for pedro.

Our dear friend Mckay* has been working on this project for the past year. 

They have raised nearly a third of the funding needed in just 24 hours; I have no doubt they'll exceed their financial goal. If you'd like to be a part of the giving, go here. Just $1.15 buys a chicken! I feel so excited for this man's life and how greatly it will be changed by the goodness and generosity of others. Get on board if you can!

*fun fact: Mckay played the guitar as I walked down the aisle! We love him dearly.

. . .

going to the chapel.

We are boarding a plane first thing tomorrow morning to head east for Jacob & Alison's wedding. I've been looking forward to this January weekend for months and am so excited it's finally here! Three days filled with celebration, dear friends, thankfulness, toasts, wild dancing, and seeing one of my favorite friends enter into a most beautiful blessing with her Jacob. It's going to be a wonderful weekend. Here we go!

photo by Sarah Der Photography

(PS - remember when Alison asked me to be her bridesmaid?)

. . .

lowland hum.

Remember Daniel and Lauren from this post back in June? 

Well, they are up to something new and wonderful:

Please consider gifting them a donation of any size to help with the costs of recording their first joint album. They are two of my dearest friends and I am truly very excited for their new music. I've heard sneak peeks and I'm telling you, it's wonderful. They are magnificent together in marriage and music. 

Visit their KickStarter Page to learn more or donate. 

(And have a look at the awesome/creative/hilarious rewards for their backers on the right side of the page.) 

. . .

jan 1.

After a 12 day whirlwind of travel, we are back home in our apartment for the first time tonight. We spent a happiest Christmas in North Carolina and New Year's on incredible Lake Tahoe. As 2013 begins, I'm acutely aware of how rich I am. I feel so much thankfulness for the extravagant goodness in my life.

. . .

camping for food.

We are at another First 100 Chick-fil-A Campout today, racking up free food. This time, we're with a big group of people and it's so much fun! We have our own little tent city and the weather is chilly but sunny, perfect for being outside all day. The boys are playing the most intense game of 4 square I've ever seen, literally. That's Finn on the bottom, I'm not even sure how he even got like that. 

And I'm thoroughly enjoying myself because:

a) I like the people we're hanging out with. Everyone in the group is from North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, or Texas and it's just fun to be around people from the south. Living out here, it's a rare occurrence. 
b) I'm using my ultra-cute new Little Mermaid pouch (shout out to my mom). 
c) I packed lots of snacks.
d) I love tents. They're basically forts for adults.

A year's worth of free Chick-fil-A shall be ours tomorrow morning! We just have to weather the cold night ahead, which should be a breeze (I've got wool socks galore). It's a good day! 

. . .

throwback thursday: folklore heroes get down.

This is the fifth week of Throwback Thursdays, a series intended to share old photos and stories I love. This week, I'm keeping it short with a share from Halloween 2008.

Paul Bunyan and Davy Crockett get down.

Not pictured is Caroline who completed our trio as Babe the Blue Ox. I like this photo because Paul Bunyan and Davy Crockett would probably not have danced in a basement with Cleopatra & Hulk at 1 am. College Halloweens were a blast with Lauren and Caroline & our costumes got more creative/weirder each year. I'll have to do a post sometime sharing more photos of past costumes. There are some good ones in there.

We spent last night at Al & Carly's cozy apartment in Noe. We ate homemade chili and made our own version of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's apple pie apples, which were delicious. Halloween is fun!

. . .

the anniversary trip.

We're going away to Lake Tahoe this weekend to celebrate our second anniversary. I can't wait! When we got married, we decided that we'd try to take a trip every year for our anniversary, even if it's little.

For last year's anniversary, we biked the Virginia Creeper Trail in Damascus, Virginia. It's one of our favorite trips we've ever taken. We stayed in an old bed and breakfast on the river and had the best time biking down the trail. It's 34 miles long and slightly downhill the whole way. We stopped at different pastures and bridges to explore and ate hotdogs for lunch at a stand along the way. Although the changing leaves make October the most popular month to go, the trail didn't feel too overcrowded. It was all cinematically beautiful. We had such a nice time.

