really nice man stopped and helped me out by bungee cording my bumper on and tying up my trunk so it would stay closed. I was calling my parents and Drew about a million times to ask their opinion about my car, the wreck, what I should do, what they think is going to happen, etc, etc.... I don't know what I would have done if my friend, Alison, wasn't there with me to help me out the whole time. Thank goodness, or else I would have been balling crying and probably call a tow truck home.

So.... after this fiasco, my week was completely out of control. Well, it started out fine because my roommate had a birthday so we had some fun celebrating just a bit on Monday night...

but then..... due to my bad decision to go out on Monday, I had to pull an almost-all nighter doing homework and studying on Tuesday night. I had so many projects this week and being the procrastinator I am, I got nothing done ahead of time and saved it till the last minute. Even after getting just two hours of sleep Tuesday night, I still was not ready at all for my final exam on Wednesday because I was working on other important projects for that day, and I had to work Wednesday before class, so, you know.... I was screwed...

THEN... I woke up that morning to my street being flooded by a huge monsoon. You know how last time I was raving about it and said that as long as my car and house were safe that I thoroughly enjoy having a river as a street??? Well, I have completely changed my mind... well, only because my car wasn't safe this time and got flooded with rainwater and I was forced to walk through it. The rain was literally up to my thighs when I walked through it and you don't even want to know what kind of gross things I saw floating in the water while I walked down the 'street' to go to work.... well, stop reading if you think you might throw up because I'm going to tell you anyway... I saw beer cans, cigarette butts, dog poop, a used tampon, a container of chewing tobacco and not to mention, trash cans were floating around in the street along with trash bags full of trash.... can you say EEWWW EEEWWW EEEWWW EEWWWW EWWWWW!!!!!! I never even thought about all that nassssttyyyyy stuff last time it flooded. The grossest thing is I had to go straight to work after walking through that. UGGHH GROOSSSS! So while I was at work, my car was filled with about three inches of water on the floor, just sitting there, with no one to take care of it. I don't think I could even count the number of times I called Drew crying on this day... oh I was so worried. My poor car has been through so much....

So... to continue my ranting and raving... I'm sitting at work yesterday, not prepared to take my final exam, not ready to turn in my paper for that same class and my car is flooded.... I leave work to go directly to my class so that I can fail my exam and not turn in my paper....... when suddenly, I hear that CLASSES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!!! ohhh myy goodness.... the man above has completely saved my buttocks... after all the terrible, horrible things that have happened, I still get to be the luckiest person alive. Oh yeah, I also got a parking ticket that day, because I moved my car, and in my frantic mode of being an hour late to work due to the flood... I of course forgot to pay the meter.

So, my engine didn't get ruined (thank goodness), but I spent a long time in the parking garage looking like a silly person soaking up the water on my floor with an uncountable amount of towels.... ohh jeez. So today, not to complain even more (except I just can't help it), I spent all day working on this other project due today, (that I had all semester to work on...oops) and I turned it in at about 6:00 p.m., JUST in the nick of time! My teacher just happened to still be there, even after the doors to the education building were locked. HOW LUCKY AM I?!! She just laughed at my frantic state when I turned it in... HA!

Soo... to conclude my long ranting and raving about my past week, I have realized that even though all of these unlucky, annoying things have been happening to me (and I will admit, the school stuff is my own fault), I still happen to be incredibly lucky through it all.

In my car accident: I wasn't hurt, it wasn't my fault and the other person's insurance is paying for everything (plus that man helped me mend my car for the drive back, oh, and alison was there to keep me sane)...

In the flood: my engine still works, I have been able to dry out my car with a wet vac and even though it was an annoying, horrible hassle, and I thought my car would turn into a big lump of mildew, everything is going to be fine....

Final exam: the storm just happened to cancel my class!!!!...

Project: my teacher just happened to still be in her office at 6:00 p.m on a Thursday!!!! WHO AM I??? and why is everything going so wrong yet so right all at the same time??

OH yeah, and the stuff I DID manage to turn in just in time this week... I am such an absolutely and unbelievably lucky duck.

Amazing. Just Amazing... Whew.

My overachieving big sister...

2009-11-23T17:34:00.005-05:00

So you know how I was saying my sisters are overachievers??? WELL, my very ambitious, goal-oriented sister has set the most amazing and daring goal for herself. She has decided to run a 26.2 mile marathon to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. How awesome is that?? She has also set a goal to raise $5,000 for blood cancer patients before the race in April. It gets even better.... get this..... the marathon that she's training for is going to be held in Paris!!! I am so jealous! She just started training with a team in Atlanta, a mix of beginners and experts, so it should be an interesting and exciting experience for her. I'm so jealous that she has the motivation to do something so amazing and cool and for such a good cause!!! I'm going to make her force me to go running when I go home for break and I am probably going to slow her down on her training process, haha, oh well! So she's just getting started on everything, but if you are interested in donating to my fabulous sister's cause, visit her new little blog here and help her reach her amazing goal!!! She'd really appreciate anything she can get! Even 5 measly little dollars, it will go a long way! Plus, I would love you forever :)

{I also discovered that making important words bigger is amazingly fun and dramatic}

a short, but very sweet visit

2009-11-23T11:14:00.004-05:00

{the only picture taken this weekend, thank you, self-timer}

Drew came to visit and we had so much fun! Just as I had predicted... we sat around my house watching movies, cuddling, laughing, eating and telling stories. Whenever we watch T.V., we don't actually watch it.... we just kind of goof around on the couch, and when we're not goofing around, we catch little snippets of whatever is on the T.V... its great. Its so funny because it always takes us hours upon hours to decide and agree on a movie to watch... but Drew brought up a very good point when he said, "Why do we care so much about what we're going to watch? We never end up actually watching it!" I thought that was a very true and wise statement, but I still care deeply about what we watch for some strange reason....

We were planning on cooking a fabulous and delicious dinner, but we were too busy snacking on spinach artichoke dip, salami, crackers and wine... I know, a very strange snack, don't judge...

We did get a chance to go bike riding, but for transportation purposes only, it was cold and rainy so it was not too enjoyable... we ate at Hominy Grill, which has the most delicious bacon I have ever eaten in my life... and then we spent hours at Kudu Coffee, chatting it up.

It was probably the shortest visit of my life, but I'm so thankful that he has the patience to drive 7-8 hours to Charleston just for the weekend! It was definitely worth it. Its amazing how doing nothing by yourself is so boring, but doing nothing with a person you love can be the most fun in the world.

prettiest cupcakes in the world

2009-11-22T22:26:00.001-05:00

I made these absolutely beautiful cupcakes this weekend! We got these sample sprinkles that look like glitter and it makes the cupcakes look like they came from a magical wonderland... I made them to give to Drew's parents on Saturday but I didn't get a chance to see them! So then I was going to give them to Drew to take back with him but then I forgot! So now they're sitting on my counter being picked at by my roommates and I......! I wish i could freeze them and keep them forever because they're just that preettyy! I'm so proud!

my favorite person is coming to visit!

2009-11-18T16:57:00.002-05:00

2 days and counting... Drew will be back in Charleston for a couple of days, and I can't wait! He's coming back to Charleston to move all of his things and I get to spend some fabulous, wonderful, quality time with him! Although it will be a short little visit, I am looking forward to every minute of it! Hopefully we will be going on bike rides, cooking, eating at our favorite places, spending time with Olivia and Tyler and staying up late doing fun things like bowling! Well... these are my plans, but I rarely follow through with my fun plans because I fall asleep or get in my lazy, homebody mood. However, I will be just as happy if we end up sitting in my living room watching movies, eating popcorn and eventually, snoring on the couch with cats lying on top of us.

what a sleeping beauty....

Big sisters are bossy, but for some reason I love them.

