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The Palmetto State So far. A Picture Story.

One of the first days back, the old church on the island was being taken over by high tide flood waters of the marsh...

A little snippet of what I consider one of the cutest beach houses on Pawleys.

My home sweet home for the next four months (and you know all of my formative high school years)

Gorgeous day off at the beach

More beach day. I wanted to say 'how 'bout them apples' but no, I don't mean my boobs, k? Get your head out of the gutter.

Gorgeous Georgetown house I house sat for all last week. Isn't that porch a dream!?

Harbor walk off Front street in Georgetown, two blocks from where I was house sitting.

A favorite bakery in Georgetown. Kudzu. YUM.

Currently, you know, living life.

EATING: Lots of smoothies and breakfast foods! I have recently been working at a breakfast joint, where with my employee discount meals are roughly $3.00. SO yes, lots of breakfast, in all shapes and sizes have been consumed  this and tuna melts. Delicious, grilled rye tuna melts. This is all to come to an end though, as (gasp!) I quit the breakfast joint just a few days ago. 

LISTENING TO: The Features newer stuff (hey guys, the features are awesome. SO UNDERRATED. Check out, and fall in love with their 'The Beginning' EP) 

Thank me later....

THINKING ABOUT: Not a lot. Actually. I am always thinking, and it is REALLY nice to just have a bunch of shit back burner-ed  I know what I need to be thinking about, I have just decided not to, until about.. July? Yeah, that sounds good. I suppose the one thing I am actively thinking about/anticipating is Bonnaroo this year. It will be my third year going (last time in 2009). I have convinced a few Alaskans to join me, and I think we shall all have a grand time. I mean, I get to see Paul McCartney. That means in life I will have seen two Beatles in Concert. BADASS right here. 

MISSING: First and Foremost, NIGEL. I miss my beast so bad. I get pictures all the time, but knowing it will be at least three months until I see him, oh man. My little orange man. 

I mean, look at him, just smiling for the camera! I am currently gritting my teeth in happiness just looking at this picture!

Otherwise, all my friends around the globe. I have two friends from high school who live here in Pawleys Island, and I have gotten a chance to see both of them once or twice so far this summer, with plans on visiting other South Carolina friends as the summer wears on, but all my Alaskans and those who live in all the other nooks and crannies of the world are being missed DEARLY. Slowly, I am making new friends here in the south for the summer, but nothing like those who are tried and true :D

WORKING ON:  Getting settled in. I have downgraded from two jobs to one job for the summer. I WILL be working doubles at the one job a lot, and its at a small grill right on the beach. I also am finishing up a house sitting gig I had, which was great, but lots of driving around between here and my parents and the two jobs, so it will be nice to get a little more settled and such. There are also talks of July 4th cabin times with m y family and extended family, in the upstate on a lake. That should be wonderful, so all this... all this I am working on, technically, I guess?

My lovely work place for the summer.

READING: Working on that summer reading list I mentioned in my Summer goals. First off is A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I also picked up Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter so can hopefully add that to the summer list. I also recently came across this list of 65 Books you need to read in your 20s.  I have read only MAYBE a handful of these, so its something to keep in mind...

The Internetz *Dun Dun DUNNNNNNN*

Lately, it has seemed that the things that are getting pushed into my view are all pretty relevant and engaging to me. Each little article I have come across as of late digs a little deeper into some of the big issues I have been tossing around inside my own mind for a good while now. Maybe I am just being more receptive to these articles right now, or more likely, I am actually just taking the time to sit down and read the full article or watch the full video instead of simply bookmarking it for a later time. (Yes, all these articles/video are on the internet. Which is funny, as you will see....)

The first Article I am referencing was this one entitled  'I'm Still Here: Back Online after a Year Without the Internet'.  This was pretty great, b/c it covered a topic I am constantly lamenting on (what would my life be like if I just unplugged and stepped away?) but also didn't give me the answer I WANTED, which... MIND BLOWN.

