Over the Weekend

This weekend left me satisfied and smiling.

(Sorry, I had to.)

It was productive, if by productive, you mean watching the entirety of season 9 of "The Office." I made zero plans and didn't regret it one bit. I made a big list of things to accomplish on Saturday morning and slowly knocked them all out. But really, watching season 9 of "The Office" made it on to the list of things to do. Baking a cake and going to a party was on the list, too. It was pretty much my favorite list ever.

This And That

One of my favorite things about living is this area is that there's always something to do, whether it's a...

show at MotorCo in Durham:

Seeing KishiBashi for the 3rd time, love that guy

night in with some crafting fools:

cooking class at the Savory Spice Shop:

craft market of local artists:

my new print from Near Modern Disaster in Durham

book signing at a cute bookstore:

With Theron Humphrey and Maddie from Maddie on Things

DC Part 1: Inauguration Day Parade

A DC sunrise

Men in uniform, all lined up 

The man of the hour: Obama and the always lovely Michelle

Presidential Viewing Booth 

Joe and Jill Biden making an entrance

That's  me! In the same picture as Obama!

Guys, we have SO much to talk about. I spent the past week in DC for Obama's inauguration. It was a rad and cold time filled with so many good things. Watch out, North Carolina- DC might have me hooked!

Featured in PineStraw magazine

I wrote a piece for my hometown's local magazine, PineStraw, and finally saw the finished product in the December issue yesterday! Though the magazine is mostly justavailable around Pinehurst, you can read it online here. (Hint: I'm on page 75)

Hope you have a very happy weekend!

Climbing Hay Bales

A few weekends ago, I went to a dinner party on a farm with some friends. It was everything Anthropologie wishes it was- a little bit eclectic and a lotta bit charming. And I got to show off my party trick: climbing hay bales. 

Long Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving crept right up on me. It felt like one day I was watching fireworks in July and then the next I was being questioned about the lack of turkey on my plate during Thanksgiving dinner. Like most weekends, this one came and went entirely too fast. Though it was filled with all kinds of goodness: shopping all night on Thursday straight on until breakfast time on Friday, hanging out with beautiful friends who I rarely see now that they're off being brilliant in other states, watching Grand Ole Opry with my grandparents, and seeing Sufjan Stevens at the Haw River Ballroom.

This is the first holiday season where I've felt old. I knew the day would come when I didn't have a month-long holiday break but after being in school for so long and then switching sides to play the part of a teacher, I've had long Christmas breaks for the entire time I've had a working memory. 

Less than a month until Christmas. Good thing I got my shopping (mostly) done on Black Friday. It was worth staying up all night and was much more fun than those pesky exams that force college kids into caffeinated disasters around this time.

Over the Weekend...

 This past weekend was, again, awesome. It began with Florence and the Machine and ended with an intense game of hangman, with a little bit of pumpkin decorating in between. 

And now somehow it's the middle of the week already. How does that keep happening?

Over the weekend...a few days late.

Erika and Lauren at SparkCon

Pumpkins!

Pumpkins for everyone!

With Amy, waiting for BFF to take the stage

Uggh, you guys. This weekend was so good that I found myself sad on Sunday night while trying to  think of the next weekend that would have so much fun crammed in. 

Weekend Highlights:

*fashionSPARK Fashion Show on Thursday night

* Dinner at Lilly's followed by some extreme crafting on Friday night (more on that later...)

*visiting SparkCon in downtown Raleigh after enjoying some coffee at Morning Times

*the abundance of apples and pumpkins at the farmer's market

*Ben Folds Five on Sunday night to celebrate Amy's birthday 

It's beginning to feel a lot like fall around here and I love it!

