new post...

I check this blog everyday in hopes that maybe Becca decided to log on and give a quick update on life in paradise.  Instead i see the picture of the girl running; and only the picture of the girl who is running perfectly, shows on my screen, so i don't even get to chuckle for a second at the silly girl beneath her. 

It's the middle of hockey season and my life has been spent at the hockey arena so, unless you're a hockey fan, there's not too much exciting to share.  If you are a hockey fan then my update is that the Panthers are currently 1st place in the southeast division.  Who knew?  A south florida NHL team in first place?  So while I'm working 70+ hours a week, at least I'm doing so for a winning team.  

Bec is too busy snorkeling, rescuing 3-legged pigs, zip-lining, spending tons of time with our brother, climbing trees, drinking Hawaiian coffee, and chasing rainbows to ever get on here.  She's happy.  I'm happy for her.  and only a smidgen jealous.

 

Sis, in a truck, at sunset, in hawaii...

 

Our Christmas tree.  

With Gus-proof, shatter-proof ornaments.

late night in the office

Merry Christmas!  Mele Kalikimaka! Happy Holidays!

running...

I fully intend on starting to post more than once a month...and I plan on those posts being more than one single picture. But its Wednesday, we're all tired, its still early on the East Coast, and nothing helps an early, middle of the week, morning out like a laugh...

via

Good day...

Well said Nathanial, well said.

Happy Weekend!

Do something awesome.

Dear Noah...

Source: besottedblog.com via Rachel on Pinterest

hello lovely

I have one very very beautiful purse and I am very loyal to it; like almost every single day loyal to it; regardless of outfit, weather, season etc.  Its English (Ted Baker), gorgeous, and timeless and I absolutely love everything about it.  The English know how to make a good bag.  Which is why I'm ready to expand my very small collection of very very beautiful purses to one more English purse.  Once its back in stock, (I'm on the "notify me" list), I'm going to snap up one of these beauties.  Hello lovely Modalu purse, aptly named the "Pippa" after the one and only was spotted toting two different versions of what used to be called the "Bristol"...

My current lovely purse is black so I have my eye all over the tan Pippa.  Perhaps I'll get the "notify email" by my birthday in October.  I'm a big believer in giving myself birthday presents....

 "shark" ...beautiful.  definitely my 2nd choice

Black Croc.  Only needed if my Ted Baker were to be lost in a freak accident...

 

ahhh....there she is.  You will go great with my eyes.  and my arm.  

top photo from a sophisticated Google search of "pippa with modula", all other pictures from Modalu website.

Bec's a farmer now...

in Hawaii. 

Becca moved to Hawaii last week for a 3-month internship/volunteer program/job at Hawaiian Island Retreat as a Wwoofer.  Wwoofing stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms; a service that employs people of all ages on organic farms across the world for anywhere from 1 month-6+ months working and living on a trade basis.  Becca was responsible to her flight to Hawaii (no interest in Wwoofing in NC apparently...) and other than that expense she's taken care of.  Hawaiian Island Retreat is providing her with a single yurt, meals, and paradise in her backyard.  In exchange, she will work for 30+ hours a week milking goats (I will keep you updated on that adventure), watering the gardens, planting, harvesting, and weeding among tons of other things I'm sure.

We've only spoken a few times since she's left (a 6 hour time difference is hard to adjust to) but I do know she's had a pizza party with her new Wwoofing friends, eaten some sort of coconut lemongrass tofu meal, seen our big brother (also living in Hawaii), had a composting lesson, had a giant wild pig run across her path at night and seen several sunsets & rainbows.

I'm very very proud of my sister.  It was only a little over a month ago that she was stuck; unsure of her next move following graduation.  She had a few plans.  Plans that would keep her comfortable and somewhat close to home.  Jim is actually the one who suggested Bec try Wwoofing.  She literally looked at the website and starting making moves.  She was placed only weeks later.  Go Bear go! 

Right before Becca left she bought a new camera to capture her Hawaiian adventure.  The following pictures are not from that camera.  I'm hoipng she'll eventually post an album full of pictures, but for now, via blackberry, here's what we know about Becca's new life...

She tweeted this pic last week..."My backyard"

Hawaiian sunset she caught the other night

Her sweet little yurt

Airy & spacious inside.

oh, you know, just a giant rainbow in her backyard...

 

perception...

                                         

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.

The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children.. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly..

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised:

*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*Do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

--

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.

How many other things are we missing?