And as real life often goes, there are some funny mishaps to share too:

1) We went to see a play on our non-biking day and it was terrible. 

2) On day 2 I went down the creaky stairs to the kitchen in the middle of the night and there was a man in there. In the dark. That's like a female-imagination-worst-nightmare come true. Turns out it was the owner's hooligan grandson who stops in to take food. Still, it scared me so bad.

3) When we took the shuttle to the top of the mountain to bike, I decided we should sit in the back of the van because "it would be more swervy and fun". I then got super carsick and almost threw up. When we finally got out of the van, I had to lay in the grass for half an hour before we could start biking. Finn loves this story.

I'm really looking forward to this year's trip. Neither of us have been to Lake Tahoe and don't know what to expect. It will all be a surprise! I'm mainly excited to spend a whole weekend with Finn, ride in a car, eat s'mores, and see lots of trees. Everything else will be extra goodness.

. . .

P.S. - This was during my Katniss stage, which explains the second picture down.

throwback thursday: the famous float.

This is the fourth installment of Throwback Thursdays, a new thing I'm trying out as a way to share old photos and stories I love. Here are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd posts if you haven't been reading along.

In the summer of 2008 some friends and I took a trip to Wilmington, NC for a beach weekend. Upon arriving, we realized we were without beach toys so Nick and Nate went to the store to pick something up. 

They returned with this:

And it was so awesome that we were featured in the local newspaper!

The article was entitled "Records remain intact, but sweltering heat sticks around".

Temperatures that weekend were  around 107ºF (42ºC for my Belgian readers) and we resultantly spent a ton of time in the ocean."The worm" made it so much fun! Floating over the waves became a challenging game of balancing on top, which was much harder than it sounds. We are all enthusiastic competitors. Thank you Nick for picking out such an awesome float. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't all be so famous right now. 

. . .

happy anniversary robin & matthew!

Today marks 3 years of marriage for my sister and her husband. And yes, that means I got married on their 1 year anniversary weekend (typical little sister move). Their wedding was incredibly beautiful and took place in a clearing of the woods in the late afternoon. Everyone sat on church pews and hay bales under the giant turning oaks and the sunlight filtered through the leaves perfectly. Since it was tucked away in the woods, the whole ceremony had an exciting feeling, like it was a little secret. It was such a fun day.

I love them for each other. In addition to having the ability to easily propel each other into a hilarious state of silliness, they are each two of the most caring, thoughtful, and serving individuals I know. I look up to them both for their intentionality in life and marriage. They are wise souls and I often fantasize about the day we live within driving distance and can take a walk in the woods or stay up late talking in the kitchen. Those will be rich times. Happy anniversary lovebirds, enjoy your day!

. . .

i am thankful for this marriage.

It was two years ago today that I married my dear husband. We stood in my parents' back yard on a most gorgeous fall day and at 4:30, with a small gathering of our closest family and friends looking on, we promised to stand by each other for the rest of our years. I feel such thankfulness to have been gifted such a wonderful man as my companion and these first two years have been deeply good. Seriously, I love it.  

Finn is in NYC this week for work and although we won't get to spend today together, we have fun plans to celebrate with a weekend away when he returns home. I can't wait! Let it be known that I love my life and I really love that man. Here's to years and years more of sharing life and belonging to each other. It's the best.

. . .

REALLY exciting news.

YOU GUYS. I am getting a new sister! My brother is engaged!! To be MARRIED. 

On Friday morning, Lee showed up on Hannah's doorstep and stole her away for a surprise trip to the mountains. One particular hike led to a beautiful overlook where Lee got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. She said yes and we are all very excited about it. The amount of thought and planning Lee put into the proposal and the whole weekend was amazing. He considered Hannah in every detail and had lots of little surprises planned, even after he proposed. It was fun to watch him prepare everything with such care. He's come a long way since pulling the heads off our barbies.

