Craft Craze

Maybe it's a summer thing, but I cannot stop doing crafts. I've been to Hobby Lobby more times this month than ever before (both for inspiration and to stock up on supplies), and I've used more paint than I ever thought possible. It all started when I re-decorated my bedroom. Tired of the boring pale blue I originally had, I intended to coat my walls with a neutral grey or spicy red color, but somehow, I ended up using 3 cans to paint the room a rum-punch red-ish color. I'll admit, it's a shocking shade. It's beginning to grow on me, but I've already decided: never use this color again. The good news is: everybody says they love it. Ok....just a few friends and a couple family members have actually seen the finished product, but still, the encouragement is much appreciated. A word of advice? Please prime first, especially if you're painting over another color.

I've made a few other crafty things, and here they are. They may look a bit homemade, but if you have the proper place for them, they look splendid.

These wooden letters are super-inexpensive: around $2.00 at a craft store. The wine sign is a birthday gift for my best friend, who loves anything French-related. Just drilling a couple holes at the top allows you to run a braided string though. It was unfinished at the time of this photo, but you get the gist.

For all that leftover ribbon lying in a random drawer of your home, guess what: there's a place for it! These ribbon letters are cute and girly....a perfect gift for a female of any age.

Close-up. I used purple as a base color, then swipes of paint that matched my sister Rachel's bed comforter. Ta-da, easy house-warming gift!

Siesta Fiesta!

Well, I've discovered an amazing new beach. "New" vacation spots generally translate into "holy-crap,-why-haven't-I been-here-before" sort of places so of course, I will need to return to this Florida treasure as soon as possible. Siesta Key, baby.

I'll say one thing though. If you're traveling with people other than your direct family members, you learn a lot. It's weird adjusting to an unfamiliar routine. I'm accustomed to awaking around 9ish, nibbling on a tiny breakfast, and hitting the beach for a couple hours.....that is, until lunch time. Lunch usually consists of shrimp, fruit, the reapplication of sunscreen, and a quickie bathing suit change. Then, we're sunning or floating the waves until 5:30 shower hour, which is soon followed by a departure to a local seafood joint. Some nights, my family would just stay in, eat more seafood, and watch a movie. Almost every night involves an evening beach-walk.

However, this time, I taught myself to have brunch, then a late dinner...and believe me, I was reeling with hunger on that first full day. Playing out in the waves will tire you out. Sure, vacation is supposed to be relaxing, but when you're lugging two beach chairs, an umbrella, a beach bag, and a radio down two flights of stairs, across the court, through the gate and across the wide expanse of pristine-white sand, you realize "Omg, this is more of a workout that I expected."

While at this beach, I tried something new. Beach bikes! If you haven't done this on vacation before, I highly recommend it. As you can see, this is no racing bike, just a leisure little coasting machine. Some areas on our beach were hard-packed enough for a smooth ride, but I'd say the easiest way to avoid ramming down a newly-constructed sandcastle would be to try the sidewalks. During my rides, I discovered many new condos and beach houses, and stunning floral details that car-rider can't experience. Running reveals similar finds, but for a hotter, sweatier, more miserable price. Yeah, I definitely left my running shoes at home this time!

Beach Bound Again!

Well, vacation number two begins in fifteen minutes. Bags are packed, work is complete, so all I'll be doing is riding in a car....for.....10-12 hours. In order to have a free week, a  preposterous  amount of schoolwork I had to be completed. I just CANNOT enjoy myself when nagging responsibilities hang over my head.

However, it's time to forget about Shakespeare and those annoying quizzes. I'm setting my sights toward the southern gulf of Florida. Guess which beach?

Paradise Pics

Displayed below are pictures from my family's excursion to the Caribbean Islands. Due to copious amounts of work last month, I was unable to make this journey. However I thought I'd share some of the amazing sights anyway!

Tacky at Target

On a recent  trip to the local Target, I meandered over to the cosmetic section, hoping to pass the time. I didn't need a thing, but I browsed the nail polish shelf anyway, hoping an interesting color would catch my eye. While scanning the neatly organized shelves of small bottles, another customer appeared beside me and eagerly selected a neon pink color. "Ahhh, that's pretty," she mused, then pranced away. I hardly gave her a glance, in fact, I was almost irritated that somebody could make such a quick decision, while silly me was still slowly mulling over 20 various shades of blues and reds.

Moments later, that same girl returned, and haphazardly plunked the pink bottle back onto the nail polish shelf. I thought her change of mind was odd, but as she whisked away, her nails caught my eye. Neon pink. Realization hit me. This girl had "borrowed" that color, painted her own nails in the store (all ten nails) then put the bottle back. I'm sorry, but that is just plain TACKY. I have no sympathy for people who take advantage of things without paying. How cheap can you be.... painting all of your nails with an un-purchased product, then putting the thing back. Some other poor soul will buy that bottle, and sure, they'll be unaware that their nail polish was already used... ew. I can understand testing the color out on ONE nail, but I see no reasonable logic in giving yourself a quickie Target manicure, then rudely putting the two-dollar bottle back.

