A trip to the St. Marks Lighthouse.

On Saturday, Harbor, Jaclyn and I decided to take a day trip to St. Marks (a salt marsh on the Gulf Coast) so I could show them the lighthouse and beautiful Florida wildlife. So we packed up a picnic lunch and drove to the coast.

I think I've mentioned this previously, but one of the things I love most about Harbor is his love for Florida and just how much I've been able to learn about this southern state through dating him. Weather patterns, geography, Florida history, and the overall ecology of the state are "his thing," so it's not unusual to hear a little tidbit or fact about the place we're in and why it's so unique to where we live. Needless to say, he was really pumped to be on the gulf again and enjoy the outdoors with my sister and me.

One of the greatest things about making the drive from Tallahassee to the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge is watching the land change outside your window, transitioning from dense forest to wetlands in a matter of minutes as you near the coast. I love feeling the sun on my cheeks and exploring the pretty lighthouse on the Gulf of Mexico. We weren't able to go up and explore this time, but I've been able to before and the view is amazing. Still, it was fun to go and snap a few photos together.

I can't wait until we can go and visit during a time when lighthouse tours are available. If we go, I'll be sure to bring my camera along and share photos from our trip.

Happy adventuring!

K

Matilda says "hello."

Happy Wednesday, everyone. Little Matilda thinks she's coming with me on my trip to North Carolina this weekend, but I had to tell her no this time. (And every time.) I miss her a lot when I'm gone, so today is dedicated to the Little Tiny herself.

Love from a crazy cat lady.
K

Austin, TX (part 2)

What a week so far! I seriously haven't had this much fun on a work trip in ages. I feel like I could go on and on about how great the conference went, or how hilarious our team's conversations have been in our rental car (squished in with merch and all sorts of madness), but instead, I wanted to highlight a few of the incredible spots Austin has to offer, though I'm sure there are literally hundreds more in this great little southern city. 

The evening our conference wrapped up, the team wanted to celebrate with dinner and country dancing, so we asked around and received some pretty killer recomendations. For dinner, we decided to check out The Highball, a classic yet modern 1960s Vegas-themed diner, complete with bowling alleys, a dance floor, karaoke, and private lounge rooms for parties (each with a different music theme). I'm not kidding when I say we kept turning to each other and saying, "This is the coolest place I've ever been to in my life." Drinks are creative and zesty – I had a pretty rockin' spin on a gin and tonic (with gingerale, mint and lime added to the mix) – and the food's great too. Nichole and I each got their yummy arugula salad, which comes with oranges, pickled beets, candied nuts, and a hunk of goat cheese on top. (Ughhh, so heavenly.)

Oh, and did I mention they play a mash-up of old 1960s film clips on silent on the back wall of the bowling alley? From classic horror flicks to creepy retro TV commercials. Such a unique and perfect touch to the overall ambience.

The background music ranges from Death Cab and The National, to The Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel. I can't wait to come back to this place on my next visit to Austin. It's going to be a priority on my agenda, for sure.

And, speaking of music...

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. We went to The Broken Spoke for some good ol' fashioned country music, honky tonk, boot stompin' action. And holy cow, this place couldn't be more legit. I could try and describe this gem of a spot, but I'll let The Austin Chronicle do it for me: "When you need your Lone Star cold, your chicken-fried steak hot, and the ghost of Ernest Tubb on your shoulder, the Spoke is it."

Alvin Crow & the Pleasant Valley Boys beckoned the young and old out onto the dance floor. Those sweet Texas gentlemen seemed to be very pleased that our group included three single ladies who had no clue what we were doing out there. But, I had only been seated for a matter of minutes before a guy walked up and very politely asked me to dance with that drawl of his. I ended up dancing with some really kind, southern (old) men who taught me how to Texas two-step and waltz all over that wooden floor.

My friend Nichole was the most popular girl in that bar.

The best part about this spot is that you leave smelling like the old cowboys you've danced with – leathery, earthy and sort of sweet. Oh, and like cheap beer. haha

Today we explored East Congress before some of our team had to fly back home. We had heard that Allen's Boots was a must-see spot, so we started there. 

I haven't ever owned a pair of cowboy boots, and I never really thought I'd ever been attracted to the idea, but the trip today may have changed my mind. Allen's has aisles and aisles of boots in every color, shape and size. The entire store smells like old leather (obviously) and there are so many details to observe. 

I fell in love with those rose boots. I think they're the cutest things ever. And, for a mere $500, I could have taken them home with me. (Let's be honest, I'm dreamin' folks.)

And, the last spot that I think is pretty rad is a little antique store called uncommon OBJECTS. I'm usually pretty into antique shops, but this one manages to have something extra special and endearing about it. 

I bought those small keys to add to my collection, and that old photo for someone special (but I won't name who because they might end up reading this post!). The little pomade tin made me think of Harbor, so I had to snap a photo. :)

Anyway, it was a really fun afternoon shopping with my coworkers/friends. We wrapped up the day running errands and finishing up some work-related stuff before grabbing a bubble tea and heading back to our condo to unwind before the new week. 

Have you been to any Austin hot spots? Please feel free to share any cool restaurants, bars, or kitschy spots downtown I need to check out in the coming week. I want to make sure I experience it all. 

Goodnight, y'all. (haha)

K

Beverly Hills / Chinatown / Hollywood

Hey everyone!

My coworker Jess and I are chillin' in coach, sharing a coke, snackin' on pretzels, and finding ways to entertain ourselves on this 4+ hour flight from Cincinnati to LA. It's been a day of early flights, long layovers and some quality girl time. I really enjoy trips with Jess. She and I have very similar travel habits so it's always a breeze. That's important when you travel with someone a bunch; whether it's Haiti or Los Angeles, we've got this.

