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It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup March 5, 2015

…or maybe the really, really big heavy things?

What a coincidence that the day I posted this post about how I was holding off on a full office tour (and apartment warming party) until I found lockers things would finally fall together and I’d end up with a gorgeous set of my own. I guess I could have waited until my office tour post to share photos but y’all, I am SUPER excited about these babies.

I had actually been trying to get them for a few days prior to that post. I had contacted the seller asking for dimensions to make sure they weren’t too big but it took nearly a week before I heard back so I had basically given up on them. When I finally heard back, and measured my staircase it was on. I had to have them. Things just weren’t working out though. The seller was slow to respond to emails so setting up a time to pick them up was difficult. After one failed attempt I was worried I had missed out. They were a deal, and they were exactly what I wanted for the room so back to craigslist I’d have to go. But then I got another email, and we set up plans for the next day.

Now, the adventure of getting them home! None of my friends own a truck or van but Jason has the “SwagWag”. It had already successfully hauled my mattress from apartment to apartment (with only tape securing it. Haha!) so why not lockers? I think we all might have underestimated how much lockers weigh and how awkward something so large is to move though. Luckily someone from the warehouse was kind enough to forklift them on to Jason’s car, all while giving this “you kids are idiots” smirk.

Ten long miles later and they were back at my apartment. Getting them off the car and up my stairs was a challenge to say the least. I ripped my coat while trying to help, and then nervously paced while the boys tried and tried to move these massive, awkward things up my stairs. Long story short, it was next to impossible so we had to wait a few hours until Brandon got off work and was able to lend a hand.

Finally upstairs and right where I wanted them to be, I think they might be even more perfect than I could have ever pictured. The color looks so awesome with my wall color. I immediately scrubbed them down and started filling them up with my things.

I still can’t believe what a challenge it was to get these babies upstairs. I don’t know why I didn’t think about how hard it would be but I sure am lucky to have such awesome friends to help out. Love you dudes!

So! You can obviously be expecting a full office tour sometime in the next few weeks. I am pretty darn excited about how this room came together. These lockers were just what the room was missing.
xoxo

Vanity Tour

by Kaylah Stroup March 3, 2015

I’ve been living in new apartment for just under two months now. All the rooms are done-ish, meaning that each one has at least one or two little things that I want to find or fix up somehow. The main thing my office is missing is lockers. I’ve been looking like crazy for them but haven’t found the right ones yet. I just can’t get over the idea of having them, so much so that I keep putting off my housewarming party. Must. Find. Lockers!

Even though I’m still working on the rest of this room I wanted to share some photos of my vanity area today. Since I took the bigger of the two bedrooms for my office there wasn’t really room for my vanity in my bedroom. My office has two windows that, as luck would have it, my vanity fits perfectly between. I knew immediately that’s where it was going. Since those two windows get the best lighting out of all the others in the apartment, it was obvious where my plants would go. So basically, it’s an amazing little area. I feel like a goddess everyday while putting on my make-up surrounded by plants.

I love it here. Seriously, this apartment is just perfect. Can’t wait to share more photos of it as I find the finishing touches for each room!
xoxo

/// Source list
▴ jewelry holder hands
▴ jackalope ring holder
▴ Small gold turtle is vintage.
▴ Large turtle shell and stool are from Target.
▴ Vanity (Actually a writing desk from Walmart, but it was $40, and it does what I need it to!)
▴ Mirror was thrifted.
Anything else, just ask!

what I wore : bikes, bikes + more bikes!

by Kaylah Stroup March 2, 2015

details

dress – Bicycle Dress c/o Unique Vintage

cardigan – c/o Modcloth

belt – Modcloth (many years ago)

rings – Moon Ring via Lilacs In The Sun, Firefly Collections

Y’all, it is still stupid cold outside. I’m so sick of wearing layers upon layers every time I leave the house. It seems weird to think that I could ever wear shorts and a tank top again, it just feels like winter has been here so long. You know it’s bad when you start getting excited about 30 degree weather. I’ve taken to dressing up nice while I’m in the house so I don’t go crazy. I’ve actually worn this exact outfit twice this week. I mean, if no one saw it did I really wear it? As long as I still smell nice, and only have a minimal amount of pet hair on my it’s all good in my book. Although as soon as the camera comes out, all bets are off. That dog is a total ham. I cannot step in front of the camera in the house without Klaus running over and trying to get in on the fun. Needless to say, these photos put my pet hair on clothing limit over the line.

