Saturday, October 31, 2009

Boden


I randomly started getting the Boden clothing catalog. A UK based company, they provide a lot of variety for work and play, plus some really cute accessories. Definitely worth checking out.

My Decor

I grew up surrounded by home decor. My mother sold Home Interiors (imagine Avon home parties with pictures, candles, sconces, figurines, etc. instead). I spent most of my childhood watching, and eventually helping, her arrange and group wall hangings, accessorize for the current holiday season, and making floral arrangement and centerpieces. Every room in our home was beautifully decorated in a country or sometimes victorian style with coordinating figurines or greenery and filled with the aroma of the season.

Country. Victorian. Swags and sconces. Not really my style. But between only have a wild collection of hand me down items and moving frequently throughout college and graduate school, it took me a long time to realize that I could carry on all the concepts I had learned from my mother and add my own flare and style to make a beautiful home of my own.

Home buying/moving has been put to the back burner for the time being. So I decided to make some decorative upgrades to our apartment instead. This bookshelf nook filled with photos is one of my favorite completed projects.









Friday, October 30, 2009

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Off Roading


We spent most of our vacation relaxing, swimming, and soaking up the sun on the beach and by the pool. But we decided to take a few excursions to explore the island and get some good snorkeling in. If you're every in Aruba, I highly recommend the jeep tour.

It was a really fun way to explore the island, which is very diverse and beautiful. As you travel north the coast turns from beautiful sandy beaches to a rough, rocky desert.


Some of highlights from the day...


Jim building our Wishing Rock

Chapel of Alto Vista
Island's first Roman Catholic Church, built in 1750

Gorgeous view-Arikok National Park

Jim exploring all the cool sea critters.

Last stop was a really awesome natural pool where you can snorkel. Then it was back down the rocky mountain side, past the little stone houses of the locals and back to the resort. It was actually pretty rough in a few spots and I sustained several bruises from bouncing around.

Natural Pool (photo courtesy of Nicolette)

The craziest part was that they just let someone from your group volunteer to drive the jeep and follow the tour guide. We lucked out and got an experienced truck driver who LOVED off roading. He was hitting every extra bump and mud hole possible. Before the end of it we ended up with a flat tire and bent rim.

Joe (or was it John?)-our driver


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Sunny days


One of our first orders of business was getting some proper sunhats. We were lucky to be within walking distance of a weekend only flea market and snagged these....

Balance

Freshly manicured toes painted a lovely shade of magenta peeping out of the clear aqua blue . My ears slightly submerged and the tiny pixels of sand vibrating and swishing with the waves. Hot sun soaking my face. Balancing on the surface on the warm salty ocean. Floating...

Maybe it's because we didn't have enough money for inflatable rafts or 'noodles' when I was a kid. Maybe it's my body composition. Maybe it was the super salty ocean water. Regardless, I'm a really good floater.


Aruba is a such a beautiful balance.
Warm sun & cooling winds.
White sandy beaches & rocky desert cliffs.
Cuisine mixed with hints of dutch, spanish, & island flavors.
There is a reason we met tons of people that come back year after year.

More pictures and some of my favorites to follow....

Now I have returned to the reality of my day to day.
Finding the balance between personal and professional. Work and play.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Monday...

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward."

~Spanish Proverb

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Cupcakes


My friend Sarah made these adorable cupcakes for her son Jake's 2nd birthday. I love the bright, fun icing!

Don't say the "s" word

I am surrounded by the threat of illness. The office is running with a bare bone staff b/c half of them our under the weather. The other half have a direct family member with the flu or some other ailment. Patients in desperate relief of low back and neck pain still come in even with hacking coughs, mild fevers, sniffles, stomach virus, shivers and shakes. I've taken to wearing latex gloves and a mask most of the day. There is Purell at every corner. I sanitize my office every hour. A complete 8 hours of quality sleepa night and regular adjustments. I'm completely dedicated to my vitamins, fruits, veggies, and plenty of H20. I am pampering my immune system in every possible way.

....2 more days!!!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Top 10 Reasons I'm SUPER excited for Aruba...

10. Time to catch up on reading. Between the plane rides, layovers, and beach time I should be able to catch up on a few easy novels as well as some trashy magazines.

9. Jim's first international trip. How exciting!! I'm hoping he gets the travel itch and wants to skip off to Europe in the spring.

8. The new, cool flexible tripod I received as an early birthday gift from Jim.

7. No traffic or driving related problems. We're not renting car and plan to stay within walking distance of the resort or take a taxi.

6. Snorkeling. I haven't been snorkeling since my trip to the Keys in 2002 and Jim has never been. He's a big fish lover so it's probably in the top 3 on his list. We've got the underwater cameras packed and ready to go.

5. SUN!!! Between my work schedule and rainy cloudy weekends this summer was a big thumbs down for getting a good tan. Better late than never.

4. Cute, fun summer outfits that I probably wouldn't wear if I wasn't in Aruba. I got a steal on summer clearance at Target and Victoria Secrets including a cute pink and white halter top , short white shorts (I'm usually a bermuda or capri length kind of girl), 2 new bikinis, new sunglasses, and cute new black flip-flops.

3. No place to be. One of the greatest things about any vacation!! Just relaxing on the beach or by the pool, sipping fruity drinks, and enjoying the day guilt free.

2. Did I mention SUN!?

1. No work! Jim and I agree. It's completely pathetic that the top thing on both our list is no work. I'm not sure what that says for the rest of my career!? I've decided that if it comes up in any conversation I will not admit to my true profession. It's a toss up between going for something strange hoping that the questioner knows as little about the job as I do or something common and boring that doesn't engage further conversation (i.e. bank teller).


...4 more days!!!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sunday dinner

One of the best dinner of the season! Turkey meatloaf, sweet potato fries, string beans with a bit olive oil, salt & pepper, and a simple spinach & pear salad.

I never make a turkey meatloaf the same way twice but it always turns out delicious. The basic recipe: ground turkey, 1-2 eggs(depending on how much turkey you use), bread crumbs, mustard (i prefer spicy brown) & ketchup. Last night I added chopped spinach, and lots of onion & garlic.

L.I.U.T.A


So the countdown begins....5 days until Aruba!!!!


Monday...

"If I know what love is, it is because of you. "

~Herman Hesse

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Portrait

Who doesn't love a SoFee dog?

Earrings


My new, shorter haircut has inspired me to start sporting some cute, flashy earrings. Target has a great selection right now including these....



Road to the World Series...

GO PHILLIES!!!

Celebrating last week as the Phillies clinch the NL East