This Week’s Greatest Hits

Today, we are off to move Maria to her new home in Virginia. Instead of feeling sad, I kind of feel like it’s not real.
I know it’ll hit me soon enough. Still, I’m happy for her and glad I’ll have a new place to visit…but she’s my best friend and I will really miss having her around. This week was great because we got to spend a lot of time together.

On Sunday, we had a super lazy day in Maria’s bedroom. We watched fluff movies on TV (like The Ugly Truth) and ate way too much ice cream. It was a dream come true. Perfect lazy Sunday, just as I had hoped.

Brad and I had a little date after work on Monday, which was nice. After dinner we gambled, and I turned $10 to $60. So that was fun! I don’t do that anymore…back in 2011, we had a lot of luck. It’s smart to stay away, but it can be fun if you don’t mind losing your money…which I do haha.

 

On Tuesday, the plan was to go to Jimmy’s Hot Dogs for lunch, one of the few good things left in our hometown. I was unaware, and Maria forgot, that they are closed on Tuesdays! We still ended up having a good meal at a local restaurant and I made us stop by the mall to get this goofy photobooth strip. I really want to take more photos in photobooths!

Yesterday was gorgeous. It truly finally felt like spring is here. I hope it stays. I took Artie for the last walk for who knows how long, and I love this photo of him. His shadow kills me.

Finally, we enjoyed some blood orange G&Ts with one of my current favorite candies as a garnish.
Delightful.

Things are going to change a bit around here…I don’t know when it will hit me that Maria won’t be home after 5pm or for stretches at a time, depending on holidays and an open schedule. Still, I’m excited for her and this new opportunity.
I hope it brings all of the best things!!!

Photo an Hour: 3/26/14

Just a random day off in photos.

10 am:

Not working means sleeping in for me. And, even if I don’t sleep, I love staying in bed.

11 am:

I had such a craving for a bagel, so I ran to Dunkin’ for an everything with cream cheese and Irish Cream coffee.

12 am:

More laziness on the bed, reading my blogs and brainstorming.

1 pm:

Artie did some hard nappin’ this afternoon, and this was around the time he woke up for a walk.

2pm:

A load of laundry while I exercise.

3pm:
 

Steamy shower mirror.

4pm:

So hungry, I ate an entire box of Kraft Mac & Cheese…oops!

5pm:

Settling on some polishes for nail art.

7pm:

Still light until almost 8.

A good relaxing day.

This Week’s Greatest Hits

Looking back on all the good good that went down.

We watched the Oscars with snacks and drinks, like we do every year!

Maybe it was the several sparkling wine cocktails, but that was the most fun I’ve had watching the Oscars in years!

I went to Panera Bread 3 days in a row.

I work less than a minute drive away from Panera, so when I have an hour for lunch, I just go there. I like to get a coffee and I’m trying to branch out on the soups and sandwiches (the picture from above was during a 5a-2p shift, so my “lunch” was at 9 am, hence the breakfast) and I read and relax.

Lots of pretty sunsets.

The one thing I don’t usually mind about winter is that the sunsets are often insane.
So bright and intense, with different colors from day to day.

Mac and Cheese night with my sister.

Bart & Urby’s does a Mac&Cheese night every Wednesday, and Maria has been several times while I haven’t gone at all. So, since we had to switch cars so she could take a trip to Virginia this weekend, I mentioned that we should go.
It was tasty, but I definitely think they should offer up some more add-ons. I got bacon and fried chicken (because I care about what I put in my body), but I think broccoli deserves to be on their list!

Paulina and I had another craft day.

I’ll talk more about this in a later post, but we decided to go for a spring-y craft in the hopes that it will start warming up soon! We also drank wine, talked tons (I love getting to know more about friends!), and listened to Lana Del Rey on vinyl.

Bits and Pieces of Happy Things

Just some photos of things that have been brightening my days lately.

On a recent Michaels binge, I purchased this label maker for 3 bucks. I was nervous, because it was on clearance, it’s not the strongest looking thing, but I figured why not? It is EXACTLY what I’ve always wanted in a label maker.
So excited to go bonkers with it!

I love these men’s socks I got before Christmas. Comfortable and warm, perfect under sneakers or boots.
I only wish I could’ve gotten every color!

I love receiving snail mail. Since I started sending it out, I have gotten a few responses and, as I intended it for other people, it brightens up the depressing stacks of bills and junk. This one, from my friend Erica, included a two page letter that I can’t wait to respond to!

I’d look through past posts, but I don’t think I showcased my nail polish rack yet. To be honest, I could really use another one, because I have a lot of polish. I’m still using the lazy Susan Brad made for me, which showcases my most frequently used polishes. But I love looking over and seeing the organized bottles. It makes planning a manicure so much easier and it looks great, too!

So, both of my Instax cameras have broken in some way. The big guy bit the dust after I dropped it (on carpet, but not for the first time) and the photos wouldn’t feed out. The mini’s only flaw is that the flash doesn’t work. This means I can’t really use it in darker settings, kind of a bummer. However, I tested it out in natural light and it still looks lovely.
I guess this means I don’t need a new one, after all? Not that I’m opposed…

Since Brad set up the record player, I’ve made it a goal to get modern music into his collection, specifically my favorites artists and albums. I got these bad boys in the mail, and I can’t wait to play them. I now have both of Lana’s releases (LP and EP), Toro Y Moi’s Causers of This, Radiohead’s amazing In Rainbows, and Minus the Bear’s re-issue of Highly Refined Pirates, which is especially awesome because the record is an opaque white. My Amazon wishlist is chockfull of more albums, but they aren’t exactly the cheapest things, so I’ll slowly build the collection over time.

