Grizzly Bear & The xx Concert

This past Wednesday my friend Will and I decided to take a trip to Detroit to see a couple of amazing bands!  The music was phenomenal and the crowd was the perfect size! Our tickets were general admission and we were lucky enough to get a front row spot on one of the platforms... For shorties like me, this is without a doubt the best option. Haha

This was my first time at The Fillmore venue and I adored it! It was so intimate and vintage, and full of stylish people.. of course. :)

If you head to my Vine you will see a few videos of both groups! I love when certain songs start, you see a million phones go up and start recording... Sooo much social media everywhere!

I love little spontaneous trips like this! We stayed with my cousin Megan who lives on the East side of the state. The visit was short due to my hectic work schedule, but it was so nice to have a night out of town to enjoy! I love seeing my family, and combining that with seeing one of my favorite bands is just perfect!

Romy's voice is amazing in person. Even better than their recordings. It is absolutely enchanting. Will teased me about my girl-crush... But she's SO COOL! Am I right?

Whenever I spend time in Detroit or Chicago it always gets me dreaming about the day I will be living in a big city... love love love.

Here are a couple of videos of some of my favorite songs! If you don't know either of these bands, I strongly encourage you check them out! They are so chill and ethereal. 

The first song is "Islands" by The xx, it was my first exposure to the group and has since become one of my favorite songs and music videos ever, the second song is "Angels" from their newest album... They closed the show with this number and I am even more in love with it now!

The last video is Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks", and judging by the eager high schooler who stood next to us - screaming for them to play it the entire set - I think it might be their most well known song! Haha

Hope you enjoy! Anyone else have any summer concerts they are planning on going to soon?

Wishing you all a lovely little day!

A Day at the Beach

Happy Father's Day to everyone! I hope you are all enjoying some time with your sweet families! I am hard at work but plan to make up for it by seeing my wonderful Dad next month! Can't wait!

Last weekend I was reunited with my best friend Wynnie! We hadn't seen each other in 2 years because she was teaching in China and I was working in Wichita... but finally we got to see each other again and it was like we had never been apart! That's what true friendship really is I guess! :)

We decided that it would be a perfect day for a picnic, so we packed up all of our favorite snacks and headed a few minutes West to beautiful Lake Michigan.

Wynnie always inspires me to be healthy so we snacked on some fresh berries, edamame, fresh veggies, and some delicious spinach & artichoke hummus... Which basically sent my heart a-flutter. Yum!

The weather was perfect, partly cloudy, 75 degrees... The water on the other hand was not meant for swimming, luckily that was not our goal for the day! We were just looking for some nice time to talk and catch up, goof around, and just enjoy the beautiful coastline!

Wynnie was adorable in her pink sunglasses and poncho! She has such a unique sense of style, it was the first thing I noticed about her when we met our first year of college! 

I attempted to test the waters for a moment, but it was a little icy for my taste. It was fun to just hop around and warm my feet up in the sand though, there are few things I find as comforting as having my feet buried in Lake Michigan sand. So soft and warm and cozy!

It was such a wonderful day and weekend. Definitely reminded me that even when work gets stressful, there are so many great things to be happy about! I am so lucky to have beautiful people in my life!

We sipped on some Blood Orange European Soda and relaxed the day away. It was the perfect medicine for my hectic schedule! What is better than tasty treats, beaching, and being reunited with your best friend? Nothing.. I'm pretty positive!

How is everyone else doing? Do you have busy summer work schedules or are you enjoying a leisurely summer? I seem to be counter acting my working days with being as lazy as possible in my free time... I probably need to change that before my summer slips away! Ahh!

Hope you have all had a beautiful weekend!

Wishing you all a lovely little day!

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A Photo Recap: Early June

My my June is definitely off to a beautiful start! Here in Michigan the summer has been pretty mild so far and I love it. Don't get me wrong, I love the heat... but I love being able to throw on a pair of shorts with a cardigan and be perfectly comfortable all day long. It makes everything so easy!

Here is a little photo recap of my June so far! :)

 

I have been in training all day everyday for what seems like a month, but on certain days I got a little afternoon break here and there. My absolute favorite "mid-day siesta time" {as it was called} was spent antiquing! I saw so many darling teacup and saucer sets! I adore teacups so much! I need more! :)

We got to do a little staff bonding at the local bowling alley last week as well. Gotta love rocking these sweet kicks... Even though I only rocked a score of 75... Shame.

We also went to a minor league baseball game together on Monday night! I bought a HUGE bag of cotton candy and was quite content... Until there was a massive spider on the inside of my window on the ride home! Luckily I was in a car with 3 boys. Otherwise we may have had a serious problem!

