TENNESSEE, PART ll.

thanksgiving morning i woke up early to the sun shining in through the living room windows. when i am home, i sleep on the couch. always... it's just my thing. my pup, king bailey, was barking and both of my parents were there, surfing the channels for the thanksgiving day parade. everything felt perfect, waking up at home and happy. again, minus the fact that my brother and boyfriend were both in the east tennessee mountains and i was missing them. 

my dad made coffee and i grabbed my mama's cute giraffe mug for my morning cup. after the parade, we watched we bought a zoo. it was adorable and had a pretty great soundtrack filled with sigur ros and jonsi. i went for a morning jog around the neighborhood with the hopes of burning a few of the extra calories i'd be consuming over the next few days. the colors were breathtaking. the autumn foliage was in full force. bright reds + crisp oranges in comparison to the hazy blue sky. while mom went to pick up my grandmother, who was recovering from a recent surgery, i helped my dad wash and detail my car. once they were back, we started preparing our thanksgiving feast and waited for family to arrive. 

the afternoon was filled with laughter and too much food. we had all of the thanksgiving basics: turkey, stuffing, mac + cheese, etc... and lots of pumpkin and chess pie! yum! my cousins spent the next two nights with me. we caught up over chocolate chip cookies and lots of movies. we did our yearly tradition of seeing the twilight film in theaters. we always enjoy it a little more when we're together. 

saturday morning came all too quickly. but i had to get on the road early and go pick my boy up! i was so happy to see him. while he was a little under the weather, i let him rest while i drove us through asheville. we stopped and picked up an oreo blizzard which was absolutely delicious. and tried to keep each other's spirits up on our long journey back to charleston. we will be making this long drive in just two short weeks as we say goodbye to the east coast and head back to tennessee for an extended stay. part of me is filled with excitement to spend more quality time with our friends and loved ones. but i know we will truly miss this place that helped us grow so much. hopefully some day, we will return. 

TUESDAY TUNES.

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01 // van morrison: into the mystic. "let your soul and spirit fly, into the mystic"

02 // neil young: heart of gold. "that keep me searching for a heart of gold"

03 // led zeppelin: over the hill and far away. "oh darling, walk a while with me"

04 // john prine: in spite of ourselves. "won't be nothin but big ol hearts dancin in our eyes"

05 // the beatles: something.  "you're asking me, will my love grow"

classic rock / folk is one of my favorite genres of music. the lyrics are so inspiring and the sound is easy on the ears. some of my favorite childhood memories include listening to the beatles with my dad or singing with my friends around a bonfire. those were such good times. 

STUFF I LOVE SUNDAY.

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+ this article // 15 things you should give up to be happy
+ these cookies from ambitious kitchen // nutella stuffed brown butter + sea salt chocolate chip
+ this weekend bag from julie thevenot // i love the geometric print, i don't love the price
+ diy ideas from green wedding shoes // this site is pure genius i tell ya
+ paperback weddings // this beautiful wedding shot in charleston. it excites me so much for the future

i am so thankful for the life i have been given. 

TENNESSEE, PART l.

wednesday morning i woke to the sun rising. while carter packed my car, i finished a few things around the house and brewed some coffee for the long day ahead of us. we listened to a few of our favorite pandora stations and sang until we needed a few minutes of silence. while carter concentrated on driving through the mountains, i caught up on some reading. this literature book from college is still one of my favorites. i took the time to remind carter of how incredibly thankful for him i am. being from two different cities, however luckily in the same state, we have spent the last four thanksgivings apart. it's only for a few short days, but they deem to be the longest days of the year for me. and being seperated from something you are most thankful for, well that's tough. i dropped the boy off in knoxville and spent a few minutes visiting with the family and our sweet nephews before finishing the drive solo to nashville. as i was pulling into my parent's neighborhood, the sun was setting over franklin. there were deer roaming around and the crisp autumn air reminded me i was finally home. i spent the evening catching up with my parents over pizza and beer. quite the start to the holiday break. 