This is another post in collaboration with the #iamunique campaign by Unique Vintage. It’s a year long campaign to celebrate how you express your own unique style, embrace your own unique body, and embody your own uniqueness. I’m a member of the Style Society along side four other awesome bloggers. I’m still so excited to be a part of something so positive like this. Right now they’re actually focusing on “every body is a beach body” which I love! I’m bummed to not be participating but uh, like I said it’s freezing. I don’t exactly have anywhere to be wearing a swim suit. Check out their instagram for a really neat polyptch they made promoting the sentiment. (It looks better in app than online, of course.) I’ve actually always wanted to do a swimsuit outfit post but felt kind of silly frolicking in the water with a camera pointed at me. “Oh, don’t mind me. It’s for my blog.” Maybe this is my year.

Hope you’re having an awesome start to your week!
xoxo

Abandoned Motel

by Kaylah Stroup February 26, 2015

While the first day of mine and Jeff’s little escape was fun, the second day of the trip was the real highlight. We drove the back roads from Norfolk, Virginia to Baltimore, Maryland, and even dipped into Delaware just so we could add another state to the list of them that we’ve been together. (Sitting pretty at 17 right now, can’t wait to add more!) We were stumbling upon incredible looking abandoned places left and right but sadly, due to the weather, we couldn’t stop. There was no where to park. Places that would be perfect to pull the car off the road were covered in enough snow that getting stuck was a real risk and not one we were willing to take.

Somewhere in Delaware, we stumbled upon this motel. We both saw it at the same time and looked at each with pure excitement. Luckily it was near a few other businesses that were still in use so we were able to whip around and park across the street in one of their parking lots. We trudged through the snow and snooped around this truly spooky site.

I’m obviously unsure of any back story on this place, and it’s hard to tell how long any place been abandoned. This place was so far gone. The inside was absolutely trashed and clearly, the outside is a wreck. I love colors but honestly, I think my favorite part might be that sign! It’s so creepy looking. I would love to see it in the spring, the vines covering it with leaves on them. I bet it’s lovely!

Rushing around like we did at the motel reminds me of when Jeff and I were out west last summer and we stopped at a ghost town called Two Guns*. I found it on Roadside America and it ended up being right on the way to where we were heading except we were majorly crunched for time. We had reservations, and had to check into our wigwam before the front office closed for the night. But Two Guns!!!! It looked amazing. We had to stop, there was no two ways about it. We agreed we’d only spend ten minutes there so we both got out of the car and literally ran from building to building snapping photos like crazy. The ten minutes was up in no time at all. We got back to the car gasping for breath and full of adrenaline. My pictures weren’t that great, and I’d love to reshoot it but it’s honestly one of my favorite memories from the whole trip. Now we’ve started referring to times that we rush around an abandoned property due to any kind of time restraint as “going Two Guns”

This motel was totally awesome but I think my favorite part will always
be the adventure of it. It was wide open and not a challenge to
get to at all but running across a divided highway and dashing around in
the freezing cold was so much fun. We definitely went Two Guns on that place!
xoxo

*Some of my Two Guns photos can be found in this post.

book review : Destination Truth

by Kaylah Stroup February 25, 2015

Although I’m reading a lot less than I used to, not that you’d be able to tell these last few weeks, but I still want to blog about what I’m reading. The thing is by the time I get around to blogging about them I’ve forgotten exactly how they made me feel. From here on out I’ll be posting about books in a slightly different format. I’ll be posting about one book at a time, sharing the summary, a review, the bottom line, and suggestions for similar books if I have any. So here we go…

Destination Truth by Josh Gates

/// Summary
“Truth is stranger than legend . . . and your journey into both begins here.

World
adventurer and international monster hunter Josh Gates has careened
through nearly 100 countries, investigating frightening myths, chilling
cryptozoological legends, and terrifying paranormal phenomena. Now, he
invites fans to get a behind-the-scenes look at these breathtaking
expeditions.

Follow Gates from the inception of the
groundbreaking hit show (at the summit of Kilimanjaro) to his
hair-raising encounters with dangerous creatures in the most treacherous
locations on earth. Among his many adventures, he unearths the
flesh-crawling reality of the Mongolian Death Worm, challenges an
ancient curse by spending the night in King Tut’s tomb, descends into a
centuries-old mine to search for an alien entity in subterranean
darkness, pursues ghosts in the radioactive shadow of Chernobyl, and
explores sightings of Bigfoot from the leech-infested rain forests of
Malaysia to the dizzying heights of the Himalayas.

Part journey
into the unexplained, part hilarious travelogue, part fascinating look
at the making of a reality-based TV show—and featuring
never-before-published photographs— this Destination Truth companion takes readers on the supernatural expedition of a lifetime” – Summary from Amazon description

/// Review
It was Jeff that made me start watching the show Destination Truth. I wasn’t too interested at first. Despite my love of cryptozoology, watching a show about someone searching for these creatures didn’t sound like my cup of tea. It only took a few episodes before I was sold. The host, Josh Gates, is hilariously snarky, and just absolutely makes the show worth watching. It’s hard not to love him. Of course I had to read his book!

