#probably should do it nicer but god after dropping the frame 30 times in a row i decided to have mercy upon myself

[magnusbae]

@mayhemspreadingguy why yes, i did do the deed. 😌 had to quite literally suck this pen off for it to write, was this fan fact needed? yes. edit: i did end up making centered black borders instead lmao, there's a quote above the frame though haha

[cozywritings]

Stitches ch5: Be Alright

It was finally Friday. The one day of the week that you didn’t have classes, so you slept in, your alarm clock read 10:36 when you looked over. Reaching for your phone you noticed a screen full of notifications, mostly from Emily talking about some cute guy in her anatomy class. Until you caught sight of a text you weren’t too surprised to see.

McDreamy: Good morning honey 😊 I’ve got my 4 hour lecture today and then I’m headed off to stay at Brian’s for the night. Meet me before I leave for enough kisses to last the evening?

To McDreamy: I’ll be waiting.

After pressing send, you got up and took a shower, washing off the week and just taking some time to relax before you started studying for the next week of lessons.

You’ve decided that the best thing about your dorm, besides your boyfriend being across the hall, was the fact that you had your own bathroom in your room. You could shower as long as you wanted, play music as you showered, and you didn’t have to worry about if you forgot a towel or your clothes.

As soon as you stepped into the hot water, you let out a sigh. The hot water feeling absolutely amazing, and you knew it would relax your muscles from the first week stress. Although it was gonna be pretty boring this weekend without Shawn there, you needed to catch up on the notes you missed on Monday during proff com. So you knew it was probably best that he wasn’t here.

The longer you were in the shower, the better you felt. Until you realised it was now noon and you had yet to eat. So you shut off the water, wrapped yourself in a towel and walked out to get dressed. All the while thinking about what you wanted from the buffet in the cafeteria next door.

After your lunch of mac and cheese and a sandwich, you found yourself packing up your backpack to move across the hall. Sure you had your own desk, but Shawn’s was so much nicer and his blackout curtains made you less stressed when you were in a deep study.

Walking into Shawn’s room, you looked around at the clothes on the floor and the unmade bed and sighed. So, you dropped your bag on the desk and took a few minutes to tidy up the room for him. When you were satisfied with your work, you kicked off your sneakers and got to work on your notes, taking Shawn’s notebook from the drawer and copying everything you missed from that first day.

It was a lot of important due dates and when the chapters should be read. Honestly, you weren’t missing much, but you still found it important to have them in your notebook to help you remember them.

Around 2:30, you heard the doorknob jiggle, and your smile widened. Half an hour ago you decided to move to the bed to read your chapters and take notes. When Shawn walked in, he was shocked to find you nestled into his bed with your Sociology textbook in your lap. He was quick to drop his backpack and collapse on top of you, pressing a few kisses to your jaw.

“This is a nice surprise.” He smiled against your neck.

“Your room seemed like the better study option.” You shrugged, running your fingers through his curls and scratching at his scalp. When he let out an involuntary moan you giggled, “feels good Bub?” He nodded, wrapping his arms around your waist and rubbing his thumbs along your lower back.

You closed your eyes at the feeling. The two of you laid there in silence for a few minutes before Shawn said, “Maybe I’ll skip Brian’s and stay here to do this instead.”

You let out a soft laugh, “No you’ve gotta go have guy time. You’ve been with me almost every day this week, you need to see your friends.” He shook his head.

“No.” He leaned back to show you the cutest pout you’d ever seen.

“Shawn. Go out and have fun. I’m probably going to just catch up on project runway and maybe go see the movie in the planetarium with Em later tonight.” He gave you a huge smile, glad you were making good of your Friday night, considering every other night this week you were stressing over classes.

“What movie are they showing?” He mumbled, pressing his face into your neck again. Damn, he was making this really hard to tell him to go to Brian’s.

Threading your fingers into his hair and massaging his head you told him about your plans. “It’s called Abduction. It’s a Taylor Lautner movie. I’ve seen it before, but Emily hasn’t seen it yet so I told her I’d see it with her. After that I’ll probably just come back here and do some more reading.”

You felt him nod, curls tickling your neck. “Back to your dorm or mine?

You lightly smacked his shoulder. “Like I’m gonna come sleep in your empty bed. You’re crazy.” He just shrugged.

“I don’t see why not. The D.A’s never check on the upper classmen and it’s not like you’re sleeping with me. You’re just in my bed.” The idea was really nice. The bed smelled like him, and you were pretty sure that his TV was bigger than yours.

Biting your lip, you gave the idea a pretty good thought. “I’ll think about it.” He looked up at you and smiled, leaving a kiss to your chin.

---

“What do you mean you’re probably gonna sleep in his bed alone!” Emily yelled over a mouth full of pizza as the two of you sat in her dorm.

You just smiled at her. “He’s staying at Brian’s tonight and offered me to stay in his room. I thought it was cute.” A blush rising on your cheeks. The longer you thought about it, the more you wanted to.

Emily let out an exaggerated groan. “You two are disgustingly cute. But anyways. Do you want the details on Eric?” Eric was the guy from her class that she felt compelled to text you about during her lecture. “Well he’s super tall, and has these gorgeous blue eyes. He’s obviously a frequent gym goer. Oh! And he’s 21.” It was so cute to watch her fawn over him, because you’re positive that’s what you look like talking about Shawn. “But also, there’s this girl, Ashley, god she’s so fucking cute. But I don’t know if she’s into girls. So I’ll probably never pursue that one.”

You looked at her a bit shocked. “Em, I didn’t know you were bi.” She looked down quickly, her cheeks pink and eyes wide. “No, no babe it’s okay. I don’t care, I just didn’t know. You didn’t mention it to me before.”

She shrugged, giving you a lazy smile. “I just don’t feel like people believe it’s a thing. And it’s not something I just blurt out. ‘Oh yeah, I love both’” you just smiled at her.

“Well I know a girl in my accounting class that’s flawless and she’s gay, if you wanna know about her.” You swore you’d never seen anyone so happy in your life.

The two of you spent almost 3 hours just gossiping until the conversation got serious. “So, um, I was wondering how you were doing after the whole ex thing? Are you feeling any better since then?” She asked softly.

“It’s okay. He’s actually in my speech class, but so is Shawn so I’m pretty safe. He sits right next to me and holds my hand and stuff. Actually, I have a meeting with an on campus mental health counsellor next week. So I’m going to get back on track soon.” Without any warning, Emily leaned over and gave you the biggest hug.

