Weekend highlights.

Last semester, I was spoiled with an amazing schedule. I had it flip flopped - 2 days of class, and 5 days off from school. It was difficult to differentiate between the weekend, and a weekday (not complaining). This semester, with an overload of class time and school work - I'm lucky when the real thing rolls around. 

My wanderlust heart is yearning for another adventure, but a tight budget kept us close to Boone. Luckily, every mountain town has character. We escaped to West Jefferson on Saturday and spent the day exploring. We stumbled upon an art exhibit, and met the talented Lenore DePree - the artist behind these unique paintings, portraying the Blue Ridge Mountains. [She is from Saudi Arabia. And The Netherlands. And Hong Kong, I believe? She is now living in her 10th log cabin in Ashe County. I was fascinated by her stories, and quite envious of her travels. Apparently she has a wanderlust heart as well...]

The main street of W. Jefferson was lined with more antique malls than any other kind of store. We bought homemade chocolate covered marshmallows and walked around until our feet hurt, thankful for the sunny weather during the day, and a beautiful sunset that evening.

Baking up a storm.

An impromptu baking party emerged in our apartment during the middle of the week. We were all under stress from school, and I have recently discovered that baking can be a wonderful stress reliever. (Side note: unless you have three people making separate concoctions in one very tiny kitchen; or maybe the "toasted coconut" turns into "flaming coconut" and the obnoxious fire alarm goes off 3 times - all of which can add stress.. so, beware). Regardless of some minor difficulties, we had a wonderful time. I live with these girls, but rarely get to hang out with them all at once. We voted, and unanimously decided that baking parties should be a weekly staple.

Not to mention, Friday was Layla's birthday (my fourth roommate). She has three full plates of key lime cupcakes and german chocolate cookies to eat.

Back in the swing of things.

Something that never gets old: driving back to Boone and rolling down my windows the moment I see a mountainous skyline. The mountain air has a quality like no other. A crisp, clean, delightful mix. It reminds me how truly blessed I am to live in this charming, unique little town.

I miss home, but I love Boone and I'm happy to be back in routine. Especially:

- My morning stop at Stick Boy for Vanilla Bean Tea and a Brioche Man. Everything they make is decadent and delicious. I can't walk past the place without going inside.

- A mid-morning nap that usually passes too quickly, but leaves me refreshed to start the day (again). Let's face it - I'm just not a morning person and I'm typically delirious and disfunctional throughout my entire first class. After waking up a second time, things go a little smoother.

- Looking out my kitchen window and spotting Earth Fare (which simultaneously makes me crave their curry chicken salad on a daily basis). It also makes me long for the farmer's market to open (May 1st, be nice and hurry up!).

- Aimless walks around town, because sometimes that is all I need to raise my spirits after a stressful week of school work. Today's weather was perfect.

Ps, Notice the Moonshine Jelly? Only in Boone..

Charleston cuisine.

One of the best parts of going on vacation is the excuse to eat out for every meal, wouldn't you agree? Despite my aunt's determination to cook for us, we couldn't let her to do that (trust me, she is an amazing southern cook.. it was a difficult offer to turn down). We lucked out with our choice of restaurants. I left Charleston in a food coma that has yet to leave.

 

We're tough critics when it comes to pizza. I have yet to find one that tops Mellow Mushroom's Magical Mystery Tour Pizza (pesto, spinach, feta, portobellos, and jalapenos). Monza Pizza comes very close. It's conveniently located on King Street (does every town have a King Street?) and offers a variety of different toppings. I chose the P83 - with mozzarella, gorgonzolla, grape tomatoes, and bacon. Dee-lish. I ate all 12 inches of it.

Another favorite restaurant find? Fuel - an old gas station that was restored, and turned into a Caribbean Cantina. It seems as if the rest of Charleston was on the same page, considering the place was packed.

The plantain fritters tasted like dessert :)

Palmetto Islands picnic.

I love going on picnics - actually, include Sanpellegrino with any kind of meal and I'm happy. I finally had the opportunity to use the picnic basket that I recieved for Christmas! We scouted out Palmetto Islands County Park and were instantly transported to a desert island (one with a futuristic-like playground). It rained on our parade for a brief moment, but that didn't put a damper on our day. Instead, we channeled our inner 5-year olds to see who could swing the highest.

We spent the majority of our afternoon pretending to be on some sort of Safari. Bud was on a serious hunt for gators ("to feed me to" - so sweet). Luckily, for my own sake, we didn't spot any.

Cypress Gardens.

As many times as I have been to Charleston, this was my first trip to Cypress Gardens. You recognize this scene from The Notebook, don't you? Pure bliss.

 

Everything was sweet and serene, except for one little detail - did I mention the fact that we were surrounded by alligators? I might be exaggerating a little bit, but I was ready to turn my paddle into a defense spear if one came too close - and my definition of too close is less than 50 feet away from me. Therefore, we rowed in circles a couple of times, when I refused to put my oar in the water. That thing could have been chomped to bits, and I would have been left with nothing! Like I said, I'm exaggerating...but it didn't help that the swamp guide had a sense of humor, telling me that alligators only eat twenty-something year old girls wearing cardigans. Bully! 

A lovely day, a lovely city.

One part of me desperately wants to live in this beautiful city, and another part wants to keep it my "second home". I can't imagine growing accustomed to it's uniqueness. Actually, I can't imagine that being possible..

We started the day off right at Charleston's Cafe. I ordered a banana burrito with peanut butter, honey and walnuts. Bud opted for southern eggs benedict. I'm guilty of judging a restaurant by it's cover, ehh.. atmosphere. Charleston's Cafe did not disappoint. It was charming little hole in the wall, delicious, and right down the road from my aunt's house. Content with full bellies, we spent the rest of the day exploring and admiring the cobblestone streets, hidden gardens, floral window boxes, and cotton candy colored houses downtown. Maybe I'll rethink that first statement I made, because I could easily re-live this day for the rest of my life.

Chucktown.

I throughly enjoyed pretending to be a native Charlestonian for the past week. I have quite a few blog posts to share throughout the weekend, recapping our mini vacation. Here is a small glimpse! Until my next trip, I'll be living vicariously through the the 500+ pictures that I took.

• A sweetgrass rose bouquet souvenir
• A wrought iron gate and joggling board in a cute little backyard
• Early morning drives around town, embracing the rain
• A chilly walk along the pier at Folly Beach (What happened to the "Spring" in Spring Break?)
• Turquoise piazza perfection
• Twinkle lights on the way to Kaminsky's dessert bar for Key Lime Cheesecake and Italian Sodas