Feeling Beachy

It has been a year since the last time I visited the beach. This photo is from that time. Honey and I went for my birthday and it was so nice. He brought our canopy and our hammock and before I knew it he had created our own little personalized cabana. It really was lovely.

I hope you all have a blissful weekend and I will be sure to post new photos when I get back in town.

Update

So I have had several interesting turns in my life's plot line over the past couple of days. Unfortunately some of it is basically un-bloggable.

• For instance, I have been offered another job. And all I can really say here is that it really would involve leaving sucky job #1 in exchange for starting at sucky job #2.

(I know that there are several out there who would like to insert some sort of comment about how I am lucky to even have a job in this market. - But let me stop those peeps right here. I know that jobs are hard to find these days. And I am grateful for the job I have. However I desperately want to finish grad school asap so that I can actually work in the field I love.)
So to sum it up, I am unsure of how to make a decision here. I guess I can turn to the old "lesser of 2 evils" adage.

• Also mostly un-bloggable - the unsettling realization of the approximate nearness of d-bag syndrome to one specific person whom I love. I wish she could run run run away.
• Izzy's surgery is scheduled for June 10th. Say a little prayer for my little monster.
• I am going to the coast this weekend with some of my friends. It was supposed to be a couples' trip, however Honey's mom is having gallbladder surgery so he can not make it anymore (insert another little prayer here). I will miss him the entire time I am sure.
• Unimportant info to probably everyone out there - I am already L.O.V.I.N.G. this season of SYTYCD. And I am anxiously waiting for the season premier of True Blood.

*HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A DAY FULL OF UNEXPECTED JOYS *

Blog Bits - Wishing I was still a little girl

I wish my parents had one of these when I was growing up.

{found on YOU ARE MY FAVE}

Every little girl's fantasy afternoon getaway.

{found on SWEETIE PIE PUMPKIN NOODLE}

Mystery art depicting my favorite childhood story.

{found on MODERN HOMEBODY}

An ode to pink

{found on SWING.LIFE.AWAY}

Birthday Wish List Volume 1

My birthday in coming up in June and although I am on a strict budget, I can't help but want to buy myself a little something. I know that having a wish list in volumes may seem fairly self indulgent, but I'm ok with that. I figure that I need a little something to distract myself from the painful fact that I am indeed getting older. UGH.

Any (or all) of these items are on my wish list.

I want to pair this belt with a beachy yellow skirt and white boy-tank.

{found at Forever 21}

I honestly could use a pair of these in every color. I do however have a hard time deciding between laces or no laces.

{found at Zappos.com}

Please please please let the Anthropologie Fairy leave this under my pillow.

{found at Anthropologie}

And this clutch would be the perfect pop of color to so many outfits.

{found at bonecalindas shop via etsy}

Random Updates

So I have had a bunch of random little events going on the past couple of weeks - and have not yet posted about any of it. I figured that since I am at work today, instead of spending some lovely outdoor time like the rest of America, now would be as good of a time as any to fill you in. Consider this my silent protest against the fact that I don't get ANY paid holidays - silent in that I will not jeopardize my job by bringing it up to my boss again but I will feel somewhat vindicated by the time I spent blogging at work rather than working.

1. Honey got a new car. This is good news. His previous car (which I had told him not to buy) was such a lemon / money pit. Now we have a Jeep Liberty. YAY! This means that we now have a car that is big enough to accommodate all 90 lbs of my Izzy. Plus, as an added bonus - it's reliable.
Oh yeah - AND Honey got a great great deal :)

2. Izzy needs surgery. She has been limping for several weeks, and after a couple of vet visits we found out that she has a condition called osteochondrosis chondritis (aka OCD). This means that she does not have cartilage in her shoulders the way she should. And she has to have surgery on BOTH shoulders. Her surgery is set for the 2nd week in June.

3. I hurt my pinkie. I think it is just a broken blood vessel but the finger is swollen and blue and it hurts like a biotch!

4. Honey's mom is having gallbladder surgery next weekend. This means that he will be out of town next weekend. He is a good son and wants to be there to help his mom. I really am a lucky girl.

5. I still hate my job - but I am working on having a better attitude about it.

Honey needs a new do

Honey has dark semi wavy hair, which I think is just adorable. However, he has kept it short since I've known him. After much bargaining, I have finally convinced him to grow it out. I am hoping for a laid back, messy (kinda like Zach Braff or Zachry Levi) look. The problem is that I am having a difficult time finding photos to give the girl who cuts his hair. If you know of any good photos, you are welcome to send some links in my direction.

BTW - This is my FAVE photo of my Honey :)

Creepy

Did anyone watch Criminal Minds last night. Totally creepy. And to top it off, I went to take the trash out afterwards (not knowing that Honey had just gotten home) - and he scared the crap out of me. If I remember correctly, I think I dropped several F-Bombs in his direction.

Dance Dance Baby

Thursday begins the new season of So You Think You Can Dance! I am not embarrassed to say that I am so excited.

I have zero coordination, so my dance skills are limited to slow dances and dances in big groups where no one can really see me. But I do love to watch those with talent. And the best part is that I will not be watching alone. My girlfriends & I have established an official S. Y. T. Y.C.D / recipe swap night. Every Thursday we will meet at one of our houses to watch and cook. This is going to be good. . .

Puppies make everything better

Thank you to all of my darling readers that offered me bright words to help me through my F-U-N-K. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your kind thoughts.

