Girls Weekend Recap + Random Happy Things!

Originally this post started out as a recap of the girls weekend in Charlotte {post here} however in reviewing the past week there are so many more things that I have to be thankful for as well. So essentially the SparkNotes version of what this post is about is: The little things that made Emily happy over the past few days. Here we go, rewinding to last Friday and… go!

Swedish Hasbeens, hooray!

Quite literally ten minutes before I was heading out the door to leave the mailman rang the doorbell with a package. One of my absolute favorite things in the world is mail so of course I dove right into the box and what was it? Ah! My Swedish Hasbeens. I've been eyeing these sky-high clogs for forever and I finally found these babies for a steal and had to have them.  After clunking around the backyard for a bit (and creating blisters in .5 seconds) I took a few pictures threw them back in the box and hopped in the car on the way to Charlotte!

Hello Lake!

Is a weekend catching up with your best friend you haven't seen in months ever not fun? But seriously, I arrived to Izzy's lake house a little past dinner time and the first stop: queso. From there it was a laid back few days with not great weather but plenty of things to do. It's always good to have one of those friends that even when it's been a while, as soon as you start talking it feels like you picked back up a conversation from yesterday. Tubing, wining and hot-dogging were all great additions to a great view and some great laughs.

Milkshakes from Heaven.

Monday we headed back to her house in Charlotte and spent the day "bopping around town" at the cute little boutiques and awesome restaurants in the city. Before jumping on the highway we grabbed milkshakes from CookOut and let me tell you, they are addicting. I shamelessly grabbed another Oreo shake on my way home and never regretted a sip.

The worst concert photo ever taken

We planned the trip around a Dave Matthews concert that Tuesday. Little fact about Emily: Dave Matthews is my favorite band. The lyrics, the vibe, the dreads, the man himself, I truly could go on for days about this group but I'll save you all. Here's links to my some of my multitude of favorite songs if you're itching to hear more {Ants Marching, Grey Street, Crush}! This is definitely one of the worst photos I've ever taken to remember a concert however it still makes me smile looking at it. I unfortunately cut out the man behind us who jokingly told us he was determined to photo bomb every photo we took (and he succeeded). Oh, happiness is a Dave concert. 

Summer Reading

We said goodbye for a few more weeks and I can't wait to be back! I was greeted at home with a mailbox full of two of my favorite catalogues. Ah the little things. 

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them" Matisse

On the steps up to my summer job, these flowers were growing. Another fact about Emily: the key to my heart is through flowers. Sometimes they can take your breath away or simply put a little pep in your morning. You might have already seen this on my Instagram but if you don't follow me already, check out my personal Instagram {here}!

There's no fun in "Eh"

After work one day this week I stopped into a few stores just to "look around". That's always a funny joke when I end up coming out with a bag from Anthro but I'll blame it on the summer! This sign caught my eye outside of the bookstore. 

Actual Summer Reading

I stopped into Joseph Beth to grab some more books since I've been whizzing through my collection from this summer. I picked up the first book of Emily Giffin, Something Borrowed and I'm probably going to be heading back there today to pick up another one of hers. My summer books are sure to show up in a post shortly! Stay tuned for that!

Hope you liked checking out some of the little things that made me smile this week. Hope yours was equally as enjoyable! What made you smile this week?

Emily

Home Town Lovin

So I debated doing this post mainly for the reason that I don't want to be hunted down and killed but I'm going on with it anyways. So with that said, please don't hunt me down and kill me but also, if you were to do that your stalking skills are pretty commendable. But don't. Really.

Moving on.

Being back home has been good. Heading back is always a weird mix of emotions. On the one hand, driving back into Kentucky is pretty nostalgic. The white fences on the highway are when I know I'm close. The bourbon distilleries and the horses are all things that I love about my state and all of the things that welcome me home the last two hours of my drive from school. On the other hand, I do feel more distant. Obviously independence does come with college and I'm definitely starting to feel that. Kentucky will always be home but it's starting to feel more like the place that I grew up rather than the place that I live. And really I'm fine with that. I will always have so much pride for this place and I can guarantee that I will bleed blue for the rest of my life.

Kentucky was a great place to grow up. And I mean truly great. I really think I got a little of everything. For a city in Kentucky, I lived in one of the most open-minded cities in the country and I am so proud of that. In the horse capitol of the world I got to be around a million dollar industry.  I definitely did not come from a horse industry family but I had friends who owned derby horses (that won), friends' parents who trained and bred those derby horses and friends who knew how to go to the track and come home with thousands of dollars each time they went. Unfortunately I was not one of those people. I would illegally (when under 18) electronically bet on the horse with the best name and come out losing every time. Along with this, I got to skip every friday during racing season to go to the track. I mean, how could you not? A chance to wear a Lilly dress and waltz around the paddock with millionaires was never too bad.

Also, with Keeneland being so gorgeous it meant rocking senior pictures if you were able to stand the fact that everyone and their sister had taken their photos there too. At the time I was too "original" for that but now I regret it a little…

I grew up downtown and apart from there being only enough children that I could count on one hand I loved it. It was big enough that people get confused driving around but small enough that well, driving shouldn't have been a problem, but also for a kid to feel safe and explore a little. Bike rides were a common thing and after investing in a Vespa my brother and I gained even more independence. I think living downtown is what gave me my sense of direction at a very young age but also my "street smarts". After living in a medium sized downtown this definitely sparked my craving for bigger cities.

While Lexington is moderately sized it still has the gossip of a small town. Maybe that's a southern thing or maybe that says something about the group my parents were in but I'm not sure I liked it. I did however like the balance of a southern city. Let's say that Lexington is southern to the point some restaurants serve unsweetened tea. Truly blasphemy I know. But I'm one of those people who appreciate a conversation with the checkout lady at the grocery store and on the other hand I can handle not being called "honey". So I'll take the balance any day.

In an effort not to make this post exhaustingly long I'll cut it straight to the point: I loved growing up here and I would recommend it for anyone. However I do think I've slowly grown out of it. Moving to Memphis for school was a step that I really liked and I am looking forward to exploring more larger cities after graduating. All in all, Lexington will always be home for me and I'm so thankful that I can say that that.



Feeling nostalgic even though I'm here now,
Emily