I’m still here; quiet but alive. I’m in a brooding sort of mood that requires deep thought & pen to paper. I’m settling in & trying to figure out what to do with this space. In the midst of the move, a lot of strange memories were dredged up. I guess that’s what always happens when you are packing up your past in boxes. Things that had gathered dust under the bed for over a year. Things that seem so insignificant but had survived the moving process the past several times. No matter. I’m here at the new place & trying to make it my own.

In the mean time, I simply had to share this video. A friend posted it on Facebook & it inspired me & nearly brought me to tears. I truly value alone time. Relish in it, in fact. So, I totally get this video. Perhaps you will too.

Beautiful wild horses in Corolla, NC.

I just got back from a week of sunshine & relaxation in the Outerbanks of North Carolina. I went with my family which is always nice & care-free. Now I know what all those bumper stickers were talking about! I spent my days at our private (!) swimming pool or soaking up the sun by the beach. But, now I’m back to reality. My apartment is in complete disarray as I begin the transition of moving into the new place. I hate clutter & it seems to be suffocating me at the moment. AHopefully I’ll be able to get things organized, packed, & moved into the new place by the end of next week! In the mean time, here are a few of the pictures I took the past week. I didn’t take too many because my dad is quite the photographer & I left a lot of the picture-taking up to him. Perhaps I can snag a few of his to post later.

Kevin couldn’t come on vacation with us because of work, so his only request was for me to taking a picture of (in his words) “the place on the beach where they put up the fences and there’s high grass growing around it” because it’s his favorite part. So, here you go. These are for you, Kevin!

This was the SUV we drove around in for our wild horses tour. A little bumpy, but so much fun!

Kevin & I walked around the neighborhood of the new place earlier today. Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati is such an interesting neighborhood. There are abandoned houses right next to newly renovated, beautiful homes. Today was my first time really venturing out into the neighborhood to take photographs. I am looking forward to doing it more often in the future!

Kevin loves exploring new places.

Myself; looking pretty “natural”. I don’t really fix myself up too much in the summertime. I get too hot and sweat it all of anyways!

These stairs are on the same street as our apartment.
Someone painted them with these awesome swirls.
I envision many a photoshoot here in the future!

These little lizards are everywhere. I almost stepped on a few of them.
Kinda freak me out, but I’ll be okay.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my new ‘hood. As I said, I hope to take more photographs of it sooner rather than later!

That is the question.

Alright, let’s get straight to it. The high-waisted trend is running rampant in fashion. I think little petite girls with tiny waists look so charming in this trend! I was really inspired to start trying it after seeing Julie of Orchid Grey pull it off so flawlessly. I guess my question is, am I doing it right? I really can’t tell. I do have a “bit” (okay, more than a bit–let’s be honest) of a belly that makes me feel slightly self-conscious. I don’t know. I’m really on the fence with this one. I’m not a fashionista, so I tend to dress in a way that doesn’t attract much attention. You know? I guess it’s because I’m never fully confident of my fashion sense.

Tucked.

Not tucked.

I think it looks more polished tucked when compared to it being not tucked. But, I was just wondering what you all thought of this trend? Should I leave it to the petite girls or commit to it myself? Here are a few other examples of me trying to pull it off. So, what’s the verdict? Do you have any pictures to share for inspiration? How do you get over your fashion phobias & find the confidence to try new things? I’d love to hear all about it!

I’m excited to share that I’ve put down the security deposit & will be signing the lease tomorrow for an awesome apartment in an “up-and-coming” (Over-the-Rhine for all you Cincinnatians) area walking distance to a bunch of neat things in downtown Cincinnati. Granted, the area is a bit “rough”, but the street the apartment is on is very nice! I know I just need to be careful. It’s a touch on the expensive side, but the apartment itself definitely seems to be worth it. It has an amazing view from an amazing balcony & all the other amenities I’ve been looking for in a place. Unfortunately, I don’t have any interior photos but above is an exterior photo. I love the flower boxes. And, there’s Kevin pointing out the awesome view that you can see really well from inside the apartment from the floor to ceiling windows!

Here’s a picture of the view I took with my Blackberry while we were looking at the apartment. Amazing, right?

Now, I’m beginning to think about how I’m going to decorate it. I want it to be just right. You should share with me some of your interior decorating blogs and/or images that are inspiring you lately! That would be very helpful!

I had the absolute pleasure of attending my friend Liz’s wedding in Fortville, Indiana yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to take as many photographs I had been meaning to. Actually, to be honest, I took a lot at first but realized my memory card wasn’t inserted into my camera correctly! Urghh! Regardless, it was an absolutely magical wedding. Liz decorated it herself down to the smallest detail. Everything was beautiful! Congrats, Liz & Steve!