One day this week the weather was absolutely perfect and I went on a long bike ride with my friend Will. It was really entertaining at some points because he rides a nice road bike and I ride a cute cruiser with a wicker basket {meaning my bike is more for show than long distance travel}... I only have one gear so I made him avoid any big hills on our route because I was too nervous.

There are so many nice parks in my college town! This is my first summer having a bike up here, thanks to Will's awesome bike rack, and I can't get enough of it now! Biking is one of my favorite summer activities without a doubt!

This week my friend Ashley {whom I got my first tattoo with} decided she wanted a second tattoo! So we went to see our friend Payton and now she looks great in sandals. Haha

The only problem is that now I keep thinking about how cute it is and how much I want another one.

No. Stop. You don't need another tattoo Kellene.

I love my summer job and seeing all of my friends all over Michigan... but I have to admit that I have been suffering from some serious wanderlust lately. What else is new? Just one more year of school and some student teaching and the world is mine. I just need to stay motivated a little while longer! :)

Finally, my best friend Wynnie came to visit me at home this weekend! We haven't seen each other in almost 2 years! She was in China teaching for a year and just about the time she got back I left for Wichita, and since I have been back we have been full-time students living 3 hours apart! Torturous, I know... But the good news is we have at least 2 visits planned for this amazing summer so I am as happy as can be these days! :)

We spent the day down by Lake Michigan picnicking and catching up yesterday. It was so lovely, and the perfect day! I warn you, there will be a few follow-up posts on our weekend adventure together! 

And that is it for me! How is June for you so far? Can't wait to hop around and see what you all have been up to!

Wishing you a lovely little day!

Classic Mojito & Blackberry Mojito Recipes

So I know I have told you all about how hard I am working, but not to worry, I have gotten to enjoy a few warm days off as well! I went home for Memorial Day weekend for a couple of days and decided to try and make some of my favorite cocktails!

I was in the mood for something festive and seasonal so I decided to make a Classic Mojito (which I have only ever ordered in Mexico before now!)... and when that was such a hit I decided to change it up and make a Blackberry Mojito! Both were delicious and by the end of the night I found myself just a little bit tipsy. Haha

Sadly I forgot my SLR when I headed home so I was stuck with iPhone pictures... I am always surprised at how well they turn out though! {I am also thinking about doing some shopping for a new D-SLR! If you guys have any suggestions I would love to hear them! Currently I shoot with a Nikon D3000}

Here is the list of ingredients and the instructions:

• 6 mint leaves
• 1 lime, 4 wedges
• 1 Tbls. sugar {use a little less if you don't like a sweet drink}
• ice
• 1 1/2 oz. white rum
• club soda

Place 3 mint leaves and 1 lime wedge in the bottom of the glass and crush with a muddler {or any blunt object, like the back of a spoon}. This releases the oils from the mint and the lime juice! Then add 2 more lime wedges, 2 more mint leaves, and the sugar. Muddle again. Fill the glass with ice and pour the rum over. Fill the rest of the glass with club soda. Add your last lime wedge and mint leaf for garnish. Stir and enjoy!

Sometimes people think it is weird to have crushed leaves and limes floating in their drinks but trust me, it adds so much flavor! 

If you are in the mood to try something a little more out of the ordinary then I would suggest the Blackberry Mojito! This was delicious!

This recipe was extremely similar but I used less sugar, 1 less lime wedge, and 2 less mint leaves!

Here is the modified list of ingredients and instructions:

• 4 mint leaves
• 3 lime wedges
• 1/2 Tbls. sugar {again, use a little less if you don't like a sweet drink}
• 6 blackberries
• ice
• 1 1/2 oz. white rum
• club soda

These will sound familiar but no sense in fixing something that isn't broken!

Place 2 mint leaves, 1 lime wedge, and 3 blackberries in the bottom of your glass and crush with a muddler {or again, any blunt object, like the back of a spoon}. Next add 1 more lime wedge, 1 more mint leaf, and the sugar. Muddle again. Fill the glass with ice and pour the rum over. Fill the rest of the glass with club soda. Add 3 blackberries, 1 lime wedge and 1 mint leaf for garnish. Stir and enjoy!

Blackberries taste like summer to me anyways, so this was the perfect drink for the unofficial start to summer! This batch was especially ripe and sweet so they were perfect! Yummm :)

So there you have it, my first summer cocktails of the season! What about you guys? Trying anything new now that the sun is out for us to enjoy? I hope you liked this recipe!

Wishing you a lovely little day!

In Defense of Hufflepuff

The summer months are when I get to catch up on all of the reading that I have been missing during the academic term. Lately I have been geeking out a little and considering re-reading the beloved Harry Potter series. As a result I have been talking HP in my daily life more often and the Hufflepuff jokes are  free-flowing.

