A Whole New World

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a senior in college. And I had the most amazing roommates of all time. I didn't appreciate them at the time, but oh wow, do I miss them now.

And boy, did we make memories that year. About half way through the first semester we got a new roommate who was absolutely the destruction to our perfect little bubble world. Words can't adequately describe Bethany. She was eccentric, flighty, nurturing, artistic, and kinda kooky. She was the type of person who takes some time to get used to. She had the innate ability to drive you to insanity and then make you laugh until you cried.

She was like a hurricane. She would come running into our room babbling under her breath and in seconds turn around and run back out, her long, sandy blond hair streaming behind her. She was classic hippy-chic. Long, flowy skirts - comfy tops - sandals. Unless she had to dress up. I.e., formals. Oh, how Bethany hated formals.
For her last one, she ran in from work, threw on a glittery headband and black jacket and ran back out. (see below)


But she loved to show off....


I remember one night she came in and told us she would like to start a new room tradition - bed time stories. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the book, but the charming tale she read us was about 2 sisters who were thought to have poisoned their entire family. Nice, right? But we loved it. Every night at 10 pm, we would all be in bed patiently waiting for Bethany to start reading.

And she was obsessed with giraffe's. OBSESSED. She had a stuffed giraffe, from her boyfriend, whose name was Giusseppi. At some point in the semester, we roommates - kind as we were - decided it would be a great idea to steal the giraffe and hold it hostage in order to get Bethany to clean up after herself. Oh.my.gosh. She freaked out on us. It still makes me laugh.



Poor Giusseppi....

You may wonder what on earth made me think of Bethany after all these years.
My answer? Glee.

Bethany always had show tunes playing. ALWAYS. Despite her craziness, she was nothing if not cultured. And she rubbed off on us. Thanks, Bethany!

By the end of the semester, we had all traded in our country or pop music for the soundtrack of Les Mis, Into the Woods, or Phantom. We had traded our Justin Timberlake for Josh Groban and our Brittany Spears for Sarah Brightman. She was chaotic and crazy and rarely cared what she looked like, but she exposed us to things that, without her, the 3 of us would never have experienced.

Bethany, if you are out there, thanks so much and sorry for stealing Giusseppi! By the way, do YOU have any idea what the name of that book was?

Well, it finally happened….

Today, while reading one of my favorite blogs, PW, I did something I have been swearing I wouldn’t do for months…. I started reading one of the blogs posted in PW’s Home and Garden section. Which led me to another and then another, and then another.

For those of you who know me well, you know it is inevitable that I would end up reading blogs about decorating.

What’s surprising is that I, lover of all things colorful, of all things bright and bold, now want to repaint every room in my house a stark white.

What can I say.

But I won’t. I like my “box of crayons”—the affectionate term that Techy has given our home—too much.

I do have a reawakened desire for those gorgeous butcher block counter tops, though.

Poor Techy.

I told him that I was done redecorating for a while after that whole 3 week bathroom makeover.

Ehh, fish gotta swim….

NOTE: **Warning**

Clicking the links above may lead to blog addiction such as mine, which may, in turn, be harmful to your husband’s sanity.

Otherwise, enjoy….

Pool Partaaaaaaaaay!

When we were planning our vacation, I was extremely concerned about the amount of time I would be able to spend out in the sun – rightfully so. Little Man is only 5 months old, and most sunscreens recommend not using on a child younger than 6 months. Therefore we had to be under shade the whole time. How would we ever be able to enjoy the pool?

Thankfully, someone thought about that.



Here's another angle of the pool. The kids loved how it sloped down deeper and deeper. They could just sit down and play in the water.



Cinnamon beach has these little cabanas sprinkled all around their pools.

Not to mention the vast amount of Umbrellas….

The pool pictured above was by far our favorite. The end you see in the photo was the deep end and had 2 very large steps, which I assume were made just for me since I love to be in the water, but am not a fan of splashing around. Thanks, Cinnamon Beach Resort! You guys are awesome.

