First of all, I am blogging from Tuscola, IL! Yippee I am here and am so excited! After a ride home that felt like FOREVER (and maybe a stop by the hunting store... sigh), we finally got here. After getting situated, we made a quick trip to the Outlets (YES THERE ARE OUTLETS IN THIS VERY TOWN!) and the grocery store, we can finally relax! I'm even getting the opportunity to blog right now because Tyler is sort of fascinated by this blogging thing!
Sweet Tyler. Definitely my #1 love and reason for this post! Long distance is NOT fun, but when we are together we have so much fun. I think we have a pretty fun weekend ahead of us.
Secondly, I love my Lodis bag that I won from Lacey so much! I seriously just fit my life in it today. My laptop, makeup, toiletries, flats, and everything else that is in my smaller purse fit in that big baby. It is so perfect for traveling! Thanks!
I also love the Detroit airport. I absolutely hate the Atlanta airport and I normally have a layover in ATL, but thank the Lord I didn't have to today. If you ever get the opportunity, fly through Detroit. It is clean, spacious, and even accommodating- one time Tyler legitimately stood at the top of the jetway until my plane landed for us to fly to Philly. Again, sweet boy. And I love the Detroit airport and the new book I am reading- The Happiness Project.
Lastly, as I mentioned I love the Outlets here in Tuscola. Last time I was here I spent a whole afternoon at Old Navy and found tons of J.Crew-esque things. Great for fall. On our most recent visit (aka 30 minutes ago), we visited a store that caries Wrangler Jeans, Lee Jeans, etc. Tyler calls it the " 'Merican Outlet." He is so patriotic and so is Illinois. Check out the picture I took on the way here...
If you can't see, there is an American flag flying at the top of the grain leg.
Anyways, back to the Outlets..... at this 'Merican store, I bought some slippers. And I am so excited about them! Tyler also bought a flannel with pearl snaps. He might be more excited about that than I am about my slippers.
So, these are things I am loving on this Thursday. Have a great weekend! I am going to hang out with this cutie for the weekend....
Just letting you know I haven't forgotten about my blog! Our internet got zapped by the lightening or rain messed up our connection outside. Hopefully it will get fixed soon so I can add all of the pictures from Rebecca's party Sunday night!
I also have zero updates from my weekend because I sit on my rear all weekend, rotating from couch to my bed... because I could.
I fly to ILLINOIS on Thursday to see Tyler. I can't wait! I have some important things going on over the weekend in respect to jobs, so please say a quick prayer that things go well!! I will have lots to report back about after Monday.
1. I got to go into the studio at WIS News in Columbia to watch my co-worker get to be on the news.....LIVE! The segment was about stretching your dollar buying local produce (basically buy local because it is cheaper, fresher, healther, helps environment, etc...). We took some SC cucumbers, squash, and green onions to display and the weather lady commented that "it sure does smell like onions in here" right before it was her turn to go on. She had no idea we were in there and we thought it was pretty hilarious. This was such a cool experience!
2. I got a new haircut (who doesn't love that) and this was a huge step for me because I have been going to the same man, my best childhood friend's dad at the barbor shop, for 22 years. I finally decided it was time to move on, so I called another childhood friend, Haley, and let her chop away! It was so good to catch up with her and get those nasty split-ins cut. Too bad it is rainy today and I didn't have an umbrella on my way to work so my new "do" was ruined pre- 8:30.
3. I RECEIVED MY LODIS BAG YESTERDAY! AH! When I got home, I saw this huge box and ripped it open as fast as possible to model my bag for my mom! She is still very confused on blogging, giveaways, and how I really didn't have to pay a dime for this incredible bag! Thanks again Lacey and Lodis for the giveaway! I promise to take a picture of it when I find a cute enough outfit to wear with it! Ah-mazing. Sooooo excited!
4. With the leftover produce from work, I made some zucchini bread and muffins with a recipe from a grandmother at my church and OH.MY.GOSH. they are the most incredible things I have ever tasted. I brought half of a loaf to work for my work friends and the smell of the bread is making me crazy hungry. Here is a phone pic! Sorry for the ugly presentation. Let me know if it seems delicious enough for me to post the recipe!
I know, not beautiful, but abso-freakin-lutely delicious.
