Not in Love – Ali Hazelwood

Not in Love – 5/5 ✩

What CAN’T Ali Hazelwood do? She is an absolute powerhouse.

Not in Love is a forbidden romance that follows Rue and Eli, two individuals who can’t fight their chemistry no matter how hard they try. The only problem is that they really shouldn’t be together. Rue works for a promising start-up started by one of her best friends and Eli works for the company that’s attempting a hostile takeover. As time goes on though, they realize that it’s not worth fighting the sparks between them and that it might not even be worth pretending that they’re not in love.

Believe it or not, I think this book was spicier than any of Ali’s previous books (and her books are always spicy!). I think this one was so well done though because the chemistry between Rue and Eli was so palpable and these characters were so fleshed out that it made sense that the level of spicy was upped a few (hundred) notches from her other books.

I think Ali’s writing style has improved immensely and these characters are the prime example. Even though Not In Love maintained her typical fun, playful tones, there was also a seriousness to this novel and its characters that I don’t feel like we’ve seen from Ali before. I laughed, I got teary eyed, and I was insanely invested in this story.

And let me just state this for the record here: If my boyfriend/husband doesn’t love me the way that Eli loves Rue, then I. Don’t. Want. Him. I think I found my new, top tier book boyfriend in Not in Love and I will forever be comparing real life men to him now (thanks Ali). The way he loved her so purely and so deeply was magic on the page and I LOVE that he FELL FIRST and was so willing and open to loving her, even though he knew everything had to be on her terms.

None of This is True – Lisa Jewell

None of This is True – 3/5 ✩

None of This is True is a psychological thriller that follows Josie Fair and Alix Summers. The women meet on their 45th birthday when they realize they are birthday twins and from there, they begin working together on a podcast. Josie is mysterious and complicated and ingratiates herself into Alix’s life and home while slowly revealing details about her sordid history and readers are unsure what is truth and what is lie.

This was not my favorite book, but I do think the characters were well crafted and I definitely was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what had really happened in Josie’s past and how that would link with the present.

I think I had different expectations going into this book which shaped how much I enjoyed it. I was expecting a mystery thriller, and while it was both of those things, it definitely tended more toward psychological thriller than mystery thriller. With that being said, I do think that if I had looked at as psychological thriller going into it, I would’ve enjoyed it far more because this book was a psychological thriller to a tee.

The individuals in this book have so many nuances and it was intriguing getting inside their heads and their pasts. The characters in this book were so fleshed out and it was absolutely fascinating to be in their heads, especially Josie’s, even though I wasn’t (and still am not) one hundred percent sure what to believe and what not to believe about her.

I also really enjoyed how there were clips/excerpts from Alix’s podcast sprinkled throughout the book. I thought that was really unique and definitely added depth to the story.

One thing I would do differently if I were to reread this book would be to actually physically read it. I thought the narrators in the audiobook were great narrators, but there were points when listening to the book when I had trouble hearing what was being said because, even when I had the volume on my phone maxed out, because the volume differed so much from part to part. I also had a little bit of trouble following some parts of the story. There were so many moving parts in this novel and I think if I’d physically read it, I wouldn’t have been confused at some points.

Take Yourself on a Date

We don’t have to wait for someone else to show us love, we have more than enough inside ourselves, so every once in awhile, take some time and remember to show yourself some love.

Sometimes, the universe decides it’s time to throw us some curveballs – sometimes, multiple curveballs at once – until we get to a point where we feel like we can’t really handle it anymore.

When you get to those points, don’t forget to take some time for yourself and do something for YOU. Don’t worry about what other people are going to think, don’t worry about the things you might miss if you say no to plans, just take some time to do something that’s going to make YOU happy. We so often forget ourselves in trying to make everyone else happy.

This spring has been a little rocky for me, as I think it has been for many people. I’ve been busy, there have been times when I’ve been stressed and anxious, I’ve been building new friendships, and I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. But in the midst of everything, I realized how much of a break I really needed.

I needed time to just myself. I needed a long drive, I needed a reset.

