I Miss Ben

I don’t have much to say about this. I just miss my brother today. I do. I would like him to live closer.



I miss his hugs.
I miss the way his voice gets high when he laughs.
I miss the crinkles he gets in the corners of his eyes when he smiles.
I miss the one raised eyebrow he gets when I say something he thinks is dumb.



I miss his ability to follow my ridiculous jokes that don't make sense to anyone else. Also, our shared love for doing impressions of other people.


I miss his guitar. I miss his skateboard. I miss his crazy boot camp stories.

I miss his fashion sense. For real. The dude knows how to shop.



I miss his doodling and tattoo designs all over everything. I miss his insanely loud music and eclectic taste.



I miss the way he can make my mom laugh. 
I miss him a lot.
Who do you miss today?
love, elizabeth

PS: Benjamin, I stole pictures off your Instagram for this post. Sorry. Not.

making with the adventure

This blog was always supposed to be about adventure. And lately, I’ve been feeling even less adventurous than usual.

But then I spotted this on my brother’s Instagram and smiled so big. Apparently, he and his friend noticed this place through a Google search and decided to go ghost hunting. I love when I see little glimpses of myself in my brother because most of the time, we seem so different. But this is totally something I would do.

So thanks, Ben, for renewing a sense of adventure in your sister. I’m going to make it a point to see something haunted this fall (it IS on my bucket list, after all).

AND I’m doing a little blog re-vamping…what do you think?

love, elizabeth

Vacation Day Four: Things I’m embarrassed to admit

We left Cape Hatteras really early on Sunday and drove down to Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach makes me feel like I’m in Every Spring Break Movie Ever Made. Along the boardwalk, which is pretty much where we spent all of our time this trip, there are endless hotels and ice cream shops and souvenir shops selling basically anything and everything with MYRTLE BEACH stamped on it. One of my favorite signs said, “We have everything for your spring break needs: sunscreen, beach towels, glow sticks, shot glasses, henna tattoos, body glitter, stun guns, and swords.” You know…because when I get to my hotel and realize that I have forgotten to pack my sword…well, spring break is pretty much ruined!

We got a pretty cool bonus this trip because our friend Andy was able to meet us in M.B. for the afternoon. For full disclosure’s sake, almost ten years ago…Andy had the great distinction of being my first boyfriend (and first kiss, ahem). He’s got a very cool, very G.I. Joe job in the Army now and is very busy with that so I really, really doubt he’ll ever read this but…just in case…Andy, thanks for being such a great guy and such a gentleman. You have always treated me with respect and kindness and I am so thankful for you. Ughhhh…I really hope he doesn’t see this post. Because now I’m embarrassed for admitting that.

It was so fun to see Andy and Ben together! They hadn’t hung out since before Benjamin enlisted a couple years ago. I have pictures somewhere of the two of them when Ben was like…11 or 12. It’s amazing to get such a visual reminder of the passage of time.

My mom continued to insist that we do everything she wanted to do all weekend because “it was her birthday.” In case you were wondering, it was her birthday for about five days.

Myrtle Beach is the miniature golf capitol of the world. So who is seriously going to pass THAT up?  Also, Mom’s adorable red sneakers.

 

The boys both had to drive back to their respective duty stations so we said good-bye after mini-golf and Mom and I went to our hotel. We stayed at The Breakers which I highly, highly recommend to anyone visiting. I can take zero credit for finding it because it was all Mom. She just let me stay there. Which was very nice of her.

This was the view from our balcony. I could not stop staring at the ocean the entire time we were there.

And then, like true spring breakers, we walked to a mini-mart and bought a $7 bottle of wine. We drank it on the balcony and listened to the waves. Mom told me about the first time she met my dad. It was a pretty wonderful night.

love, elizabeth

Vacation Day Three: My Dream House

I have never been to heaven so I can’t exactly verify this but…I have it on good authority that it looks a lot like the Outerbanks. If you’ve never been, I want you to drop whatever you’re doing right now, get in your car, and head east. Or west. Or…whatever direction gets you closer to Cape Hatteras because it literally might be my favorite place in the entire universe. What am I saying?? Uh, forget about Hatteras. It’s mine. GO AWAY. When Kyle and I move there, we will live in a house that looks like this.



