Fiesta!

After the scariest cab ride, like.. ever, we opted to stay within the touristy parts of Cozumel. The parts that are lined with souvenir shops that scream Viva Mexico!, and beach bars that pass out free sombreros. Mexico is colorful, sunny and eclectic with a side of sketchball...but we absolutely loved it all. 

Bud's sister and I did some shopping while he went Scuba Diving. I bought a whole bunch of straw things - an embroidered basket, a sun hat, and a tote bag. Those things, along with some turquoise jewelry and a few pieces of painted pottery. If you know me, then you know my obsession with trinket trays, bowls, mugs, cups, etc.

We soon escaped the sun under a big umbrella, looking over the crystal water. Then it hit me. Oh, hellooo paradise! Thanks for letting us join ya. How blessed we were to be there.

Highlights from Key West.

I'm not the biggest fan of Florida, but I will say that the state has some of the most beautiful sunscapes. I always pay close attention to the sky. I'm kind of obsessed with it. Florida's sky had my full attention every night (and I'm sure it would have every morning as well, if I had been awake to witness it).

Our first stop was Key West. The only bad part about a cruise is that you don't have enough time to fully explore the destinations! Aside from scorching hot temperatures and uncomfortable shoes, we had a wonderful half-day. My only regret is not trying their famous Key Lime Pie. What was I thinking?! The sun must have been playing with my mind because under normal circumstances, I would never pass up Key Lime anything. The sky and Key Lime Pie (that rhymes, btdub) are two of my most favorite things.

A really big boat.

Three cheers to being done with college classes! We celebrated in high style. On a boat. With white terry bath robes and a margarita or five. Pish-posh. (Jokingggg).

We laid out on the boat deck. We're much more tan than we were a week ago. We witnessed beautiful caribbean sunsets. We're full of icecream -complimentary soft serve machine, I miss you already. We laughed at tipsy vacationers and karaoke singers. We learned how to fold towel animals. We gambled away 2 dollars at the penny slots. We danced the Macarena. We slept a lot (I might have a problem, see here).

Also, Bud turned 22 while Scuba diving in Meh-hee-co. Aye-Aye-Aye! Cha Cha Cha.

Highlights from Flo-rida.

Last Monday, we loaded up the car at 7am and began our long car ride to paradise. We spent a few days at the tip of Florida before the cruise.

Bud drove the entire way down. I accidently slept. I would doze off for half an hour, abruptly wake up, pretend that I hadn't been sleeping, get caught, feel bad, tell him I'm sorry that I'm not a very good passenger, tell myself that I wouldn't fall asleep again, and then 2 minutes later... ZzzzZzzzZzzz. Repeat cycle for nearly 10 straight hours. He's a trooper!

Upon arrival, we instantly fell in love with the town of Delray Beach.

As someone who has a slight case of beachaphobia - sharks, murky water, rip currents, stepping on seashells, salt in my eyes, sun burns, and sunglass tans - I was surprised by how much I enjoyed myself. We spent nearly all of our beach time in the water (Bud was on the lookout for Katie-eating sharks with his snorkle gear). It was a perfect pre-vacation before the real thing.

Leaving town.

I moved back to Charlotte on Thursday, and my bags have practically stayed packed. As of 6am, I'll be on my way to Delray with Bud. This coming Thursday, we'll be cruising to Key West and Mexico with his family :) The Caribbean sun is calling my name! See you in 12 days!

photo cred.

Happily Ever After.

One of my dearest friends, Kelsey, got married yesterday. She is the first one to tie the knot out of our group of five best friends growing up. I was an honored guest, with my own pretty bouquet!

The wedding was rosey, pink, classy and beautiful - all things that perfectly describe Kelsey.

We danced, we drank chardonnay, we dined on gourmet food, we laughed, we cried. I'm such a sap. These were all happy tears, of course. It's a wonderful feeling - simply knowing that I'll always be friends with these girls. It doesn't matter how long we've been apart. We come together, and it's like nothing has changed. I love them so much, and we are all so happy for the newlyweds.

Next up, a baby shower? Just kidding. Not quite yet.

The Gamekeeper.

I should be packing right now, considering my parents are on their way to my apartment with a U-haul. I think I'm still in denial that I have to move away from such a beautiful place. It's just another typical mountain morning, right? Unfortunately not so much. I'm having trouble saying goodbye.

Last night, Bud and I enjoyed dinner at The Gamekeeper. We went all out for our last night in Boone. The restaurant had equal parts mountain hippie and stuffy/post-retirement charm. Basically, it was the perfect place for people watching.

