Happy 2015

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone brought in 2015 with love and positive energy.  It has been such a long time since I have posted anything to this blog, and I quite miss it.  So...one of my resolutions is to try to do a better job this year.  I don't know or think many people follow this blog, but I enjoy getting my thoughts and words out there, as well as simply documenting great memories.  Some things have changed since my last post.  They include:

-  Moving to a new apartment
-  Getting a new job at a different university
-  Getting a promotion at said job within one year!
-  Making some awesome new friends!
-  Kiwi (my dear Pacific Parrotlet friend) passed away :(
-  I took various trips to wonderful places I have always wanted to visit, including:  the Grand Canyon; Las Vegas; Austin and San Antonio, Texas;  Charleston.  They were all as wonderful as I imagined, and I will probably post something separate on some of these experiences.

I wish everyone a wonderful 2015!  I look forward to more positive things and want to challenge myself to become more open to new possibilities!

Alternative Break Program - Where to next?

Within the past few months, I have been able to serve as an advisor for two separate Alternative Break Program trips.  These trips are basically a week where students provide service to the community, usually in another city or state (or even country).  I just returned from an alternative spring break trip to New Orleans.  Oh, New Orleans!  How I knew I needed to visit you again!  This city just makes me so happy.  Before I talk about NOLA, let me back up and talk about the trip that started it all:  Mississippi.

In December, just about two weeks before Christmas, I drove a group of students to Pontotoc, Mississippi.  We were supposed to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, but the home we were supposed to work in was infested by bugs so we weren't able to help out with it until the second to least day of our trip.  What we ended up doing instead was working with a nonprofit organization called "Ashley's Angels."  This group helps to provide food and Christmas gifts for needy families in the community.  They raise thousands of dollars each year, and buy a bunch of gifts for the children in the families.  Some of our volunteers had the fun opportunity to go and shop for the kids (Wal-Mart was the closest major store to us and I think we pretty much bought everything they had!).  After getting all the gifts together, we put them in large trash bags and started to pull, stack, and organize them all into a large warehouse room.  It seemed like the bags would be never-ending, which was awesome!  It was an emotional day when the families came to pick up their gifts.  They were so thankful, and I feel so blessed to have been part of such an amazing experience.

Some fun things we did while on our trip:
-  Visit an Amish Farm in Pontotoc
-  Enjoy some time at the local Piggly Wiggly supermarket.  We all were so excited (okay, really just me) to visit.  The manager was so nice that he came out and gave us a bunch of free Piggly Wiggly promotional items :)
-  Attended a Christmas concert with one of our hosts at a local church - it was beautiful
-  Visited Memphis on our day off:  We saw the Mississippi River, Beale Street, ate at Central BBQ, visited the Martin Luther King Jr. site and motel
-  Stopped by Tupelo to visit the birthplace of Elvis Presley

So, now on to New Orleans.  I took nine young ladies to New Orleans, and we kicked some major booty.  We stayed with an organization named "His Hands 2 Go."  During our first two days, we volunteered our time with a community garden.  It was hard work in the hot sun, but we definitely accomplished our goal, which was moving an entire garden bed that was originally in the shade into the sunlight.  We learned that while New Orleans is a city known for its cuisine and restaurants, the city itself is considered a "food desert."  This basically means that not all communities in the area have equal access to grocery stores and fresh foods.  The community garden we were helping out with would help grow and provide fresh vegetables to the community.  If you want to learn more about this garden, please visit their blog at www.gardenonmarais.blogspot.com.

We also helped an older gentleman with his home.  We completely painted the inside of his home, as well as the front facade and gates of his home.  The home was affected by Hurricane Katrina.  What His Hands 2 Go does is provide volunteers that can help with labor.  The homeowners they assist provide all of their own supplies, but they may not be able to afford to pay for labor, or they may not be able to complete the project themselves due to age or disability.  It was an honor helping Mr. Franklin with his home.  He was the sweetest, most gentle soul and I think all of us were incredibly sad to say goodbye.  It is my hope that he will be able to move into his home soon - this is his New Orleans home and it's crazy to think that he's still waiting to get back into it after seven years!

We were very well-fed.  We ate up ten pounds of crawfish real quick!  The church also served us red beans and rice, and jambalaya.  Yuuuummmmyyyy!!  

Fun things we did in New Orleans:
-  Ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde
-  Walked through the French Market and French quarter for some shopping
-  Visited Steamboat Willie's on Bourbon Street.  We also got thrown beads and feather boas on Bourbon Street!
-  Took the trolley through the Garden District
-  Walked to a place called "The End of the World" by the levees
-  Visited the Katrina and Mardi Gras museum
-  Took the ferry ride across the Mississippi
-  Ate sno-balls!

All of the students I met on these trips were wonderful.  I feel so blessed to have been able to participate as a faculty advisor.  I know that these wonderful individuals will go on to complete awesome things in the future.  I miss them all already!  On a side note, I think I have become quite the professional van driver!

