Middle of the Night is Riley Sager’s latest thriller and follows Ethan Marsh, an adult who, in his adolescence, was present when his best friend went missing but remembers nothing about the incident. Ever since, Ethan has been plagued with nightmares and has followed the cold case closely, hoping that somehow, his friend is still alive. Thirty years later, Ethan is back in his childhood home and starts following clues to finally learn the truth of what happened.
Riley Sager has made a name for himself as the king of mystery and suspense and this novel just further supports that. Middle of the Night had twists and turns I never saw coming and as usual, Sager knew the perfect moments to slowly peel back the mystery and reveal what really happened that night.
Something that I think made this book stand out amongst his others is that the mystery wasn’t the only crucial part of the story. Although there are always stories in Sager’s books that supplement the mystery, I believe the books can typically still hold a reader’s attention even if that supplemental storyline wasn’t there. This one, though, I think benefited so much from Ethan’s backstory, so much so that the ending had me tearing up because it was so heartwarming.
I think Riley Sager is a phenomenal writer – he has written some of my all time favorite novels and this one in particular just further reinforced what a fantastic voice he has.
This month was a big one and music played a HUGE part in it!
At the beginning of the month, I went down to Covington, GA for a Vampire Diaries event and I painted the album cover of the song Do The Damn Thing by Hot Chelle Rae to have signed by Chord Overstreet, who’s featured on the song. While I was down there, I reunited with Chris Brochu – my favorite, favorite singer and probably the best lyricist I know – and I also went to a Chord Overstreet concert.
So, for the those reasons, some of the top songs this month were Do The Damn Thing, Hustle by Chris Brochu, and Hold On by Chord Overstreet (hearing that song performed live in the Covington town square where Vampire Diaries was filmed was absolutely surreal!).
I also saw Niall Horan and Justin Timberlake in concert this month, so I listened to them a lot leading up to the shows, I listened to a lot of Jamie Lawson’s music, and a lot of country music, it is summer after all!
Here’s my full June playlist:
Do the Damn Thing – Hot Chelle Rae
Pour Decisions – Ryan and Rory
All on You – Mitchell Tenpenny
Dance Around It – Parachute
Hold On – Chord Overstreet
Hustle – Chris Brochu
Grew Apart – Logan Mize, Donovan Woods
Expectations – Tim Riehm
Heaven – Niall Horan
Still – Niall Horan
Slow Hands – Niall Horan
Heartbreak Weather – Niall Horan
Happy – Tyler Posey
Nomads – BYRNE
Catch – CAL
Still Good – DNCE
Chasin’ You – Morgan Wallen
U.N.I. – Ed Sheeran
What I Know – Parachute
Wasn’t Expecting That – Jamie Lawson
CMB (Intro) – Chris Brochu
Out There – Chris Brochu
Head Up – Chris Brochu
All Is Well – Chris Brochu
My Crew – Chris Brochu
Rain or Shine – Chris Brochu
Playing House – Chris Brochu
What’s Coming to You – Chris Brochu
Home – Chris Brochu
One Two – Chris Brochu
If you’re interested, you can listen to the full playlist here.
I don’t consider myself an expert in anything, but if there’s one thing I know A LOT about, it’s Covington, Georgia.
If you’re a fan of Vampire Diaries and have been wanting to visit the place it was filmed, you’ve come to the right place! If you’re not a fan of the show but are looking for a cute, fun little southern town to visit, you’ve also come to the right place!
Covington is located about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta; it’s the perfect reprieve from the bustling city life of Atlanta. It’s home to a picturesque clocktower and dozens of shops and delicious restaurants.
Vampire Diaries Themed Activities In Covington
Visit the houses that were used on the show!
You can see Elena’s house, Caroline’s house, the Lockwood Mansion, Isobel’s house, and Grams’ house! And you can walk to them from the Square!
Elena’s House: 2104 Floyd St NE, Covington, GA 30014
Caroline’s House: 2118 Floyd St NE, Covington, GA 30014
The Lockwood Mansion: 2129 East Street SE, Covington, GA 30014
Isobel’s House: 2146 Conyers St. SE, Covington, GA 30014
Grams’ House: 2136 Conyers St SE, Covington, GA 30014
In front of the Gilbert House on my first trip to Covington in 2018.
There’s nothing cooler than being able to eat at the Mystic Grill where so many scenes on the show took place! Their food is absolutely delicious and their prices are great.
If the weather is nice, they have outdoor seating on the rooftop with stunning views of the town square and the clocktower
Pro-tip: Keep your receipt! You’ll get 10% off your purchase in The Alley, the gift shop downstairs.