2009-11-16T11:50:00.003-05:00

I've always been quite the jealous little sister. Both of my older sisters are much smarter, more mature and way more motivated than I am or ever will be. You may think I'm just saying that but its true... there are studies that show that older siblings are smarter than younger ones... its okay, I've accepted it. They always seem to be five steps ahead of me in life, although I guess its because they're older, its still frustrating. Rita is the most organized, on-top-of-it, creative and witty person I know. Jessica is the bravest and most adventurous, goal-oriented person I know... and I'm just the little sister trying to live up to their amazingness.

Its always been so annoying to be the little sister, because your big sisters are always first in being able to do things, like picking the better room, sleeping in the bed instead of the floor at the hotel, getting the window seat on the airplane, and staying home alone.

Plus, they have a way of making you do things you don't want to do, its weird. They have a technique of phrasing things so you feel like you have no choice but to do it. My sisters have always bossed me around, just because they can, and I'm a pushover. Recently, I have actually been standing up for myself and saying no to them when they tell me to go upstairs and get their shoes (I know, its taken me 21 years to be able to fight back, how pathetic).

Oh yeah, they're also much better shoppers than me. I hate shopping so I always stole my sisters' clothes growing up. I get lazy and don't want to look for the bargains at Marshalls, so I go to the expensive stores and buy what's on the mannequin and then spend all of my money on one thing... so stupid. They always yell at me for buying stupid things that aren't even cute. When I'm rich I'm going to pay my sisters to shop for me, it will be fabulous.

Anyway, my sisters are pretty awesome, despite the fact that they take advantage of my passiveness and are complete overachievers... I have learned a lot from both of them and I would probably be a complete loser if it weren't for them telling me that my outfit looks stupid or that I don't know how to put on make up or take care of my hair. They have also taught me how to behave like a normal human being, and not make a fool of myself doing stupid things. Even though I still do that often, like when I set my hair on fire. They've taught me a lot of life lessons. I was always the kid who knew about "older people things" before my friends did, because I had big sisters who would inform me about stuff that I probably shouldn't have known about.

Even though they boss me around, at least they are the only people on earth who are not scared to tell me that I'm being an idiot or that I look stupid in that outfit. I look up to them both because they're my big sisters, and I want to be just like them! I always have...

family picture, 1988

mmm... Chinese Food

2009-11-14T14:04:00.003-05:00

Last night, in my attempt to relax, Claire and I ordered Chinese food for delivery (despite the looks, it was delicious). We chowed down while watching stupid yet fabulous shows on T.V. like "World's Strictest Parents" and "Supernanny". It was awesome. But then my fortune cookie said: "As long as you don't sign up for anything new. You'll be fine"... hmmm does the Praxis count as something new??? haha, oh well. Then I went to bed at 9:30... earliest I've been to bed since I was about 12 years old, it was amazing. I love laying around eating and doing nothing instead of stressing out, its so relieving!

I took the praxis. I have no idea how I did. I'll find out in a month, and that is all. Thanks for the comments, made me feel 290,489,323,829 times better!

... and I still can't wait till Thanksgiving!!!

Dear Thanksgiving, please arrive quickly. Thanks.

2009-11-13T18:35:00.001-05:00

I have to take the second praxis exam tomorrow morning, and I'm dreading it. I took the first one without studying and I passed, but I decided I would study for the second one. I think it was a bad idea to study because studying is just freaking me out even more. I've been taking a few mini practice tests and I've been failing them, then I study more and do worse... its just making me worried and anxious, so I'm just going to stop studying and hope for the best. I can always take it again, right?? I keep hearing these horror stories about people who have failed three or four times and still can't pass. I had a breakdown yesterday while talking to Drew because I'm so stressed out about the Praxis and school. The worst part about it is that I can't just take it tomorrow morning and then be relieved and done, I have to go home and do homework all day long. AAHHH! Its so unlike me to be stressing out about school like this. I just want it to be Thanksgiving already! Then I can sit around and do nothing for 5 days straight at home and hang out with my parents, grandparents, sisters and baby nephew, Jack Henry! Ohhh I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait!!! How could this adorable little face not cheer you up??!

Am I in Italy??

2009-11-11T21:42:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning very late, as usual... I threw on some clothes and ran out the door 6 minutes before my 8 a.m. class was going to start, giving me just enough time to get there riding my bike. To my surprise and slight excitement, I walked out to see that my lovely road had turned into a lovely river! I was a bit panicked for a second because I realized I wouldn't be able to get to my bike without walking through a foot of water, and now I would be late for class. I had a decision to make: get my feet and legs soaked and ride my bike, dodge the river and walk to class but arrive 15 minutes late, OR skip class altogether and get some useful work done. Obviously, I chose the third option. I still ended up walking through the river, just for pure enjoyment (Claire thinks its gross) but I was able to wash off my feet and legs afterward, whereas, if I had gone to class, I would have had nasty dirty rainwater all over me for the rest of the day. I think I made the right decision. As long as my car and house are high enough not to flood, I thoroughly enjoy having a river outside of my house! It's as close as I can get to Venice! Thanks hurricane Ida!

Sometimes I wish I was a little bit nerdier...

2009-11-10T22:43:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I wish I was a nerd. Someone who always wanted to be reading the news, or reading educational books or exercising my mind with things like crossword puzzles... but no, I'm all interested in hanging out with friends, going to movies, exploring charleston, traveling, having fun... its nice and all, but I really wish I was more interested in nerdy topics like astronomy, history or science... then I could actually be feeling like I was doing something useful with my time.

I feel like I have no hobbies. I try to run but I dread it every time, I try to read but then I get sidetracked with other things going on around my house, I try to knit but then I stop and never finish, I try to cook but then I spend too much money... its so annoying. Also, its not like I don't have anything to do. I have tons to do. I have a huge amount of projects coming up that are due and I keep putting them off! For no reason! Especially now that Drew's gone, I have no reason to get my homework done during the day anymore so I can spend time with Drew in the evening... I just wait till nighttime when I'm too tired and want to fall asleep!

I wish that I could be putting off my homework for a valid reason, like I'm too busy doing research about whales, or I'm too busy with meetings for this club I'm involved in, or I'm too busy gardening or I'm too busy getting in shape for a triathlon... but no, I'm too busy talking with friends or blogging or facebooking or going out to eat or making cookies or playing with my cats. If I was a nerd, I would actually enjoy doing homework and projects and going to class... plus, during my free time I would actually be doing something useful for my brain... I am so incredibly frustrated with myself today. UGH!

And why did I even write this blog about how frustrated I am, instead of getting things done?!! Something is seriously wrong with me today...

yum yum! cooking!

2009-11-10T11:27:00.001-05:00

I am trying very hard to become a good cook and learn all about cooking... my dream is to someday be one of those people who can just whip up an amazing meal really quickly with some random ingredients that are lying around the house. I am so far from that stage, I don't know if I'll ever be able to get there. I have failed at so many meals and for the meals that turn out delicious, it takes me ages to actually finish making it... I think its because I am the slowest chopper in the world. It seems like whenever Drew helps me make a meal, it turns out way better, and goes much faster... I guess because then I have two brains and four hands working on it, instead of my measly one brain and two hands...

so these are my two favorite meals we have made recently...

obviously another delicious homemade pizza complete with our own special tomato sauce, pepperoni, onions, mushrooms, garlic, basil and the magical ingredient: goat cheese... ohh my goodness, it was fabulous.

Second favorite meal... sweet potato gnocchi from the farmer's market in a brown butter sage sauce and asparagus on the side... simple and delightful!

These meals are absolutely to die for... I really hope and wish that I will be able to make dishes like these everyday without the slightest bit of confusion or frustration! Oh that will be the day! (and I have my doubts that this day will ever come)

Drew can fit into my clothes... I'm going to the gym.