Random picture update

It's raining....so I've been trying to organize photos, clean, and do other things.  I figured I would post some random pics on here since I've noticed that I haven't done a very good of updating this blog.

Cherry blossom painting!

I went to a painting class at Creative Canvas and Wine in Altamonte Springs.  Voila!  Our painting was  of cherry blossoms.  It was a fun time!  Makes me want to open my own business.

Fiona graduating from puppy class. 

Fiona graduated from her PetSmart puppy training class.  She was awesome, and even scored some extra points for busting out her first trick - "Paw," aka a handshake.

This was Fiona's classmate, Thor.  Super cute and high energy.  Fiona and Thor...

Rose gardens at Leu Gardens, Orlando.

How I have never visited Leu Gardens in Orlando is beyond me.  I could have stayed in the rose garden for the whole afternoon.  It was beautiful, just wonderlandishly beautiful!

Peter Pan mural I helped with for Mandy's nursery.

Mandy is having a baby - baby boy Ethan to be exact!  I drove down to Boca and started to sketch out some Peter Pan characters.  Simon ended up tracing them on to the wall and painting them gray so that they appear to be shadows.  Simon used his architectural skills to draw the building and the London scene.  It's all so perfect!

So there you go, I hope you enjoyed some random snap shots!  Now, back to organizing...

Seven Days in the City

Oh summer, you tricky little thing you.  You get me all excited for vacation and then whoosh - vacation is done and it's back to work.  I recently took a week off from work and headed to one of my favorite places - New York City.  It was fun, but since NYC is so gogogogo, I really feel like I just need to go and fall asleep on a nice sandy beach somewhere to just relax.

I ended up visiting and staying with my cousins.  I was able to go and visit a few NYC sites that I still had always wanted to see, so they let me loose on the city and man, did I walk!  Seriously though, I walked from like 57th street all the way up to 72nd, walked across Central Park, then up to the Guggenheim, then BACK across Central Park and all the way down to 14th St.  All by choice though!

So why did I choose to walk so much?  Well, Central Park is one of my favorite places and I really wanted to visit Strawberry Fields this time.  It's just a part of the park where the "Imagine" (can't find the right word here....sidewalk? symbol?) is located.  And Central Park is so huge that I feel that I uncover new areas every time that I visit.  I saw the Bethesda Fountain this time too.  It was a gorgeous day.  I wish I had a bike to ride!

After walking through the Guggenheim, I walked back over to the west side and visited the Museum of Natural History.  I DID NOT realize how huge this place was.  If I did, I probably wouldn't have gone in because I was so overwhelmed.  I hit up the dinosaurs and then peaced out basically.

Inside the Guggenheim

One of my favorite parts was just going down to the World Trade Center site.  I unfortunately did not get a chance to go inside and view the museum and fountains because I didn't have a ticket.  You have to reserve your tickets online in advance and I tried, but of course all of the tickets were gone ONLY for the week that I was there - so very disappointing.  But I saw the new tower and the visitor center, which was quite emotional.  I look forward to seeing it all completed in the future.

New tower at Ground Zero

During my time in New York, I also visited the Bronx Zoo, went shopping (a little bit), and went to the Puerto Rican festival (talk about feeling claustrophobic on a subway and then even more so trying to get out at 116th street!).  Oh, and I got an ice cream cone from Mr. Softee!!!!!  Hehehehe, this made me so happy.  Mr. Softee drove through my neighborhood in CT all the time.  Yes, vanilla soft serve on a cone with rainbow sprinkles please!!! YUMMY!

One of my favorite parts of visiting though was meeting an animal control officer - Mr. ASPCA as I like to call him.  He's this big, tough-looking dude.  But this guy is so full of life, with a laugh that will shake a room.  He had two dogs that were so incredibly sweet.  He saved both of them.  And he sees some crazy things all across the city - from wildlife to horrible, disgusting cruelty to animals.  When I asked him how he could do his job everyday, he said that he just focuses on the animals.  Not the horrible people...just the animals.  As he put it, "People think I rescue the animals.  But the animals rescue me."  Tears welling up....sigh.  A wonderful person - so glad I met him.

Until next time NYC!

Craft Completed!

I finally completed a craft that I really, REALLY wanted to do: a book page wreath.  I guess I liked it so much because it appeals to my inner nerd and bookworm.  The only problem I had was deciding what book to basically rip to shreds.  That is a painful request for a book lover.  So...I essentially just ended up using an old basic dictionary, nothing huge.  So the bonus is I can increase my vocabulary by just looking at my wreath whenever I want, hehe.  So here's the final product:

So proud of my book page wreath!

It took forever

Lots of glue gun sticks, book pages and burnt fingers later, I have a ruffly, nesty-looking book page wreath on one of my doors.  