“I’m so fucking proud of you.” She sighed, rubbing you back and playing with the ends of your hair.

---

Now settled back into your own room, you felt like something was missing. Your room was too quiet, even with Netflix playing some show in the background, and your bed seemed a lot colder than the one across the hallway. And it wasn’t because that one had a heated blanket nestled in the sheets.

Looking over at the clock, you smiled, 11:48. So you gathered your things: your charger, notebooks, and a pair of fuzzy socks, and made your way to Shawn’s room

The room was warm and dark, the lamp having been left on from earlier, was the only source of light. Your head was throbbing due to the laughing you’d done with Emily and the lack of actual sleep you’d been getting throughout the week, but knowing Shawn, he had a stash of medications somewhere. So you set down your things on the bed and searched the desk for a medicine drawer. Instead, what you found was a notebook with all the campus mental health counsellors written down. Next to eat name was a note.

-Dr. Moore: nice but not the right expertise

-Dr. Woodell: extremely kind, specializes in PTSD and rape victims

-Dr. Garcia: too harsh- probably not right for her

-Dr. Casey: way too mean, seems very unforgiving of personal issues- wrong specialisation

-Dr. Hendrix: very nice, another rape victim spec., also does depression and anxiety. (Top choice)

-Dr. Evans: see above note, but add that he’s the only male option (maybe not a good choice)

By the time you’d gotten to the bottom of the page, you were crying profusely. He had gone in and done research on the possible therapists you’d be seeing. He took the time to look into each option and make notes. But you couldn’t let him know you’d found it, so you put it back, opening the drawer labeled “meds”. How you didn’t see it before, you have no idea. So you took two Advil and moved back to the bed, turning on the heating blanket and flipping through the movies on Shawn’s amazon prime account.

It was almost 10am when Shawn opened the door to his room, he’d gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep at Brian’s. They spent all night playing video games, having a few drinks, and just talking about life. However, you were on his mind the whole time. He was hoping you were having a good time and wondering if you’d gone back to your own room.

Somewhere in the night, you had curled completely into the sheets, your body being covered by pillows and the huge blue comforter on the bed. So it was no surprise that Shawn didn’t see you when he walked in. Or when he plopped down on the bed. It wasn’t until he went to pull the blanket back that he noticed your small frame enveloped in the flannel blanket that was still radiating head. Instead of waking you, he just kicked off his sneakers and curled around you, a sleepy smile on his face.

The feeling of something other than the blanket around you startled you, and your eyes flew open in panic. That is, until you noticed that sparrow tattoo you loved resting on the bed. “Shawn?” You asked, not sure if he was awake.

“Shhh I’m sleeping.” He mumbled into the back of your neck, causing you to laugh.

“Can you at least let me roll over so I can see my boyfriend?” you smiled, trying you roll onto your other side.

With a groan and a kiss to the top of your head, he backed away slightly, allowing you to roll over and wrap your arms around his neck. “Wasn’t expecting you to take my offer. I’m glad you did though, I like seeing you comfortable in my room. Please stay?? My head hurts and I wanna love on you.” You responded by scratching at his scalp like you did the day before.

Once again, he let out a sigh, eyes closing as he nosed along the column of your throat. When your hand slid a little lower and rubbed the base of his neck he let out a soft moan. “You okay there Bub?” You giggled, your free hand being cradled in Shawn’s.

“Mhm. I’m fantastic.” He smiled, relaxing against your chest. “Just wanna stay like this all day. Didn’t sleep a lot last night.” You nodded, your lips pressing into his curls.

“We don’t have to do anything today. You can stay exactly where you are” he smiled, kissing along your shoulder as he wrapped himself around you.

And so you did. The day was spent right there in Shawn’s bed, cuddling, exchanging words of adoration, and plenty of kisses being shared. You were pretty sure that this was the best was the best thing to happen to you. That Shawn was the best thing to ever happen to you.

When it finally got dark, Shawn decided you two, more specifically you, needed to eat. So he called in Pizza Hut to be delivered to the dorm and, after learning it would be about an hour until the delivery driver got here, he settled on taking a shower, fearful he reeked of beer and whatever smell radiated from Brian’s apartment. “Shawn?” Your voice soft as you spoke. “Yeah babe?” He asked, closing the drawer full of shirts after he chose what he was gping to pt on after he was clean.

“Do you um, maybe want some company in there?” Your cheeks were a violent crimson when Shawn stuttered.

“A-are you sure?? That totally isn’t the reason I asked you to stay. You don’t have to do something you aren’t completely comfortable with. I mean- I’d love for you to, but you don’t have to if you’re not ready for something that intimate.”  With a soft nod, you started to unbutton your shirt. “Okay baby, okay. If this is what you want to do we can definitely do that. But let’s get into the bathroom and let me do this right. Okay?” You smiled, following him into the bathroom. He really was trying to make you as comfortable as possible.

With the shower water running, and the room filling up with steam, shawn kicked off his sweats, leaving him in his black boxers. Then he turned his attention to you, his fingers slowly unbuttoning your top for you. But his eyes stayed on your face, watching for any sign of panic. “Shawn, it’s okay. Really. I trust you, and I know you’ll be careful. I wouldn’t have asked to join you if I thought I was going to be uncomfortable” With that, he tugged the shirt off your shoulders, eyes following the fabric as it fell to the floor.

You took it upon yourself to shimmy out of your shorts and panties the same time Shawn rid himself of his boxers. So there you stood. Fully naked in front of the only other person who’s had the privilege of seeing you this way. “You look, so beautiful. I didn’t know you had a tattoo.” He smiled, staring at the flower on your hip.

“It was a congratulatory gift from a close friend. She took me to get it after my acceptance letter came it. I have a second one.” You stated, twisting your hips for him to see the black cat sitting on a crescent moon on the other side. “That one I got in an impulse, a Friday the 13th special.”

“I like them.” He mumbled, watching as you grabbed his hand and ran his fingers over the now healed skin. This was the first time he’s touched your naked body, and to be perfectly honest, he wanted to take you right then and there. But he knew his limits, and this right here was a huge deal for you. So he stepped forward and wrapped his arm around you. “I promise I’ll take such good care of you.”

The water felt amazing on your skin, it was the perfect temperature. Shawn stepped in behind you, blocking the water stream as he washed his curls. You had to admit, you’d seen Shawn shirtless before, but seeing him with soap running down his body was something different. You let your eyes travel a little lower, looking down at him. All of him. He looked bigger than Josh, and that worried you a little. But now wasn’t the time.