COLD, NOVEMBER RAIN.

this week has been dreary. the temperature has gradually been dropping and there are threatening clouds above my head. my keurig has been a blessing this past year although i have finally succombed to the addiction which is coffee. i have fallen into a routine. every morning, filling the kitchen with the smoky aroma of a dark, italian roast and preparing carter's thermos to take with him to work. and with these cold temperatures, there is nothing better than a warm cup to start my day while catching up on emails. unfortunately, he used our last cup the other day while i was summoned into work early. however thankfully, it gave me an excuse to pick up some tasty peppermint mochas while out shooting yesterday morning. it took every ounce of will power i had not to pick up a frosted snowman cookie at ten a.m as well. i haven't been able to run as often as i'd like, cold weather is not nice to my bones. thanks to years of aggresive sports and a mother who suffers from lupus. and with all of this rain, i may as well be in washington. still dreaming i guess... 

TUESDAY TUNES.

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just one more day until we hit the road for the holidays! we will be making the ten hour journey through the mountains of tennessee and i can't wait until i am surrounded by my family. speaking of which, my sweet grandmother is in surgery right now so if you have a second, please say a prayer for a quick recovery, hopefully at home. 

here are a few tunes that have been buzzing in my head the last few days. 

01 // ben howard: only love. "darling you're with me, always around me."
02 // grouplove: tounge tied. after over playing this song all summer, i recently heard it again and as always, it gets stuck in my head.
03 // young the giant: cough syrup. their debut album is great. from start to finish.
04 // she and him: baby it's cold outside. if you're getting excited about the upcoming holidays, just turn on she and him's christmas pandora station. it's oh so lovely!

have a safe and happy thanksgiving, everyone!

let the festivities begin!

STUFF I LOVE SUNDAY.

just like every year before, i will more than likely obsess over breaking dawn for at least another month. i know my wallet is somewhat thankful for my busy schedule or else i would be tempted to see it every other day. especially since my friends know to ask me if they need someone to see it with....and they have been. luckily, i only have to wait til the end of the week and i'll be seeing it with my mom and cousins. something that has become one of my favorite thanksgiving traditions.

today, i worked a double. which meant more or less standing around for the better half of the morning. i was thrilled when i noticed a few books in the trunk of my car and naturally picked up twilight. it just felt right with all of my current excitement to begin re-reading it on what felt like the coldest and rainiest day of the year. one customer even said it was seattle weather... and i was gleaming on the inside.

you better believe i am keeping an eye out for a deal on flights to washington. i have practically begged carter to visit forks with me. and i'm serious when i say that it's not for anything twilight related. i just love that town. and if my family was a wee bit closer, i could easily see us living in a little cottage right outside of the woods. and who knows, maybe one day, we will! :)

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WEEKEND UPDATE.

oh saturday, i can't wait until i can actually call you my weekend. 

[saturday is kind of a "monday" to us. yuck.]

i've been a busy little bee around here. more packing, more working. 

but what an exciting week it has been. here's a little re-cap of what we've been up to. 

+ burger night at one of our favorites: liberty tap room

+ sons of anarchy marathon on netflix. 

+ working with the lovely ladies of den of thieves. 

+ putting our official notices in at work. six years later...

+ carter made a huge decision about a temporary job in . i'm continuously praying over this.

+ again, i'm continuously praying about our future. everything will fall into place. just trust in the lord.

+ this week's episode of the vampire diaries... hello, delena! my heart is smiling but breaking for stefan. 

+ found out my grandmother is having surgery on tuesday, please keep her in your thoughts & prayers.

+ i'm going back to school in the spring, next step is meeting with the advisor once back in tennessee!

+ BREAKING DAWN // BREAKING DAWN // BREAKING DAWN. 