Meet Fiona!

I guess if you write a blog, your wish will come true the next day!  I am excited to introduce you to Fiona - Princess Fiona I should say.

I adopted Fiona yesterday at the Fire Station across the street.  Seminole County Animal Services was hosting an adoption event titled, "Furry Friends and Firefighters."  Did the dogs lure me?  Of course, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't also looking forward to maybe adopting a firefighter as well.  Unfortunately, all of the firefighters were inside and never really came out.  But it was probably for the best since I may not have given this little lovely pup much attention.

As I was crossing the street, I first made eye contact with Fiona and knew I was in trouble.  She has these big ears that stick straight up and she was looking right at me.  As I got closer to check her out, I noticed that it almost looked like she had been recently shaved.  The adoption volunteer said she had a non-contagious skin condition that was induced by stress and trauma.  This poor girl is a nine-month old stray and all I can think about is what her life was like before :(  After finding a permanent home and maintaining a grain-free, fish-based diet, her fur should grow in thicker.  But honestly, I love her just the way she is. Anyways, after taking her out and spending some time with her, I was sold.  This dog just couldn't stop giving doggie kisses, and she also put both of her paws on my shoulder as if she was giving me a doggie hug!

She's a tiny bit nervous and skittish, but oh so sweet!  She was freaked out by the stairs but now she walks up and down them like a pro.  She loves her crate, even though she did have two accidents already inside the apartment.  BUT I will give her the benefit of the doubt since it was a stressful day for her yesterday.

So funny thing is that she was living with a foster family prior to me adopting her.  As I was filling out the adoption application, the woman from the agency said that her foster mom had my same last name!  My last name is not super common so I just thought that was awesome.  She was meant to be a part of my family!  Originally her name was Scrappy, but I just didn't like it.  A volunteer said she should have a princess name and then I just blurted out Fiona, as in Princess Fiona from Shrek.  It seems fitting.  So welcome home, Fiona!  You found a forever home, yay!  And I've got a dog back in my life!

Doggie Withdrawals

I love having my own apartment.  It's almost where I want it to be.  The bedroom is still kind of....ehhh.  Definitely need to shop for drapes, which I have learned that I hate.  Everything is going well.  I just really miss my doggies, which are at home with my family.  I debated bringing Jerry with me, especially since I thought he would be happier without Tommy always bothering him.  BUT, I actually think that Jerry would miss him and I know for sure that Tommy would be devastated by not having someone to pull by the ears.  So here I am, dogless for the first time in a long time.  I'm not really sure what to do with myself.

Part of me thinks it's good to live without a dog for awhile, especially as I adjust to having my own place again.  I don't want the dog to start peeing on the carpet, etc. But I can't help it.  I need a furry friend with me here.  I've been looking for a dog to possibly adopt, but doing most of my looking online.  It's sooo difficult!!  I want to take them all home!  I just really need to think about what dog would be a good fit for my lifestyle.  I would love to have a small to medium sized dog that's pretty calm and definitely house-trained.  Another Shih Tzu, Cocker Spaniel, a shelter-mix special??  Ugh, this is painful, difficult, impossible....

Stay tuned.  Maybe I'll introduce you to a new friend soon!

New Digs!

Congratulations to me!  I moved to a new place, and it's all my own.  I mean, it's not something I own since I am just renting, but I consider it "mine."  It's been a long time coming and it does feel good to finally have a space I call my own, and that is close to work.  No more one-way hour long commutes.  Yipee!  After some time posting design inspirations to Pinterest, I finally have made up my apartment to fit my current style.  Below are some shots of the living room.  Funny thing is, I noticed that the same colors I chose to design my apartment in are the same colors I used to decorate this blog - teal and yellow.  Oh well.  I have an awesome mirror that is hung on the wall over the fireplace (I have a fireplace!), but I don't want to post pics of it because I plan to paint the wall gray.  So look forward to some before and after shots.  But the place is so cute!  And affordable!  Some of my favorite features include the french doors, the fireplace of course, wood floors (laminate I think...I don't care, it looks real to me) in the kitchen and bathroom, and a huge bedroom with walk-in closet.  Jackpot!  Okay, back to organizing...

Teal/turquoise, yellow, and gray

The hunt for drapes was so frustrating!

101 Things in 1,001 Days

UPDATE:  1/4/15 - I have obviously not completed all of these things.  However, they will remain on my general list of things I'd love to complete.  I'll give myself some credit though.  I did cross off some more items before posting this update!

I saw that a friend of mine had posted this on her blog and I simply fell in love with the idea!  What 101 things do you want to do in 1,001 days (a little less than 3 years)?  It's harder than it looks.  Don't believe me?  Then you should try it.  Here's my list (don't judge - some items are ordinary, some a bit too idealistic, but all of them - me!)