Hannah, who will also be a Physical Therapist come May, first came into Lee's life at an intramural soccer game a few years ago. Hannah is dirty good at soccer and Lee, well, has many other strengths we'll say. One night they had a game and even though they were on the same team, rambunctious Lee knocked Hannah down, hurt her ankle, helped her up, then apologized profusely. Thankfully, she was able to move past a less-than-ideal first impression (love can strike anywhere!) and they started seeing lots of each other. I remember the first time I met and hugged Hannah, I loved her right away. She was so warm and genuine, so easy to be around. And clearly very fond of Lee, which I really liked.

They are great together. Hannah brings out Lee's kindness, playfulness, and she makes him laugh often. They respect each other and are passionate about the same field of work. Their love for each other has been evident for a long time and they're honestly just an awesome match. It fills me with joy to see my brother and sister with partners so well suited for them and I am selfishly very excited that Hannah is the bonus sister I get. She is seriously great. 

Congratulations guys, I love you a whole bunch and I'm totally rickrolling your wedding.

. . .

P.S. The pronunciation of Hannah's name rhymes with "nirvana". I just want everyone to know her name right because a name is important.

throwback thursday: state fair goat introduction.

This is the third installment of Throwback Thursdays, a new thing I'm trying out as a way to share old photos and stories. This week, I'm honoring the NC State Fair since it's that special time of year.

If you know me or read this blog, you may have learned that I hope to own a few goats down the line. Male pygmies are playful, affectionate, low maintenance, and generally hilarious. (If you are suspicious, watch this video and just try to not love that little guy. You won't be able to). My affection for goats originated at the North Carolina State Fair with a chance meeting one October night.

My friends and I were walking through the crowds, headed to the pig race (yeh, the state fair is the best) when I caught a glimpse of a woman with a baby sling. I naturally assumed she was carrying a baby so as we passed by, I glanced down to see her little one and did a double take. My eyes widened with joy. She had a baby goat in tow. I was immediately taken by its sweet face and floppy ears. We all petted him for a while.

This is the face of someone realizing they're totally in love: 

You see many interesting things at the state fair but this was one of my all time favorites. This will be the first time in 6 years that I'll have to miss the fair...you NC people go enjoy it for me and eat a fried Milky Way!

. . .

throwback thursday / lazy 5 ranch.

This is my second installment of Throwback Thursdays, a new thing I'm trying out as a way to share old photos and stories with all you lovely people. This week, I'm keeping it short...

The Lazy 5 Ranch is a "wilderness park" in NC where you can take a 3.5 mile horse-drawn wagon ride and feed lots of different animals along the way. I went there a few years ago with Caroline and my mom before I left for my study abroad term in Italy. There are two funny things to share from our excursion:

1) I met an animal called a highland cattle who had blonde curly hair just like me! And then an impressive picture was taken in which we made the same face.

2) Caroline got bitten by a water buffalo & had to get a tetanus shot.

 (Don't feel bad if you're amused or even laughing. Bizarre and unfortunate 

situations like this always seem to find Caroline and she laughs about it too!)

. . .

holland drive.

We loved our apartment in Chapel Hill. It was a great place for us - quiet, tucked away in a patch of forest, and close in proximity to both friends and a great big pasture. Our back porch overlooked some woods, which were especially magnificent around this time last year. That apartment has been on our minds a good bit this week, but for reasons back-porch-view unrelated. 

Our recent nostalgia has been brought on by the unfortunate paring of this week's weather (blazing hot) and our 100 year-old building's AC situation, which is that there's no AC. So I truly do miss the porch and trees, but sometimes I just miss my old friends, dishwasher and central cooling. Those guys were the best. 

. . .

throwback thursdays / my poetry slam.

This is my first go with Throwback Thursdays, a new thing I'd like to try out as a way to share old photos and stories with all you lovely people. Let's give it a whirl and see if it's fun.

In the months leading up to our wedding, I lived in a house with 9 outrageously fun females. Among these people were Caroline, Lauren, Alison, Margaret, and Madi who you can get to know in other posts (click their name!). Our place was in Chapel Hill on McCauley St. and you could literally hear the antics in that house from a 3 block distance. Even though the shenanigans would sometimes wake you up, it was big fun. 

