Life in the Lowcountry: October 2017

Since I moved to South Carolina, my road trips became limited. For starters, I lost my roadtrip buddy and really a reason to go anywhere. I mean I live 10 minute from the beach, what more do I need?

Previous road trip memory lane...

This girl to my left and I have been numerous places on the east side of the nation, BUT this November we're packing our bags and heading out west to...

CALIFORNIA!

Primarily Disneyland (ahhh!) but a few other locations will be on the CA tour. I've already mapped out how long it would take us to drive to Laguna Beach, home of my favorite TV show during high school. I'm also interested in finding The Bachelor Mansion. If anyone knows already, shoot me a message. My sister and I are big college football fans, so I also wouldn't mind driving up to Pasadena to see the Rose Bowl stadium. Might be a long haul, but we'll see. Suggestions of things to do, places to visit, people to see are always welcome! Also I guess I should mention we aren't actually road tripping, we're flying. Realistically I don't have two weeks worth of vacation to make that drive- but one day it'll happen!

What else is new with me? Oh yeah, I served at another specials needs camp with the church I'm a part of! This day camp is just a morning/afternoon camp where we get to hang out a local horse farm here in Charleston! We did lots of sidewalk chalk, crafts, and playing ball. The farm lets us decorate the horses with a special paint they have, so the kids had a lot of fun doing that. We finished the painting with a good ol' fashion parade! After all the horses were cleaned up, we headed out to see the farm pig. The pig wasn't all that interested in hanging around anyone, unless they had carrots.

In other news, the OSU alumni club I'm in is hosting a tailgate on Saturday, October 28 and ya girl will be DJ'ing! lol~ and when I say DJ'ing, I mean I will have control of the playlist and make announcements on a microphone when needed. We'll be having a cornhole tournament, $3 beverages, food, Samuel Adams beer samples and more! Should be a good time, so message if you're interested in more details!

Our kickball team is getting ready to start our third season! Wahoo! This is our season, I have a strong feeling...

It's still pretty warm in Charleston and I'm trying my best to not just wear my favorite sweaters and wool skirts anyway BUT IT'S GETTING IMPOSSIBLE.

I've somehow managed to wean myself off of listening to 90's music 24/7. (even if Third Eye Blind will be in town next week!) Back on my country music kick. Maybe it's because I know the Coastal Carolina Fair is coming up??? And for the record, southern fairs are NOTHING like midwest fairs. Last year I couldn't wait to step foot into the livestock barn... except it was literally a litter of piglets, 5 brahman cattle (random, in my opinion), and I think two rabbits? The ride and fair food scene was decent at least. They also had a mechanical bull that I'm pretty sure I could ride for 8 seconds! (Anyone else remember Pike County Fair 2006??) Maybe I can round up the troops for a road trip to the fair!?... *cough, cough, Jasmine*

A Halloween party with the squad is in the making, but I still haven't confirmed what I want to be! I have a few ideas, but I always think of "something better" the night before. Send me some ideas, people!

Life in the Lowcountry: September 2017

So I'm kind of bad at this whole updating you on my life thing. I guess that's what happens when you work full time, move houses, road trip to Ohio, entertain friends at said new house, dodge a hurricane, have your family in town, and are in a sports social league. Did I also mention that it's officially College Football season?

So here's a little bit of an update on what I've been up to...

Since our kickball team did decent at the end of last season, we decided to move into a harder league. I'm just thankful to get out of the house and play some sort of competitive sport again. We finished out the season losing a double header, but I turned a double play so praise I still got it! HA! #Bad&Boozy will be back next season!

Since around June, I knew that my sister had tickets to THE game of the season- Oklahoma at Ohio State. Naturally she was going to take me, but due to shipping deadlines at work, me making the 10 hour trip back to Columbus just wasn't in the books. Luckily someone called Irma showed up and the weekend freed up a little. Did the drive back to Columbus suck? Yes. Did the actual game suck? Yes. But whatever ...at me haters! So regardless of the game outcome, I'm happy I was able to make the trip with this gal and see my family in the process. It's also starting to get a little fall in Ohio, so the cool weather was refreshing!

While I was home I also got to hang with my brother and his bees. Lol, yes, he's a beekeeper! Here are two of his hives. I think by next summer he plans on having enough honey to sell. Tbd...

We also got a new fire pit at our crib! They said roasting hot dogs and s'mores could not be done on it, but we proved them wrong! Ha! Now if would just get a little cooler every night so we weren't actually roasting as well.

I'm also an official member of the Ohio State Alumni Club of Charleston! Every gameday we have a watch party at SportsBook of Charleston. Any Buckeye fans in Charleston reading this- hit me up! We're also planning a fun tailgate for the Penn State game and a brewery tour, so that's just some of the fun activities we'll be doing this fall!

