Saint Patrick's Day Crawl with Friends- Matthews, NC

Before shit started hitting the fan for real in Matthews, we decided to go on a little Saint Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl early on (perhaps not the most well though out plan in retrospect, but we wanted to support our fave places). We met up with some friends, made a few and probably annoyed a few more while going from The Loyalist Market, to Jekyll and Hyde, to Seaboard before I got at little too day drunk and places got a bit too crowded and Clint and I called it a day.

Sad we didn’t get to make it to Grace O’Malley’s and Stumptown Station, but we will for sure be hitting them up with this craziness dies down.

I know it’s weird being a freelancer in this environment, but everyone stay as safe as you can, self- isolate as much as you can (I see the irony, don’t worry) and remember we’re all in this together.

Georgie's Bachelorette Party - Charleston, SC

I had a great time (maybe too good) be-bopping around Charleston, SC with these wonderful women.  Georgie gets married in September and our girl's weekend was a wonderful way to celebrate her! We took a go with the flow plan for our weekend and we did some awesome things.  We went to the beach just long enough to not get burnt to a crisp. Then we went on a boat for a tour around the harbor and finished the evening with some good food and a ghost tour.  

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Had to end it with the awkward pic.  Basically sums up our day: sweaty, tired, a bit hangry, but still having a good time.  Also, they took a picture of me taking a picture to prove that I was actually on the trip.  Ha.  The plight of the photographer is to never actually get to be in photographs unless you entrust your baby camera to a stranger.  We're going to have a great time celebrating together in September!

Matthews Free Medical Clinic

On Monday, I had the pleasure of hanging out with some lovely people of Matthews Free Medical Clinic and taking photos of their annual golf tournament.  This year it was at Raintree Country Club and we had fun zooming between holes on our four-seater golf cart and greeting everyone.  We were also able to eat food from some of the sponsors, including Chik-fil-a and Papa Murphy's Pizza, and do beer tastings with some of the others!

Many different companies and people sponsored the event, and everyone had a fun time coming together to support the clinic. 

You could buy a skirt (donations going to the clinic) and wear it to be able to hit the ball from the women's starting point.  That's probably not the correct terminology at all, but we're going to go with it since I know next to nothing about golf. 

I didn't get to stay till the end of the tournament, but we had fun right up until I had to run off for my next appointment. They had a dinner after I left where the winners of the silent auction was announced.  

 On a different note, I'm so glad I wore sunscreen. 

Saint Patrick's Day

Had so much fun last weekend with everyone in downtown Matthews for Saint Patrick's Day!  Met some new people and spent some good time with friends. 

Like this gorgeous woman. 

Had some fun and amazing drinks with the lovely people at Stumptown Station.I love hanging out in Matthews, not only because you see so many people you know, but there's a great atmosphere throughout the whole town.  No one gets shwasted (generally) and you're not dealing with crazy, drunk, bros. 

Then we headed down to Temple Mojo and sat outside in the beautiful weather (where'd that go by the way)!

We paused to take a few photos in front of the Planet Ballroom's cool green door, where Ace got a new dog girlfriend. 

After that we bebopped on down to Seaboard (one of my favorite places in all of Matthews) and sat on the patio where Lori and Laura were trying to teach Ace to balance a goldfish on his nose.... 

Seaboard just opened their brewery! It's awesome and they already make some kick-ass beers! You should check them out!

It was so great to get all of these people together and hang out, even if we were missing my Hubby (he had a bachelor party to be at and he missed out on all our fun).

Yadkin Valley Wine Tour

Yesterday I went to three wineries with some amazing women!  The Matthews Women in Business Group went to Laurel Grey, Shadow Springs, and Dobbins Creek Wineries.  Johnny from Johnny B Limo Service took us around and kept us on schedule. Thanks to Kim Gossage and Dessi Dufresne for sponsoring such an awesome event!  We did a lot of laughing as you can see. I can't wait for the next event with these ladies. 