One evening a few weeks before our wedding, I returned home to the wonderful surprise of a poetry-reading night being held in my honor, hosted by aforementioned ultra-cool roommates. Our house was decorated beautifully, everybody looked fabulous, and there was a whole spread of desserts and goodies in the kitchen with flowers and sweet cards from the girls too (inside one, a gift card for a massage - SCORE).

After having me change into something more poetry-reading-esque, the recitations began! Everyone had a selection, some chosen from favorite poets and others handwritten just for the night. Whether sweet and sincere or comedic and outright ridiculous, they all loved on me well and my face hurt from smiling by the end of the night. If there was one thing McCauley excelled at, it was throwing amazing themed-parties. Isn't this a great idea for a shower? It stands as one of my favorite wedding season memories.

How gorgeous are all these people? It still makes me feel so loved to remember that night - it was so much fun. McCauley women, thank you for sending me off to marriage-land with so much creativity and fun. I love you still.

(Madi - not pictured, still loved)

(Photos by Margaret Rich, thx bb)

. . .

lauren + joseph.

My friends Lauren and Joseph were married this past weekend on a plantation settled in the hills of the North Carolina / Virginia border. The venue (Willow Oaks Plantation) was gorgeous and the whole event had a relaxed and fun spirit of joy, much like Lauren and Joseph themselves. They are really great people.

I enjoyed myself immensely - close friends, an amazing feast for dinner, wild dancing, plus I was happily barefoot for 85% of the evening. It was such a fun time! But most of all, I loved the part where they said yes to each other. Where they became each other's family for always. That's really the most awesome part after all.

. . .

(Thank you Margaret Rich for sharing photos and your evening with me)

home sights.

Living away has undoubtedly heightened my appreciation for the little things that make the south feel like home. I made a quick trip to North Carolina this weekend for a friend's wedding and was so taken with the details around me. These snapshots might have crossed my field of vision a year ago without much notice. Now, they all kind of seem frame worthy to me. Isn't perspective a funny thing?

. . .

the loggerhead birthday.

A portion of my time in North Carolina was spent at the beach in Oak Island with several of my most favorite family members. Right in front of our little beachfront bungalow happened to be a loggerhead sea turtle nest that, according to the nest volunteers, was due to hatch any day. We were all hopeful and checked on the nest frequently throughout the week trying to will something to happen. My mom was undoubtedly the most fervent in her nest devotion and spent several hours each night in her little beach chair on watch. She befriended the volunteers and even gave them her phone number, insisting that they call her if any signs of hatching showed.

Around 10:30 pm our last night there, her phone buzzed with a text: "we have a depression". We were immediately taken over by excitement, waking the sleeping members of the house and hurrying out into the night. Sure enough, there were two small divots in the sand that were new. The waiting began.

Over the course of an hour and a half, the two depressions slowly deepened, eventually merging together, and finally expanding into a circular sunken area about 10 inches wide. Our whole viewing experience was at the mercy of a single volunteer who alone held the power of the turtle-approved red flashlight (no other lights were allowed). At one point, distracted by spectator questions, she had the light off for about a minute. The next time she clicked her flashlight on, it was happening. In the cutest frenzy ever, the little turtles were emerging from the sand by the dozens and the lot of us erupted in a chorus of squeals and gasps. 

photo sourced from web. we couldn't take any photos but hopefully this gives you an idea of the cuteness level we were dealing with.

We all watched in wonder as more than 100 teeny turtle babies scooted to the sea. I think the setting of night made it even more mysterious and exciting. It was a unique human experience to quietly wait alongside 50+ strangers in the dark, all sharing a curiosity and care for some teeny marine reptiles. I'm so thankful they made their debut while we were still there. The memory of the first one disappearing into the water and the sight of their little track marks in the sand are things I'll never forget. I wanted to hold one so bad but, alas, "knowing better" is the plight of adulthood responsibility. 

This is the only photo I have from the night & was taken after they were all in the ocean. My expression is a good indication of how I felt internally the entire time - it was amazing. This earth is full of wonders. 

I love nature and I love those little babies.

. . .