Engaged!

Yes, yes - it's true! Me and Bastien are engaged! It happened late Friday night on our way back to our apartment. Friday Asheville had a really good snowstorm and the after effects were beautiful. So after being in our apartment all day going a little stir crazy we decided to go on a lovely night snow walk. It happened then. And it was lovely.

Lovely.

Would you like to see the ring? Here it is:

And here is the link to the awesome handmade artist who made it. You should buy some stuff from him. I know I will buy Bastien's ring from him. And the ring was just the perfect fit for me.

And so now I'm engaged! Would you like to see the man I'm marrying? Here he is:



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Newness

(Source)

New job!

The Littlest Birds: organic baby boutique in W. Asheville. (More deets found here.)

New apartment!

A 2 bed/1bath w/a huge kitchen and lots of light! (Pictures soon to come.)

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esty is always cute

Getting lost on Etsy is one of my favorite ways to lose time.

LittleBirdDesigns:

Polka Dots Big Person's Tote

Auntie Cookie Tissue Hugger

Animal Parade Crayon Roll

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Ridunk Charleston

I've been back home for three days since returning from Charleston, SC and it was a super-ridunk trip. I went w/my partner-in-blog-crime, the loverly Lu, along w/my beau, Lu's beau, and friends Nik & Sebastien.

Some highlights:

Smush five people into one car and add their camping gear, etc. and you get a very interesting car four-hour car ride. (Sebastien joined us later.)
I sacrificed my flesh for the rest of the group (I, em, didn't put on bug repellent the 1st night - big mistake), therefore my feet flesh were in pain....& are just now healing.
Lots of scattered thunderstorms made for delightful after-rain air.Two beach visits. Perfect temperatures for wave-jumping. Perfect wind conditions for finding sand in your private spots a week later.
Visited the oldest tree in the US. The Angel Oak is over 1,500 years old. Gorgeous.
Toured the oldest building in South Carolina - a creepy-arse prison. At one point it held 1,000 soldiers during the civil war. With the use of flashlights and a camera, we had fantabulous times entertaining ourselves after the sun went out.Also, if you want Lu's version of the events: here's Lu's recap of the trip.
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What's up

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It's been nearly a month since I've last written and while I could say that lots has happened or that nothing at all has happened, saying either would be a lie. But here is what is up, actually:

-The Great City Search: The beau and I have been looking at cities around the eastern part of the country, considering where we'd like to move next. Our requirements: have a college w/an environmental studies program, have a French teaching position, be awesome like Asheville or close to it, and not be too, too far away from our families. The candidates? Charleston, SC, Pittsburgh, PA, Nashville, TN, Athens, GA, Washington, DC and Raleigh, NC.

-A second job: At a bed and breakfast! I love it. It's a good pay. It's a good workout. The owners and other housekeepers are awesome. They have a doggy. And I actually work! (Way different from my bookstore job.) Plus, there are tips! ;)

-TGR: I'm getting more involved in The Global Report again. Formally the Asheville Global Report, TGR is now has at least three formats. These are online, a wkly. video broadcast, and a wkly. podcast. This time around I'm helping with the podcast. Having my voice recorded and hearing it podcasted is weird beyond all imagination.

-Reading lots of books: So many. I'll write a post soon about all the books I've been reading lately.

-Spending mucho time w/friends, in prepartion for my eventual departing of Asheville: to outdoor theatres, house parties, movie marathons, dance parties, local restos, the great outdoors, bbqs, dinner gatherings, and general goodtimes.

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Some pics for soothing the eyes

Since I have not posted on my sweet lovely blog in what seems ages, I will dedicate this post to your viewing pleasure:

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Montford Books & More

Formally, The Reader's Corner, Montford Books & More is a sweet little used book and record (& coffee!) shop located just a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Everyone loved it when it was the Reader's Corner. And everyone should love it this time because the only difference is it's name (and the addition of the coffee).

(Source.)

I know I love it! I'm going to go there today, to drool over their records so I can begin creating a real nice record collection. :)
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I <3 Harry Potter

Who doesn't? Not many, I'd say. Right now I'm doing some computer errands and listening to Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows on CD. I'm way super-excited about the next Harry Potter movie coming out in July, Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince. This is probably my second favorite book, the Deathly Hallows being my favorite. But this movie should be soooo goooood. With LOTS of interesting twists and turns that I refuse to spoil for anyone who hasn't read the book.

(So I basically teared up watching this. Ridiculous, I know, but I am a convert for sure.)

