Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Photo-a-Day: Week 30







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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Craving.

Sleeping with the windows open.

A light, slow, "snacky" meal at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in the Italy pavilion at Epcot.

Some place new to play with my camera.

A summer evening ballgame at Fenway.

An uninterrupted lunch break.

A day off from work, spent with my husband, running a few errands, catching a matinee movie, just some time together outside our four walls. ... This one I get. Tomorrow. Am so happy.


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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Photo-a-Day: Week 29







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Monday, July 22, 2013

20 Questions: July 22, 2013

1. M&Ms or Skittles?
M&Ms. In fact, it is a rare day when we don't have at least three different variations of M&Ms in the cabinet.

2. The color blue makes me think of:
Blueberries. Clear March Florida skies. What shade I want to paint the other part of the main bathroom. Peace.

3. You're at a sporting event. What are you most likely drinking?
Water. It's what I am most likely drinking no matter where I am.

4. What is the snack you reach for most often?
Recently, it's been fresh fruit. I feel like I can't get enough of it.

5. Do you take shortcuts?
Driving somewhere, sure, if I know where I am. But I try not to take shortcuts in most other ways, because it often leads to more work in the end, when I have to redo it the proper way.

6. What was your favorite toy as a child?
I loved my Cabbage Patch Kids, but more than anything, my favorite toy was my imagination.

7. What was your last alcoholic beverage?
Oh man. Ummmm... I think it was a vodka gimlet, the last time Daniel was in town on business and I met him for dinner?

8. Do you sort your laundry?
I do. Religiously. Sheets. Towels. Floor mats. Kitchen linens. Lights. Darks. Whites. Delicates.

9. Are you a social person?
It depends. I do like some social contact, but I am very picky about with whom I would like it. And I don't like too much of it. I prefer a healthy balance. Doesn't always happen that way, though.

10. Something that grosses you out:
Filling a sink full of water, washing dishes, and feeling...*stuff* floating in it. ::shudder:: I know it's terrible but I have to wash my dishes under a stream of running water.

11. Root beer or cream soda?
Oh wow. I haven't had either in ages. If you're asking about a float, it would be root beer, but straight up? Cream.

12. What is the worst book you've ever read?
There are only two I've actually abandoned without finishing them: "Wicked" (Gregory Maguire) and "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan" (Sophie Kinsella). There are several more I finished that I wish I'd never wasted time and energy reading. I attempted those by choice, though. I would add to the list, some that I was forced to endure for school: "Of Mice and Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath" (both by John Steinbeck) and "Ethan Frome" (Edith Warton). I would have stopped reading those, if it had been up to me. Painfully miserable reading, classics or not.

13. Have you ever experienced an earthquake?
I have not. It would not make me sad if I never did. They tie with tornadoes as natural events that scare the bejeezus outta me.

14. Are you afraid of the dark?
No. But sometimes I am a little freaked out by what might be lurking *in* the dark.

15. Five snacks that you would enjoy in a perfect, no-calories world.
You know, I don't tend to deprive myself of snacks, as a rule. I eat pretty well most of the time, so if I get an urge to have a particular treat or snack, I usually indulge myself. I almost always keep it in moderation and I never feel guilty about it later. I try to enjoy what I'm eating. I don't want food to consume *me*.

16. Name something you like about yourself.
I am a truly, genuinely happy and grateful person.

17. How many cousins do you have?
Nine: three on my dad's side (one male, two female) and six on my mom's (two female, four male).

18. The best kind of Girl Scout Cookie ever is:
There are several I like, but Tagalongs are my very very very favorite.

19. Do you think people talk about you behind your back?
Oh, I am sure there is someone. Probably several someones. But the people whose opinions actually matter to me? I don't think so. Or at least I hope not. At least not maliciously. I would hope that if they had something to say, that would say it to *me*. I would like to know if I'm doing something I should address.

20. What was the last thing to surprise you?
The behavior of some people I know.

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Reminiscent.

I cannot seem to stop scrolling through my (thousands of) photos this week.


Every folder filled with images, snapshots of my world, both large and small, as if my memories are being projected straight out of my head in vivid color.



Each of them precious, no matter if they were from days long gone or still fresh this week.



My life is so incredibly full of good.


I am so grateful, I feel like I could burst.

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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Photo-a-Day: Week 28







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Thursday, July 11, 2013

It felt like choosing a favorite child.

One of last week's photo prompts was "cold."

I had to think for a while. "Cold" isn't something one comes by easily in Florida in July.

Inspiration struck like an evening-snack craving!

Once I got to the editing, though, I faced a new challenge: choosing which one I liked best.

You see, I rarely keep multiple versions of the same image. I mean, I have thousands of photos. One must have limits!