Today, I’m Thankful For…

…getting out of work earlier than scheduled because everything got done ahead of time.

…the free Caramel Latte I got using my Panera Bread card. It was delicious and much needed.

…the fact that I always have to have my cell phone on me because I locked my keys and purse in the running car while brushing off the snow which also means…

…my father, who helped me get into the locked car by having the pin on hand (and having a car that uses a pin). Apparently, last night he found the pin and knew he should have it on hand just in case. That “just in case” happened today, and my cell phone was in my pocket. Disaster averted.

…my new bathing suit from ASOS, which I bought on discount, fits like a glove, and reminds me that my trip to Mexico is less than a month away!

…the internet, for allowing me to catch up on all the shows I don’t always get to watch on air.

…cheap wine because…duh.

…gas money when I desperately needed it, taking a huge load off my back.

…my sister’s homemade halushki…yum!

…New Girl and Mindy Project on tonight! It’s Mindy’s “Winter Finale” and the show is in danger of possibly getting cancelled. If you can, watch it (you won’t regret it, it’s getting better each week!) or sign this petition!

These Things Made Me Happy This Week

As I write this, I’m trying to get myself out of a self-induced funk. I’ve decided to do what everyone should do when they are sad…remember the good things in your life! Here are some of my favorite moments from this past week.

I watched the Golden Globes with my sister.

I love the Oscars…they are my favorite award show. I’ve only just started watching the Golden Globes last year. The best part about watching award shows is watching them with my sister. Wine, snacks, and celebrities!
I’m especially glad I watched the Golden Globes this year because HOLY CRAP what a sh*tshow it was!
I guess that’s what happens when everyone can drink cocktails and champagne while struggling to walk to the stage ton accept their GGs. It was so awful and so good.

I got crafty…twice!

On Tuesday, I worked on several pages of my very first Smash book/scrapbook project ever! You can read about it here.
Yesterday, my friend Paulina and I got together to work on some crafts! Hopefully, it’s the beginning of a new crafty chapter! It seems like it will be. Paulina brought over pony beads that we baked in the oven to make cool sun catchers.
It feels so good to sit down and work on something…the issues seem to disappear.

I sent my first little bunch of snail mail.

A week or so ago, I asked for some of my friends to give me their addresses so that I could start sending snail mail. I know there are things like Facebook (where I asked for the addresses), Twitter, IG, and text messaging…but getting mail is so much fun. Not long after I quit my job, my friend Jenna sent me a congratulatory card. I wasn’t expecting it at all and it made my day. So I’m excited to get the ball rolling on some happy mail that will hopefully brighten up the piles of junk and bills that we all seem to get instead of cards and letters.

Other notable moments:
Double date at La Tolteca with Ed and Jenna, getting a hair cut, and using my DSLR more than I have in weeks!

Clean Up

As much as I would love to organize my life and keep it that way, I have a terrible time doing it.
The first problem is procrastination, of course. I put it off and I have to dig in the moment the mood strikes, otherwise I will never do it. The second problem is a lack of places to put things. My life is compartmentalized into a bedroom at my parents’ house with a twin bed I’ve had since I was 13. I have to work with a very small space. Even the things I keep at Brad’s, it’s all one room. And since I’m 26, my collection of things has grown a lot.
I think I’m getting better with having places to put things. Today was the first day I’ve felt healthy since last week.
I brewed up a big cup of coffee and set to trashing, organizing, dusting and clearing out my room for a good 8 hours.

One of the best parts about these big clean ups is remembering the little things I have.
I got to look through old pictures and notebooks.
I got inspired to do things just by seeing what I have to work with.

Of course, I had to take pictures.

 
 
 
 
  
 
 

I am so proud of the progress I’ve made.
And I’m excited that I found those cute note cards…I’ve decided to start sending random mail to friends, happy little things to receive aside from junk and bills. I hope it starts a fun chain of cute mail.
I also found some great pictures of my friends and of Brad and I, from the very beginning of us.
It’s so nice to know that next time I want to go down memory lane, I’ll know where to look.

Little Happy Things

I’ll be the first to admit that I experience rough patches way too frequently.
I’d love to blame them on actual problems…I have a few, sure….but mostly it’s just me being anxious about everything.
What I love about life is that the tiniest things, the simplest everyday moments, can turn a crappy situation around.
Here are some that truly make me happy.

I can’t get enough of the way Artie prances, and his shadow is one of my favorite things to snap photos of.

A lovely, slightly chilled breeze as I sit on the porch reading.

A crazy poodle wearing my favorite shirt.

Coffee and a book.

Blobs of nail polish that become nail art.

Cotton candy sunsets.

Time Out

Yesterday, I took a half day from work. I left at noon (which I can do if I get the all-clear and I work the Saturday before) and it was one of the best things I could’ve done for myself. Last week was extremely stressful…I can’t believe I even had a vacation. It’s been non-stop ever since and I feel like I need another already. I plan on scheduling some long weekends, but until then, this little gap in the week was just what the doctor ordered. I made a couple of necessary appointments, ate a sandwich from one of my favorite deli’s, painted my nails (though I ended up settling on much different, brighter colors) and watched some Netflix.

Time-out accomplished.