2009-11-09T10:49:00.001-05:00

So.... Drew attempted to dress as a hipster last week by wearing my clothes. I gave him some skinny jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt to put on (and unfortunately they fit him perfectly)... He had this silly bicycle hat that he put on and the whole look turned out to be more of a gay hipster outfit. It was hilarious, it didn't look right at all, there was something obviously off about the whole thing, probably the fact that Drew is so the opposite of a gay hipster that it just looked fake.

So the best part about the whole thing was that we went out in public with him dressed like this. It was soo funny because as we walked down the street we heard two hilarious comments... #1: a girl was walking by with her friends and said to them "oh my god, there are so many gay people out in Charleston tonight!".... #2: a grown man walked by and said to his wife "Times are changing...." just after passing Drew and I. Who knows what other kind of comments we didn't hear...

Ohh jeez it was so hilarious, I can't believe I allowed him to do it but I got such a kick out of the whole experience. I really wondered what our waiter was thinking when we were eating dinner, part of me felt like he must have known it was a joke, because when you hear Drew talk, he's obviously not flamboyantly gay... at all. The waiter must have known that it was a joke or at least that something was a little off about him... and if he didn't, thats even funnier.

It was definitely one of the most hilarious and embarrassing experiences of my life... and the amount of enjoyment Drew got out of wearing my clothes really makes me wonder sometimes.... I'm not gonna lie. Drew??? Do you have something you need to tell me???

We headed to the county fair!

2009-11-08T20:38:00.004-05:00

We went to the county fair and ohhh how fun it was!!! I was being such a sourpuss on the drive there because we were in rush hour traffic and I was driving and Drew was navigating and I kept getting frustrated because I didn't know where to go and Drew kept telling me to switch lanes and I wanted to cry... buuutttt Drew was very patient, obviously, and talked me through it and calmed me down. Once we got there I was happy as a clam! (and then, of course, apologized profusely for being such an annoying, frustrated driver)

First thing we did when we got there was eat some yummy corn dogs (which I had not had in years). There was way more bread on them than I had remembered and I ended up peeling a lot of it off, but it was delicious!

We went on just three rides (due to our lack of funds)... I really wanted to go on some fun, exciting, fast, spinning rides but someone (I won't mention any names)... was being a little baby and only wanted to do the little kiddie rides, so I agreed to stick by his side. We did this mini roller coaster ride that went forward and then backward really fast, then we did the spinning swings and finally we had to go on the ferris wheel (which had the most amazing view).

We watched these adorable kids participate in a pizza making contest...

....and watched every kind of food possible get deep fried...

and we even tried a FRIED SNICKERS BAR!! never in my life did I think I would actually try one of these absolutely disgusting fried fair food products, but I thought why not?? It actually wasn't bad but just the thought of it grossed me out and I could only eat two bites... it looked like a corn dog with chocolate sauce on it.

Ohhh and the absolute strangest part of the whole experience... we decided to pay a dollar each to go look at "The World's Smallest Woman"... they said she was alive but I didn't actually think about how awkward it would be to go look at her. She was just sitting there, right in front of you, chewing on a toothpick, and all I could think was how guilty I felt for paying a dollar just to come look at her and see how short she was!!! Most awkward experience of my life, we got in and out as fast as we could. Although she was very very small, and it was pretty interesting, I felt a little bit weird the rest of the night.

I must say one of the most interesting and entertaining things about going to fairs is the people-watching. The most unique and diverse crowds go to fairs for some reason, and I absolutely love observing them... it really is a whole new world.

It was such a great way to spend Drew's second-to-last night in Charleston! He left for his new job in Atlanta today and I am so very very excited for him!!! However, I am equally just as sad that he won't be here with me anymore... :(

saddest day in a long time...

...but he promises to visit!

we attempted to make our cats look cute...

2009-11-04T18:22:00.002-05:00

We attempted to dress up the kitties for Halloween and it obviously didn't work out too well. I got an angel costume and a devil costume at the dollar store and they were terribly made and horribly cheap but we worked with what we had. We made Kiwi the angel and Binx the devil, purely for looks (we all know Kiwi's the devil). Kiwi just sat there in fear and anger. She doesn't move when she's angry, which is kind of convenient at times. Binx on the other hand, always lets you know if she doesn't like something... she wiggled and jiggled and rolled around trying to attack her costume. We couldn't even put the cape on her. It was pretty hilarious, though. I find it funny that our cats have completely opposite personalities and reactions.

dressing up is fun to do

2009-11-03T13:00:00.003-05:00

Ooohhh I cannot express how much I love Halloween! I always have an amazing time just dressing up and getting into costume. Just being able to walk up and down the streets of Charleston in costume and admiring everyone else's creative ensembles is just so ridiculously amusing. I had fun going to the bars and everything, but I would have been just as satisfied if we simply walked the streets of Charleston. I can't wait until I live in a real neighborhood and kids come trick-or-treating to my door.. because then I can get dressed up and not even have to go anywhere to see the creative, hilarious costumes! They'll come to me!

Soooo... Drew and I dressed up as zombie prom king and queen, and it was hilarious. I was kind of jealous because Drew got way more compliments on his costume than I did.... but oh well, I guess I don't mind. So we got some dressy clothes from goodwill for about $8 and then tore them up and put blood all over ourselves... so. much. fun... We had some other good costumes in my house, too. Claire was "the lady from the birds", it was so random and funny. She put a crow directly on top of her head and another one coming out of her ribs, and of course, put blood all over herself. Everyone who saw her was like, "dude, did you see that girl?! She has a crow on her head!" it was hilarious how amused everyone was with her costume! Shannon was minnie mouse, Meredith was a murdered housewife, Diana was a greek goddess and Allison was raggedy anne. Everyone's costume was so fun and creative!

A Cupcake Halloween

2009-11-02T10:52:00.001-05:00

Cupcake always gets super into the Halloween spirit each year. We decorate the store with bats, giant spiders and ghosts. And of course, we dress up in our costumes and decorate the cupcakes in spooky halloween icings and sprinkles!

we dressed as bloody zombies

made silly halloween cupcakes

and some spookyyy "blood velvets"

We always have too much fun working on Halloween. It was actually one of the slowest Saturdays we have had (no one is going to give their child more treats than they're already getting on Halloween), giving us more time to come up with some spooky halloween creations!

Pumpkin Carving!

2009-11-02T10:13:00.001-05:00

We have been putting off this whole pumpkin carving thing as long as possible! Its so hard to coordinate our schedules in order to find some time to carve! SO Halloween night before going out we decided we had to carve our pumpkins.... as last minute as possible. We did it in a way I have never done before. Claire had a book of designs to put on pumpkins, so we each picked one and then traced over it so that you could see lines on the pumpkin and then carved over the lines. This approach is way more frustrating and annoying than the normal way of just drawing your own design and cutting it out, BUT the product is so much better... I can't decide which way I like more. But here they are... aren't they so professional?!

everyone's pumpkin

Drew's pumpkin

Claire's Pumpkin

My pumpkin

Paranormal Activity... everywhere

2009-10-29T15:41:00.002-04:00

So, I did it again... I dragged myself to yet another scary movie! This time it was probably about 15 times more terrifying. The movie is called Paranormal Activity. Movies about ghosts and demons probably scare me the most because if there is a ghost or demon in the house... there's nothing you can really do to protect yourself. Whereas if there is a robber or a murderer in the house, you could fight, escape or call 911. SOO the day I started thinking about this movie and went to see this movie, paranormal activity followed me everywhere....

First, before even going to see it I was watching a trailer for it online. RIGHT when the trailer stopped playing, my ceiling fan started making a crackling noise. I ignored it but then it got louder and suddenly my fan just completely stopped spinning... and continued to crackle... I was afraid something worse was going to happen, like it would fall onto my head or something, so I quickly turned it off and the crackling stopped. Later that day I told my roommate about it and she turned my fan back on and it WORKED... which is even creepier than if it had just stopped working altogether...