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As a proud Hufflepuff (hey Pottermore!) surrounded by Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors-- you can imagine how many comments friends make on the matter. I have an extremely loving close circle and so I should make it clear that it is all in jest. Nevertheless, I would like to take a moment to express my feelings on why I believe Hufflepuff to be just as worthy as any other house. :)

sent to me by a friend..

First let's look at another misunderstood house, Slytherin. Some automatically assume that they are "evil", but this is far from true. The attributes of a Slytherin include ambition, leadership, resourcefulness, intelligence, and Fraternity. I know some of my favorite people in the world are resourceful leaders.

Ravenclaws are of course witty, original, wise, and creative. There is very little hate towards this house... If anything it has a bit of a "hipster" following, and rightfully so.

Gryffindors are brave, daring, chivalrous, and courageous. As you all know, I have the word "courage" tattooed on my body. I consider my secondary house to be Gryffindor because I value these traits so much, but it doesn't mean that they don't have their downsides. They can be loud, boisterous show-offs at times.

Finally, my house, Hufflepuff... the "worthless extras". Hufflepuffs are tolerant, kind, honest, fair, loyal, patient, and hard-working. Perhaps the reason people feel as though Hufflepuffs have little to offer is due to the fact that it is not in the nature of a Hufflepuff to brag about their accomplishments {where my Gryffindors and Slytherins at!?}. A Hufflepuff will stand by anyone worthy without waver and treat them with unfailing kindness and care.

If these qualities don't seem important to you, then please do me a small favor. Imagine a world without loyal, kind, tolerant people. Hufflepuffs are the ones who put the needs of others before their own. They are the healers, the protectors, the allies, the supporters, the caretakers... And they do it all without seeking any recognition from others.

Here is one of my favorite J.K Rowling quotes about Hufflepuff:

So there you have it, my proud little Hufflepuff rant! I just think it is worth reminding people of the importance of the qualities our Hufflepuff friends possess. :)

And if you don't agree with me?

Hahaha... Are you guys Harry Potter fans? Do you have a house? Are you as nerdy as I am? I hope so!

Wishing you all a lovely little day!

Special Moments During Special Olympics

For those of you wondering where I have been, I apologize a million times! It seems I have been doing that all month long! The last few weeks have just been crazy, full days, one right after another! Currently I am working the Special Olympics Summer Games!

Volunteer Shirts!

After this week things will still be a little busy, but not nearly on the same level! I am part of a leadership team that houses all of the athletes and volunteers for the State Games, and as you can imagine, a lot can happen when keeping track of 4,000 people! I have gotten about 12 hours of sleep total in the last 5 days... not a good number.

This has been sustaining me throughout the entire week... Mmmmm

But on the other side of things, what an amazing opportunity. The athletes are so thankful for their time here and they are having such a wonderful experience. Every interaction is so special to me!  One of the athletes that I met upon her arrival this week gave me a balloon yesterday because balloons make people smile! :)

Another family asked me for some advice on where to eat, because their son was an athlete competing and he wanted Chinese food! I asked him if he wanted take-out or if he likes buffet-style Chinese food better, after he told me he liked buffet I suggested my favorite Chinese place in town. A few hours later they came to my office and told me they had a wonderful time and that it was going to be a new tradition every year! He said it was the best Chinese food he'd ever had. Haha

{Update} Now that the games are almost over, all of the athletes are walking around proud with their different medals. I love when they wave them around to show me with so much excitement! They ask if I am proud of them and how could I not be?!

They are small interactions and probably seem somewhat insignificant from the outside, but they make me so happy. I have met so many kind-hearted participants this weekend and I am so incredibly grateful!

How is everyone else doing? Hopefully getting more sleep than me! Can't wait to get into the full blogging swing for the month of June! :)

Wishing you a lovely little day!

Healthy Snack Idea: Brie & Apple Slices

One lovely reader mentioned snacking on brie and apples with her sister recently and since then I have been suffering from a serious craving! Because this pairing is oh so delicious, I felt it was only fair to share it with all of you as well! :)

Usually when I have brie it is wrapped in a flaky buttery crust and baked... And it is to die for. But, given that this is a healthy snack suggestion, that delectable recipe did not prove appropriate. {Although I will be happy to share it in the future if anyone is interested!}

This combination is just so sweet and savory I can't help but enjoy every last taste! I will admit that this is "Light Brie" which is not as creamy as the regular brie we usually come across, but it never hurts to make healthy choices here and there! It still has that rich flavor to ease my cravings though.

Do you guys have any snacks that you just can't resist some days?

Wishing you all a lovely little day!