+ this amazing mural. we plan on getting a french bulldog and i was over the moon when i saw this.

so yeah, a lot has happened in the last few days. several big decisions with a couple minor setbacks. i'm so excited to be heading home on wednesday for the thanksgiving holidays. hopefully, if all goes well with my grandmother's surgery, we will be able to celebrate at home together and not in the hospital. we are packing my teeny car down with as much as we can to give us a head start on moving. luckily, carter's dad has agreed to bring a uhaul down the following week to help us with the rest. now, we just have to figure out how to get our turtles home. not as easy as strapping them in seatbelts. i am so thankful for both of the amazing families i am a part of. and for the time we are about to have with them. but most importantly, i am eternally thankful for the man i have in my life. with everything going on, he just wants to make me happy. and i, him. 

happy real weekend to you all!

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TUESDAY TUNES.

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this week's overload of tunes are dedicated to a few of my favorite songs 

featured over the years in the twilight saga. 

|| only two more days ||

until i am giggling, gasping, sighing, and sobbing away

go ahead, laugh all you want...

but while you do, give these a listen. 

they will not disappoint!

now playing // the black ghosts: full moon. this song reminds me of forks. my mom played it no less than fifty times while we were there. she's the cutest. [twilight]

now playing // iron and wine: flightless bird, american mouth. this song has soothed me to sleep numerous times. [twilight]

now playing // grizzy bear: slow life. i may not be jumping off any cliffs to this, but i do love driving down a dark highway while listening to it. [new moon]

now playing // bon iver feat. st. vincent: roslyn. just came across this video filmed in north georgia. it's no forest like in washington, but still includes the beautiful outdoors. [new moon]

now playing // florence and the machine: heavy in your arms. love, love, love this song. this girl is incredible and this video is dark and fitting. [eclipse]

now playing // the black keys: chop and change. this is one of my favorite bands hailing from my hometown of nashville. you can only imagine my excitement during the opening scene of [eclipse].

now playing // sleeping at last: turning page. the song that turned all of our cold hearts to jello. seriously, perfect lyrics and perfect placement. and did you know jeremy larson, husband to the beautiful elsie larson of a beautiful mess wrote a huge part of the composition?! [breaking dawn]

so there are enough songs here to get you through the rest of this week, sorry for the overload. but if there is one thing i've heard a thousand times it's this... "the movies stink but the soundtracks are awesome." ouch... only because i'm biased with loving the films too. but those people are right. the soundtracks are incredible. 

hope you enjoy these tunes!

are you planning on seeing the film? 

xo...

LIFE LATELY.

in the midst of all the planning, packing and working around here... i have been fully relying on my phone lately and have been somewhat neglecting my camera + computer. several back and forth phone calls from family, lots of emails, updating resumes, etc. i must say i am beyond thankful for that trusty instagram these days. recently, i have been uploading lots of past photos from family vacations and holidays, exciting myself for the future of being closer to them. if only for a little while, it's just what i need right now. 

other than the monotonous reality of our move approaching, we've made time for a few little dates... grabbing lunch or dinner at a few of our favorite spots, baking holiday desserts and walking around various spots in town. in just a few short weeks, we will be heading back home to tennessee. this is a very bittersweet time for us. for we have no idea what the future will hold, but all i know is we will have each other. 

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STUFF I LOVE SUNDAY.

last week, i discovered a wonderful organization called the curesearch walk happening back in nashville. the curesearch walk celebrates and honors children's lives who have been affected by childhood cancer, while raising funds for clinical trials research.

this is anthony. i met this beautiful boy through my childhood best friend when i was 14. anthony had been diagnosed at 4 months old and went through numerous surgeries and treatments before his first birthday. when i met him, he was celebrating his fifth birthday, something his family was told would never happen. this blue eyed, freckle face stole my heart at first glance. his adventurous spirit was contagious and he had a southern twang to his voice that couldn't help but make you smile. we would often go camping at the lake. taking boat rides and inner-tubing while his cousin and i helped guard his tiny body. we looked for buried treasures on the shore, played catch by the water and watched the sun set over the horizon. he had catch-phrases and funny quirks. and anthony was a litte cuddler. he would snuggle up next to you and just sit for a while. one of my favorite memories was taking him to a local waterpark. he wanted to go on all of the big kid slides and we swam for hours. riding home and exhausted, he gave me a tiny plastic ring with a ruby gem and told me to keep it forever, he then fell asleep with his little hand on mine. i took a picture of his sweet napping face and i will cherish it always. for a few years, he would tell his family and friends back at school that i was his girlfriend... that is until he discovered ms. britney spears and some cute 8 year old classmates :) 