Second, that entire day my cat, Kiwi, was staring creepily at the blank wall in my room next to my bed with her ears bent backwards... staring right below a picture of a cat I have hanging on my wall. Obviously, cats can see things that us humans can't and she was definitely seeing some paranormal activity going on that us humans can't perceive. SO, you would think that after these two incidences I wouldn't go to the movie, BUT... I did it anyway.

Third, I saw the movie that night and I was terrified. On the car ride home from the movie my phone randomly turned off. Nothing was touching it. It was in the pocket in my North Face jacket and all of the sudden I felt it vibrate and turn off. I freaked out and turned it back on only to find a fully charged battery... what else could explain something like this besides paranormal activity??? nothing.

Fourth, I arrived home and went into my room to find that the drying rack that my clothes were hanging on was completely knocked over on the floor. On a normal day I would probably blame the cats, but considering all of the other creepy things that happened to me that day, I'd say it was most definitely, without a doubt... more paranormal activity.

SOO... the movie was terrifying and I was probably the most scared I've been since I saw the movie What Lies Beneath. I highly recommend it to all you scary movie lovers out there and I hope that paranormal activity doesn't follow you around like it did me that day.

Baby Vampires

2009-10-28T09:37:00.008-04:00

My baby nephew, Jack Henry, is the cutest little vampire I've ever seen! My sister shares the same view as me about halloween... scary and bloody. This costume is absolutely adorable... I love how unique it is for a baby, he even has blood on his face! And he's walking!!! He's going to be the hit of the neighborhood!

scary movies thrill me

2009-10-27T10:34:00.005-04:00

I don't know why I do it to myself.... but I have developed a love for scary movies. I used to hate them and literally would not be able to sleep after seeing one, but now I think I've seen so many that I don't have to be too scared to watch them.

I went to see The Stepfather last night, just to get into the scary halloween spirit. It was pretty terrifying and kept me on my toes for a long amount of time, but it wasn't the scariest of movies in the world... (although I did have to sleep with my lights on last night). When I was watching it I thought, "why did I do this to myself? Why? Why???" and "I just want it to be over, I just want it to be over"... but once it was over I felt so very relieved and scared at the same time. Scary movies are actually fun to watch because of the intense suspense... Call me crazy, but I just love them!

Farmer's Market, Bicycling, Eating (and taking pictures)...

2009-10-25T15:50:00.006-04:00

The weather was amazing this weekend so Drew and I spent most of the time bicycling around Charleston. Saturday morning we were able to make it to the lovely farmer's market! This is a rare occasion because about 95% of the time I'm working at 8 a.m. on Saturday mornings. We had to take advantage of my morning off and resisted having a late-night on Friday so that we could wake up early the next morning to go to the lovely farmer's market!!! I tried many samples from the stands who were offering them and bought some sweet potato gnocchi, butternut squash ravioli, and some lovely Kiwis! We ended it with an extra large lemonade and spent the rest of our weekend bicycling and eating... (and watching the notebook).

attempting with no hands... unsuccessfully

(yes, we are both wearing plaid... not on purpose)

...... how lovely!

The Hauuntteed Corn Maze!!

2009-10-25T15:11:00.004-04:00

Friday night I went to a haunted corn maze with Drew, Olivia and Tyler. It was such a blast! I found it to be terrifying and hilarious all at the same time. As we walked through the corn maze, zombies would creep out of the corn field and chase us down until we met the next one. It really kept you on your toes. The chain saw man really terrified me... I kept thinking to myself "they're not allowed to touch me, they're not allowed to touch me..." and even though I knew it was fake, I was screaming and jumping all over the place! Olivia was seriously terrified, so much that she didn't even want to go in and closed her eyes the whole way through because she has a fear that someone may actually be hiding back there wanting to actually kill someone in the maze. Tyler was in his own world thinking about how beautiful the corn was that surrounded us and trying to pick some for himself, while Drew and I were in the back screaming and laughing hysterically as the zombies chased us and breathed down our necks.... I found all of our different reactions to be quite hilarious and I absolutely loved the excitement of it all! Afterwards we came out of the maze to find a bunch of adorable little 11 year olds dancing on stage to Miley Cyrus... it was probably the most relieving way to emerge from a haunted corn maze. What a night.... aahhh!

Claire's 21! FINALLY!

2009-10-20T10:05:00.001-04:00

Claire had her 21st birthday yesterday thank GOODNESS! We have been waiting for this day for a veerryyy long time.... She's a young one. We went out at midnight on Sunday to Juanita's. We weren't really planning on going out big time because Claire is sick, but we had to go out so that she could at least buy a drink. Well... that plan didn't work out too well. We got a little excited and took a few too many Tequilla shots, but it was a blast! I'm SO happy for her!

Cold Cold Weather....

2009-10-20T09:47:00.002-04:00

Can you find Kiwi?? Isn't she cuuute?! My poor kitties have been freeezing this week because the heat in my house is not working! Our house says it is about 55 degrees inside... miserable. My roommates and I have been walking around in sweatshirts and sweatpants and covering ourselves with blankets nonstop. Binx has been Ms. Cuddly recently in order to get some body heat. Poor Kiwi hates cuddling, so she has to find other ways to get warm. I feel so bad for them (and myself) but hopefully it will work soon! Both Allison and Claire are sick and I'm doing my best to try to stay healthy in this chilly weather!

I was so excited that Drew's parents came into town this weekend! His mom and dad are even more adorable than I had imagined! We had a great dinner at Five Loaves and then headed to Kaminsky's for some dessert. His mom, so thoughtfully, gave me this lovely little kitty cat jar.... its so cute! I adore it. (she had heard I love cats)!

We made our way into town.... pretty city of Asheville

2009-10-16T16:02:00.006-04:00

The second day camping it rained all day long, so we decided to go visit Asheville for the day. We took a driving tour through the rain and parked on the street to walk around a bit. First stop, obviously, was the Mast General Store where Claire and I both spent almost $10 on candy alone... oops!

It was really miserable and rainy outside so we decided to stop at this cute little coffee shop, in disguise. I didn't even realize what it was! They have it set up in a double-decker bus from London! How they got it all the way over here, I have no idea. It was even adorable on the inside.

We found this cupcake store too! I didn't go inside, but I took a peak and in no way does it compare to our Cupcake in Charleston! Although, I'm sure they're very delicious...

So we ate lunch, which wasn't as good as our fire-cooked meals, of course... but it was nice to have someone else do the dishes! Then we headed to the Cinebarre in Asheville to catch a movie! It was waay cooler than the one we have here. We also stopped at the Dollar Tree and stocked up on random things... I got some cat costumes for Binx and Kiwi, Shannon and Drew got miniature tripods for their cameras and Claire got some paper towels and Fabreze... it's funny how random everything you buy is when you go to a dollar store!

And here are some really horrible tourist pictures that we couldn't resist taking...

The amazing mountains (and TONS of beautiful pictures!)

2009-10-14T19:21:00.014-04:00

Back from camping! It was absolutely amaaazing! We had such a great time resting, hiking, building fires, cooking and traveling into Asheville. We stayed at Lake Powhatan, a great little campground with friendly staff and great trails for hiking and mountain biking (to Drew's excitement). This place was fantastic. I love escaping to the woods for a chance to forget about all of your worries and just relax and have fun. Absolutely amazing............... SOOO.... here's a picture journey of our trip!

Our car ride turned into a sunset highway cruise... it was beautiful.

When we got there, it was already dark, so we quickly set up the tents and Drew got straight to the fire. We had a great fire every morning and night and cooked the most amazing meals! They all had that yummy smokey barbecue kind of taste... mmmmm... We had hot dogs, potatoes, corn, pasta, baked beans and tacos for our delicious dinners. For breakfast we had eggs, bacon and pancakes. Nothing compares to a meal cooked over a hot, smokey fire. The only thing I hate about it is doing the dishes afterward... miserable.

