unruly-things

today I'm moving. we're packing up our cars and heading out on our adventure. this time next week, we'll be almost to our new home in Portland, Oregon. there were lots of things that I had wanted to post about before my move, but time got away from me. I wanted to say how much I'm going to miss Florida, and how much I'm looking forward to my adventure ahead of me. this is the beginning of a new chapter of my life.
this is how I look at it:
I spent 25 years in Florida. a quarter of a century. I grew up. I learned a lot. I experienced everything I could. I have memories. laughter and happiness consumed me. I ate the best food. {I'll miss you Xtreme Juice, I'll miss you even more Mellow Mushroom} I've worn flip flops everyday, and I'm going to miss them SO much when I'm dodging rain storms in Portland. I've made the best friends, whom I'll miss terribly. I met dlb.
but mostly, I've grown to know myself, I've learned who I am. sometimes, I believe that I'll always be a Florida girl at heart. but words can't even describe how much I'm looking forward to starting a new life in Portland.
I'll be back next week and a few time in between with thoughts and photos, but....
goodbye for now! I'll miss you Florida!

a week or so ago, I won Sarah's magazine give-away, which was wonderful partly because I've been drooling over her posts about the magazine, partly because I love browsing magazines that we can't get in the US, and partly because I never won anything fun like that before! sadly though, I have yet to have the time to sink down in a chair and really read through it! I was able to flip through briefly, and I LOVE that most everything in the magazine is fall clothing. this is one of my favorite snippets. Sarah also included a fabulous road trip mix for my upcoming move across the country. I definitely think "my sharona" and "since you've been gone" will help get me those extra miles! thanks Sarah for the great package!
{image from shop til you drop}

"a bird does not sing because it has an answer. it sings because it has a song."
{Chinese Proverb, image from danyo*}

it's in certain moments. moments that leave me speechless. moments where, if I had a choice, I would capture them in a special box, where I could keep them forever. moments where I could kick myself in the butt for leaving my camera at home.
yesterday afternoon, we had a really bad rainstorm. it shook the building, lit up the sky, and flooded the streets. the wind was howling and it was simply dreadful to be outside. dlb and I couldn't decide what to eat for dinner and we had nothing in the house, so we settled on our old faithful and headed out into the storm.
as the rain began to clear up, the streets turned into glossy mirrors and the sky was a dark, indigo blue. I turned around in the car to get a full 360 view of the storm, and to my surprise, there was the most beautiful double rainbow. I felt like a little girl when I squealed at the sight of it. then at further gaze, I realized that not only was it a double rainbow, but that it traveled the entire span of the sky. I have never, ever, seen an entire rainbow. {at this point, I kicked myself in the butt for forgetting my brand new camera at home, instead of keeping it in my purse as I'm supposed to}
it's moments like that, where all time stops, all bad thoughts and fears drown away, and for one moment I was totally weightless. but note to self taken: don't leave camera at home next time.
{image from kitty sonnenschein. the quote under the photo, which I adore, reads, "The rainbow began to appear, and sometimes two rainbows, like a mother and her daughter, the one young and beautiful, and the other an old and faint shadow." - Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart}

I love these prints from Mod Green Pod. 100% organic cotton, and hand-silkscreened without harmful chemical finishers, Mod Green Pod's fabrics are healthier for you, your house, and the environment.
{images from mod green pod}

I love these bowls from White Bike Ceramics. I've always loved white dishes, dlb can't stand them. maybe if we had something more like these........ I especially love how they are not a perfect circle, and the wild lines are so appealing.
{post via lena corwin, image from white bike}

oh what a week this has been! and man, how quickly it has flown by. camp has been nothing but wonderful this week. I can't even remember the last time that I went to work with a smile on my face. things that made me happy this week:
starting a new job that makes me smile all the time.
being part of the admin.
mi cuerpo.
walkie walkie, talkie talkie.
pens, crayons, colored pencils.
camp stories.
old photos.
singing songs with the whole camp crew.
painting my camp shirt with fish.
acting like a kid again.
thankfully happy that today is friday.