We don't have to hit up any meetings until early tomorrow morning, so we're going to meet some of our friends from our Haiti trip and head down to Chinatown for delicious noodles and red lanterns galore! I'm also really hoping to find a cute Asian-patterned raincoat. Cross your fingers one's waiting for me with a friendly street vendor.

(Image found here.)

I really love traveling. Sitting in airports all day inspired me to begin drafting a post about handy travel tips I've learned over the past year and a half. I feel like I'm far from what some may call an "expert traveler," but I do know my way around. However, my post may be majorly one-upped by this month's extra-interesting edition of ReadyMade. There are some awesome packing/snacking/planning tidbits for those already itching to travel this spring. 

Harbor and I are beginning to plan a majorly fun trip up to the DC / Richmond area this spring (if we can pull it all together). Anyone else planning a great little getaway in 2011?

More later. Have a happy start to your week. 

K

What's in my bag? An edition dedicated to business travelers.

Since I'm zipping around America this week [arrived home from Austin today, and head to LA tomorrow] I figured I'd do a "what's in my bag?" post. I feel sort of silly posting this, but every time I come home and clean out a bag to prep for another trip I always think, "Wow, I really like remembering what I've had hiding in here," plus I have a real love of organizing my bag contents into a cute pattern wherever I'm working. The same goes with packing -- I always make a list of what I need to pack, then lay evvvverything out on my bed before it can be tucked away into a bag. It's a bad habit, but the more I travel, the better I get at minimizing and organizing.

So, without further ado, HERE is what I've got in my bag when I travel!

1. My pile of work. My MacBook; a manilla folder full of directions, hotel/rental car confirmations, reminders, itineraries, etc; my notebook; and my Moleskine weekly planner. I love that thing so much -- lets me doodle, write long reminders to myself, brainstorm, or just jot down special moments on the go. I've been using it for 3 or 4 years now and I can't find a better planner for my brain.

2. My Gussy clutch! On this trip, I kept work receipts and my checkbook inside. I learned from my boss; she carries a glittery bag for things like receipts and PD. I decided that boring old receipts deserve a pretty bag to travel in too.

3. Bobby pins. I have them on me at all times.

4. Gum. Another "all the time" staple.

5. Neutrogena lip balm.

6. My MEND bag. I got this for Christmas and I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying it. I needed a good, durable bag for my travels that had enough room for a laptop, but still functioned as a weekend bag if I needed it to be. It's perfect. (I also wanted to avoid buying a leather bag... and boy was it hard.) MEND bags are sewn by Ugandan women, some of whom currently live in IDP camps. Each bag is made from Ugandan cotton, and sewn by a woman who escaped imprisonment by the LRA. Really sturdy, a great way to support our global family, plus it's versatile and very cute. My bag was skillful crafted by the lovely Ajok Betty.

7. Laptop cord.

8. Phone charger.

9. My plane tickets. In an ideal world, I get upgraded every flight.

10. A travel-friendly hairspray. I like

TRESemmé 

and Dove travel-sized hairsprays.

11. L'OCCITANE en Provence shea butter mini hand cream. Airplanes make me dry so I need something serious. Drinking a ton of water helps too, but sometimes it's hard to choose water over a free, icy coke to sip alongside those peanuts.

12. A notebook for shopping lists, quotes I find, to-do lists, inspiration, addresses, etc. This particular baby notebook is from Target.

13. PaperMate flare felt-tipped pens are my favorite of all time.

14. My marigold wallet/clutch from DSW a few years back.

15. Car keys.

16. Getting a BlackBerry was exciting. Just think how getting an iPhone will feel! (Only a little while longer until Verizon gets iPhones.)

17. Earbuds. For the iPod and for in-flight entertainment.

18. Shades I snagged from a retirement community thrift store for two bucks last summer. I love 'em!

19. Smith's Minted Rose lip balm. In the winter months I wear this stuff daily. In the spring and summer I switch to their rose salve.


So, there you have it. It really bugs me I only have 19 items and not 20. But, it's nothing to lose sleep over. I'm going to savor this quiet house with a glass of wine, a crochet hook and a suitcase full of yarn.

Enjoy your Friday night!

K

Dreaming about my bunk in Haiti (and subsequently my mosquito net, DEET, and chlorinated water, too).

This week Jess and I are going to give a presentation to elementary school kids about our trip to Haiti. The school collected hundreds of toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes for our trip, and we're going to share about the adventure as a way of saying thanks and providing the kids with a global perspective.

In light of this, I've spent some of this evening remembering little moments, smells, sounds. November seems an eternity ago... I hate that it's so difficult to remember sometimes. It's like the entire trip was a dream.

But, that's the way memories work, isn't it? I've learned that my memories really start to lose their sharpness and "feeling" roughly three months after an event occurs. Clarity begins to fade, and then your stories are all you have left. Unless you don't tend to them when they're fresh, or else they are likely to fade as well.

I recently heard about a man who has recorded a ridiculous amount of personal memories (something like over 500 handwritten pages of simple remembrances). It doesn't matter if it seems significant to him or not, he just jots them down when they come to mind. An example given was a memory he has eating an ice cream cone at a fair when he was 8 years old. And I love that. Personally, at times I feel selfish telling stories. I get this feeling in my gut that says my moment isn't significant enough. But you know, that's life. Life is comprised of moments, decisions, experiences, happenstances, relationships and feelings. And I like that this man (whoever he is) has deemed his insignificant memories significant. Because in time, over a span of days, months, years, and so on, this man's "insignificant" becomes his life. And that is intrinsically valuable.

So, tonight I'm sitting here, trying to remember Haiti. Because I am frustrated that my memories fade, and because I miss those lovely faces. And because it's important.

I really can't wait to go back.

K