“Can I wash your hair?” He asked with his arm outstretched, a puddle of shampoo in his palm. “I’d really like that. Yeah.” You smiled, turning around and pressing your back against his chest, sighing at the feeling of his fingers massaging your scalp, occasionally rubbing out the knots in your neck, causing you to lean your head forward as the release of tension.

You let out a sigh at the feeling. “Babe, why are you so tense?” He asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence as the water rinsed out your hair.

You shrugged, “I’m not sure really. Maybe just all the stuff that happened this week. And I have the worlds worst posture when I sit, so I’m sure that doesn’t help.” You laughed, taking your fingers through your conditioner soaked hair.

“Do you mind?” He asked, placing his soap covered hands on your shoulders. You shook your head, curious as to what he was asking to do. You had to clamp down on your lower lip to stop yourself from straight up mewling at the feeling when he dug his fingers into your neck, his thumbs sliding along your upper back easily due to the soap.

“What the actual fuck did you just do?” You asked after you were able to speak again.

His thumbs still running along your shoulder blades, he simply responded, “Pressure points to relive tension. You should probably do that at least once a week if you want to stay out of any back pain in the future.” You noddd, keeping that in the back of your brain as he pressed a kiss to your neck. “Or you can come to me and I can do it for you. Ya know, to make sure it’s done right.”

You laughed, turning around to leave a kiss on his chest. Shawn was quick to wrap his arms around you and lift you up, looking at you for a sign to not do what he was about to do. Instead, you leaned in, wrapping your legs around his waist and stealing the first kiss.

Now dried off and in your “cute” pj’s, you sat on the bed stuffing your face with pizza while The Breakfast Club played softly on the tv. Shawn sat across from you, doing some reading on “nerves and the brain” or whatever the book was about. “Shawn?” He looked up, a grin plastered on his face. “Last night I was looking for some Advil for my headache and I accidentally came across a notebook.” Suddenly very nervous, you looked down at your nails. “And I saw that you did some research on the therapists on campus.”

His face paled. “Fuck. You um- you weren’t supposed to see that.” When he looked over at you, your smile calmed him down.

“I’m not mad Shawn. Actually it’s really sweet.” He reached over, closing the book to pull you into his lap.

“I just know that you wanted to see someone for a while and I wanted to make sure you were getting the best one. So I told them I was doing a paper on how they treated their patients and then I was gonna decide which one they should get you.”

You didn’t say anything. Just pressed a few lingering kisses on his jaw. “Thank you. It really means a lot to me. And thank you for everything you’ve done so far. I’ve never felt so loved and safe in my life.”

“Darling. You are loved and safe.”

[deansoutros]

Black [M]

A/N: hey all, this is my first fic on tumblr. i went with dean and i have a lot of plans for this fic so please so support it ;( i’m sorry if my writing sucks im terrible i know but ive just had this idea in my head for a while so i wanted to put it somewhere. i’m most likely gonna continue it even if ppl dont read it bc i kinda wanna finish it lol. but yeah if you like it pls tell me :) any comments are very much welcomed! btw it starts off boring but i wanted a nice& clear background. i promise it will get better!

characters: dean x oc, zico, crush, rome

genre: angst(ish?), university au

rated: m, alcoholism, stoners(lol), violence, abuse.

chapter one:

  “nayeon!” I dropped the box full of school supplies as I ran to my roommate whom I hadn’t seen all summer. she replied with equal excitement as we hugged each other. we had just moved into a new place for the year and we were both anxious to set up our cute little house. our other two roommates had already arrived and I was the last one, what’s new.

“I missed you!” she cheerfully exclaimed.

“I missed you too!” I replied as I reached down, picking up the box I had dropped.

“come in we have to talk about tonight’s plans!”

she helped me finish carrying the rest of my stuff upstairs, and after sochi had helped me put my room together my phone dinged. I flopped onto my bed and grabbed it. I hadn’t noticed how much the 8 hour drive had exhausted me.

Apt D group chat-

Nayeon: be ready by 10! we all were invited to a sig nu party tonight at 10! we should leave around 10 or 10:30 just to make sure we get there when there’s already people there! school hasn’t started so welcome weekend is about to be crazy!

Sochi: it’s almost 9!! I’m going to get ready rn

Chaeyeon: omg ;( i really want to go but I am so tired from the drive

Nayeon: come out! It’ll be fun

Chaeyeon: tomorrow! tonight I’m just gonna stay in and sleep

Jisu: i just woke up from a nap so i’m down! rest a lot chae!

Chaeyeon: I will, have fun and be safe guys ❤

Sochi: we will bb ❤

and with that I got comfortable in bed, I was so exhausted that I didn’t care that I was still in my jeans and a long t shirt. I heard the girls getting ready to leave before I dozed off completely.

a mixture of screams and melodies woke me up. I was still as tired as ever. I picked up my phone and took a look. it was only 12am. the walls gently vibrated and with every second that passed I became more irritated. the loud music seemed to be coming from the other side of our apartment but when I got up, not surprised, no one was home. I walked into sochi’s room and peaked out her window. a dozen or so people were on our lawn.

“what the hell” I whispered to myself as I saw cans being dropped left and right. my anger grew more and more as i looked around the lawn. a bottle here a can there and…was that puke?

my mouth dropped slightly at the sight and I stormed down the stairs. I swung open the front door, startling a few people in the process. my little legs couldn’t go fast enough to keep up with my anger. within seconds I was in a familiar yet different place. this apartment was a mirror image of ours. everything was the same but on different sides. I looked around before I was grabbed and pulled back.

“what the fu-“

“private party, who do you know?”

I looked up to see a tall, dark haired guy. his eyebrows were thick and his lips were plump but all I could focus on was how much I wanted to hit him.

“I live across in apt d, is this your place?!”

“look, I don’t care where you live, who do you know?”

“what the fuck I don’t want to get into your stupid party!”

“you sure about that?”

“yes I’m fucking sure can you just turn your damn music down? people might be doing something crazy in the middle of the night, like sleeping!” he was amused by my response. his lips curled into a smug smile and he extended his hand.

“I’m zico” he said. I looked at the hand before me then back at him.

“can you just please turn it down and get your people away from our lawn?!”

