things i like (that i've thought about so far today)...

fall. porches w. ceiling fans. LOST. sawyer. coffee. sitting & reading outside. organization. coconut things. going to the gym w. mj. bookstores. the happiness project. free ice cream. knowing the words to songs playing in stores. the smell of the marsh. texting. chickfila sauce (as it compares to zax sauce). hayley williams (of paramore). retail therapy. luna protein bars (cookie dough). driving with the windows down. green. NEW! dark kiss.

i'm sure there have been other things, too, but i'm done for now.

it's been lovely. and i'm going kayaking later with the neighbor. hopefully, i won't die.

"I am happy - but I'm not as happy as I should be. I have such a good life, I want to appreciate it more - and live up to it better... I complain too much, I get annoyed more than I should. I should be more grateful."

"I think Christian spirituality is like jazz music. I think loving Jesus is something you feel. I think it is something very difficult to get on paper. But it is no less real, no less meaningful, no less beautiful."

last night, i helped patrick cut the grass next door. and by helped, i mean i whined until he told me i could do it in my flip flops, then he taught me how to push a mower properly and i cut one long strip across his yard. he let me go along my merry little way after that.

when he finished the part of the yard i didn't get to (about 99% of it) then he set up the hammock and pulled out the beer. i hammocked and he sat and we drank. we went inside once the fire died and the mosquitoes had taken over.

it felt like such a summer thing to do.

words can be daffodils or a fire in an open field

dave barnes :: little lies

"I don't know if you have heard it lately but you are a very impressive young woman.  Keep it up."

It's nice to hear nice things sometimes.

Boat. Beer. Burrito.

I jumped off the top of a dock. Twice.

tomorrow (tuesday) i have the day off and since i'm too lazy to get out of bed to make my to-do list, i've decided to post it here, so i can look at it in the morning...

sleep in

laundry
buy new ray lamontagne cd
make iced coffee
write to rachel
write to hanneke
call nathan lowe
message kayla
clean off desk (again)
finish development plan
find change purse
change cohen's water
make wednesday's lunch
watch an episode of LOST

that seems like enough, yes? i'm sure i'm forgetting something.

also, go out on the boat.

yep.

tonight, my friend mandy took me to dinner since i was born 25 years ago and when we got our cookies she said tell me what my fortune is about (ie. what it relates to in her life) and i'll tell you what yours is about. she told me that mine was about my neighbor. my cookie said,

be patient and it will happen.

so tonight, he asks me if i want to go out on the boat with him & his dad tomorrow. i'm all sorts of confused... as to why he asked. as to why i said yes. as to why i'm hanging out with his dad. as to what i will wear since my bathing suit has ties on the side.

anyway, that fortune cookie was magic.

and for the record, i miss rachel. and i miss columbia.

but i do like this flickr set :: PERSONA

xo.

Sometimes, loving people is hard.

Not because they make it difficult, but because there are so many ways to love a person. From far away. From across the street. For a long time. Only for a moment.  You can be in love or you can just love. So many variables.

And then what? Do you love them & leave them? Do you leave them & love them?

What do you do?

I think it's impossible to stop loving someone that you have truly loved. But, I also believe, that sometimes you have to let the people you love go. And it's even for the best, at times.

The question is then, do you actively hope for their best interest? Or do you live & let live in apathy?

It's all quite confusing.

Just something I've been pondering with myself & other people.

"you musn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling."

me: what time is it where you are? Hanneke: just about 3:45pm on wednesday.you? me: wednesday?? Hanneke: yep me: it's 11:41pm on tuesday Hanneke: i think i'm 17 hours ahead of you me: weird. Hanneke: hrm. maybe not 17... me: you're in tomorrow. Hanneke: i don't knowi am in tomorrowit's a good day me: thank goodness bc tuesday wasn't completely awesome

something to remember...

from Psalm 42:

  Chaos calls to chaos,
      to the tune of whitewater rapids.
   Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers
      crash and crush me.
   Then God promises to love me all day,
      sing songs all through the night!
      My life is God's prayer.

  Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
      Why are you crying the blues?
   Fix my eyes on God—
      soon I'll be praising again.
   He puts a smile on my face.
      He's my God.

[the message version]

Mj and I went to the gym at 6 this morning. We figured if my mom, Roy and the neighbor can all get up that early to work out, then we could do it, too. So, there we were at the gym with A LOT of people - more people than when we went at 8 yesterday. Not what I was expecting. Makes sense though.

We did the stair stepper. I love the stair stepper. My bum has missed the stair stepper. Oy.

We're going to do it for a week and see how it goes. How many days does it take to form a habit?

Also, I ran into my neighbor after gymin' it, when I was walking the dog... (Note to Self: look cuter when you go to the gym. And be more sociable first thing in the morning.)

Now, I am getting ready for work... checking facebook, drinking coffee, streaming the new Ray Lamontagne album. Not a bad way to start the day if you ask me. I hope it's lovely for you all. xo.

me: i brought you a surprise!
assoc: does it have to do with dark kiss?
me: gross. no. sorry.
assoc: does it have to do with food?!
me: yes!
assoc: now i'm excited!

assoc: what book did you buy?
me: the happiness project.
assoc: let me see it... "or why i spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read aristotle, and generally have more fun"... that sounds like you!
me: you're the second person to tell me that!
assoc: it must be true!

me: we would've left on time.
assoc: yeah, but the customer always comes first.
me: yeah, the customer is always right.
assoc: no. not when they buy dancing waters for their hot hot date.

jim denevan at theanthroplogist.com

so, the past few days have been pretty excellent.

friday, i went running barefoot in the rain with lollipop. the neighbors probably think i'm nutso, but we had fun. well, i had fun. she was definitely opposed to the idea at first and then happy to be back inside. she passed out in my room and watched her while she had little puppy dreams. she makes little yip noises. it's adorable.

saturday, i had coffee with a friend and then helped bake my birthday cake and had a glorious party with lots of friends & food. there aren't enough good words for me to write here.

sunday, i officially turned 25! woohoo! so far, i'm loving it. i went to church & had lunch with the fam, watched LOST, went to Sbux with Rebecca and helped baked cupcakes. and by help, i mean i liked the beaters and went to the store to buy butter. other than that, i was pretty lazy. (also, completely exhausted from saturday - dang, i'm getting OLD!)

oh, i watched Remember Me - i got it with my netflix. it was... good and... not good. it made me think a lot about life and how we live it (or how we don't). but the end. yeah, thanks for that.... hmph.

this morning, i got up and went to the gym with mj - we needed it! and then i made coconut curry tempeh and broccoli to take for dinner tonight. brewed coffee & drank it with dark chocolate creamer while watching an episode of LOST. i'm in love with sawyer & kate right now. them together even though they're not together. this episode made me cry. (season two, episode eight) it's the very first one to make me do so. go figure.

now, i'm gearing up for work. my last night with my favorite associate before she heads back to gamecock country. wah. wah. wah.

ps. i got my anthropologie comforter! so excited! and lots of other fun & delicious goodies - including five bags of coffee... my friends know me so well!

listening to sigur ros.

i am very lucky.

xo.

even at twenty-five you got to start sometime

good morning, bloggers... tgif!

so much going on right now. and i can't even manage to put away my laundry.

"so we saved the world together for a while, and that was lovely."

you can box me in, but you know i'm not right for you. - pearl & the puppets

Today a customer said, "You are so pretty. I think that every time I come in here."

the crack on my laptop has grown to a missing piece.
 
i'm still not sure how this little mishap occurred. it will always be one of life's little mysteries.

like which came first, the chicken or the egg? and how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?

the world may never know.

"keep calm & eat oreos." - one of my associate's fb

ps. i have today off and all i wanna do is hang out at a coffee shop and read & write, but i have to clean. seriously. i can't live this way anymore. wah. wah. wah.