If you like fried pickles, theirs are to die for! I also love the salmon – that’s my go-to dish – and the fried chicken sliders. I also feel like it’s tradition to get sweet tea while I’m there (I’ve never found a place with better sweet tea than the Grill).
If you want a drink, my favorites are the Mystic Midnight and the Damon’s Pancake shot (and you get to keep the shot glass!). If you want a souvenir glass, get one of the slushies and you can get a glass with either a Damon or a Katherine quote on it.
They didn’t film inside the Grill, but they used the exterior on the show and they created a replica of the bar inside the restaurant and even have stools for Stefan and Alaric
The Alley is an amazing gift shop located below the Mystic Grill (and right next to the clocktower!)
The shop has tons of tvd themed merchandise and also a little museum with clothes that were worn on the show!
It’s located right at the bottom of the stairs where Finn was staked in season 3, so it’s a really cool place to recreate photos if you want to. Check out some of ours!
Both companies have locations in Covington Square and both offer tours of filming locations in the Vampire Diaries universe and some of the spots are inaccessible unless you’re on one of these tours.
Both locations also sell TVD themed merchandise and Vampire Stalkers has memorabilia for other shows and movies filmed in Covington as well.
They filmed some of the 1864 Lockwood Mansion scenes there and it’s gorgeous bed and breakfast – 2176 Monticello St SW, Covington, GA 30014
You can walk there from the Square!
If you aren’t staying there, be mindful and respectful of being on their property!
We stayed in Katherine’s Mirror Image Grand Suite and it was absolutely STUNNING
Check out the Visitor’s Center!
The museum at the visitors center has TONS of props from Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Legacies and also showcases other shows/movies that were filmed in Covington
1143 Oak St SE, Covington, GA 30014
Visit the park where the Delena rain kiss was filmed
Covington has so many beautiful nature spots and this is one of them!
The rain kiss was filmed in Academy Springs Park – 3119 Conyers St SE, Covington, GA 30014 – and it’s walkable from the Square
Check out the cemetery where Aunt Jenna’s funeral was held and where Damon told Stefan that Tyler bit him
Covington City Cemetery – it’s located right outside the square on Southview Dr.
You can recreate this epic shot from the show!
Grab a drink at Bree’s bar!
4122 Emory St NW, Covington, GA 30014
If you loved the Prison World as much as I did, check out one of the places Damon, Bonnie, and Kai spent time at – Bell’s!
11377 Brown Bridge Rd, Covington, GA 30016
Check out the Walk of the Stars. You can find ones for Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder, but there’s tons more! Check out the full list of stars here.
Visit the church where Sheriff Forbes’ funeral was held
1113 Conyers St SW, Covington, GA 30014
Recreate this iconic shot from the show! The intersection looks a little different than it did on the show, but it’s still a really cool photo!
Mystic Mercantile is a new location with a shop in the front and a replica of the Salvatore living room in the back, including some original furniture from the show!
Vampire Diaries Themed Locations Around Covington
Go to Whitmore College!
Oxford College at Emory University is where the college scenes were filmed and the campus is stunning! It’s quaint and there’s a beautiful clocktower on campus there as well – this is one of my favorite spots around Covington!
801 Emory St, Oxford, GA 30054
Check out the Armory!
The Armory is located in Westview Cemetery Inc. at 1680 Westview Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
The grounds of the cemetery are HUGE and it’s a stunningly beautiful area
Go to the 1864 Salvatore Mansion
It’s located at 617 Dixie Ave Madison, GA 30650 and it’s GORGEOUS
WICKERY BRIDGE!
Wickery Bridge is located on a super busy road in Lithonia, GA, but getting a photo on the bridge is absolutely iconic
If you take pictures on the bridge itself, BE CAREFUL – cars drive so fast around the bends before and after the bridge, so it’s kind of tough to get good pictures. You have to time everything perfectly and make sure that if you and your friends do it, you’re looking out for each other!
The bridge is at 5090 Klondike Rd, Lithonia, GA 30038
Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted
From the street, you can see the location that was used for the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted! It’s located at 5520 Kent Rock Rd, Loganville, GA 30052
I attended an event at the manor and was able to go inside – it was stunning!
Go to Conyers where The Originals was filmed
Places to Check Out in the Covington Square
I absolutely LOVE the Covington Square. There are so many fun shops and one of my absolute FAVORITE things to do when I’m in Covington is just sit in the square and people watch and look at the clocktower – I know it sounds lame, but until you’ve sat in the town square, you won’t understand the pure bliss you feel while you’re there.
Make sure you take pictures in front of the clocktower!
Here are some of my favorite places:
And yes, I realize I’m going to name almost all the businesses in the square, but it’s because I love them all.
Wild Art – This is a quaint art shop that sells beautiful art from local artists, Vampire Diaries memorabilia, and also offers art classes! The front windows also showcase some TVD lore.