“woah woah what’s going on? all the yelling above this good ass music? I don’t think so…. who’s this?” another tall guy holding a red cup came closer and he gestured at me as he looked towards zico. he, like zico, had dark hair but he also had a tattoo splattered across the side of his neck that reached down into his shirt. his scent was strong and hit me instantly. he smelled sweet, masked in the familiar scent weed mixed with alcohol. if it wasn’t for the smell of…well college, he would have smelled like heaven.

“she’s our new neighbor and she’s cute but she’s here to complain not to party with me” zico responded, scoffing as he took the red cup from his friend, chugging the last bit of liquid before walking off. I ignored him and looked at the guy before me.

“is this your place? turn it down it’s loud as fuck.” my eyes rolled slightly and my voice had given off an irritated tone. I pushed my way through the crowd and back out the front door and for the second time that night, my arm was grabbed and I was yanked back.

“what the hel-“ it was the guy I had just yelled at.

“what’s your name?” he blurted out and the smell of alcohol filled the air between us. I looked up at him, his hair layed in a simple curl above his left eyebrow and his eyes were glistening and red.

“chayeon” I replied as I lightly tugged my arm away from him. he quickly let go.

“sorry, about that…and the noise. we aren’t usually that loud but it’s our roommate, hyoseob’s birthday.” he was drunk and high, I could tell, but he kept himself so collected. if it wasn’t for his scent or his eyes I would assume he was sober. his cheeks were rosy and flushed like a child’s.

“take a picture, it’ll last longer” he blurted out. fuck, I didn’t even notice that I had been staring at him.

“can you just turn it down a bit please?” I replied, attempting to contain myself from showing embarrassment.

“maybe I should take a picture of you instead? it’d be nice to look at your face everyday” he disregarded my words but damn, that was unexpected and it was difficult to retain my cheeks from flushing.

“yeah sure, anyways, I’m tired so by-“

“hey tired, I’m dean” he extended his hand, his lips curled into the cheesiest smile and a small chuckle escaped his lips. he had been proud of the stupid dad joke he just made.

it took a second for me to look away from him, but i took his hand and gave it a light shake.

“nice to meet you, dean”

“it’s way nicer to meet you chaeyeon” our eyes met as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze, his lips had formed a perfect smile and for a second I was so infatuated with him that I had momentarily forgotten why I came out in the first place.

“why don’t you stay. come inside, have some fun” he had noticed that I was intrigued by him and he purposely teased.

“no thanks” he was amused by my quick response but before he could reply we were interrupted.

“dean? come back inside babe!” a girl swung open the front door and the music escaped. she had shoulder length dark hair and pale skin with huge lips. her body was slim but she was tall, at least taller than me. she had a prominent hourglass figure and god she was pretty.

dean didn’t take his eyes off me as i analyzed the girl at the door. his eyes were glued on me and when i looked back at him he smirked, amused by my reaction.

“coming” he replied, his eyes still on me.

“well goodnight, I’ll see you tomorrow”

“tomorrow?” i asked.

“I live 10 feet away from you so unless you’re planning on avoiding me we will probably run into each often”

“right..” my lips flattened into an awkward smile, as I heard the girl call his name yet again in a whiny manner. i walked back into my house and I felt his eyes on me until the moment I closed the door behind me. I watched through the peep hole as dean went back in, taking the girl’s hand into his and shutting the door behind them. I turned my back to the door and pulled my phone out. as I was about to start texting I was knocked over by the door.

“chae!” jisu ran to me as I got up, rubbing my elbow.

“chae are you okay? I didn’t know you were there I’m sorry!” nayeon exclaimed and I chuckled, nudging jisu to let go of me.

“I’m fine, it’s not your fault don’t worry” for the second time that night, alcohol filled the air surrounding me. sochi and nayeon burst into laughter as soon as they saw that I was fine.

“ha ha so funny guys” I cracked a smile and rolled my eyes playfully.

“what the hell were you doing there?” nayeon barely managed to say, her laughs conquering her.

“nothing! I was just looking at how nasty the lawn looks now” my words paused the laughter filling the room and jisu walked over to the window, peeping through.

“they’re having fun tonight, but our lawn looks like crap now” she sighed, irritated. I could tell she was sober, as she usually was when we went out.

“we’ll beat them up tomorrow” sochi said as she took my hand and nayeon’s, dragging us upstairs.

“come on jisu! MOVIE NIGHT!” she yelled.

“shut up” I laughed, pushing her towards her room and she whined, mumbling to herself.

“I’m going to bed, night all” nayeon said as she stumbled into her room, jisu following behind to help her.

“I got nayeon, you got sochi?” I nodded in response as I walked into sochi’s room only to find her on the floor mumbling yet again.

“c’mon let’s get you in your pj’s and ready for bed” I grabbed her pj’s from a drawer, tossing them to her as she got up.

“can you close my window please, they’re loud” I went over to the window, taking a look before closing it. something near the bushes caught my eye. a tall light haired guy was outside making out with some girl. her short dark hair and tall, curvy frame were barely familiar but I was almost certain it was the girl who called dean back in earlier. it wasn’t very long before kissing turned to other stuff. there were tons of people on the lawn but I doubt anyone was sober enough to see them.

“chae?” I closed the window and the blinds, walking over to sochi.

“what’s up?”

“why were you staring out the window weirdo”

I rolled my eyes playfully and pushed her onto her bed.

“shut up and go to sleep”

“yes mom!”

I turned her light off and closed the door. once I entered my room I fell into bed, thinking about what happened in the span of only 40 minutes. was that dean’s girlfriend? did I just witness her cheating on him? why the fuck am I even thinking about this I literally met him half an hour ago. I tried to clear my head of the useless things I had been questioning and I eventually fell asleep.

the next morning I had gotten up early and went to the gym. thankfully it was early enough that everyone was still asleep. when I returned home I saw zico outside, removing all the cans and cups from our lawn. I hopped out of the car and walked towards him, from the looks of it he had been at it for a while because the lawn was almost spotless.

“oh, hi! I’m zico, sorry about the mess” he pressed his lips together and embarrassment flushed his face. I curled my lips into an amused smile, an unintentional laugh escaped and confusion crossed his face.

“you don’t remember meeting me last night?” his eyes wandered, trying to remember.

“no..sorry. I’m sober zico and I’m sorry if drunk zico said or did anything dumb last night. I hope it wasn’t a bad first impression”

“it’s alright, drunk zico met mad, sleep deprived chaeyeon so tell him she’s sorry for her attitude”

he smiled, relieved to find out he hadn’t done anything too stupid. I reached down and grabbed a couple cans, helping him pick up. the front door swung open from behind me and out came dean with the same girl from last night. her hair was messed up and her makeup was smeared but she still looked extremely pretty. dean’s hair wasn’t any better and he was carrying a pair of heels in one hand and car keys in the other. by the look on his face it was obvious that he wasn’t expecting to see me.