Shipped another issue of Grand Strand magazine! Our October/November issue is filled with the best places to eat in the Myrtle Beach area, so you should probably snag a copy for your next road trip to the Grand Strand.

Shipped another issue of Grand Strand magazine! Our October/November issue is filled with the best places to eat in the Myrtle Beach area, so you should probably snag a copy for your next road trip to the Grand Strand.

Our friend and coworker, Nate, and his sister had a concert at the Pour House where they blew the roof off with their amazing voices! Here's me and my friends Ruby and Bryce! We also celebrated Ruby's birthday this night, but for some reason I didn't take any photos.

Finished the month off at an event called Whiskey After Dark. My roommate works at The Local Palate magazine, who hosted the party. It was beyond hot, so drinking whiskey was literally mission impossible for me, but the event was great and so were the people. Thanks stronza for taking me! ;)

And that pretty much sums up my month with a few trips to the beach and DIY projects thrown in there!

So cheers to October and *cooler* weather, amiright?

Local Vibes

One year ago I packed my car (my mom's car, too), said goodbye to my family, my friends, my dog, my state and drove around eleven hours to my new home. We arrived to Charleston around 10p.m., so unpacking the cars was out of the question. Nonetheless, the guy I was subleasing from had left the keys under the front door mat (safe, right?), so we drove over to take a peak inside. The apartment was located in downtown Charleston, so it had a keycode you needed in order to enter. I didn't know the keycode. Luckily someone was leaving the sidegate, so I slipped in behind them and pretended I knew what I was doing! Ha! My plan was working until I realized I didn't know how to actually get back out of the gate and had to ask some random stranger that apparently didn't even live there. When I finally figured out what the heck was going, I went to find my new crib. The first apartment I came upon had about fifteen palmetto bugs lining the top of the front door. I squealed when I looked down to see one running right under my feet. What had I got myself into? I didn't have an actual conversation with someone until a week later when I started work. (Unless you count chatting with an Old Navy worker a conversation?)  I spent my free days before work lounging on the beach and exploring my new city. I was (still am) obsessed with downtown Charleston, even if I am seeing and going to the same places. I made friends at work, but it wasn't until a month later when a new intern started and demanded that the out-of-staters should start hanging out more. And that was the beginning of eating our way thru Charleston, trips to the beaches, midnight swims and crab hunting, nights of trivia, karaoke, and dancing while drinking cheap drinks. I've been to "The Bachelor" casting calls, local brand and store launch parties, cannonballed into the Charleston Harbor, sat by the runway of Charleston Fashion Week, *partied* with "Southern Charm" cast members, toured the harbor during sunset, ran the Cooper River Bridge Run, survived a hurricane and so many other incredible things within the last year of living in the Lowcountry. Cheers to one year and hopefully more months of exciting adventures! P.S.- Can I officially be a local now?

From Trash to House

So I’m sort of a notorious do-it-yourselfer. Ok, actually I’m a pull-it-out-of-the-trash-then-figure-out what-I’m-going-to-do-with-it-selfer. I’m a ‘trasher’, perhaps? From old dressers that only have two out of the five drawers that open, to random deer antlers on the side of the road- if it looks like trash, I’ll take it. When I would call home, my grandpa would always ask "what object did you pull out of the trash this week." I can't help it, my sister is the same way. Must be genetics from our grandpa, because the man has multiple barns full of treasures. My current project actually came from where I work. Our upstairs studio doesn’t just house lighting equipment, it also housed random desks that no one used anymore and odd shaped cabinets that were probably once used for storing old magazines. Honestly, who knows? When we had our studio’s ceiling revamped a few months ago (thanks Hurricane Matthew) our art team was like “I think it’s time we cleaned some stuff out.” Although I didn’t technically pull this piece from the dumpster behind our office like I did my bedroom end table, I did save her from going to the dumpster! So here she is! (seriously unsure why I keep referring to it as a her?) A once random shelf for office equipment turned into a new living room bar cart.  I sort of started first with painting the legs gold, then moved on to painting the body white. Since taping  and spraying the white portion wasn’t really working that well (a serious pain), we tried just using a basic white acrylic paint approach. Which seemed to work…8 coats later. I decided to only paint one door since I planned to leave the inside shelves visible for cute bar carty things. I left the back of the cart unpainted. Not quite sure if I like it yet? Thoughts? The top of the cart and shelves were replaced with real marble. HA, jk. I used marble contact paper that was purchased at Lowe's Home Improvement and I’m literally trying to think of what else I can use it for! Everything, probably. I love it that much. Voila, finished product! So what do you think? Next time your office is getting rid of some random piece of furniture, stop and say “what can I turn this into?” That’s typically what I do.