Over the Weekend: Hopscotch

A Tin Djinn

Megafaun's back there somewhere

Shelby won a PBR pin, The Love Language performs

Shelby, me, and Sarah dreaming of beards

This weekend was awesome! I spent a majority of it outside at a free day concerts put on by Hopscotch. I was able to see The Love Language, A Tin Djinn (my guitar teacher's band), Megafaun, and a lot of other bands around downtown Raleigh. This was the first year I've been able to go and am already looking forward to next year! There was no shortage of hipsters drinking PBR all weekend long. Rumor has it Bon Iver even stopped by to watch a few shows but I didn't catch sight of him in the sea of handsome, bearded men.

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Reunions

Sarah & Jill at Cup of Joe 

Abby & Guion's departure

Shelby, me, and Kristin at the Callis wedding!

Kristin, Moriah, Kelly, and I after the wedding. 

This weekend, I was lucky enough to see a lot of friends who I've been missing. Abby and Guion stayed with me and Jill and Sarah were in town for a concert. On Sunday, I went to Pinehurst for my friend Danielle's HUGE wedding and got to see a lot more people. More pictures here.

Let the games begin!

{Photo}

Oh happy day! Abby and Guion are here for the weekend and the Olympics begin tonight. Every couple of years I'm interested in a wide range of sports for about two weeks. This year is no different. I plan on spending the weekend in full red, white and blue outfits cheering for team America. And going to my last wedding of 2012 on Sunday (I even bought a blue dress for that). 

Feliz Weekend

{Photo of the hair I desperately want}

Hope you have a good weekend! I'm housesitting, babysitting, and crafting till my fingers bleed. I'm also thinking about dying my hair a shade of purple but it's likely my fear and sensibility will overpower that urge. 

The 4th and The Pines

   

As usual, the 4th was a good time with good people. And  the weekend at home was almost as good:

Homemade ice cream at the ReDDoor Cafe

Crepes at Betsy's Crepes  

Lara and Kristin

A Pale Girl's Guide to the Beach

Last night, my BFF/former roommate Kristin and I hopped in a car and headed to the beach to hang out today with my current roommate Sarah. But I have to admit that while I love everything the beach stands for, it can be a pale girl's nightmare. Through many failed attempts at warding off sunburn, I've finally learned that there's no such thing as too much coverage at the beach. So here's what I use:

(From left to right)

1.  Olay Complete Moisturizer, SPF 15 : I use this everyday underneath my makeup and apply it a little more liberally before heading to the beach.
2.  Banana Boat Sport Performance Ultra Mist Spray Sunscreen, SPF 50: Yep, you read that right. SPF 50. I apply this to my back, arms, and chest because those tend to be the places that get burned first. Even though I tend to avoid anything in an aerosol can, spray sunscreen is just one of those things that I can't give up. It's a little less awkward to have someone spray you with sunscreen than rub it on you. 
3.  No-Ad Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30: For my ears, neck and when my moisturizer isn't quite strong enough.
4.  Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm: Because lips get burned too. And that little hint of red doesn't look bad either.
5.  Banana Boat Deep Tanning Oil Spray, SPF 4: This is probably the riskiest part of my sun routine. My legs don't often get sunburned, so I usually put tanning oil on them in the hopes of one day getting some sort of color. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's ever going to happen.
6. (Cheap) Glam Sunglasses: The bigger the sunglasses, the more of your face they'll block from the sun. Xhilaration Round Sunglasses in Tortoiseshell, $12.99 at Target.
7.  A giant tote bag : Pale girls  have to carry a lot of stuff to the beach, so we need a bag big enough to hold it all. Gap Striped Straw Tote, $53.96.

P.S. Some other beach essentials:


+ A dress with sleeves for when you need some coverage
+ A book to keep your mind off the heat
+ A hat to block the sun
+ A big towel to stay off the sand

Monumental

In DC this weekend, I took some liberties and posed with a lot of pretty incredible scenery. If I ever move out of North Carolina, I hope it's to somewhere around the DC area. It's one of the few major cities that doesn't stress me out. With that being said, here I am with a lot of important stuff:

 

 Lincoln Memorial

 Washington Monument

The Capitol

The White House*

*I saw no sign of any of the Obamas, including Bo.