“dean! this is chae-“

“chaeyeon” dean finished the sentence for zico and the girl with him glanced at dean then at me and back at him.

“I remember you from last night” he nodded slightly and gestured toward the person next to him.

“this is heoyang, my girlfriend” he gently pushed her in my direction and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before extending her hand to me.

“hi it’s nice to meet you, we’ll most likely be seeing each other often” I took her hand and forced a smile.

“yeah, for sure” there was a moment of awkward silence. all I was thinking about was what I saw last night. this was none of my business but if I was in dean’s position I would want someone to tell me, but again, I’m not dean and I don’t even know him.

dean cleared his throat and walked closer to heoyang.

“I’ll be back soon I’m going to go drop her off” he looked at zico before he headed off toward a very expensive looking sports car with heoyang wrapped around his arm. once the car drove off zico looked at me, eyes squinting.

“what?”

“what happened with you and dean? he never acts so awkward in front of people” I shrugged and tossed him a can, walking towards my front door.

“maybe it’s because I just met him last night? I don’t know” zico stopped me before I closed the door behind me.

“hold up, we’re having a bbq in a couple of hours, you should join us and maybe your roommates too so we could all meet”

“yeah, sure, I’ll tell them right now” I smiled at zico. I liked him and I could tell we would vibe off each other really well. I walked in and the girls were all eating breakfast despite it being close to 12PM.

“chae come eat” jisu pointed to the empty place on the table with her fork that had a waffle on the end. I shaked my head and went into the kitchen to refill my water bottle.

“I grabbed a sandwich on my way home, thanks. by the way are you guys busy today? the neighbors invited us over for a bbq a little later” I walked back to the table, taking a seat and stealing a slice of banana from nayeon’s plate.

“no, I don’t have anything to do today. are they cute at least?” I smacked sochi’s shoulder and she rubbed it.

“I’ve only met two of them. One has a girlfriend and the other…well yeah he’s cute. not my type but he is good looking”

“nice, I’m there already” nayeon blurted out. I rolled my eyes playfully and made my way up to my room.

“I’m going to shower and get ready”

after I had showered I changed into a pair of light jean shorts and a racerback mustard tank top that exposed just a tad of midriff. I laid my hair down and put on some makeup. I loved makeup but I wasn’t very good at it so most of the time I avoided eyeshadow. lashes, liner and eyebrows were always a must oh and of course a nice highlight. it was now around 3PM and the girls were still getting ready as well.

there was a loud knock on the front door and I grabbed my phone, slipping it into my pocket before I went downstairs to open the door. it was zico. he looked..cleaner. his tank top exposed his toned arms, nice view.

“hey the food is almost ready, come out!” I nodded and called out for the rest of the girls. they came almost immediately which was unusual but since this involved guys they were all for it.

“sochi, nayeon, jisu, this is zico” they all exchanged hello’s and handshakes. we all followed zico out to his lawn where there were two picnic tables with the grill next to it. not to my surprise dean and heoyang were on one table eating and two other guys were sitting next to them. they got up once they spotted us and introduced themselves. hyoseob, who requested we call him crush because he “crushes hearts”, christain, and of course dean and heoyang. we all took a seat on the empty table and zico brought us burgers and chips. zico sat with us and soon crush and christain joined us too. we conversed, exchanging majors and where we were from. turns out zico and sochi lived in the same city but attended different high schools. they began to get along really well and exchanged numbers, social media etc.

while they were talking, dean had left for a bit to take heoyang home. once he returned the sun was beginning to set. he took a seat next to me, nayeon and jisu looked at me before returning to their conversation with the other two boys. 

“hey so about last night" 

“what about last night?” i said

“i tend to get flirty when i’m drunk, so sorry about that. don’t get it wrong i’m a loyal guy”

you might be loyal but she isn’t.

“it’s fine i didn’t think much of it anyways" 

"yeah but still..” i patted his shoulder and grinned. 

“don’t worry, i get it. my lips are sealed. i won’t tell your girl that you want a picture of me to look at everyday" 

he dropped his mouth slightly but with a smile. he chuckled in relief and passed me his phone. 

"how about i take your number instead of your picture. i heard you say you’re a chemistry major and i could use a lot of help with my chem class this semester. i’m a physics major" 

"aren’t physics people really good at chemistry?" 

"not this one” he joked. i took his phone anyways and inserted my digits. 

“i charge $20 an hour on weekdays and $25 an hour on weekends but for you, there’s a special, i’ll charge you $25 whether it’s weekday or weekend" 

"wow what an amazing deal, i can’t refuse that” he laughed at my dumb joke and took his phone back. 

“so why did heoyang leave so soon? it’s only 5:30” wow did i really ask that.

“uh she said she wasn’t feeling very well”

“oh well i hope she gets better soon” the atmosphere was so awkward now. i fucked up, whoops. it didn’t last long, we soon got into the nerdiest conversation about science.

we began the new semester the next day and as weeks went by, I had been tutoring dean in chemistry and he had been helping me in physics. aside from our school life, we had also gotten close in terms of friendship. I learned that his favorite color was black, he had a secret crush on selena gomez, and he didn’t tell me this but it was very obvious that his family was very wealthy. he always paid for meals and was constantly buying expensive clothing. zico and sochi had begun flirting a lot and they liked hanging out with all of us as an excuse to be together so the two apartments had become good friends in a short period of time. dean, christian and I didn’t go out on the weekends as much as the others did because most of the time we were studying. over the course of the 5 weeks that flew by I had gotten a text from nayeon. she explained to me that she didn’t know what to do because she saw heoyang hooking up with some random dude at a party one night. I told her to keep it to herself but the guilt was almost choking me. I managed to keep shut and so did nayeon.

zico’s birthday was just around the corner and a party had been well planned. this time I would be enjoying it instead of yelling at them to shut up. we tried to keep it a surprise but zico figured it out quickly. the day of zico’s birthday we had a nice dinner, which dean had sponsored, and later that night the party was on. the music was blasting and people showed up out of nowhere. it was only 11PM and the whole place was packed. the scene outside the house was way too familiar and I laughed at myself at the memory.

nayeon jisu and sochi were all dancing . sochi had begun feeling those shots from earlier kick in. she was making zico’s birthday very happy. I stayed near the kitchen, sipping on my drink and watching my roommates being stupid while dancing. don’t get me wrong I was feeling those shots too but I wasn’t ready to show my wild side to zico or any of his roommates. dean had stayed with me most of the night when he wasn’t with heoyang. she kept leaving and coming back claiming her friends were texting her about drama. I could tell dean wasn’t believing it and neither was I, but he didn’t say anything to her.

it got hot in there so fast and soon enough I couldn’t stand being in a tight long sleeve.