We always enjoyed playing with the fire and whittling sticks.... and playing with drew's hatchet and machete.

We enjoyed hiking through the woods and finding small lakes and streams.

The colors of the leaves were absolutely AMAZING!

Drew went mountain biking and from what I hear it was "FREAKING AMAZING!"

We had SUCH a fun time in the woods despite the slight rain that we experienced. I love being in the mountains with my fabulous friends!

WOO HOO!

2009-10-10T13:30:00.001-04:00

We went to the farmer's market this morning to get some corn, apples, potatoes and peaches to bring on the trip! Now we're off to Asheville for a faabulous weekend of camping! YAY! I'm so excited!

a very spoooky halloween house

2009-10-08T15:06:00.001-04:00

Oh Halloween Halloween Halloween! My house is looking like Halloween! It's definitely not complete yet, but I added a few little items to contribute to a spoooooooky atmosphere.... Including:

A silly whimsical ghost hanging on my front door

A spoooooky display on the mantle

And a very happy Halloween Binx and Kiwi!

The house is coming together! Now all we need are some spider webs, lights and PUMPKINS!

a little lucky charm

2009-10-08T14:39:00.001-04:00

Man... I have been a such a busy busy bumble bee this past week. I haven't even been able to blog! Midterms are going on and I have been a bit swamped with work for school as well as squeezing in work at Cupcake. Weeks like these are so rough... but spending time studying with friends is a good way to catch a break without actually feeling like you're wasting time. Shannon and I went to Kudu Coffee the other day to study for our midterm. It was great to be able to sit outside on their fabulous patio area tucked away on Vanderhorst Street, instead of cooped up inside on the computer. We got a little distracted when this caterpillar decided to give us a little visit. He appeared out of nowhere on Shannon's notebook! It was the cutest/hairiest caterpillar I've ever seen! I just had to take a photo shoot... I think he was a good luck charm!

I went to my new field classroom for the second time this week and I absolutely adore it! It is such a relief! The teacher is so fun and enthusiastic and the students really enjoy learning in her classroom. I am so excited to learn from her and be able to have a chance to teach all of the absolutely adorable students in her class... YAY!

p.s. I'm going camping this weekend for fall break and I can't wait!

My Parents Visit Charleston!

2009-10-06T23:04:00.001-04:00

My parents came to visit this past weekend and it was wonderful! They were only here for about 24 hours, but we still had a great weekend together and conveniently, perfect weather.

We walked around the farmer's market in Marion Square where we talked with Sarah, bumped into Claire's family, drank lots of water and ate a great sandwich. We went on a relaxing bike ride to Colonial Lake and the Battery (I took them on the long route due to my horrible sense of direction and fear of busy streets) and we stopped for a drink at Vickery's on the way. Later on, we ate a fantastic Caribbean dinner, complete with Margaritas, at the amazing restaurant, Fuel, with my Aunt Cathy, Uncle Kevin and of course, Drew. We finished off the short visit with a great breakfast at Bull Street Gourmet and I sent them on their way with a box of delicious cupcakes! It was so great to see them and give them a little taste of my life here in Charleston. I was happy that Drew got to meet them, too! What a perfect weekend!

OOPSIE DAISY!

2009-09-30T12:58:00.001-04:00

I was enjoying a fabulous meal at one of my favorite restaurants of all time, Five Loaves, with Drew, Olivia and Tyler. We were all just chit chatting and laughing, you know, the usual. I was just kinda minding my own business, in my own world, as always... when I dropped my napkin on the floor. I was bending down to pick it up when I hear a crackling sound in my ear... I didn't really know what it was until I realized my ear was resting on a candle and MY HAIR WAS BURNING! I had for some reason ignored the fact that there was a hot flame on the table and I had obliviously decided to lay my head directly on it... Anyway, at this point I think the three others at the table were having a conversation with one of the waitresses. I thought maybe I could play it cool like nothing happened but I was kind of freaking out on the inside. I leaned over to Drew to whisper what had just happened... but it was no use keeping it a secret. Everyone in the restaurant could smell the burning hair! I had to admit to the fact that I had just set my own head on fire... the entire staff there was laughing at me for smelling up the restaurant and ruining the lovely smell from the kitchen... It was pretty hilarious... and slightly embarrassing. BUT... I'm glad I could provide everyone with something to laugh about...

Summer is gone...

2009-09-29T12:02:00.006-04:00

I have been dreading Fall all Summer long and basically crying everyday because I want to continue to go swimming, spend time at the lake, go to braves games with my favorite friend, AARON!, eat summer fruit, wear summer dresses and be TAN! But I have finally come to the conclusion that complaining about Fall coming and Summer ending is just not the right way to go about things... I am looking at the positive side and realizing all of the fun and joyful aspects of Fall.

I would say that I am excited about all of the beautiful leaves changing into colors of yellow, orange and red, but that doesn't really happen much here in Charleston. It does make me a bit excited when I see pumpkins and squash at the grocery store, though!

I am mostly excited about Halloween and Thanksgiving! I mean, who isn't??? They are only two of the most fun and exciting holidays of the year! My two favorite things: dressing up and eating food... amazing.

I can't wait to have another thanksgiving like this one (click here)... we had a great family meal filled with tons of yummy food. My cousin, Philip, provided us with a bottle of vodka from Kazakhstan where he is living while he is in the Peace Core. He sent a message with the bottle saying that we have to finish it... so we did.

Also... the absolutely amazing pumpkin cupcake has arrived once again... hands down best cupcake we have. Its a pumpkin bread cake with chopped nuts and a cinnamon cream cheese icing. Absolutely to die for...

I am planing on going to a corn maize this year.... I would go on a hay ride, but those just aren't as fun as they sound.... I can't wait to go to a pumpkin patch and carve the pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns and put up Halloween decorations around my house! Oh so many things to look forward to this fall!

I've been brainstorming ideas for a Halloween costume this year and I am completely stumped. The only thing I'm sure of is that I want to be something bloody. I believe Halloween to be a scary holiday filled with witches, goblins and ghosts, not a holiday for fairies and princesses (although I have been both of those things when I was younger). I think it would be really funny to just walk around with a sheet over my head and eyes poked out so I could be a ghost but... also very annoying. I was a bloody Mini Mouse last year... I told people that Mickey Mouse beat me... it was such a fun costume and no one else had it! It was also veerryyy scary looking.

I loved this costume but I want to be something new this year... so the brainstorm continues. Any suggestions??? I would love to hear them!

So Fall is beautiful, and I need to remind myself that there are just as many exciting aspects of Fall as there are in the Summer. I must accept the fact that I'm going to have to wait another whole year to lay down on the beach again and eat delicious Summer fruit...

A delicious night

2009-09-27T13:27:00.002-04:00

We had a fantastic dinner party at Tyler's house this weekend. Our dinner party crew has grown from four of us to about fourteen of us. Our lovely Cupcake crew got together and we all invited friends to join in on the fun. We all brought food, chairs and tables and set them up in Tyler's backyard. It was a beautiful setting with flowers and candles lining the tables. The food was outstanding... we had cheese and crackers, butternut squash lasagna, cranberry apple casserole, miniature pizzas, fruit salad, sweet potatoes, squash casserole, mashed potatoes and green beans... followed by pumpkin pie and chocolate cake for dessert.... and of course, lots of wine. It was an amazing and delicious night with lots of fun and laughter all night long. We didn't end up leaving until 2:00 a.m... fabulous.

Margaritaass!

2009-09-25T16:36:00.001-04:00

Margaritas, chips and salsa at La Hacienda with Claire is definitely one of my favorite activities. We always get a little too loud and talkative, but that's why I love it.