Then I saw that there was a production of Waitress the Musical, my favorite show, in Ogunquit, ME and one of my FAVORITE Broadway actors was in it (Shoutout Matt DeAngelis).

At the last minute, I bought a ticket, I hopped in my car, and I drove to Maine. I took myself to dinner, I met new people, and I laughed and cried along to my favorite musical. It was low-key, it was an easy drive, but it was everything I needed.

My point here is this: don’t underestimate the small things. Buy the ticket, take the drive, and do something that’s going to make you smile. If you’re struggling right now or just feel like you need a break from reality, take yourself on a date.

Finding Joy in What Is

Finding joy in what is sounds like an easy task, but let’s be honest with ourselves, sometimes, that’s one of the hardest things anyone can ask us to do.

We are people who are built to want more. We crave instant gratification. We want things to look perfect from the outside, even if on the inside, they are far from it.

The more places we visit, the easier it becomes to think that that place is better than where we’re from. The more foods we try, the more we find ourselves saying that this food is better than the foods that we’re used to eating.

While some people are able to embrace the reality that the grass is not always greener without much conscious effort, many of us default to the philosophy that the grass is always greener and as a result, we keep seeking more, more, more.

If it’s not obvious, I am one of those people that struggles. I know that the grass isn’t always greener, I know it. But just because I have that knowledge doesn’t mean it’s always easy to embrace it.

Something that’s helped me in shifting my perspective is Mark Manson’s book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

This book changed my life in so many ways, but I bring it up right now for one very specific reason: Chapter 8, The Importance of Saying No.

In this chapter, Manson discusses commitment and the liberation that comes with truly committing to something. While most people view commitment as something that is restraining, he discusses it as being something that is actually liberating.

He points out that it is only when you truly allow yourself to commit to something that you are able to truly know and embrace that thing. If you are always chasing more, you take the opportunity away from yourself to actually see if you like that thing or that person; it is only when you fully commit to it that you give yourself the chance to fully absorb it.

When I read this, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I have never, not once in my life, categorized myself as someone afraid of commitment. But the more I read, the more I started to feel like commitment is something that might have scared me.

A point that Manson makes is that that we feel a need to find certainty and perfection, but when we are overloaded with options and opportunities, we can experience a type of anxiety. As a result, many of us refuse to choose; instead, we choose to keep our options open. This is us avoiding commitment, which then leads to unhappiness.

At first, I only related to the idea of not choosing, but then I took a deeper look at my life and my decisions.

Since the moment I began understanding that I didn’t have to stay in my hometown or home state forever, I decided I wanted to move. I always said I was going to move to Los Angeles. For a little while, I thought maybe Madrid. Then I decided it could be Covington, Georgia. Then I decided that no, it had to be LA.

From that moment on, I planned every aspect of my life around this desire to move. I viewed my jobs as temporary. I didn’t take advantage of the sights and restaurants in my area. To an extent, I even let my relationships fall victim to this desire to move, to this belief that things are fleeting.

But reading this chapter of Mark Manson’s book made me realize how much of a disservice I was doing to myself.

I’ve loved every job I’ve ever had, but never once did I allow myself to believe they would be long lasting.

Coaching gymnastics was a high school job. Painting at the wood shop was my school break job. The hotel was a way to make some extra cash in college, and even though I loved every moment of this job and three years later I STILL wish I could go back, I never, ever saw myself staying there forever.

And when I got the job I have now, even though I loved it, my plan was always to move out of state. As a result, I found myself getting frustrated with little things here, but no matter how frustrated I let myself get, it never mattered too much because I wasn’t planing to stay forever. But then one year turned into two and was leading toward three and I still had no plans to leave, but I was still not one hundred percent happy.

That’s when I read the book, last year. That’s when I took a step back and finally allowed myself to see that it wasn’t that my job was imperfect at all, it was that I was making it imperfect. I wasn’t allowing myself to genuinely enjoy the work or the people or the time because I wasn’t letting myself be fully present.

I wasn’t allowing myself to make connections or really even know what could be, because deep down, I didn’t feel like I knew what the point was. If I wasn’t going to stay, why make the connections?

This really got me thinking. Even if I didn’t stay, why rob myself of the amazing experiences and connections I could make while I was here?

