Check It

Lookie here!!! I got tagged by HotChildInTheCity to join the "Pretty Mafia". I am SO NOT preppy by any means...well maybe a little...I did go to U of R. But I definitely dig the whole mafia thing. So, without further adieu, I give you my fantabulous answers to these very random questions.

1. Who is your style icon?
I really don't have a style icon that I look up to (I'm really not fashionable at all...nor do I really care to be...it just isn't in me!). I like to look put together, but I'm not crazy about labels, fashion, and all that jazz. I do think my bff Mandy has fabulous style though!! So she wins. 

Fabulous.

2. What is your favorite socialite lit book?
I'm not sure I really understand the question...socialite lit?? A Google search didn't even help me on this one. The closest thing on my bookshelf to preppy literature is David Sedaris. If you don't believe me, go out and buy the book "Me Talk Pretty One Day". 


3. Favorite party theme?
Any party thrown on the 400 block at U of R during the 2006-2007 school year. A few themes of note: XXX-Mas, Breaking of Spring, Tanzanian Independence Day, and Trick-or-Trashed (sorry family - that sounds much more vulgar than it really was). 

4. Go to Halloween costume?
Anything DIY. I refuse to buy a pre-made Halloween costume. BORING!! I particularly enjoy costumes that involve multiple people and parts. This past year my friends and I were ice cream flavors and sprinkles (and Deuce was the banana). Put it all together and you have a banana split. 
I will never have a go-to costume because it is mandatory for me to create a new costume each year. Talk about pressure...
HOWEVER. You really can't beat the "pillow case dress" style - anything is possible with a pillowcase.

Happy banana.

5. Extravagance you cannot live without?
Hmmm...tampons?? Ok that was gross, sorry. But really - those little lifesavers are not universally available and would be considered an extravagance to some...
Superficially speaking, I'll have to go with high quality make-up, Starbucks, & my Mac.


6. Living person you admire?
Geez, there are MANY people I admire. My friends, my family, my co-workers. Sorry, I can't just pick one so this answer is going to bore you. 


8. Trait you deplore in yourself?
I HATE that I am not a morning person. Seriously it drives me crazy that I don't jump out of bed every morning ready to run a marathon and take on the day. I just have a thing for my really cozy bed. Blah - who am I kidding? It's totally mental but I just can't break it!!!

This is how I like my mornings. 

10. Greatest Achievement?
Becoming a homeowner before my 25th birthday. Pretty standard, but it means a lot! And, of course, in a more figurative sense I am very proud of my relationships with my friends and family. 




Anything else you are dying to know?! Or did those questions and answers pretty much cover it?

Hail Carrie!

Let me tell you about the most amazing and awesome computer game ever created. Yes, I said computer game...I am a dork, whatevs...

Behold, Caesar 3!!

The concept of Caesar 3 is simple...Build a better Rome. Basically you start with a giant open piece of land, complete with hills, trees, and bodies of water. Then you must "build" houses to lure citizens to your town. To keep everyone happy you must provide food and water, construct temples, create jobs, offer security and medical protection, put on festivals, build schools, grow crops, ward off invading militaries, and keep the Gods (and Caesar) happy. If your citizens are unhappy with your work they will either die or move away. I've never played the Sims, but I imagine it is kind of like that, except more important since you are BUILDING A CITY. I used to build ridiculously awesome cities with populations of like 50,000...

My Uncle Ted gave me the game for Christmas a LONG time ago and I must admit that I STILL love playing it. Not so much recently, but definitely within the last year (I promise you I'm 25...really...ahem). In fact, I love the game so much that my little brother got me Caesar4 for Christmas 2008 (I was a bit overwhelmed by the graphic improvements in Caesar 4...I like to keep it old school). 

You should really go order Caesar 3 on ebay or something because once you start playing you.will.not.stop. 

Here are some screen shots of the game to prove its awesomeness. 

This person is CLEARLY an amateur Caesar 3 player. Notice the little huts mixed in with all the larger dwellings. Obviously those citizens do not have access to something important like water or a market. Good effort with the addition of a Roman Bath though...

Much better. This person is obviously an expert. Notice the thriving wine industry and addition of a Gladiator stadium. They've got a few places that need improvement, but overall nice effort. 

Oops, this person tried to build a fortress to protect against invading militaries and FAILED. The structure burnt down or was pillaged. Notice the citizens fleeing on the bottom on the screen. Tsk tsk tsk..

This is how it all starts. You build some roads, plop down a few tents and watch people flock in. From here, the addiction starts to grow. 

So, now that I've successfully added myself to the list of total dorks, I am off to build another empire. 

Hail to me!!!

Danger, Canyons Ahead

Time for a repost of a lovely (and horrifyingly scary) part of my life...

