#ft. elena vasquez

[kennedyxwarren]

merry christmas friends!

@docolives @elianavagh @tashamadams @cagenewman @lenavaz @monixoconnor @jazfields @sunnynardelli @jaceeverett

Hope you are all having a very festive day! Included are a few gifts to make the day a little extra special-- firstly soy wax candles, next are cozy knit hats picked up from the holiday market, and finally some festive glasses hand-painted by yours truly. Wishing the best, and that the holiday season is kind to you!

xx Kennedy

[anthwang]

who: anthony & @lenavaz

where: the winter holiday market

when: december, 2024

His track record for gifts had been decent, to say the least. Anthony swore each year he'd find some stellar gift that a family member would love, but most of the time, they'd been mediocre at best. A casual sweater, or a candle, he wanted something more thoughtful and personal this year for those in his life. His sister had kept crystals around, so he'd figured it was a good sign as any as to something she'd like. Finding a stall for the local business he'd seen around town, he glanced at the varying shapes and colors of the crystals, hoping one would stand out. Leaning down to take a look at one, he wasn't sure if it'd be something she had mentioned before. "How does one narrow down the options? They all look pretty nice to me."

[aishathevar]

who: aisha & @lenavaz

where: silver pines golf course

when: golf weekend (october 5th, 2024)

Aisha was notoriously not the biggest sports type, often preferring watching from the sidelines rather than actually participating. But she didn't mind golf, low stress, and she'd gotten to wear cute outfits, what was better than that? Though she could admit, that even if she hadn't been the greatest at it, a few rounds on the course was right up her alley on a nice day. So inviting Lena out to join her, she lifted the golf bag so it was slung on her shoulder as they headed to where the balls landed. Glancing over to her as they walked, she gave a small smile. "I have to say, this is a bit harder than mini-golf."

[kennedyxwarren]

"I've been anti-groundhog for years now, it's about time people caught on," she joked, although she was semi-serious. She knew some things were just traditions, but she couldn't help but be skeptical when it involved the unpredictable nature of the seasons. At her offer, she took a strawberry from the container with a smile, never one for passing up fresh fruit. "But you're right. I decided to take the afternoon off, finally. Couldn't take the nice day for granted," though she was sure there'd be more nice days in the future, she hadn't given herself much of a break recently from her business. Hence why she finally decided to take a day off, the nice weather being an added bonus. "Kind of hoping this is actually the start of spring and not just the rare day we get before a rainy few weeks."

It was the perfect kind of day to be outside, and while Elena would love to be at home gardening or sitting on the back patio with a lemonade and her sketch pad… work called. Thankfully, Amina believed in decent-sized breaks for fresh fruit and bubbly beverages, both of which were next to her on her bench as she watched the fountain and the shoppers, and then Kennedy, extra grateful to get to spend the break with a friend. "Sometimes I think the groundhog is telling us something…" she wrinkled her nose, looking over at her friend, "like, you know, we shouldn't trust rodents when it comes to predicting whether or not we're going to have an early spring?" Elena laughed, shaking her head and popping open the fruit container, holding it out a bit towards Kennedy to let her know that she was more than welcome to share as she popped a strawberry into her mouth. "But I guess we can't complain when we get sunny days like this."

[kennedyxwarren]

happy birthday, @lenavaz!

To one of my favorite coworkers (and friends!), Happy Birthday! It's always a pleasure to work alongside you, and I hope you made the time to enjoy your day today. I got you a couple things I thought suited your vibe for some presents including a little plant jewelry holder, and a flowery tote bag for beach days, or just to have around. Hope you have a lovely day!

-- Kennedy

[aishathevar]

who: aisha & @lenavaz

where: somewhere in the suburbs

when: april 2024

With a heavy tote bag from her haul at the Treasure Chest on her shoulder, Aisha had been glancing at the shop windows as she walked through the suburbs. While she hadn't had any specific plans that afternoon, she was fine to just see where the afternoon took her. She often enjoyed spring weekends, when the nice weather allowed her to meander without having to worry about escaping the cold. As she glanced over from a window, she noticed Elena near one of the stores. Giving a bright smile, she approached her. "Hey, Lena!" she gave a small wave. "Enjoying your day?"