My friend Lisa and I painted the clocktower at Wild Art!
Woven – they have the CUTEST clothes and staff always is so friendly!
Mystic Grill is of course my top choice – but there are so many other delicious places in the Square!
Scoops! – If you love ice cream, you’ve got to check out Scoops! Their ice cream is delicious and they also sell tons of candy as well. The TVD cast used to get ice cream here all the time!
Your Pie– Your Pie is like Chipotle but for pizza, it’s amazing!
Bread and Butter– Bread and Butter is way more than meets the eye! They have coffee and beverages, pastries and sandwiches, macaroons, gifts, alcoholic beverages, and more! It’s a really cute space and such a picturesque coffee shop/cafe!
@Local Coffee House & Study Lounge– Local has so much to offer! It’s the perfect space to study and hang out, they have fantastic coffee, refreshers, and pastries, and they also have books and live music! Kayla Ewell (Vicki on TVD) told me once that the cast used to get coffee here all the time.
The Social Goat Tavern – I love Social Goat’s food and I LOVE their drink selection! They have great adult juice pouches – I haven’t had one there that I didn’t love! They also have a great weekend brunch.
City Pharmacy– I personally have never been to City Pharmacy, but I’ve heard really great things!
Things to Do Outside of Covington
Visit Monroe!
My friend Lisa and I discovered Monroe by accident and we absolutely LOVE it there. It’s only about a 30 minute drive from Covington, and anytime we visit Georgia, we always make a trip to Monroe. I’ve never been to Monroe with anyone but Lisa; it’s like our little sanctuary outside Covington, it’s so special.
It’s very similar to Covington. It’s a very quaint little town and there are tons of shops and boutiques – the area we always frequent is N Broad Street and that road has things like Scoops Ice Cream, Your Pie, a coffee shop, Southern Roots Outfitter, and tons more! They also have a really pretty clocktower.
Stone Mountain
If you like hiking or just want to see some really stunning views, check out Stone Mountain! It’s about a 40 minute drive from Covington.
Visit Atlanta!
There’s so much to do in Atlanta like Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola, and the Georgia Aquarium.
Random Things to Do
This might sound crazy, but one of mine and Lisa’s favorite things to do when we’re in Covington is turn the GPS off and just drive.
The roads in Georgia are so different than back home and it’s fun to be able to see new places. Plus, we’re convinced that Every Road Leads Back to Covington. We’ve never gotten lost and almost always have been able to get back to Covington without ever turning our GPS on.
Check out Chimney Park! It’s a 12 acre park located behind the public library off of Floyd St NE. in Covington
Walk or bike the Cricket Frog Trail in Covington!
Get ice cream at QuikTrip!
Yes, QT just a gas station, but they actually have great soft serve ice cream!
Try Bojangles!
If you’re looking for a quick meal, try Bojangles! On my first trip to Georgia – a road trip from New England down to Covington – my friends and I had never seen or heard of Bojangles but kept seeing them EVERYWHERE once we got down south, so we decided to try it and really liked it! It’s definitely not as good as a restaurant like Mystic Grill, but it’s good in a pinch!
If you have any Covington or Vampire Diaries questions, send them my way! 🙂
One of my goals this year is to start using my time to do more creatively stimulating activities.
I’ve noticed the last few months (maybe even in some ways, the last few years) that I haven’t been doing much for myself. I’ve been traveling (which is AMAZING and I wouldn’t trade it for anything) and I’ve been spending time with my friends and loved ones, but in the little down time I have, I feel like I’ve been completely wasting my time.
Lately, I’ve been spending my free time watching tv or scrolling online and I feel like I need to start doing things I enjoy and things that make me feel GOOD when I’m done with them.
That’s part of why I’ve been opening myself back up to drawing and painting. I’ve been trying to find my own niche with drawing and I’ve been focusing on fandoms and music that I like and creating pieces around those.
I did my first painting last fall – I painted a How I Met Your Mother themed piece to have Josh Radnor sign at Rhode Island Comic Con – and then I painted a picture of myself and Nathaniel Buzolic and had him sign it in December at a Vampire Diaries convention.
Then, in March, I took on my biggest project yet and painted the Dawson’s Creek cast to have Kerr Smith and James Van Der Beek sign at 90s Con.
I was so nervous going into it, but I’m so proud of how the final product came out and both Kerr and James were so excited and impressed when they saw it.
Last month, I decided to take on a few more projects. One for my friend’s birthday and two for Chord Overstreet to sign.
The first one was for my friend Kayla’s birthday. She and her mom are both so creative and own Superstar Designs where they create a TON of fandom merch including clothing, lanterns, keychains, hats, and blankets. They’ve shared so many products with me in the past and I wanted to give Kayla something special for her birthday.
