20 Questions: Take 1

I've gained quite a few followers in the past week or so, and I thought it would be fun to share some things about me. Now that you know I'm a violinist.

I found these questions in a magazine about Greenville, and I thought they were fun.

***

What one thing really makes your day?

I always smile when I get a sweet text from Daniel.

Is your desk messy or neat?

It's messy at the moment, but usually I'm very neat.

What was your first job?

I'm looking for it.

What is your pet peeve?

Besides people invading my personal space, it annoys me when people don't know how to drive. That's pretty much the entire population of Greenville.

What is your favorite thing about Greenville?

I love that it's close to the mountains and only a short drive to the beach. I also love that it has the cultural appeal of a big city yet still retains a lovely small-town charm.

What was your first car?

A mauve 1995 Toyota Camry.

What is your favorite comfort food?

Macaroni and cheese. And chocolate, of course.

What is your idea of a dream vacation?

Well, if we're talking about a location I've never been to, I would love to relax by the blue waters of Santorini, Greece. But London will always hold a special place in my heart.

What store would you choose to max out your credit card?

J. Crew. Or Banana Republic.

What is your favorite thing to cook?

Chicken and snow pea pasta.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Music, of course. And English.

What advice would you give a student just starting out?

Do what you love!

Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?

Mountains!

Have you ever met a famous person? Who?

I've met lots of famous classical musicians including Arnold Steinhardt and Lynn Harrell.

If you could invite five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would you invite?

Jane Austen, Itzhak Perlman, Elizabeth I, Johannes Brahms, and Abraham Lincoln

What is the best gift you have ever received?

An education!

What makes you laugh?

My friends.

What chore do you really hate to do?

Wash the dishes.

What do you like to do on your day off?

Curl up in a comfy chair and read. Watch movies. Craft.

I can't live without my...what?
Computer. Sad, I know.

If you want to find out my favorite things about summer time head on over to Maegan's blog, Chesterrific, where I'm being featured today!



Ocean Isle Beach

The week after graduation, Daniel and I headed with his aunt and uncle to their beach house in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. It was an absolutely glorious week of swimming, reading, eating, and being completely lazy.

The view from the beach house was amazing.

Daniel's aunt and uncle brought along their two dogs, Chap and Toto.

We ate extremely well at the beach. Daniel often likes to play with his food and was creepin' me out a bit one morning with his talking grapefruit.

One night we had burgers, grilled corn, hand-battered shrimp, and homemade blueberry pie for dinner! During the week, we also made coffee cake, strawberry shortcakes, pasta, poppyseed chicken, and a chocolate pie.

We went putt-putting, and we both got several hole in ones.

I was also introduced to crabbing. I was skeptical. I told Daniel that he was getting punched if I got pinched by a crab. Alas, we caught nothing. But I did stand in the water with a chunk of meat hanging from my string.

After crabbing, we went over to Sunset Beach to visit my great aunt, where we had a yummy low country boil. I was also basically hazed during this visit. I was forced to dump a live crab into boiling water. And the poor bugger fought back.

This was the view for dinner.

It was a fantastic week! I got to unwind from the stress of the semester, and of course I loved spending a whole week with Daniel!

News: Daniel is moving to Columbia, South Carolina in July! That's only an hour and a half away! Yay!

A Little About Me

Since I have some new readers I thought I would share a bit about me. I found these questions on the back of a bookmark in a book I borrowed from my mom.

Author you love? Jane Austen

Best friend? Daniel

Can't live without? Chocolate

Dream destination? Santorini, Greece

Embarrassing moment? Forgetting to tune the orchestra

Favorite food? Chocolate

Greatest achievement? Masters degree

Hometown? Greenville, South Carolina

Innermost fear? Disappointing others, failure

Just finished reading? The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Kindle? Yes

Love to read? Yes, very much

Makes you laugh? My friends

Number one movie? Pride and Prejudice

One wish? A cure for cancer

Pizza topping? Pepperoni

Quote that describes you? It is your duty and also your entitlement as a human being to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.

Reading now? The Postmistress

Siblings? Elizabeth

Texted last? Daniel

Understands you the best? Daniel, Elizabeth

Vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate

Worst habit? Procrastinating

X-rays you've had? Teeth, Spine

Your favorite song? On A Night Like This, Dave Barnes

Zodiac sign? Capricorn

:)

The Little Things

My new reading, coffee-drinking, and knitting corner makes me smile.