*this story is completely, 100% copied & pasted from jeffbridges.com but i loved it and saw no sense it attempting to re-write it in my own words. well done jeffbridges.com*

Keeps me Stargazing

With about two more weeks left on the continent, I'm trying to enjoy all my little moments in this comfortable bubble.  I probably won't be coming back to Wilmington, so I also want to do all of the things I've been meaning to do these past four years (mainly skinny dipping in the ocean, and eating out at lots of restaurants!) In the meantime though, I'm trying to hang out with the love of my life, Beowolf, and make lots of monies so I can live in Hawaii, stress-free- for at least a little bit.

People keep asking me if I'm getting nervous about leaving and I say 1. You don't know me very well, and 2. No.  I am so excited to go on another adventure.  When I do feel a little nervousness creep in, I just refer back to a passage from Conquistadora.

"How can you know what you are capable of if you don't embrace the unknown?"

So- just a few more weeks til I embrace this next step in my life and find out just what I'm made of. Not that I'm worried ;)

Well I gotta go back to work, but here is a picture of my love, and here is a nice song as well if you want some inspiration.

*pretty stars

weekend wardrobe...

Maybe i can own all these pieces by friday....

via

Shane gets it...

Shane, the little boy, seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.” Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long."

story & picture via

Catch-Up

So I think a month and 12 days between posts is just long enough.  I'm going to blame my lack of posting on work.  The majority of my day is spent at a computer; when i get home i rarely want to sit back in front of the computer.  I'm more into coming home and playing with my puppy, doing a bit of yoga, soaking up the last few minutes of sun, and making dinner.

So much has happened since the last post...
I'm going to make a list.  Everyone enjoys a list!  in no particular order the following things have happened in the last month or so...

-Becca graduated.  college.  cum laude.  with a double major.   in other news...i became 100.  when did my baby sister grow up enough to even go to college?

-Olive died.  My sweet sweet baby Olive.  I won't go into this too much as its way too sad.  But Marvin & i loved that little hammie and a part of my heart is missing.  I know, just a hamster.  But no, not really.  Not to us.  She was so much more.  She was very old though so i find some comfort in knowing she lived a long, happy, and healthy hammie life full of travels, sunflower seeds, rolls in her balls, and the occasional appearance on cuteoverload.com.

On to happier things please....

-Took a quick long weekend trip (bit of an oxymoron, no?) out to Denver with one of my best friends in the world to go visit our other best friend in the world.  My darling Emily is spending 2 years in Mozambique Africa with the Peace Corp and she just happened to get a 3 week break to come home to colorado to see both her brother get married and her dad get remarried.  oh and also to be surprised by Kristin and I.  such an amazing moment.  Kristin and I are both terrible at keeping secrets but somehow we managed to book flights, schedule joint layovers, and coordinate with Em's wonderful mom a pick-up at the airport that was one of my Top 10 moments ever.

-Spent the July 4th weekend in Cape Coral, Florida at an amazing resort with great friends.  Ate way too much, drank a lot, got some sun, and oh, you know, pet a manatee!  Chillin' with a manatee has been on my bucket list for years.  I spent some quality looking-through-the-glass time with a manatee many years ago at an aquarium (SeaWorld actually...during some super-awkward phase...6th grade maybe).  Those giant sea-cows fascinate me.  I've always loved "so-ugly they're cute" animals.  Anyways, I could ramble on about this encounter for pages but as it turns out, I'm finding others just aren't as interested.  I'm going to try to add a video for those who are interested...or for those who just want to humor me.

 

-I bought sheets online for $10 each.  $10!  king size.  from garnett hill.  buttery yellow.  They go beautifully with the slate gray duvet cover.  i love them.  Get in on the action here.  hurry though!  there's no way this can last long.

-Saw the following in concert: Taylor Swift (loved), Sade, & John Legend. (job perks)

-Gus turned a year old.  He partied with his sister.

-Both my brother and recently graduated Becca are moving to Hawaii.  Jim's going this weekend, Bec's going to more than likely make her way out there in the next month or so.  umm...this i am very jealous about, so Bec will just have to sign on and tell you all about it.  They'll be working in paradise, eating fresh fruit,  and doing yoga on hawaiian beaches and i'll be just hanging out in the office, working towards the Panthers Home Opener and the 43 games that follow, and slowly contributing to my 401k.  i am exciting.

This list has gotten too long and i realize that new sheets just made my list, so i should really go.

100 Workout

I found this little gem on Pinterest and it kept showing up; repin after repin...taunting me.  Enough is enough you crazy evil little sign.  So tonight, in the name of fitness and so perhaps it won't seem to keep repinning itself over and over, I will attempt the 100 workout...

