baby, whatdya say we just get lost

one of the many wonderful things about kyle is that he can be spontaneous. on saturday, we decided to drive to beaufort, which is about an hour away, just for fun. it's just a cute little town, and since it was a nice day, it was good to walk around and explore. here are some photos of our day. :)

fine dining in the car. :)

books! :)

ice cream! :)

yummmmm

jelly beans :)

i love easy-going saturdays. i love road trips. i love sunshine. i love exploring. i love kyle. basically, i loved going to beaufort. it was nice to get out of the house and go somewhere new. a change of scenery will do wonders, and being with someone you love makes it even better. :)

krq.

long live all the magic we made

our beach day :)

being in savannah, living on my own for the first time ever, has been wonderful. but one of the greatest things about it, has been the visitors. ironic? :)

over st. patrick's day weekend, my brother, sister and her boyfriend, mark, came to visit us. i was super excited to see my siblings and be able to run around town with them. we got to eat some good food, have some ice cream, shop a little, go to the beach and witness some crazies down on river street. fun!

taylor & mark :)

casey & kyle :)

casey trying on the ugliest pants ever lol :)

our day at the beach was probably my favorite.

it was really nice outside, and after having lunch and going to the paris market (when i got my mint plant!), we headed to the ocean. it took us for.ev.er. to get there because of so much spring break traffic, but when we finally made it there and met our friendssss, it was great. we had sunshine, cold drinks, and chit chat. perfection. :) once the sun started going down, it got colldddddd. the wind was frigid and none of us were prepared as far as clothing, but we stuck it out for the crazyawesome moon. it was lovely, indeed. :)

the relationship i have with my siblings is pretty extraordinary. we all look the same. talk to same. laugh the same. it is nearly impossible to distinguish my voice from my sister's on the phone, and somehow my little brother knows about the awesome songs i love months before i even discover them. but more than all of that, we are connected. my sister and i can literally finish each others' sentences. i can see through my brother's blue eyes into his mind and figure out what is causing the wrinkle in his forehead. and there is nothing i would rather do than sit up late and laugh and act a fool with them.

growing up, of course we fought -- we still do sometimes -- but we will stick by each other through everything. everything. as i've said before, leaving home was hard. but what made it so hard was my siblings. i blame our parents for making us so close, and therefore, making leaving home so freaking emotional. my mom always made us make up if we fought and threatened to make us hug, because that's what her mother did when she would fight with her brothers. so it's her and my dad's fault it was so hard to leave them. the image of the two of them sitting in my brother's room crying when i was about to drive away will be printed in my mind and heart forever. and somehow, even though i broke their hearts by leaving, they still support me. and encourage me. and love me. the love i have for kyle is vast and deep, but the love i have for them -- i can't even explain it. it's almost other-worldly.

being away from home has really made me appreciate the people in my life even more than i already did, and a simple three day visit can mean so much. i am so thankful for them and for my family and friends, and i'm excited to be heading back to wv in a couple weeks to be surrounded and embraced by the people i love.

we'll see what comes next.

krq.

minty fresh

while my dear siblings and mark were in town to visit, we went to the paris market again. they always have the coolest stuff, and my brother and i stumbled upon these gems.

garden in a bag. yes, please! there were several herbs and flowers available, like oregano, cilantro and even strawberries. the strawberries seemed easier for me to kill, so i opted with mint. :)

there are easy to follow instructions on the back, and the plant grows right in the bag. :)

the soil comes in a separate bag, and when i cut it open and added a little water, like the instructions said, the smell of wet dirt made me so excited for spring i almost squealed.

the seeds (which are the tiniest seeds i've ever seen) come in that little plastic baggie. seriously, they were so tiny, i just had to turn the bag inside out to get them all into the soil.

after adding the seeds, i used the little sprayer thing on my sink to water the seeds down into the soil.

after that, you place a plastic baggie over the top and place in a warm place until sprouts pop up and then you remove the bag and wait for mint! i'm so excited for my new, and hopefully successful, herb. i'm already making lists of things kyle and i could use it for, which so far consists of only drinks...mint juleps, mojitos, etc...

just say a little plant prayer for this guy -- records show i'm not the best with growing things.

here's to spring.

krq.

we've got our love to pay the bills

no, love doesn't actually pay the bills. but it sure helps when you're stressed over the bills. or the groceries. or the endless job search. here's to being thankful.

krq.