National Ag Day

Happy #NationalAgricultureDay, y'all! It seems my entire life was built around agriculture. I was born in rural southern Ohio, in a small town (village, actually) that is literally surrounded by row crops. I remember being younger and sitting on our front porch watching the combines drive by, going from one field to the other. I remember passing the sprayers on the highway and thinking they were something from the movie Star Wars. Although my parents weren't farmers, my grandpa was. Growing up there was always cattle (until they hit the market), tons of chickens (always fresh eggs), 4-H hogs during the spring and summer, a garden full of vegetables and baling hay in the summer. Since I was younger, my family was always involved with 4-H, an educational program for youth to help build skills like responsibility and hard work with hands on projects. 4-H was literally a family affair for us. My parents were advisors for our club, as well as mentors for our projects. My Mam (grandma) would always come down to our house during the summer to help my sister and I with our sewing projects and my Papaw (grandpa) always helped us with our livestock projects. Since my mom was a home economics major in college, she was also able to help us with our sewing and nutrition projects. During the summers we would spend every Sunday weighing and washing hogs while enjoying pizza from Little Caesars. I learned at a young age that although my pigs were my pets, they were also my food. While in 4-H, I literally met lifelong best friends. We would spend weekends cleaning out cattle stalls or riding four wheelers through the pastures, and when fair time came along the entire week was dedicated to hanging out with our friends, as long as we weren't tending to our animals. ;) Fair week turned into livestock judging contests. Spending an hour or so in a truck just so we could go evaluate different types of animals. As I got older, I knew my 4-H career would be ending once I left for college. I ended up choosing a major at a school that specialized in agriculture, basically so I could still be involved somehow with my "4-H roots". Every classmate and friend I made my first year away at school was essentially just like me. We all had similar backgrounds; 4-H, FFA, farming, and a passion for "feeding the world". After a change of my major, I felt like I finally found my calling with my new chosen major: agricultural communication. Now that doesn't mean I go out whispering to corn or talking to cows, agricultural communicators are more than that. We're the ones bridging the gap between consumers and producers. I like to think we're sort of the middle man, the ones who know all the nitty gritty details of the agricultural industry but can tell the farmer's story when they just can't form the story themselves. My time at Ohio State's agricultural college, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, taught me so much. I was still involved in clubs and organizations that focused hard on the agricultural industry. I completed internships that were focused on promoting agricultural commodities while I worked with the top dawg professionals nationwide. My classes were focused around teaching us to be designers, leaders, storytellers, and communicators. As ag communicators, we wear many hats at our jobs. I traveled to conferences in distant states just to talk and learn from other students who shared the same passion for ag that I did. After graduation, I took my first job with a production company that focused primarily on promoting agricultural commodities. We filmed for numerous commodities nationwide. I've been on ranches in the middle of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, farrowing barns in northwestern Ohio, pastures in the middle of a snowstorm during calving season, oil rigs in the hollers of Pennsylvania, and no access zones of bull pens just to get the shot of collecting semen. (Yep, you read that right!) Although my current job is anything but related to agriculture, the industry is still a part of me. I always cherish the snapchats my friends send me when they're in the fields or at a livestock show. I always take my time when I run by the carriage tour horse stalls in downtown Charleston. I love supporting local farmers, but also support larger "corporation" farms. I don't eat organic, but support those farmers who cater to that lifestyle. I don't buy meat that's "antibiotic free" because honestly, I'd rather eat an animal that was treated if it was sick as opposed to not treated, that's just common animal welfare. And I'd much rather see an animal safe in a barn than living in outside below zero degree Midwest weather conditions. Sorry, Chipotle. I'm a firm believer that farmers and ranchers do care about the food they are producing for the world, because they eat the same food that you do. So here I am, just a small-town rural Ohio kid living the life working at a lifestyle magazine of one of the most tourist destinations in the world. Am I a real life Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama or ? Thank you to all of my friends, family, and people I haven't met who dedicate their time/lives providing food to the world. I'll forever share your story!

