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Friday, June 26, 2009

Confessions:

I have a confession to make: I want to be a 1950’s housewife. Okay, well maybe the 40's, 50's or early 60’s. Sometimes I wonder if I was born in the wrong decade. Everything about that era is so streamlined and clean. From the clothes to the cars, the music to the movies; Every last detail fascinates me. The lifestyle and mindset that people from that time generally had is simple and respectable. Of course I could very easily be romanticizing this, but that’s ok, just go with it.

Those days just seemed so much ‘easier’ and I use that term loosely because I understand that families may have physically worked harder than those today to earn the things they wanted. The way in which I mean ‘easier’ is in terms of stress, sadness and youth. I enjoy the idea of the 1940's - 60's being wholesome and innocent so to speak. (Reality Check: I am well aware that all things weren’t butterflies and daisies, but like I said, just go with it). Children could play outside all day without parents having to worry about a pedophile or criminal abducting them, women could stay home and raise a family without being seen as gold digger or lazy, and every intimate detail of celebrities lives weren’t laid out for the world to see.

In a world of reality television and paparazzi, you’d think that these actors, people trained to deceive you as their job, were world leaders or Pulitzer Prize winners. Now please, don’t get me wrong because there are some amazing celebrities who use their fame and wealth to make a positive difference in the world (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt come to mind) while there are others who are just dying to stay famous, no matter what embarrassment or cost (Heidi and Spencer Pratt come to mind here). My point is, back in then, there were other things that mattered to people besides when Jon and Kate are divorcing or which train-wreck forgot to put her underwear on before rolling out of her limo.

I’m stepping off my soap box now, because this wasn’t supposed to be a ranting post about how I hate America’s obsession with the media. All in all I would wear house dresses, scarves to hold my hair back, and dance to the sounds of Motown everyday if could. Dreaming of what our neighborhood was probably like in the good old days, sometimes on a Sunday morning you can catch Bubba and I dancing in our kitchen to 95.9. Lets be honest, you’re probably more likely to catch me than him, but hey a girl can dream can’t she?

Oh, and just for kicks (and to thank you for reading this fantasised post) here are a few pictures from around our yard yesterday. And no, none of them have been enhanced or edited in any way-it was just THAT pretty out last night.






Monday, June 22, 2009

Live-Laugh-Love

Friendship-Family-Fun


There is nothing more rewarding than a strong relationship with your family and friends; for these are the people who enjoy your company and genuinely care about you. Friendships and the bond of a family should be selfless, true and everlasting. Those of us who have such relationships should be considered lucky, because connections like this don’t just happen over night, they develop gradually.

Everyone thinks that their family and their friends are better than the rest, but I don’t think mine are, I know mine are. This weekend my friends and family fought the passing thunderstorms and blazing heat and humidity to throw me a surprise birthday party! And I must say it was beautiful-There were tents with lights, beautiful flower bouquets, balloons, candles, delicious food, amazing cakes, mixed drinks, volleyball, beer pong, flip cup, and even a game of “Battle of the Sexes”.

I had so much fun and I owe it all to my family and friends. They pulled together-behind my back- and put on this spectacular party that I think everyone truly enjoyed. Thanks for all of the hard work and time you put in to make my day a special one! I love you all!

(Blowing out the candles on my beautiful birthday cakes with Bub, Kara and Adam :)


(Flip cup action-Boys vs. girls, seemed to be the theme of the night)

(Pa schooling us in flip cup!)

(End of the night, playing battle of the sexes)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Scruff

As promised...





..."Scruffles"! I caught him yesterday evening, still manning his post. Well, actually he was rolling around in the middle of the road and when I beeped at him a bit he sauntered over to the stoop.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Mr. Mallard Drake

I couldn't help but admire the lonesome duck lounging on my neighbors pier yesterday afternoon on my way home from work. With a high tide and white caps crashing everywhere, this guy was just sitting on the pier enjoying his evening. I thought to myself, 'what a crazy duck!' but figured he'd move along and find some other ducks to hang out with. Then to my surprise as I'm heading up Point Breeze Road this morning, there he was again, just waddling back and forth on the pier as if he owned it!