just stay this little

luke

today at my current job (old navy fitting room girl), i helped a lady into a room, counted her 7 items and told her to let me know if she needed anything. as she was trying on her clothes, two ladies with strollers and about three other little boys came into the fitting room area. one lady went into a room to try stuff on while the other one waited with the strollers and playful little boys who had our famous bouncy balls that children beg their shopping mothers for. they're the good ones that are pretty big and bounce pretty high, so for a kid, especially one who has to walk around and shop (boring), these are the mostfunever. i even keep quarters in my pocket for kids to buy one when their moms don't have any change. the little boys were just having fun and playing as nicely as they could without getting into too much trouble, and i just smiled at them and continued folding the 1000th t-shirt of the day. the oldest little boy looked to be about 7 and was bouncing his ball and cathching it in the air. then — oops! bounced it a little too high. and in it went into lady #1's dressing room. he politely asked me if someone was in there. "yes" i said, then his mother tells him "now you'll just have to wait until that person comes out to get your ball, and you need to apologize." the lady comes out and the mother apologizes for her son. her response?? "(rolls eyes) it hit me in the shoulder. thanks." ummmm????? anyone else confused by this? i looked at the mother and we both kind of laughed, because, seriously that woman 1) obviously has no kids and 2) is really uptight.

this is my thought about this: kids should be allowed to have some fun.

of course parents should watch them as best they can and teach them how to behave, etc. but if an innocent child is simply playing and obviously meant no harm at all, why make him feel bad? i mean, obviously his mother was trying to let them have some fun while she shopped — why embarrass him or be hateful to his mother? the kid wasn't pitching it like a fast ball into anything or anyone. i just don't think that's fair to a kid, or anyone for that matter. children are so important and should be allowed to stay little for as long as possible. they are going to grow up someday and bouncing balls in a store while your mom shops won't be fun anymore. one day, they will be the ones shopping and pushing strollers. they will be the leaving home to make a home of their own. would you want someone to scold you for being an adult, or a redhead, or woman? absolutely not. so don't punish that kid for being who he is in this very moment in time-- a child.

kyle & brady

some of my favorite people are children, or at least younger than me. my cousin katie is one of the fiestiest/smartest kids i know, and she can be so much fun to be around. and her sister becca is becoming a beautiful young woman before my eyes when i can remember holding her at the hospital when she was born. kyle's nephew, brady, has the biggest imagination i've ever witnessed from a 3 year old and i love hearing the stories and lands of adventure he makes up in his mind. another cousin, luke, is constantly wondering about things and you can see it on his face all the time. my triplet cousins, addie, brooke and cooper, crack me up more than just about anyone i know, and that's just those three (i have something like 18 cousins all under the age of 9 on just one side of my family). why take these special, fun moments away from them, or from yourself? they are going to be "grown ups" one day, and i just pray they are never as unfun as that woman was.

i know you can't just let your kids run crazy — crayola on the wall might be "creative expression" but that's what paper is for. all i'm saying is, enjoy these innocent moments with children because witnessing a child playing or learning something new is a blessing, whether the child is yours or not. growing up is so scary — so much comes with it that you weren't prepared for. somehow when you're little, being a "grown up" is so far away. then all at once — you're 22 and living with a boy and hunting for your dream job, whatever that is, and you kind of wish you were able to just sit and color or bounce a ball. these little moments should be appreciated, because seriously, they are fleeting. when you're older and if you had decent parents, you realize they did the best they could — and if you're really lucky, you'll have some fun memories.

krq.

st. patty's in savannah

not sure if you've heard, buttttt st. patrick's day in savannah, georgia is a big freaking deal. there's a countdown clock that starts over every year in front of the st. patrick's day parade committee of savannah office. many shops and stores just close down for the day. you literally could drive around for hours and not find a parking spot. kids get off from school. people wear green feather boas. that kind of big deal.

however, our day was quite uneventful as far as crazy-green-st-pattys-day-parties go.

we thought we could just walk downtown, but then realized after about 10 minutes that the full walk would take about 50 minutes. notgonnahappen. so we turned back and got in the car and just drove around looking at all the crazies dressed in flashing green hats and strings of beads.

then i had to go to work and deal with all the people coming to the mall after the parade was over. blahhhhhh.

after that, though, i came home, made dinner, relaxed, and then kyle and i ventured out again (in the car) and went downtown to people watch and see what we could get into. what we got into was this...

deliciousssss frozen yogurt from fruzen twist. the greenish one is mint irish cream (yum) and the pinkish one is....wait for it....red velvet cake. the toppings were coconut and little oreo pieces. i was literally sad when it was gone.

then we came home and did this.

also, i literally own nothing (or at least don't have anything with me here in georgia) that is the color green. so here was my attempt.

basically it was a pretty chill day for us even though it seemed everyone else was obviously having the best day of their lives.

some things we heard while on the street:

"i have a lighter in my bosom."

"that dude was dressed as a girl."

"teenage mutant ninja turtles! turtles in a half-shell!"

even though we didn't directly partake in any of the insanity, it was still a lot of fun watching people and just walking amongst the crowd. i have a feeling once my siblings arrive, things will be a little more eventful, and i'm definitely excited for the rest of the weekend. :)

luck&love.

krq.