New Crib, Who Dis

There comes a time in everyone’s life when their landlord tells them they need to move out because their apartment is getting demolished and replaced with a hotel, right? Just me, ok. Back in August when the lease I took over started to expire, I went to my leasing office to let them know I wanted to start paying month to month. That’s when they let me know my wonderfully downtown located apartment would no longer be around. Naturally I began to worry about where I was going to live. At the time, all my summer friends had just gone back to their states for jobs or school and everyone at my work was slowly starting to leave. Being ten hours from home, I was literally alone. Who would help me find somewhere new? I was spoiled by living downtown just off the infamous King Street, so moving anywhere else just wasn’t an option. If I did find somewhere, who would help me move? Numbers of questions filled my mind as I lay awake freaking out over what to do. Luckily it was only August, and I had until May to be moved out. Here we are seven months later, in my new crib, and still downtown. Bless up. My current apartment was a small studio, but lawddddd the amount of stuff I acquired the last few months. Luckily my new South Carolina besties had my back and offered to help me move. I had already been loading my car down with boxes, but there are only so many trips up and down three flights of stairs you can make until you’re like “I’m waiting for the truck.” After a few (ok, more than a few) trips between places, I am FINALLY in my new place. Although most of the place is still covered in boxes and we only have a limited amount of furniture, this new adventure with my brunettes I’m sure will be an exciting one. Casshhh us on Instagram, how ba dah? Also, I appreciate lots of snail mail and the occasional visitor. DM me if ya need my new address!

A Night to Shine

Two years ago I came across the Tim Tebow Foundation. It was right before the foundation had their first annual Night to Shine prom for people with special needs. I knew that I had to attend. I made the two and a half hour drive to the closest church that was hosting one of the proms, where I knew not one person. I’ll admit that I was nervous and scared going somewhere by myself, but I also knew this night wasn’t about me. It was about all the prom goers that would soon be arriving on the red carpet. One year later I recruited my sister to tag along with me to a different church. By the second year, the number of churches that had become hosts for the event had doubled the number from the first year. Although we didn’t know anyone at this church other than ourselves, I was still beyond excited to attend!This year was no different. I had been researching potential churches in the area before I moved to Charleston, just to see if there would be something near my new location. I found a church that was actually a quick, less than ten-mile drive from my office. While this church was quite larger than the previous churches I volunteered at, my excitement was the same. February 10 finally came. Prom night. Like the year before, I recruited my sister to also be a volunteer. She made the ten hour drive, arriving in Charleston two hours before we had to arrive at the church, what commitment! After leaving work, we arrived just in time to be split into groups, take our spot on the red carpet, and put on our paparazzi hats. Every volunteer wore multiples hats that evening. Paparazzi, professional dancers and singers, and most importantly- buddies. We lined the red carpet as our prom goers started to arrive. Everyone was dressed to a T in three-piece suits, crowns, jewels and sequins. We even had Elvis in attendance. Since the church I was buddying at also had an event for children 16 and under, even the little ones were dressed in their ties and fancy dresses.  We’d been greeting guests for about twenty minutes when I spotted the cutest man in a red sweater dancing on the carpet. I’m pretty sure he was even moving it like Bern, my ultimate go-to dance move. As he made his way down the carpet, I could see the excitement on his face when he abruptly stopped beside my sister and held out his arm ready to escort her. He had claimed her as his date for the night! My sister went off to the dance leaving me to hang with my fellow paparazzi friends. A little while later it got darker and colder and I started to wonder if I would become a buddy with someone or not, when next thing I knew I was being paired up with someone. This sweet little blonde was by my side in a cute black dress and sparkly silver flats. When we arrived inside I was instructed that we’d also be hanging out with her best friend and her fellow buddy. The four of us headed off to dinner. The girls chowed down on barbeque while we had a surprise visit from some Disney princesses. After dinner, we hit the dance floor. The girls were hilarious! Always high fiving and doing funny dances. Apparently my dance moves weren’t as cool because I was old! (hehe) When One Direction’s "Best Song Ever" came on, I thought they were going to go crazy. They both started squealing and singing as loud as possible. (not saying I wasn’t doing the same!) The girls loved 1D- especially Harry and Zayn. Earlier in the evening we tried to convince them into doing karaoke, but neither were having it. After 1D played, I think we were slyly able to talk them into singing another song in front of people. So the four of us headed off to the karaoke room! We waited in line listening to others sing songs like “I Got You Babe” “Let It Go” and “Sweet Home Alabama”. Finally it was the girls turn to sing their pick- “Drag Me Down” by 1D. In addition to knowing all the words, they also had some dance moves incorporated into their performance, including a DAB at the end of the song. Another move of mine. Before our night ended, we watched some more friends sing karaoke, popped into the photo booth for some candid shots (the girls threw up the peace signs of course), and we even hit up the main dance floor to bust out some moves. By this time my sister had found us and the girls had ran into some of their friends from the church. Our dance squad grew in numbers! I think the girls started to get embarrassed when I started doing the robot (another old people move). By this time the parentals had arrived and it was time to say our goodbyes. We took more selfies together, did some bro-hugs, and as the girls would say it “peaced out”. Like the previous years, I’m always so thankful to attend events like this and help make someone’s evening that more special. Who knows where I’ll be for next year’s Night To Shine! Every year just keeps getting better and better!