I have good news though - I think that I am officially on the upswing of my little low mood. YAY!

I went to the Animal Defense League this weekend to play with some animals who needed a little T.L.C. And that always helps. Plus I spent a lot of snuggle time with my own cherished fur-babies.

Since we adopted Izzy, I did not get the pleasure of seeing her in her puppy stages. However she is part lab, so every time I see a lab puppy I get all warm and tingly in my soul. This photo is from one of my fave sites, The Daily Puppy. Doesn't it just make you feel so happy?

There is also a site called LuvMutt.com that I visit often. As a matter of fact, my baby Izzy was featured. Go here to check it out.

Hope your Monday isn't too gruesome:)

F-U-N-K

I have been in a funk for what seems like forever now. Truth be told, it has probably only been a week or 2 but still. . .
I am still having some problems with my energy level. BTW thanks to all who sent me their advice.
But now I feel all droopy in my heart too. I had this teeny tiny (possibly P.M.S. induced)meltdown with honey the other day. It went a little like this:

Me: I'm in a funk.
Him: Why?
Me: I/we have no security. Our jobs are less than stable, both of our cars are falling apart, I am still in school, we don't own our house, and let's not even mention the fact that I am still waiting for you to decide you are ready to get married already.
Him: Well . . .
Me: Just forget it
Him: No, what can I do to help? (Besides the whole ring thing).
Me: *sigh* *tears* - I have a headache
Him: I'm sorry. I love you.
Me: Can you just do the dishes for me? I'm going to bed.

Stupid hormones. Stupid bad economy. Stupid crappy energy level. I am going to work out tonight and hope it makes me feel better.

yumi yumi

I am totally digging these prints by Aline Yamada. Check out her Etsy shop if you agree :)

Better than the original

Is anyone else eager to see what arrogant remarks Kanye will make in response to Randy's enthusiastic praise of Kris Allen's version of Heartless?

Mother's Day Fun

Yesterday my sis & I took my mom to lunch and a movie. The food was yummy, the fishbowls full of mimosa were refillable, and the good times were upon us.

What did you do for your mom?

Blog Bits

Happy Weekend!
My goals this weekend are to:
1. Appreciate the little things.
2. Laugh A LOT.
3. Read something good.
4. Eat something yummy.

Hope you have a good one too!

Lazy Days

I am having an energy problem. I don't know what is going on with me, but I can not seem to stop feeling so tired. I am pretty sure that I am not sick (or getting sick). I work out on a pretty regular basis, and this has helped me to keep my energy levels up. But I guess it is no longer cutting the mustard.

I have all of the plans to clean my house, bake goodies, pull weeds in the back yard, and finally finish reading Anna Karenina (which, by the way, is the longest book ever written) - but once I get home from work or the gym all I manage to do is lay on the couch.

I am hoping for any advice you may have, lovely readers.

Photo part of the Annie Leibovitz Disney Dream Portrait Series

god of rock?

I would like to preface this particular post with an acknowledgment. I acknowledge that I post about different TV shows on a regular basis (as regular as you can get for a newbie blog anyway). But I would like to say that I have put Honey & myself on a strict budget. And when you are on a strict budget, the TV can be quite a cure for boredom.

Who am I kidding . . . I do love TV. Budget or no. :)

Who watched American Idol last night? Who watched American Idol last night and is sick of seeing the judges kiss Adam Lambert's way too dramatic butt?

I am not implying that he is not talented. But I will say that the judges are so busy labeling him a "rock god" that they are ignoring the talent of all the other contestants. And seriously, "rock god?" I bet Mick Jagger would have a bit to say about that.

A home for Theo

When I stumbled upon this dining room table while browsing Remodelista, I had to resist the urge to contact the designers and let them know that said table had obviously gotten lost on the way to my house. One look at my kitchen and you would know that the table (which I have named Theo) belongs in my home. And honestly, I am certain that there is no one who could provide a more loving home for Theo.

Blog Bits

How about a refreshing summer beverage? Better yet, how about a refreshing ADULT summer beverage?

Such a romantic photo shoot.

How I wish I had her sense of style :)

Cool snapshots from Jakarta, Indonesia

The most adorable dresses for little girls. BTW I am convinced that one of those little girls (bottom middle photo) is Shilo Jolie-Pitt

An homage to the business world.

My friend Will

Honey's mom was in town this weekend. She stays with us when she comes to visit and she works really hard in her day to day life; so we tried to keep the activities to a minimum. A lot of rest and relaxation was in order. We rented Seven Pounds on Saturday night. I loved it. Such beautiful characters. So many authentic depictions of emotion.

I am a huge Will Smith fan already, so I may have entered into this with some bias. But I stick by my evaluation.

Fun little side note - I always tell Honey that I want to invite Will & Jada over for dinner one night because I think we would make great friends. I like to imagine a world where they would actually attend a dinner composed of Shepard's Pie and board games.

Photos from Atomic Popcorn

Simply Delicious

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs. I made it last night after a rough day at the bad job. It was really good and easy. And I am not just saying that because I drank most of the wine that I bought for the recipe. I would recommend being cautious with your sage usage however - I think I added a bit much (remember I DID drink a bit of wine).

Hope you like it :)

My heart

These are my babies. And with the weekend happily waiting to greet me in the morning, I look forward to spending much time with both of them. Do any of you have your own furry children?