I wish everyone well, and a happy weekend, and I miss you and my blog dearly!! I will hopefully return next week with more blogs.
{this picture is from "all sing" at camp}

I love LOVE this new bag from Urban Outfitters. always being a fan of huge purses that can carry way much more than I need, I immediately fell in love with this purse when I saw it. I have a really great purse from Urban, which I love, though, it just doesn't have enough pockets. this one looks like it has plenty pocket space, with two on either side, and one on the front! I'm feeling a little shopping may occur!
{image from urban}

just popping in for a quick hello, and to let you know that kate spade is having a sale. it's full of cute summery items, perfect for those end of summer parties.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! camp is going really well. I'll be sure to post about it tomorrow for list friday!
{images from kate spade}

my apologies, though I'll be unable to post as regularly for the next few weeks. I'll be working at a fine arts camp, teaching art, dance, drama, and music. my piano teacher is the director of the camp, and I attended the camp when I was a little girl, then graduated to counselor, and used to work at the camp every summer. since I've had a full time job, I haven't been able to work at the camp in almost three years. I missed it. a lot.
so... that's where I'll be for the next two weeks. I'll still post at night, or in the morning if I can, though I won't be posting as frequently. I know I'll be missed. :) but to ease the sadness you can check out some of the fabulous blogs on my blog roll. they really are wonderful!

until next time... here are a few of my most recent flickr favorites.

kitty love
look up
philly crossroads
white flowerthing

what a weekend! we're back, super tan and super tired. dlb and I went up to Crystal River to spend the weekend with my grandparents. amidst our packing and excitement and anxieties about the move, we needed a little va-cay to clear our heads.

during our little vacation, we not only had the chance to relax, but we also had the thrill of taking a scalloping adventure! this morning, we woke up real early, and set out to hunt for scallops. suited up with our mask, snorkel, and fins, we dove into the water and the scalloping hunt began. if your not familiar with "scalloping", basically these little guys hide in the turtle grass in the Gulf water, and you can spot them by their tiny, almost creepy, bright blue eyes. pretty soon, we dragged in bags full of these little shellfish, providing us with a feast for days.

relaxing in Crystal River was just what we needed. between the refreshing swim in the pool, grilled cheese sandwiches on cuban bread, diving for scallops, and good conversation and laughs, the weekend was just right.

that's how my week has been. I can't think of one thing that didn't go just right this week.
• polaroid flowers.
• black panasonic. {on it's way!}
• reunited with the blue epiphone.
• black and blue and kosmic karma.
• pancakes, pancakes, pancakes.
• shrimp kabobs.
• double foot rubs.
• taking a pay cut and loving it.
• listening to fireworks.
• sending off my first set of cards to Sarah, and winning her magazine give away. {it's almost like we're doing our own little swap!}
• finally getting blueprint.
• getting excited about FFAC.

and the best one of all,
• my last day of work at my 9-5 is today. hoorah! hoorah! see ya ISM!

I just adore these things from Rose and Radish. in fact, most of the things from Rose and Radish are simply lovely. the candles are adorable, and I just love the white pitcher.
{images from rose and radish}

a couple days ago, Ali posted about things that inspired me: Christina's World, her desire to drive through Idaho, and her developing inspiration to become a photographer. after reading it, looking through photos of rolling hills and haystacks, I too began to ache with anticipation for my drive through Idaho this month. dlb is from Idaho and has the most amazing photos that he has taken there. this photo in particular, is quite possibly my favorite photo ever and I can't wait to have one just like this that I've taken myself. I'd love to run through these flowers, picturing everything that makes me happy. and thinking how much my life is changing. all the while smiling.

to be quite honest, I'm think I'm more excited about driving across country than I should be. it's a long drive. probably going to be super boring at times. we're driving in separate cars, Moose gets to ride with him, and we're going to be loaded down with stuff. hopefully we'll have walkie talkies. but... I really am pretty thrilled about it. not only is it going to be an treat that I've never experienced before, it'll be something I'll never forget.

