I Am Obsessed

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Just sayin.

The Rest of Cape Cod

I just realized I haven't posted the remaining Cape Cod/Boston pictures! Oops. I was just telling Sarah that I've been home only a week and already it seems like the trip was a dream. Oh, to have stayed!! 

Yarmouthport, MA

Can you believe the views??

Jessie, Heather, Ashley, Helen, Shannon

On Saturday we drove up to P-Town (Provence Town), which just happens to be the gay and lesbian capital of the Cape. No one was quite sure what to expect, but the truth was that we had a ball, ate a lot, saw some sites (and I do mean sites), and took in a show.

Let me just tell you about my top... gay men LOVE sparkles!

Helen is a City Girl- thus a small crab fascinated her. I think they only have those on plates in NYC

Sarah, if you'd like to steal this shot for your travel photography feel free :)

I love myself for this awesome photo!

Another beautiful church. This one happens to be where we saw a drag show. Uh huh, that's right!

Funny story: We happened to arrive in P-Town during the "Bear Festival." In case you don't know what this is (only one of us knew), a Bear is a large, hairy gay man. So... fun stuff!

S on stage in drag show = priceless!

Dragster's bike. We saw him riding this in heels and immediately decided to see his show.

After Cape Cod it was back to S and Chip's in Boston to meet my new nephew and play with Aurora Lane.

Escher Davin Cothran

Aurora and I in Waldon Pond- you know, the one the poem is about...

Aurora Lane, Ashley Lane and Escher

Best looking jazz pianist on the planet!

And THIS, ladies and gentleman, is how I was greeted by my nephew at the airport when I got home.

Glitter = how you know you're loved! 

White T-shirt + Jeans

Classic, right?

This morning I just wanted to go easy getting ready for work (Yes, I get to wear jeans to work. Hate me if you must), so I just grabbed a white tee and threw it on. I put on a layered necklace and white sandals. But when I caught a glimpse in the bathroom mirror I thought... cute!

(both images via Pinterest - my current obsession)

I love the look of white t shirts and jeans. Simple and elegant or country girl chic- depending on your mood. Grab a sweater, cute shoes, a necklace, a wrap... whatever you like to dress it up or just go as you are.

Stolen Zinnias

I stole some zinnias last night from a flower bed outside of an office building. I saw then when I was leaving the pond where I take Van swimming. They were so striking in the evening sunlight! Zinnias are the kind of flower that bloom better when you pick them, so I think maybe I was really doing them a favor. Because who is cutting them at an office building?

My Granny was known as "The Zinnia Lady." Every year I plant some as well, and I've always had great luck. Until this year. I planted a patch in Niki's yard but there was too much shade and they didn't do well. This was a bit traumatic for me because it's a way that I remember my Gran. She grew huge plots of the most vibrant, beautiful zinnias. They will always be one of my favorite flowers.

Gran was the quintessential Southern Lady: always put together, soft spoken and elegant. But she was full of it too, and she kept us on our toes. She was always telling us we, "Needed to go to charm school," or that, "We'd live to be a hundred," when little things seemed like a huge deal to us. Well, she didn't live to be 100 and I'm a bit miffed at her for that. She was truly our family matriarch and gatherings just seem incomplete without her, not to mention each week that passes that I can't call her.

I think the need for zinnias hit me yesterday because I had been thinking about her since church that morning. She was a prayer warrior for my sisters and I and she always ended phone conversations or visits with a prayer-blessing taken from Numbers 6. It happens to be the same verses they end Methodist services with, so I always leave church feeling watched over by her and a touch sad.. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.

Happy Auntie's Day

Happy Auntie's Day all! That's right- there's a holiday now for those of us who don't have our own kids but adore the kids in our lives so much they might as well be our own, and also for those Aunts out there (with and without kids of their own) that have taken the time and effort to affect the children's lives around them.

I've been an Aunt for three years now and it's an amazing, rewarding, and blessed role. My best friends have allowed me to step into their lives and embrace, adore, and even mold their children. Both Niki and S give me free reign with their kids and let me fully and completely enjoy them. Since February, I have been a nearly daily presence in Nathan and Lorelei's little lives and there is no better feeling. God bless Niki for letting me run amok and interfere so deeply with their daily lives that my niece and nephew love me so fully.

I don't take my role lightly (well, sometimes I do!). I truly try to be a good influence in each of the four little lives that are mine to "Auntie" over. I pray for them daily, keep them in my hearts always and uplift them whenever possible.

Thank you, Niki and S, for giving me these four incredible blessings that bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart!

Shannon and I with Aurora and Escher

Niki and I with Nathan and Lorelei

Space Exploration

I live in Houston now, so I hear more about NASA and space exploration than I did in Florida- which may sound a bit odd seeing as most shuttles are launched in Florida. Let me just go ahead and burst your bubble: the Florida Panhandle and South Florida are NOT the same thing. But anyhoo...

I have been hearing a lot about the arguments surrounding the end of the Apollo program and, in some people's opinions, The US' space exploration. Astronauts and congressmen are screaming that with the loss of funding to NASA space exploration will fall behind and the US will be overtaken as the leader in space exploration by Russia or China or the likes.

Now, I have a massive amount of respect for Neil Armstrong (a very loud voice against ending the Apollo project), obviously. And I think space exploration is most likely a beneficial undertaking and a worthy goal to keep in site. It's also really, really cool. Check out my home state from space:

Awesome, right? But all of that being considered- I can't help but wonder if discovering life on Mars and being outdone by Russia is really more important that getting medical care to children, paying our troops, and balancing the national budget. Our country is in the midst of a financial crisis and it's time to make some hard choices. In addition to ending the Apollo program this week, NASA laid off hundreds of workers. Hundreds. That's a lot. Let's think about them and their needs.

