My random trip to Wilmington, NC: Stumbling upon Karen's Cafe and finally seeing The Wall in person!

A week ago (and 1 day...), I was in Wilmington, NC.  I was freaking out about seeing A WALL and I was THISCLOSE to being in a One Tree Hill scene without realizing it while wearing a bathing suit instead of a bra and undies.  I was having a blast and I am sad that I'm not there anymore.  


Here's my recap of it that I wrote approx. 20 minutes after walking into our hotel room last week, while watching The Challenge: Rivals the Aftershow. In case anyone was not aware, I am basically a 15 year old girl ALWAYS AND FOREVER.  Vacation is no exception...in fact I'm worse than usual.


Thursday 7/28/11- 12:30 AM

We ate at the Brewery in downtown Wilmington, where I had delicious pulled pork and sweet potato fries :)

Then we walked along Market Street, and found Water Street beside Cape Fear River.  It was GORGEOUS.  I want to live here, seriously.  We got pictures by the water and of the navel boat in the river.  I found the waterfront boardwalk/pier type thing on Water Street that is used in Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill scenes, I believe. 

We found a cute shop that sells Dawson’s Creek and OTH shirts, so I debated on buying those.  Of course the OTH shirt I loved was a medium (too large) and the DC shirt I loved was a size s (possibly too small).  We found the wall that Pacey buys for Joey (I think...it’s painted now and looks different, I hope it was the right wall, haha).  

I fangirled a lot.  We walked back over to The Village Market, and I think that was used in DC at some point. :) We randomly walked down Front Street again, and this is where it gets EXCITING.  

We were strolling along and suddenly a police man told us to please cross the street since they were shooting.  Suddenly we see KAREN’S CAFE aka one of the most famous locations from OTH! OMGOSH I FREAKED OUT.  THere were girls on the corners watching, and I heard someone say they saw Tyler or something.  TYLER MEANING TYLER HILTON AKA MY LOOOOVE.  So I wanted to stay, but Rebecca was dizzy and wanted to walk to see the Cotton Exchange place.  I got a quick pic of me with Karen’s Cafe behind me, then we walked down there.  We saw a bunch of girls standing around, and trailers.  THAT MUST BE THE FILM TRAILERS.  So cool.  We walked back because that area was closed, pretty much. 

We stopped by Karen’s Cafe (across the street, of course) and waited.  Rebecca asked some woman if she knew if Tyler HIlton was filming, she said yes.  She said they were breaking around 8 (it was after 8) but she didn’t know when they actually would.  We thought there were fans REALLY close but they turned out to be extras.  I decided we could walk on since I looked GROSS and didn’t want to bother Tyler when he finally was finished.  So we walked across the street, thinking they weren’t filming there...but as we were walking across, we heard a voice say something about ending that scene.  Soooo we might have almost been seen walking across the street on OTH.  Cool.  Then we stopped for a few minutes, discussing what we should do...but apparently we were still in the scene, so a man said we had to walk across the street or go to some store.  Okay.  So I decided we should just walk back to the store with the shirts, and buy them.  I bought a OTH shirt and DC shirt since that experience just happened.  Rebecca got a tshirt for 1/2 off, since I bought 2.  :) The store clerk told me that tons of people buy OTH and DC things, so I felt less dorky.  She was very sweet and helpful. We got a picture on the waterfront together, and some awesome girls took it for us.  They were wearing 23 shirts, so I asked if that was OTH related.  They said yes, and so I told them about what had just happened to us.  They didn’t know they were filming, so they appreciated that info.  People in Wilmington are just so nice.Then we walked back to 2nd Str. where we parked, and we hit the road.  

Today I found out that Tyler HIlton played some songs for fans who were waiting outside of where they were filming today. This is why I think he is such a fantastic guy.  This is why I travel hundreds of miles to go to one of his shows, why I will watch literally any tv show or movie he is involved with, and why I will buy all of his music.  He also happens to be an incredibly talented musician, versatile actor (he's always playing douches, so obviously he's a GREAT actor because he's the nicest guy in the entire world IRL), super sexy and gorgeous, the nicest celebrity I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, and my favorite boy in the entire world (excluding my dad, my nephew, and my dog because let's face it, they can do no wrong).  