Honey!

Me & the lovely bride!

(source)

Hello all you lovely people! I am not even going to address the fact that its been almost two months since my last post. I am not going to apologize or any of that business because that’s just life! The good news is that I am now on summer vacation which means I have all the free time in the world to blog my heart out! I’ve heard  veteran teachers tell me summers off is the biggest perk to being a teacher, but I don’t think I realized what a great deal it is until I began living it a few days ago!

Without a doubt, summer is upon us. The almost-ninety degree weather & humidity have sent my senses into a sort of shock. All I seem to want to do is lay in bed with the fan turned directly on me, reading or napping or simply staring at the ceiling. This hot weather definitely makes me less productive. I plan on fighting it this summer with all that I’ve got. I need to take advantage of this awesome summers off thing. So, here are a few tentative goals I plan on accomplishing this summer. Feel free to add your own!

1. Exercise & eat healthier. One thing that is an actual plus with summer weather is that my need for snacking actually seems to dissipate. I seem to lose a bit of my appetite what with the hot, balmy weather. I’ve been fairly decent as of late with exercising and eating better, but I think I might need to join a gym because I have zero desire to go out and do much of anything in the 90 degrees temperature. I just want to get in better shape though. I want to feel better about myself and my body’s appearance. I know this is a long process that should probably start with more of a mental mind game than anything, but I’m determined. Eh, we’ll see. (Hah.)
2. Say hello to old friends. I admit, I’m bad at this one. Keeping in touch with friends is definitely something I need to work on. A lot. I am just down-right lazy when it comes to this subject. My goal is to get better at this. I know relationships of any sort take effort. I need to show them that I care!
3. Read as many books as possible. I’m already well on my way. I’ve already finished the amazing book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I want to read the sequel, like, yesterday. But, it’s not available at the library. They’re all checked out! I am trying to read a lot of new, great young adult books this summer so that I’ll have some great recommendations for my students this fall.
4. Fine-tune & reflect on my teaching skills. I’m a teacher & a teacher’s brain never stops thinking in a “teachery” way. I’ve  caught myself in a grocery store having to stop what I’m doing & get out a pad of paper to write down an  idea I’ve had for a lesson (true story). This was my first year as a teacher. I’m taking this summer to decompress all the experiences that I’ve had & try to put together a game plan for the coming school year. As any teacher, I strive to always become better!
5. Relax, try new things, take more pictures, & blog about it! Okay, so this was actually more like four goals in one, but I’m really just too lazy to elaborate. These are pretty self-explanatory. Am I right? Definitely want to focus on the taking more pictures aspect!

Now, what about yourself? What summer goals would you like to set yourself?

I am currently reading (admittedly & most ashamedly for the first time) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I am going to begin reading it with my 8th graders soon & I know it’s such a classic. I really have no excuse other than it was not a required book for me when I was in high school. It’s such a sincere portrayal of how difficult it is to understand people that are different from yourself. And, it really got me thinking– like I’m sure it got many of you thinking the first time you read it– about how easy it is to write people off simply based on outward appearance. I don’t know how many times I’ve been guilty of pre-judging someone based on looks alone.

Yes, this is possibly old news. But, I just thought I’d pop my head out of my hole for a moment & share this with you. And, I thought possibly you could share with me what books you read as a teenager/young adult that really made you have that light bulb moment. Do tell!

(Also, how sweet is this book cover designed by Mikey Burton.)

P.S. I’ll be back in the swing of things soon. I have a few neat interviews in the works that I’m excited about. Thanks to all of you that have stuck around despite the lapse of silence.

I’ve been wanting a cute vintage chalkboard to put in my kitchen for a while now. I could write sweet messages on it to the boy or things I need to get from the grocery store or little “to do” reminders; the possibilities are endless! Naturally, the first place I decided to look was the ever-faithful Etsy.

After browsing for a bit, I stumbled upon Mary Kate McDevitt’s Etsy shop & let out a gasp of delight. It’s exactly what I’ve been in the market for! My only problem? Choosing my favorite, of course!

I’m about to go to a few thrift stores with Kevin for the first time in a long, long while. I’m LOVING & taking advantage of my Spring Break! Heres my thriftin’ outfit. It looks a bit haphazard, but I thought I’d share it with you nonetheless! I think I got the idea of wearing skirts when thrifting from a fellow blogger; they said something about it being easy to try on things without having to go into the dressing rooms. And, I’ll be honest, I’m all for avoiding thrift store fitting rooms whenever possible. ;)

Cardigan, belt, & skirt: Target
Purple t-shirt: Forever 21
Tights: Old; no idea.
Shoes: Old Navy

Wish me all sorts of thrifting luck!