Some things I'm looking forward to...

an exciting dinner party with friends

my new field classroom

my parents visiting next weekend

fall break camping trip

and a crepe from the farmer's market

YYAAYYY!

Oh happy day!

2009-09-24T13:04:00.006-04:00

My teacher observed in the classroom with me today for about an hour. Afterward, she told me that she agreed with everything I had explained to her about this teacher. She said that she realized if she kept me in that classroom that it would go against everything she has taught me these past semesters. I was sooooooo relieved when she let me know that she would place me in another classroom and that I had nothing to worry about. Oh how I LOVE HER! She is seriously one of the most understanding, hardworking and dedicated teachers I have ever had. I shouldn't have even wondered if she would help me get out of there or not, she's so understanding and caring. Now I feel just about as free as I did when I was standing on a mountain in Delphi, Greece, admiring the amazing view of the mountains and crystal blue ocean...

.......THAT is how relieved I am

late night bicycle rides....

2009-09-23T11:42:00.003-04:00

Late night bike rides with friends are the most fun in the world. My friend, also named Shannon, recently got a new bicycle from the bike auction at school. She was so excited to ride it so we got a little crew together to explore the town of Charleston on our lovely little bikes. The bike ride included a stop at Fresh Berry to eat some frozen yogurt, a long exploration down King Street, bicycling in circle formation to create an intimidating vibe for onlookers, horrible experiences riding on cobblestone, a detour to the Battery to enjoy a fresh breeze by the ocean, listening to our echos on the echo rock, stargazing on the dock at waterfront park, a stop at Harris Teeter and a bloody toe. We had a fabulous night relaxing and exploring the beautiful Charleston night.

THE CREW:

Late-night Fresh Berry!

The view

I think he's a keeper

2009-09-22T21:45:00.006-04:00

Drew came over to my house the other day holding a beautiful bouquet of pink and yellow roses "just cuz". It was the most adorable surprise! He also arrived with a new bike so that we can ride around downtown together without having to borrow a bike from Claire, he found me a perfect rock to use as a centering stone for my creative arts class (long story) AND he brought a brand new tire for one of my friends who needed one. How thoughtful can he be??! I think I'll keep him :)

A beautiful setting for a fabulous party with the most amazing people

2009-09-21T19:15:00.005-04:00

My manager, Sarah, threw an amazing birthday party for herself and our co-worker, Noodle, this weekend. The setting was gorgeous. She had these fabulous orange-red lights surrounding the yard outside, a beautiful table with all kinds of food and a little white tent for Noodle's band, "The V-Tones", to play under. The theme of the party was to dress as your favorite astrological sign. My friends and I were slackers and couldn't get costumes together in time, unfortunately, but we still had a great time and I loved the costumes everyone else put together, especially Sarah's! She made her own costume by hand and dressed as a matador for the sign of a Taurus (my sign!)

Noodle's band was amazing, and they are quite the entertainers! They are full of jokes and engage in funny conversations between songs. I wish I had a recording of their performance to share. His wife even did an amazing tap dance performance during one of their songs! You can tell how much they enjoy playing their music by the smiles that never left their faces.

The V-Tones (Noodle is in the back and his wife is the adorable woman in front with pigtails):

And then there's Olivia and I, costume-less, relaxing and enjoying the fabulous music by the V-Tones, while we admire the crazy dancers prancing around in their costumes.

It was an unforgettable night of fun and laughter. I loved every minute of it!

Game nights are fabulous nights

2009-09-19T18:28:00.002-04:00

Game nights are always the most fun in the world. I've been having quite a lot of game nights in the past couple of weeks. My roommates and I have been in to Apples to Apples and I recently bought Cranium, which is always a blast.

Last night we had game night in Tyler's adorable apartment after an amazing dinner at Five Loaves, one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the entire world. We played Cranium, boys against girls. Tyler and Drew preferred the data head and word worm cards, Olivia and I preferred the creative cat and star performer cards. They're the nerds, we're the creative ones. Anyway, the boys won and the girls lost, but it was a close one! And it got a bit competitive near the end...

Here are some lovely pictures from some other game nights (didn't take pics last night, oops)... mainly Apples to Apples and Bop-it Extreme... so intense (Claire gets pretty competitive.. but only if she's winning! haha)

Laundry day... its a love/hate relationship

2009-09-16T14:59:00.004-04:00

I'm not the cleanest, most organized person in the world... I wish I was, but I'm just not. When it comes to cleaning, once I actually start doing it, I don't mind, but actually convincing myself to take some time to clean... that is the hard part. I was sitting there on my floor (on what room was left on my floor) and staring at my pile of laundry saying, "just do it, just do it"... and I did. After a few loads of laundry, some bed making, desk organizing, swiffering and vacuuming, my room is spick and span! So worth it, so so worth it. The best part about it is that I can sprawl out on my beautiful, clean floor like this......

....how convenient!

An adorable dinner party on my porch!

2009-09-15T13:04:00.004-04:00

I hosted my very first dinner party on Sunday! Olivia and Tyler came over and Drew and I cooked! (since Olivia cooked for our last dinner party). It was so much fun eating and chatting all evening with three of my favorite people. We had spinach fettucini alfredo, citrus-herb shrimp and a fruit salad with cayenne-lemon-mint syrup, complete with brownies and ice cream for dessert! Since my house is too small to fit a dinner table inside, we set up an adorable little table outside on my fabulous porch and had a cute candlelight dinner! It was perfect. Can't wait to do it again!

How bazaar

2009-09-14T20:12:00.002-04:00

My roommate, Claire, came home from the grocery store with this today... strangest thing I've ever seen. A huge stalk of brussel sprouts! I've never seen brussel sprouts on a stalk before, it was quite a surprise. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she grew it herself! She's a weirdo... she bought it because she thought it was funny... and it was. Not to mention brussel sprouts taste like the earth itself. yuucky yuck. But let me tell you... it was hilarious. And barely fits in our refrigerator! Can't wait to eat those earthy-tasting vegetables growing on that stalk.

Praxis... YIKES

2009-09-14T19:43:00.001-04:00

I had to take the Praxis exam on Saturday, which is the test you have to pass in order to get your teacher certification. It was terrible. I hate standardized testing more than anything in the world. I get really worked up about it and think about the amount of time I have left to finish and then I can't concentrate on the questions and then I worry about not getting every one right and then I freak out some more. I tried my best to just go with it and not think about the time factor much, but its easier said than done. This was only one of the tests I have to take. Some people take them both on the same day but I thought I would do my self a favor and split them up. I'm not about to put myself through four straight hours of standardized testing... ew... SOO, I have to take another one in a month and I won't find out if I passed this one for about a month. But we'll see! aaahh!

Breakfast... best time of day

2009-09-14T19:28:00.001-04:00

I used to hate breakfast food. I would usually skip breakfast or just eat some cereal real fast in the morning. My family and I would stop at Waffle House while we were on a road trip and I would order lunch food. Who orders lunch food at a Waffle House??!! A younger version of me does, I guess.

Now, at this time in my life, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I love breakfast and everything about it. I love going out to eat for breakfast and I love making my own breakfast, depending on my mood and food supplies at the time. Usually my breakfast will consist of some type of breakfast sandwich. I like to make an egg and put it on a croissant or english muffin, along with some pepper jack cheese and bacon. As well as a lovely side of fresh fruit! (as pictured above). If I'm not in the cooking mood, a bagel and cream cheese will satisfy me any day, any time... ohhhh man I LOVE me some bagel and cream cheese.

When I go out for breakfast I go to one of my two all time favorite places to eat... Bull Street Gourmet (just two blocks from my house!) or Charleston Tea Company (just two blocks from Cupcake!). Except Saturday mornings when I don't have to work, we will go to the farmer's market at Marion Square and eat some delicious crepes while we sit in the shade under a tree. Oh yummy yummy yummy.