This was the other pool.



Techy loved it because swim lanes were clearly marked for the swimming enthusiasts. I loved it because during the late afternoon, the “grotto” shaded half the pool and we could take the kiddo’s (even the little ones) for a swim.

Not to mention all the little cabana’s around this pool. Perfect for a little shade.

Thanks again Cinnamon Beach Resort. You made my week great!

I know you miss us…we miss you too!

If only Seth and Amy were here to help me with this one…

We need to have a serious discussion…Seriously….

Ok, boys and girls, how many of us know that you have to be careful putting stuff in your eyes? And how old were you when you learned that?

So can any of you tell me why this is acceptable?!

I mean, really. REALLY?

Alcohol in your EYE BALL????

REALLY?

How desperate do you have to be to pour alcohol in your eye ball? And what? Vodka shots aren’t fast enough for you? I am not a drinker, but according to my friends who do drink, it doesn’t really take THAT long. I mean REALLY.

And how about this.

COME ON, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS!

How rushed are you to get off that plane that you completely missed the lady snoring in row 21E? REALLY?

All I’m asking for is a little common sense, people.

Is that too much to ask?

I mean REALLY.

Sea shells, sea shells by the sea shore

I love the beach. I love the feel of the sand between my toes and waves crashing around me. And I have been to a couple beaches in my lifetime.

Daytona, FL

For most of my childhood we vacationed at Daytona Beach, where the beaches are flat and compact. There are practically no hills or dunes to speak of in Daytona and very limited wildlife. Usually, you will only see turtles in Daytona.

Hatteras, NC.

I don’t remember much about Hatteras – we were pretty young. But here’s what I do remember. THERE IS NOTHING TO DO BUT FISH. I remember there being A LOT of dunes and very little “beach”. When we stayed at Hatteras, there was no pool. Therefore, Hatteras did not make the cut for me.

Pensacola, FL

Then there was college…. The 4 years, we LIVED at the beach. Pensacola, Florida, baby. White sand beaches and clear blue water. That was when I learned to enjoy swimming in the ocean. It was never uncommon to see dolphins swimming just off the coast in Pensacola either. Ahh...to be back....

Gulf Shores, AL

My junior year of college, my parents introduced us to Alabama beaches. Talk about spoiled. Best beaches in America. They are practically deserted compared to everywhere else we have been. Still the gorgeous white sands and clear blue waters but half the people and half the price. I am in love.

Coney Island, NY

Interesting beach. Very difficult to get to but the boardwalk and local attractions are great. Parking is a bear and ridiculously expensive. But the beach is not bad. The water is dirty and it is crowded, but really not as bad as I was expecting.

Santa Monica, CA.

We went in December, so it wasn’t like we were actually playing in the sand. But we did take a walk on the beach. And I am not a fan. The water is cold the sand is dirty, and from what I hear, the beach is crowded. Not a fan at all.

Atlantic City, NJ.

Dirty, Crowded. But there are a ton of awesome attractions. Much like Delaware beaches, very difficult to get to and even harder to find a place to park yourself.

Turks and Caicos.

Aqua water, white sand beaches. On the upside, I would swim in these waters any day of the week. On the downside, some of the beaches are a bit rocky, so laying out on the beaches isn’t the easiest thing ever.

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.



This one was so good, it deserved 2 pics!
We went to 3 different locations in the Bahamas. Each beach was different, all gorgeous in their own right. However, the nicest beach I have EVER been to was located at in the Bahamas. Half Moon Cay – the Carnival/Princess owned island. The sand was so powder fine it was like baby powder. The water was so clear it was like a pool. If there were some way for me to go back and camp my butt on that island forever, I totally would.

FINALLY,
Cinnamon Beach, Palm Coast, FL.

Of all the beaches I have been to, I have never seen a beach quite like the one we spent all of last week at. The dunes are massive. I know now why it is called Palm Coast, FL. This is what covers the dunes.