[kennedyxwarren]

"Pretty sure I'd be more inclined to do day-to-day tasks if I was wearing a pretty dress all the time," she joked, knowing it wouldn't probably be the most practical. But she liked to get dressed up every now and then, not getting the opportunity very often, so having a day like this to do whatever she pleased was something she was going to enjoy every minute of. "Well, thank you! I try, but I think you being a makeup and gemstone genius deserve a day off just as much as I do," she grinned at Elena. She'd always admired the others' work ethic, and was happy to work alongside her, but it was nice to spend time outside of the hectic business. "I can promise you that," she nodded, knowing she wouldn't be as bummed having missed out on getting her dream item, but that the day was over. "That'd be a good idea! Not something as flashy you can incorporate into your everyday wardrobe," she nodded, giving a slight hum of contemplation as she tried to think of suggestions as they made their way over to the shops. "Maybe a flowery necklace, or bracelet?"

"Plus, it's wasting your time while looking super, super pretty in a costume," and that was Lena's favorite way to waste time, while looking good. She could waste time at home in pajamas, reading a book or watching TV, or she could be a damsel running through the Renaissance Faire. She knew which option she was going to go with. "You deserve that, too! You spend so much time doing so many things for so many people, you deserve to just be able to kick back, relax, do whatever looks good in the moment." Lena herself liked to be organized, punctual, tidy, but there was no way they could ever live up to what Kennedy did, especially after having seen her in action. "Yes, let's!" she grinned, "I don't want to turn around on the bus and see any pouty faces from you," although she had an idea in her head that she would be seeing much more sad, pouty faces simply because people were heading home. "I think I want a piece of jewelry that I can wear often, you know? Not something that's too obvious like a giant unicorn, but maybe… something delicate?"

[anthwang]

"Pretty unpredictable for Maine during this season, but glad it turned out to be a nice day for them," that's the least they could ask for, rather than a gloomy day. Though the night air was welcome as long as he was sitting by the fire, enjoying a bit of warmth even if the nights hadn't been that cold yet. Taking the bag handed with a smile, he shook his head. "Not quite sure about trusting those who like burnt marshmallows. Wouldn't it ruin the flavor profile of the s'more? Not that I'm a snob or anything, just think toasty marshmallows are inherently better."

"It can be so touch and go this time of year. One October, it's still warm and sunny, and then next thing you know, you've got a blizzard for Halloween," but the Newmans had lucked out with a beautiful day, and a beautiful evening, too. Although it was cooling off, it still felt nice to be outside, especially after dancing under the tent for so long. Holding out the bag to him with a grin, she couldn't help her laugh. "There are some people who actually like burnt marshmallows more than the perfectly toasted ones, so it might not be so bad. Guess it depends on how much you trust their taste?"

[anthwang]

"Don't I know it, somehow I think she'd find a way to remind me about it for the next year," he shook his head slightly, a small smile creeping up. He'd put up with it regardless, knowing despite how much they were opposites, he'd still loved his family even with the bit of teasing thrown his way. Nodding as he'd gotten the name of the crystal right, he looked at the one in her hands. "It is pretty nice, and the one I think I've heard about the most despite being a novice at crystal picking," he wasn't sure if it was because of the intentions behind it or based on what he saw the most from his little research, but he thought it was nice. But as he followed her, he took in the blue snowflake and ice-looking crystals, he figured it might've been better suited to a gift. "Now the ice crystals are pretty neat, didn't know you could get them like that! Thought they were just more the stone kind of thing."

"The last thing that you want to do is give your sibling any reason to believe that they're right -- about anything," Lena shook her head, knowing that it was something she dealt with when it came to her own sister. Not that she saw her all that often, but when she did, they were always oil and water, even if they loved each other fiercely. "That's a rose quartz, yes!" she brightened a bit as Anthony identified the crystal, pointing to it and reaching to pick it up, holding it out for him to examine. "I love it for that reason, the healing qualities, but also I think that the tint and pop of color makes it a little extra pretty, too, you know?" And sometimes, that was all it took, was finding a pretty stone that would make your sister happy for the holidays. If that was achieved, what more did a person need? "Blue, we can do," she gestured for Ant to follow her, stepping aside to one of the displays that had been set up like snow flakes and ice crystals, showing it off with a flourish of her hand. "We even have some shaped like snowflakes."

[anthwang]

"Exactly! She has the suspicion I'm the type to pick out whatever crosses my sight first, but she doesn't need to know that," he gave a lighthearted laugh at the admittance. While he would rather not spend long looking at crystals, he wanted it to seem like he would for the perfect gift. "That does make sense. Having most people gravitate towards crystals in the typical Christmas colors," they did look appealing, and seemed to have the least amount of them laid out, as true to her words. "Quartz, that's this one right?" he pointed to the rose one she mentioned, liking how it wasn't as opaque as the clear one. "That one's pretty nice, I think that one might be a good option. Having the healing meaning tied to it wouldn't be a bad thing with the holiday stress," the intention was pretty nice, despite it not being something he'd been in belief in himself. "All other good options too, but maybe a blue one would be nice as well, kind of a winter theme maybe?"