:)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I want to thank you all for the birthday wishes! They really made my day!

There isn't much you can do on my birthday, but I did enjoy getting a new camera, playing in the candlelight Christmas Eve service, and eating the red velvet cupcakes my mom made for me.

See Exhibit A:

Mmmm, yes, please. I should definitely mention that she made these from scratch. Not out of a box. From scratch - icing and all.

Also over the holidays, I was nominated  for a couple of awards.

The first is a Stylish Blogger Award from both Mindy of In the Loop and Nichelle of Vintage Wanna Bee. Thanks ladies!

I'm supposed to tell you seven things about myself. Ok, here goes.

1. I really, really like chocolate milk. I, however, did not like it until recently, which is strange, considering my chocoholic tendencies. I drink it almost every night before bed, and I specifically like Publix's chocolate milk. I'm not sure if I could live in a place without a Publix. I wonder if they would ship it to me?

2. I'm a violinist, and I will be graduating on May 14th with my Masters in Violin Performance. (It's already written in my planner. I'm ready.)

3. I want to be a strings teacher, and I am hoping and praying to find a job for next year.

4. My mom and I were talking the other night, and she told me that when I was in kindergarten I said, "The only boy I like to play with is my Daddy." Sorry Daniel.

5. I'm pretty sure my first celebrity crush was Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Ha, 90s anyone?

6. One of my favorite children's books is Goodnight Moon. I was always concerned that the mouse was too close to the fire and was going to get burnt.

7. I don't have a southern accent despite living in the south for my entire life. The rest of my family does. Weird, I know.

I'm supposed to pass along the award to more lovely bloggers, so here they are:

A Hasty Life

moonbeamwishes

much love, illy

{good times never seem sew good...}

The Sweetest Petunia

The second is a Trendy Blog Award from Lulu in Los Angeles. I'm so honored!

 I also get to pass this award along: {meg's musings}Sandy a la ModeNice Girl NotesNella DesignsHiya Luv Go check out these lovely ladies' blogs!

Five Etsy Favorites

Well, I only had five Etsy favorites lined up for today until I opened the front page a few minutes ago and saw these:

(bestbrownie)

Oh man.

Anyhow, on to my other five favorites.

(rarrarpress)

I love this postcard! It would be a perfect note to anyone you miss!

And it's adorable.

(tortillagirl)

Do you like lace as much as I do?

(EricaLeaPhotography)

Reading is one of my favorite things to do so this print definitely makes me happy.

(jjewelry1)

I really want one of these when I finish my marathon!

(If I don't die, that is.)

I also want one of those fun stickers for my car that says 26.2.

(kelseygenna)

This dress is such a lovely shade of mint green, and I love the rosettes on the front.

Too bad I can't afford it. Maybe I'll learn how to make my own one day.

Ok, so now I have to admit something. I was rather upset this morning after a long rehearsal at school, and I let out my frustrations at Hobby Lobby on the way home. It probably wasn't the best idea - kind of like going to the grocery store when you're hungry. I would show you a picture of everything I bought, but it's a bit embarrassing. At least they were having a sale? That's an excuse - right?

I am excited, though, about all the new projects I'll have time to make over Thanksgiving break!

:)

Love

I absolutely love being here at Silver Bay! (Other than spiders...see previous post.) The weather for the past few days has been gorgeous! It was only 65 degrees today - perfect for rocking on the front porch of the Inn with a book and the daily crossword puzzle.

Our quartet has been working very hard this week, and we have our first concert tomorrow night! I'm looking forward to having Monday off!

Yesterday the violist in our quartet took us sailing on the lake in his sailboat. I didn't realize that sailing was such an intricate process. We sailed for two hours up and down Lake George. Here are a few photos:

So pretty!

This is the big Adirondack Inn where the guests stay...

...and this is the house I'm living in, Sunnyside.

And no, your eyes aren't fooling you. It's not level. In fact, the floor in my room slants very noticeably to the back of the house. I'm not sure whether to be concerned or to find it amusing and charming.

Here's the view from the front porch of Sunnyside:

More pictures to come!