1.      Sell something on Etsy
2.      Bake an actual cupcake recipe rather than just decorate one
3.      Take a ballet class (like the old days!)
4.      Learn some Italian
5.      Make some yummy homemade guacamole - Delish!
6.      See a Broadway show  - Saw Beauty and the Beast in Orlando - it was awesome
7.      Visit Marco Island and Amelia Island in Florida
8.      Volunteer with Audubon Center for Birds of Prey
9.      Write a book
10.    Get a passport
11.    Get a stamp in my passport
12.    Go strawberry picking
13.    Try ziplining
14.    Be a good sport and attend a UCF sporting event
15.    Visit Mt. Vernon, Virginia
16.    Have my dogs pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test (I'm being optimistic here!)
17.    Sing at a karaoke bar
18.    Stop biting my nails
19.    Create a piece of art and hang it up somewhere
20.    Decorate my own place
21.    Visit the Florida Everglades
22.    Eat vegetarian meals for a full week
23.    Start attending church again
24.    Visit the World Trade Center memorial
25.    Go to an Orlando Magic game
26.    Try snowboarding
27.    Visit Las Vegas
28.    Take a photography class with my digital SLR camera
29.    Be someone's godparent (pretty please, you guys are all having kids!)
30.    Buy a piece of Disney artwork (since I'm always browsing through the art store anyways)
31.    Get dogs to serve as therapy dogs (or at least one of them)
32.    Donate old business clothes to 'Dress for Success'
33.    Join Kiwanis
34.    Visit a large national park - Yellowstone or Yosemite
35.    Bike the entire length of the Clermont/West Orange Trail
36.    Do something awesome for my 30th birthday - Miami, Broadway shows, Halloween goodness, friends and family, October 2012 was a good month
37.    Visit Chicago
38.    Stay at a Disney resort
39.    See seaturtles hatch and swim to the ocean at night
40.    Present a workshop at a conference - Presented at ASCA this year, woo-hoo
41.    Watch 'Modern Family' from the beginning
42.    Go deep-sea fishing
43.    Make my own coquito
44.    Visit the major national museums in Washington D.C.
45.    Finish my college scrapbook (so that it's done and can finally be put away...)
46.    Revisit Kennedy Space Center
47.    Swim with the manatees
48.    Make pumpkin cheesecake
49.    Get a tattoo....maybe....yes?
50.    Watch five classic movies I've never seen - Working on it, watched 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' - Ehh.., 
51.    Do a cartwheel in public for no reason
52.    Teach a class
53.    Understand the game of football
54.    Become fluent in Spanish
55.    Look into what it takes to open a business
56.    Visit Tybee Island, Georgia
57.    Visit New Orleans again - Just took a group of students here for Alternative Spring Break!
58.    Create a cake, cupcakes, or cake-pops for someone's very special occasion
59.    Purchase a fancy dress
60.    Take a cooking class
61.    Make my own scarf
62.    Get a new pair of glasses
63.    See a ballet other than "The Nutcracker"
64.    Submit a piece of art for 1st Thursdays
65.    Become First Aid/CPR certified
66.    Go camping
67.    Try paddle-boarding
68.    See Winter the dolphin in Clearwater (from Dolphin Tale!)
69.    See Dolphin Tale
70.    Snorkel in Silver Springs
71.    Celebrate New Year's Eve in NYC
72.    Play in the autumn leaves in Central Park
73.    Ride to the top of the Citrus Tower
74.    Remember a really funny joke and tell it well
75.    Host a holiday party
76.    Do something creative/good with my bridesmaid dresses
77.    Drink more water
78.    Return my overdue library book and leave a nice note in the book
79.    Answer the "50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind"
80.    Ride a real train somewhere
81.    Go to an estate sale
82.    Buy a lottery ticket
83.    Buy fresh flowers once a month
84.    Attend a midnight premiere of a movie
85.    Don't log in to Facebook for at least one week
86.    Visit the Grand Canyon
87.    Build a butterfly garden
88.    Stay at a Bed 'n Breakfast
89.    See a local community play
90.    Have a picnic at a winery
91.    Read 50 new books
92.    Refinish a piece of old furniture
93.    Visit LegoLand
94.    Get a facial
95.    Donate blood
96.    Visit Leu Gardens
97.    Get a skin test done
98.    Teach Kiwi, my parrotlet, to say a word or sing a song - RIP Kiwi :(
99.     Go to a major league baseball game
100.   Visit Tampa Art Museum
101.   Fall in love with a great guy :)  I can include that right? lol

___________________

So, I have been trying to come up with this list for awhile.  It was a bit difficult, but I can happily report that I have completed item #73.  After almost 17 years of living in Clermont, I never went up the Citrus Tower and it is literally a baseball's throw from our home.  It was really quiet since I was the only person up there.  And I thankfully did not have a freak-out moment since I'm afraid of heights.  I actually did okay.

