Ten Things to Smile About: December

1. I made an awesome Christmas wreath at Nikki’s wreath party.

2. I had a fun night out with friends and went dancing.

3. I had an early Christmas dinner with my grandma and uncle.

4. I threw a Christmas party with my friend Cindy.

5. We had Christmas dinner at my mom’s house.

6. I visited my family in Arkansas.

7. New Year’s Eve!

8. I read four awesome books (Reached, The Night Circus, What Alice Forgot, The Fault in Our Stars).

9. I saw Killing Them Softly, Skyfall, Wreck-It Ralph, Lincoln, and This Is 40 at the movie theater.

10. Dexter and Homeland had great season finales. The Walking Dead mid-season finale was awesome too.

2012 Review Extravaganza: Fourth Quarter Recap

October:

I started taking Spanish classes.

I started doing storytime twice a month through the Preschool Outreach Project.

I went on the very first Vampire & Occult Tour with Haunted Asheville.

I had a pumpkin decorating party.

My niece Klay Audrey was born!

I voted early!

I had a fun night out with high school friends Nikkie and Carri who I hadn’t seen in forever (Breanna joined us for dinner as well) when Carri was visiting from Australia.

I dressed up as a devil and a flapper for two different Halloween parties.

November:

Tessa came to visit!

I took a holiday cupcake class.

My mom and I went to Florida to see my cousin Michelle get married! We also went to Gatorland and their rehearsal dinner.

Thanksgiving!

Anna visited over Thanksgiving weekend… I hadn’t seen her in eight years!

I got my first tattoo!

December:

Wreath party!

We had an early Christmas dinner with my grandma and uncle.

Cindy and I threw our first annual Santa’s Mustache Bash.

Christmas!

I visited my dad in Arkansas.

Five Goals for 2013:

• Visit Greece.
• Finish my master’s degree.
• Get a job as a librarian.
• Visit every brewery in WNC.
• Attend a book signing.

2012 Review Extravaganza: Third Quarter Recap

July:

I finished up the five week epic Asian backpacking trip with an overnight layover in Warsaw on July 1st. I arrived home July 2nd!

my mom picked me up at the airport 🙂

I went to an awesome 4th of July party.

I went to Coon Dog Day, my hometown’s annual holiday. (Parade, dog show, and square dance!)

I visited my dad, stepmom, brother, and sister in Arkansas. We went canoeing!!

My sister came back with me to visit for two weeks. We went to Bele Chere (a local festival), tubing, and got manicures.

On a sad note, Daniel (my boyfriend of eight years) and I broke up in July.

August:

Callie and I continued the fun. We went camping, to Sliding Rock and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and rollerskating.

that’s Callie!

I was the maid of honor in my BFF Ohee’s wedding.

I turned 30!! Celebrated my birthday by making pottery, going swimming at the lake, going out to dinner, and then finishing with drinks and desserts at my house.

I went to Dollywood Splash Country with Shannon and Mason.

I went to the Laugh Your Asheville Off Launch Party at Highland Brewery.

I went to my BFF Breanna’s son Easton’s first birthday party.

I got purple highlights!!

I got my job as a part-time nanny for Sam.

I watched roller derby for the first time.

I had my first Pinterest party!

I flew down to St. Pete, FL to visit Tessa for Labor Day weekend!

September:

Continued the fun in St. Pete…

Then headed off on a cruise on Labor Day!

Stopped in Grand Cayman and Cozumel…

Started taking a cake decorating class.

Got my two kittens, Riley Moonshine and Diesel Gambrinus!

they were scared to come out of the carrier at first… so sweet!

I went to the NC Mountain State Fair.

I threw my stepsister Ruth the most awesome baby shower ever.

I had my second Pinterest party.

I started my local travel blog (I’m not so good at updating in unfortunately).

I became obsessed with blog swaps!!

M is for Murfreesboro, Miami, & Munich

Murfreesboro, AR

Murfreesboro is famous for the Crater of Diamonds State Park, where you can dig for diamonds! I met my family (who live in Arkansas) there twice when I lived in Texas (September 2007 and March 2008). We never found any gems but we had fun!

Miami, FL

My family is from Miami so I have been there many times throughout the years, most recently in December 2009 when my (now ex) boyfriend and I visited his brother for a Patriots vs. Dolphins game and in February with my mom after we went on a cruise. (We met my grandma and great aunt and wandered around Coconut Grove.)

Munich, Germany

I visited Munich on a European backpacking trip in June 2004. Highlights included downing massive beers at Hofbräuhaus München and taking a side trip to the glorious Neuschwanstein Castle.

High 5 for Friday

1. My mom made an amazing key lime pie last Friday night! My fave dessert. 🙂

2. Had an awesome Saturday evening with Cindy and Amanda: Indian food for dinner, ice cream for dessert, and then lots of wine on Cindy’s back porch.