I started taking a look at other aspects of my life too. I was notorious for saying there is nothing to do in Massachusetts, I was always claiming there were no good restaurants here, I was always comparing what I could to here to the “hundreds” of things I could do there.

I don’t want to dive too deep into my love life, but there were several times throughout my college years were I said ‘Well, I have to be single to do this,’ – this being travel to Europe, this being working on a cruise ship (because yes, one of my other dreams was to work on a cruise ship) – that I ended up stressing myself out thinking that I couldn’t form a genuine connection with someone because what if it ruined my plans for the future? Instead of making a choice to get the job or take the trip, I didn’t make any choice at all and kept just talking about the what ifs.

I don’t want to be that person anymore and I don’t think I am that person anymore.

I was fleeing. Anytime something happened here that I didn’t like, my gut reaction was to book a flight and leave for a little while. It resulted in tons of fun experiences, but it didn’t fix anything, and I didn’t see that at the time. But I don’t want to be that person that runs anymore.

This winter and now well into the summer, I started strengthening the bonds I’d made. I started diving headfirst into my work and taking on projects I hadn’t been interested in before. I started trying new restaurants and instead of walking past store fronts I’d walked past all my life, I started going in. I started branching out and making new friends. I realized that we really do have good food here and fun activities, I just have to allow myself to try.

I’ve always been a very happy person – I’ve never had trouble being happy when I’m on my own and I’ve done some really amazing things in my life – but I’m finally giving myself the gift of finding joy in what is.

I don’t need to run away to find happiness. I don’t need to uproot my life to find out where I want my roots to be.

I’m happy where I am. I’m happy with who I am. I’m happy with who I spend my time with and the work that I do.

Do I think I owe it to myself to at least try living in a different city for a couple of months? Sure. But I don’t need that to be happy; I’m already happy on the inside and I’m finally ready to settle down and to open myself up to sharing that happiness with someone else.

I’m not perfect and I know I still have a lot to learn and a lot of progress to make, but I hope that for any of you out there that are reading this and are feeling the same way that this helps you. And if you want more info on The Subtle Art of Giving a F*ck, check it out here.

The Paradise Problem – Christina Lauren

The Paradise Problem – 5/5 ✩

The Paradise Problem is the perfect steamy romance for the summer! The novel follows Anna and Liam as they celebrate Liam’s younger sister’s wedding. One of their biggest challenges: proving to Liam’s family that they’re a happily married couple. In reality, the pair married five years ago for personal reasons neither wanted to discuss at the time and not only have they not seen each other in years, Anna had been under the impression that they were divorced. As they struggle to keep up the charade in front of his family, Anna and Liam also struggle to fight their growing feelings for one another and the chaos that ensues at the hands of his family members.

After writing so many novels together, Christina Lauren know how to craft the perfect romance where you know the characters are going to make it to their happily ever after. This book was no different. What was different, though, was the depth of the characters.

Anna and Liam deal with serious issues in their personal lives – Anna has an unreasonable amount of responsibility on her plate with taking care of her father and his health issues and Liam has a plethora of issues with his siblings and his parents – and this added an incredible depth to the story, making their love feel even more realistic and interesting to read on the page.

I loved the island backdrop in their story and I loved the banter these two characters shared. Anna was a hilariously fun character that contrasted Liam’s more serious nature and I loved the pop culture references in the story as well.

I would absolutely recommend this book, especially in the summer and especially if you’re someone who loves traveling! This book is guaranteed to give you a bit of a travel bug once you read it!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – 4/5 ✩

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo recounts the story of Evelyn Hugo and her rise to fame in the 1950s and beyond. The story is told in alternating perspectives from the present to the past and Evelyn’s story is slowly revealed as she tells Monique, a journalist, her story.

I loved this book and I think the way that it was told played a huge role in why I loved it. I was fascinated by the shifts in perspective – having the present day in Monique’s point of view and the past in Evelyn’s – and I think telling the story through narratives and interviews was very interesting.