Borrowing colors is what nail salons are for. I just felt this was a tacky and gross thing for this girl to do. So, next time you buy nail color, be aware.....

Miranda Lambert, Casting Crowns, and heavy crowds

This is a real sand sculpture!

 Riverbend has been enjoyable this year. Two more days remain, but I think I'm all music-festivaled out...at least, for the time being. I've put some responsibilities aside this week, so now I'm playing catch-up. The month of June has been tougher than I hoped, but as soon as this week is over, things should reascend . Yes, grad school courses will still be taking up the majority of my free time, but I think I've established a firmer grasp. No more procrastinating for this girl. Those lazy days of undergrad are long gone.

Casting Crowns had a fabulous performance this Tuesday night. This particular date of Riverbend is dubbed "Friends and Family Night" so I was expecting somewhat of a lighter crowd. Though the riverfront was absent of hard-partying beer-toters, all of downtown Chattanooga seemed PACKED. There's obviously no limit to these sorts of events, but for sanity's sake, there should be a cutoff.

Good friends + funnel cake + frozen lemonade =summertime

I was most looking forward to Miranda Lambert's Wednesday night performance, especially after previewing a setlist that my boyfriend found online. Unfortunately, a THUNDERSTORM cut her concert short, but to me, four songs are better than none. I mean, lightning was streaking its way across the sky (and the stage she was on is literally UPON THE RIVER), so I guess we're lucky we got to hear her at all. My little umbrella certainly came in handy that night.

 Well, it's back to work..... for now.

Riverbend

One of my friends from college is in town tonight, and I'm so excited!! Naturally, we plan to head downtown to the Riverbend Music Festival tonight. Two years ago, she, two other friends and I visited the festival to watch the Train concert. While we pressed through the crowds of locals, families, young adults, and more, we couldn't help noticing the decadent smells wafting from the nearby food vendors. Hotdogs, corn dogs, fried oreos, turkey legs....you name it....all available for a somewhat hefty price. Deciding to indulge, we  pigged out on funnel cakes and a few other fried unmentionables. My recent health kick may be challenged again, but we'll see how it goes.

Summer means I have more time to write

Ok, so, honestly, I have no idea what this activity is called. My friends and I were down by the river last week, and watched with mild interest as these...paddle-boaters...or whatever it's called...glided their way downstream. If anyone knows what's going on here, please fill a girl in!

First beach trip of the summer!

It's been too long!! Even though I promised myself I'd be more consistent with this blog, alas, I've neglected it....badly. However, if you had the professors I had this past semester, you would've put recreational writing on hold too. I look forward to the rush of relief that graduation will bring. It's vastly different from undergrad, but Masters courses do give me a chance to stretch my brain and hone my organizational skills. One of my new goals is to read a classic/famous novel each month. My latest novel? Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe. I highly recommend it.......... I teared up many times, which can be rare for me.

More later, but for now, here's my latest pics from recent events.

Kids R Us

I've been so tired lately, although I think my body is finally adjusting to my new 2011 schedule. Without revealing too much about my current profession, I'll go ahead and say that I've learned something rather obvious: kids will wear you out. It seems all kids, once grouped together, decide upon the major goal of tiring you to a point of no return. The ages I've worked with range from 5-11, and it seems they'll do anything for attention, whether it's a joyous outburst of happiness or a fit of negative attitude. They constantly need shoes tied and they have a habit of tattling on their friends, and often, they lack consideration of one's patience.
Perhaps they are science's secret cure for insomnia. Spend a day working with youngsters, and you'll lust for an early bedtime.
It's easy to complain about kids, but that's not what I'm writing about today. Quite the contrary. In fact, I think children of any age just want an audience. For many, school is the only good part of their day. Home life may be a tough one, and I feel all people who work in a kids-oriented environment need to remember this. Yeah, you'll have children who are downright rude no matter what, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve compassion.

More Snowy Surprises

Just when we thought the snow scene was over, it made a comeback!

Last week, citizens of the southeast region heard word of a snow/ice storm. This news inspired a grocery shopping frenzy. Bread shelves became scarce as people, fueled by the fear of power-outages, sought to store up for the winter. Naturally, my household was a part of this. I was supposed to begin grad school classes this week, but with roads and parking lots encrusted with ice fields and choppy glacier-like patches, seeking an education this week was out of the question.

For the first time in years, I managed to get a hold of a sled, find a good hill, and participate in the excellent winter pastime of downhill sledding. Pictures? Maybe later.

New Years! 1-1-11

If you're like me, you experienced a fabulous New Year's Eve surrounded by laughter and friends. However, it's only a gateway to 12 more months and 365 days of  UNKNOWN occurrences. As everyone says, it's time for a fresh start, a clean slate, and a mental list of goals and promises. Like previous years, I plan to frequent the gym as much as possible and also consume less junk food.

Some people simply refuse to make the traditional New Years Resolutions, for fear of failure or even boredom. However, I'm pretty traditional.

Alright, I've been lazy long enough. Besides laying around with family or watching marathons on TV, self-respecting people should be at the movies. It's just a good thing to do over the holidays, in my opinion.