Bi-weekly round up and a cutesy story.

Dear Readers,

Here’s a fun story. Last night Aaron and I went out on a date. [Stay with me, it gets better.] We have a list of places we want to visit before moving away from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and one of them is a place called Red Hot. It’s this great bar that is designed to look kind of like a hipster hole-in-the-wall bar. They serve a variety of microbrews and hot dogs. Bonus?! They serve vegetarian hot dogs [they’re a real thing], so I’m not forced to stare at Aaron while he’s inhaling some sort of crazy cream cheese + tomato + meat hot dog concoction. I can have one, too.

Not at Red Hot, but still, together.

So we’re on a date at Red Hot and it’s packed. Every table, booth, and stool at the bar is taken. I was pretty annoyed. I mean, I know we’re not the only ones who love this place, but we were on a mission, people! We walked out to find a different date spot and this girl comes screaming out of the bar yelling things about, “There are two seats available at a table! Take them! Take them!” [Red Hot is one of those places that gets so packed you’re forced to share a table with other patrons.] So we booked it back into the bar while yelling “Thank you!” over our shoulders to this totally rad lady.

We sit down. The other patrons at our table got up and left. Perfect. Let’s order hot dogs and get this date goin’. I look up from my menu and notice this guy about our age with his father standing in the middle of the bar looking forlornly around the room. Over the blare of the obnoxious metal music [only strike against them, but Aaron loves it], I shouted something about, “Sit here!” They were grateful and took the seats and asked us what we recommended, yadda yadda. The date continued. We ate our food and drank our beers [a Saison for me] and got ready to pay our tab. And then the waitress whispered the best news at our faces: “The guys at your table paid for your first round.”

Being nice pays, guys! It pays so big. As you venture into your weekends, remember that niceness pays. I encourage you to pay for someone’s first round or hand-off your street parking pass or pay someone’s museum admission. Something. 

And now for our bi-weekly round-up, which we're initiating now.

• These have become our go-to quick, delicious summer meal.
• Maybe this is old news to some of you, but Michael Wurm at Inspired by Charm has an adorable front porch that you have to check out here.
• My kind of tank top can be found at Wicked Clothes.
• My disjointed thoughts on rescinding my deferment from grad school.
• Seven summer hairstyles to try.
• A toasted coconut, roasted strawberry popsicle recipe for Mallory's popsicle "have-to"
• Healthy (really) oatmeal chocolate chip miracle cookies. That's all.
• Mallory's realization that she now identifies with Mrs. Darling, and no longer Wendy.

 
We hope everyone has a great, happy weekend.

Amy & Mallory

Dear World

Do you ever pick up a pen and a piece of paper, ready to write, but not sure what you want to say? There is a need to talk, to write, in my soul. Maybe that's because I'm an old soul. Old fashioned. Hand written thank you notes for the hostess of the delicious dinner party. A gift sent when something catches my eye and reminds my heart of someone. A longing for a pen pal.

Lucky for me, Amy was the same way. It started with an email (or perhaps it was a Facebook message), way back in 2009. The contents have been lost over time. This memory which has infinite capacity for numbers, can't remember conversations. But the one thing it has no problem remembering is the feeling. The feeling that I had found a bosom friend.

A bosom friend--an intimate friend, you know--a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul. -Anne of Green Gables

And thus began the modern day correspondence of Anne and Diane. We didn't always know we were Anne and Diane. It started with a few moments of "Me too!" and "No way, you think so too?" and grew into a bond so strong, it could only be described as kindred.

We've emailed, texted, written letters... correspondence. The modern way. There have been few times that we have been at the same place at the same time, but many, many times when our hearts were. Both married to men in the military, we move a lot. We have to start over, find new jobs, make new friends, rebuild our lives. We have many similar passions, interests, curiosities, but more than enough differences to make the conversation rich.

Bosom friends. Kindred souls. Kin.

And so, world, we have decided to make our correspondence public. To share with you in hope that you will share with us. The internet can be a scary place, a lonely place, a big, giant, wide open place, but at Kin, we want it to be warm. We want it to feel like you're curled up by a cozy fire, with a warm cup of tea, reading a letter from a friend. Because that is what it is. Letters from friends. And we hope that you join in the conversation when you're ready, because one can never have too many bosom friends.

So welcome. Stay a while.

All my love, Mallory

image via Dustjacket