I am not posting my 30 Days post tonight because I can’t think of anything for it. Promise I’ll be back tomorrow though!
In other news, we have to pick out and order our cake and cupcakes from Retro Bakery tomorrow… eep! I guess we should finalize the order and flavors, eh?
I don’t actually remember much about my first kiss other than I was in kindergarten. It was under the table of the reading circle. Or maybe the drawing circle or coloring in the lines circle. I have no idea. I think his name was Frankie. It was either him or Sedric. I remember kissing one while the other kept watch for our teachers. Even at 5 years old we knew to scope out for authority!
Do you remember your first kiss? Hopefully your memory is better than mine. =)
I actually love the little house we live in. The only thing is, I wish it wasn’t so far from, well, everything.
We are living in a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom cottage with a full kitchen, dining room and family room in Homestead, FL. We have access to 8+ acres of wide open land, a nice pool to play or do laps in, lots of shade, orchids and palms as far as the eye can see, a private yard for Lola and all the puppy friends she could ask for. The cottage is wall to wall tile, has a brand new kitchen (thanks to my wallet, my dad and Home Depot!), a pass through from the kitchen to dining room, and 2 built-in bookshelves in the family room.
Oh, did I mention that it is about 100 years from my parent’s back door? This will be crazy beneficial when the little Fletcher babies make their appearance. Mom and dad’s house has a room all ready for the grandkids. Don’t get me wrong, they didn’t paint it that way, they just didn’t paint over it from the previous owners. Also, all the bedroom furniture my father built for us is in the room ready for the next generation. There is a desk, bureau, and a huge gorgeous bunk bed. Seriously, the bed is my all time favorite piece of furniture and I staked my claim years ago; even though my younger brother was sleeping in it at the time.
I lived in this house when my parents first bought the property before moving to Gainesville in 2004. This time there are 2 of us living here, along with a dog and a cat.
Luna: no UF or ECU stickers yet, she was still new
My current mode of transport is a 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring crossover wagon. Her name is Luna and she’s silver and has huge amounts of storage space. The left side of the car has the University of Florida alumni stickers and the right has the East Carolina University alumni stickers. Luna is an equal opportunity fan of my education and the Gators and Pirates. =)
I honestly never thought I’d own a Hyundai again. Two cars ago, I had a Hyundai. She was great until about 55k miles then things just started going wrong. Actually, long before that the back window leaked and my entire trunk was covered in water and mildew. Yeah, it was gross. So gross that I took out the carpeted layer and threw it out. I was really fortunate to turn the Sonata in for a huge trade-in value to purchase my super sporty red sparkly Mazda 3 Sonata that I named Moxie Crimefighter.
Moxie was an awesome, fun to drive 5-speed sports car. I loved her, adored her, drove everywhere in her. But she just wasn’t big enough to put anyone in the back seat let alone future rear-facing baby seats. I knew it was only a matter of time that I had to let her go. With my impending graduation, I knew most car companies offered incentives for graduates.
So I did my research. I googled all sorts of mini SUVs and compared storage space to find the biggest. One night we went to Borders and I sat for hours scouring Car & Driver, Consumer Reports and a bunch of other car magazines. Even though it had only hit the market in 2009, the Hyundai Elantra Touring had ridiculously high marks. It consistently scored at the top of all the categories AND had the most storage space. Like I said, I was shocked that I was heavily considering another Hyundai.
On January 23rd, I went in for a test drive and spent the next several hours negotiating a considerably lower than sticker price. Want to read more?
I currently am using a Coach Signature Soho bag I bought at the Coach Outlet in Pittsburgh 2 years ago. It’s great because it’s roomy inside and has a pocket on the outside as well. I tried to find a picture online but it’s so old and off-off-off-season that I couldn’t even find it on EBay.
The outside pocket has all sorts of paperwork. There is an envelope with Vegas papers for our guests (monorail stops, bus/ shuttles stops, show info, etc), a sample of the wedding invite/ RSVP card for envelope buying, a sewing pattern for the Vegas welcome bags, the service receipt from Kendall Hyundai for Luna’s service, and a handful of credit card receipts.
The inside zipper pocket has Orbit Sweet Mint BigPak, the double mirror Jules gave me for my birthday last year, my iPod shuffle and headphones, and the “this is an authentic Coach bag” flyer thingie.