There are so many times in life (right now being one of them) that I have had the urge to step away form the digital world, cut back. I have gotten rid of facebook for a period of 2.5 years (and I mean, fully deleted, not just a deactivate), I didn't own a smart phone until about 2-3 years ago, and now with my smart phone, I have deleted my facebook, facebook messenger, and gchat apps. Just taking steps back. When times come that I find myself going on binges, I always wonder what the big step would be like, NO INTERNET. In my mind the life of someone with no internet is a glorious and enviable one. It is a life of reading, walks, productivity, libraries, letter writing, etc. YES, I know this is fully romanticized. When I gave up facebook for  years it was during a time when I was first out of college through my move up to Alaska where I knew not a soul. I quickly learned that facebook DIDN'T hinder me in getting to know new people, but the more people I got to know, the harder it was to figure out weekend plans WITHOUT facebook. Everyone was using the 'events' tab on there, and though for a while mass emails were ALSO sent out to accompany these event invites so as to keep everyone in the loop, this trend slowly faded, and I was left in the dark without straight up asking what was going on. This wasn't an omission on purpose, but most people simply forget that all their friends aren't covered when making a facebook event. Eventually, I cracked and made a new profile, and have had my facebook, fully activated, ever since.

All this led me to be SUPER interested in what a guy in my age range experienced not having internet for AN ENTIRE year. No smartphone, no Google maps, no email. I was hooked. Now, I want you to ALSO read the article, but lets just say, in the beginning everything is KINDA like my romanticized version of an internet free life, until, well, it's not. Read it, let me know what you think? It was an eye opener for me.

The second Article was actually a video... HERE.  Just watch y'all.

So me and the internet, where do we stand? I may never figure it out. Is this a dilemma only people of my age experience  Is it because we know fully what an internet free life is like, as well as in internet  FULL life is like? Those ten years younger, do they even consider what life would be like without internet?

Fancy Favorites: #19

Awesome rubber boots.

This print.

This wallpaper sweater.

And a necklace.

And finally, this video. 

30 Before 30: #11-20

 To find the ultimate, best, can't be beat, Macaroni and Cheese recipe EVER

Learn, even if just the basics, how to play Banjo

Start the Process of Buying my very own cabin/house

Get my boating License

Have a business plan written

Finish traveling to all 50 states! (New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho... I am coming....)

Go in Vacation to Washington DC

Fit into a size 10 across the board comfortably

Have done a 'spa' weekend. Just to see what they are all about!

Have Completed a week cleanse.

..And  I was going to do an update on how well I've done on my first 10 items, but looking at those I haven't done very well AT ALL.... we for now, no update....sigh.

Ambition is a Funny Thing...

Earlier this week I was directed towards this Article in The Atlantic, all about ambition and how it effects relationships.  Now, I'm not just talking about romantic relationships, but family, friends, community. It was one of the articles that really hit home with a lot of what is going on in my mind and I have been struggling with lately.

As I have now here and there detailed, earlier this spring, very much on a whim, I packed up and moved out of Alaska, where I had been living for the last 4 years (with a 7 month stint in Minneapolis snuggled in there briefly). This move was made for a myriad of reasons, but one of the key reasons had to deal with ambition. I had a good paying job, working as a waitress and bartender at a restaurant where I enjoyed (most) the people I worked with...but I was getting antsy. I wasn't 'fulfilled'. I had statements of 'not wanting to be a bartender' the rest of my life buzzing around my head. In this same vain, I thought the town had grown stale. Fairbanks, always has, and always will be a town that is made so amazing by the people who live there. These people I love and admire are all still there, but my mind was getting overwhelmed by the merging families, babies, home buying, etc that was happening. Once again, I wasn't 'there' yet, so it all seemed like one big sign to get the hell out while I could.

Now, the tone may seem like I have already (so quickly!) changed my mind on all these statements, that I have regret. I do not have regret, but they do talk about distance making the heart grow fonder. As I embark on my summer of living back at home with my parents for the first time in 10 years, working as a server and maybe a bartender at a few local restaurants (oh what a change Katie! look at you stirring it up!) I realize that though ambition is a WONDERFUL thing, and something I am full of, that a sense of community is also something that is wonderful, but I am learning, even harder to come by.

Moving home is a shift for me, and one that will ideally last 3-4 months. After this, the ball is up in the air. The ambition in me wants all the great things...a career I love! Money to let me travel! Family! A home! But there is the softer side of me (who I am hoping settles in and makes herself more known this summer) that looks at that list and sees: A Career I love! Money to let me travel! FAMILY! A HOME!  and that emphasis makes a heck of a lot of difference.

