Morning Lullaby.

Remember when the idea of fuzzy slippers, a cozy fireplace, a fresh blanket of snow, and a background of magical holiday music seemed so intriguing? Fall and Winter will forever be my favorite times of the year. Here we are - mid April - and those thoughts seem so far away. Spring is in full bloom, but I love to be cozy, and who says you can't be cozy all year long?

Mornings are my favorite. By mornings, I am not referring to the 7am kind, when I groggily get ready for class. I'm talking about the kind after a restful night's sleep. The kind when you wake up without an alarm, and still have a few hours to spare before any obligations. Give me a cup of hot tea, a big window with sun streaks peeping through, and soothing music.. I might just fall back asleep.

Early Morning Playlist:

Ingrid Michaelson - Morning Lullabies

Zee Avi - Honey Bee

Joshua Radin - Paperweight

Brandi Carlile - Hiding my Heart

Priscilla Ahn - Dream

Nickel Creek - Jealous of the Moon

Alison Krauss - Don't Matter Now

Hippity Hoppity.

We didn't get around to dying Easter Eggs this year. Sad.

But! we did make spring-inspired tyedye cupcakes, which are much more appealing and delicious anyways. I love Jesus, my family, lazy Sunday afternoons that roll into lazy Sunday evenings...and cupcakes.

Picnics on the Parkway are my fave.

Sometimes we're divas. Sometimes we're not.

Strenuous hiking (leisurely walking) up a treacherous mountain (slight hill) seemed daunting (not really), but the promise of a cute little picnic proved it to be worthwhile! Contrary to what you might have thought, we didn't sit on our butts all day and eat junk food the entire time that she was visiting me. We did eat good food.. but the whole outdoorsy/hiking/picnic part made it healthy! Right? We were on a search for colorful flowers to make a centerpiece, but sadly couldn't find many. Abruptly stopping my car on the side of the interstate and illegally picking wild flowers is on my bucket list.

One day I want to build a cottage up high on a mountain, surrounded by wild flowers, and live there until forever.

Highlights from... Spring Break?

Most 12th graders spend their Spring Breaks at the beach - living in a house on stilts (jam packed with 20 other people), staying up late and sleeping the day way on the beach.

I convinced Caroline that she would have a better time coming to visit me in Boone. It might be her last opportunity, considering I'll be moving home in a few months. Who would pass up rainy days, powerful winds and hillbilly mountain charm?! haaa.

Skepticism aside, we had a great week. I love having company, and we only pitched a fit towards eachother once! Maybe twice. We're sisters, so it's okay.

We spent 2 hours youtubing people that screw up singing the National Anthem (the concept of which isn't funny.. but yet, this particular man is kind of hilarious).

We spent a full day walking around downtown, eating more good food, and enjoying a successful antique shopping trip. We brought home pretty floral plates to make trinket stands/jewelry holders!

We saw Soul Surfer at the movie theatre. We might have cried, but that doesn't mean much considering movies like Monsters Inc. and Homeward Bound also make us shed tears.

We also made another batch of fudgey, delicious chocolate chip brownies. Take that as a confession.

It was a fun week, filled with zero obligations and some much needed sisterly bonding time. Now, we're back home with the rest of our family - including our beloved furball, Little Richard. 

Chocolate Wasted!

Imagine our excitement when we stumbled up French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville. This excitement especially pertained to my choco-holic boyfriend, but we were all thrilled. It was like 6 kids in a candy shop, literally. We sat around the table and got "chocolate wasted!!" until the sugar comas arrived. It's a good thing that Boone doesn't have a Chocolate Lounge. If so, I would have pots de creme and hazelnut truffles every single night (for dinner) and never skip dessert.

My sister is coming to stay with me next week! I am beyond excited, and have many activities planned in my head - including skipping class, gossiping, having craft nights, the dollar theatre, cooking dinner, outlet shopping, exploring surrounding mountain towns, hiking (the girly kind where you can wear flip flops, not the intense kind), gem mining, visiting Grandfather Mtn, going on picnics and more. I love my family.

Highlights from Asheville.

One of my best friends turned 22 this weekend, which sparked an impromptu trip to Asheville. You would think that we would branch out and visit another city, but Asheville has a certain charm that inevitably draws you back (3 times this year). We visited the usuals, and stumbled upon a few new favorites.

The entire trip can be summed up in one word : Delicious.

Our group spent three hours being indecisive about whether or not to wait an hour and a half for lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe. We ended up eating dinner at their slightly less crowded location on Hendersonville Ave. We shamelessly filled up on homemade buttermilk biscuits with blueberries, goat cheese grits, tomato and mayo sandwiches, and raspberry sweet tea. I think that I would have waited 10 hours to eat there.

We made two separate trips to Grove Park - enjoyed one cocktail (for the price of four), while sitting on a giant porch overlooking the beautiful city.

Also, my favorite antique mall must have known ahead of time that our boyfriends would be accompanying us - a basketball hoop kept them happily occupied while we browsed around.

Ps, I had the most amazing chocolate hazelnut gelato before we left. Just the thought of it is convincing me that another 2 hour trip would be worthwhile. To compensate, my dinner might have to consist of Nutella tonight...

I see sky.

There are few things that I love to obsess over more than the sky. Sunsets, in particular - but who doesn't love a beautiful sunset? I would be happy doing nothing for the rest of my life except kicking back in the passenger seat of a car, driving around, and watching the sun go down. God paints beautiful pictures.

In other news, I'm about to go give a huge presentation. I've got mutant dragonflys in my stomach. Wish me luck!

There's pie on the mountain.

Bud and I are constantly in search of a good pizza joint. Were not talking about your typical pizza chain (I'm pointing at you, Pizza Hut). Instead, were talking about the kind of place where you can taste the fresh ingredients and feel right at home because of the inviting atmosphere. This is why we made the 45 minute drive to Lansing, home of Pie on the Mountain. You'll note that I didn't order a pizza (I'm still kicking myself). I think that my body was subconsciously telling me that it needed something healthy. This only means that we'll have to come back.

The town seemed deserted. Once again, we could walk down the middle of the road without worrying about getting hit by a car. The restaurant, on the other hand, was filled with customers. I noted that every single family that walked through the door immediately said hello to another family sitting down. The whole time, I was thinking "I could raise a family in a town like this". A town with a main street. One where everybody knows everybody. Okay, I might have to find one a little closer to civilization, but I sure do love little mountain towns!

Highlights from the High Country.

1. Remember my previous post about sporadic thunderstorms? Make that sporadic snowstorms. Actually, they can hardly be classified as snowstorms (considering it is April), but we did get three days of flurries this week.
2. A bright salmon building, to offset gloomy grey skies.
3. Recently catching my eye everywhere I go - antique plates and teacups.
4. Mountain cottages in Lansing.
5. Dried Lavender at a quaint little boutique.
6. Doughnuts (with nonpareil sprinkles!) - Don't worry mom, I didn't consume all three.