Dear Friday

{Pepper checking out the new do}

Dear red shirt: I love your silhouette, but the amount of wrinkles that have happened between putting you on and pouring a bowl of Special K has me frustrated. I will now be known as the girl who rolled out of bed at work. All for a good cause. {Don't forget to wear RED today!} Dear Sunday snowstorm: I'm glad I can enjoy watching you out the window with a book and mug of tea in front of the fire. Dear new bangs: I'm getting rather fond of you. I'd say our two week trial relationship has blossomed into a full-fledged love affair. Dear Punxsutawney Phil: Please don't see your shadow tomorrow. An early spring would be positively lovely. 

Have a beautiful weekend!

{P.S. Stop by Ashley's blog to see all the Friday's Letters fun}

Fog and Sunflowers

While I was stumbling through Facebookland this evening, I came across pictures I took a few years ago during an impromptu drive to Mystic, CT with my Daddy. He and I like to take little adventures together, so one summer afternoon, we hopped in the car and took the backroads down to the Connecticut shore. I remember talking the whole ride, occasionally stopping to remark at how beautiful the New England country side really is. 

After an hour or so of our happy chatter, we came across a field of sunflowers. I thought it was the most perfectly unexpected part of our day. I reminded him of that drive tonight, and we made a pact to go find it again this summer. The thought of finding that happy little field again puts a silly grin on my face.

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Dear Winter

{Because an unexpected buffalo picture can make anyone smile. Yellowstone - August 2012}

Dear subzero temperatures: You have overstayed your welcome. I'd like to go back to the 50 degrees we had last week. Please. Thank you. Dear Vermont: I can't wait to see your snow covered slopes in a few hours. It's been far too long. Dear legs: Please don't give up during our 5K snowshoe adventure tomorrow. Windchill of -12 and the fact that you haven't even walked a 5K in the last two months are not excuses for wimping out. Dear Family:  I can't wait to see you this weekend. Life seems to be too busy for all of us lately. Dear winter: You've been fun, but I'm starting to get a bug commonly referred to as spring fever. I'm sure a little mini trip to somewhere warm and exotic would be the perfect remedy :)

Happy Weekend!

Some Beachiness for a Wintry Day

I'm having some serious spring fever right now. I would do absolutely anything to be sitting on a beach right now. Not a snow covered beach, I mean a tropical paradise.

And we are only halfway through January. 

Uh oh. 

So, I thought I'd share a post I wrote early last summer but never published. I would do anything to accelerate into June so I can spend some time on my beloved Cape beaches.

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Dennis is my favorite. 

It is the town I spent a week or two in each year growing up. It's the town in which we have a cozy Cape cottage that is now our weekend retreat. It's the town of so many childhood memories.

Growing up, my parents, brother and I would journey from Texas to the Cape and meet up with my aunts, uncles and cousins. We would take over Corporation Beach with our umbrellas, beach chairs, shovels and pales. So many happy days were spent in the sun and sand along the bayside shores. I still get that happy-go-lucky childish excitement when I go to these beaches.

I don't build as many sandcastles as I used to, and I'd probably kill myself if I tried to skimboard again. I rarely get in the chilly water (usually around 65F on a warm day) except on those scorching days of July and August. However, I love watching today's children do the things that used to give my brother, cousins and me hours of entertainment. 

It's OK - 2013 Edition

After a few weeks of absenteeism, I am very excited to link up with Amber and Neely for another round of It's OK Thursdays!

It's OK... ...that NYE was spent with my dog, a bottle of prosecco, chick flicks, and my pillow. It was exactly what I needed after a solid month of chaos. ...to despise winter weather after Christmas has passed. Is it spring yet? Brrrr! ...to have bought four pairs of shoes in the last 12 days. ...to still need a stretchy waistband because all those Christmas indulgences have not quite disappeared yet. ...that you wake up at 5 AM on your days off. Funny how it's physically impossible to get yourself out of bed at that time during the work week. ...to still prefer to read actual books and spend hours wandering through bookstores.  ...that your sleepless nights have been filled re-watching The O.C. starting with season one. It's almost Friday!!!

In with the New...

{Wintry morning via my Instagram}

Resolutions.

We all make them. Most of us break them.

This year, while I have a mental list of things I want to do for myself and for others, instead of a resolution, I will enter into a new frame of mind.

At church this past Sunday, our priest asked that we keep one thing in our hears for this new year: 

Love.

Love ourselves, love our neighbors, love our enemies. 

So simple, yet sometimes so difficult. Loving those who have hurt us is hard. Oftentimes loving ourselves is harder. 

This year I will make a conscious effort to show more love and compassion to those around me through my actions and my words. 

I will practice forgiveness when I have been wronged.

I will embrace every new experience I have and every new person I meet.

This will be another year of growth in every aspect of my life. 

Entering the New Year with openness, forgiveness, and love in our hearts can only lead to extraordinary things. And as you all know, I am determined that life should not be anything short of extraordinary.

Out with the Old...

{One of my favorite spots I discovered this year on the Cape}

Another month gone...this time it's taking all of 2012 with it. 

This year has been extraordinary for me in so many ways.

Changes big and small have turned my life upside down and right side up. 

This year has been one of the best of my life.

I began to find myself again after a long time of uncertainty and soul searching. I made decisions and began directing my life exactly where I want it to go.

January of 2012 began a new journey in my life with a new career that still makes me excited to go to work each day.

March marked the ending of my six year relationship. I finally had the courage and confidence to end something that should have been over years before. The best, albeit tardy, decision of my life. March also brought one of the best weekends of my year, as I got to see one of my dearest friends in NYC.

April, May, and June were spent relaxing at the Cape and enjoying the spring and early summer sunshine. I also got my DSLR camera, which has been my best buddy this year.

July brought another one of my best friends up to the Northeast, and I got to show Laura around my beloved Boston and Cape Cod.

August allowed me to travel out West with my mother to visit my uncle. Exploring Montana and Yellowstone was on the of highlights of my year.

September through November were a blur. I loved soaking in the arrival of Fall and spending Thanksgiving with my crazy family.

December has been the craziest month so far. Work has exploded and opened the possibility of an exciting new adventure in 2013. I also ventured to NYC again with my Mother to see the Rockettes and experience the magic that is New York at Christmas.

These may seem so simple and slightly boring to the outsider, but those who know me know how much I have loved this year. How I love the person that I am, the job that I do, and the people that I have in my life.

I am constantly on the go, but I am running with purpose, direction and ambition. I know who I am and I know where I want my life to lead.

2013, I know you will not disappoint.

Sending all my love and prayers that you all have a wonderful New Year.