I just think that, maybe, Luke Armstrong and the like should be thinking about how else the funding could be used. Not to say that it wouldn't be difficult to give up on 40 years of work and dreams. It would be- and I am sure it is. But we all have to make hard choices, give up dreams, and make decisions for the sake of our families. In the case of the USA, all of us are the family. And this sister thinks "Big Brother" in Washington is making a good choice here. The others- well, that's for other blog posts!

Thoughts?

New England

I have only been to New England in the fall until now. Turns out it's pretty awesome in the summer too!

Cape Cod was absolutely wonderful! The weather was perfect, the trip was relaxing, we had tons of laughs, stayed up late talking... it was all perfect! I'll try and get more details soon. A few pics for now...

New England has really beautiful churches. 

Artsy shot?? 

My traveling companions: Jessie, Helen, Shannon, Heather

"Lobsta"

Helen = "I have to take it apart??"

Scenery = amazing

Goose Pond

Our little Cape Cod chalet!

We spent our first day walking around Chatham, Massachusetts, shopping, eating, eating again, having ice cream, swimming in a GORGEOUS pond Shannon found (no sharks!) and then eating again. that pretty much covers it. :)

A Week with My Lover

Shannon and I met almost five years ago at work. Well, technically we met eight or so years ago but I was scared to death of her because she is the dominatrix of the editing world. Seriously. She scared the crap out of me. I remember thinking: I will NEVER be as in control and on target as she is. And then, turns out I learned to be. So we decided to be friends and then we both discovered that we really weren't bitchy career women (at least not all the time). We had work personas and real personas. Both of our personas worked well with each other's. So there you go.

S is pretty much the exact opposite of me, except when it comes to our love of our dogs (Our friendship really clicked when, after knowing me for 3 weeks, she informed me that she couldn't go on her honeymoon if I didn't keep her dog). A few examples:

• S is a vegetarian and I am a true carnivore
• S doesn't drink and I am a total wine-o
• S doesn't consume any caffeine... like, at all! Obviously, I live on it.
• S always had a plan and a mission. I pretty much go with the flow
• S is very, very driven and I'm fairly lazy
• S is extremely artistic and musically inclined. Me...uh...no.
• S is a true Northerner and I am Southern to the core
• S hates football. This was almost a parting-of-ways point for us.

So you can see, we're really not alike at all. And yet- here we are... five-ish years later and we're in love (thus the "lover" in the blog title). S pushes me out of my box, she gets me to try new things and go new places. She's almost exotic to me is a really cool, relateable way. I feel like I learn something new every time I'm with her. And she is always the call I make when I need to be "analyzed" or can't think of the word I want to use. 

Today I head off to spend a week- a WHOLE WEEK- with S. First we're going to Cape Cod for four days then back to her house near Boston to hang with her hubby and the kids. I haven't seen my adorable niece in so long or met my new nephew. 

Our girl trip to Apalachicola, FL

York Harbor, Maine 

You won't hear from me for a while (tragic, I know) because I'll be playing! Here's to friends that sweep into your life quickly, stay forever, and change everything!

Lip Gloss That Lasts

I am not a lipstick girl- I am a lip gloss girl. Or really, mostly, a chapstick girl. But I wanted a little color with my shine. So I grabbed a tube of Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor because it was on sale. Guess what? It actually works! I was shocked- nothing that says color stay or long wear EVER works.

It's a little sticky when you first put it on- put just a thin layer of the color on and leave it a minute or two. Then top with the sheer and the sticky is gone. I'll put the shine or just chapstick over it the rest of the day and it lasts pretty well. Last night, after putting some on after lunch, I walked with Niki, ate dinner and slept and some of it was still on this morning. Pretty good.

PS- I'm not brave and didn't do this red color. I went with a pinky-nude.

You are Amazing God

This song moves me every time I hear it. I just listened to it four times in a row. It's the song that got me stuck on Christian music again. I had some rough experiences in high school and went off of it. But I adore it again because one day I was just flipping through the radio stations and heard this and it stopped me in my tracks. It's so simple, and so powerful, and at the end of the day it's like a prayer for me.

Chris Tomlin - Indescribable

Tired!

You guys, I am TIRED! Physically and mentally I am done. It's been a whirlwind the past few weeks with going home, visitors and now getting ready for Cape Cod. Oh yeah, and I've been working. Full time. No time taken off for these events. (I am taking off for Cape Cod, just not for packing for Cape Cod). I am desperately looking forward to sleeping on the beach and by the pool in Massachusetts! And I am really hoping to see a seal even though Shannon says I won't.

So here I was, in a state of exhaustion and really trying to work (although I posted our blog post for work today with multiple typos. Genius) and the most incredible thing happened! I got this:

I won it! For realz! It's flags flying over the Rhine in Switzerland and I just love the colors against the perfect sky. It soothing to me for some reason and that's all I care about. Anyhow, you don't need my artistic commentary to love it, I am sure. So I will just tell you that it's from Sarah Tucker Travel Photography and I also have this:

How cute are those cows? I remember before she had an etsy shop and she just posted this on her blog and I loved it. Then I got it as a b-day gift. So I now have a little collection going which I plan to expand. They're special to me because I have met the beautiful Mrs. Tucker (before she was even Mrs. Tucker) and she's one of those precious souls that God puts on earth to fill us with sunshine and mushies and happiness and hope. So yay for pictures of cows and flags in a blue sky and friends you just happen to meet and get attached to.

This weekend I will be doing this:

(Probably for real because I'm a terrible packer)

And a lot of this (I hope):

Sorry if there's typos in this. I'm out of it.