circa 2005 

over the years, i moved away for college and basically lost touch with this family. i would check in periodically to get an update on anthony, hearing about his trip to disney world but never getting the news i wanted to hear. positive progression. anthony fought his fight and with a strong, warrior spirit for a few more years and in late october of 2008, when he was 11 years old, the lord brought him back home. it gives me great comfort to know he is in heaven and free of pain. probably playing baseball with the angels. i still pray for his family, his loving parents and younger brothers. he would have celebrated his sixteenth birthday this year. but he will be there to greet them one day and what a glorious reunion it will be. 

four years later, his family and a huge group of supporters walked in honor of anthony. 

every day, 36 children are diagnosed with children's cancer - 7 of these children will not survive. cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children. although the cure rate is now 78% up bu 40% in the last 20 years, it is not good enough. our goal is a 100% cure rate. 

if you would like to make a donation in honor of anthony, you can do so here.

LIFE LATELY.

+ breakfast dates at our favorite little spot

+ homemade chocolate chip cookies & milk 

+ brisk, cold weather on election day 

+ breathtaking view from the ferris wheel, literally 

+  winter feet + winter flowers 

...

TUESDAY TUNES.

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this week's tunes are dedicated to today, election day. 

and the hope for a better future for our nation. 

how cool is it that we have these rights?

now playing // john lennon: imagine. this man was my first true love. long live you, mr. lennon.

now playing // modest mouse: float on. "and we'll all float on, good news is on the way." 

now playing // sam cooke: a change is gonna come. here come the chills. so much hope in his voice.

now playing // the beatles. all you need is love. love, love, love. need i say more?

STUFF I LOVE SUNDAY.

i am head over heels for this new month of november. although today was exceptionally warm, the temperatures should be dropping by the day and the winter weather will be here in full force. so naturally, i went out and bought a new coat for the fall. i have been literally dreaming about owning the eastward lauren moffatt jacket from last season seen here but i will gladly settle for this beauty i picked up for a mere thirty bucks. so just a warning, you may be seeing me in this thing every.single.day! :)

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COUNTY FAIR.

tonight we visited our local county fair. this was a first for us and i have been looking forward to going since opening day, which is when we should have gone but after a couple of hours worth of traffic, we finally made it. we wandered through the fair grounds, shuffling through the thousands of people, admiring the lights and the smell of fried food. we rode the ferris wheel and had a little elena + stefan moment, swoon. but really, it was such an unforgettable moment and feeling. we grabbed delicious corn dogs and shared a table with the sweetest family. and last but not least, picked up some vintage candy for the ride home. the fair was a little overwhelming at times but it was such a special first for us and i can't wait to do it again. 

TRICK OR TREAT.

remember me saying i'd be doing some last minute costume shopping.... well here is the result of my procrastination and hard work. sadly, i couldn't pull together the couple's costume we had been planning on since november 1st of last year... procastination at it's finest. but i do however think our costumes ended up just fine. and so did a lot of the crazies we ran into last night. somewhere between the bar next door and our place, i lost my arrows. but i'm also pretty confident that i stayed in character and showed them just how badass miss katniss everdeen is as they were caught stealing our friend's money. (we won't even get into that) and can anyone guess who carter ended up being... think paul rudd + sex panther. i seriously had to do a double take several times throughout the night, i loved his wig. our halloween was memorable and we had such a good time with our friends bria and taylor, who went as "love bugs." how cute is that? ps... please ignore our messy kitchen. (moving madness, costume remnants and carter's shoes all over...but that's just normal!)  ;)

hope you all had a happy halloween

and may the odds be ever in your favor!

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