A rough week...

So this week went into the gutter...

well...

not really..

I worked Sunday night,

which ruins my weekend...

CTA left on business for the week :( on Monday.

I visited my oldest friend and her amazing son.

I pulled a double on Tuesday and saw a friend from Georgia.

I got 3 hours of sleep on Wednesday morning before talking my Southern

friend to breakfast and the airport-

after which I slept in my car for 30 minutes...

at work..

during which my boss parked next to me.

Last night I wanted to go home and sleep.

Instead I drove to Worcester with Kel to potentially die by a Craig's List killer (I'm still new to the online buying).

I wound up with a practically brand new Canon Rebel XSi.

Which makes me happy.

I came home and slept...too long.

I woke up 7 minutes after I was supposed to be in work.

I'm working until 1 AM.

I have tomorrow off and am going rock climbing with Mom,

CTA is coming home,

I'll be regrouping.

And THAT is enough of THAT.

Weekly Wrap up:

A lovely quote:

Mackin Ink

If only I had the time...

and the money...

and the cojones to wear them...

How to Envy a Retronaut

Congrats New York.

Too True.

Another fab thing to come out of Canada...since hockey...oh wait...Boston took that didn't they...hmmm..hehe!

Gwen Delicious

Havin' a heat wave...

So its flippin' hot.

That means angry, frustrated, sweaty customers at my day job.

It also means angry, frustrated, sweaty staff at my night job.

I just hope I don't drip sweat in someone's beer.

Eww.

So, I'm going to channel my inner peace via the internet with

tons of water,

(ARE YOU KIDDING ME?)

via Cup of Jo

and beaches,

Charleston, RI

and ice,

via Lori Langille & here.

and ice cold adult beverages.

Add some vodka perhaps...

And reminding myself that my other job is necessary....right now.

Three words:

WATER

FRONT

PROPERTY

There goes paying off my bills...

So I found this shop via Hither and Thither.

And maybe I want everything they sell.

Buy it for me.

Pretty please.

I'll be your best friend.

Lastest To Do List:

I wanted to create a short(er) list of my goals by the end of summer, and here we are, mid-July. I better get it in gear!

And I meant to post this...oh you know...6 weeks ago.

This way I can already cross some items off- with photo proof!

So there!

1. Refinish dressers
2. Make/ hang Roman blinds FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE.
3. Couch quilt
4. Finish pillows

1. Coffee table
2. Headboard/ Map Wall
3. Hang lanterns
4. Flower/ veggie/ herb garden(s)
   
   
   
5. Agave painting...and maybe this one isn't 'done-done,' but its hung!
   
   

   
6. Recover chair

I Heart New England

Pin Pointed Travelers at Longtrail

This weekend, I spent 3 days and 2 nights with some of my favorite people, enjoying Vermont, eating, and drinking. CTA, CTA's brother, my brother, my sister-in-law, and her brother headed up to the Vermont Brewers Festival on Lake Champlain in Burlington. I love these people so much. My sister-in-law is really a sister as CTA's brother is my brother. It was our second year as a group and my fourth or fifth time personally. The ride up was gorgeous, windows down, Curtis' BBQ time. We stopped at Harpoon, Long Trail, and Otter Creek before getting to the camp ground for dinner. The next day we walked the "mile" to the shore and cooled off.

The festival was fabulous as usual. Empanadas, falafel, and Bacon Beer were the biggest hits. Stone Brewery, a family favorite, showed up from the West Coast. We weren't sure why, but we enjoyed it the same. Bender was an absolute chick magnet as usual and he made all sorts of friends. I managed to see one of my first crushes from CT, a former Eli's employee, a high school acquaintance that started a brewery, and a grade school best friend.

These things only happen in New England.

Trapp Family in Stowe

These things make me happy.

Off to VT!

I'm off to Burlington, Vermont with CTA, his brother, my brother, my sister-in-law, and her brother for our annual trip to the Vermont Brewers Fest. With that, I leave you somethings that make me happy...or laugh:

CTA get passive aggressive, but these are intense.

Bubbles Over the Fjord

Shout out to cool dads- my dad had a sweet mustache...thats now a beard.

Llama Font.

CTA started talking about getting llamas...

Growing, Growing...

Growing up, we always had a garden...or five. There is photographic evidence of me, at 2, running full speed to said garden and face planting in the freshly tilled earth, only to start shoving my pie hole with the dirt. Yes, my dad stood by proudly and my mom had time to go and get the camera to document the event.

When I got older, my brother and I would pick green beans or cucumbers, for some reason always at the hottest part of the day. I would eat so many tomatoes during the summer that I would end up with canker sores from all the acid.

Life was good.

After I moved out, I realized my lack of garden space (being in an apartment) as well as my lack of a green thumb.

When I moved in with my brother, I planned on two years of being able to raid his garden.

The first season was spent on wedding planning and other activities. I did not fret knowing I would have another whole season to plant, water, wait, and eat the spoils.

Low and behold, I 'left,' after 18 months and missed out on the second season.

Although CTA doesn't have an affinity for making things grow, he is a hard worker, does his research, is friends with my brother, and listens to me. I fall back on what my family has taught me.

