greenbrier and sewing

well i'm going to try to keep my promises to you (whoever "you" are) and post some cool stuff. :)

first of all, let's talk about my trip to the greenbrier with kyle a couple of weeks ago. this was my graduation gift from the one and only kjd. :) in a word, it was perfect. we were only there for one night, because let's be serious, we are students with no real jobs or real money. if we find 5 extra dollars somewhere we head for starbucks. but after finding a good deal on a room for one night, we were pumped to go - especially with all the pretty snow boosting our holiday spirits. we shopped a bit, had dinner and breakfast at draper's (fabulous), went ice skating and tried our hand at gambling. we only lost 10 dollars of the 20 we blew in that casino, and had a 10 p.m. champagne toast for good luck and happiness. the ice skating was probably my favorite part. i am not very good at ice skating, to say the least, but it was still very fun and quite romantic. after skating, there was a fire pit and hot chocolate for warming up. everything was pretty much perfection, and i can't wait until we can go back.

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for christmas this year, i've handmade a lot of gifts. i am still working on some of them and christmas is in two days! but i'm pretty happy with how everything has turned out so far. here are a couple of necklaces i've made for my friends and family. they have already received these, so it's ok if i post them. i'll be posting some of these to my etsy very soon, because god knows it needs an update. enjoy.

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my life right now is hectic/exciting/overwhelming and i can't believe how blessed i am in spite of all the craziness.

i hope you'll keep reading.

love.

krq.

promises, apologies and excitement

so i haven't written anything lately. very sorry about that. i've been busy and distracted and in full on planning mode for the holidays. but, here's the short version of what's been going on:

- finished my lovely internship at the wayne county news :)

- graduated college!

- went to the greenbrier with kyle (my graduation gift!) and had an incredible time, complete with romantic ice skating and hot chocolate :)))

- starting to prepare for my move down south!

that's it in a nutshell.

i am handmaking quite a few gifts for christmas gifts this year, which i want to share on here, but i will have to wait until after christmas so the surprises aren't ruined!

i'm getting very excited/sad about my move in a few weeks. there is so much to look forward to, yet so much i have to let go of at this time in my life. it's really scary to grow up, but at the same time, exhilarating.

i'll post more about our trip to the greenbrier soon, too. it was so, sooo beautiful and fun. can't wait until we are rich and can go for more than one night. :)

even though i don't think there are many of you readers, i promise i will post more soon.

loveeee.

krq.

f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

thelma & louise. bert & ernie. lucy & ethel. dwight & michael. rachel, monica, phoebe, chandler, ross & joey.

my friendships have always been extremely important to me, not unlike many other people, i'm sure. the group of friends that i have now are the best of my life and i make a point to try to keep us all together, try to do my part to keep things going strong. my friends are my other family, and what would i be without family? alone, that's what.

i am blessed to have several friends i can call my best...and not like in 3rd grade when you only had one best friend that you spent every waking moment with. no, these friends are always there, even when i don't see them or talk to them. some of them go as far back as elementary school and some of them are recent additions to my life, and all of them are valuable pieces of my life. different friends carry different relationships, but they are all important, no matter the characteristics of our friendship.

mostly everyone can say there were times when friends were the only thing that got them through...that counts for me, too. my family is wonderful and of course they love me unconditionally, but sometimes it takes a friend to pull you out of the hole. since kyle isn't in west virginia very often anymore, my friends have kept me company, made me laugh, encouraged me and made me feel loved. and it helps that they miss kyle just like i do and often say at parties and get togethers "man, i wish kd was here." it makes me feel better that they love him, too, and when he can finally make his way back home, we will all have a blast being together. my friends have helped me and loved me through more than just kyle being gone, but that is the ongoing struggle i have that they never fail to help with, and i am so thankful.

so i guess this is just a huge "thank you" to my friends. you know who you are. i love you all more than you will ever know.

some lists

it's been a crazy few weeks, and i'm excited for what's coming up - kyle comes home, my internship will be ending (pretty sad, actually), graduation, thanksgiving, christmas, and more - it's an important time in my life, and the next few months will mark some big steps for me. i'm excited but really nervous...growing up can be scary. so with that said, here are some random lists for you. enjoy. :)

10 things i could be when i grow up

1. a hippie with a vw van

2. a tambourine player

3. a photographer

4. a really big deal graphic designer

5. a self-taught fashion designer

6. a jewelry maker

7. a magazine editor

8. a journalism teacher

9. a printing press worker

10. a wife/mother

10 things i currently want

1. a sequined cardigan and/or skirt

2. a vintage umbrella

3. riding boots with laces

4. an old alarm clock

5. red cowboy boots

6. a late night filled with friends, laughter and wine

7. the new MAC holiday makeup

8. a plan for my life

9. anything from this website

10. kyle jacob to be home

10 things i find ridiculously romantic

1. holding hands in public

2. picnics

3. watching old black and white movies while sharing a bowl of ice cream

4. love letters/handmade cards

5. polaroids of each other

6. taking a nap on the couch in a warm house on a cold, rainy day

7. mix cds

8. reading a book or magazine together, one looking over the other's shoulder

9. airports

10. the first hug and kiss after a long time of being apart

love.