I think the hardest part of letting myself transition is knowing that whereas I can work hard at getting the career I want, and I can save money (both of these things are acts I can accomplish) finding the person who I want to start a family and settle into a home with are things (at least initially) I cannot control. And Oh man, this ambition girl LOVES her control.

Summer Goals

*No Alcohol until September: I like a good beer. Or a good dirty gin martini. I have been a bartender. I appreciate fun mixed drinks. And all this is well and good, but Sometimes I (honestly) don't know what moderation is, and it has been weighing on me a lot lately. Just something on my mind. There are a lot of things personally I want to accomplish this summer, and I think removing alcohol from the picture would be a good way to clear my mind and give me a fresh perspective  Also, I really just like proving to myself that I can stick to goals, and have will power. It gives me a great sense of self, and I thrive on that.

* Financial goals. (and I just now because of spell check realized I spelled financial wrong on the image, and am wayyy to lazy to go back and edit it. whatever.) So, as I stated in a past post, my plans for this summer include work, and lots of it. I start today training at a breakfast diner (I have to do stints as a busser, hostess, and cashier), and by June will be serving there regularly  And its a fast paced place, with good tips to be made, so there is that. Otherwise,  I am searching still for a night serving position, but have applied man places. These two avenues combined all summer, I hope to be able to pay off both my credit cards ($4500+), Pay back my mother ($2000+), save money for a plane ticket for myself and Nigel to the west coast in the fall ($350+) and stock away savings for a few months rent and deposit wherever I plan to move to ($2750+). I have four months to get this accomplished, and I do think it is feasible. Added bonus if I save enough to have a little pocket for a new car once back out west...I think also, as a last little footnote, that this will be the summer to get my tattoo. Or maybe it will be an end of summer reward. carry on now...

*Books! So, this is a smaller goal, which I think is important in the midst of loftier goals...but, I brought home  five books with  me that were in my collection, but I had not had the chance to read yet. I would simply over the course of the summer, read and enjoy these books. They are: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, What is the What and A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, and Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins.

*Tech cut back. Now, this may seem silly, as I am getting this blog going again, but it cutting out certain areas, to let other areas flourish  I recently erased my facebook app, my facebook messenger app, and my gchat app. You can obviously still text me or call me. This is just eliminating checking all those stupid things, as well as making it so yes, I am still available, but no not by every means possible. removing the clutter. In the same vain, I will be updating this blog a good bit, but don't plan to otherwise be on facebook really at all. of course there will be times, and I will still check it, but I don't plan on doing big status updates, etc. On the other hand, I will be writing letters and emails all summer long. So there is a use for facebook y'all, send me your mailing address and we can become pen pals! and since I wont be on facebook a lot, the updates you tell me in letters will actually be updates! Isn't that grand? As for other technologies... instagram, vine, and twitter. I'm keeping them...for now.

*Focus on me. What do I mean by this? I just mean that in between all the work, and reading, and such that I take the time and just... clean out my head. I don't know a whole lot of people here in Pawleys, and while at first I was looking at this as a negative, I think I am going to use the chance to just...get to know me again. I am over analytic, stressed, and have a bit of Monica Geller syndrome in my current life. These are all things that have popped up or grown as I have gotten older. I just want to take this summer to both sort these things out (and calm them down a notch) as well as make peace with them. Easier said than done, when you are a judgmental cynic. (hey everyone, you know all that critique I throw around in life? Just know that I throw it at myself 10x worse. Yeah, sucks, right?)

Just two months later, NBD

So, We last left off in that I was heading to Mexico and SXSW for three week in March. Both trips were glorious, and (hopefully) I will have a recap of the whole trip posted up here within the next week. But, right before I left for those trips I had decided that it was time to move out of Alaska after four years, and see what other locales in the USA had to offer me.

Upon returning from SXSW I had exactly 11 days to finish packing up my cabin, giving away most of my random shit that you so easily acquire living in Fairbanks, pack my car up, and hit the road with my sister, who had flown up from South Carolina to travel with me over the next month.