The Citrus Tower was originally a look-out post for all of the orange groves in the area.  It's amazing to see that all of those groves have been replaced with housing and development.  Take a look:

That was then.  And this is now:

Rolling hills and subdivisions...

I love that this picture says the horizon is 35 miles away.  Well here's one thing I can cross of my list.  I'm excited to see whether I can accomplish most of the things I listed!

A Look Back at 2011

It's New Year's Eve, it's New Year's Eve!  You know what that means - time for reflection!  Reflection....or reminisce....should be my middle name.  It's been quite a year.  I'm not quite sure where to start since it's definitely been a roller coaster year.  I just want to thank all of my family and friends that have been there through everything this year.  Sometimes you have to realize that not everything can be dealt with on your own.  It's been a year where everything could have changed forever (in a negative way).  I am thankful that it all worked out in the end, but there were some intense dips on this roller coaster ride! I want to acknowledge it, and that's all.  I'd rather focus on the positive.

I just want to highlight some of my favorite moments and memories of this year.

First of all, I am so thankful to have seen my nephew Abriel this summer.  It's been quite a few years.  That story is quite a journey in and of itself.  Although it makes me sad that he's so far away, I was excited that I got to see him this year.  It's amazing that he's thirteen already.  My goodness, I still have the picture of him as a rowdy baby on my desk :)  I hope that I will be making more trips to see him.

Sunset in Louisville, Kentucky (the only pic I
snapped while I was there for a conference!)

I'm thankful for all of the wonderful trips and places I got to visit this year.  I went to Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee.  On all of these trips, I enjoyed my time with family and close friends, and met new friends.  I also got on a plane quite a few times this year, and all by myself, too!  This is quite the accomplishment since I don't really like to fly.  I'll give myself a pat on the back for sucking it up and being a big girl.

It's been fun working in my new job.  I have great coworkers and busy days that keep me focused.  I really appreciate all of the wonderful opportunities that have come my way this year and all of the awesome people I have been able to meet along the way.

My Connecticut Huskies won the NCAA basketball championship this year!  Yay!!  Gotta love my UCONN Huskies!

My best friend got married....in a SURPRISE wedding I helped her pull off during her housewarming/holiday party.  I didn't think we'd be able to do it, but we did.  I'm so very happy for her and am so happy that she let me in on the secret!  This small ceremony reminded me that all you really need is love, love, LOVE!

I'm sure there are many more personal moments that happened throughout the year, but these special ones stick out in my mind as I reflect on 2011.  I'm surprised at myself actually.  I thought I would write much more.  Sometimes when you've had a difficult year, it's hard for that to not take up a huge part of your "yearly memory space."

I am hoping 2012 will be a wonderful year full of new beginnings and major changes.  I will be the first to admit that I am sometimes afraid of change.  Guards and walls are up, but I think 2012 is calling for a surrender.  When it comes to the serenity prayer, I feel like I have serenity and wisdom  (maybe) somewhat down, but that courage bit is a challenge.

Happy New Year everyone!  Blessings, love, peace, happiness, and much laughter to you all! xoxo

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." - Oprah Winfrey

"Spending Out"

I recently finished reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin.  It basically is a personal story of one woman's pursuit of happiness.  I enjoy reading these types of books (Hello, Eat. Pray. Love!).  Unfortunately, Gretchen was unable to just drop her life and travel around the world as Ms. Elizabeth Gilbert did so I was curious to see where her personal journey would lead her.  It really is a simple book.  There was no earth-shattering revelations here other than the simple things that she did which made her happy.  She focuses on the typical day to day:  family, work, relationships.

Some of the favorite things I took away from this book were her emphasis on de-cluttering and what she called "spending out."  It's the end of year and a good time to de-clutter, go through the closet, and pull out those things you don't need or want anymore.  I love the feeling of purging the extra useless items from my space.  I haven't gotten all feng-shui just yet, but I just feel so much better knowing that I don't have random things all around.  This physical clutter (even if it's not really much) begins to turn into mental clutter.  I can't seem to focus until things are in order.  Again, this was not earth-shattering advice, and I'm not saying that what I'm about to bring up next is either....

But she brought up the idea of using what you have. "Spending out" she calls it.  Sounds pretty basic, huh?  It probably is to most people, but I have always been someone who likes to save stuff - save it for a special occasion, save it so as not to waste it, etc.  But why?  Why not use it now?  Silly examples:  candles and stationary.  For years, I have collected notecards, pads, stationary of all sorts, but never wanted to use it all up.  Now I have boxes full of paper just sitting there, never having been used.  And candles, my goodness, candles!  Tealights, votives, jars - all of these are screaming "USE ME, USE ME!"  So I have been doing that recently, and it feels great.  Why does something so silly and simple feel so good?  Because a purpose is being fulfilled is my guess.  