Their blackberry sorbet was all kinds of amazing, as was their flourless chocolate torte. It was a very happy ending.

Peach Sangria.

All good things should be celebrated.

Happy faces, happy endings, new friends, and new beginnings.

Cheers to that.

Weekend highlights.

We spent a lot of time outside this weekend. Being inside wasn't an option without A/C.

Lots of Blue Ridge Parkway cruising.
Admired the mountain countryside - farms, fences, wildflowers, blue skies.
Explored the old general merchantile in Todd.
Played checkers on the front porch of a cute little bakery.
Trip to Linville Caverns. 50 degrees inside! I was thankful for the opportunity to wear a jacket.
Pet a horse on the side of the road (Bud).
Missed the rain.
Savory crepes and gelato date at Scoops Cafe.
Signed up for a free trial of Hulu.
Watched endless episodes of The Office. Never gets old.

Just another happy weekend in the high country :) I don't want to leave.

Saying Goodbye, Part 1.

Like I said, I made a list of places to go one last time before I move home. My "food" list is much longer than the actual amount of days I have left (4.5). Therefore, I was going to make this my last visit to Stick Boy Bakery, but I forgot about two important things:

1. Didn't grab a free bumper sticker from the counter (my eyes were instead feasting on the delicious almond croissant).

2. Forgot that I have a buy one, get one free coupon for two loaves of bread.

I'll take any excuse to go back again. This might have been done on purpose. I just love the place and I'm not sure how I'll survive without it. Goodbye Stick Boy. Thanks for the magic cookies, and letting me read on your bench.

Lately.

Buried my nose into my roommates "text book" from her study abroad trip to Italy. Title? Italian Cuisine - Food and Wine. Jealous.

Went around town collecting business cards, tshirts, and bumper stickers from my favorite spots in Boone. One day, I'll start and finish my college scrapbook.

Made a long list of everything Bud and I want to do before leaving our little mountain town.

Re-discovered my love for big sweatshirts and leggings, thanks to chilly summer rain storms.

Molten nutella pancakes for dinner. Need I say more?

Cleaned and packed up my room with a little help from Simon and Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, and Elton John. (And my sweet mom who drove up!)

Jackson Browne - Here Come Those Tears Again

Thanks to my talented, guitar playing father - I knew the words to this song by the time I was 4. He has the best taste.

Summer storms.

Summer is wonderful because you can live off blueberries and keep the front door wide open. Especially during sporadic afternoon storms, which I happen to love. Also, it smells like fresh laundry and I can hear Bob Marley playing from up the street.

Leaving the door open is necessary because we don't have air conditioning. Sometimes I end up sleeping in the living room because it's the only room with a ceiling fan. Normally I would complain about this, but instead I've decided to embrace it.

Yesterday I walked around downtown (with an umbrella, at times), picked daisies, obsessed over a shelf of vintage cookbooks, and watched too many episodes of The Next Food Network Star. I'll call that a day well spent.

Red, White and Blue.

Bud had to go home last night, so we celebrated the Fourth of July early. On Friday, we decided to go see Boone's almost famous Revolutionary War Reenactment. The perfect way to celebrate Independance Day, right? It involved fake indians, lots of singing, a wedding, fire dancing and hoola hoops. I'm still not sure how those things related.

We awkwardly laughed a lot. Bud was disappointed because they only had two 30-second battle scenes.

We also drove out to the Habitat for Humanity house that he has been working on this summer. I'm so proud, even though it involves him running around on the roof, and playing with a nail gun - both of which would freak me out if I was there to witness.

This afternoon, I plan on finding a big shady tree and reading the day away. I'm not taking advantage of a single minute of this long weekend. Happy Fourth of July!

Sleep

....is about the only healthy thing that I did NOT do this week. I am a night owl, so I find it difficult to fall asleep early. Not ideal - especially when I have to wake up at 6am and work out for nine hours straight. Yes, you read that right. Work out. Nine hours. Straight. Compliments of my exercise science practicum. I am physically and mentally exhausted. Atleast there are benefits- including working with fun friends, and free Zumba classes!

Still.. come 10pm, there always seems to be a load of laundry to be washed, or a Food Network marathon to be viewed. Needless to say, I'm very thankful for the weekend. Today I slept in until 1:30pm and I'm not ashamed.

A few happy things from the week:

A sweet old man cut me a rose from his flower garden on Thursday! It's yellow and pink and still in full bloom.

I also discovered the super-food called Spirulina. I can already tell that I'm going to be on a Green-Monster Smoothie kick. Oh, the ways that hippie-town Boone has changed me..