5. Season premiere of Law and Order: SVU (my all-time favorite show in the world) came on last night. I was a bit depressed, though, because Detective Stabler left the show and some new girl is taking his spot. The primiere was a little disappointing, but I will still be a loyal fan and watch. I love this show so much that I dressed up as Detective Benson and my date as Stabler for a ZTA function freshman year. Yep, I'm a weirdo/obsessed/whatever. Don't care. AND Grey's Anatomy primieres tonight, too. I love having weekly shows to watch! Yippee!!
6. And I can't believe I almost forgot this excitement but I will be headed to Illinois to see TyTy this time next week! Hallelujah! It's been a month and I CANT WAIT! Love that sweet boy.
So, there goes my exciting Wednesday afternoon. Hope you have had some kind of excitement this week. I know my best friend Rebecca has- shoutout to her for 100 days from today until her WEDDING! So excited. My family is throwing her and her fiance a party this weekend so I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures and things to report next week! Yay for my best friend's wedding. Gee, I'm so clever!
On my way to work one day last week, I was on the phone with Tyler like I usually am and I noticed a very familiar smell: boiled peanuts. I got really, really excited because a) i love this smell, its one of my favorites and b) this smell means its fall and harvest time!
If you aren't aware how peanuts are grown, let me quickly inform you:
First, you plant peanuts (in the ground) in the spring. Did you think peanuts grew on trees? Surprisingly, many people have no idea where/how peanuts grow! Peanuts are legumes and are in the bean family. Then in the fall they are ready to be "dug," dried in the fields, hauled in tractor trailers to a peanut buying facility, dried more, then hauled off to wherever they need to go to be made into peanut butter, m&ms, etc. If you are really interested in this (which I doubt you are) check out this link. If you aren't its ok. You'll still get lots of farm blog posts in the very near future.
So, to make a long story short, it is FALL in rural SC!! Not only are peanuts being dug, farmers are starting to defoliate (spraying chemicals to force cotton leaves to drop off the plant to harvest the crop) cotton. Andddddd, I think it smells soooo good. Many people beg to differ. I think its a farm girl thing. Don't judge. I REALLY love the smell of picked cotton at the cotton gin. Can't wait for that to start!
Anyways, aside from my being a total weirdo and you will probably quit reading my blog now because you have no idea what I am talking about or don't care, I love the smell of fall! Can't wait for Perrow Farms to start harvesting soon! Many pictures to come!
Here's a glimpse of fall in Cameron... And I am excited to experience the intense corn and bean harvest in Illinois NEXT WEEK! Yipppeee!
When I created this blog, I thought that it would be an easy way for me to "vent" in a positive manner. I figured if my thoughts and feelings were out to the world, I would focus on being positive instead of negative.
So, here I am, trying to be positive when sometimes it is hard. Hard to be 13 hours away from my boyfriend who I only get to see every 4-6 weeks. Hard to be "the intern." Hard to live in a town of 400 and rarely see my friends. Hard to not know what the next couple of months (or years) of my life holds! All of these are petty things, because all in all, I am a happy and healthy person with no real need to be negative. I am too blessed! But sometimes, I just gotta complain a little!
As I mentioned in my first post, I am a member of a girl's Bible study. We are "learning to be content" and learning how to "calm our anxious hearts." The book we are reading is called Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. It is truly what I needed to get over this anxiety I am feeling about the next couple of months in my life! God works in mysterious ways!
So, I am choosing to dwell on the positives today. Earlier today, I found myself wanting to complain and whine, but after my little run tonight and reading my lesson for tomorrow, that changed. I encourage you to make a list of your positives and to dwell on them. I am by no means perfect, but sometimes I just need a little reminder every now and then that there is no need in being unhappy! Here's a few positive thoughts in case you need help getting started!
First off, TGI-DWOF aka Thank Goodness I Don't Work On Fridays!! The nice thing about working part time is that I can schedule my hours Mon-Thur and not work on Fridays (unless I need to make up hours from traveling to see my sweet boyfriend)! Yay! Today I took full advantage... I slept in, leisurely drank my coffee, read a magazine, organized my room, switched out some clothes, ate a late lunch, and am now about to get back to my book!
I started reading a new book last night and I had trouble putting it down! Those of you who know me really well are going to laugh and roll your eyes at the title... are you ready for it?