Meet Jack Henry!

2009-09-10T18:10:00.003-04:00

Jack Henry is my nephew. He's the cutest, funniest, most adorable baby I have ever met, and I'm pretty sure I'm not just saying that because I'm related to him. He was born August 15, 2008. I recently went to his charming little 1st birthday party. He threw us all a pool party! I was sad to find out that he doesn't know who I am and is a wee bit scared of me, but I tried my best to be his friend. He will soon learn that I am his favorite Aunt Shannon!

Jack Henry only 1 day old! (I flew home just to see him!)

Jack Henry in his spiffy wedding attire

A little Halloween pumpkin

Haha who knows?? his mom thought this would be funny....

Wishing me a happy 21st! (not that he knew it)

He can even drive the boat now!

yum yum cake! on his first birthday!

The whole family! He thought he'd give dad a little cake too!

He's a fabulous baby and very happy all the time. He's great! I looove him sooo much! There's some really really funny videos of him too! Click on these links to watch them.

pooping video

Dancing to Justin

Absolutely Hilarious

Harmony and Balance

2009-09-08T20:57:00.001-04:00

I took a wellness assessment in my health class today in order to evaluate myself in the five dimensions of life: physical, social, spiritual, emotional and intellectual. In the end, I wasn't surprised by my results. My highest was a tie between the social and emotional categories and my lowest was the spiritual category. A person with a care for their well-being should strive to make the appropriate changes that are conducive to overall health and happiness. A person will reach harmony and balance once each of the dimensions are at optimum level. The motivating factor is that these transformations will help a person live life to their highest potential.

Looking at the assessment, it seems almost impossible to have each dimension at optimum level. However, I'm going to keep this assessment to remind myself to attempt to improve each aspect every day. I really don't see myself reaching the optimum levels any time soon, but maybe one day if I keep working on it, I will. I'd like to think so, anyway.

[picture taken in Costa Rica, 2007]

Flowers make me happy.

2009-09-07T19:00:00.009-04:00

Today I bought plants and flowers to put in my house. I love them very much. I found some great hanging plants to put on my front porch! Most of my neighbors have them so I figured I didn't want to have the bland, ugly house on the street. They add so much to the house and makes it feel much more homey.

I found some Lucky Bamboo to bring energy and Feng Shui to my room. It makes me happy to look at it sitting on my desk in front of the window and it gives me a feeling of comfort.

I also brought home a beautiful Phalaeonopsis Orchid (no idea how to pronounce that). It is simple, yet elegant. The orchid brings a delicate and striking touch to my room that makes me feel calm and relaxed. It sits on my mantel next to the beautiful painting I bought in Greece.

I was going to stop there, but on the way out of the garden section at Lowe's I couldn't help but notice this adorable little cactus sitting there. It's called a Red Headed Irishman, which fits it well. Its so tiny and cute that I can't find a place to put it where it doesn't look slightly awkward. But that fits me, because I'm a slightly awkward person. Right now its sitting on the mantel in the living room but I'll probably end up moving it around everyday.

I love these new additions to my house. It makes me feel a little more at home.

Tough Day on the Job... ew

2009-09-06T18:13:00.001-04:00

Labor day weekend at Cupcake is no fun. Today was such a busy day and we did not have enough people working at all. There was a non-stop line out the door. I went through almost 150 lbs of sugar from making icing all day long! My feet hurt terribly and I barley had time to eat! For some reason it put me in a terrible mood and it was so so hard for me to be friendly to the customers! I felt really bad about that, because I usually love being nice and helpful to them! Oh well, we all have those days... looks like I'm not going to have the energy for a run tonight. I think I'll just lie in bed and read for my classes tomorrow... sounds lovely!

Pizza Pizza

2009-09-05T15:49:00.004-04:00

The majority of my blogs will most likely be about food. I am in love with food and my life pretty much revolves around it... I haven't even started talking about my favorite restaurants! But last night Drew and I decided to make some DELICIOUS homemade pizza while we drank some fabulous $8 Italian wine. We made our own dough and everything, which turned out to be a lot easier than I thought! We put peperoni, mushrooms and basil on top.. yuuummmyyy! Here's drew making the dough! He's a pretty good dough kneader, better than me!

While we were making it, we had a little help from our lovely friend, Binx.

And somehow, Drew and Binx got covered with flour... Who could have done that?!?!

But what's the fun of cooking, if your not going to make a mess, right??

Here's our final product! I wish I could share it with everyone because MAAANN it was GOOD!

quack quack quack

2009-09-03T18:11:00.003-04:00

OH, these ducks are so amusing. They live at the pool that I go to, and I ran into them today. They are so brave around humans. I think I'm more scared of them than they are of me! They're so funny because they look like turkeys, and they waddle around and bob their head. I love watching them as I lay by the pool, but i try to keep my distance because they seem a bit vicious. Last time I was there I intruded on two of the ducks mating... a bit awkward... BUT as a result, these new babies appeared today, who are absolutely adorable and fuzzy! Too bad their going to grow up looking like their mother! UGLY!

nothing compares to a brownie... nothing

2009-09-02T15:29:00.003-04:00

Last night, I came home from class and my fabulous roommate, Allison, had made brownies. They were sitting on the coffee table, still warm from the oven. I realized that I had not had a brownie in what feels like over a year, although I don't really know. But when I put that brownie in my mouth and took my first bite... I went weak in the knees, and fell in love with brownies all over again. Man, oh, man, there is nothing in this world that compares to a warm brownie straight from the oven... How could I forget?

whooopsieee!

2009-09-01T15:52:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I like to pretend to beat up Drew... you know, give him a little push or shove, maybe a fake punch or a light tap on the face in the motion of a slap. But the other day, I accidentally hit him too hard and it hurt my hand, which means it hurt his shoulder... and I felt bad. Sorry, Drew, didn't mean to! (rhyme intended)

Oh, Creativity

2009-09-01T15:38:00.002-04:00

I am so excited about my creative arts class. My teacher is this quirky old lady who is really funny and extremely smart. I love her ideas about teaching and her emphasis on the importance of art and imagination in the classroom. She wrote the book that we will be using in our class. I've only been to her class once and she's already so inspirational. Her class is going to be an absolute blast as well. We're going to be able to analyze fairy tales, do a million arts and crafts, sing, dance and even act! I'm so excited to learn about all of her great ideas for the classroom. I hope to one day be a teacher who allows my students' imagination and creativity soar. I am so looking forward to learning from her as well as have the time of my life in her class! Where oh, where will this semester take me? Can't wait to find out!

Asheville, I love you

2009-08-30T19:05:00.004-04:00

It's always been a dream of mine to be ms. mountain woman, but it just hasn't worked out too well. I love the outdoors and I love camping and I love hiking and swimming and rafting and being in the mountains, but I'm just not very knowledgeable about all of the important out-doorsy things. It's quite a drag. But I make the most of it and do what I can, that's why Claire and I made an adventurous trip to Asheville this summer! Here's some things we did.

drove through the mountains

Stopped on the side of the road to enjoy the scenery

Stopped on the side of the road to pop a squat

Wore extra-large granny panties (I forgot to bring underwear)

Hiked along a river

Stumbled upon waterfalls

ate lunch on a tree

used my chacos to their greatest potential

Sat by the stream

lounged in our tent while it rained

attempted to build a fire

.... and somehow we managed to survive without getting eaten by bears or starving to death, so I guess that's a good sign! I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS!

I've started my cat collection

2009-08-29T09:58:00.002-04:00

Binx... She is probably the best cat I've ever had. She's absolutely adorable. She's not the prettiest cat in the world but her outstanding personality makes up for her not-so-good looks. She's extra fat with a tiny tiny head. She's black and has yellow eyes and she weighs about 10 pounds. She loooooves humans and will always let you hold her for as long as you want. She will cuddle with you constantly and never bites or scratches. In the morning, she'll dash into the bathroom with you before you can even shut the door and then she'll jump on your lap while you sit on the toilet. It's quite annoying, but funny. She's always hungry and will try to eat your food right out of your hand, so you got to watch out. She's a pretty great kitty.

