february, captured #1.

after missing the party that was fat mum slim's photo-a-day challenge for january, i decided to hop on the train for february's. i plan to do a post every monday, sharing my photos from the week. i'll be linking up with fat mum slim, for the challenge, as well as a {little} dash of ash, for instagram mondays.

let the fun begin!

oh! and if you're wondering what software i've used to put this little post together (hint: it's not indesign or photoshop), i will be hosting my very first giveaway later this week. you could win a software suite!

link ups:

february photo-a-day on fat mum slim

instagram monday on a {little} dash of ash

starbucks sunday: caramel frappuccino currents.

currently...

reading sarah morgan: the civil war diary of a southern woman. although i'm not even sure if i can claim that i'm reading this currently. it has been sitting on my bedroom floor (along with the laundry version of mount everest) for about a week & a half. i really need to pick up our next book club read,  if you need to cry, go outside. i want the reading bug to bite me - i need an escape.

writing tons & tons of to-do lists. i need to set up appointments, start packing up my room, & countless other activities, many of them wedding-related.

listening to & watching the super bowl with my parents. i'm a little sad i missed madonna's performance. i've heard mixed reviews.

thinking about what i want to do with my life. again. it's a never-ending question which i fear will never be answered. also thinking about the vlogs i want to film with my better camera - YAY!

smelling freshly-baked cookies. 

wishing i could shake this annoyed feeling. today has been less than stellar. 

hoping the week ahead proves productive. and that i will be less of a klutz. you know those days where you can't stop running into things, dropping things, & basically just sucking at life? that was me, all of last week.

wearing jeans & a sweatshirt. and i just came from church. i look awesome.

loving this caramel frappuccino.

wanting to get in a better mood.

needing to get in a better mood.

photo: photobooth

friday's fancies #19: spring fever.

friday's fancies #19: spring fever. by siddathornton featuring bright jewelry

and now, all i'm wishing for - truly - is to throw on everything pictured here, 

grab my camera, & go photograph every single lovely thing i can find. 

link-up: friday's fancies at {long distance loving}

carolina new year: the coast is close.

while visiting kinston, i got to experience first-hand just how close to the coast we will be. hop in the car, & our feet can be touching water in new bern in about 37 minutes (yes, indeed, we calculated). and then, if we want a true beach town feel, all we have to do is go just a little further, to morehead city.

y'all... there are boats EVERYWHERE. little surf shops. and little restaurants on the water. we ate at ruddy duck tavern while i was visiting, but i can't wait to go spend weekends there & try some of the other places.

photos: iphone

love lists: january.

january has been a whirlwind month of planning. with a big move coming up, as well as an impending wedding, & you'll understand why i've been a busy, excited girl. although january is definitely one of my least favorite months, i still managed to pull together a list of things i've loved. 

1. bath & body works 'be enchanted' spray.
2. nyc high definition volume mascara.

3. essie 'jag-u-are.'

4. urban decay naked2 palette (esepcially 'ydk').

5. garnier nutritioniste moisture rescue refreshing gel cream.

6. simple jewelry.

7. 'parisian chic,' by ines de la fressange.

8. top knots.

9. c.o. bigelow mentha lip tint in 'violet mint.'

10. revlon lip butter in 'pink truffle.'

also, since i enjoyed filming my first ever vlog so much, 

i thought i'd film an accompanying video for my favorites:

here's hoping february is both productive & relaxing.

carolina new year: the main moon effect.

on one of my evenings in kinston, we went to pick up dinner at a little chinese place called main moon. it's a place that justin had told me about on one of our countless phone calls since he moved there. it even became a little joke, since the name of the place is admittedly silly. so, you can imagine my excitement in finally getting to dine at this little hole-in-the-wall myself.

and it really got me thinking: this is the kind of thing i'm looking forward to most about living with justin. the little things we'll get to do together, the little dates we'll get to go on at the drop of a hat, since we'll always be in the same place. the little things we'll be able to celebrate, every single day. i hope that we'll treat many things like the main moon experience: taking something seemingly insignificant, & turning it into something to enjoy, celebrate, & savor. the main moon effect.

when i move to kinston, i will never take being in the same place for granted, ever. because now we have known what it is like to live states apart.

starbucks sunday: justin's iphone artwork.