This is the story of  the craziest/scariest/most dangerous/most ridiculous thing I have ever done. I got a bloody nose, a horrid concussion, a massive bruise, a messed up shoulder, and a lot of grief from my mom.

And what exactly was this terrifying event? Drum roll please…CANYONING.  Here is a Wikipedia blurb to give you a little bit more info about what exactly that means: “Canyons that are ideal for canyoning are often cut into the bedrock stone, forming narrow gorges with numerous drops, beautifully sculpted walls, and sometimes spectacular waterfalls. Canyoning gear includes climbing hardware, static ropes, helmets, wetsuits, and specially designed shoes, packs, and rope bags.” Basically canyoning involves descending a river or stream that cuts through rock to form a canyon. There is no way out of a canyon other than DOWN or via an airlift helicopter.

Any why would I put myself through such torture? I like to chalk it up to pure and innocent ignorance. Basically I had no idea what I was getting into. Here is a teaser photo just to get the story going…

Yes, that is me jumping off a waterfall. Totally freaking out.

In September 2007 I took a delightful and once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe all by my lonesome. Just me, lots of travel books, a plan, a Eurail Pass, and the extreme need to just see it all. I can’t really put the fabulousness of that trip into words, but I would kill for the opportunity to do it again. Anywho, one of my favorite stops on the trip was Interlocken, Switzerland, the adventure mecca of Europe. Not only was the scenery AH-MAY-ZING…

See?!

…the opportunity for extreme adventure also got me hooked on all things Swiss. I managed to meet a small  group of Australians also staying in my *sweet* hostel (Balmers Herberge) and we quickly became friends. These three guys were traveling around Europe to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of one of the mates and they were keen to throw some adventure into the trip (like my use of Aussie lingo on that one?!). Over drinks one evening, we they managed to get hooked on an “infomercial” playing on the closed circuit television in the bar. In this ad, happy looking 20-somethings were shown leaping off miniature waterfalls, swimming around in rock pools, and cheerfully laughing at themselves in ridiculous wetsuits. All the while surrounded by the splendor of the Swiss Alps. The tag line of the ad encouraged backpackers to try out this activity, canyoning, as it was suitable for people of all levels of athleticism. The Aussies were instantly sold but I was still itching to try ice climbing. The next day we ended up looking into canyoning a bit more and I found out that ice climbing was cancelled due to non-ideal conditions. Thanks to this change in my plans, I ended up telling the Aussies to go ahead and sign me up for their canyoning trip. Unbeknownst to me however, they signed up for the EXTREMEINTENSEINSANECRAZYHARDRIDICULOUS trip…the trip NOT for the faint of heart, the trip that required a high level of athleticism, NOT the trip we saw on TV. Here is the blurb from the website:

Chli Schliere
The most thrilling extreme canyoning in Switerland. This canyon offers a series of 10 meter high jumps, vertical and corkscrew natural water slides.

• Only for very fit, sporty or experienced canyoners!
• Duration - 6 Std
• Age limit 18 years & over
• Start Times 8.15
• Price sFr. 185 .- P.p

Of course, I didn’t realize this until 6am the next morning when we all met to leave for the trip and I was the ONLY girl signed up. The trip leaders looked at me like I was insane but I tried to play it off like I was actually prepared. In all actuality I had NO CLUE why this trip was deemed more intense and professional than the one on tv, but I was soon to find out.

We arrived at the top of a mountain (literally) after driving through Switerland for almost an hour. At this point the guides briefed us to let us know that the trip would last approximately 4 hours (!!! I almost died) and that once we started we could not turn back. The only way out was to jump our way from waterfall to waterfall or be helicoptered out for an emergency rescue. Oh and also people had died canyoning before thanks to flashfloods that got them trapped in the canyon walls (hence the panic I got from my mom when she found out that I had skipped ice climbing in favor of a death swim). Oh lovely day.

Anyways, the rest of the story can be explained in pictures. I ended up surviving but got pretty beat up (i.e. a concussion and a bloody nose). After the whole debacle I had planned to take a train up a mountain to stay at the highest hostel in all of Europe. I managed to make it halfway up the mountain and then ended up stumbling around a tiny village looking for a place to stay. I was so concussed that I thought I was going to die. I managed to find a tiny inn and got a really nice room thanks to my utterly pitiful request for help. And then I slept for 14 hours straight.

Here we go…(our helmets had names so they could identify us. I am SEXY…annoying I know)

Completely and utterly terrified. I'm 4th from the left.

Hands up to avoid hitting the rockwall with my face. Now is also a good time to mention that we had a photographer a long with us. Part of the perks of doing the death swim.

Jump. Slam back against rock wall. Avoid landing on rock face. Land in tiny pool the size of a tire.

They MADE me to a flip off this canyon. 

And then I smacked my face and got a nosebleed and a concussion. Yes that is blood all over my face.

The rest of the jumps are a daze. I was concussed and totally running on adrenaline. A very weird kind of out of body experience.