I guess I just realized that being a "saver" can actually be wasteful.  Appreciate what you have - the here, the now.  Appreciate the beauty.  Don't let those things just die in a box.  Everything has a purpose and that purpose should be fulfilled.  Here's to lighting those candles and sending those notes!

Oh how you've piqued my Pinterest!

Oh Pinterest...how crazily addictive you are.  When I first learned of Pinterest, I just saw it in people's Facebook status updates, "Thank you Pinterest!" attached to a picture of Christmas jars....I didn't get it...Then I did some research and saw that it is a virtual pinboard where you can post things you find on your own or repin from other posters.  Very cute idea.  Once I got my formal invite to join, it was on!  There I was scouring the web for inspirational and cute things to post - recipes, books, ideas for my dream home, etc.  I really have come to love it.

I've come to love it so much that I got a little giddy when one pin I posted had 91 repins!  Woo-hoo!  Why does this make me happy?  I have no idea.  It's pointless really.  A pin board is something you see as valuable and inspirational.  Who cares if others want to share my pin?  I mean really......I do!! Just being silly, but it's a cool site.  I've got several crafty ideas from there, and plenty more I'm willing to try.

A few random things I've noticed about Pinterest though:

1.)  I'm not trying to judge people's boards and stuff, but some of these things do concern me.  One of them being boards devoted to fitness and physical appearance.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with posting fitness tips - I love it, it's great, hoorah.  BUT, I do have a problem when people have boards of pictures but nothing but incredibly skinny people - like model skinny, not realistic, unhealthy unskinny.  One girl had a whole board with just captions of "Hot," "Wanna have those legs!", etc, etc.  For whatever reason, it all just slapped me in the face.  We always hear how the media plays into body image and whatnot, but this site makes it very clear as it's right in your face.  I just want to comment on some of the pins and type, "THIS ISN'T CUTE OR HEALTHY!!!"  Blahhhh.....but what really threw me over the edge was a massive repinning of a fitness regime.  It seemed innocent enough at first until you continued to read through the list of about 50 tips.  It actually was a list of how you can be a successful anorexic or bulemic.  I hope that sh.... was pulled from the site real quick.  Ugh.

2.)  Maybe I don't like to jinx stuff - maybe it's just me.  I'm not going to post baby things or plan my wedding until those things are actually in the works.  Okay, I will call myself out on the whole dream home thing.  I am posting things for the home, but that is something that is technically always in the works.  But nurseries and wedding dresses, not until it's somewhat of a near reality will I be posting stuff.  Hopefully I will get to do this one day on Pinterest as it will be super duper addictive.

Here are a few things I've made recently:

A paper wreath

Birdseed ornaments!  So cute and so easy to make.

Initials from magazine paper.  A homemade gift from me to my coworker for Secret Santa: "Something Made of Paper" day.

Rudolph cupcakes!

Happy Holidays everyone.  I'm already scouring Pinterest for next year's ideas!

xoxo

A Halloween Baking Story

Once upon a time, two friends met up to bake for Halloween....

They were successful in making these Frankenstein cupcakes.

However, they failed miserably in trying to make melted witches.....

Po desperately hoped that they would throw them in her mouth instead of the trash can.  Po was sad.

The END.

Reflections on 9/11

Today marks the ten year anniversary of September 11, 2001.  I always say it, but again, time flies by so fast.  To think that it has already been a decade...wow.  The memory is still very vivid and I imagine it will stay that way forever.

I graduated high school in 2001.  My graduation gift was a trip to New York City.  I grew up in Connecticut but never really got the chance to visit New York and do all of the touristy things like visit Times Square or watch a Broadway show.  So I finally got my wish in June 2001.  We stayed in the Ameritania Hotel which was right above the David Letterman show studios.  We visited the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and of course, the World Trade Center.

I remember us walking towards the WTC, our feet hurting from walking so many blocks, but being amazed at the height of these buildings.  I was a little nervous because anyone who knows me well knows that I am afraid of heights.  It wasn't until we actually got in line to go up the elevator that I realized no one was allowed on the outside roof (I thought it would be similar to going to the top of the Empire State building).  The man who guided us in the elevator was telling my parents about some salsa dancing event that occurs outside on the promenade at night.  We flew up to the floor and I remember being so afraid to even go near the windows.  I felt like I was going to faint.  But eventually, I got over it and peered down at the city below.  It was amazing. 

Three months later and those towers were crumbling to the ground.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  It was my first semester in college and I had just left my apartment to go to my math lab.  I hadn't heard anything on TV before leaving and everyone else was in class as usual.  But I will never forget a male student in the corner saying, "The Twin Towers are gone."  I was confused more than anything, hoping that he was wrong or playing some kind of sick joke.  But he was right.