Go Ruck Light

You guys won't be surprised to know that I was not the one doing the Go Ruck.  I was merely following along until I saw Unknown Brewery and then I bailed.  I still managed to get three gnarly blisters and also conned into walking another mile and a half at the end.  

Clint decided he was going to get all in shape so he's been signing up to do runs and rucks and things.  In July he signed up to do the Go Ruck Light, which is supposed to last 5ish hours and you "ruck" for 7-10 miles.  I think his lasted 7ish hours and they rucked 14 miles.  At least that was the consensus.  Started out in the glaring sun and ended in the rain!  

I just waited around downtown all that time for him to be done.  Ryan and Lori kept me company for a little while and then I sat in a very nice coffeeshop until Clint's phone GPS told me he was close.  I thought, "oh we're near the beginning! I'll follow along till the end."  But no, we kept going until we reached Unknown Brewery again!  Should have drank beer all day and relaxed there apparently. 

Family Vacation - Destin, Florida

Though Clint and my Dad couldn't make it this year (one off being a Marine and the other taking care of his own father), we had a pretty good family vacation.  It's hard to have a bad one when you're surrounded by pristine white sand beaches and water as teal and blue as I wish my hair was (#inspired).  Basically the beaches of Destin are my spirit animal, so pale the sun reflects off them and accessorized with anything remotely blueish.  See for yourself.  

Plus my little nieces aren't half bad as little models.  Silly little girls. 

We went on a badass dolphin cruise where we saw some dolphins but also had a lot of fun trying to keep our balance while dancing to the Spice Girls.  

We ate a ton of really good food from oysters at AJ's to a few gorgeous steaks between the four of us and even sushi at McGuire's; all of which I was too busy enjoying immensely to take any decent pictures of.  And we travelled all the way down the famous 30A Highway and back before deciding on one of the gorgeous beaches to spend our day at. We even stopped at the airstreams in Seaside which have all been converted into food trucks since their glory days of being offices for the architects in the area. 

And as usual the pictures of me are almost nonexistent.  Here's a few of me holding a camera courtesy of my mumsy...

Landsford Canal State Park, Part Two

We finally got to revisit the canals in a bit warmer weather.  Our friend Casey joined us on the hike along with our puppers, Oliver and Hugger. It was a beautiful day and I still forgot my sunscreen so if you've seen me then you know how that goes.  As per usual, there are no pictures of me because I'm the only one who knows how to use a camera.  So it kinda looks like I'm documenting Casey and Clint's date, or maybe Hugger and Olivers,' But, you know, whatever. We ended the hike the hike successfully despite Oliver jumping down from a bridge and doing a faceplant.  We then went to Carolina Beer Temple for refreshments and then Umami for sushi takeout! Because nothing ends a hike better then beer and sushi. 

A bridge in Landsford Canal State Park

Some sunbathing turtles

Monarch Butterfly, I think it's a monarch at least....

Oliver the adorable Pitbull takes a rest in the shade

Monroe Air Show

A couple months back I went with Clint and some of our friends to the Air Show, even though I know nothing about airplanes.  Clint loves them though so Laura and I followed him, Trevor, Ryan, and Jackson around from place to place. We did find the beer garden! Which they had hidden away in a back corner so the hooligans were properly corralled. And we also saw a truck with a jet engine inside of it.  Craziness. 

Seaboard with the Pup

Got to do an impromptu photoshoot with my pup and my handsome fiance at the awesome Seaboard Taproom and Wine Bar! Love this blue door so much. And the pit bull, and the fiance.

Glider in a Bucket Wish

As some of you may know, my grandfather moved in with my parents as he was recently diagnosed with stage four bone cancer. He shared with my father that he's always wanted to fly in a glider (something that would scare the bejeesus out of me.)  My father (an architect) just so happens to be doing a project for Michael Simmons, a man who frequently goes up and flies gliders.  He offered to take Papa up flying on Sunday so we made it a family affair.  So the whole family all headed down to Bermuda High Soaring and watched a 90-year-old man do something the majority of us are scared to do, get towed a mile into the air, and fly around in a plane with no engine. 