this particular starbucks sunday is lovely, because right after i pulled out of the drive thru & back onto the open road, i called my sister. 

as i sipped my tall nonfat caramel macchiato (the drink of choice lately, it seems), we talked about millsaps life, things we should be doing but don't feel like, & we laughed about things not fit to be posted on the internet (as per usual). 

this particular starbucks sunday is lovely, because after getting off the phone with my sister, i made a little impromtu pop into walgreens to buy some makeup i've had on my mind for quite some time.

this particular starbucks sunday is lovely, because i am about to share with you some of justin's recent iphone art. get ready, ladies & gentlemen.

perhaps in order for any of this to make sense, you will have had to read this particular post. with my discovery of the emojicons for iphone, a new trend has been born: the moomoo symbol... a little cow. 

needless to say, justin is nothing short of an iphone artist. the barn one has a special place in my heart, because it was the very first i ever received. i find the sailboat particularly impressive, but the tennis depiction is the obvious favorite. i mean, look at their little rackets. how can you say no?

thank you, justin, for keeping me endlessly entertained with your creativity. 

photos: iphone

friday's fancies #18: i'm dreaming...

friday's fancies #18: i'm dreaming... by siddathornton featuring a black sequin dress

today, over on {long distance loving}, {av} has put together a fun little blog swap of sorts. unfortunately, however, i did not sign up in time to be paired up with another friday's fancies faithful. but that's ok, because i have cooked up a little black dress post for this week - & it's safe to say i will now be admiring all of these selections from afar for a very long time! i am especially loving the sparkles & lace accents. the preppy items shouldn't be overlooked, though... they are begging for a place in my closet as well.

here's to the weekend!

link-up: friday's fancies at {long distance loving}

book club: to kill a mockingbird.

last night, i attended my second-to-last shreveport book club meeting, before i move to kinston.

the meeting was held at diane's, & right upon walking up to her front door, i was greeted with this cute chalkboard illustration. diane is such a crafty gal, so i wasn't surprised to see such a nice touch.

since our bookclub likes to coordinate the cuisine of the night to the book we've read for the month, southern fare was the obvious choice this time. from the fried chicken, greens, homemade potato salad, & avocado-laden goodies... to the lemon bars, french king cake, red velvet treats, & chocolate chip cookies, there was not a dish i did not try or did not like. this group of girls knows their cooking!

embarrassingly enough, i did not make time to read to kill a mockingbird this month. but it was not without effort - every time i went to the library, it was closed for a different holiday. i suppose i could have popped into barnes & noble, but i never did.

but the enlightening dicussion we had in relation to this classic has piqued my interest once again. i do remember reading this book in middle school, & now i have a hankering to read it again. we'll see.

it should go without saying that one of the things i'll miss most about shreveport when i make my way up to kinston, is book club. i look back on this past year, & these meetings with these lovely, creative ladies yield nothing but fond memories. and i certainly think that is something to be thankful for. so, thank you, girls!

photo: iphone

carolina new year: new year. new bern.

after i arrived in raleigh a little before noon on new year's eve & we made the trek over to kinston, we relaxed for a while before getting ready for a dinner in the neighboring town of new bern.

to get to new bern from kinston, you drive east for about 28 minutes (give or take), then you are on the water. there are boats everywhere, & even though it was cold on that new year's even night, i insisted we walk by the docks & take in the sights. i love being on the water. 

we ate at persimmons waterfront restaurant. it was cozy & delicious (and i thought i saw robert deniro, my favorite). i can't wait to go back!

when midnight actually rolled in, we celebrated by watching the ball drop on tv as we lounged on the couch together, eating donuts & drinking chocolate milk - who said we don't know how to have fun?

photos: iphone

carolina new year: the arrival.

i set out in the wee hours of the morning

on new years eve, a saturday,

bound for raleigh, north carolina.

& as the wheels touched down, i realized -

this place will be my new home.

as i passed through the arrival gate

of the serene, modern - beautiful - RDU,

i was happy to see justin waiting for me

at the airport starbucks.

we chose our lattes - our fraps,

and departed for lunch.

woody's at city market was our

restaurant of choice - burritos & sandwiches.

then, it was finally time to head to kinston -

finally time to see where justin had been

living & working all this time without me.

i was so excited to see what kinston

simply felt like.

and i have to say - i'm happy with what i found.

photos: iphone