So, I found a photo of Kayla, her mom, our friend Danielle, and I and I drew it and then painted it.
Then, I surprised my friend Nicole with a little 5×7 painting of Chord Overstreet from when he was on Glee. She’s a huge fan of Glee and loves Trouty Mouth, so I decided to take some creative liberty and paint a Trouty Mouth painting for her.
Lastly, the one I’m the most proud of!
When I found out Chord Overstreet was going to be a guest at The Vampire Diaries convention I was going to in Covington, GA, I immediately bought an autograph and a photo with him. I’ve also been a fan of his since he was on Glee, so I was psyched to meet him, but I had nothing in mind for him to sign.
His brother is in the band Hot Chelle Rae – my favorite band – so part of me wanted whatever it was he was signing to be Hot Chelle Rae themed, but I also wanted it to be centralized around him as well and not just his brother.
And then… it HIT ME. One of my favorite Hot Chelle Rae songs – and favorite songs in general – is called Do the Damn Thing and Chord is featured on it, and so began a search for a cd or vinyl of Do the Damn Thing. But after searching and searching, I couldn’t find one that I thought was suitable for him to sign.
Instead, I found a 12×12 canvas, I drew the album cover, and then I painted it!
This was by far and away the most difficult painting I’ve ever painted, but I’m also beyond proud of how it came out and I was SO excited to have Chord sign it. Check it out below!
If you have any suggestions on what I should paint next, send them my way!
My friends and I packed up and headed to Chicago for a few days!
At the end of March, Kayla, Shelly, Danielle and I all took a trip to Windy City! The four of us met through the convention circuit and since we met, we’ve attended as many events together as we can. Our most recent convention was Epic Cons Chicago at Navy Pier.
The Convention
The con was hosted by Epic Cons and if you’re a fan of Roswell New Mexico, Twilight, Teen Wolf, Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, One Tree Hill, John Tucker Must Die, or Arrow, this was the place for you!
Throughout the weekend, there were opportunities to get photo ops, selfies, autographs, and meet and greets with the actors and actresses and almost all of the celebrities sat on at least one panel as well where fans could ask questions.
There were also a handful of vendors selling fandom-related merch. Two of my favorites were my friends Kayla and Shelly at Superstar Designs and my friends Bob and Dena with Somerhalder Productions. Some of the guests – like Michael Vlamis, Riley Voelkel, Michael Trevino, Kayla Ewell, Tanner Novlan, Madison McLaughlin, Dylan Sprayberry, and Carina MacKenzie – also worked with Merch by Blank Clo to create some unique designs for the event.
One of my all time favorite shows is Roswell New Mexico, and on Saturday, Kayla and I got a photo with a ton of people from the Roswell cast!
From left to right, we met Madison McLaughlin, Carina MacKenzie (the show’s creator), Lily Cowles, Michael Vlamis, Michael Trevino, Riley Voelkel, Kayla Ewell, and Tanner Novlan.
I also was able to talk one on one with each of them during other parts of the weekend, everyone except for Madison (which means I just have to make sure I meet her again next time!). Here are some of the photos:
Another highlight of the event was getting to go to a Tyler Posey concert. Posey played the lead on MTV’s drama Teen Wolf and Danielle is a HUGE fan of his music and convinced all of us to get VIP tickets to his concert.
With the VIP, we were able to sit in on soundcheck, get a photo with Tyler and his wife Phem who opened the concert, and were able to get right in the front for the show.
Unfortunately, at the time, I didn’t know any of Tyler’s (or Phem’s music) but now, I can’t stop listening! I LOVE the songs Runnin‘, Sober, and Happy.
On Saturday, we also met tons of people from the Teen Wolf cast including Keahu Kahuanui, Colton Haynes, JR Bourne, Shelly Hennig, and Orny Adams.
Kayla and I also got a photo with Keegan Allen, Troian Bellisario, Ashely Benson, and Torrey DeVitto from Pretty Little Liars.
I got to meet Ashley Greene from Twilight as well, and the highlight of the day was reuniting with Kat Graham from Vampire Diaries.
The only time we had the entire weekend to leave Navy Pier was dinner Saturday night, so we tried to make the most of our time.
Neither Danielle or I had ever been to Chicago, so we went to Pizzeria Due for dinner so we could try deep dish pizza. I personally didn’t love it and ordered pasta instead, but they all LOVED it. Check out what one of their pizzas looked like.
Then we took a walk through the city (in the bitter cold!) and I was surprised when the city reminded me a lot of Manhattan.
Then we grabbed Cheesecake to-go from Cheesecake Factory and headed back to the hotel to hang out for the night.