We learn that Evelyn has handpicked Monique to tell her story, but until the very end of the novel, we’re unsure why this is the case. I was shocked when I learned her reasoning, but I think it was a phenomenal way to tie the story together. Evelyn and Monique do, in fact, have a connection, and it was one I definitely did not see coming.

Throughout the novel, right until the very end, Evelyn has an air of mystery about her and she’s a character that I feel like you could examine and examine and still find there are new things to learn about her. She is clever and crafty and calculated and loving and her world was a joy to be a part of. I was flooded with empathy for her as I learned of all the hardships she faced, especially how mistreated she was by so many people around her and the way she never felt she could truly be herself.

My one piece of criticism with the book is Celia’s attitude. Celia is an actress whom Evelyn meets very early on in her story and she is Evelyn’s greatest love.

I loved Celia and Evelyn’s relationship – I was rooting for them from the very moment we met Celia on the film set – but that is not to say that they were a perfect couple.

I understand that Evelyn wasn’t ready to come out and there were times when she did not treat Celia fairly and it seemed she would rather play games in Hollywood than come out as who she really is. I also, though, did understand why Evelyn would play those games.

My biggest problem with their relationship overall is the way that Celia treated Evelyn. The worst moment for me was when Celia left Evelyn (for the second time I believe, and as a result she also left Harry, John, and Connor too) because Evelyn filmed a sex scene with Don. I understand times were different then and sex scenes weren’t as prevalent in media as they are today, but both Evelyn and Celia were ACTRESSES and I feel like Celia should’ve understood that and been able to compartmentalize that. She, as well as anyone, should know that you may have to be pretend to be intimate with others as a working actor or actress. I found Celia’s behavior at multiple points throughout the novel to be a little childish and immature, this being the worst of her behavior in my eyes.

But overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend reading it. I think it is a fantastic piece of literature and I love the irony of the title of the book and Evelyn’s greatest love not being one of her seven husbands, but instead, a woman.

Middle of the Night – Riley Sager

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.

June’s Tunes

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:

  1. Do the Damn Thing – Hot Chelle Rae
  2. Pour Decisions – Ryan and Rory
  3. All on You – Mitchell Tenpenny
  4. Dance Around It – Parachute
  5. Hold On – Chord Overstreet
  6. Hustle – Chris Brochu
  7. Grew Apart – Logan Mize, Donovan Woods
  8. Expectations – Tim Riehm
  9. Heaven – Niall Horan
  10. Still – Niall Horan
  11. Slow Hands – Niall Horan
  12. Heartbreak Weather – Niall Horan
  13. Happy – Tyler Posey
  14. Nomads – BYRNE
  15. Catch – CAL
  16. Still Good – DNCE
  17. Chasin’ You – Morgan Wallen
  18. U.N.I. – Ed Sheeran
  19. What I Know – Parachute
  20. Wasn’t Expecting That – Jamie Lawson
  21. CMB (Intro) – Chris Brochu
  22. Out There – Chris Brochu
  23. Head Up – Chris Brochu
  24. All Is Well – Chris Brochu
  25. My Crew – Chris Brochu
  26. Rain or Shine – Chris Brochu
  27. Playing House – Chris Brochu
  28. What’s Coming to You – Chris Brochu
  29. Home – Chris Brochu
  30. One Two – Chris Brochu

If you’re interested, you can listen to the full playlist here.

Your Guide to Covington, GA (and surrounding areas)

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.
  • Eat at the Mystic Grill!
    • 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
  • Go to The Alley!
    • 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!
  • Check out Vampire Stalkers and Main Street Trolleys and Tours
    • 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.
  • Visit (or stay a night or two) at Twelve Oaks Bed and Breakfast
    • 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!
  • Visit Mystic Mercantile
    • 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!

Places to Eat in the Square

  • 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! 🙂

Things Filmed in Covington:

  • Vampire Diaries
  • Legacies
  • Sweet Magnolias
  • Dukes of Hazzard
  • In the Heat of the Night
  • Dumplin’
  • My Cousin Vinny
  • Remember the Titans
  • Sweet Home Alabama
  • Footloose (2011)
  • Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
  • Halloween II
  • Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
    • and tons more!

Getting Creative this Spring

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!