Wow, that was a bunch of rambling.  I'm done, but let's just reiterate this: I love Wilmington and I want to go back immediately, I am destined to act like a dorky teenager my whole life, and Tyler HIlton is the perfect man.  :)

I just joined Pinterest and I'm already ADDICTED.

Here's my Pinterest....http://pinterest.com/kaslie/

Please follow me so I feel less lame. :)

Recipe!

I am back from vacation! I am attempting to write about the trip, but if you know me, you know that I'm a huge procrastinator and it will probably take a few days.


Today I decided to make something sweet after my dinner.  I don't usually bake or cook, but I decided that today I would. I found a recipe for Pine Bark...it's a chocolatey, kind of toffee dessert.  It's YUMMY.  Keep in mind it was my first time making it, so this recipe might need some revamping, but I liked them.

Pine Bark
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips or morsels OR 1/2 (6 oz.) bag if you don't have a giant sweet tooth like me
Saltine crackers


Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil on the sides and bottom.  Cover the bottom of the sheet with one layer of saltines, making sure to put the salty side up.  Melt butter in a pan, then add brown sugar and boil for 2-3 minutes.  Pour sugar mixture over the crackers, spreading it well so all crackers are covered.  Bake for 7 minutes at 400 degrees.  Take out of oven and immediately spread chocolate chips over the sheet, making sure to spread evenly using a knife (it will melt).  Put in fridge for an hour, then break into pieces. Enjoy!


I put mine back in the fridge after I was done eating it, because it seemed to be melting a bit.  Hopefully it will be fine tomorrow. :)


It's just perfect if you're in the mood for something sweet and something salty.  Perfect blend of both.  Love it.

"Nick Carter is on drugs!"

(The title is a quote from Rebecca...because Nick Carter was CRAZY at the concert and kept running around everywhere, acting like a loon.  IT WAS SO HILARIOUS. As far as I know, he's not on drugs. If he is, don't tell me because that would make me sad. Ok.)

Hello!

I'm getting ready to hit the road to go to my friend Rebecca's house for a sleepover. :) We're off to Myrtle Beach in the morning for a few days!

I AM EXCITED. I always miss the beach when I'm not right there in the sand and watching the waves crash on the shore.  I'm a big fan of the ocean and sand and digging in the sand making sand castles and collecting seashells...not such a big fan of getting a fishing hook in my foot like that one time when I was with my family in the Outer Banks....

In other exciting news I went to see NKOTBSB on Wednesday with my best friend and her sister (also the one I'm going with to Myrtle Beach).  I was obsessed with BSB before I switched teams and went nuts for NSYNC, and I still think Brian is the sweetest thing, and we LOVE boybands, so we were very nostalgic and excited and giddy.  Rebecca used to be in love with Joey McIntyre, so basically we were all very crazy, haha.  Rebecca found us all shirts on Ebay, and we were awesome enough to wear our (vintage) shirts to the concert.  :) We're so cool.

We left around 5 to get to Louisville...we stopped to pee once, and we stopped at McAlister's to get some dinner.  We played BSB most of the way there, and Rachel and I reminisced about old concerts we had been to.  I miss being 12, a lot.

Here are some pictures:

This is Rebecca in her old school BSB shirt that is AWESOME and VERY BLUE. :)

Rachel being excited! Woohoo

We were very nervous because we had nosebleed seats and were at the VERY TOP of the arena.  SCARY

Haha, our silly picture :)

Probably taken during a NKOTB segment when I didn't know any of the words

Rebecca and I in our shirts! Love it.

Maybe I'll write about the concert another time...I'll just say that it was THE MOST RIDICULOUS CONCERT I'VE EVER BEEN TO.  And yes, it needs to be stated in all caps.  RIDICULOUS.  I almost died from shock at least 5 times, hahahaha.  So scandalous at times.  But so much fun! I miss the 80s (and 90s since that was really my decade, let's face it) and boybands and being 12 years old.  My childhood is disappearing.

AHHH I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE BEACH.  If you want, you can send up a little prayer or something that I meet a cute Christian boy at the beach who doesn't live super far away, hahaha.  :) 

Books, books, books...I love books!