On Sunday, we were back at the Convention and got to meet some more of the Twilight cast members. Meeting Nikki Reed was absolutely surreal and we got to meet Jackson Rathbone and Kellan Lutz too.
The Pretty Little Liars cast was also there on Sunday, so we got to meet Ashely Benson and Tyler Blackburn.
One of the other highlights of the weekend was getting to reunite with Kayla Ewell and to get an EPIC photo with Kat Graham and Ian Somerhalder.
The last two people we met were Sophia Bush and Linden Ashby from One Tree Hill and Teen Wolf.
I’ve attended tons of conventions over the years and this one was by far one of the best ones I’ve been to. It was so well organized, I loved the venue, and the cast members they had in attendance were absolutely incredible. Being able to see so much of the Roswell cast together as amazing and I grew up on Twilight and never expected to be able to meet the cast.
On Monday, before Danielle and I flew home, we did some sight seeing on Navy Pier and grabbed a quick lunch at Margaritaville before heading to the airport.
I loved the convention, but I also can’t wait to go back to Chicago and spend some time in the city and exploring what else Chicago has to offer!
I don’t think you realize how much your home has to offer until someone visits and you fall into the role of tour guide.
Back in April, my cousin Jocelyn took a trip over here to Massachusetts from LA. At first, it was exciting trying to plan what we were going to do. Jocelyn is like my mini me, so I knew no matter what I picked, we were going to have fun, but it reached a point in the planning process where I was like oh shit, there’s nothing to do over here!
We’re used to LA where there is always something to do. Over here, in comparison, it feels like there’s nothing, especially when it’s not warm yet.
So, I decided, the best way to go about planning what we can do is to pretend I’m coming here for the first time. Plymouth, check. Boston, check. Cape Cod (even though it’s not summer yet), check. New York City day trip double check.
But…. Mother Nature had other plans. So here’s what we ended up doing in the end 🙂
Monday
I headed to Logan bright and early so I could pick up Jocelyn – this was her first solo flight and first time in Boston without the rest of our family, so I was SO EXCITED to have her
If you’re local and have never been, definitely give it a try! Their food and their pastries are so tasty and it’s a quick, easy meal! They have locations in Kingston, Plymouth, and Pembroke.
Spent the morning catching up (and gossiping about our love lives of course) and then Jocelyn took a nap
If there’s one thing to know about our family, it’s that we LOVE food and we LOOOVE sweets. It was like heaven in there.
Went SHOPPING at Derby Street Shops
Let me just say… Jocelyn and I should not be allowed to shop together. We are TERRIBLE influences on each other
Met the family at Cancun for dinner – my favorite local restaurant!
Hung out for the night and just relaxed. Jocelyn finally got to see my dad too – she hadn’t seen him in close to five years!
Tuesday
I spent the morning getting some work done and in the afternoon, we headed to Walpole to get afternoon tea at Fancy That
Fancy That is one of my favorite places in the entire world and Jocelyn absolutely LOVES tea, so there was no better place to take her than Fancy That. Just look how cute everything is!
Later that night, we ordered dinner, made popcorn, and watched Waitress the Musical
Both of us love musicals and Jocelyn had never seen Waitress (which is my All Time favorite show!) so it was so special to share it with her and have someone appreciate the show as much as I do.
Wednesday
We had plans to drive to NYC, but Mother Nature had other plans 😦
Instead, I took Jocelyn into the radio station where I work so she could see my office and see what the inside of a radio station looks like and she met all of my coworkers
Then we headed to Providence, where I went to college
We started off our day in the city at LaSalle, one of my FAVORITE places in the city. Their pasties are amazing, their breakfast sandwiches are to die for, and I absolutely LOVE their raspberry iced tea
Pro-tip: the Admiral Street location doesn’t always have raspberry iced tea, but I’ve always been able to get it at the Smith Street location!
Then I drove Jocelyn around PC, where I went to school. So much has changed on campus in the three short years since I left, but I loved being able to share one of my happy places with her.
Afterwards, we went to the Providence Place Mall before heading to Thayer Street for dinner. One of mine and my friends’ favorite places to go in Providence was Den Den Koran Fried Chicken, so I wanted Jocelyn to be able to try
My favorite things on the menu: Pan Fried Pork Gyoza and Boneless Den Den Korean Fried Chicken with Dark (Soy Garlic ) Sauce
Thursday
Again, Mother Nature derailed our plans to drive to NYC, so instead, we started out our day getting pedicures with my mom
I went here for the first time back in February and I am OBSESSED with their food. I am so quick to lay claim that my area has no good restaurants, but this place is INCREDIBLE
My favorite things on the menu: the Salmon (!!!) and the Trip Dip. I’m a tough critic when it comes to salmon, but they cook this dish to absolute perfection, and I don’t like queso at all, but the queso that comes with the trip dip is absolutely delicious. They also make great guacamole and great cocktails!