Miles and miles of massive brush palms. The beach itself is covered with tiny crushed shells. At first glance, one would think they would be uncomfortable to walk on, however, that is not the case at all. They are actually smooth and soft underfoot. As you get closer to the water, the top layer is all sand, but dig down about an inch and there are your layers and layers of crushed shells. After our years at gulf beaches and our most recent trip to the Caribbean, we were a little disappointed at first.

By the end of the week, I was in love with the beaches in Palm Coast. They are completely different, completely unique from any other beach I have ever been to. The shells you can find are gorgeous. The sound of the waves brushing the shelled shore, is reminiscent of a rain maker. All things considered, I would give the beach an B+, possibly an A- with the added bonus of the pools and accomodations.(And let's not forget the gym!)

Would I go back? In a heartbeat! Would I swim in the ocean – probably not – not a big fan of the murkiness of the Atlantic, but I would play in the sand and enjoy the solitude any day of the week. Man, I wish that day was today!

Trimming more than waistlines

Most of you know about our adorable, wonderful, amazingly intelligent pet, Gizmo.

Poor Gizmo.

Gizmo is a cockapoo. As such, he is a hypoallergenic dog. YAY!!!!

Gizmo is also curly – like me. What can I say, curls are on my mind today.

The upside to a hypoallergenic dog like Gizmo is that he doesn’t shed in the traditional, leaving hair wherever he goes – all over your sofa, sweater, and blankets – manner.

The downside to a hypoallergenic dog like Gizmo is that he has to be groomed every so often. Or else, random scary things happen. I.e., he and I start sporting the same do.

It’s very scary.

I don’t know if I mentioned it or not, but last week we went on vacation. And then we came home.

And somehow Gizmo’s hair grew about 4 inches and his nails grew about 6. No seriously. He looks like something from Twilight, or rather, New Moon, or even better, Eclipse. Anyway, it’s pretty scary.

Techy told me to get him an appointment at the groomers for him. (By the way, we have a phenomenal groomer, just over the state line at a place called Groovy Grooming. If you ever need a groomer, I highly recommend them! They are so good with him!)

But here’s the thing…I am always so embarrassed because we tend to go a long time between grooming – it isn’t cheap. (Let’s put it this way, I pay more for Gizmo’s haircuts than I do for my own!) I always end up wishing there were some way for me to pre-groom him at home.

And then I start wishing that I had one of these.



Remember those? I have begged Techy to let me buy a Flowbee for Giz…. Geez, it would make my life so much easier. If anyone knows anyone who has one, let me know asap! I would LOVE to have one. Then I could groom Gizmo and Techy!. Not that either of them would let me…Gizmo hates the Pedi Paws that I bought for him, they both aren’t really friendly with the vacuum cleaner, and they are both terrified of anything that makes more noise than they do.

Let’s hear it for the curls

In between random posts about vacation, I need to vent about other things.

First of all, my hair.



See this photo?

I worked on my hair for a while. All I wanted was normal hair – something like this…



That was my cute hair

But instead, thanks to beach weather humidity, within a matter of minutes, I looked like a mop.

That’s fine and all, but no one takes a curly-headed adult woman seriously. Don’t believe me? Just look at her.



You really take her seriously, right? Right….

My one goal for vacation was to have really nice family photos. But those curls…. Every stinking shot….

I am envious of people who get hair styles. If I were to get a hair style no one would notice… my hair would end up curling up and the style would end up looking completely ridiculous.

On the upside, fixing my hair doesn’t usually take much time. Long enough to add some gel, curl the bangs, and spray it down.

Don’t be jealous, I only do it because to do anything else would take me hours. I used to try to straighten my hair in college…please. It took an hour and a half. And I had to check the weather channel before I could do it, because if there was more than 40% humidity, there was no use. I would be a mop top by noon.

Lucky for me this guy, really digs the curls.