Letting out a soft laugh as Anthony explained why he might not want to go for a pretty stone, she nodded her head. "Basically, you don't want her to feel like you chose it just because it was the first thing that caught your eye? I can understand that." She was sure that he wanted his sister to feel special, and as though he had put a lot of work into the gift that he was picking out, so it made sense. "Ironically, citrine is one of the stones we sell a lot of this time of year. People tend to reach for the golds, the reds, the greens, colors that remind them of Christmas. But I also understand wanting to save it for her birthday!" He could go for something more specific that way, knowing that it had a bit of meaning tied in with it. "A lot of people swear by quartz for the holidays -- clear or rose, they like the healing power of the rose quartz, and honestly I think that they like the clear because it looks like diamonds," she let out a soft laugh. "But you have some reds and greens, too! Red jasper, green aventurine. Garnet is super popular, we sell a lot of garnet."

[kennedyxwarren]

"I agree! It's so much easier to waste your time away at a Renaissance fair than something else," while she enjoyed the aspects of her day-to-day life, the business had her scheduling time for nights out or doing little things when she could. So having a full day to just drink ales, watch jousting, or just wander around sounded perfect to her. "I'm just looking forward to spending a full day without planning, so all in all, it's good for everyone I didn't get into that," she laughed, nodding enthusiastically at her next sentence. "I'd be lamenting the whole bus ride home if I missed my dream item, not being dramatic at all," she joked, trying to justify the purchases she'd make at the Faire. "So shall we go hunt for the perfect piece?"

"Yes! It's like time has no meaning at all. Although most of the time when that's happening, it's me not getting through my to-do list, so at least this is something somewhat fun, you know?" If she lost her whole day to something like the Renaissance Faire, it felt like time well spent. Chores? Boring. Jousting, shopping, eating, human chess, an evening gala -- that was much, much more her speed. "And then we would have to whip out the schedule and figure out how to change things up, we would have gotten frustrated, it's just no good," Lena let out a laugh. "It's so hard to tell yourself no when there's something you really, really want when you're in a situation where you don't know if you'll ever see it again! I don't want to miss out on my dream item!"

[kennedyxwarren]

Although it seemed like spring had yet to appear in the town after weeks of dreary weather, it was finally a nice, sunny day. It inspired Kennedy to head over to the Hideaway Market for a low-key, day off. After stopping at the Collab to look at a few new vendors, she decided to sit and enjoy the sun instead of returning to her apartment right away. Glancing around the space, she sat on a bench, looking at the shoppers milling about, enjoying their day. As she heard a voice, she turned slightly to see Lena take a seat, a smile coming to her face. "Oh, absolutely!" she nodded in agreement. "Even though it was supposed to be an early spring, it felt like it'd never come around."

WHO: Elena & OPEN!

WHERE: Hideaway Market

WHEN: spring, 2024

The sun was finally showing -- and thank goodness for that. Growing up in Maine meant that you had a certain understanding: it was going to be cold much longer than it had any right to be. But once that sun came out, everything changed. The grass seemed thicker, more lush, the trees were blossoming, and everyone just seemed... happier. Elena, included, as she dropped down to sit on one of the benches in the Hideaway Market center, in front of the fountain they had just got running again. Tilting her head back, she let out a warm, content sigh at the feeling of the sun's rays on her skin, speaking to the person next to her. "Can't tell me that doesn't feel good, hm?"

[anthwang]

Looking at a purple crystal, some type of quartz he assumed, he wasn't sure whether or not he should pick it up. He wasn't sure if it could break, so he was fine with inspecting them, maybe albeit a bit too closely. "Lot of factors to consider there," he gave a slight hum, glancing up at her. "I'd go for just a pretty stone, but with my luck, she'd think it was the first thought type gift," he joked, though technically his sister wouldn't be wrong, he never was the type to stress over a gift, rather the thing that passed as presentable in his view. This year would be different though, with something a bit more personable. Although he was a bit worried about setting the bar for future gifts. "Her birthstone is Citrine, same as mine. It may be better for her birthday, rather than a Christmas present. What is the typical most popular crystal you sell around this time of year? Maybe it'll help narrow things down."

