We Want to Know Wednesday

1. Are you an amusement/theme park kind of person?
Not really… I like carnivals/fairs but I don’t care for roller coasters so I don’t want to waste a bunch of money at an expensive amusement park.

2. If yes, where have you gone? If no, what makes you dislike those kinds of places?
I have been to Disney World twice as a little kid, Carowinds and Dollywood many times, Six Flags once, and Lotte World in Seoul once. I have also been to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and Dollywood’s Splash Country.

3. Do you like to go on roller coasters?
No.

4. Does your answer to #3 directly correlate to how you are about life experiences?
Not at all… I think I’m pretty damn adventurous.

5. What was the last scary and/or risky thing you did?
Traveling around Asia by myself last summer was probably the last BIG thing… I had to take a lot of selfies! 😉

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!!

Top 5 Tuesday

Most Worn Items

1. Dresses.

2. My brown purse with bright flowers.

With my stepsister Ruth on Coon Dog Day,

an annual event in our hometown of Saluda, NC.

3. Flip-flops.

Tubing down the Green River in Saluda, NC.

4. T-shirts.

5. My favorite jean shorts.

On Beale Street in Memphis, TN.

N is for New York City, New Orleans, & Nashville

New York, NY

I first visited New York City in December 2000 and also briefly in July 2009. But most of my NYC pics are from a girls weekend we had there over Labor Day weekend 2008. It was a blast! We went to Little Italy, Chinatown, South Street Seaport, the MOMA, Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge… And probably a few other places! We stayed in Tribeca and I really enjoyed the neighborhood; we went out to a local bar both nights and discovered an amazing restaurant… I still dream about the ravioli there!

New Orleans, LA

In May 2009, Daniel and I met my mom and stepdad in the Big Easy for a long weekend. We had a great time exploring the French Quarter, eating, and drinking!

Nashville, TN

I’ve driven through Nashville many times when going to visit my dad in Arkansas but in March 2010 we actually decided to stop there on the way home. We tried to visit the Grand Ole Opry but it was too late. So we went downtown, stumbled upon an unlimited Natty Light special at a random bar, and enjoyed some live music.

G is for Grand Canyon, Galveston, & Gatlinburg

The Grand Canyon

Hands down the coolest place I’ve ever visited in America, and possibly the world. When you get to the edge, it just takes your breath away. I was speechless. My mom and I stayed there (at Yavapai Lodge inside the park) for two nights in May 2008. For more info, you can read about our trip here.

Galveston, TX

Daniel and I went here with my dad, stepmom, brother, and sister on a quick beach vacay in June 2009. It wasn’t the greatest of beach towns… Lots of jellyfish, not a lot to do, kind of trashy. Oh well! It was the closest beach to us when we lived in Denton. We played in the sand, swam in the pool, and even rented a surry for an hour.

Gatlinburg, TN

I love Gatlinburg. It is a cheesy little town just two hours from Saluda. To get there you can drive through Cherokee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and it’s just beautiful. Gatlinburg has lots of Ripley’s museums, wedding chapels, old-timey photo shops, and airbrush t-shirt kiosks. The next town past Gatlinburg is Pigeon Forge, home to Dollywood and a vast array of putt-putt courses, water parks, and dinner theaters.

The last time I visited Gatlinburg was in September 2009. Daniel and I stayed at a hotel in Sevierville since it was cheaper. We took the trolley into Gatlinburg since parking is hard to find and expensive! We ate lunch, wandered around, and of course got old-timey photos and airbrushed t-shirts made!!