Perspective. One of the "medium-high" jumps. Uggg scary. 

I don't mesh well with water. I had to hold my nose for basically every jump. I kind of forgot how to breathe.

Looking back I guess I had a good time. I mean it is cool to be able to say that I did that but I would NEVER do it again. So if you are ever in the Interlocken area be sure to check outhttp://www.swissalpineguides.ch/ if you dare...

Fifty Five Senses

Holy yowzers I have reached 50 WHOLE FOLLOWERS!!! Seriously I heart you people. I know my friends and fam read this blog (which is wonderous...I love you all), but I also love the fact that I am able to provide a bit of entertainment for random people all over the globe. So keep on keepin on!!! Really, I'm blushing..

And now I will provide you with my take on "five senses Fridays", one of those "meme" things.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself....

Right now I am Tasting...A delicious Malbec. My wine of choice. Not sure of the brand and I'm a bit too lazy to get up and check, but I promise it's good.

Right now I am Hearing... Brian's annoying laugh as he watches some stand-up comedy thing on the computer. I really can't explain to you how annoying it is to have someone laugh and random moments . I can't see what he is watching so I just have to suffer through the laughs. (I am also currently turning the volume up on the TV to drown out said laughs).

Right now I am Smelling... Mr. Chips' gross breath. He keeps yawning and invading my personal air space. He looks like this:

Stench attack!!

Hopefully he is just yawning and not planning to latch on to my neck

Ok now we are crossing the line.

Right now I am seeing Seeing...this computer screen obviously. And sort of watching HGTV at the same time. Although I must say I'm not a huge fan of "The Unsellables." This chick's voice is super annoying.

Right now I am Feeling...relaxed and happy. But maybe that's just the Malbec talking. I kid. It's Friday, how can I NOT be happy?! Tomorrow I begin my New Year's resolution with a smokin hot batch of ROOTBEER CUPCAKES. Other then that, not much on the agenda, and it feels great.


Happy weekend oh loyal followers, I heart you times infinity.

In which I explain an obsession.

I have an obsession. Maybe more like an addiction. Thankfully it isn't a vice...it is GOOGLE CALENDAR. I discovered Gmail and all its glory in 2006 and have been hooked ever since. Most people are these days...
One of the features I truly love best about the whole Gmail package is GOOGLE CALENDAR. I am somewhat obsessed with dates/times/planning, so the calendar is right up my weird little alley. One of the best things about being a GOOGLE CALENDAR addict is that I can easily look back to circa 2007 and see what exactly I was doing on any given day in the past. To me, that is the definition of awesome. And what better way to recap my 2009 than to take a gander at my GOOGLE CALENDAR?!

January 2009: First real month in my new position at work. Lots of events. My Uncle Ted came to visit. My granddad passed away :(
February 2009: Went up to Maryland for my Granddad's funeral and got to see a lot my extended family (sad occasion, but SO NICE to see everyone!!). Brian took me on a surprise V-Day trip to the Homestead.

March 2009: Went to Nashville for a fabulous bachelorette party for my bff Dawn. Got approved for a home lone and started house hunting.
April 2009: Strawberry Hill Races and lots and lots of work.

May 2009: Dawn's wedding. CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE!!

June 2009: Mom and Dad came to visit the new house. Got settled in.
July 2009: Trip to NJ/Philly for 4th of July. Trip to DC to visit more bffs.
August 2009: Week long vacay in OBX
September 2009: I turned 25!

October 2009: Major work-age. Discover my stomach hates me. Halloween awesomeness.
November 2009: Back to OBX for T-Giving.
December 2009: Trip to NC, PA, and back to VA. Two glorious weeks of vacation.

And just for kicks...what was my 2008 like?! Things were much different back then and thankfully I have my GOOGLE CALENDAR to tell me exactly what my life was like.

January 2008: I worked on two events for work and was babysitting part time to earn some more moolah.
February 2008: Brian and I went on a "romantic" trip to a scary isolated (but nice) cabin in the mountains of VA.

March 2008: One of my first visits up to PA to meet Brian's parents and family.
April 2008: "Officially" dating Brian for 6 months.
May 2008: Out of college for ONE YEAR at this point. Move to Monument Ave with Em (joys!). Rescue Mr. Chips!!

June 2008: Back up to Philly for another round of visits with Brian's fam.
July 2008: Go to Atlantic City for 4th of July. Discover I am terrible at gambling, even the penny slots. Rescue Lil Deuce.

August 2008: Trip to Boston to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Beach trip with the fam in NC.
September 2008: I turn 24!!! Start taking classes at VCU in an attempt to figure out my life.
October 2008: Attend a wedding in PA. Celebrate our 1 year date-a-versary.

