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.