so, i have a 2″ solid styrofoam ball to carve out by friday. work is doing an ornament art auction, so we have to be all creative. i’ll try to take pictures of my progress.

so far (given that my tools are at home), i’ve tried carving it with a thumbtack, a id badge clip end, and a plastic knife.

other than some random scratch marks, and a convenient slip (sending tiny styrofoam balls all over my office floor), i’ve gotten nowhere.

this could be harder than i thought.

why couldn’t i just PAINT the damn thing? (i could, but decided not to … the scratch marks i just created would just kill anything i’d want to do. boo on my creative dreams)

oh, this makes me smile.

the “no longer newlyweds” … aww …

flying high:

coming in:

riding the waves:

smiling through the pain (jellyfish sting!):

the aftermath:

the beauty:

there is absolutely nothing better than reading a book. this past week, i discovered my favorite place to do so is on a beach.

with the sand between your toes and a soft ocean breeze in your hair, the element of time standing still envelopes you.

“go ahead, turn another page,” beckons the waves. and i did. a lot.

that’s not to say the front porch, the couch, the car or the bed was immune to my reading, either.

here are a few of the titles that i perused over my 10-day stint in Destin (and some i’m trying to finish up now that i’m home)

Continue reading →

hit me up if you want on the list … mostly work rants — sorry!

i can’t possibly do this post justice without pictures, but i’ll say this much:

I WENT PARASAILING!

it was absolutely breathtaking and amazing … everything i thought it would be and more. i’ll post pictures when i get home, i promise!

otherwise, i ate the best seafood of my life, and rested all afternoon.

vacation is good, but it’s coming to an end so fast … our last day is tomorrow!!

can’t wait to catch up with you all!

today was our date day. it was supposed to be jam-packed with all kinds of fun touristy things … lunch at the hard rock (which we did), an afternoon at the gulfarium (we didn’t) and whatever else we found between there and the house (nothing; i came back to nap).

i DID go shopping with mom this afternoon … mostly at cool antique stores. i’m fascinated with antiques. it intrigues me to know that this stuff (mostly overpriced) used to belong to someone else. there is a history to every tin box and silver spoon … if only those things could talk.

i came out with an antique bracelet (it has a locket attached, with a “j” on it), a poison bottle from the 1890s (to put sand in) and some other little gifty trinkets.

little brothers one and two (and dad) went deep sea fishing and brought back tons of fish for dinner. yum.

tomorrow’s agenda: para-sailing … i’m so nervous!

how’s everyone doing in xangaland? i’m only “permitted” a few minutes each day on here, so i don’t have time to catch up with everyone … i promise i’ll try next week!

day five has just begun, and it’s hitting me that this whole thing is HALF WAY OVER. i can’t believe it. can i get an extension?

yesterday, alex, mom, gram and i went to play putt-putt. we made it about half-way though the course before leaving … grandma’s foot was bothering her, and it was terribly hot! we had fun while there … i even got a hole in two!

otherwise, it was our night to cook dinner, and the spaghetti sauce burned. we saved it, and they ate it, but still, it had a “smoky” taste to it. bleh.

the fam and i went to the ocean last night and hung out there for a few hours, only to follow it up with a few MORE hours in the pool. alex and i are finding that we are true water creatures …

it’s been fabulous and relaxing and wonderful so far.

today, we were supposed to go to the beach early, then go for lunch at the hard rock café. but here it is, almost 10, and alex is still in bed.

i’m gonna go try waking him, or at least get back to my book.

btw: PARASAILING ON THURSDAY!!!!

i’m finding that it’s a shame that i’m not independently wealthy, because i could sure spend a lifetime just relaxing at the beach!

i spent most of my morning in the pool, and the better part of the afternoon at the beach.

i took a fabulous nap on the couch, and read my book all evening.

yup, this is the life.

funny story: we were at the beach, and i was laying on the sand (hat over my head, because truth be told, it was naptime), and all of a sudden, alex runs up to me, saying we had to go NOW. i removed my hat and looked at the florida sky. in the 30 minutes i was “resting my eyes”, it had turned ominously dark. i looked around me, and noticed that everyone else seemed to be leaving hurridly themselves. we threw ourselves in the crowd, trying to get home before the storm came … turns out that it only drizzled … an hour later.

that’s florida for you!

i’m a much calmer person here, but i’m chalking that up to the temporary suspension of “real life.” i’m sure once i return, the reality of bills and responsibility will kick in. bleh.

alex said i’m laughing again. my skin is clearing up, and my stomach isn’t in as many knots. i think i want to move here. florida agrees with me, and who am i to disagree with that?

BTW: in the next few days, i really intend on catching up with everyone’s blogs … if you have any posts of note for me, put a link in my comments. i really hate feeling like i’m neglecting all of you … vacation or not, i’m a true xangan, and should keep up accordingly!!

again, a quick one. we made it. had house drama.

went swimming.

went in ocean.

played games.

ate pizza.

consider yourself caught up.

more tomorrow …