Here was the plan: we were going to drive out of Alaska through Canada, and down the west coast, stopping in major cities, staying with friends and family, and then crossing the USA along the south until we were back to our parents home in coastal South Carolina. I figured this would give me a chance to see all the west coast had to offer (briefly) and then I could stay with my parents for a month (rent free!) regroup, and head out to wherever was next...('next' in my head meant most likely back to the west coast to settle down and start working on all those aspirations I had started to have while living in Fairbanks; it also meant maybe keeping my stuff in storage and going and doing something like being a camp counselor for an entire summer, even if I am most likely too old to be a counselor anymore...)



(Canadian traveling. Mount Vernon Tulip Festival. Point Reyes Lighthouse. Santa Cruz Beach Times. Park sunshine in Seattle. Portland Foliage.)

Well, what you plan to happen, and what actually happens is always quiet different I find, So here the scoop on how my trip and summer have actually played out. I drove down the west coast as far as Santa Cruz, where after much thinking/logistics/speaking with friends and my mother,  I decided the best plan of action would be to not drive across country but BACK up the west coast to Seattle, where I would store all the items from my car (in a trailer at my aunts), try and sell my car (success!) and buy one way plane tickets for me and my sister back to South Carolina, where I currently sit. As for this summer, I shall live in SC all summer long, work my ass off (one morning serving job acquired, night serving job still elusive) live rent/car insurance payment free, and save save save all the money I can (while paying off credit cards from travel and my mother) and then come September head back out (most likely west) and settle into the great unknown.


(Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach. Pacific Coast along highway 1)

...But then again, like I stated earlier, what you plan on happening, and what actually does are totally different. A lot can change in four months, so I'll keep you updated.

Fancy Favorites: #18

Oh hey there. Thought I ran out of favorites? NEVER. Here, Folks are things that have caught my eye recently....

I love the shape of these flats, and the basic classic feel to them. They could be a staple in your wardrobe for a while, I'd say. 

I am always a sucker for a new David Sedaris, and this has been officially added to my reading list. (Though I will say, 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' is still by and far my favorite, with 'Holidays on Ice' Coming up a close second.)

Can you imagine this being your 'office' you had to go into each day. What dreams are made of.

Abandoned Barn

Large Offset Lithography Print

Isn't this print great?

I'm not one to wear necklaces, though I secretly wish I was. 'Cause I would totally rock this piece. HARD.

Spring Goals {Recap}

*Finish the book 'Boss of You' and do outlined steps towards a business plan/etc. This book has been by far the easiest to understand in the whole business jargon aspect of creating something from nothing. I am only still on the 4^th chapter, simply b.c I wont let myself read on/ahead without actually implementing the tactics they speak of in collecting data/writing a business plan for an upstart business.

*NOT COMPLETE. At all. This was a library book that I returned, and then bought the digital version for kindle so I could read it on my phone. And haven't looked at it since. I still very much want to accomplish this, but since making these goals, my life kinda took a few twists and turns and some things (THIS) got put on the back burner.

*Keep up with THIS blog. I had just recently not posting in two months. I cant let that happen. Even if it is just two posts a week, I need to make sure the content of this blog stays current, find a voice for this blog, talk about Alaskan adventures/tie it into my work ventures, etc.

*HAHAHAHAHA. Yeah, sooo..... Let's once again give this a go. I keep trying, that has to count for SOMETHING.
*I have at least 4 big DIY before and afters to do, that deal with my future shop. I want to make sure I get these tackled. These wont be until later in the spring, simply b/c a lot of t hem deal with spray paint, and I live in a one room cabin where it is too cold to open the windows and ventilate...haha

*NOT COMPLETED. Man, spring was not my time, goal wise. This once inevitably didn't happen b/c I gave away/sold all my shit and traveled then moved back home for the summer. More on that in my next post though...

*and more on a personal goal level, I want to make sure I am keeping myself healthy/preparing myself for adventure club this summer. SO, I want to make sure I am going to the gym taking a yoga class at least 4 times a week. I have started this habit, but I want to write to you all at the end of the spring and be able to say that minus the 3 weeks in march when I was on vacation, that I kept to this schedule.

*YAY! I did this one! I was really good about gym.working out this spring. Not like 'Now look at my body, 15 pounds lighter!' good, but, I didn't feel like a slug, and I am still going to the gym regularly ( minus all my travel time). So, 1 outta 4 goals, that is..... something, right?