3. Swimming on Sunday at Lake Shelia.

4. On Monday my brother, sister-in-law, and I drove to Arkansas to visit my dad, stepmom, half-brother, and half-sister. We had a blast! The week included: swimming in the lake, a new fedora, eyeshadow and nail experiments, bowling, the “How To Avoid Talking To People You Don’t Want To” face, noodle fights in the hotel room, so much food, playing chicken in the pool, a (temporary) tattoo party, an awesome canoe trip, and discovering new music (including Jack Sparrow, Like A Boss, and Blackout).

my dad enjoying Norfork Lake

fried green beans

beware of lip tattoos

5. Heading back to NC today and Callie’s coming back with me for three weeks!

The Last Thing Thursday

The last thing I…

GOT EXCITED FOR:
Probably the canoe trip we went on today. And it was pretty awesome!

My brother Wyatt and me on the North Fork River in Missouri

WANTED TO WATCH THE MOST:
The Dark Knight Rises. And I still haven’t seen it! Also The Campaign opens on my birthday!

WAS BETTING ON:
Can’t remember. Could have been some kind of sporting event like the Superbowl or something dumb my ex-boyfriend and I argued about.

WANTED TO LOOK LIKE:
A beautiful, skinny woman? Reese Witherspoon would do.

WAS SHOCKED I REALLY LIKE:
The way this temporary tattoo looks on my foot. (We had a “tattoo party” last night.) Think I might have to get a real one there.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. The Summer Olympics officially begin this Friday night… Will you be watching? If you could see just one event in person which one would you pick?
No, I never watch the Olympics. It would be cool to go in person though. I would like to go to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea.

2.Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?
I love lazy days. 🙂

3. July 25th is ‘officially’ Threading the Needle Day… Can you sew? On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being not at all and 10 being Betsy Ross-like, how would you rate your skill with a needle and thread?
No… 1!

4. ‘Threading the needle’ can also mean to walk a fine line between two things or issues (think awkward social situation). When was the last time you had to ‘thread the needle’, figuratively speaking?
I often keep my mouth shut around family members who don’t agree with my politics or religion.

5. Kidney, pinto, black, or navy… Your favorite bean?
Black.

6. Have you ever hosted a garage sale? Was it more success or bust?
I did last Saturday. It was a success.

yard sale! (that’s my mom)

7. What makes you roll your eyes?
People who annoy me or who I don’t agree with.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I’m visiting my family in Arkansas! We went to the lake yesterday, might go bowling and hit up the pool today, and we’re going canoeing tomorrow. It’s sooooooooo hot here!!

my sister Callie and brother Zach

A is for Asheville, Atlanta, & Arkansas

Asheville, NC

It’s where I’m from! I went to college at UNC-Asheville and while I still wish I’d had a more typical college experience (football games, frat parties), I did enjoy my time there. But after awhile Asheville got boring. And pretentious. I hope when I return in July I can appreciate it a little more. They have a great downtown, lots of breweries (Beer City USA!), fun festivals, and tons of outdoor activities and beautiful scenery nearby (the Blue Ridge Parkway). Here are a few of my favorite experiences in the Asheville area:

Looking Glass Falls

Pritchard Park Drum Circle

On top of Looking Glass Rock (what a hike!)

Fanaticon 2011

Linville Falls

Atlanta, GA

I have been to Atlanta twice in recent years, to get my visas from the Korean consulate there as it’s the closest one. Both times I went with my brother Zach and his wife Kelly.

The first time we went to an NFL playoff game (in May 2010) to see the Hawks play the Magic. It was awesome, and we had great seats! We also went to The Varsity for lunch. It’s the world’s largest drive-in restaurant!

The second time (May 2011) I just went to the consulate and then they dropped me off at an airport hotel so I could fly to Seoul the next morning. We did make time for lunch at Hard Rock Cafe though. The Twisted Mac & Cheese there is the best thing ever.

Gepp, AR

We visit Arkansas quite often as my dad, stepmom, brother, and sister live there. It’s an 11 hour drive so Daniel, Zach, Kelly, and I always have a fun road trip. They live in the middle of nowhere! But it’s really beautiful and we always have a great time. They live right near Lake Norfork so we usually stay at Lake Norfork Inn. If it’s summer, we go boating, swimming, and fishing and if it’s winter we stay inside and go in the indoor pool and hot tub and usually drink a lot! We also play games (football, softball, board games) and go hiking, bowling, and roller skating.

fake tattoos and video games at the bowling alley

making music videos in the hotel room with paper hand puppets… so fun

me attempting to play softball… FAIL!

in front of lake norfork

road trip in the van

daniel throwing callie in the pool

bowling!

on the boat

i am awesome at tubing!

thanksgiving 2007

a rare photo of my stepmom… having a blast skating

gettin’ crazy

thanksgiving 2008