“I’ll be right back I’m going to change, it’s super hot” dean nodded and took a sip of his drink.

“ok but come back”

“I will” I chuckled. I headed out the door and the cool air hit me. it felt so nice, I stood outside for a moment and took in the air. as I was about to open the door to my place, I heard something coming from the basketball court that was connected to our lawn. it was dark and I couldn’t see much. I was also drunk which didn’t help. I walked a little closer and the image became clearer. it was heoyang, she was pinned against the fence with her skirt up. there was a guy in front of her and I didn’t have to look long before I could figure out what was happening. I couldn’t control myself and within seconds I was filled with rage. I walked over to her faster than I’ve ever walked, or at least it felt like that. without warning I grabbed her hair and yanked it back.

“what the fuck are you doing” she pried my grip off her hair and shoved me back. I stumbled a little but managed to keep standing.

“don’t fucking touch me you little bitch” she fixed her skirt and with every second that passed my anger grew and without hesitation I splashed my drink on her and she charged at me. the guy she was with held her back and the noise we caused made tons of people come out. she was cursing at me left and right. at this point I didn’t care anymore. I shoved the guy off her and grabbed a fistful of hair, my other fist met her cheek quickly and she fought back. I managed to push her down against the cement and I busted her lip open before I was pulled off her. the same guy held heoyang back as she continued to scream at me and I looked back. dean had his arms tightly around me, preventing me from moving. his face was filled with confusion and horror.

“let go of me dean I’m going to finish what I started” I growled as I fought to slip out of his grip.

“stop! fucking stop! that’s my girlfriend for fucks sake!”

“then tell my why the fuck this is the third time I’ve seen that bitch hooking up with some other asshole?!” I yelled back at him with no prior thoughts. the crowd that had been watching went almost silent. I heard some oh shit’s from them and at that moment, I realized what I just said.

[theknudsencasa-blog]

big woods, small adventure.

This past weekend was an idyllic insight to what autumn means to the Knudsen casa. It’s been raining 50% of the time the last few days, with cloudy skies and low temperatures settling in Friday and not vacating until mid-afternoon today. To set the mood indoors accordingly, I’ve been burning candles with the lights down low, the fireplace glimmering a slow flicker with its gentle click-click-click patter filling my ears, indicating it’s still functioning after a summer without use. Nate and Kunu napped away the afternoon on Sunday, and I spent the day sitting at the computer desk working on some freelance work as we prepared for yet another busy week before a long Labor Day weekend.

The fact that it is already basically September and I’m writing my first blog post of the year isn’t lost on me. From relatives to coworkers to friends, I’ve received a few comments - some intrigued, some snide, all from a place of genuine interest - indicating people miss my posts. It’s heartwarming and frustrating all at the same time, and while there’s been no shortage of material to write about, the wheels just haven’t been clicking for me the past few months.

Since my last blog posting, a lot has been buzzing at the Knudsen casa and beyond. To catch you up to speed, here’s what you missed:

I celebrated the new year with wonderful people and was actually able to stay up until 3AM, much to my ancient and decrepit body’s surprise

Donald Trump took office and my Twitter feed lost its mind

I was offered a transition to full-time from part-time at my workplace

I intimately high-fived Matt Damon and subsequently got gangrene after not washing my hand for four months (half of this is a lie – and not the more fantastical half, either)

Nate and I were both sick for a combined total of two months straight

I drove an unwilling but supportive Nathan through a blizzard to see Brendon Urie live – for free

I went back to Las Vegas and experienced a real What Happens in Vegas moment by getting escorted out of a swim resort after getting way too drunk at 2 in the afternoon (sorry, workplace that thought hiring me as a full-time representative of their company was a good idea)

I lost 20 pounds (but kept my gigantic calves in the process)

Nate passed his Principles & Practices of Engineering exam after a few hard weeks of studying

I raised $300 to help animals in the greater Twin Cities area and found my true calling in life

Nate and I visited Wisconsin and actually had a good time, probably because there was cheese and beer involved as well as terrific company

We finally landscaped our yard in front and truly became part of the north-facing neighborhood by including hostas in our foliage

I accomplished my first animal foster situation by bringing home a stray kitten and caring for him before finding him a loving home with my little sis, Kara

We stained our deck and experienced three straight days of rain afterward, because we are really good at adulting and homeowning

… among other things.

There’s not much justification for me to explain about the lack of posts aside from I just didn’t want to do it. Honestly. My whole life, I’ve been the kind of person who gets so wound up and overwhelmed by something minimal, I’ll react one of two ways: either I will go all out and do way more than I need to to compensate for feeling so overwhelmed (trip/PTO planning, employment searches, meal planning) OR I will give up on all things entirely and just let it die a sudden death (thank you cards, filling photo frames with pictures of people I actually care about instead of weird candid black-and-white shots of people I don’t know, blog posts, calling to schedule my car an oil change oh goodness I’m over 2,000 miles over and I should really make that call).

HOWEVER, here for your reading pleasure is the ULTIMATE JUSTIFICATION PARAGRAPH(s), commence: I actually started a blog post about our California trip in March when the weather started getting nicer, but I left the draft to rot in my composer due to lack of interest. The post, titled “my life as a California raisin” because I literally don’t know anything about California except for the fact that animated dancing raisins from the 80s use its namesake, apparently?, was intentionally left alone as an act of defiance; I had a lot of people nicely asking when my next blog post was coming out, and I went through one of those teenage angsty “I DON’T HAVE TO BE WHO ANYBODY ELSE WANTS ME TO BE! IT’S MY BLOG AND I’LL DO WHAT I WANT!” phases and just turned off my computer and left it. I also was a little nervous, because we didn’t really take any photos of our California trip, and I didn’t have clear documentation of much of anything – especially the event everybody wanted to hear about most, when Matt Damon and I fell in love while simultaneously touching hands for a split second in a television studio.