One part of the excitement comes from my friends' excitement. We are going to have a Harry Potter movie-watching marathon the weekend before the next movie comes out. Gah, can you imagine 8 hours of Harry Potter?! Yes, yes, yes! ;)

So basically, I'm saying if you haven't read/watched/listened to the Harry Potter series then get off your lazy butt & get started because they are amazing. Waaaaay better than the Twilight series [oh yeah, I said it ;)].

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bonne anniversaire pour moi!

It was my birthday yesterday. I had beaucoups and beaucoups of fun. The festivities included lots of champagne, chips & dip, the little mermaid, gypsy music & bindis, handmade pizzas, bbq chicken sandwiches, real corn cornbread, spicy mac & cheese, twitter chatter, so much wine & beer, keds shoes, dainty undies, gift talks, craft talks, FigsandGinger, baked beans & mouth-watering made from scratch red velvet cupcakes.

(The only picture from the night. A silly one, indeed.)

It. Was. Wonderful. My first organized little potluck turned out quite well indeed. And the fun isn't over. I'm going out w/the beau tonight to Table. Having lunch with my parents on Sunday & (I think) getting a stereo receiver so I can FINALLY play some sweet albums on my sweet record player. Oh! And some new clothes, as I so desperately need some jeans without huge, gaping holes. ;)

24 isn't so bad, I think.
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for the love the old

I love, love, love vintage items. Well, sometimes they are so good they are bad, but I love it when they're so good that they are cute. Some of my dream thrift items include antique phones, record players and records, typewriters, and kitchenware. At the blog Thriftaholic I found a whole bunch of really awesome thrifted items that I want to decorate my entire dream home with.

Like this phone...
Or this cake carrier...

Or this casserole dish...
To look at more drool-worth thrift items visit their blog.

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love it!

I just found this sweet, sweet blog. I think it's one of those sites that just sits perfectly with me. Plus, I'd like to think, I can relate to the writer. The blog is called Loving/Living/Small.

It's about this chica who has great style and taste and who lives in a small apartment. She writes about living small but with a good eye for organization, details and design. Although she is about to move into a slightly bigger place, she is still going to live in a smaller area and so will still be able dish about living lovely in a small amount of space. It's definitely worth checking out. She's got a fabulous life and a fabulous eye.

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new fav. band!

Here's the latest I've been listening to. They are called Deerhoof:



I discovered them at the printing shop I'm interning at. They've done some posters for them and we were listening to them the other day when we were working.

Also, a really cool side note: a coworker of mine at the print shop is in this awesome local band, named Menage. You may recognize their tune "Tomatoes" - it's actually used in a Hunt's tomato commercial:



Funny, I actually saw the band play a couple of years ago. Who knew I'd be working with one of them years later? :)

magazines

Been reading some lovely magazines lately. Here's the ones on the top of my list:

bust: "For women with something to get off their chests," bust is my fav by far. This is the one mag. subscription that I want to keep. All others pale in comparison. It's funky. It's diy. It's opinionated. It's fun. It's creative. I LOVE it.

nylon: It's very, very hip. hip in the rock n' roll sort of way. The mag. likes to think it's cutting edge, funky, and indie. And while it is all of these things, it's so hip that it can be annoying. But it always has great tidbits of info on new movies, fashion & music.

(Don't tell me you've never heard of Santogold before! If you've been visiting my blog, then I know you have...)

missbehave: This magazine is truly unique. At least, for me it is. It seems to be meant for women living in urban areas. I feel like I've stepped into New York everytime I read it. "For the fashion rebel," it has some of the best articles I've read about the freshest musicians and fashion that is out.

Ch-ch-check 'em out!
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fall-time

It's officially Fall now, so I thought I'd think [out loud] about some of the best parts of this fresh season.

1. Sipping on hot tea. My favorite is Chai, with a little soy milk. But any tea will do it for me, be it green, black or white.
2. Sweaters, pea coats, gloves and handmade scarves. I just love cuddling closer to these soft fabrics as cool breezes refresh my skin.
3. The changing colors of the leaves. I live nestled in some of best mountains in the country - the Great Smoky Mountains, which is part of the Appalachian Mountains. While the leaves manage to attract visitors from all over the nation this area, for me, this time serves for plenty of leaf gazing and colorful inspirations as I wind my way through the precipitous roads of the area.
4. Pies/Cinnamon. This is the perfect time to make pies. And no matter what kind of pie I make, it has to be topped with cinnamon. I think cinnamon was created during the Fall, when you just need a hint of sweet spice to warm you all over.

(Oh, sigh, yum...courtesy of nigel appleton.)

5. Cold cheeks with a rosy blush. As the wind whips its way around you and you tighten your coat around you, you can't get away from getting rosy cheeks. I love this combination of cold and warm all at once. It is refreshing and perks me right up.

Bisous & happy Autumn!
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