This book is a quick, easy read that’s made all the most interesting by the fact that you basically read it in his voice if you’ve seen the show. He’s just as funny and enjoyable in this format. I may have laughed out loud more than once. I loved that most of the time I remembered the episode he was
writing about. It’s kind of like a fun behind the scenes peek. I’m not
100% sure how this book would be to someone who hasn’t seen the show.

My only real complaint is that I wish it were longer! The summary from amazon makes it seem as though you’ll be hearing lots about each of his adventures but in reality each chapter is fairly short, and his adventures almost seem glossed over. I just wanted more, which I guess isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Always leave them wanting more…

/// Bottom line
Watch the show, then read the book. You won’t be disappointed but be warned, you’re going to want to travel after you’re finished.
xoxo

Brite Winter 2015

by Kaylah Stroup February 24, 2015

I think it’s safe to say that just about everyone in Cleveland is feeling a bit stir crazy this time of the year which is why Brite Winter couldn’t be a more perfect event. Brite Winter is an annual outdoor, winter art and music festival that happens right in the heart of my new neighborhood. The festival, founded in 2010, is a free event that is made possible
through donations, community grants and partnerships. This year’s festival had more then 60 musical acts (including Maps & Atlases) on a total of eight different stages located around the neighborhood, some outside and some indoors. There were games including bowling, giant skee-ball, and an angry birds version of cornhole. Best of all, the streets were lined with food trucks! Mmmm, tacos! The festival is the perfect excuse to get outside, no matter the weather, eat, mingle with your neighbors, and drink – if that’s your thing.

Not too long ago an event with this many people would have been completely overwhelming for me but I seriously had such a blast. Something clicked and all of sudden I’m standing there rooting on strangers while they bowl, and giggling at their “that’s what she said” jokes. By the end of the night my cheeks hurt from smiling. It’s impossible to be in a bad mood when surrounded by so many other happy people. It was amazing to watch my neighborhood come alive. There was no where else in the world I would have rather been.

Photographing this sort of thing isn’t exactly my forte, and taking photos in a crowd is still a little nerve-wracking for me even though I’m well aware it’s not actually a big deal but about halfway through my time there I was like “I haaaave to take pictures!” I’m proud to live in such an awesome place. One of my goals this year was to share more about why I love Cleveland so much on the blog, well here is a prime example. I love this place!
xoxo

It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup February 23, 2015

At the beginning of last week Jeff text me about how he was so sick of the winter and was dying to go shoot photos. I replied “ditto! let’s get out” assuming that would I mean I would have to grudgingly bundle up and head out into the negative temperatures for a few hours. His response was “let’s go on a trip!” Two days later we’re in the car heading down to Virginia, he had booked us a hotel in Norfolk.

It was supposed to be an escape from the cold but the day previous to our arrival Norfolk had been hit with a pretty intense snow storm. They apparently weren’t too prepared, and the roads were kind of awful so after finding macarons and eating a burger we retired to our hotel room fairly early. As cold as it was there it was still an improvement and we were both excited to escape our city for a bit. While Cleveland was experiencing temperatures as low as -25, Norfolk was around 20 degrees.

The next morning we woke up before the sun so we could hurry down to the beach and watch it rise over the ocean. It was absolutely freezing but well worth it for the sight. This is one of those times where I’m not super pumped about my photos but once I get over the initial “I could have shot that better” I know I’ll be really happy I have them. Watching the sun rise and set with Jeff is one of my all time favorite things. It never fails to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Funny story – For our first date I suggested we watch the sun rise together. We agreed upon a place, time, and date. I woke up super early that morning to make sure I looked extra cute, bundled up and headed to the beach. Nearly a half hour after the sun rose I realized this butthead wasn’t going to show up. I played it cool and texted him something along the lines of “Hey, you didn’t show! Hope you’re okay and nothing happened!” He text me back almost instantly. He had overslept and my text woke him up. We finally met up later that day but I’m probably never going to let him live that down.

I was pretty excited to find coral on the beach. Lake Erie doesn’t really have many interesting things that wash up on the beach, I mean if you exclude giant water bugs and trash, so even frozen coral is intriguing to me. I’m also a fan of sea foam. It was killing me that it was so cold there, I wanted to stick my hands in it so badly.

Back in Ohio, I’m still hating winter just as much as before we left for our quick trip but it was a great escape, even if it wasn’t a warm one.
xoxo

Two posts into my “the little things” series and both include Jeff and a sun setting or rising on the beach. Whoops!

listening, playing, watching

by Kaylah Stroup February 19, 2015

On my 2015 blog reader survey at the beginning of the year I asked for specific post ideas that you guys would be interested in seeing. I actually had few people express interest in a series of posts similar to my “what I’ve been reading” posts except with television, movies, and video games. Definitely a fun idea so here we go!