The main area has a Vera Bradley zipper pouch with pens, fine tip Sharpies (purple, green and black), and a bunch of lip glosses and Burt’s Bees lip balm. There is also my butter yellow mini Signature Coach change purse which has all my credit cards, license, insurance cards, and change. Also in the change purse are 2 good luck Chinese coins. When I’m out and about, my keys are also in the main area. The iPhone is almost always in my pants pocket so it’s easily accessible. On work days when dad drives, I have a sandwich baggie containing my latest knitting project with the pattern and a pen to keep track of my rows.
What’s in your bag? Do you keep it organized in pouches like me or is everything just thrown in there?
it may be 4 years old, but it's the only one I have of the 3 of us together
I have two brothers, one older (B, right) and one younger (D, left). Our relationship has been rocky, at best. When we were younger, D and I would gang up and tattle on B. then they would gang up on me. Yeah, it was fun times. We all loved to cook together; making pancakes every weekend, cake, and muffins. We had one of those love hate relationships.
My brothers are the reason I have a split left ring finger, a scar a mere 1/4″ from my eye and several other scars I’ve had almost my whole life. The smiley face scar on my left forearm is a result of a drunken spring break debacle, though I’d love to blame it on them too. D got the corner of a hard plastic spatula to the back of his head (leaving a patch where no hair grows) for stabbing me in the hand with scissors. Yeah, double ouch.
In college, B and I lived together, in the house we purchased my sophomore year, for several years after he graduated. We got along decently, had friends in common, and partied together. It was great, until he met Dave. Dave got some weird stuff into his mind and that was the beginning of his downfall. He got mixed up in some weird crap and we haven’t had a real conversation in years. I have not spoken to B since we moved back to Miami 5 months ago. As much crap that he’s mixed up in and successfully alienated all of our mutual friends and most of our family, he is still my big brother that protected me (sometimes) growing up.
D and I never really had much in common other than being blood related. I lived in a different city for a lot of his younger life. I moved to Gainesville when he was 14 and for the brief time I was back in Miami before heading to Orlando, he was off with his new friends working on cars and acting like a teenage boy.
Fast forward to last April when we visited Miami and met D’s fantastic girlfriend. Sure, she and I were already Facebook and g-chat friends, but that’s OK. She’s made a huge difference on his life. [Mostly] gone are the days of the sullen boy with a major attitude and the kid that avoids the family in lieu of hanging with friends working on various vehicles. Now we have weekly dinner with her whole family and our whole family and any friends that want to join. It’s awesome. D is more grounded and actively involved in family affairs, even if just the weekly dinners. He comes over and helps dad with mowing the 8+ acres and other landscaping. He smiles and laughs and is actually coming to Vegas with us for our wedding. Yeah yeah, it’s their vacation too, but still. A few years ago, this never would’ve happened.
At least I still have one sibling left and an almost sibling-in-law. I totally think of D’s girlfriend as my sister already. Now they just need to admit that they’re in a relationship and get married so she’s officially my sister. Love you Cat! Oh, and you too D. =)
In the above picture, I think I was being pinched and tickled by both of them.
I’m not really sure what my inspiration would be. I have aspirations, but not that many inspirations.
I am, however, inspired by a lot of the people I am friendly with on Twitter. The folks that own their own businesses be it wedding planning, photography, Etsy sellers, consulting or anything else. It is inspiring to see that hard work and perseverance really can pay off. I single that venue out since I am always seeing them posting about their schedules, specials, and clientele.
One day I want to open and run a yarn store. The problem is in the funding. I have a huge student loan debt from my recently completed MBA degree. Like huge enough that I’ll be paying it off even after my children have graduated from college. My job situation is dismal. Don’t get me wrong, I have a job which is more than a lot of people can say. The problem is it is a very part time job and I cannot pay all my bills. It’s freaking me out to say the least.
But that’s not what this post is about, that comes into play on Day 21, so be sure to keep reading. Oh look, my aspirations are the last day. Y’all have that to look forward to at least.
I am also crazy inspired by the uber talented knitters and fiber designers I see online. Every time I knit something, it gets rave reviews, but I’m totally amateur compared to these talented ladies.* Even the personal blogs and test knitting communities on Ravelry are chock full of insane talent. Granted, I only learned to knit about 4 years ago, but I want someone to rave about my knitting talent. My veil is my single greatest knitting accomplishment to date. I revel in that.
So, what inspires you? I bet it’s harder to think of then you might think.
Sorry this one is so lightweight. I guess I’m just not inspired by much. =)
*Sure, men knit, but they’re few and far between in my world.