This is the outcome.

This makes us want more land.

This makes us sit on the porch and drink tea and dream about the next property.

This is perfect for right now.

Lemon balm (for future soap making), Egyptian onions, strawberries (that will fruit next year), mint (for mojitos, teas, and Thai food), basil (for bread and Thai food), Italian parsley (for this- sans thyme & basil), and cilantro (that has been picked clean for herb butter, Thai food, and EVERYTHING else...I put it on everything).

Cukes for pickling, 2nd round of Buttercrisp lettuce (the first was a dud), English Breakfast radishes for Bloody Marys, hot peppers, green bell peppers, and tomatoes!

The infamous cucumbers.

These babies were growing nicely, I was watering them every morning, loving them properly, etc. One morning I came outside to find that something had been chewing, eating, digging in their trough. The next day, something had pooped on them. POOPED.

After discussing it with CTA, we realized that our garden used to be the neighborhood litter box.

Great.

CTA installed a fence.

I recently discovered Sun Tea.

And rediscovered mangoes.

These two combined with my need for instant gratification, I've started to brew it.

Daily.

Mmmm.

Birthday Beach Bash

So alllll the way back in April, I went to St Maarten..or Sint Martin...or whatever language you want to read or pronounce it.

It was a 'Friends Vacation' according to CTA.

His friends.

And their girlfriends.

This made me slightly nervous.

I really like all of them, I just don't know them that well.

Within hours of sharing two bathrooms among seven people, that 'don't' became a 'didn't' because they're all great and crazy in their own ways AND they even got a cake for my actual birthday.

A CAKE!

I love cake.

And I love them too..

Not because of the cake either....

The view from our balcony- literally a stone's throw

Downtown Philipsburg

Our also private boat for snorkeling.

It was sunny and lovely and my first time in the water, and after seeing a sea turtle the clouds rolled in. On our way back, we stopped at a lagoon. We were freezing from being pelted by so much water and wind that the ocean was warmer than the air and was practically steaming.

Anyone can snorkel on a beautiful day.

Only we can go and enjoy a lagoon during a rainstorm!

EconoFoods

CTA and I love Price Rite at home. Its ghetto and cheap and makes for the best people watching.

When we first arrived, we asked the taxi driver to take us to the closest market as we had a kitchenette to use. He attempted to take us (as we found out later) to their version of a Stop & Shop.

We wanted to go where the locals went.

We wanted to eat what the locals ate.

They didn't want that.

We were white and not 'unwelcome,' but definitely not 'welcome.'

We asked the driver to stop at this warehouse of a store that had a visible produce wall along the back.

Everyday, CTA and I, and anyone else not being lazy (side eye to Goomba), made the mile or so trek to stock up on sandwich meat, rice, mangoes, and most importantly Caribs.

The Caribs were the worst to carry back.

Mud Baths during our snorkeling trip before the rainstorm.

And yes, the limestone mud really does make your skin feel amazing.

*UPDATE: Writing this now is killing me. Its 91 outside and all I want to do is be at the beach. Or in Sint Maarten. The weather was phenomenal every day- not too hot, not too cold. This was also the first trip that I didn't drop loads of cash. We ate family dinners most of the time (there wasn't much around us), I didn't stock up on crappy souvenirs, I just took home a nice tan, tons of photos, and a $5 license plate...that was probably ripped off a car. The other possibility is that CTA paid for everything- which is a good possibility, but I'll just chalk it up to my 25th birthday.

Esshh.

Monday Dinner

I made these last night.

*Word to the wise: Don't try the carrot slaw immediately- the graw garlic needs a few minutes to mellow & add cilantro...to everything...always....

And these (minus the shrimp.)

With CTA's siracha, sweet & sour, amazing sauce.

And they were both amazing. But they're one of those things that you know are healthy- I mean its chicken and veggies. So you eat too much. I really should have taken a picture because the colors of the food coincidentally matched the plates...and hot sauces. I gave Kel's' takes-amazingly-beautiful-pictures-without-even-trying-camera' back so I just feel like my camera isn't worthy to take photos unless I'm in a high risk area- meaning the camera will inevitably be dropped, get wet, or sat on.

Here we go again...

Drum roll please......

I'm back. Well sorta. Just like last time.

Blogging is always on my long list of things to do. So is 'go to the gym,' and somehow that always gets pushes to tomorrow's list. Its a great way to remember great websites or projects I'd like to try, but to also document hilarity and all around awesomeness that follows me- like an interactive diary- with links and pretty pictures.

So as I sit here, eating Fiber cereal with extra blueberries (we picked 20 pounds yesterday), I'm at least attempting to make a vow to update more, thus keeping you in the loop as well as leaving a record for my future children that proves that I was more awesome than they could have imagined.

I have an ego problem.

Here are some pictures from the last few months that will serve as teasers until the whole story is regaled bu yours truly. And yes, regaled is necessary, because they are all inevitably epic tales.

Saint Maarten

Birthday Gifts from Mom

Gourmet Cooking

Bonnaroo Play Time