stockley gardens art show

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

It's funny looking at photos of the bright & beautiful fall weather we were enjoying just 8 days ago with our sweet friends. We popped over to the bi-annual Stockley Gardens Art Show before the Coulomb's left town - Soaking in the smell of kettle corn, wishing we had $500 to drop on paintings of bears & taking turns with the camera since there's actually no way to take a good photo of five with a 50mm lens. I know that there's usually photo-OVERLOAD when us five hang out, but they're just our sunshine! We love them! I don't even feel bad!

sunday best - hurricane edition

We're currently battening down the hatches in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy/Frankenstorm/Stormpocolypse/WHATEVER. So far, that means doing a lot of laundry, drinking a lot of hot chocolate, & (apparently) wearing really wrinkly skirts to church. Also, Psych Season 6 & homemade tomato soup + caramel corn, while there's still power. But really, there's also been plenty to prepare for. We're keeping a very close eye on everything Sandy & keeping everyone north of us in our prayers. Here's hoping we don't blow up, up & away!

saturday best - AKA style

Things you need to know: 

-Sometime during sophomore year of college, Allison, Amelia & I started calling ourselves the AKA. It's been our standard photo pose ever since. (& over five years, that spans quite the spectrum of embarrassment, let me tell you.)

-It's only just now dawned on me how wonderfully coordinated we were, so that's nice & bff-y! 

-I'm not actually a towering giant. In fact, I stand at a very average 5'6.

-My friends are absolute dolls.

-If you look real hard, you can see the polo shirt tan line I've worked really hard on all summer at my outdoor work events.

-Allison's pants & Amelia's purse are the real show stoppers here.

-But isn't that also such a nice stucco wall?

We learned in my last post that local fashion weeks aren't really anything to write home about. But, by gum, it was fun to feel fancy with two beautiful ladies for the evening.

iphone does: virginia fashion week

 

Since a 5k got Jared & I up to Richmond to spend a weekend in the Coulomb's brand new house, it seemed fair to entice the Coulomb's to make a trip down to Norfolk to visit our new apartment by dangling a fashion show in front of Amelia's nose. Allison, Amelia & I got a little gussied up & headed over to the Virginia Fashion Week's Couture show. Drank a little wine, played with some  SPCA kittens (our city loves some SPCA), pretended like we were totally part of the fashion scene... You know. Fashion Week stuff.

I'm not going to lie, it was a little... local? I can't say disappointed, because I experience the Big 4 fashion weeks via bloggers, gossip columnists & my big imagination, so I don't have any real life experience to compare it to. But, we can at least say we went out, supported local models/designers/whoever was sponsoring the cash bar, & hey! PLAYED WITH KITTENS.

Thanks for the evening out, Norfolk!

two year anniversary

it's been two years, & I somehow am more in love with you. it's fantastic. I can't even fathom how head over heels I'll be in 50 years. you are my freshest breath & my shooting star. my happy thought & my sweet dream. thank you for showing me how big love can be, & how the smallest act of love can feel giant. thank you for being my Someone.

love, your girl

birthday-ing

 

Some moments from my birthday, which somehow was a whole week ago already. Such a sweet day. But then again, I'm prone to say that about any day that ends with hot apple cider. I'm REALLY hard to please, I know.

so nosey

Last Friday, Jared left town for a camping trip with the boys, & I went out with some friends with the intentions (+ Jared's blessing) of eating good food & coming home with my nose pierced. A birthday present to myself, of sorts. Apparently, 24-year-old Kelsey makes 17-year-old Kelsey's dreams come true! 

I came oh so very close to piercing my nose back in freshman year of college, but it seemed like every girl on my hall was doing it, so after much deliberation, I talked myself out of. Like tattoos, I figured that if I still wanted one in 5 years, I would go through with it then. It's somehow SIX years later & the desire to put a hole in my nose has never really gone away. I know it's a little silly, & to some it's probably pretty trashy, but I'm happy with it! YOLO. Ugh, let's pretend I didn't just type YOLO. Twice.

Sitting here, staring at my dry lips in the above pictures is making me want to drink 4 gallons of water. My event yesterday had me outside from o'dark thirty until 6:00 p.m., with two red bulls & a capri sun in between. Event season does NOTHING pleasant for my eating/drinking habits. Good thing I come home to a guy that likes to 1. eat healthy 2. cook every night. He keeps me alive between April & October. God knew just what He was doing when he sent Jared Bethune my way. Yes, He did.

day after birthday

Jared treated me to the most pleasant beach picnic yesterday for my birthday. My two largest events of the year are taking place in the next two weeks, & I've already found myself closing my eyes & going back to my nap on the beach with Jared's sweater under my head - protected from the wind by a dune or two & listening to the seagulls. It was a really lovely moment. I feel like October is in my blood. Even in this chapter of life when it means I have a crazy, busy, never-home schedule... October just pumps through my veins faster & harder than any other month. It was a really blissful day, with my man & the sand.

I've been thinking a lot about turning twenty-four. Haven't really figured it out yet. But I'm working on it.

rainy monday

BLOG SILENCE. Again! I have no excuses. I wrote a giant entry today, but I'm having some formatting troubles with getting it posted, so I gave up & uploaded a picture from Jared's phone instead. Tadaaaa! It's been so gloriously rainy the last two days, with chilly weather to boot. More proof that I was made for the Northwest, in my opinion.

I just realized this is the New Hair Color Debut on the Tree. Hair, blog... Blog, hair. I'm pretty excited to have something new to look at on my head. I even fought the bangs bug that's been going around & came out victorious. (I make no promises for the future months.) Big ol' thanks to Wynter for being the best hair stylist around. In fact, go listen to her music HERE. She's just raging talent, that girl.

I'm going to try to be more interesting this week. ;)