Listening
In my monthly recap posts you probably might have noticed that I get stuck in musical loops. I will listen to a band over and over and over until I can’t stand it anymore. That’s actually pretty common with me and anything – when I discover something I like, I am obsessed. When I realized I liked iced chai, I drank it like my life depended on it. Orange chicken? I’ve been to the mall more in the last few months, just to get chicken, than I’ve been there in the past few years combined. Music is the same way.

Lately I’ve just been listening to LOTS of Aesop Rock, and even more Tim Kasher. It’s kind of funny because I always say I hate sad music, and Tim Kasher’s lyrics are gut-wrenching but it’s all so catchy! I just can’t stop. I’ve always liked Cursive but only recently gotten into his solo stuff. LOVE IT.

Aesop rock is always in my rotation of music. Definitely one of my all time favorites, standing beside Man Man and Why?. The last few weeks though I’ve been obsessed with Labor Days. Something clicked and even though I’ve heard it a hundred times before I was like “THIS IS THE BEST ALBUM EVER” I’m gonna need it on vinyl, asap.

We actually got to see Aesop Rock last week, along side Rob Sonic and DJ Abilities. It was nothing short of amazing. I’d been checking his website on an almost weekly basis for SO long waiting for tour dates to show up and shortly before Christmas a Cleveland date showed up. Looks like he’s on tour for about another month. You should probably try to go…

Homeboy Sandman is also touring with them. This was my first time hearing him and I wasn’t sold. It was almost like every other song was something that might be able to grow on me and the others I didn’t like…at all. When I came home I looked him up on Spotify to give his music another chance. I basically still feel the same way but I might be obsessed with . According to last.fm I’ve listened to it, uh, 30 times in the last seven days. Haha.

Playing.
Since Christmas I’ve been playing Hyrule Warrior. I wasn’t actually too excited about it. I normally buy new LoZ games as soon as they come out but I was perfectly happy just waiting for Santa to bring this one. It might not have been marketed as the next big Zelda game for WiiU but it’s probably my favorite since Majora’s Mask. This game rules, there’s just so much to do. The fact that I’ve been playing since Christmas should be some indication of that. You can play in a few different modes, as different characters, and you get to collect items and upgrade weapons. Since most of the levels are fairly short (less than twenty minutes) you can sit down, play a level and not ruin your whole day sucked into a game. Seriously, such a blast!

Watching
Jeff and I just finished watching the fourth season of American Horror Story. I got an apple TV not too long ago and never really did anything with it other than watch Netflix. We just discovered we could log into Jeff’s cable and watch all those channels too so we can finally watch AHS. When we realized we could do this and that it would actually play we paused it and both looked at each other. He said something like “Can we just talk about how exciting this is!?” It was a really cute moment. Anyway, this season was definitely better than last. It had it’s moments when I was just like “no! what?!” but it was enjoyable. Now that we’ve finished that I’m not sure what we’ll start. Any TV series recommendations? Curling up in bed with Jeff, and all the animals (Yes, you heard that right! All the animals!) to watch it is always one of my favorite parts of the day.

And that’s what I’ve been listening to, playing and watching! What about you?
xoxo

Summer Dreamin’

by Kaylah Stroup February 18, 2015

I love Ohio. I don’t know that I’ll stay here forever but it’s a really great state. We get four beautiful seasons and as much as I couldn’t imagine living somewhere that didn’t get snow, this winter is killin’ me! Each winter is a actually little bit worse than the last. I’m starting to see why my mom is so anti-winter, and why people retire to Florida.

// // //

Snow isn’t so bad, it’s the temperatures. It has been absolutely freezing these last few weeks. With windchills reaching -20F, I am aching for spring! It’s been impossible to leave the house without wearing layers upon layers which is kind of a fun novelty at first but it’s getting old. I feel like this. I know as soon as summer hits I’m going to be complaining about how hot it is but I’m more than excited at the thought of wearing just a dress and not two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, three sweaters, etc. I’m ready for bare legs, sandals, showing off my shoulders, and the shock that happens every year when I see how heavily tattooed I really am. I mean, I see myself naked regularly but seeing myself in “summer clothes” always takes me by surprise. Like “woah, forgot about all these things!” I’m not the only one that does this, right?!

Right now (through Thursday) Modcloth is having a huge sale with tons of beautiful dresses 25% off. Perfect timing to shop for new spring clothes. Gotta celebrate the new season, aye?! I picked out some of my favorites which, of course, are all black and white, or black and gold but there are oodles of colorful little things in the sale section too.

// // // //

Here’s to bare legs and warmer weather, please come sooner rather than later!
xoxo

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