Corn Maze

Yesterday, Brad and I were invited to join our friend on a little corn maze excursion.
I think I might have done a corn maze once in my life, as a teensy toddler with my mom holding my hand, so I jumped at the opportunity.
It was an hour drive, but a beautiful, scenic one.
Again, the weather has been unseasonably warm, but there’s nothing like that sun beaming through leaves of orange and red.
We got to the corn maze, and the goal was to hit 12 different points. The maze was cut into a barn scene and the only way to navigate was to hope you were at the cow’s foot or something like that. Listen, I didn’t navigate. And you can bet your bottom dollar that we would’ve been lost if I had. I just had fun enjoying the walk with some great people. And, of course, snapping some photos.

This probably sounds so stupid, but I was actually surprised to see corn growing on the stalks. I guess I figured they were out of season or something, but full heads of corn were growing, falling, and budding all around us. It was neat to see. The picture directly above is a particular favorite…the roots are so cool. Not what you’d expect to see. It reminded me of those weird scalp massagers with the claws.

Next, I’m desperately waiting to head to the pumpkin patch. I’d really like to actually carve a pumpkin this year.

Fall Feelings

October is, like so many of you out there, probably my favorite month.
Growing up, I always loved summer because it signified freedom. Playing outside all day and night, ice cream trucks, beach vacations, and absolutely NO school. Of course, as you get older, it’s still pretty great. But with work and regular responsibility, it lost that humid haze of happiness it once had for me. And now, Fall has taken over. Sweaters and boots. Hot coffee, tea, chocolate. So many baked goods.
The foliage. If that foliage could last so much longer…

Ultimately, it comes down to my extreme enjoyment of moodier weather. I love gray, rainy days (but of course, I also love crisp, clear Autumn air) because they beg some moody music and supreme relaxation. I’ve created a playlist via Grooveshark of 10 of my favorite songs for this time of year. Very chill and relaxed and ethereal, with a couple of melodic surprises.
Enjoy it with a cup of tea, your pumpkin treat of choice, and the comfiest sweater you own.

A Date Night…Finally.

I say “finally” in the title of this post for 2 reasons:
1) Our date was at Turkey Hill Brewing Company, a pub/restaurant I’ve been wanting to go to for at least a year and
2) It feels like forever since we’ve had a genuine, just-the-two-of-us dinner-drinks-and-conversation sort of date.

The great thing about summer is that allows plenty of entertaining opportunities…I love a full house! But quiet couple moments tend to suffer as a result. Sure, we have plenty of sweats and coffee mornings and TV show cuddles…but I like dressing up (even if it’s just a pair of heels and some makeup with my jeans and tee) and going somewhere new.

Brad and I both got samplers of the beer…you get 6 small beers of the bar’s choice. This was a nice way of trying what they have to offer. They make all of their own beers and, from what I’ve seen in the past, the menu tends to change with the seasons and times.

I didn’t have a favorite beer (truth be told, the sampler was enough to tide me over), but I LOVED the food.
I had a pulled pork sandwich, which tends to be a go-to at brewpubs for me, but the menu is extensive with a nice amount of variety.
Flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and full-blown entrees…you can’t go hungry.

All photos were taken with my iPhone and edited in Afterlight. I apologize for the grainy look, it was dark in there!

Delayed Reaction: Last Weekend

Is it me or is time moving way too fast?

I cannot believe August is here…really, I just had a birthday party (in May, over 2 months ago)!
My vacation came and went and the weekends are over before they even began.
Hence my delayed reaction post. I had a pretty cool weekend, but it took me this long to go through photos, edit them, and want to post them.
Sure, I posted about nails and books, but whatever.

Anyway…

On Friday, I went with Brad to the bowling alley to celebrate his friend’s birthday. I hadn’t been bowling in at least a year, I’d say, and it was fun. I love bowling, even though I’m not that great at it. I mean, I did beat 3 guys on the second game and got a few strikes, but it takes me a while to warm up. Fun fact: I used to think I sucked terribly at bowling and so I would just throw the ball, no care or aim, and it would land in the gutter all the time. Once I decided to actually take the time to realize what I was doing wrong and take aim, I got better.
Shocker! Negative attitudes make you suck…it’s a proven fact.
I had a lot of fun, drinking from a Foster’s Oil Can (insta-tipsy) and chatting about nail polish with one of Brad’s old co-workers.
Love geeking out about the polish!

On Saturday, we held a “beer-b-que” with our friends. There was a ton of food and, obviously, a ton of beer. I wore my new Budweiser tee, which is probably my favoritest shirt right now. Not gonna lie…makes me feel like a badass. I wanted to take a lot more photos, but I was trying to avoid the phone. I know that I could’ve used my Rebel, but I’m glad I didn’t and here’s why:
I decided I would finally break out the Fuji Instax 210 and I had a plan to take a group picture of all the girls and a group picture of all the guys. And then maybe, somehow, get a picture of everyone. I had two packs of film waiting to be used and a camera that’d long been ignored.
When I went to grab the camera from the side table, I dropped it. Mind you, I was sober. It had a spill once before and was fine. Unfortunately, though, it didn’t make it through this one. I was so upset and frustrated…there goes money, film, and memories.
After a bit of a hissy fit upstairs, cooling off, I came downstairs to play Cards Against Humanity (man, is that an offensively funny game) and saw all of these people I love gathered in one room and it was so hard to stay mad. I could feel the warmth and it was awesome.