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl
Yes, I am reading a "farm girl" book. It is about a New York ex- Family Circle magazine editor who moves to a farm and learns that her "Mandelos and manure don't mix." I found the book at Target yesterday and was immediately attracted to the book because of the duck boots next to the heels. I don't wear heels well, but I love my duck boots so I just had to check it out. Turns out, I couldn't stop laughing or put it down. I'm not too far in, but I think its safe to say that this may be my favorite book ever!
It is so nice being able to read what I want to read now instead school books! Now if only I can get a Kindle for my birthday (which is two months away cough cough)! I will be set.
Hope you are enjoying the fall weather! Fall makes me excited about HARVEST time (yes, another farm reference). Have a lovely weekend!
I never win anything. You know when you buy 100 raffle tickets for something that you desperately want? Well when I enter raffles or giveaways, I NEVER win. I did win a red velvet cake in middle school at a baseball game, but thats it...
UNTIL TODAY!!!!!
Since I have started blogging (aka one week), I started following about a dozen more blogs than I used to pre-Charlotte blog. What I have noticed in the blogging world is that precious girls like Lacey have awesome giveaways on their blogs! I entered a couple last week and some this week thinking, "this is probably a waste of time because I never win anything." Well hot damn look at what I won!
Lodis Astor Joselyn Satchel
Wouldn't you be thrilled with this gorgeous bag? I can't wait to get it in the mail. After I received the email that I was the winner, I couldn't get out of the car fast enough to see it for myself on my computer. What a lucky day! Thanks, Lacey! Check out her blog, http://www.laceyinthecity.com/. Also, check out the other awesome bags on Lodis.com. I am so excited that I can hardly stand it!
Maybe I will win that Kindle that entered to win for a raffle at work today..... Ok, maybe not. Anyways, I am a happy, happy girl!
As I have mentioned before, I have somehow turned into a Betty Crocker wannabe. Living at home hasn't been the most thrilling time of my life, but it does help that I have my mom's kitchen, pantry, and sometimes a $20 for groceries when I stop by the store on my way home from work. Until recently, I thought baking and cooking were too annoying and time consuming. During this "transition," I have had to find things to do to entertain myself and not focus being lonely and missing Tyler. Cooking and baking have become a new hobby. I attribute my success to http://www.pinterest.com/.
Here are some of the goodies that I have made with the online recipes below them in case you want to try! I apologize for the quality of some of the pics- I took them with my Blackberry!
I have been making fruit pizzas since I was a kid, but these were so easy! Instead of handmaking sugar cookie dough, though, I was a bit lazy and used the presliced Pillsbury ones. Also, I recommend using local in-season fruit when possible :) Recipe: 1 package cream cheese & 1 package cool whip mixed together as "sauce," with fruit on top and sugar cookie beneath.
I have made these twice now, and the first time was definitely the best. I recommend adding lots of extra spices to the recipe and not using Ragu! We are not a Ragu family. Try a different brand or homemade sauce! Recipe: http://www.ivillage.com/chicken-and-cheese-lasagna-roll-ups/3-r-60638.
He really hates me for this picture but it is just too funny not to post. He brought home the dog on the left, "Barkey"(what an original name) from school in first grade. Needless to say, mom and dad weren't thrilled with the new addition. The dog also loved watching us rollerblade on the porch to Elton John. Weird, I know. And the cats just add comedy to the picture as well. Hilarious.
Anyways, Happy Birthday, John! One year closer to 21. I pray he stays out of trouble until then and has a great day in Clemmy!
I just have too much on my mind today for a blog post just about my fun weekend. Though I had a blast in Clemson with my Wofford (and some Clemson) friends, I have something much more important to blog about. I'll get to the weekend after...
Today, I am thankful. Thankful for God'd healing and grace. About six weeks ago, my good friend John Brunt was in a terrible car accident. He suffered numerous injuries: a shattered pelvis, a broken femur, an injured colon and intestines, and a few others. He had a couple of surgeries and had been doing so much better. Our whole community had been praying for him and I even got to see him a couple of weeks ago. This was very uplifting, but very hard as well. I took him a hand held game of tetris which he loved- his mom calls him a "gamer." I was thrilled to have given him something to take his mind off of his pain and suffering. I have been following his Caring Bridge site that his mom posts on and there have been many days of joy, but many days of heartache. Today was a day of JOY!
John and his sister Grace during his recovery.