Doctor Killion

Wanted to congratulate my cousin Elizabeth (AKA Sniz) for graduating with a Doctorate from Tufts this weekend.  She's amazing! We're all so proud of her and excited for her to start her new adventure in California and we all had an amazing time celebrating her accomplishments in Boston!

Landsford Canal State Park

Clint and I took a trip down to South Carolina this weekend to hike.  We went to Landsford Canal State Park and have plans to go back in the summer when it is not 32 degrees and we can canoe!  How I managed to get a sunburn walking through the woods in mostly shade, we may never know.  Also, as you can see from the first picture, I've got no jumps. 

Boston, Beer, and Boats

In May, I went to visit my cousin Elizabeth - better known as Sniz- in Boston.  Boston is an awesome town because it's just a tinier, more clean version of New York City and we all know how I feel about New York City.  My Amazing Aunt gave me a ticket to see Sniz anytime I wanted for Christmas/my Birthday and I finally cashed it in. 

We got to do all sorts of fun cousin things; like actually try on a bra that fits me (I could blog about this for days), drink beer, shop, watch scary TV shows, and go whale watching.  

First we drank beer. Both at The Whiskey Priest, which has an awesome upstairs deck that looks out on the harbor, and at Harpoon Brewery.  It was the first time I got to experience the brewery's beer hall and I have to say it was awesome.  In addition to having amazing beer, they also have ridiculously good pretzels with different sauces to soak up all that alcohol.  It was supposed to rain all weekend, and instead we ended up having absolutely beautiful weather- especially for the whale watching. 

My Cousin Beautifully Drinking Beer

We went whale watching on Sunday.  It was also supposed to rain, and it clearly did not.  We did get majorly lucky and saw about 11 or so different Humpback and Fin whales. You can read about it here on the NEAQ's website.  Apparently seeing so many whales is uncommon, but there was a large population explosion of what the whales fed on at the time so we got lucky. 

Conned a random passerby into taking our photo

It was really more of a "bullied a random passerby into taking our photo."

Sniz got to take some photos too. Payback and all that. 

Nature is awesome

We thought we had nabbed a prime spot by the flag....

but really no one was there because the flag attacked. 

Hungry Hungry Whales

Snowed In

I had the good fortune of getting off work early because of snow for my birthday and then I spent the next couple of days snowed in with my roommate and a couple of his friends.  There were snowball fights, board games, and booze.  We may have even pulled each other on a plastic tub's lid behind a car (safely of course). I guess after two days in an apartment together they get to be called my friends too. 

One

Two

Look at that face.

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

The 90th

Months ago I photographed my Great Uncle's 90th birthday.  We had barbecue outside with the garden, and the dogs, and the sunlight.  I got to see my cousins, and second cousins that I hadn't seen in ages.  And I got to stalk everyone with my camera, which is certainly something I love to do.  Not being in constant contact with me (and my camera) as my immediate family is, they were a bit awkward and shy at first; but then I got sneakier and they got more relaxed and I got some awesome photos.  

One

It's his birthday, and he'll wear awesome red suspenders if he wants to. 

Two

Three

I mentioned dogs right. 

Four

Five

Six

She is just stunning. 

Seven

Allison needed no prompting to pose perfectly. 

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

She loved this dog. 

Eighteen

And he loved her.

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty One

Twenty Two

Twenty Three

Twenty Four

Twenty Five

Twenty Six

The Cutest, but I'm biased. That's my niece. 

Twenty Seven

Twenty Eight

Twenty Nine

Thirty

The present opening ceremony begins.

Thirty One

Thirty Two

Thirty Three

Thirty Four

Thirty Five

Thirty Six

Thirty Seven

I did mention the dogs right?

Thirty Eight

Thirty Nine

Forty

Forty One

Forty Two

The Family

25 Most Stylish Awards

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Saturday night I had the opportunity to get dressed up and go to Charlotte STYLES "25 Most Stylish Awards" (you know, since I write for them for free). It was hosted at Suite, which has a really great outdoor area with a decent view of the city around you.  Perfect for a warmer spring night.