Afterwards, my dad and I took Jocelyn for a long drive by the beaches. We started at Duxbury Beach, then made our way into Marshfield and to Brant Rock
We ended our night with a light dinner at The Anchor in Duxbury, another one of my favorite restaurants in the area
Friday
Jocelyn’s last day in town 😦
Another thing that Jocelyn loves is candles and I found this really cool place in Boston earlier this year called Lifebloom where you can make your own candles
I discovered Lifebloom by chance on Tiktok and I’m so grateful that I did! If you book an experience there, you’re able to handcraft your very own candle. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve done in Boston and their prices are really great!
Once you’re there, you work in a small group with a Lifebloom employee and you start off by talking about your favorite scents before moving onto sampling each scent that they have to offer. After that, you narrow down your favorite scents and ultimately pick one or two that you want to use for your candle.
Next, you get to pick what vessel you want to put your candle in, you pick what kind of wick you want in your candle, and then you get to hand mix the wax and add in the scent(s) you chose. To finish up, you pour the wax into your vessel, pick any little stones you might want placed on top of your candle once the wax hardens more, and then you get to name your candle!
While we waited to pick up our candles, we went to Wagamama in Fanueil Hall for lunch and also stopped at the Dock Square Parking Garage because the roof of the garage is a really fun place to take pictures!
Then it was off to the airport 😦
My Takeaways
The obvious: I absolutely adore my cousin and getting spend five days just hanging out was so special. Because she lives so far away, we don’t often get time together like that, so I’m so grateful she chose to spend her spring break over here ♡
The South Shore is no LA, but there IS more to do here than I give my area credit for
Jocelyn and I were able to try some of favorite restaurants, get tea at one of my favorite places, and take advantage of some much needed down time and just enjoying each other’s company
I think I was putting so much pressure on myself to think of FUN things we could do and activities we could do that I underestimated how nice it is to just spend time together
I can’t wait for July when we’re getting the whole family together in LA and then heading to San Diego for Comic Con!
Last weekend, Epic Events and Entertainment hosted the Epic June Wedding convention in Covington, Georgia. If you’re a Vampire Diaries fan, you know where this comes from, but if you’re not, check out the clip below!
It was so cool getting to be a part of something so monumental in the Vampire Diaries universe and I’m so grateful I was able to be at the event!
I flew into Atlanta on Thursday morning, my friend picked me up, and we headed straight to Covington! It was a full-blown Georgia summer with high temps and even higher humidity, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
My friend Kayla and I spent the early part of the afternoon in the Covington Square. The Square is where all the main Vampire Diaries tourist spots are like the Mystic Grill, the iconic clocktower plus Scoops, The Alley gift shop, Vampire Stalkers, and Main Street Trolley. It’s also only a short walk away from the Lockwood Mansion and Elena’s and Caroline’s houses.
The Square’s newest attraction is Mystic Mercantile, a shop with a replica of the Salvatore Boarding House living room, including some of the original furniture from set! I didn’t do an official tour of the space, but I had a meet and greet with Chris Brochu in the shop and it’s eery how identical the spaces look! Check out a photo below of Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) and Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) in the living room.
We spent the later part of the day selling merchandise at pre-registration for the convention and setting up Kayla and her mom’s merch booth at the convention venue. Kayla and her parents started a company called Superstar Designs where they create fandom merch that they sell at conventions. Check out their website! They have clothing, stunning lanterns, keychains, ornaments, and tons more!
I have so much of their clothing and I LOVE every piece that I have. Check out my favorite one I have from them.
Joey and Pacey from Dawson’s Creek.
The convention started on Friday morning and we met Claire Holt (Rebekah Mikaelson), Phoebe Tonkin (Hayley Marshall), Andrew Lees (Lucian Castle), Sebastian Roche (Mikael Mikaelson), Joseph Morgan (Klaus Mikaelson), Persia White (Abby Bennett Wilson), and Jedediah Goodacre (Roman Sienna).
Check out our photos from Friday!
Then I ended my day at Chris Brochu’s meet and greet, one of the highlights of the whole weekend! Chris has always been one of my favorite cast members so being able to just sit and chat for an hour was so fun – not to mention Mystic Mercantile was such a cool place to have a meet and greet AND I made a friend while we were there!
Chris had us go around the circle and say our names and where we were from, saying maybe we’d meet our new best friend, and there was another girl in the group from Massachusetts and we became friends and were coincidentally on the same flight home!
Check out our meet and greet photos.
