Country Meets City, The Sequel

A mixture of updates from my life, with a happy finale! 

Fall is in the Air & My Trip to Boone  
I'm a hardcore sucker for fall. It could be mid-June and I am already shopping for boots, skinny jeans and pea coats. Thank goodness it is already mid-August!

Children head back to school, leaves begin to change colors, and the air becomes crisper. What an amazing time of year. Nothing reminds me more of fall than a trip to the mountains. North Carolina is a very lucky (and beautiful) state with both the mountains and the beach. The mountains have always been a special place for me because my family spent many weekends riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway, taking floats to waterfalls or stopping in at my favorite place, Mast General Store (mostly for their 500 types of candy in old fashioned barrels).

One day, I will retire in a home in Boone. A home that resembles a log cabin with a gorgeous view. A hot tub. A fireplace. A man rockin' on the porch beside me.... Oh, a girl can dream, right?

 Lake James 
On the same trip to Boone, I spent the weekend at Lake James, North Carolina. My friend, Sally invited me up to hang out at her house and relax. I had so much fun tubing and hanging out on the water with new and old friends.

Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina is beautiful. You have the mountains. You have the vibrant downtown. But most importantly, you have genuine people. I started working at Loft while I've been here and I have met some really great people. The clients are eager to get to know you. You're best friends with the staff as soon as you say, "Hi, I'm Carrie and I'm new...."  What a great area for young people and families alike. I'm really thankful that my cousin is letting me snooze in her guest room while life gets figured out.

Collin 
Last weekend, my mom kept Collin while my sister went back to school. Collin and Aunt Carrie are two peas in a pod when we're together. Despite him sending me to time out about twelve times, there was pool time and train time and snuggling time.

And I got to spend some time with my other favorite baby. Yes, I did a self-portrait with my dog.

Many Car Rides
Car rides are my time to think. My time to just be. And listen to music, which is my favorite hobby. I'm digging this song and this one and this one this week.

And I am digging car ride sunsets.  

Country Meets City, The Sequel
Ever since I was in high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life: fundraise. I'm not really sure how or why I knew this was what I was meant to do, but it always happened to be what I loved. I loved planning events. I loved the idea of there being something tangible to give to someone. I loved the interacting with people that came from fundraising. I knew I wanted to work for a non-profit and make a difference in some capacity and I wanted the opportunity to watch something I was passionate about grow--whether it be financially or through awareness.

The last few months have been some of the hardest for me. I seemed to live day-to-day checking every job listing across the country. I was frustrated because for once, I did not know what was next. I was eager to begin a life that was my own. A job for which I was passionate about. New faces. New opportunities. I kept looking for my adventurous side, which I knew existed, but it was lost somewhere and it seemed like I would never find it.

Until this week when I accepted a job at Cookies for Kids' Cancer. I am so excited to begin working with them in September and I am so thankful that they believed that this newly-graduated gal could make a difference in the growth of their non-profit, which raises money for pediatric cancer research. I will be working with some of the most passionate, driven individuals and will be living in the city that never sleeps.

It is all kind of surreal and more importantly, a dream come true. 





Hello, New York. Baby, she's baaaaack!

More to come soon...

Always,
Carrie