I wore my awesome. sequined Tracy Reese for Target and Neiman Marcus shirt and these heels that matched perfectly, but were a hazard to the well-being of my feet.After a snafu at the front door/desk, where I was not on any list I was told I would be on, it was decided I looked trustworthy enough and knew all the right names so I could go on in.

Not actually knowing anyone there, since I do all my interacting with the editors online and through email, I sat down and made friends with some people for the hour we had to wait for anything to happen.  One pair of girls were social workers who knew one of the past members of the 25 Most Stylish and another pair were aspiring jewelry designers that I suspect made their way through the door because their friend was manning it. Totally acceptable in my book. This falls under Faking It Till You Make It.  I totally would flaunt their  work, but I think their card actually fell out of my butt pocket and off a balcony...

While we waited, we had different foods from around the Epicentre. Lots of them were not finger foods, but were disguised as such.  It's hard to daintily eat a "Roast Beef Bruschetta" when the roast beef is trailing more roast beef after you bite into it. Or ribs (enough said about that). The food was pretty delicious though, if largely not vegetarian.  I was 'forced' to drink a beer by the waiting around and about halfway through it a group of very talented girls from the EleKtriK Dance Company started performing to a mashup. They even customized their own white button down shirts for the performance, giving them leopard print cuffs and collars.

Sorry, I failed on pics and video.  I had a sneaking suspicion that my camera and my deeply uncomfortable heels would not get along.

After the dancing we were allowed to mosey on into Suite and stand about for another 10 minutes before the real show started.  I literally mean stand, my feet were so unhappy.

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The show was certainly fun, with people cheering on their friends (You guys should totally nominate me for next years 25 Most Stylish). I would like to know the process after nomination though.  Is it a popularity contest or do you actually get evaluated on style and what you're bringing to the community?

One of the makeup artists that works with me got chosen.  YAY JAIME! She's adorable and incredibly nice, so go her!  She told me today that she doesn't actually remember walking down the catwalk.  She got off and was wondering if she tripped or smiled enough.

After the showing of the 25, there was a couple of fashion shows. The Impeccable Pig and Mae Vivid (which I wrote about here). The Impeccable Pigs show was definitely something every preppy southern girl wants to know about and something every other girl needs to know about so they can mix and match.  Mae Vivid was much more "out there" with his show.

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It featured a legless bodysuit with large sculptural shoulder pads and a sheath dress that went straight down to the floor, forcing the model to do a nice little geisha walk down the runway. Then they had a Junior League of Charlotte fashion show with things one can find at their store.  Some of the proceeds of the night went to support the organization.

After the shows, my feet made me peace out.  So it certainly goes to show you shouldn't always go with fashion over comfort when going to supremely stylish events.

The Devil's on Your Back

Well. Today has been ridiculous. Got locked out of the apartment an hour before I needed to leave. Waited in suspense while my superintendent tried to open the door with a BJ's card. He actually did succeed (Scary but awesome).

Got into a cab, and then was let out on the side of Amsterdam (WHERE THERE ARE NO YELLOW CABS) because he did not take a credit card (and he wanted $73 to get to JFK).

The security guard at the church I was dropped off in front of came out and asked me if I was alright. She apparently saw the white SUV just deposit me on the side of the street. When I said i just needed a cab, she had pity on me and called for one. It was still $68, $13 more than a Yellow cCab would have ended up being, but at that point I was fed up and more than a bit antsy. The cab driver did not speak English and seemed a bit confused about where he was going.

Got stuck in traffic for 30 minutes.

Finally made it to the airport. The flight in front of me had "mechanical issues" and had to be moved, so mine got moved too. Made friends with a nice gentleman while I was waiting around. And he even went and found what gate my flight was leaving from, which was nice of him and in my eyes redeemed human kind a bit..

And now my flight is delayed for an hour....

I'd say the devil is trying to keep me down today, but God is definitely winning. I'll let you know how the rest of the day goes.