November 2008: Interview for full-time job. Get the job!! Realize the classes I am taking make me want to pull my hair out.
December 2008: Start working full-time while still doing my old job simultaneously. Have a ridiculously amazing NYE.

Stay tuned to December 2010 for a recap of my entire year. Or you can just continue to read my blog regularly...it is kinda like the super long and detailed version of my calendar. Happy New Year people!!!

Letters from Camp

I am cool; I went to summer camp for many years. Some of my fondest camp memories are from the Green River Preserve -- an outdoorsy camp in NC. When I was slightly older (15ish?), I went on a kayaking "expedition" offered by the GRP as well. It was the first year they offered the program. Basically we spent 2 weeks kayaking around the Outer Banks whilst camping on the beaches. Apparently this program still exists today.

At the time, the experience was insanely horrible. I was just a skinny little dork girl trying to paddle her way into a headwind 8 hours a day. But now, looking back, I am so glad I got to do it. Ah the memories...

But I digress. The whole purpose of this post is to share a letter I wrote to my grandparents on July 27th, 1996 (and to prove that even dorky kids aren't totally doomed). I was 11 years old and attending the GRP for a few weeks of crunchy granola fun.

Dear Grandma & Grandpa,

Camp is so much fun. The cabins are very nice and so are the people. The food (note: the two o's in 'food' have a smiley face drawn in. Gosh I was creative!) is very tasty. I have done a lot of things so far such as rock climbing, pottery, and outdoor cooking. I have met a lot of new people and gone on a lot of hikes. I've discovered things and jumped in rivers (discovered things?! What the heck was I talking about!? I am so lucky I'm not weirder today). I have seen a lot of new creatures of all shapes and sizes (ok this just sounds totally wrong). I just got back from a 2 day hike which was really fun. I miss you TONS!

Love,

Carrie

Wow I've come a long way. It really is a miracle that I didn't turn out a lot weirder than I already am. And just to prove that I totally got better with age...take a look at this GEM of a picture from my dork days. How did I not get my face punched in on a daily basis??

ALWAYS wear your elbow pads!! (and spandex)

Playing Ketchup

I know my posts have been somewhat random lately, so I figured I would catch you up on my ACTUAL LIFE.

-- I attempted to de-grease my hair by rinsing it with vinegar. It actually seemed to work, although not as nicely as I would have hoped. I'll be trying the beer remedy next. Sorry if this grosses anyone out.

-- Our bedroom makeover is SLOWLY but surely coming along. Thanks to the evil boiler we had to dump that extra moolah into keeping ourselves warm instead of swank-i-fying the bedroom. Lame, I know. I snagged a few things from the mood board, but still have a few key pieces to go!

-- I have done ALMOST all of my Christmas shopping. Score.

-- I ordered a pickle ornament to put in our tree. I wanted it to be a surprise for Brian but the delicious champagne I consumed on Saturday night forced me to spill the beans. Oh well, I suck at surprises.

-- Still NYE plan-less. This can only mean one thing - spontaneous awesomeness is in my near future.

-- Speaking of the holidays - I am off from work from next Tuesday until after New Years. It is like having a real "Christmas Break" all over again!!

-- Brian and I (ok fine, mostly Brian) cooked so many delicious meals this week. Anyone else use YouveGotSupper.com? Based out of Richmond and I LOVE IT. Anything that prints out a grocery list for me is worth a shout out. We had: Skillet Caesar Chicken, Biscuit Chicken Pot-Pies, and Peppered Crock Pot Beef. Easy, yummy, and totally do-able even if you suck at functioning in the kitchen like me.

-- We caved a bought a Wii. Super Mario Brothers has already been beaten and we are working our way to collecting all of the "big" coins to unlock World 9. Whoa I sound like a total geek. Anyways, Wii is BANGIN. Although it really scares me that we are flinging those little controllers around like crazy people.

-- I attended a tacky Christmas sweater party this past weekend (I'm sure you did too - who doesn't?!) and DIY-ed the sh*t out of a sweater (that * is to keep this place as PG as possible - I've got a reputation to protect people!!). Talk about awesome.Sha-BAM!! In total, I think this amazingly tacky piece cost me about $28. Not too bad considering that I plan on wearing it every year for the rest of my life. Or I might just have to pass it down to my future children when they are old enough to appreciate such a masterpiece. And how did I make it you ask? Easy. Everything was from Ben Franklin Crafts - $10 red sweater, glitter glue, green felt (for that extra tackiness), weird mini ornaments, the word "Christmas" spelled out block by block (I think it was for scrapbooking?), jingly-bell fringe, and fake wrapped mini Christmas presents (the KEY to the whole ensemble).

Zoom on in. Sarah's DIY masterpiece on the left.

Here are some other great pics from the night, we had a blast:

I think this will be our Christmas card pic. It is kind of perfect.

DIY EXTRAVAGANZA!!! Next up, Valentine's Day??