krq.

incredible machine

i bought sugarland's new cd today, "the incredible machine," which i've been looking forward to for months. so even though i'm sick and coughing and filled with mucus, i ventured out to get the cd today. i went straight into wal-mart and after realizing they are doing some serious remodeling and everything is huger and farther away than usual, i made it to the electronics and grabbed the deluxe edition of the masterpiece, perfect in it's silvery case. each of the 11 songs are wonderful and moving. when my brother and i saw them in concert about a month ago, i got to hear some of their new songs and fell most in love with "stand up." it's such a moving and insistent song. its lyrics are simple but active, and its message is one of incredible importance - stand up and help each other through love. all the songs are great, but this one is so special. i love sugarland and for as long as my ears can hear their music, i will continue to love them. think what you want of their music, but there is no denying that the messages they send through their songs are powerful. jennifer and kristian, you've outdone yourself.

love&music,

krq.

ps. jennifer, i want to be your best friend...not in a creepy way, just in a i-think-you're-hilarious-and-would-be-a-blast kind of way. ;)

tambourines+harmonicas

i've always said if i ever joined a band, i'd be the tambourine player, and recently this thought has taken over my brain a little bit...not the band part, the tambourine part. i want one. badly. it could be the hippie/gypsy in me that makes me want one and become so enamored with such things...but whatever it is, i like it. so i think when i get paid this week, i'll go on a quest to find one i like. i love when i can hear a tambourine in the background of a song - it immediately makes me like the song even more. also, i recently finished the book "extremely loud and incredibly close" by jonathan safran foer, and the main character, a little boy named oskar, carries around a tambourine with him at all times, and tends to play it when he's nervous or scared. i'm not sure if i would need it in those instances, but i would definitely love to have it when i hear a good tambourine solo in a song in the car. such as this song by florence + the machine.

i also want to learn to play the harmonica, and this song by barry louis polisar is why. i have this vision of me playing the harmonica for people and them being amazed by my skills...maybe not. but i would love to learn to play that song.

so hopefully by the end of next week or sometime soon, i'll have both my most-wanted instruments. now all i need is someone to play the fiddle...

peace.love.music.

krq.

lovebuses

i am quickly approaching this moment where i have to decide what to do with my life, and as exciting as that can be, it's also really effing scary. i don't really know for sure what i want to be or do once college is officially over, and no matter how many times people tell me "that's normal," it doesn't feel normal sometimes. i'm definitely moving to georgia for a while to be with kyle, but other than that, i don't have a solid "plan for the future." i'll just get some random job when i get down there and just be a college graduate for a while. but even though i freak out about not knowing what to do sometimes, there are other times where i literally feel myself not caring. i shrug my shoulders or roll my eyes and just move onto something else. i have jokingly said to people that i might just get a volkswagen bus and be a hippy who works at a coffee shop after graduation. but, i'm also kind of serious - i mean, minus the "no baths" policy and bong-collecting of your average hippies. i could drive a vw bus, though, for sure. and definitely work at a coffee shop for a while. and i would most definitely listen to the beatles a lot. it could be the perfect plan. and why wouldn't you want to drive around in one of these? they come in every color.

seriously, though, i'm not sure what i want to do yet. but i'll figure it out...eventually.

love&colorful buses.

krq.

anthro=love.

my favorite store in the world in anthropologie. i love all of their clothes and wish that one day i will have enough money to shop there all the time. any time i go a place that has an anthropologie store, whoever i'm with knows to allow me at least 2 hours to spend in there. i try on a million things and then decide what i can afford for that trip. i have a select few pieces of clothing from there that i take extra good care of and they have all turned out to be staples for my wardrobe. but i don't just love the clothing, i love everything, right down to the shopping bags and wrapping paper they put your purchases in. they have beautiful things for your home and i love all of that, too. so, here is a list of some things i have been lusting after from anthro. some are expensive, some aren't, but hopefully one day i can have all of these beautiful, wonderful things.

1. Soren Chair, Painter's Palette - $1598

i love this chair. it is so eye-catching and lovely.

2. Love Letters Sheet Set - $228 (queen)

who wouldn't want to sleep among love letters?

3. Castle Key Bottle Opener - $12

classy enough to show off, strong enough to open your beer.

4. Crowned Crane Duvet Cover - $298 (queen)

i have wanted this bedding for years and they refuse to put it on sale. it is swoon-worthy to say the least.

5. 3D Toile Full Apron in Red - $32

i love aprons, and this one is so ridiculously adorable.