Friday night, John had a seizure and a high fever. He went into a coma over the weekend and supposedly, things were not looking good. Last night I was terrified and scared, fearing for my friend's life. I couldn't bear the thought of losing a dear friend. This morning, I received a text message saying John was AWAKE! HE WAS AWAKE! When I got home from work, his mom updated her site and said that his ventilator was out again and he told his parents that he loved them. I sobbed and sobbed reading this news. God is so, so good. Sometimes it is easy to question God's unfailing love, but days like today prove that He is mighty and and is the Ultimate Healer. Thanks be to God for an answer to our prayers! Please keep John and the Brunt family in your prayers.
John is the guy on the left. This photo was taken Sophomore year.
Now on to the weekend:
My Terriers almost pulled out a W over the Clemson Tigers! It was such a fun weekend to see friends! I was so happy to have a girls night Friday night in Easley and then tailgate all day in Tigertown! I realized that I just cant hang like I used to in college. Post-graduate life is too tiring for staying up all night and tailgating all day. How did we do it?
Wofford Friends!
Sporting our Black and Gold!
I loved seeing the Wofford team playing in Death Valley!
What a fun and exhausting weekend it was! I think I am still catching up from the weekend, but now it is time for the season finale of Bachelor Pad, the trashy reality show with the Bachelor and Bachelorette "rejects"...
Hope you had a fun weekend, too! Happy Almost Tuesday!
What an exciting weekend it is for my family! Usually, you hear the term "House Divided" (if you're from South Carolina) in reference to the South Carolina/Clemson rivalry. For my family, this term means Wofford/Clemson-- at least for this weekend! The Wofford Terriers take on the Clemson Tigers TOMORROW! I was a fourth generation family member on my dad's side of the family to attend and graduate from Wofford- crazy, right!? My great grandfather, grandfather, great uncle, dad, uncle, second cousin, cousin, cousin's wife, distant relative (I call him cousin but it is a ways down the line-- so Southern) and I are all Wofford grads! My mom's side of the family all cheer loudly and proudly for Clemson! My grandfather bleeds orange as well as my uncle, his daughter (my fellow ZTA sister), and my BROTHER! If you want to add Tyler to all of that mix, go right ahead; he is a Clemson grad as well. Goodness, if you followed all of that I am VERY proud.
See, the rivalry exists.
Anyways, what a fun rivalry we have going on this weekend in the Perrow-Frierson family! I will proudly be wearing my black and gold, strutting around the perimeter of Clemson, and cheering on my Terriers! I am so excited about a weekend with friends and family (honestly, probably more friends because I haven't seen many of them since graduation)!
I'm keeping my fingers cross that our little dogs can pull off a W, how awesome would that be? According to Twitter, Coach Dabo from Clemson was quoted saying, "These guys are a load, a challenge to prepare for as a FB team. They're capable of beating you." Hope Coach Ayers has prepared our boys well!
I'm so happy to be one day closer to the weekend and I cannot wait! I'm still trying to get into the groove of blogging, so just sit back and enjoy the ride while I still attempt to act like I know what I'm doing.
Because I don't yet.
So.. for the "Musts" on Thursday.. Here we go!
Must See:
I know that I am a little late and this movie was released on DVD in July, but rent The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, at Blockbuster, on your On Demand or wherever the heck else you rent movies from these days!! Tyler and I rented it and it was totally worth the $5! We both agreed it was one of the best flicks we'd seen in a LONG time! I usually don't go for the "manly movies" but I did this time!
Must Read:
This book is incredible! I bought it during my layover in Atlanta last week and by the time I was halfway to Bloomington, IL (a 1.5 hour flight), I was finished! I couldn't put it down! The book is about a four year old who undergoes surgery on his appendix. During surgery he "dies" and goes to Heaven where the angels sing to him and welcome him in, but then he wakes up and later unveils his experience to his parents. WOW! I'm sure you are skeptical about it and my synopsis doesn't do the book justice, but I promise you it is worth the read (and I have the book if you want to borrow it!). A review on the back of the book by Ron Hall reads, "A beautifully written glimpse into heaven that will encourage those who doubt and thrill those who believe." No kidding. I was touched.
Must Hear:
"Remind Me"- the duet by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. If you are a country music listener, you have heard it. No joke, every single time I hear this song my eyes welp up with tears. It never fails. It is so sweet, yet so sad, and maybe it is just the whole "airport dropping off" line that gets me. Story of my life. But really, I would hate to look back one day and need someone to remind me of what it used to be like! I am so blessed to have parents that haven't had to deal with this! Anyways, sweet song. Listen to it!
