ahhh...Florida

Greetings from the Sunshine State!
Even though our move took place during the tail-end of hurricane season, we were fortunate to have avoided any major storms. So far the weather has been heavenly! The evenings are cool and dip into the high 30s, low 40s...and during the days it's been mostly sunny, mid-60s, low 70s.

A gorgeous, gorgeous day...

enjoying the beach in October:

Jacksonville Skyline:

The Jacksonville Landing Downtown:

Downtown St. Augustine:

WORK, WORK, WORK!

I just started my new job as Editorial Assistant for MASSAGE Magazine in Ponte Vedra Beach and I sure am glad to be back in the world of magazine publishing. (http://www.massagemag.com/)

Phil is working his tail off at A1A Aleworks (http://www.a1aaleworks.com/).

We both are low on funds but high in spirits as we continue to find our place in our new home.
I get homesick often, especially for my friends, but thanks to gmail and facebook and unlimited text messaging I am kept in the loop as much as possible.

My New Year's Resolution is to get back to blogging...things have been stressful and busy, but I'm dying to start again. Hope you enjoyed the pictures of our new hometown and the surrounding area. Cheers! xoxo

In Need of Some Hairapy?

I'll admit that I am in a HUGE rut style-wise. I think the fact that I’ve been living on my friend’s couch for the past 4 weeks has something to do with it. I am always quick to get ready in the morning. I have it down to a science, and the whole routine takes me under 40 minutes. But, lately I’ve been waking up and walking out the door in less than 30 minutes, and it’s definitely showing in my lackluster appearance.

Normally getting ready in the morning is something I love. So, I blame my newfound dullness on the fact that I’m moving soon, all my stuff is in storage, and I only have about 10 outfits to work with, and a very limited number of beauty products at my disposal. Top it all of with the fact that it’s not “my bathroom” and I am therefore "out of my comfort zone." Excuses, excuses…I know!

So, last night I went to the drug store to pick up a prescription and a few other things. While I was browsing, I decided to grab a bottle of Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea Mist spray. It’s supposed to give your hair a “just back from the beach” look. I’d read about it in inStyle and Lucky Magazine, and because I'm moving to N. Florida in a few days, I felt inspired to see if a "beach" look would work for my hair. Plus, it was under $5, about all the makeover I can afford right now.

For the record, I have the world’s WORST hair. It’s dry, limp, pin straight up top, and wavy at the ends—plus it’s been died so many times, I have no idea what my natural color is. Dark brown, maybe?
Anyway, this morning was my first time using the Sea Mist spray. Here are the results:

I blow dried my hair until it was about 75% dry, and then sprayed it all over. It smelled really good—like sea salt and summer. It defined waves perfectly and gave my limp locks some volume. Sort of a tossled, I-don’t-care-I’ve-been-surfing-all-day, low-maintenance look. It says you can use it one wet, damp, or dry hair—I’m not sure how clean, dry hair would work. I can imagine it would be sticky.

By the time it dried completely, it was a little stiff, but looked pretty good. Not the sexy Jessica Alba-esque, Giselle-style waves I was hoping for, but pretty good for under $5!

If you have wavy or stubborn hair that requires a lot of maintenance, give the curling iron/straightener a break and pick up a bottle!

In case you are wondering, this is the look I was going for.

How much I look like these two women is yet to be determined...

So, It's Been Awhile...

Well the summer is unofficially over…and I still can’t believe it. I was trying to figure out how time had passed so quickly, and the reasons are pretty obvious. I’ll give you a quick recap in order to explain my sudden Blogging absence:

• I spent the beginning of July preparing for my big 2-week European Vacation. My boyfriend Phil’s sister lives in England and got married on July 18th. The wedding was at a gorgeous castle in Newcastle upon Tyne. The trip was incredible…
• We got back to the states on July 24th and I got very sick for about 3 days.
• On approximately July 27th Phil and I decided we were ready for change. Inspired by our amazing trip to Europe, we felt determined to “get more out of life,” and decided to move to Florida with no apartment, no jobs, no plan.
• On August 1st we put half our stuff in storage
• At noon on August 2nd, Phil left Baltimore with the other half of our stuff in a u-haul. Later that night I moved in with my friend Lauren, who graciously agreed to put me up for a few weeks.
• At 3pm on August 3rd, Phil arrived in St. Augustine, Florida. My mom’s best friend was nice enough to let him stay in their spare bedroom until he found an apartment.
• On September 5th, Phil got the keys to our new apartment in Jacksonville, Fl.
• September 12th is my last day of work. Phil is driving back up to Baltimore that day to help me take down the rest of our stuff. We plan to be back in Jacksonville on the 14th.

So, that is my hectic, chaotic life. To take my mind off the mayhem, I decided to share some pictures from my trip. A few for now, but there will be more to come. Enjoy!

Good-Bye Summer!