Happy 4th of July! What a great day to reflect on past and present soldiers who fought and even died to protect our country and allow us to live in freedom.  America is blessed, and I am blessed.  Thank you, soldiers.


Anyway.  My day is pretty boring...okay, that's a lie.  The past 2 days in general have been boring.  I've been sick since Friday, but Saturday is when it really hit me.  I've been holed up in my house since Saturday, watching Dawson's Creek and the Twilight movies (they were on tv, okay...at least I don't own them), eating weird food that my dad makes me (pigs in a blanket, less than 1/2 of an egg slathered in cheese...), and half-heartedly cleaning my room.  I AM ABOUT TO GO INSANE.  I need stimulation.  


I am BORED.  So I figured I'd write about the books I'm currently reading (there are quite a few...I have book ADD, I'm convinced) because I'm a book nerd and there is nothing else to do.

BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY READING:
* Water for Elephants - I started this today, actually.  I bought it with the great idea to start a book club (Savannah is the only one interested it seems, and she can't find the book...) and read it slowly and ask lots of questions and really delve into it.  Yeah.  We'll see about that.  I read 1 chapter, wrote down some thoughts, and stopped.  I figure I'll wait for Savannah, or at least try to...


* Mistress Pat - This is the sequel to Pat of Silver Bush, a novel written by L.M.Montgomery of Avonlea fame. I LOVE L.M.M.  She is a wonderful author.  I'm stuck around page 60...it's just so long.  The language is so flowery and prose-y that I get bored.  I have to be in a certain mood to read this.  It IS good, don't get me wrong.  There's just not that much ACTION, you know.  


* Gone with the Wind - This is my yearly re-read (although I'm not sure I read it last year...I started it but never finished)...I've been dragging on reading it, though.  It's one of those books that I have to be in a mood to read, but once I start, I literally can't put it down.  IT IS SO GOOD.  Favorite book in the world, forever and ever.  Yup.


* The Pillars of the Earth - I started this at the pool back during Memorial Day weekend.  My friend brought a book with her, and I hate laying out with nothing to read so I started it.  It intrigued me, so I found it on Amazon for like $3 and bought it.  I'm less than 100 pages into it, but I'm hoping to get more interested soon.  


* Eclipse - I was halfway finished with this book when I moved back home, and it's at Kelly's.  So that means I'm probably finished reading it (but I've read it once before).  Rebecca is letting me borrow Breaking Dawn, so I'll start that soon.  I'm mostly re-reading them because I forgot how awful they are and I am reading Mark Reads Twilights so I needed to remember the suck-i-tude.  


I also have a summer reading list of books I'm interested in reading and hope to get around to reading soon:


* The Giver- No, I've never read this book.  DON'T YELL AT ME.  I know I need to read it, and I will...someday.


* Catch-22- I don't know anything about this book, but I know it's on all of the Best Books of All Time lists, so I should read it, I suppose.


* The Poisonwood Bible


* The Hunger Games


* The Perks of Being a Wallflower


* The Handmaid's Tale


That's about all for now, but I'd appreciate any suggestions.  

My nanny adventure is almost complete.

I have been living with Kelliott and Alice as Alice's nanny for 4-ish months (give or take a week here or there, haha).  I moved in on Feb 20, I think, and my last day here will be Friday, July 1.  


It's been a great experience.  Before Kelly mentioned needing to find someone to watch Alice while Elliott worked and she went to class, I literally had nothing to do work-wise.  I was babysitting once a week for this adorable boy, but it was like $40/week.  That's pretty much nothing.  It was driving me crazy not working at all.  Also, I really like to be around children, because it's my passion and they make my day better.  My mom was going to kill me if I didn't get a job soon.  
I'm so glad that this ended up working out.  Kelly was super busy with medical school, and Elliott was super busy with night classes and work during the day.  Alice is very active, and there was no way that Kelly could do all the studying she needed if she had to watch Alice after her classes and at night.  Elliott needed a job during the day.  Daycare is not a good option under 1, since babies need to form a secure attachment with the caretaker.  