Finally, on Sunday, I spent a lot of quality time with Jenna. She is back in the area now that her fiancé (my friend Ed) has been deployed for pretty much the rest of the year. Wishing him all the best and safe travels and work while he’s away! We had a diner breakfast, which was delicious, and met up with some friends later for froyo. I know MYO frozen yogurt has been a thing for a while, but it won’t fail to amaze me. I get to pick my own flavor and all my own toppings and pay by weight? That’s awesome. I had red velvet and tons of goodies on top…delish!

And that was my weekend!
Hard to believe the next one is just a day away.

Hello again!!

It’s been a crazy little while. After my vacation, I had a rough time getting back into a sleep pattern and I’m still working on it. Work has been nuts. Friends are coming back into town or leaving town. People are getting engaged or married. Ya know…life!

I’m excited to get back to the bloggin’…I’ve missed it, but I’ve been putting it off. I have a new Recent Reads coming up for you guys tomorrow (I’m behind on the challenge again because life interfered with reading as well!) and some new nail art stuff to share…my love for nail polish just keeps on growin’. I have some other little things up my sleeves…I just want to get back to this creative release.
For now, I wanted to share some iPhone photos from the past couple of weeks.

Grapefruit juice Mimosa.
“Just the essentials.” Can’t leave Target without a few frivolous purchases…in this case, the nail polish (Essie’s Naughty Nautical) and Spring Breakers on DVD (I’ve already watched it twice in one week).
I cannot say no to free doughnuts…especially with strawberry frosting!
Heat wave equals shorts! I am in love with these comfy yet classy shorts from Old Navy.
I’ve had Café Bustelo twice in my life…and both times were absolutely excellent. I want to buy my own container!
Schmutz is the cutest dog in the world…that sleepy face.
Happy coincidence…Naughty Nautical matches one of my favorite skirts. Perhaps some pattern-inspired nail art is in the works.
Maria and I ran after an ice cream truck(van) on Saturday at a graduation party. Pink icy treats!
Absolute new favorite creamer. Yum.

 

Back to the Grind

Mondays are already a bummer, but after a week off? Forget about it.

The rest of my vacation (aka: the weekend) was pretty good. We spent all of Friday (which was super insanely hot, like the rest of the weekend) with Brad’s cousin Shawn and his wife Rebecca. I basically consider them my cousins at this point. We grilled food all evening and I was eaten by bugs, but it was a lovely night and delicious food. That picture up there is of grilled jalapenos stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon. I was skeptical, but HOLY MOLY. So good. We also had fresh guacamole and grilled chicken kabobs with orange peppers and mushrooms.
Happy Belly!
The rest of the weekend was rough for me. I found it hard to enjoy my time (even though I got to see my BFF Ed Rafter, which is always awesome!), because the end was so near. And that got me thinking…

I DON’T WANNA BE THAT WAY ANYMORE.

I can’t keep wishing away my days, work or not, for the future free moments. Or dreading the future un-free moments. But that’s what I do. Seriously, last Monday I was already upset that our vacation had begun because that meant it would be ending and then I’d have nothing to look forward to anymore. Talk about pessimism. I find that I can’t enjoy anything without worrying about the past or fearing for the future.

Do you do that? How do you stop?

Regardless, I still had a lovely and much-needed breather.
I’m going to just have to keep working on making every single day a wonderful one.

Happy Monday, guys!
(And don’t worry, 5 will be here before ya know it!)

Friday, Already?!?!?!?!

Normally, I’d be pretty stoked about Friday arriving. But, of course, this time I’m not.
I can’t believe how much the week has flown by. And granted I have all of today and the weekend to still relax and stay out of the work mindset, I can’t believe the majority of vacation is over. It went by soooo fast.

Here’s a bunch of photos from the past week. It’s been a blast. Swimming, lots of good food, a crazy night of excess, the Hometown Auction (that’s where I got the books and goodies), and a wonderfully hot 4th spent in the pool with Brad’s family. Excellent.

I’m so not ready to say goodbye to all of this, so I’m going to try my best not to look too far ahead.

Take Me Out

On Saturday evening, I went with my father and sister to a baseball game at the field in Moosic/Montage, PA. The local farm team, the RailRiders were playing. I only know enough about each sport where I can get by, but I still enjoy going to live games, especially when it’s free! We were super lucky and enjoyed suite seats, so we got some free food and beer and a beautiful night to be outside in the stands.

Maria actually ended up buying that foam finger. I made my dad put that silly hat on.

The baseball field just had a makeover and it’s really beautiful. You can walk around the entire length of the park, and there are vendors everywhere. There are even lawn “seats” for people who just want to grab a blanket and enjoy a game that way.

The suite just means that, in between watching the game, we could sit in an air-conditioned kitchen room and eat and grab beers from the mini-fridge. It almost felt wrong enjoying free beer, so I kept grabbing the Landshark. No one seemed to want it. Fins Up, you guys!

I almost didn’t go to the game. Most sports don’t interest me and I had to rush to Brad’s to change quickly after a baby shower, but it was so worth it to laugh and enjoy a few beers with my family. I am so glad I changed my mind!