a short, but very sweet visit

{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.

Am I in Italy??

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!

My Parents Visit Charleston!

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!

late night bicycle rides....

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

 

Laundry day... its a love/hate relationship

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!

Flowers make me happy.

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

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!

quack quack quack

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!

My new house!

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.

SUMMER 2009!

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).