The holiday market was easily one of Lena's favorite events in Merrock. Whether she was working, as she was that particular year, or just wandering around eating good food, sipping hot cocoa, feeding carrots to reindeer, it felt like there was always something to do, things to see, and it filled her heart with joy. Since coming to work at Universal Rocks, she even found herself enjoying being a good salesperson, helping people leave the shop with a little gift-wrapped purchase to take home and make someone's day with. That day, the person was going to be Anthony, a goal that she set in mind the moment that he spoke up, craning to see the crystals that he was looking at. "Well, it depends on what you're looking for. Do you want to have a crystal that has a specific meaning and purpose? Or are you looking for a birth stone? Maybe something that you know is in a color family that someone loves? Or… sometimes it's nice to just pick something out because you think it's pretty!"

[kennedyxwarren]

"I get it, you think you have the whole day, and all of a sudden, you're halfway through and still have so much to do," at something like the Ren Faire, Kennedy wanted to try to take everything in. She didn't want to spend too much time doing one specific thing, so she promised herself she'd diversify her day. "It's probably best I didn't. I usually have things timed to the minute, it wouldn't give us leeway to explore." she wanted a carefree day, one she could spend geeking out, and not have to worry about the timing of her schedules. "Well, obviously. What if we go back and it's not there? I'd regret it all day," she let out a laugh, then gave a shameless shrug herself. "I may also be a fan of impulse purchases, so you're in good company."

"I keep telling myself that I have all day, but I don't want to also be telling myself that I have all day at eight o'clock tonight, you know?" The idea of missing out on things that she wanted to do drove Elena nuts, and at a place like the Renaissance Faire, where there were no shortage of things that she wanted to get into, that was the last thing that she wanted. "Oh, we should have done that! You have all that planning know-how, we could have made this happen so easily… but you know what, then we would have stressed out if we missed something, too," and that might have ended up making the whole thing even worse. "That's a good idea, though! And, if we see something that we need some time to think about before purchasing, we have it." A pause, and then a laugh, "although I am the queen of impulse purchases, so."

[aishathevar]

Walking across the greens, she was glad she'd improved somewhat throughout the game. Instead of her ball landing a few feet away, it went farther, by not much, but still an improvement. Or maybe it was a way to convince herself she wasn't bad at golf, but she wasn't all that concerned, having fun, and enjoying her company. "No, I totally understand. I could definitely go for a water feature now, or even a windmill or something," she joked, a grin on her face as she slightly adjusted her visor, spotting the bright yellow golf ball she'd been using. "Though I will say I'm doing better than I thought I would. I thought we would be stuck at the first hole the entire time, but I think we're making good progress."

Elena wasn't the world's worst golfer, but that definitely didn't mean she was going to go pro any time soon. It was one of the sports she had learned to play with her dad when she growing up. He loved to golf, liked getting something good to eat afterwards, wandering around the club house. Lena just liked putting on the cute little outfits that you could get away with calling sporty when you wanted to go play. "No kidding," she laughed, following after Aisha as they crossed the green down to where their balls had landed, not very far from where they needed to be, but… definitely not close enough to be brag. Somewhere in the middle. Maybe they were getting better? "You know when you're doing miniature golf and you come up against a sand pit or a water feature and you think, gosh, this is impossible?" she glanced over at Aisha, trotting over to her bright pink ball. "I actually wish there were more of those about now."

[aishathevar]

"Sometimes I regret moving to the Northeast during the cold months. Then the nicer weather rolls around and I convince myself it's only a few months of cold," she shook her head, a slight grin crossing her face. But luckily this had been her third winter in town, and she was used to the weather by now. She'd complain during the chillier months, but she was fond of places where they got the proper seasons and not some version of each. Which is why she got excited to plan her wardrobe out with each season. "I should know that it's never just a few things, right?" a hypothetical question since she knew the answer each time she stepped through the doors. "Not sure it's because people are spring cleaning their closets, but I did find more cute finds I'm excited to break out." she nodded, glancing over at Lena with a smile as she extended her arm. "Then I'd be glad to accompany you." she said, linking her arm with hers.

"I don't know about you, but this winter felt like it was never going to end. And it wasn't even that snowy!" And for Lena, that meant that it wasn't a winter worth suffering through; she wanted warm weather, sunshine, flowers and blooms -- at least, if it wasn't going to be a beautiful, snowy winter that sort of made up for it, anyway. Once it became clear that a blizzard wasn't going to turn their town into a winter wonderland, bring on the green, green grass. "You go in to pick out one thing, and leave with a whole bag?" she laughed, knowing far too well how it went. Her closet hated her for how many new things she brought home every single time she tried to go shopping. "I bet that you found some fab finds, though," Lena grinned, looking over at Aisha. In her opinion, the other woman could have worn a sack and still looked beautiful, so that was never a question. "If that company is you?" she asked, grinning, and extending her arm, "please, accompany me."