Ten Years

(i take no credit for this photo, it was found online)

It's been a long ten years, yet it still feels like just yesterday!

Ten Years ago on 9/11 I was sitting in my 10th grade English Class when our Principal came over the loud speaker. What he said didn't make any sense, and the enormity of it wasn't clear. By the time I got home after school that day, the world had changed.

Phone lines were buzzing between our house and all of our New York family, checking in to be sure all were safe. We were lucky, I didn't personally know anyone who perished that day, but that doesn't mean my heart doesn't ache.

Still ten years later, at memorials all over the country, the loss feels as if it was yesterday. So much has changed, yet so much stayed the same. (I Can't fathom the concept that I have 3 little cousins who weren't even born yet when this tragedy struck the United States of America.)

Ten Years ago amidst the death, the smoke, and the heartache, Heros emerged! So many people banding together to help, and to comfort. That is what I wish to remember on this day, ten whole years later.

God Bless!

Summer

Technically summer's not over until September 22nd! This is a fact that I'm holding onto tightly as I watch my car thermometer read 60 degrees and the rain pound on the windshield. On the Cape usually the end of summer is signified by Labor day weekend, and this year, mother nature graced us with great weather for our last Hurrah!

My cousins came down on Sunday to spend the day with us out on Race Point in Provincetown. The day was breezy, but warm enough to run through the water and splash around.

I cherish these days with my family in the summer sun.
(Major photographic oversight that I did not timer the camera to get a picture of all of us so my aunt and uncle are unfortunately not in this pic.)

I LOVE these people!

The Transformation

This room deserved it's own post because it went through the largest transformation.

This room has been home to a family friend one or two nights a week for the past 15 months, but now his school program has ended and I have to figure out how to make it functional for me.

The Before was somewhat of a disaster (sheets also being washed for this bed. in case you were wondering).

This chair has a new home in this room now, and I'm really liking it.
The stuff in the corner will being going soon, but for now, I'm really happy with how the room came out. Eventually I'll get around to decorating...

Guests Welcome!!

Rainy Saturdays

So what do you do on a Rainy Saturday? Apparently my answer to that question is Clean!! I woke up Saturday morning, and on my way to the couch to read my book I passed piles of clothes, clutter, and more piles of Schtuff than I care to admit. It took me all of 2 minutes to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my day. I guess I'll leave it up to you to decide if I made a good use of my Saturday. (and No, I didn't make the rooms any extra messy to make the transformation more dramatic, this is what my house really looked like.)

I didn't take Kitchen before pictures, but you'll get the idea:

My new $14 shelf from Lowes Helped the Pantry have more space:

This room...is the bane of my existence. Everything seems to gather here no matter how many times I say I'm not going to let it happen this time:I always feel So much better when it's all clean and organized:This is how life takes over:

And this is how it's supposed to look:

(Don't mind the fake flowers sticking out of the lamp, they are the mock bouquet my mom put together for me for when we went wedding dress shopping!)I give myself a little slack here, because obviously the bed looks worse because I was being a good grown-up and washing the sheets, but still, it was messy:So this was a great sigh of relief!

(Please note that it's dark out by the time this room was finally ready for the "after" shots.)

So, what did you do with your rainy Saturday?

I Love Sunshine

It's no secret to anyone that I love me some summer sunshine! The best kind of sunshine is the kind you share with friends and family, preferably on a boat of some-kind.

A few weeks ago I had the good fortune to enjoy a beach somewhere other than on the Cape. A friend and I drove the hour North of Boston to Cranes Beach and enjoyed a beautiful day!

The Saturday that we chose for this adventure started with some seriously vicious thunder and lightning, but turned into a gorgeous sunny day that was so hot that we couldn't stay out of the freezing water or more than 20 minutes at a time.

Along with beverages and snack food, I had packed a sandwich for each of us for necessary nourishment. As I was sitting there, eating my turkey wrap, and minding my own business, this happened...

That's right folks, that bird right there swooped down on me, as I was deciding whether to take my next bite from the left or right side of my sandwich (like ya do!), and took a bite out of my wrap! He had no shame and no shyness, flew 6 inches from my face, took a beak-shaped bite out of my wrap, and landed 4 feet from me to enjoy his bounty.
I of course screamed! got the attention of quite a few people around me with gasps of things like "Did you see that bird, it just bit that girl's sandwich!"

Once my heart-rate was back to normal and we were home again to grill our summertime perfect dinner, this was the sky that we were greeted with:

This just goes to show that no food is safe on the beach, and no annoying sea-gull is going to ruin my happiness in the sunshine. So there!

Montreal

Traveling is a true passion of mine. For me, all of the penny pinching and savings accounts and going to work day-in and day-out, it's all so that I can live a comfortable life with those that I love, and go on vacation every few months! I am not however one of those people who can travel alone. For me traveling is a very special something to share with friends and family.

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to share a travel experience with one of my Bridesmaids, Deanna! We traveled to Montreal! for a 4 day adventure together.

With only a vague plan in mind as to how we would occupy our time once we got there we managed a very full few days with lots of adventure packed in.

Our very first exploration was to the top of Parc du Mont-Royal to get a great view of our home for the next few days. (you can kind of see the buildings very small behind our heads...yes people, we walked all the way up there in our sandals!)

Our first full day we spent wandering around Vieux (Old) Montreal . This part of the city has been around for centuries of evolution and changes, yet somehow the feeling of being surrounded by something majestic and important does not fail to overwhelm in a place like the Notre-Dame Basilica.

Along the way, though completely immersed in a different culture, language, monetary system, and environment, we did manage to stay in touch a bit with some very important people back home. Amidst all of our excitement over pastries in the mornings and navigating a new city during the day, we took a special moment to toast to a friend who announced to us that she got a job while we were out of the country. Congratulations Ashley!!

Usually traveling for me means that I have a plan for each day I am in a new place and I have a list of all activities that must get done while we're there. (yea, I'm totally talking about Disney and Vegas, the last 2 vacations that I planned with my family and pretty much ran them ragged for 4 days straight.) This time however Deanna knew she wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens, and I knew of a festival that was going on in a nearby town that would probably be fun, but neither of us had any real plan.

We ended up at the botanical gardens on our last day in Montreal, and were totally taken aback by the different plants and the peacefulness of all of the plants growing and existing in such a beautiful environment. These were my favorite flowers in the whole garden so we aptly named them "Julie-Flowers!"


The Hot Air Balloon Festival was next on the agenda! Though our 25 minute estimated drive became 2.5 hours, and Deanna had to expend quite a bit of energy in distracting me from my considerable frustration at a very inefficient traffic pattern, the festival ended up being like nothing I have ever before seen. Unfortunately the Balloons could not fly due to wind conditions, but they were an amazing sight to see regardless. (The yellow one's heat source is lit in this picture which is why it's glowing. The flame was fired periodically for each balloon to keep them afloat.)

All in all it was a wonderful trip. Montreal has lots to offer a couple of crazy wandering girls, and traveling just isn't the same without someone to share it with!

Tunes Central

The DJ is booked for the wedding!
Get ready for a Country line-dancing party!!

LOL, just kidding!
:)