We ended our night on Friday at Lucky Day Taco and then Scoops for ice cream. I had never been to Lucky Day before but it was so!good! Their tacos were delicious and their chips were homemade and to dieeeee for! I also got a Moonstone Margarita which was as pretty as it was delicious. It was the perfect shade of light purple and had triple sec, lime, tequila, lavender, and luster dust.
On Saturday morning, Kayla had a meet and greet in the town square, so she and I got breakfast at Bread and Butter and while she was in her M&G, I hung around Bread and Butter and then found an empty bench in the Square and relaxed until it was time to head to the con.
I’ve been to Covington several times over the years, but those few minutes I had on my own before meting back up with Kayla and before the area was swarmed by crowds were so peaceful and tranquil. I haven’t seen Covington that quiet in years and I can’t even begin to think of how to recreate the bliss I felt while sitting in one of my favorite places in the world with the beautiful backdrop of the clocktower and the Covington Square.
Back at the convention, we got photos with Leo Howard (Ethan Machado), Micah Parker (Adrian), Nathaniel Buzolic (Kol Mikaelson), Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood), Melise Jow (Anna), and Chord Overstreet. We also met Omono Okojie (Cleo), Allison Scagliotti (Georgie), Ben Levin (Jed), Courtney Bandeko (Finch), and Kayla Ewell (Vicki Donovan).
Getting to reconnect with Nathaniel meant the world to me and I was so excited to see Trevino, Micah, and Leo again. ALSO – to FINALLY meet Melise was SO COOL. I’ve always wanted to meet her and she was so kind and so happy to be there. I really hope she comes to more cons in the future, I’d love to have the chance to meet her again.
Kayla also remembered me from past events which TOTALLY SURPRISED ME and she got so excited when I told her I had her meet and greet the next morning.
After a long day in the sun, we spent the evening back in the town square for Chord Overstreet’s concert. I’ve been a longtime fan of Chord’s and I’ve met his brother Nash tons of times over the years, so it was super cool to meet him and to be able to hear Hold On – an absolutely ICONIC song on Vampire Diaries – live in the SQUARE was unimaginably cool.
After the show, we got Damon Pancake shots at the Mystic Grill. Even if you don’t like alcohol, I think you’d like this shot. I can’t shoot straight vodka anymore, and even I didn’t have trouble with this one. Plus, you get to take home the shot glass!
Then we went to Social Goat for dinner and we were back up bright and early on Sunday morning for the convention.
I started my morning at @Local for Kayla Ewell’s meet and greet and I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is the thing I was most excited for the entire weekend and it was by far my favorite part of the whole event.
Kayla is one of THE most down to earth, kind humans I have ever met. I’ve met her a few times over the years and she is such a ray of sunshine. Every conversation you have with her feels so special and she’s someone that when you speak to her, it feels like she’s truly present and truly appreciative of the time you’ve dedicated to talking with her.
I attended 9 years worth of conventions before Kayla and I were at the same event, and now, I can’t imagine a convention without seeing her. If you haven’t met Kayla yet, DO IT! Vicki may not be your favorite character, but Kayla will become your new favorite cast member!
After the meet and greet, I met up with (my friend) Kayla and she and I grabbed a quick brunch at the Mystic Grill. Their food is always delicious and being able to sit and eat at a bar that looks nearly identical to the one on the show is so!cool!
When we got to the con, Kayla and I got some of THE MOST ICONIC PHOTOS IN THE WORLD.
We got our photo with Kaylee Kaneshiro, Chris Wood, and Jenny Boyd –
and THEN !!!! We got a Prison World photo op with Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, and Chris Wood!!!
Then we got selfies with Sean Farris and Kaylee.
I also got Chord Overstreet’s autograph and I had him sign a hand painted album cover.
Back when it was announced that Chord was coming to the convention, I purchased a photo and autograph with him, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had no idea what I wanted him to sign.
When I started thinking more about it, I remembered that Chord is featured on the song Do The Damn Thing, one of my all time favorite songs by one of my all time favorite bands, Hot Chelle Rae. So naturally, I thought about getting a copy of the single on vinyl, but because it never came out on vinyl, I felt like I had no other option than PAINT IT.
I bought a 12×12 canvas (the same size as a record), I drew the album cover, and then I got to work on painting it. I am beyond proud of how it came out and I was so excited to get Chord to sign it. Take a look at the final product!
I also painted a picture of him from his Glee days and had him sign it for my friend.
At the end of the day, after breaking down the merch booth, me, Kayla, and our friends grabbed dinner at the Mystic Grill again.
The next morning, we packed our things and headed back to the town square for one last meal – yes, at the Mystic Grill again! – before saying a tear filled goodbye 😦
The best thing about conventions is the life long friends you can make at these events. The worst thing is having to say goodbye. We’ve built such a strong friendship from these events, and while meeting the cast of our favorite shows is incredible, the relationships we’ve built is even better.
