Camp St John and St Augustine

  

Giving Thanks

How quickly the holiday came and went! After dating my boyfriend for almost five years I decided to spend this Thanksgiving with his family. The idea of attending has been quite daunting all these years because his holiday is not celebrated as a casual engagement at maybe an aunt's or grandmother's house, but a full blown family reunion. To accommodate everyone, an entire camp is rented out in Jacksonville, FL, a tradition which has been going on the last 22 years! It's obvious I was nervous, but after the six hour drive and the initial shock of meeting everyone . . . it was actually quite lovely. All seven of boyfriend's aunts and uncles were in attendance along with their families. Thanksgiving was celebrated, along with a christmas gift exchange, a bonfire, parents were remembered, and traditions were kept. Now that its over I am so happy I was able to meet boyfriend's family and see him with them; hanging out with his cousins, going to mass, chatting with his aunts and uncles. I saw a different side of him. As lovely as he always is, seeing him with his family has somehow made me adore him even more. There were so many highlights from the weekend but here are a couple that immediately come to mind . . .

1. Uncle Tony cooking

2. Joe and his harmonica 

3. The terror I felt when everyone started playing games.

4. Ballet talk with Mary Catherine

5. Pete's sense of humor

6. The three "new girls" participation in the Christmas skit. 

7. A baby announcement! Congratulations Tim and Audrey!

8. St Augustine

9. Pumpkin Ice Cream

10. Spanish Moss

Obsessed:

After walking around my 750 square foot apartment, I realized I have somehow managed to fit 12 chairs in this apartment! I don't know when my affinity for chairs began but it's obviously quite strong since I'm hoping to squeeze in a couple more. Here are my favorites, all thrift store finds. All are in very good condition, except the white chair . . . I don't know if I would actually sit down on that one.

Addy's 3rd Birthday Party!

  

    

  

Meet me in St Louis

I was so happy to be back in Missouri and smell the autumn air, even if it was for only one day.

Work: National Car Rental

What a week . . .

I have barely even had a chance to think let alone write down any of my thoughts. This week has been a complete blur. It all began Saturday night while hanging out at my compadre's house. Boyfriend left to pick up "something" and an hour later emerged with none other than one of my very best friends all the way from Dallas! They had been in cahoots for weeks! What's a better birthday present than a best friend?! Sunday morning I decided to throw a small last minute cocktail party to celebrate my big day (a day early). We had wine, hors devours, homemade streamers, lemon cake and pumpkin cupcakes. The party went beautifully and ended with, my favorite, a sing along led by my favorite duo.

Monday, the actual birthday, was interrupted with one morning class, followed by a fabulous lunch, a couple castings, and dinner at Pubbelly sushi. A restaurant, that is the equivalent of my personal heaven, taken by boyfriend and his amazing parents . . . all complete with Dallas by my side.

I was completely spoiled rotten the whole week and so thankful for all of my close friends and boyfriend for making the start of my 27th year so amazing. 

Happy Birthday to Me!

This entire weekend has been such a whirlwind. I am so thankful for all my friends and boyfriend who made number 27 a very special birthday! Details to come . . . 

 Sneak Peek: my favorite birthday present.

SoundScape Cinema Series

I want to take more advantage of all the fabulous outdoor events Miami has to offer, especially this time of year the weather is simply gorgeous. Last night we attended a wall cast of the movie Moulin Rouge projected onto the New World Symphany building. Good friends, wine, cheese, and cookies . . . absolutely lovely.

 

New World Symphony: 500 17th Street Miami Beach, FL 33139. Next week's movie Wednesday, November 16 8:00pm – The Maltese Falcon

waste not, want not

I have always envied my mother's ability to rummage through the fridge and create something spectacular. I on the other hand typically have very specific cravings and envision very particular meals that involve long lists and shopping, not leaving much to the creative rummaging process. After Sunday's pizza night I was left with a ton of random leftovers and have made it my personal challenge to not let anything go to waste. Yesterday, rather than studying, I decided to make lunch and just "wing it" without a recipe and without purchasing a single item. Today I repeated the challenge and again it was a success! I didn't have the ease of my mother, but after scouring of the internet I came up with a couple ideas and things turned out beautifully.

 

Quiche three ways: Broccoli and parmesan - tomato, goat cheese and basil - spinach and feta. I served them with a simple salad, and crostinis topped with coarsely chopped artichoke mixed with salt, garlic, and olive oil.

 

Today for lunch I wanted a heartier meal. I decided to make something hot to fullfill that craving. I made open face caprese salad sandwiches with a side of mushrooms and spinach sauteed in butter and sprinkled with truffle salt. When lunch was served the realization was made that the mushrooms and spinach belonged on the sandwich as well. Next time I'll assemble everything together with the mozzarella on top. Simple and delicious.

The Players

With my new found obsession with blogs I have decided to create my own, but of what? I like to cook but I’m hardly an authority on the subject. Cats? No, I would like to keep my cat lover status under wraps for the time being . . . Chairs? How could I possibly talk about only chairs for years to come? What am I even doing with my life? I’m almost 27! I just started school, after 8 years of modeling. This immersion into the world of academia and 19 year olds may be the cause of my bemused, angsty existence (very Claire Diane’s “My So Called Life” only ten years later). I’m hoping to eventually figure out an occupation I really love, but when confronted with the question of future employment I am absolutely clueless. Everyone seems to respond to my plight with, “Well, what do you like? You’d be surprised how many jobs there are in the things you’re interested in.” This usually leads to an awkward shrug on my part because honestly, I can’t say I believe them. Ballerina isn't an option. I absolutely LOVE ballerinas. Gardening? Hmmm, I don’t even have an actual yard. Just 18 steps leading up to my doorway already littered with basil, parsley, and pineapples. Cat sitting? Currently dabbling with that one but not as a career. . . Eating? Can that be my profession? November 14th is quickly approaching with the number 27, which in my opinion is an age you are supposed to have life together (at least more together than my own). Will I ever figure it out? Whatever “it” is supposed to be. I guess I'll have to be patient and keep exploring.

So first things first, let's make a couple introductions on Lydia ^LN . . . 

boyfriend	cheerleaders	KCMO
neighbors	favorite dancer	the duo
dallas	crony	compadre

Obsessed: Instagram photos

Every photo looks like magic even if its just a simple lunch.