And I will do nothing but float around in gauzy white linen with a glass of chardonnay in my hand and voice-over narrate my life story with a Fray song playing in the background. It will be a simpler life.



Please just appreciate this sign with me. I kept looking for Richard Gere.



The tallest lighthouse in North America. Bam.





Ladies and gentlemen…my brother, the American Eagle model.




My beach love-note to Kyle.





Mom and Ben practically had to carry me off the OBX (oh yeah, I call it the OBX now. Because I’m cool like that). I am not even a little bit kidding when I say that I looked up available rentals for about half an hour before I remembered that I have to finish graduate school in Ohio. So…way to squash THAT dream, universe.

Where would you live if you could live anywhere?

Check out this chance for some free blog advertising, if you're interested.

love, elizabeth

Vacation Day Two: At Ease, Marine

So day two of the trip, we drove from Wilmington to Jacksonville where my brother is stationed. But not without our morning coffee…



Ben has been deployed for the last year and I have missed him so, so much. So nice to see him back on U.S. soil.



The day was particularly special because it was Mom’s birthday. Look how pretty she is…



After a few excruciating hours at the DMV switching titles and registration for Benjamin’s car, we took a local recommendation for a little Caribbean restaurant called Elsa’s.



The food was saltier than I’m used to but I loved all the fresh vegetables and rice!



Ben escorted us on base and we got a peek inside his barracks. I realize Marines are pretty much required to be neat and orderly but it was still a shock to see his room so clean. He played and sang a few songs for us, too, and it made me pretty nostalgic for our childhood. Sometimes I just stare at him and can’t believe how grown up he is.



But then I see his dirty combat boots and I remember that not only is he an adult now but he’s in a dangerous and demanding line of work. Not going to lie…I got a little choked up when I saw these.



And his dress cover which I think is just so pretty. He rolled his eyes at me but I got him to put it on for about thirty seconds that afternoon.



It was about a four hour drive to Cape Hatteras that night but soooo worth it. Can’t wait to show you THOSE pictures on Monday!

If you have siblings, are you ever just blown away by their talents and abilities? Ben never ceases to amaze me.

love, elizabeth

Happy Birthday, Marine

My baby brother turns 21 today. He’s not home from his deployment yet so say a prayer for his safe return!

 

Here’s a song for you, Ben. I love you and I can’t wait until you’re home!

Have a good Wednesday everybody!

love, elizabeth

Prayers for a Marine

Today, like everyday, I’m thinking about my little brother, Ben. And missing him. And wishing him home safe. Here’s a recent picture of him aboard ship.

I love you, Benjamin. If you read this, know that I pray for you whenever I drive your car or see your picture or hear your favorite songs or sit in the pew at church. Can’t wait until you can come home.

love,

elizabeth

Adventures on the Road: Sunshine In My Shoes

		Topsail Island & Myrtle Beach VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

As promised, here are some of the photos from our trip last week to the Carolinas!
There were so many I decided to break them up, thematically. So here are the best shots from our two afternoons on the beach with my brother, Ben, who ships out with his platoon this week.
It was wonderful to spend the day with two of my favorite guys in the whole world.
Oh, and I would like to point out, cough, that I myself did not take a sea shell and write “I LOVE ELIZABETH” in the sand. Okay? That wasn’t me.
Side note, it was Madigan’s first trip to the ocean. Not sure she’s sold on the shore line but she liked the sand (a little too much – we found her trying to eat a few mouthfuls early in the day)!

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.”  - Isak Dinesen

“He that will learn to pray, let him go to sea.”  - George Herbert

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It's always our self we find in the sea.” - e.e. cummings