Shake It Out

Things I Will and Won't Miss About NYC: An Ongoing Project

So today is the day I leave NYC to go back to NC. I definitely have mixed feelings about everything, but I think I am making the right decision for now even if it ends up that I move back in a couple of years. So, I've made a list (lists are wonderful, and very calming, and something great to do when you're bored). Things I'll Miss About NYC - The few good friends I did make in the city - Opportunities at every corner - Creativity right beside those opportunities on each corner - Not worrying about going out and then driving because public transportation is always, at most, a 20 minute walk away - The thrill of living, and being, and meeting in the city - Parties every weekend. On rooftops. Sometimes even during the week. - Getting cat-called by nice looking men - Little Town NYC - My proximity to my cousin and to Boston (we had some really great times together and I'm going to miss seeing her almost every month) - Being largely autonomous - making my own decisions, which only affect me, whether they turn out good or bad. - Divas - The ridiculous amount of awesome shopping that can be done (although it's probably good that I will be far away from that) - Walking home and finding that the kids on the street have broken open a fire hydrant for their own water park fun - Being so close to the beach and not even having to drive there

Things I Will Not Miss About NYC - Having dirt kick up on the back of your legs (or formerly pristine white jeans) when it rains - Gross smells - Lack of A/C - Angry People - My small bedroom with not enough room between my head and the ceiling to turn on the fan (Given, I did have a loft bed) - Being so far away from family - Divas - 80 year old men leering at me on the way to my apartment - Divas looking at you like you are a ridiculously stupid person having no idea what you could have done to get that look (I'm sitting minding my own business, how could I possibly have offended you?) - The stress of keeping up (must go out, must succeed, must not sleep, must join groups, must join gym, must run for the subway, must not awkwardly make eye contact) - The stifling heat and humidity pushing down on you from hundreds of A/C units spitting out their lava onto the streets - Getting yelled at by random people on the subway (although that totally makes for some good stories)

There's Coffee at the End of the Tunnel

If you follow my instagram (username is addynik) then you know I'm on a shopping kick (and apparently a red kick). This is both awesome and extremely dangerous. Be prepared for lots of fashion posts. I'm trying to fit in all the shopping and tourist things and awesome NYC things within the next two weeks. Yep. Two weeks. I'm moving. More on that later. I even stayed out till 2 am Monday night, even though I clearly had to work the next. I have to get it all in before I leave, even if it means a minimal amount of sleep. The two pots of coffee I made the next day were not even enough to get me through the day, but we shall see how that pans out in actuality. We went out to celebrate my friend's 21st birthday. Jon and I were planning to leave by 12:30. Clearly, that didn't happen.

Here are Jon, Zach (birthday boy), Melissa and I. Courtesy of Jon and his amazingly long arms. You know there's no way we would have all fit in that photo otherwise.

Jon, Melissa, and I finally peaced out around 1:30am and left Zach with Renn and his own drunk devices. I didn't hear from Zach until well into the afternoon.

Onto more pressing matters! Like how I'm peacing out of New York. It was a pretty agonizing decision, which I probably waffled over for a good month and I'm still slightly unsure of it. I think it's what I need to do, but there are definitely pros and cons. I came to realize that though I love the big city, and the glamour, and the excitement that comes with it. I'm not entirely happy. I miss my family, who have always been a crazy large part of my life (not just because I lived with them). We have all always had a great relationship, and I count them as some of my closest friends, not just relatives. All in all, I have had a change of priorities. Although Fashion and Photography are pretty much my two and only true loves, they aren't worth it if I don't have a support network around me and people I enjoy spending time with.

My brother told me he was glad I was coming home. He was sad I was leaving NYC, as he knows how long I've dreamt about it, but super excited for us all to be able to get together again.

I'm hoping that a few of the job leads I've found will pan out (I'm really hoping one in particular will) and I'm not moving to NC only to be jobless for forever. I don't want to be one of those people living in my parent's basement all through their 20's. Although, my parent's do not have a basement, so I'm good on that front. But you get the idea.

If you have job leads, feel free to send them my way.

On a side side note. I think NYC has distorted my sense of what is an acceptable amount of money to pay for an article of clothing.