Binx's new favorite spot Kiwi, wanting to shoot us because we dressed her up

Kiwi... She is probably the meanest, most human-hating cat I have ever met. But Kiwi's got the good looks. She's only 4 pounds, and she's grey with a white patch on her chest. She's still fuzzy like a kitten and has big round, yellow eyes. Despite her cute, cuddly good-looks, she hates sitting on laps, hates being touched or pet and hates being held. She simply uses humans to get food. She does love binx, though. They cuddle and play all the time. Kiwi is Binx's best friend, which is pretty much the only reason I keep her. She meows at you all the time because she wants to be fed and all I ever want to do is kick her. However, she's just so simply adorable, no matter how much she hates me, I still love her.

Cooking!

2009-08-27T17:54:00.001-04:00

About a week ago, Drew and I decided to cook dinner. I was nervous about it because the last thing I cooked turned out HORRIBLE! I was inspired to start cooking after watching the movie Julie and Julia (which everyone should go see). It was a pasta bolognese that got a million good reviews on food network and I managed to mess it up. I'm not sure what I did wrong other than forget to add garlic, but it was the most tasteless pasta I have ever tasted! It's such a bummer to make all that food and spend all that money and then not like it. Anyway, we chose to make something called Country French Chicken, with a side of tomato feta salad and some sugar snap peas. It was delicious! Here's what it looked like:

I had found this wine at the grocery store called cupcake and I just haaadd to try it! So I got cupcake wine and Drew found a wine called Red Bicyclette so he got that! (Drew works at a Bicycle store). That was pretty funny to me... we were drinking our work places!

So the dinner turned out to be a success! (even though Drew is already thinking up ways to make it better). It was fun and it has inspired me to cook more. I just got the Cooking Light cookbook and I have already been cooking from it! It's fabulous!

OH... and here's what Drew looks like when he eats Country French Chicken hahaha

My new house!

2009-08-27T11:26:00.001-04:00

I moved into a new house about a month ago and I pretty much love it. I live with two fabulous roommates, Allison and Claire. As well as with two fabulous cats, Binx and Kiwi. My requirements for a house were 1. Good location 2.Lots of windows 3. a great porch and 4. hardwood floors (and of course, a reasonable rent). I got it all!!! It's a beautiful old downtown Charleston house. My old house was alright but it was carpeted, which made it feel yucky, the outside was nasty because only college kids live there and it had barely any windows... talk about feeling confined! Now I feel open and free. My cats do too! They love all the windows and we leave the door open a lot so they can look out the screen door and feel the outside air. Actually, in our old house my one cat, Kiwi, would pee on our beds all the time so she was banned from entering our rooms. Now, in our new home, she has not peed our beds once! I think that's a sign that she loves it here too!

Now, even though I love my new house there are definitely a few quirks. For instance, the fire alarm goes off all the time! Last night I was cooking dinner and I was preheating the oven, NOTHING WAS IN IT, and the fire alarm started going off!!! It has probably gone off 6 times since we have lived here and we haven't even cooked that much! Another thing, our washing machine flooded when we first started using it and instead of fixing it, our handyman just told us we can't go any higher than a medium load... I guess that means no procrastinating on my laundry anymore! Our kitchen is very hot and our refrigerator and dishwasher are way too small. Nonetheless, everything works out and we are managing more than okay here!

Of course, I have to mention my room. I love being in my room. It has three windows, a pretty good size closet and an handy dandy storage area. I have a great comforter on my bed, as you can see. I adore it. I especially love the lamp that sits next to my bed and of course, my lovely dresser. It's a very old dresser and the drawers are extremely hard to pull out and they make loud screeching noises whenever you do, but I love it! My dad calls it "a piece of crap" but I think it has a lot of character. He actually got it with some house he bought decades ago. But I like the way it looks and I enjoy thinking about all the weirdos who may have used it before me.

The Lovely Lake

2009-08-26T11:20:00.001-04:00

I was so lucky to be able to go visit my lake house this summer! I absolutely love it there. I love everything about it. The water, the dock, the kitchen, the porches, the boat, the water skiing, the family, the sound of the jet skis, the fishing, the canoeing, the kayaking, the sailing!!! Even the hiking and the strawberry picking! Its amazing! I even love the drive there, through the mountains, listening to Rilo Kiley or Tim McGraw, with my windows rolled down and the fresh mountain air blowing on my face. It makes me happy every time.

SUMMER 2009!

2009-08-26T10:21:00.003-04:00

Oh summertime... how I miss you already. My summer was great this year. I wasn't so excited about it in the beginning because most of my fun adventurous friends were traveling abroad to places like Spain, Thailand, England and Italy!! JEALLOUSS! Here I was.. stuck in Charleston... working... alone. Luckily my few friends that were left and I made the most of it and partied like it was 1999! (not really, but kind of).

I don't know WHAT I would have done without my lovely little cupcake co-workers who kept me company during those long working days when the store was filled with chatty little tourists asking their curious little tourist questions. Where's a good place to eat? What should we do here in Charleston? How do you get to Hymans? Where's the best shopping around here? My ultimate favorite: "OH MY GOD WE WALKED 5 MILES JUST TO GET HERE!" and we ask, "Oh yeah? Where'd you walk from?".... "The market", they reply. AAAHH! The market is only a few blocks away! Silly tourists.. oh well, it's pretty entertaining, anyway.

When I wasn't working I was at the beach, of course, soaking up the sun. At night I was usually spending time at my favorite neighborhood bar, AC's. Only the best place in town. They have the cheapest drinks and ALWAYS have a good crowd. On the weekends however, it can get too crowded. So crowded that you can barley walk through and it takes about 15 minutes just to get a drink. Miserable.

I wish I could have gone home a little bit more than I did, but unfortunately, cupcakes were ruling my life. I went home in the beginning of the summer and rode the GREYHOUND! It was quite the experience, but luckily no one ever sat next to me and I slept the entire way (it was overnight). I was so lucky and fortunate to return to Charleston with a brand-new, black, Toyota Corolla!!! It's fabulous, I love it! AND it even has power locks and windows! (which I did not think my dad would be willing to include in the deal).

Class Started!

2009-08-26T10:11:00.002-04:00

Classes started yesterday! My first one was yesterday evening... it was "Teaching Health and Physical Education". I was probably the most curious about this class because I had no idea what it would be like. I found out yesterday that I will absolutely love it! I love my professor. He's this funny old man who has a very strong Wisconsin accent. He's super smart and knows a lot about psychology, which is one of my favorite subjects. I got the idea that this class will be kind of like a health psychology class geared towards teaching. I will be learning about how to incorporate good health and a lot of movement in my classroom. He's great and funny and I already ADORE him!

My second class was this morning. It was "Teaching for Diverse Learners". This class seems a bit intimidating, mainly because my teacher seems very hardcore and talked A LOT, but we'll see how it goes!

Starting to blog...

2009-08-24T20:19:00.001-04:00

So I decided to start a blog. I tried to do this once before and it didn't work out too well. BUT it was for a class and I was assigned questions to answer each week. Let's just say due to my lack of blogging for that class, my grade went from an A to a B. Hopefully this time I'll keep up with it a little bit better! I was inspired by my two lovely friends, Olivia and Tess. Olivia started a blog this summer and it's so entertaining to read and it was a great way to keep up with her life while she was away for the summer. Tess just moved to Australia and I have been reading her blog about her exciting adventures, which I LOVE! SO... I am now starting a blog and will be writing about everything I love in life. Hopefully it will be a success!