A few years after I had graduated college and was working full time, I went to a week-long crisis responder training.  It was a tough week, and at the end of it all we had the chance to put our skills to practice.  We simulated a group crisis intervention session (GCI) and our instructor had us sit in a circle and talk about where we were on 9/11/01.  After about half the circle shared their story, the instructor told me to get up and lead the rest of the group.  After a moment's panic and hesitation, I got up.  I asked the next person to share their story and the woman goes on to share that she was actually in one of the Towers on the 17th floor when one of the planes struck.  She goes on to share through her tears that she froze.  She remembers someone helping her out of the building.  After that, she says everything just moved in slow motion like a movie.  I could not believe that this practice session had just turned into something very real - and I happened to be the guinea pig facilitator....So what do you say?  What did I say??  I don't remember exactly but I said something to her and the group.  All I remember is her coming up to me and giving me a hug.  But really, she was the one that needed to be applauded.  I can't imagine what she must have gone through.  What she shared was very real and not sugar-coated at all.  While there were many heroes in New York that day, she also experienced and lived through seeing people at their worst.  Nobody can judge her reflections on that day.  It was her experience and she was strong enough to share it with a group of people she had only known for about 35 hours at the point.  I hope she is doing well and that she has some sort of peace of mind on this anniversary.

I remember 9/11 and always will.  I will always think of those people who I had a quick interaction with on a bright and hot summer day in June 2001.  I was just a high school graduate ready to move forward with my life, just wanting to visit a city that inspired me.  A city that still inspires me to this day....

Rest in peace to all those that lost their lives on September 11, 2001.  I love you New York City.

Introducing Cake Pops!

They are a major pain in my neck but...they are cute!  You basically crumble a cake and mix in some frosting and then form and chill the actual balls of cake.  Then you get to dip them in some melted candy coating, pop them on a lollipop stick and you are good to go with whatever design.

These were chicken cake pops I made for my coworker's son's birthday.  The candy coating was difficult to work with on my first try so I tried my best to spoon it around and make it look like "feathers."

Basketballs - this time for my boss's son's birthday!  I piped the basketball lines on with melted chocolate.

Baby Shower Cake Pops!  Candy necklace candies were used for the pacifiers!  :)

Investing in a candy melting pot was a good idea.  It made it a whole lot easier to dip and coat the cake pops!  Yummy!

Blog Title Regrets?

The reason I named my blog "Feathers in My Hair" is because I loved the various fascinators that English people wore at weddings.  It was a random thing I thought about when I had to choose a name for my blog.  I thought it was cute.  I thought it was whimsical.  Now, I'm just like, "Why????"  Apparently, literal feathers in your hair is all the rage right now.  Just one or a few long feathers serving as a strand of your hair.  I don't know what I think.  All I know is that I much prefer the visual of having random feathers just sticking out the top of your head.  Just my opinion.  If you're going to be silly, go all out!  To me, having a feather strand or two that ALMOST blends in with the rest of your hair is right there on the verge of taking yourself too seriously.  I'd rather have the feather factor be all up in my face rather than realizing later that "Wait, you have a feather in your hair!"  Own the feathers, put more in, let them shine!

P.S.  No regrets.  "Feathers in My Hair" is what it is.

Thank you, thank you very much...

     I finally was able to go and visit my nephew in Tennessee this summer.  He lives in a small town in between Memphis and Nashville.  The views on our road trip were just beautiful.  I can't wait to schedule another trip and visit the Great Smoky Mountains.  An amazing part of the trip was the fact that my nephew had no idea that we were visiting.  We drove to his tiny town, watching nothing but fields of corn and silos whiz by.  We pulled up and he comes out and just stares at the car until he realizes that it's us!

   He took us immediately over to his horses, except that they weren't there just yet.  They called them over and they came running up from the meadow and forest.  All five of them!  It's funny...my half Puerto-Rican nephew is a cowboy in Tennessee.  He seemed happy and content with this way of life, no matter if I could never imagine myself living in a similar environment.
    We ended up taking him to Memphis for two days.  We visited Graceland first.  It was funny imagining this grand estate, but the actual mansion is not that big.  But I guess back then it was considered a big house (he only paid $100,000 for it!).  We were given a tour of the inside of the house, as well as the surrounding grounds and additional exhibits.  I always knew Elvis was the King, but seeing all of his records, awards, and posters/memorabilia was just mind-boggling.  After the tour, we saw the gravesite and took pictures.  Another thing that perplexed me was the proximity of the estate to the main road.  There are also neighborhoods on the other side of the fence.  Can you imagine living in a house with a backyard that runs up against Graceland?
     After Graceland, we headed over to our hotel in downtown Memphis.  Right across from the hotel there was Mud Island River Park, which had a mini Mississippi river you could wade in.  It was actually really cool and made to size as it ran through all of the states that it cuts through.  It all ended with a huge swampy pond in New Orleans that led out to a small lake where my nephew and I rode paddle boats.  After that we headed over to Beale Street and some of the other sites in Memphis.