{image by dlb}

happy Fourth of July!
not only is this a special day of celebrating our freedom, this is also a special day for my blog. this marks my 500th post! when I think about it, 500 seems like a lot! but it's really amazing how quickly it snuck up on me.

it seems like just yesterday I was deleting my myspace account and converting my blogging addiction to blogger. myspace was were I began blogging. sometimes it was intentional rants meant for certain people to read, sometimes it was just as simple as posting a song that I loved, other times, I kept my words private, especially when they dealt with new feelings and shy love. I'd have to say that sometimes, I miss those blogs. I almost feel as though, now that I've developed myself as a pictorial, fashion, and findings blogger, that adding in my personal thoughts and musings would only complicate things. {hmm...maybe time to have blog #2. yea right, if only I had that extra time!}

so I guess what I'm saying is that, for this, my 500th post, I thought I'd get a little personal. show you a little bit about me. tell you how I'm really feeling by showing you some of my favorite past posts that I've written.

I believe in innocent love.
I've always wanted a little red wagon.
I love to cook.
I love photos.
quotes inspire me.
I zone out from time to time.
I cherish my friends.
sometimes I wish I was a kid again.
I'm head over heals in love.

and for today, celebrate your independence. eat all things yummy and happy. do things that make you smile. have some fried chicken, take an extra slice of cake, indulge in your favorite brew, laugh at silly jokes, kiss your loved ones, light up a sparkler or two or three. and all the while remember what we are celebrating, and cherish it.

{image from wildfiremmm}

I love checking in at the beginning of each month to see the new card from port2port. I've loved each one that has been printed, but this one is by far my favorite. growing up near the beach, I have fallen in love with shells and sealife. my dad gave me a giant collection of shells that he had been collecting over the years, and this is one of my most coveted things I own. I have big ones, little ones, colorful, and spiky ones. so naturally, I have a weakness for gorgeous shell things. naturally, I want these cards.
{image from port2port}

I'm in love with the new arrivals from Banana Republic. silk flutter sleeves, tiny prints, bright green and orange, oooo la la!
{images from banana republic}

I love flipping through the pages of images from 3191. I forget to drop in daily, so when I visit once a week, there is always a delightful set of photos. just when I think I've found my favorite pair, another comes along that evokes even better feelings and emotions. I simply adore these photos. and I love love love those Keds.
{images from 3191}

I saw: smiles from good friends.
I felt: tiny white paws.
I touched: developing polaroid film.
I tasted: natsu maki.
I drank: midas touch.
I listened: to violins and guitars.
I loved: mid-day naps.
I made: cinnamon pancakes.
I bought: two new cameras. {yay for me!}
I resolved: the epiphone ordeal.
I smiled: the move is in 24 days.

I can already feel it. this is going to be a busy week. advance apologies for lack of posting this week.

oh yea, and dlb finally gave me the flight self portrait. looooooove it. love him!

{image from my still life.}

I had the pleasure of unwrapping these sweet little packages yesterday. my swap gifts from Heather arrived in my mailbox yesterday afternoon, though I didn't have a chance to write about it until now. I simply adore this tissue paper. the black stripes combined with the big black and white print is perfect. here's what my package contained:
• some lovely smelling rose soaps. when I was a little girl, my mother used to have a bunch of little soaps from Crabtree & Evelyn. I would sneak into her bathroom and take the soaps. she had one that smelled very similar to these pretty rose soaps that I loved.
• cocoa rose perfume with the cutest packaging.
• off the clock music cd from Starbucks with lots of great up & coming artists. I'm really looking forward to listening to this! I'm always a fan of finding new music.
• Refresh herbal tea. this smells sooooo yummy, and I can't wait to try it! I just went to Wild Oats last week and bought peppermint leaves to mix in with my white tea because my throat was hurting, and I remembered how much I love peppermint tea. Refresh is a mixture of peppermint, spearmint, and tarragon.
• and my favorite thing from the package, The Little Black Dress book. I simply adore this book. the pictures and illustrations are so lovely, and I'm thrilled to have this!

after participating in this swap, I've really come to realize why I enjoy them so much. it's the joy of opening a package. it's the joy of finding something in the package that your swap partner put so much thought into. it's finding something that not only do you love, but you wish you had thought to buy it for yourself! thanks again for all the great gifts!!