We also didn’t do anything monstrous or overly awe-inspiring in Cali – or at least nothing physical like the struggle of hiking Angels Landing, which I’ve been told was one of my better entries – but it was a solid, long, well-deserved vacation for both of us. A mixture of relaxation, crashing on futons owned by long-distance friends, and enjoying happy hour drinks (priority), our California trip was a great way to begin our adventures in 2017. I, however, am not going to document it – just because honestly, I don’t remember half of what we did now. It was nearly seven months ago (oh my GOD!) and we have other things to get through, like the awesome nature of the last two camping trips Nate and I took as well as whatever else I want, because this is my blog and you can’t tell me what to do! So if you came here looking for that, I guess I have disappointed you once again and I am not sorry.

One thing I do remember, however, was the true starting point of our summer this year: our first camping trip, accomplished in May. We enjoyed some time in Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park near Faribault, a brand new state park for us, mixing car camping with delicious downtown dinners to make a really delightful weekend away.

NERSTRAND-BIG WOODS STATE PARK MAY 12-14

Friday – Day 0.5 I left work around 4:30 on Friday to meet Nate at the North Star Park and Ride in Elk River, our meeting destination that only made sense as we needed to drop off a car before venturing south. We left his pickup and jumped in the Kia, beginning our travels to Northfield for some grub before arriving in the park. Our plan was to go to The Tavern, because they seemed to have a wide variety of 21 Day Fix-approved food, and my hopes were high to get a salad instead of a salt-coma inducing gut bomb of a burger, because I’d been doing very well on my portion-controlled diet plan as of late and had even planned out all the camp food for the weekend to be fix-approved.

However, after stopping at the Cabelas in Rogers, my hunger had quickly escalated for greasy, delicious, artery-clogging food, and I threw my healthy eating plans aside to order a Spin Dip burger and fries because I have never had much self control. I also added a tall Angry Orchard to my bill for good measure, as I’m definitely the kind of person who is all or nothing, y’know?

After inhaling most of my meal in less than 10 minutes because I am an animal, Nate looked at me very concerned across the table as I instantly puffed up to the size of Violet Beauregarde and turned roughly the same color. My body was turning on me real quick and we finished our beers, leaving as speedily as possible so I could lay flat in the car and hug my pillow whilst moaning on our way to Nerstrand-Big Woods SP.

The drive from Northfield to NBW was about 20 minutes, just enough time for me to stretch out my oversized belly and Nate to lay out our game plan. We would get to the park and utilize the remaining light of the day to set-up our sleeping situation and snuggle in for the night. Then, we’d go to bed and wake up at our leisure, making a prime breakfast before a morning of hiking and an afternoon of paddling on the Cannon River.

Just a little before bed tent selfie! You can see up the corner, we like to tie our lantern to the top of the tent, much like recessed lighting.

After I snapped that selfie, I quickly passed out, and the day was done.

Saturday – Day 1 The next morning had a bit of a chill to it when I woke up, but hints of warm summer day lingered in the breeze, waiting for the sun to peek out from behind the clouds. As I lounged in the warmth of the sleeping bags Nate was already out of the tent, sipping some steaming caramel hot cocoa and setting up his hammock. Once I put on some warmer clothes, I left the tent to help aid with breakfast.

Our set-up. I am getting breakfast ready.

As you can see from our campsite photo there, our tent is huge! If you follow along really closely with any of our adventures, you may note the tent you’ve seen us use before is small and orange. This Coleman tent was my parents’ hand-me-down and it’s our car camping tent. Because it’s so large, it doesn’t work well when it comes to backpacking, but car camping.. that’s another story.

First and foremost, I love car camping. It’s easy, it’s safe, and most importantly, you have SO MANY FOOD POSSIBILITIES. Let’s be real, over half the fun of camping is the food. Right?! But when you’re backpacking it, you have limited options due to not being able to keep food cold, as well as spacing issues. And sometimes it really sucks when you just want to down a ton of food after a grueling hike, and all you have is a Clif bar.

WELL, when we went to Big Woods, we did not have that problem.

For once I planned most of the trip’s meals, trying to stay to my 21 Day Fix portions and planning method as best as I could. I tried to make protein a priority throughout the day, as well as including hard veggies that could take a beating on the trail for snacks, and we ended up with this for breakfast. Eggs with cheese and salsa and lil smokies. What a way to start the day, right?!

After our power breakfast, which I do have to say was a bit more filling than a donut, we tidied up our campsite and set off on the trails. Nate and I were both excited to explore Big Woods for a few reasons. One, it was our first camping trip of the year, and we were eager to dust off our hiking boots and stretch our legs in the woods; and two, it was blooming season! We got to the park a week or so too late for the really intense flowering period, but still caught many beautiful insights to the season’s change. Neither of us had really been to a park that so prominently featured flowers as a “must see”, so we were intent on grabbing some prime photos on our trip. Luckily, the day delivered.

We first ventured down the Hidden Falls Trail on the east side of the park. We’d talked to the park ranger in the visitor center right away, asking for tips, and had been informed that most of the trails on the south end were downtrodden with mud as a result of the intense rain they’d had the week prior. The north end of the park was more or less the same. But the central portions of the park were where the flowers were blooming anyway, and he recommended we hit that up before anything else. So we did.

Endangered dwarf trout lily on the Hidden Falls Trail, found exclusively in Minnesota (known as “endemic”).

I’m actually not very experienced when it comes to flower photography, so I’m not kidding when I tell you I was a little unnerved at the thought of getting good shots for a blog or our own personal use. I’m the same way whenever I try photographing something severely beautiful. I always convince myself I’m not quite good enough at it and when I get home my photos will be crap and it’ll be like I didn’t even go. Sort of like FOMO, but PTSD style? Luckily, I like how this batch turned out.

One of my favorite shots of the day. This flower is bloodroot, if I’m not mistaken.

However, aside from spring flowers, there’s a lot of reason to go visit Nerstrand Big Woods. How about, for instance, the big woods?

Along each of the trails we did throughout the weekend, we were both in awe of the trees. They were so easy to get lost in! We absolutely loved it. Canopies lined the paths and engulfed you, covering you just enough that you felt like a part of the nature that surrounded you, but not enough that you felt cut off from civilization/on the verge of living with wolves.

Nate, reading every sign on every path. As you can imagine, going to museums with him is really fun.

Once we finished the first loop of the Hidden Falls Trail, we decided to go for loop two. After all, we absolutely needed to, or so we’d been told. There was a waterfall to see!