6. Florist Measuring Cups - $36

i would cook more if i had these beauties.

7. Flowering Twig Pencil - $5

imagine sitting outside on your porch writing or drawing with this little thing.

8. Pal of Athena Ring Box - $18

i'm a sucker for owls, so of course i need this for my bathroom.

9. Who's The Fairest Mirror - $148

this mirror is perfect in every way.

10. Calico Owl Knob - $12

like i said - sucker for owls.

11. Color Swatch Knob - $12

also, i'm a sucker for anything related to design or art, so of course i want these for every piece of furniture i own.

12. Dreamscape Mural Wallpaper - $298

i would love to have a wall in my house with this paper. it would be perfect with a cozy chair and a nice lamp for reading.

love.

krq.

little letters

i love jewelry. obsessed might be a more appropriate word. it's sort of sick, actually. nonetheless, i recently bought this little necklace and am now crazy about it. not because it was expensive or because it is particularly well made, because in fact, it cost 8 dollars and i've already had to repair it once. i love it because it holds love. literally. it is a small little envelope that actually opens, and of course, my love wrote me a little letter for it. i have worn it every day since i bought it, and especially now since it holds something so special. the tiny little letter reminds me of our love and how important it is. at least once each day, i pull it out and read the short little note, carefully fold it up and put it back in the envelope it came in. sometimes it helps so much to have something with you to comfort you. it's sort of like an adult version of a teddy bear or a blanket - those things always made you feel better as a child, and as an adult, this little letter around my neck helps me feel better. it's just a nice reminder of what i have, and it helps me not to take it for granted. i won't share with you what the note says, because some things are sacred, but trust me, it's perfect. it's just what i need to read every day to help with the fact that he is so far away. i am very blessed, indeed.

love.

krq.

a list and some loneliness

kyle had to leave to go back to school this past weekend. each time he leaves it is as terrible as you can imagine, but i just have to keep reminding myself that it will all be worth it in the end. so here is a list for you about kjd himself.

10 things i love/find endearing about kyle:

1. he never misses the previews at the movies.

2. he is constantly looking for the new, best hair product.

3. he sings random songs for no reason.

4. he makes me handmade cards.

5. he has patience with me.

6. he writes the best love letters.

7. he makes me laugh. a lot.

8. he understands me even when i don't understand myself.

9. he shows me that he loves me.

10. he is himself. always and unapologetically.

to end this love fest that some of you probably hate, i will leave you with some photos from our most recent photo shoot at the lake. this is the man i miss.

peace&LOVE.

krq.

surprise

for about two weeks i have been planning a surprise 25th birthday party for kyle, and finally on saturday it happened. i was so anxious and nervous about him finding out, because for anyone who knows him, you know how sneaky he can be. but he said he really was surprised. i think his words were "i'm a little disappointed in myself for not figuring it out." the party was a blast, and my decorations and favors turned out pretty great. here are some photos.

the tent was decorated with white christmas lights and a photo wire i made from photos i printed out and rounded the corners, then attached hoops of hemp cord or ribbon to them to string them along a longer piece of hemp cord, then held them in place with wooden clothes pins. the tables were covered with my mother's tablecloths and the chairs were just our own dining room and kitchen chairs from our house. i used mason jars and some random vases i had with tea candles as the centerpieces for the tables, and that also added some extra lighting at the tables.

the photo backdrop i made was just a bedsheet and with the help of my dad, we hung it on the side of the house using duct tape. i made the mustache sticks myself by cutting out the shapes of the mustaches from cardstock and hot gluing them to wooden sticks. the other props were just sunglasses, hats and other things i had laying around.

i made everyone gift bags that were stamped with their initials and tied with hemp cord and ribbon. there was a mix cd and a thank you note inside.

the party was a success and a total blast. the weather was that perfect first day of fall temperature and being outside with the lights and the tents was so comforting and romantic for everyone. we had great food, music and drinks, and it was so great to be able to do this for kyle and be with our closest friends. i wish we could do that every weekend!

peace&love.
krq.

sharing a secret

i love weddings. i love the beauty, the love, the celebration and the planning. i love that it joins two people in love and gives everyone who loves them a chance to celebrate that unity. i love it all. i am completely in love with my boyfriend, kyle. we are happy and love each other more and more every day. it's true and it's real and i look forward to a life with him one day, and having the best wedding our town has ever seen. with that said, one of my favorite blogs is ruffled, a blog all about diy weddings. best. thing. ever. every day is something beautiful to look at and i feel like i can share in these unbelievably wonderful days with these people. i love creativity and these weddings are overflowing with it, and along with dreaming of being with kyle forever, i dream of one day being on this blog! i love this blog so much i am hesitant to even share it with you. it's such a good one i want to be selfish and keep it to myself! here are some of my recent obsessions found on the site. enjoy!

peace&love.
krq.