I cycled through the three variations, trying to pick one. I just couldn't do it.

I was finally able to select one to use for my weekly photo post, but I could not bring myself to delete the other two. I like each of them for unique reasons!

And so I ask you: which is *your* favorite?



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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Photo-a-Day: Week 27









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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Photo-a-Day: Week 26







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Monday, July 1, 2013

Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: June 2013

A photo of me:

I cannot believe I have to use this photo. Serves me right for not making sure I was in a better one!

1) Candle scents* this month:
Blueberry Scone. Tulips. Lilac Blossom. Lavender Vanilla. Honeydew Melon. Campfire Treat. Fresh Mint.

2) What I am reading this month (you can find me on Goodreads!):
I finished Murder on Capital Hill (Margaret Truman) to start the month. - This wasn't the best mystery I've ever read. A loose end left dangling and a very convoluted motive. Not terrible either, mind you, but I've read better. The American Heiress (Daisy Goodwin) - A definite change of pace after reading many mysteries in a row. At first, I had a difficult time switching gears to historical fiction and I didn't really care for the main character. She became far more likable as the story progressed, though, and while it wasn't something I would ever need to read again, it was a decent book, even if the ending felt a bit abrupt. And at this point, I am just a hair over half done with The Waste Lands (Stephen King), the third book in The Dark Tower series. Suffice to say I am thoroughly engrossed!

3) Three things on my mind:
1. I know there's no real place for him on the roster, but I can't help feeling a little wistful, wondering how Cody Ross's personality would have fit into the 2013 Red Sox. I miss him.
2. Other than the occasional tee, I really don't collect any souvenirs from Disney. I think that maybe I would like to watch for magnets that I really like. Not a ton of them but a few that a) don't look tacky and b) truly represent some of my favorite parts of the Disney parks. I also *still* need to replace my Mickey-head wine stopper. I've only been saying this since it never turned up when we moved almost 18 months ago.
3. Watching the heartbreak in my Twitter feed over the Bruins Game 6 Stanley Cup loss, I am reminded why my heart can’t take loving more than the RedSox and Patriots.


4) Movies I saw:
None. I don't even know what's playing.

5) Calendar image for the month:
Ah, yes. The middle of the year. Most often the calendar images that speak least to me. Probably because they are summer and I already have enough of that outside.

Perfect way to spend a June afternoon. I won't divulge how many times I stared wistfully at that sight and wished I were fieldside at Fenway instead of at my desk.


6) New recipe tried this month:
Milk Dud Brownies.

7) Restaurants where I ate:
Miller's Ale House. Arby's. Olive Garden. Ling's.

8) Five things I am loving this month:
1. Slathering on some peppermint lotion on a sultry June morning. It really does make you feel cooler.
2. The serene smile always on Princess Kate's face. If she gets rattled by non-stop cameras, paparazzi revealing her private moments vacationing with her husband as newlyweds, a play-by-play of every moment of her pregnancy, you would never know it. She always has such a peaceful look in her eyes. She's a wonderful reminder of the level of grace I would like to show on a daily basis. She outshines me in this department, as well as just about every other, I'm afraid! But this is one to which I can at least aspire, especially because my own trials and personal life are under zero public scrutiny!
3. Monica Potter won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the Critics' Choice Television Awards for her role of Kristina Braverman on the show Parenthood. After the way she knocked it out of the park week after week this past season, I am so thrilled for her that she is being recognized. Go watch Parenthood. Seriously.
4. Air conditioning. Summer is here with a vengeance.
5. Thunderstorms.

9) Three goals I had this month and three goals for next month:
1. Go through all the July issues of my magazines as they come in and get at least five old issues from The Stack into recycling. (I got through all but one July issue--it came too late in the month! sabotage, I say! -- but I only got three old issues into the recycling. Better luck next month, Dawn.)
2. Get caught up on the DVR. (I am going to call this a win. I have two episodes of Mad Men left and then several season finales, but the bulk of it is watched and deleted. Hooray for summer hibernation mode!)
3. Make something using my lovely KitchenAid mixer! I see her sitting there, in all her cherry red glory. She needs her maiden voyage! ( I did! And I am completely in love. See: brownie recipe above.)

1. Get through all the August issues of my magazines as they come in and get at least five old issues from The Stack into recycling.
2. Pick a paint color for the hall and part of the main bathroom.
3. Attempt to recreate Gram's pickled beets.

10) This month I looked forward to:
Seeing the Sox play live (in Tampa) for the first time since 2011!

11) The best part of this month and the worst part of this month:
The best part: a couple of days "away" in Tampa with my husband to see the Sox play twice! The worst: questioning if I really know anyone as well as I think I do (aside from T).

12) A photo I took this month:


*All scents are Yankee Candle, unless otherwise noted.

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