When I started, Alice was only 10 months old.  She couldn't really walk.  Her favorite game was to hold her arms above her head until you did too.  She could still fit in her bear suit that helped her sleep.  There were countless days when the only way she'd sleep was in her suit, sweating up a storm, and not being able to move her legs or arms.  Often I wouldn't be able to move, I'd have to watch movies or shows on my tv while she laid in my arms.  We went to Florida with Kelly for spring break.  She was enrolled in a music class that we went to every Wednesday (I only went 4 times, but she went almost every week).  We went to storytime at a local library, which she loved.  Hopefully we'll get a chance to go on Thursday for the last time.  We went to the zoo and the park and she loves to swing, but she doesn't like the slide much.  She knows so many signs, and it's easy to tell when she's hungry, thirsty, wet, or just fussy (due to teething or ear infections or growing pains).  Alice is now 14 months old (closer to 15 months, though) and she can walk like a pro.  She loves being outside, she loves water, and she loves loves LOVES the dogs.  She will sit at the end of the hallway with a calculator and her water bottle for a long time, just talking to herself and maybe poking her leg.  She claps when she does something exciting or something she's proud of.  She can color, but I think she gets bored easily with that.  She is in this great stage right now where she is always busy, always playing, and always grinning.  She is so much fun!  


I will always treasure this time that I got to spend with Alice.  She is such a great little girl! :) I'm also so grateful to Kelly and Elliott for letting me stay in their home and share their life for a little while.  

I was learning how to wear Alice in a wrap :)

On the way to storytime at the library

She used to only sleep in my arms.

The 1st time at the zoo by ourselves :)

Alice in the Star Wars shirt I bought her.  She's going to be such a nerd and I love it.

Alice on the beach.

I couldn't even move this day...

She loved playing with Fritz in Laura's backyard.

Clapping...she loves clapping.

Pretty Alice posing on the beach.

Laura, Alice, Kasi, and Kelly.  

Alice eating raisins outside this spring.

Sick Alice on April Fool's Day while we were waiting for Kelly's exams to be over.

Photo shoot at the park!

Alice at her birthday party! 1 year old :)

Alice came over during my family's Easter celebration (she was very very tired).

Alice at the nature walk by the zoo (taken by Instagram)

Photo shoot at the park by the zoo.

Kisses for Miss Kasi <3

I'm 24 going on 13...

Hi! I've been a slacker at writing in this thing...it's terrible.  Hello June, you are half over and I'm just now writing my first post of the month.

Really, June has been lovely so far. I saw my niece and nephew, I went to Chattanooga, and I came back to Louisville to watch Alice until the end of the month.

This weekend has been strangely non-busy.  The past few weekends I've been busy constantly, so it's very nice to have nothing to do.  Last night I came home, ate dinner, and watched lots of Dawson's Creek (WHY IS PACEY WITTER NOT A REAL BOY AND WHY ISN'T HE IN LOVE WITH ME? He is literally my dream boy- along with Gilbert Blythe and Theodore Lawrence-) and ate peanut butter cookies. Perfect night, in my opinion.  Today I had time to read some blogs I love, I had a nice dinner with my dad, and I got caught up on 16 and Pregnant and General Hospital.  I'm lame, but I'm okay with it.

I'm eating a banana right now, because I just worked out and I'm trying to avoid eating junk food after doing all that work.  I walked 1 mile and danced for 30 minutes...yay me.  I really just want some ice cream or Tootsie Rolls or these awesome chips my dad bought for my mom that are southwest cheddar (they are SO addicting, I would eat the entire bag).  UGHHHH.  Plus I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to raw bananas (and carrots and melons and a million other fruits...) so my throat will start hurting right about....NOW.  Yup, right on time.  I wish I liked fruits and that they didn't make me hurt.  :( :( :(

I really want to write about Amanda's wedding, and Chattanooga, and post pictures, but really we'll just see about that. Maybe I'll be inspired tomorrow before Father's Day festivities begin.

Also because I'm a teenybopper...the only thing that managed to pump me up for the last 3 minutes of my walk (and actually encouraged me to RUN) was Bye Bye Bye by Nsync.  I MISS THEM, I WISH THEY WOULD GET BACK TOGETHER AND TOUR.  Okayyyy, that's all.

1 month 2 days until NKOTBSB concert in Louisville!! WOOHOO!!!! I'm being such a 13 year old girltoday, and I really don't care what anyone thinks.  :)