Must Have:
Ok, so maybe I don't have just one of these. My Wish List seems to keep growing, but all I REALLY need (ok fine, want) right now is a pair of brown flats and brown boots? Is that too much to ask?
I waited for 3 years to get my first pair of Tory Burch flats. I love my black, so now I want brown!
Brown boots. I bought a pair from Target a year or two ago and I have worn them to the ground. These are from Target, too, only because I cannot seem to find any that I really like, fit me well, don't cost an arm and a leg, and are comfortable to my pathetic feet. Thoughts? Where to find cute brown boots?
Must Laugh
First off, I love white cats. Yes, you have a crazy cat lady blog to read. I found this picture on Pinterest (duh) a while ago, but when I was browsing Uptown on Main Street in Columbia today at lunch I found it on a birthday card. So I bought it... for myself. My birthday isn't until November! It made me giggle and made me really happy. This $2.97 card is sitting on my desk at work to make me smile.
Are you laughing at me yet or rolling your eyes? I hope its not the latter. Thanks for hanging in there with my ramblings today! They'll get shorter once my blog excitement wears off! I want to be able to hang with the big dogs in the blog word. Speaking of "Big Dogs," I can't wait for the Wofford Terriers to put a hurtin' on those Clemson Tigers this weekend! Woof Woof!
Hello and welcome to my blog! I have been toying with the idea of a blog for a couple of months now, and finally decided to take a leap of faith and begin one. Bear with me because this can either be a huge success or a catastrophe (I tend to talk too much). I wanted to have a way to document my travels, experiences, and thoughts to those who live in the blog world or just to anyone who is willing and able to listen to me vent and offer words of wisdom during the "transition period" of my life.
For those of you who do not know what is going on in my life here is a brief recap:
I graduated from Wofford in May with a degree in environmental studies aka how to save the planet one water bottle and farmers market at a time. I'm kidding, obviously, but those of you who followed me through college can get a giggle of out this.
I am interning at the SC Dept of Agriculture as a marketing intern in international trade. This is my third summer here (first time going on fall- exciting!). I am very passionate about agriculture and work with our Certified SC Grown program.
I met the most wonderful guy last November, hence the reason for the title of my blog. His name is Tyler and if you haven't met him, you need to do that the next time I can drag him down South. He lives in Tuscola, Illinois (about the size of St. Matthews for all of you Calhoun County people) and works as a grain buyer for Cargill. Though we share a lot of things, we both share a love of ag. I can't even begin to tell you how things in my life changed when I met him! It has been a fun, fun ride! More later I'm sure.
As scary as it is for some of my friends to hear this, I have learned how to cook during my spare time this summer. Yes, me, cook. WEIRD. This little doo-daddy website called Pinterest has opened me up to the "fun" of cooking and baking. I also must give credit to my dear friend Virginia who loves to bake and taught me that baking is a great stress-reliever! It's true- it is.
Other than that, I like to run in the tiny town of Cameron occasionally (do not let me fool you that I am any good at it), am a member of a girls' Bible study, hunt when I want to be girlfriend of the year, pretend to online shop, and love on my little white diva named Lily. I cheer for Wofford (no matter who they play), Carolina (when I am with Rebecca and Tripp), and Clemson (when I am with my brother or Tyler). I guess I am not a true loyal fan to any team other than Wofford. And when Clemson plays Carolina, I'm just going to wear my pink, be neutral, and hug Tyler (we met at the Clemson-Carolina game last fall).
I guess this gives you a little insight on the life of Charlotte. Post-graduation has been a whirlwind and as I start making some big decisions in life, I'm sure it will continue! I'm not going to bore you with those details quite yet! Maybe this shouldn't be a blog, but more of a "ramblings" site. Hope you decide to follow me, support me, encourage me, and laugh at me during my "transition" journey.
And if you are interested, here is a picture recap from my post-grad summer!
Tyler and me at Jeremy and Christie's wedding- June 2011
My co-worker and friend Amy at the SC State Farmer's Market handing out watermelon- June 2011
Anna's 22nd birthday! August 2011
Rebecca's Bachelorette Party in Charleston- August 2011
Illinois sunset- September 2011
Sorry for the terribly long blog post, but hey, its the first one!
