Mini Vacay

I am currently visiting one of my best friends Nathan right now, enjoying summer and great friendships.

I have known Nathan for 5 years now and have shared many wonderful adventures with him and know that there are many more to come. There are certain friends that come and go in life but Nathan has been and will always be there. I adore him. You can read about some of our adventures here, here and here I have been taking tons of pictures so keep your eyes peeled for photo diary soon!

As for now, I will leave you all with some pictures from the drive up. (he lives 3 hours north of me)

Finally, I am intrigued....I would love to hear about your best friends and what makes them that special person in your life!

XXXX

Tea Time Tuesdays Volume V.

Hello my lovely readers! I am bringing back "Tea Time Tuesdays" with one of my new favorite blog finds.

Meet Kate from Longest Acres, a farmer currently living in South Carolina who is planning on making the move north and bringing along some of her animal friends. She is also a doula and an aspiring midwife.




Her blog is pretty fantastic and I often find myself getting lost there amid her wonderful posts about farming and pictures of her beautiful animals (many of which she has names for). Before you continue, let me warn you, I went a little crazy with the photos because I couldn't decide on just a couple of my favorites. So prepare yourself for cuteness overload.

What I love about Kate's blog is that we get to see both the ups and downs of farm life. As you read her posts you learn about her animals (her family) and their triumphs and tragedies, like the recent loss of the most adorable little chick called Florence which you can read about here. Or the attemtped escape of her piggies here, and the everlasting love for her crippled little piglet Oscar here.




You also grow to appreciate the work and effort that goes into taking care of and sustaining a farm like theirs. Their animals are happy and are free to roam. They sell their produce at farmer's markets and let me tell you, it looks delicious.





Finally, I think the thing I love the most about Kate's blog is the fact that she has consciously chosen to have this life. She escaped the cubicle life and while life on the farm can be challenging, it seems that in the end, it is well worth it. It is the life that I think we all secretly (or not so secretly) wish we could escape to sometimes. And Kate's blog is my little escape!






So, my dear readers, please feel free to stop by kate's blog "Longest Acres" and let me know what you think!

(all photos courtesy of Longest Acres)

Friday Finds to Inspire...

Is Back!
So without further ado...


Little Joy - Next Time Around
do yourself a favor a press play first....

I love A Cup of Joe's Travel Fantacy Posts. Check them out here and here

adore this random photo I found on Flickr a while back...

Love this wedding theme (you don't need to convince me that feathers are awesome :))

I found this adorable website devoted to pictures of baby animals..so if you need a pick me up, look no further

I love this idea to brighten up your silverware. Go check it out at creatively christy!

I will be attempting to make these fantastic string globes in the near future...

I am kind of in love with this print from this etsy shop and check out her lovely blog here


And lastly.... I would like to know: What are you lovelies up to this weekend?
My weekend involves catching up with friends and partaking in some yoga classes as well as trying my best to stay out of this sweltering heat :)

images via weheartit.com

Charmed by the Sea...

CocoRosie-Smokey Taboo

"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back to whence we came."

-John F. Kennedy

images via weheartit.com

My First Tattoo

Well, I suppose this post is way overdue being that I actually got the tattoo back in early May.

What I got:

I have been wanting to get a feather tattoo for about 5 years now but wanted to wait until I knew I had to have it. It got to the point where I was more anxious that I didn't have the tattoo and I knew then that it was time to get it.

The meaning:

When I was younger I used to collect feathers and the "adults" would always tell me not to pick them up because they were dirty and carried diseases. I collected them anyways (and never got a disease). I saw the beauty in them and never understood why they were viewed as dirty. This little tattoo is a constant reminder to me to not let others shape the way I view the world. It reminds me to appreciate the little things in life. It reminds me that while the whole world is looking for pearls to make them happy...I think the oysters are rather beautiful.

The Process:

placing the stencil

the first couple of lines (you can see me trying to not show pain on my face)

Getting there...

the back of the heel was pretty painful...luckily i had my sister with me

Done!

all healed....

I love how it turned out and thought Amber at Designs by Dana Tattoo did such an amazing job with the shading. I do need to go back and get one tiny area touched up at the tip of the feather in the dark area (It just didn't heal right) but that is just me being picky.

And to answer the infamous question, for those of you who don't have tattoos, yes it does hurt, pretty bad, but it is so worth it when you want the tattoo as badly as I did. (And of course I had to pick one of the most difficult spots to get my first one haha). Now I totally understand when they say you can't just get one tattoo. If I do get more in the future though, they will be well thought out, just like this one.

I love it.

photos via my lovely friend Ekaterina Katzarova

Charleston & Savannah Photo Diary

My week in Charleston and Savannah

Charleston

Savannah

This trip was incredible. I got to tour some beautiful old mansions, full of history dating back to the revolutionary and civil wars. I got to tour the house that scenes from the Notebook were filmed and the house from which Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was inspired and filmed. I fell in love with Savannah's charming parks and Spanish moss and Charleston's pastel colored streets. The south charmed me....