Now I'm not a huge wildlife or animal person, BUT living in Colton's Point has given me a new found respect for them! There are little animals everywhere and they are just as content and happy as can be. Within the first week of moving down there, my mom and I helped rescue an injured Osprey, I've had multiple run-ins with my little groundhog "friend", I crossed paths with a slimy black snake last week and now there is a duck keeping an eye on my neighbors' pier for them!

(My most recent sighting of my groundhog "friend" who is terrorizing my flowerbeds! Too bad I couldn't catch him dancing around like last time...)

Oh and I almost forgot my favorite addition to the neighborhood-Scruffles, the dog. Ok, so his name probably isn't Scruffles, I don't have a clue what his name is, BUT he is the cutest little dog in the Point. He likes to keep guard of the old Potomac Gardens store! Many mornings on my way to work I catch him sitting outside the front door, right next to the daily newspaper. Please mind you that "Scruffles" is quite the guard dog...He probably isn't much bigger than my cat Max, and has the cutest curly black coat! He is an adorable sight to see-I'll be sure to post his picture as soon as I have time to snap one on my way in to work.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Being a Rockstar

Everyone has a soul-mate, but very few are so lucky to find theirs. This weekend I saw two people who I believe are truly, genuinely soul-mates. I usually cringe when I hear about people marrying their "high school sweetheart" however these two really have a great thing, and it's beautiful. After giving it some thought as to how you can be with someone at such a young age and continue to grow and love with them, I've decided that it takes two very unique and special people. Being a teen, and even young adult, can be awkward and a real struggle to know who you actually are and to be okay with that. The majority of people don't know who they truly are at such a young age, but there are a handful out there that do. And when two of these types of people meet and fall in love, you know it's meant to be and will most certainly last. I saw this kind of friendship/love/bond - whatever you want to call it - this weekend and have no doubt that they are meant to be and will be forever happy.

Congratulations to the soon-to-be "Mrs. Rudman" aka my cousin Sarah on her wedding that is sure to be beautiful and is quickly approaching!

In honor of Sarah's special day and up-coming nuptials, I'd like to take a trip down memory lane to the days of the rock band: "Blue Denim". Blue Denim rocked the stage (or bedroom) to songs like, "Rockin' Robin", "I Saw the Sign" and multiple songs from the "Grease" soundtrack. With admission prices at a very affordable $0.50 a pop and even special guest performances from Brittney the dancer, the group had some great times. Below are some shots of the group in their early years, their peak performing days, and current day. I believe I feel a reunion tour in the works!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Belated Birthdays

Happy (belated) Birthday to some very special people!!


My parents were born only 10 days apart! Happy birthday Momma and Daddy!

Another birthday wish goes out to little Jakey who turned the big 1 this week!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Sweet Relaxation

There's nothing like a well deserved and relaxing vacation, especially when you haven't had a good one in a few years. Hatteras Island is a beautiful and unique location that is just the spot for anyone looking to escape reality for several days. Filled with clean beaches, rolling sand dunes, a handful of specialty shops and more fishing than you can imagine, this is a place I highly recommend for anyone looking to unwind and just take it all in.

During our stay in Hatteras we spent the majority of the time at the beach. Staying the week before the "summer season" set in turned out to be a great decision. Sunny skies and a cool breeze allowed beach-goers to soak in the sun the entire day through.



Another pleasant surprise that met us in Hatteras was the Triple-S Invitational Kiteboarding Event. Hatteras Island has an ocean side and sound side; The majority of the time we spent here the sound was filled with what looked like colorful mini-parachutes. Upon closer investigation (and the help of a local paper) we determined that there was a 3-day international free-ride "world championships" going on. Now this is a sport that looks not only like a great work out, but an amazingly fun time. You will definitely catch me taking a kiteboarding lesson or two during my next trip to Hatteras!

Hatteras also gave me some insight to the lifestyle some of the locals must lead. Everything is easy, relaxed and content. The shops are each different and filled with all kinds of collectibles and cool knick-knacks and if you aren't working in a shop, real estate business or local grocery store you're probably working for some sort of natural resources landmark or business. Lighthouses, ferry's and the Wright Brothers Museum are just a few of the other local attractions you can check out while on this sweet little island.


Hatteras Island-a fabulous vacation spot for the overworked and stressed out!