An Age-Old Question

What’s your “Real Age”? Mine is 29. It’s better than my Wii Fitness Age, which was 59, (stupid baseball!) but according to this online survey my body is aging faster than it should for several reasons:

1. I don’t eat a big enough variety of meats and proteins,

2. I don’t eat nearly enough fruits and veggies

3. I’ve spent too much time in the sun sans sunscreen

4. I don’t exercise regularly or do enough cardiovascular activities

5. I used to smoke cigarettes (a lot of cigarettes)

6. My weight has yo-yoed over the last 4 years

7. I rarely get 7-8 hours of sleep every day

It’s not all bad, here are some of the good things I have going on that are keeping me young :

1. I have a good relationship with my family and several very close friends

2. I drink a lot of water and hot tea

3. I eat a lot of fish

4. My mother is very, very healthy (just a little crazy..)

5. I am no longer a chain-smoking chimney

6. I take a multi-vitamin each day

7. I exercise my brain a lot by doing crossword puzzles and reading

8. I am responsible with my health and get regular check ups and physicals

9. I have a pet in my life

I’m not a big fan of the online surveys, and I’m definitely not a fan of “online health tips.” I hate when people sit around on their asses and discuss “what they read” about “getting healthy.” I can sum up every “10 ways to a new healthy you” self-help article in one sentence: “If you want to lose weight you must exercise 3-4 times a week, burn more calories than you take in, drink lots of water, do stuff outside, and always be sure to eat breakfast.” The End!

But this site is actually different. The articles are short and helpful, and the Real Age survey is interesting. It takes about 15-20 minutes, so be prepared. http://www.realage.com/

The Funnies

Dog Days of Summer

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with dogs. Ruby, my family’s Chesapeake Bay Retriever, was almost 13 when she passed away. And while she was a huge part of the family, she preferred to spend her time swimming, running and getting dirty outdoors. It wasn’t until my college roommate Beth returned from home one weekend with Archie the coon hound, that I was introduced to the concept of an “inside dog.”

[Sidenote: You may be thinking, “She just showed up with a dog?” But, you have to understand, Beth is probably the most random, spontaneous person I know. One summer she bought a Pot Belly Pig at the All Good Music Festival. It’s a good thing someone talked her into returning it—if I was there I would have probably gotten one too!]

And although Archie was a little too big to be a lapdog, you definitely couldn’t tell him that. The bigger he got, the more he wanted to sit right on your lap. Dogs on the couch? Dogs eating people food? This opened my eyes to a whole new world of canine companionship!

When I moved home after college, I immediately started bugging my parents to get a dog. Luckily, in September ’05, my mom found a puppy on the side of the road. He had obviously been dropped off by someone who didn't want him. He was skinny, hungry, dirty, and he had a horrible gash on his tail. She and I fell in love immediately. My dad? Not so much... He found the new puppy downright annoying. He wanted a big tough dog that would ride in the back of his pick up truck, wade through the mud, and join him on 10 mile hikes through the Appalachian wilderness. Meanwhile, the new puppy pranced and hopped around in a very feminine way, and proudly sported the brightly colored bandanas I dressed him up in each day. To top it off, he was petrified of the truck, he wouldn't go near it!

There was absolutely nothing rugged about him and according to my dad—the puppy had to go!

However, my mom is not the kind of person who gives in easily. What she wants, she gets, so long story short—the puppy stayed! He was named Duke Dog, after my sister’s school mascot, The JMU Duke Dawg. Duke has come a long way since his puppy days, and he still has a long way to go. He’s been through Puppy Kindergarten, Puppy Prep School and a 1-week, private, Dog-Training Boot Camp, and he still won’t listen. He pretty much does whatever the hell he wants, and my parents don’t necessarily try to stop him. They’ve already worn themselves out raising my sister and I... Classic “Third Child Syndrome.”

To give you an idea of what a day with Duke is like, I decided to share some pictures from the last time my mom and I took Duke Dog for a walk around the Lake. As usual, he was a handful. If I could bottle up his energy and sell it, I would be one rich girl. Think adderall, red bull, vodka and Prosac—all mixed up into one energy drink!

Here is video of Duke doing what he does best....

Acting INSANE!

I Love Her Style

Rachel Bilson RULES!







I've never seen Rachel Bilson act in an actual movie...but I have seen her dressed in a lot of totally incredible outfits.

I know absolutely nothing about her, except that she was on The OC and in the movie Jumper; but, for some reason I want to be her best friend. And it's not because I want to raid her closet-- although I'm open to that idea if she's down, too. She just seems like she'd be fun to hang out with. She's always smiling--and someone that cute with such superb style has got to be fun, right?

Rachel, if you're reading this..."Call me! We'll do lunch!"

A Good View

I spent the weekend at my parent's house. Here's a taste of how I spent my time.
I've been living in Baltimore for awhile now, and I definitely enjoy escaping "city-life" and returning to my laid-back hometown on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Each time I visit, it gets harder to leave and every trip reminds me how lucky I am to have grown up in such a beautiful setting.
Here are 8 things I love about going home:

1. The Drive...as long as there's no traffic! It's a great way to clear my head and enjoy some good music. Almost There!!
2. The Dinners. On this particular night we had grilled striped bass, steamed clams, homemade honey-oat bread, fresh spinach salads with toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, and of course, lots of tomatoes and Peach Wine! Everything was FRESH and everything was WONDERFUL!
3. The Grillmaster. Watching my dad in his element is always a treat. Here he is chillin' and grillin' in style.
4. New Projects. Maybe I should have offered to help, but I had so much fun supervising my dad as he worked on expanding the patio. In this picture he was pulling up with a truckload of stone.
5. Flowers and Folliage. Too bad I didn't inherit my mom's green thumb. All my plants are fake.
6. Fresh Strawberries. You can pick them up at any one of the many roadside produce stands. Convenient and delicious.
7. Watersports. Here my dad is taking a break from mowing the lawn to throw out a few casts with his fly rod. He didn't catch anything, but at least he looked cool doing it.
8. DUKE DOG! Born to entertain, and an excellent cuddle-buddy, my sister and I agree, Duke is the little brother that we never had.