 

If I'm able to move, I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...

(p.s if you know how to embed an image and center it, any tips would be appreciated.  I'm a bit worried it involves fiddling with all that code)

Pinteresting...

A huge thank-you to Jessi over at Freshly A-Stoot for getting me more than a bit distracted with Pinterest.  This lovely little site lets you collect images from all over the internet and store them in your own organized (some more than others) folders.  Gone are the days of mulitple desk-top folders saving images and attempting to hold onto the correct citing details.  Pinterest does it all for you.  What's even better is you get to peek at other boards, draw inspiration, pin their images to your boards etc. 

I highly recommend it.

Here are just a few images I've pinned recently...

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See all my boards..and create some yourself!

Have fun...

What are you listening to...

I love this video.  Its so easy to get lost in your own little world when you have headphones on.  i love that so many people answer and don't seem to mind answering. 

Dear Monday,

 via

Congratulations America...

"Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

-President Obama (on the confirmed death of bin laden. 05.01.11)

This is your life...

     Monday morning inspiration via Facebook...

The Tragedy of First Position...

This video is so stinkin' cute Bec & I agreed we had to re-post it.

Bless. 

My life feels like getting in first position sometimes. 

Everyone gets it and is around me catching raindrops and I keep stepping in puddles.

originally found on Cup of Jo

On my mind...

On my mind this Tuesday morning...

• 22! I'm 22!
• Today is the International Day of the Woman.  Huge day everywhere else in the world, yet the U.S. has some catching up to do...
• LOVE ALL THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE AND EVERYWHERE
• YAY GO GIRLS!
• I love my family and my friends
• And I really like my boyfriend ;)
• March is a great month full of celebration
• I love getting birthday messages on facebook in different languages. It reminds me of all the fun I've had
• Stop by Mom's blog so that she'll be forced to celebrate her great life all year long!
• I wish everybody loved glitter as much as me
• I wish I hadn't eaten that piece of pizza last night, but lets just say it never happened- so is the magic of birthdays
• Let's move out West and continue the celebration
• This test I have in a few hours, sure ain't gonna study itself
• But I think I know enough about NATO the UN etc. anyway
• Besides, they aren't based in San Diego so I am not interested
• Cupcakes in the fridge just might be my breakfast along with just a wee bit more coffee
• Remember when the meal I would always want for my birthday was Red Beans and Rice?
• What a strange child...
• I get to play with refugee babies today! What more does this birthday girl want? NADA!
• And now it is study time friends
• Then snuggle the baby time
• Then more celebration time!
• Seriously though, thanks to everybody for making my life so extra special

pretty from here silly from here
**also, thanks lilbee for making blogging so easy

Thumper

Gossip is bad and gossip is hurtful, and actually doing the gossiping becomes toxic.  Other peoples lives are not my business.  I think just because I'm a very low-key (boring) person, I feel safe because there isn't much for people to say about me.  Other people have very exciting lives, or weird lives, or whatever- but speculating about them and -gossiping- about them doesn't accomplish anything, or make my life any cooler.

Therefore I resolve to stop.  I will not talk about people now matter how scandalous their actions seem.  I will not pry into peoples personal matters.  I will not talk about anybody that has never done anything to me (again with my boring life...). That's it- simple.  "If you can't say something nice...don't say nothing at all."

Thanks Thumper.

-Becca

Resolutions

I decided right around 3:30pm on New Years Day, that my resolutions will all have a delayed start. I officially claimed February 1st as the first day of the New Year. There was no way I could start/stop all the things I planned on starting/stopping in January. We had hockey games almost every other night, which means 14+ hour work days mixed in with our regular work schedule every single day. It just wasn't possible.

But we start February with away games, so nows the time. I have 8 days until our next home game, which gives me 8 days to get these resolutions going. They are as follows:

• have a good phone conversation with some of my dearest friends who i just don't talk with as much as I'd like.
• eat more veggies and fruits
• eat less sugar. much less.
• see a new dentist. get a second opinion on my 2010 dentist's evaluation. that guys lost his mind. i have perfect teeth. pretty excited for 2011 dentist to confirm this.
• have Gus' manhood removed. sorry monster.
• 20 sit-ups a day
• brush up on my photography skills and put them to use
• get a new computer (let's pace ourselves with this one)
• get that 401k and retirement fund really going (i have to say this in case mar's reading...but i do plan on doing it. really)
• stretch daily
• track my commissions much closer
• -blog more than 1x a month. i'm going to shoot for 3 times a week. maybe more...
• do some sort of real exercise at least 3x a week; tv yoga, run a bit, pilates class, crossfit with brie. i mean for crying out loud i have a free gym membership. maybe take advantage of that?
• Mass! Go to mass! saturdays at 5pm shouldnt be too difficult. gotta make it happen.
• teach myself/learn something new daily. this doesnt have to be a major skill; not learning italian over night, just little things; how to hem pants (this would save me a decent amount of money), how to carmalize onions ,teach Gus to roll over, understand whats going on in politics, get a grip on basic finance stuff.
• pay off my student loan.

ok, that seems like alot. but i have a full 11 months to accomplish it all. done.

Happy belated 2011!

-Rachel

Daily Affirmation

You guys!

I am having just the best day ever. I mean, its only 1:30, and I've only been up for like three hours, but they have been a jam-packed three hours! I really am so excited, and I've already told Sis, and I want to share with more people, so I chose the whole world. (This post is obviously all about me, seeing how I've used "I" way too many times already, but just roll with it)...

-First! I wake up, and I have an email saying that my favorite professor had his baby last night! I've been taking the hardest class ever by him this semester, so I've been dropping in all the time and getting regular updates of his wife and their pregnancy. It's their first baby and I am just so happy for them all. So welcome to the world baby girl, Alexandra Danielle, you have an awesomely smart father and even though I'll probably never meet you but I am so happy for your arrival!

-Second! I get on my computer to send said professor a congratulatory email, and of course wander over to Facebook, only to find that I had won the daily prize from a wonderful boutique downtown! I wore a dress for them in the Dance4Liberation fashion show and they are adorable. So I call Sister to share the good news and have a serious gigglefest of a phone conversation (which is great in and of itself) before I go in. You know, I should have put my 40% off the entire purchase (OMG best deal ever!) towards some Christmas presents, but hey, its been a hard semester and I've been stressing lately so I treated myself to a great grey cardigan and some pretty handmade earrings. The boutiqe is called Aqua Fedora- I can't find a link, but I highly suggest becoming a fan of theirs on facebook. They have the cutest things and are reasonably priced!

-Third! I might lose some of you guys on this, but... For a class I'm taking next semester, Great Decisions, a core group of students are in charge of locating and inviting experts on certain topics to come and speak to UNCW students, as well as anybody else who is interested about the topics. I was in charge of locating an expert on the Horn of Africa (I volunteered for that one -duh- because we all know I l.o.v.e. Africa, and with a mess of a situation that it is over there, I am more than excited to learn more...). Anyway, its been a huge struggle to locate somebody that is willing to come down to beautiful Eastern North Carolina and I've been getting quite frustrated. The good news though is that I got an email from the former Ambassador of Kenya (!!!) saying that he will come and speak on my topic. Ambassador Bellamy seems absolutely perfect for the topic and actually seems excited to come! A lot of weight off my shoulders now that I've found somebody, plus he is all but over-qualified.

So yes- it is now 1:45, and there is a lot of the day ahead of me, but with a start like this I'm bound for greatness!

I do have a Literature Review for Senior Seminar due at five, and I do have to be at work at six, but hey, as Jessica says..."I can do anything good!"

Though this was a little overly self-absorbed, I hope that you too, are having a great Friday and that at least we can all agree its almost the weekend and that is nothing but great!

DagNabitt. I still havent figured out how to post a video but if you haven't seen Jessica, smile and click

-Becca

compliment.

"Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children's letters-sometimes very hastily-but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote "Dear Jim: I loved your card." Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, "Jim loved your card so much he ate it." That to me was one of the highest compliments I've ever received. He didn't care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it."


-Maurice Sendak




-Rachel

Hi there,

I know its been about a million years since a post, and trust me, I have about a million other things to be doing besides posting, but! I have just encountered the most amazingly beautiful things during my "congratulations you worked on your paper for 15 minutes, so now look at beautiful images for 15 minutes". So far this technique been working well. And I've bought TWO christmas presents online! Talk about multi-tasking. So here are the treasures that I found during my celebration... aka procrastinating...

So fluffy!

This can be my wedding ring fellas

My eyes go cross-eyed in the most wonderful way

Ill be back soon I'm sure with more wonderful things to share as I work myself through an obscene amount of homework. Maybe its loveyoutoogoodbye revitilization time!

Images: touchpuppet.com and jamesandelizabeth.com

-Bec