If you’ve never been to a convention before, GO! You never know the experiences you’re going to have, the friendships you will build, and the connections you could make. If you have any questions about Covington or about conventions, shoot me a message! 🙂
I’ve gotta be honest, May was a bit of a letdown for me in terms of music. I watched so much tv this month (Young Sheldon, Roswell NM, White Lotus, and Vampire Diaries) that I didn’t really have too much time for music.
The one song I did listen to on repeat was Pour Decisions by Ryan and Rory. This song came out at the end of the month and I couldn’t get enough of it. I’ve been a huge fan of Ryan’s since the early Hot Chelle Rae days and this song is so fun and the perfect single to take into summer. You can listen to it here!
Three other songs I had on repeat this month were U.N.I by Ed Sheeran, All On You by Mitchell Tenpenny (the empowerment I feel when I listen to this song is unmatched), and Summer Breeze by Seals and Crofts.
Otherwise, I listened mostly to some of the Made For You Spotify mixes, Sara Bareilles, and a playlist I made awhile ago called Chill (creative name, I know). I also went to Boston Calling the night that Ed Sheeran was headlining, so I listened to a lot of Ed’s music too.
Here’s the playlist I made for the month:
Pour Decisions – Ryan and Rory
All On You – Mitchell Tenpenny
U.N.I. – Ed Sheeran
Summer Breeze – Seals and Crofts
All the Time in the World – Stephen Day
In My Head – Ryland James
Oscar – Stephen Day
Pavement – Landon Conrath
4321 – Stephen Day
You can listen to the full playlist here if you’re interested!
A Twisted Love Story is about Wes and Ivy, a couple who are a clearly bad for each other, but still can’t seem to stay away from each other. When Ivy calls the police about a stalking incident, the detective on the case sets her sights on Wes. As the book progresses and further crimes ensue, the detective keeps Wes in the forefront of her vision, trying to pin everything she can on him. Meanwhile, Wes and Ivy remain entwined, no matter how bad they know they are for each other.
This was not my favorite novel, but I still wanted to write about it because I think Samantha Downing did a great job crafting her characters.
I thought the premise of the novel was fantastic. I was totally reeled in by the conflicts that were driving Wes and Ivy’s story and I desperately wanted to know the ins and outs of Wes and Ivy’s relationship and what had happened in the past to bring them to this place.
The two of them were in a completely toxic relationship and it was evident that Wes and Ivy shouldn’t have been in a relationship at all. And while I thought this could be interesting to read about, their actions angered me and I didn’t have trust in either of them, which I found hard as a reader.
I also was frustrated by the detective’s actions. Karen spent the entire novel under the impression that Wes was the bad guy and was emotionally abusing Ivy and Karen desperately wanted to help Ivy get out of the relationship. I understood why she felt that way – it was clear their relationship was not healthy and we learned Karen had been in an emotionally abusive relationship herself – but I felt like she letting her own experiences cloud her vision. I felt her actions were coming from too personal a place and she was searching for ways to solve to case in order to implicate Wes, rather than looking at the investigation objectively.
I 100% agree that Wes did NOT treat Ivy the way she was supposed to be treated, but the detective was treating Ivy as an innocent victim which she absolutely was not. Neither Wes nor Ivy were perfect by any stretch of the imagination and they both treated each other terribly. Unless there was something I missed, I personally felt that Ivy was more of a problem than Wes was and I was irritated the entire novel by how Karen was allowing her own past to cloud her vision.
With that being said, I think Samantha Downing is a great writer because she was able to create characters that elicited such a strong reaction in me. While I may not have liked the ins and outs of the story or its characters, I can’t deny that Samantha Downing wrote a compelling story and should be recognized for crafting such strong characters.
Little Secrets is a suspenseful thriller about Marin and Derek, parents of a young boy who goes missing. After a year, there has been little progress on the investigation to find their son, but secrets start coming to the surface, including the fact that Derek is having an affair. This snaps Marin into action and makes her realize just how badly she needs to get her life back on track, but as she tries to do so, more secrets come to light, including the biggest twist of all.
Little Secrets is one of the most enticing books I’ve read recently; I started listening to the audiobook late one night with the intention of only listening to the beginning, but I ended up finishing the entire thing before going to bed that night.
The characters in this book were so captivating, each of them with layers of secrets I never saw coming. The way that Hillier chose to divulge information about each of her characters and slowly reveal how each one was connected (or not connected) to each other was absolutely brilliant.
The twists had the end of the novel had my jaw steadily resting on the resting on the floor; I was in such shock over the dynamics between each of the characters and those last twists that sent the plot to its resolution.
If you have the chance, I would definitely recommend reading Little Secrets!
Anchored Musings 