this and that. that and this.

i rarely share with you the "things" we do. i often discuss my thoughts, passions, concerns, and funnies. so, today i thought i'd give you a quick update on what we've been up to this year [can you believe it's already march?!]. our year is off to a slow, enjoyable start [thank goodness].

- during the first week of january keith and i spoke at UNC to a class of med students about my life with epilepsy. it was an awesome experience and would love the opportunity to speak again.

- over MLK weekend we were in raleigh for two hockey games. i was able to catch up with ashley for lunch on sunday at a new restaurant, chuy's. it was delish! [hockey was on a hiatus during the olympics. so we haven't been to a home hockey game in almost a month. that is crazy talk.]

- we've had a lot of snow days. i think we've either been delayed or missed between 7-8 days. it's been fun, but along with the rest of the southeast, i am ready for spring.

- valentine's weekend: keith and i really make no effort to celebrate valentine's day, but this weekend ended up doing lots of amazing things. we started our day with brunch at the scullery, a cute cafe downtown that we've been itching to try. it was so, so yummy [we will definitely be back!]. then we headed to kinston to mother earth brewing, followed by the boiler room for southern poutine and picklebackers. lastly, we got a drink and dinner at villedge, another favorite spot in town. we had a delicious food and drink tour of greenville.

pictures from respective facebook pages

- another great weekend in greenville was spent in the sunshine. we took orso to a new park. we hit some golf balls at the driving range. and ended our day with beers and apps outside at winslows.

- the last weekend of february keith and i took trips, separate trips. he went with the boys to asheville. they ate and drank their way through 13 breweries and countless restaurants. he is still exhausted. i went with the girls on a relaxing beach getaway to topsail beach. we went for runs/walks on the beach, enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful water views. we tried to shop [many stores and restaurants were still closed up for the season]. however, the trailer bar did not disappoint! it was a wonderful weekend to get away and catch up with my girls!

mountain vs. sea views

other things worth a mention:
i am so excited and happy with my physical fitness. i am running a 5k in april [yay!]. every day i feel stronger and more confident in myself. workouts are a vital part of my day. they help me through the best of days and through the crummiest of days. [a much more detailed blog on this is in the works].

i have the desire motivation to do more with my life and time. is it through writing? is it through art? is it through volunteering? is it through more education? is it through starting my own business? all of the above?


and now it's march. MARCH. and it is still freaking cold. what the hell? but the weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend, so we are looking forward to yet another fun weekend on tap [hockey, ECU baseball, driving range, park...basically anything outdoors]. our year hasn't started off too busy, which is good because looking ahead i see many events on the calendar and a crazy, as usual schedule on the horizon. so, we will enjoy these next few quiet weekends while we have them.

i hope your year is off to a wonderful beginning and that you all are staying warm [spring is near...i promise]!

xoxo,
ks

friendly weekend

this past weekend we had a few of our favorite friends come to visit [flo, sarah, and matt]. we were so excited that they came to little ole greenville to hang out! as usual, our activities centered around eating and drinking.
flo and sarah got here friday afternoon, so we headed out to one of me and keith's favorite places, cpw's, for a drink and some appetizers. our favorite thing about this place is that they have a rotating monthly menu. unfortunate for us, this month is seafood based [we are not big seafood eaters]. but typically we love it!
afterward we headed to duck rabbit brewery [with flo, sarah, matt, and NJ]. this brewery is located about 20 minutes west of greenville in farmville, nc. a very small town. we like their beers and had never been to the brewery, so we thought we'd check it out. well, we were in for a treat.

picture from DRB facebook page

that is the brewery. it is a small warehouse, with the tasting room attached to the front [which is what you see in the picture]. the tasting room does allow you to sample all the beers as little or as much as you'd like free of charge. you can also order pints [$4/ea], but they only take cash/check [what?!] and there is no atm close by. we were in small town america, y'all. and we even got a tour of the brewery by one of the drunk staff members. i am glad we checked it out. but i am not sure when/if we'll be back.

on saturday we headed to another small eastern NC town, kinston. we went to check out mother earth brewing. keith and flo had gone there a couple of weeks ago, so we knew it was worth another visit. it is such a cool place.

from MEB website

 they are platinum LEED certified [i think]. they reuse, recycle, and re-purpose everything. it is amazing. the tap room and brewery are beautiful. in addition to the tap room, there is also a beer garden. we took a tour of the brewery, which was very educational about the beer making process and the history of mother earth. i enjoyed it a lot, which is huge because i typically get bored on brew tours [because they all are so similar. it's like once you've been on one, you've been on them all].

from MEB website: beer garden

we will definitely be back. perhaps on the 24th when they release their peach beer [yum!].

after having some midday beers, we were hungry! there are a few new local restaurants in kinston, with one of them being the boiler room [same owners as chef and the farmer]. it is a brand new restaurant that is a burger, beer, and oyster bar. it was fantastic! we all shared the southern poutine appetizer. traditional, canadian poutine is fries, cheese curds and gravy [the best thing you're not eating]. so, the southern poutine was fries, mozz curds, brazed pork belly and gravy. holy shit, it was amazing. we all got different variety of burgers. all delicious. sarah was the only to get oysters. she got fried oysters and they were so good.

from chef and farmer FB page

this place hasn't even been open a week. i can only imagine it getting better. if we are ever back in kinston, this will definitely be a place we'll eat at!

we ended the weekend by hanging out at our place. our sunday was very lazy. but hey, sometimes sundays just need to be lazy.
it was wonderful to catch up with and hang out with old friends. we always seem to pick up where ever we left off. that is the great thing about friends. see [most of] you guys next weekend!!

and i hope the rest of you had as great of a weekend as we did! :)

xoxo,
ks