While the waterfall at NBWSP isn’t big, especially compared to those on the North Shore (see ya this fall!), it was still a sight to behold. With all the fresh green on the trees, the gushing water was truly spectacular! By the time we reached the falls, the park was hopping. Many families were taking photos in front of the falls, and kids were playing in the cool water, throwing rocks. We backed away from the falls at first, entering further back into the river that flowed from them. I crossed some rocks and we both took some center of the river shots before admiring the other beauty around us.

Once we took a seat on the rocks just outside of the waterfall, Nate and I watched countless people come in and admire the falls, breaking open our pack to snack on veggies and trail mix. I remember we were both very happy and content. 

Once we stood up and had prepared to move on, we decided to take a few final photos by the falls before heading out on our way. We had more of the day to get through, anyway: we wanted to finish up the trail systems relatively quickly to make it to Cannon Falls to canoe down the river  on time.

We did not leave, however, until I skirted the waterfall and stood right in the middle of it like a super nerd. P.S., if you’re wondering? YES, this was exceptionally cold on my toes.

Then we continued on our merry way.

We made our way back to the campsite quickly, but still took the time to pause and look at flowers, too. We encountered a naturalist along the path and he took his time explaining the flowers to us, telling us what to hunt for and pointing out examples of each thing with careful consideration. In case you haven’t, please talk to your local naturalist when you go to a state park. Generally, they are awesome, and they know their stuff.

Also along our path, we discovered this: one of the weirdest tree formations I’ve ever seen.

This little fellow is called jack-in-the-pulpit! They are truly beautiful (and quite hard to spot).

Once we made it back to our camp, we gathered our belongings, tidied our tent, and left to drive to Cannon Falls. We had decided to work our arms a little by canoeing down the Cannon River, since I mean who really loves leg day, anyway?

Yeah, that’s my husband. I guess he has a tendency of looking sort of like a hippie when we’re on the water if this photo speaks any truth at all.

Our trip down the river was relatively unremarkable. If I remember correctly, we went about six miles, and it went very quickly. The trees along the river were starting to fill, but there wasn’t much wildlife, so the paddle was primarily us (me) floating and eating. We did encounter some people who were swinging into the river via two old, ratchety-looking ropes, and they tried hard to convince us to join them. We both politely declined and watched them as we continued to float down the way.

Once finished with our paddle, we were escorted back on a bus, which picked up a handful of other people at the same time. I tried to make friends with a dog on the way back and by the time we had reached the vehicle, I was so grief-stricken by the fact that we didn’t have a dog Nate took me out for ice cream from a vintage, drive-up diner and I annihilated a shake like it was absolutely nobody’s business.

We arrived back at our campsite in Nerstrand Big Woods in the early afternoon. We’d gotten out of bed quite early that morning in anticipation of a big day and now found ourselves at camp with a lot of time on our hands. Before cooking, we both settled in - Nate in his hammock and me at the picnic table - for some naps and reading time.

Before long, however, the hunger started creeping in. It was probably because we knew what our meal was going to be: steak and potato foil packets.

We seasoned our packets - steak, onion, red peppers, and red potatoes - with montreal steak seasoning and garlic powder. Then, we put them in the fire to roast!

The finished product.

After we ate, Nate was stuffed, but I was severely upset. I didn’t bring s’mores stuff - remember, I had packed only food that was 21 Day Fix approved because I foolishly thought I could make it a whole weekend at camp without S’MORES!!!! - and began whining for dessert almost instantly. Luckily, I did know my self control would be relatively bad, so we did have a delicious dessert - camp style.

First, I cut into two bananas (peel on) just enough we could use it as a boat. We stuffed peanut butter and dark chocolate chips into the crevices, then wrapped them in foil and put them on the fire.

The end result was delicious! A warm, gooey, delectable - albeit slightly healthy - version of camp dessert.

The rest of the night we huddled in next to the fire and watched the light dwindle. Once the sun went down, we reflected on our day before going to shower and wash some of the dirt off of our tired bodies. We then retreated into the tent and fell asleep to the sound of coyotes howling in the distance.

Sunday – Day 2 Early on in the morning we awoke and ate some food: eggs and leftover steak/onions/peppers. Feeling replenished, we quickly tore down the tent and vacated the campsite, ready for the next person to take our spot and enjoy the tranquility of the big woods.

After moving our vehicle, we decided to go an additional few miles on the trails to the south of the park before heading home. We didn’t have a timeline to adhere to but knew we wanted to get out of the park before afternoon as to get home at a decent time. We also had to drive back to Elk River and grab the vehicles, which was a little out of the way and added onto our journey time.

On the trails, the sun rose up high, and we both began to sweat. It seemed like summer was here!  But we still enjoyed some spring blooms as we made our way into the wetter portions of the park.

The further south we got into the park, we realized we were hiking quite a bit more than we had anticipated. Turns out, we’d incorrectly navigated the skiing trails, and had ended up walking directly past our turn-around point. At that time we both decided, me in quite a frustrated manner, that we would be putting on a few more miles than anticipated. As we continued along, however, I tried to focus in and take more photos, alleviating the stress I felt.

We both decided to look for an orange flower to keep us busy. Spoiler: Nate won.

Me, in what I hope is my secondary element. I would venture to guess my primary element is on the couch under a fluffy blanket watching Parks and Recreation or The Office whilst eating cheez-its. #balance?

As we made our way back up the far side of NBW, Nate asked very sweetly if we could take the Prairie Trail, as he wanted to see some wide open spaces after being caught in masses of trees for longer than expected. I, if you’ll recall, absolutely despise the plains, and was outwardly frustrated with this development. I reluctantly agreed and we went on our way to the Prairie Trail.

The trail ended up being probably half a mile longer than marked, and I absolutely gave up and sat on a bench once we reached what looked like the end. Nate, however, continued venturing up the sloped prairie to snap some photos. I do have to admit, he got some nice pictures. But I was pretty done with everything by that time and I just wanted some substantial food.

After we left the Prairie Trail we walked as quickly as possible back to the car. By the time we reached it and parked near the visitor center, the picnic area was packed and cars lined the driveways twofold. Springtime is always when Nerstrand peaks in its visitor count, and it’s because of the beautiful views like we saw - including but not limited to flowers and huge, towering trees.

Once we left the park, we drove through Faribault to fuel up, and then were on our merry way. We stopped in Elk River to get some good old-fashioned ice cream and then drove the remaining 50 miles home, to a happy Kunu bean and a warm, comfortable bed.

And so our first camping weekend of the year was complete.