    The next morning we went to the National Civil Rights Museum, which is adjacent to the Lorraine Motel, the site where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.  It was very emotional to go through the tour and see the actual hotel room where Dr. King stayed.  The entire tour was intense and I am so glad to say that my nephew payed really close attention to all of the exhibits.  I was a little scared that it would be a waste of money and he wouldn't want to go in, but he really was standing there digesting all of the information.  After the tour, we headed over to the Memphis Zoo where it was ridiculously hot.

Johnny Cash!

     It was sad taking him back home after our adventures in Memphis, but I truly believe that he had a great time.  When we took him back home, he took me on a ride on his go-kart into the woods!  It was kind of scary but cool to go through the woods and then land in an open field with dragonflies buzzing by as we drove.  It was a wonderful trip, a long overdue trip, but I am so happy I got to see him.  I know he was sad when we left but I just hope that he could focus on the positive and be glad that we got to have fun with him while we were up there.  I miss him already :)

The city where my nephew lived is in between Memphis and Nashville, and that's a long stretch of driving.  We wanted to take him to Nashville with us but it would have been too much driving back and forth.  So as we made our way to Florida, we stopped in Nashville for a day.  It just happened to be the Country Music Awards Fest, but it was so much fun!  We did a trolley tour and saw all of the main sights:  the state capitol, the Parthenon, Music Row, and the Country Music Hall of Fame among others.

So it was nice to meet you Tennessee!  We'll meet again soon!

HOTlanta!

Oh, summer vacations always go by so fast!  This summer I had the chance to go to several places.  I first started of by going to Atlanta with one of my good friends, Mandy.  Here are a few pics of the places we hit on our trip to HOTlanta (definitely not an exaggeration...)

We visited the top of Kennesaw Mountain.  It was pretty hazy so the views of Atlanta weren't the best.  It was a really nice hike though.

RANDOM ALERT!  We visited the Cabbage Patch Hospital!  It was just too unbelievable to pass up.  I had to see a Cabbage Patch being born, and we did!  Mother Cabbage was dilated ten leaves! lol.  I was amazed at how all Cabbage Patch babies pretty much always have that distinctive smell.  I'm pretty sure my own still has that smell (wherever she is - in the attic maybe...)

We visited this small northern Georgia town of Helen, which basically was Epcot Germany x1000.  We went tubing down the mountain river and saw lots of interesting sites, including a dog floating down on his own tube, as well as a baby sporting a real mullet. Really...

Random alert again!  GOATS ON A ROOF!  This was so much fun.  It basically is just this roadside attraction where you can feed goats.  I sat on this bike and wheeled a cup of food up to the goats on the roof (they could come up and down as they pleased).  It was odd, but cute!

I had a great time in Atlanta, and I could talk about visiting the Georgia Aquarium, or Olympic Centennial Park or Coca-Cola headquarters....but, I must leave you with this pic of....milkshakes?!  These aren't just regular milkshakes, folks.  These are liquid nitrogen milkshakes from Top Chef All-Star's winner Richard Blaise's burger restaurant, Flip!  Delicious!  What you see here are the Strawberry Shortcake and some kind of toasted marshmallow milkshake.  They were super light and creamy.  Yum! Cheers to Atlanta!

New cupcake designs

Here are two of my most recent cupcake designs:

I made these Hello Kitty cupcakes for my friend Christey's birthday.  It was my first attempt at using fondant and it was a little difficult.  You can see that some of the faces are a little wrinkled (she needs a little Botox) and that's because I underestimated how quickly the fondant dries out.  But I thought they turned out pretty cute - better than trying to draw the faces by hand with icing like I did last time.

And these were the ones I made for Easter.  Pretty simple to do, but they took a lot of time.  I cut out egg shapes from graham crackers, then iced them with frosting and dipped them in the colored sugar.  Then I piped out the lines with colored frosting and added some decorative hearts, flowers, and other shaped confetti candies.  I loved the colors!

Look back soon for some pictures of cake pops I made.  I've made three so far - they are exactly what they sound like.  Cake balls stuck onto a lollipop!

Recent Audubon Visit

The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey is located in Maitland and it's basically a center that rehabilitates wild birds and sets them free back into the wild.  If they sustain an injury that would prevent them from surviving in the wild, the birds are kept in captivity at the center.  I love to go there, so if you love birds like I do then you should definitely make the visit.  What makes it even better is their annual baby owl shower that takes place in May.  You simply bring in an item from their wish list and you can get in for free.  And they have baby owls!  They are a little awkward looking, but still so cute.  Here are some shots I got of the baby owls and some of the other beautiful birds at the center.

Baby Owl #1 - So cute!

Baby Owl #2 was like a statue

American Bald Eagle

Sweet face

This captive hawk's one injured eye would prevent him from being able to hunt successfully for food in the wild.