Catch Up TIme

Well it has certainly been awhile. No excuses as to why, just haven't been into it. It was a strange winter/spring/now almost over summer. Lots of laughs, lots of tears, lots of everything.

So here's the cliff notes version: dated someone for 6 months & was dumped out of nowhere, have been managing at the restaurant & am ready for a change, still living with my bestie, have had our other bestie living with us for the summer (and now her bf for the remainder of the summer), have decided to go back to school for nursing but have no clue where, ready to move off the island at the end of the season but also have no clue where. Think that's the jist of it.

So here we go with life altering decisions round two...wait, didn't this happen just 2 years ago?

Friday Frenzy

I know, I know...no post yesterday. But I have an excuse!

I had a great day off and completely enjoyed every minute of it. I met one of my guy friends and we went for a long walk around downtown. We stopped and got coffees (and some jamo nips haha) and enjoyed the gorgeous day we were blessed with here. And then out of nowhere is started to snow! It was like a moment out of movie. It was gorgeous & sunny with small glittery snow flakes everywhere. Its those moments that make me feel so blessed to live here. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than watching the snowfall over the ocean during the wintertime.

We then stopped in to see my roomate at work and had a few blue moons at the bar. The restaurant group that we work for owns three restaurants on the island and I was transferred to our newest one over the holidays. I love working there, but definitely miss all the fun people I used to work with. I love dropping by and catching up with everyone.

Yesterday concluded with probably one of the best first dates I've ever had. Its obviously something very new so I don't want to jinx anything, but I had so much fun! We actually stayed in and had a casual night. We made waffles together and watched movies. It was such a breath of fresh air to hang out with a normal adult (that can be a rarity with the guys on this island).

Great day all around.

Now I'm off to do lots of laundry, run to the post office & bank, cook, and get ready for work....gotta love crazy Fridays!

Winter on the Vineyard

So day one went pretty well...blogged, commented, cooked...

Yummy salmon with sauteed crimini mushroons, wilted spinach and aged balsamic

Wintertime on the Vineyard holds a special place in my heart. I have always and will always love summer through and through, but when I moved here last fall I fell in love with the island through the interesting off-season. It becomes a completely different world than it is in the summer and my own little safe-haven.

There are so many people that grow up summering here and believe that they know the real island. They don't. Not even close. June/July/August is such a busy time here. The population explodes and it becomes a whole new world. I had an amazing time this summer going to the beach, going out at night and working my butt off lol. But when the crowds and summer folk leave, the rest of us are still here and have the pleasure of enjoying the other 9 months in tranquility.

Don't get me wrong, you certainly have to be active in keeping yourself entertained throughout the winter. Planning vacations are a must! (Miami vacation recap tomorrow!!) Dinner nights with friends, game nights with friends...all a necessity.

A lot of people also "wife-up" during the winter time haha. During the summer no one has any time to actually carry on a relationship. Also, there's so much fun to be had...who would want to?! But when the wind starts to blow and the temperatures drop, we all need someone to help keep us warm :) Its not like I sought the opportunity out last year, it just kinda happened. So we'll see what this winter has in store for me...

Tonight my friends are having a game night that they're hoping to carry on every week. Hopefully my Wii bowling skills are up to par! Should be a fun night, and any excuse to get together & drink with friends is wonderful in my book.

Do you have any winter time rituals or activities that you fall back to every year?

Soooo let's give this thing a whirl

I was reminded over at One Twenty Five that all it takes is 21 days to change/rebuild old & new habits. I've known for years that changing things in your daily routine is a day-by-day process, but it's interesting how easily I can forget this!

I don't believe in New Years resolutions because although they start off with the best intentions, I find myself leaving them by the wayside pretty quickly. Looking at the year as a whole can seem extremely daunting, but breaking it up by segments of 21 days seems pretty doable in my book.

Although I have a laundry list of things I would like to change in my life, I'm starting with two: blogging & cooking. I'm always reading through posts on here, but rarely comment or draft posts of my own. WTF mate? So for 21 days I would like to try and write a post each day and comment on at least one other blog a day as well. (Finger's crossed my life isn't too boring for this goal lol). As far as the cooking...I would like to do just that. Actually cook at home in my own kitchen! Because I work in the restaurant industry, it is so much easier to eat things on the go or at work. And while I am fortunate enough to work at a restaurant that has an amazing menu, I hate seeing everything in my fridge end up in the garbage.

So here we go ladies...

Day 1: Draft personal blog post, check. Comment on another's blog post, check. Cook meals at home, (the day is still early but I have meals planned...so basically check haha).

21 days from now is February 6th...here goes nothin'!

Questions

It seems that many of us face the same trials and tribulations throughout our daily lives. What do I want to be when I grow up? Where do I want to live? What kind of life do I want to live? Let's be honest, I've never been one to have all the answers. Frankly I've never really known who I was. But it isn't really that black and white, is it?

Looking at older siblings I always felt I had to live up to their amazing standards. The sibling who always knew where she wanted to live and what she wanted to do...and of course succeeded in both areas. The sibling who seemed to sail through life dating the perfect person, marrying said person, having beautiful children, etc. And finally the free-will sibling who although never had a plan, seemed to fit perfectly into the 'go-with-the-flow' lifestyle. It always seemed to click for them, why not me? How did I grow up so lost?

Then there are the friends that everything seems to work for. We all have them, let's be honest. They have problems of their own, but they always seem to resolve...easily.

I've come to realize recently though, that while from the outside these people seem to have it all they are just as lost as I am. Who ever has life fully figured out? Things change every day and we as people change right along with them. This has been a hard concept for me to grasp over this past year. I've always been a planner. Climbing rung by rung on what I thought was the ladder to my happiness. I had a moment, almost two years ago at this point, where I thought, "Could this really be happening? Could everything I always wanted actually be within my reach? Could I really be this lucky?" Welllllll...we all know how that turned out.

I was working towards my dream job, my dream wedding, and my dream life. Those were my dream aspirations then, but what about now? I am a completely different person than I was then. So how do I come up with completely different dreams?

Its not that the old me has gone entirely out the window, but I have no boundaries now. I can live wherever and do whatever. On my own timeline. Im just left thinking...where is this timeline headed?

How do you create goals and aspirations for yourself when you have no idea what you want out of life?

Master Cleanse- thoughts ladies??

So as we approach fall (let's face it, in my mind we're already there), my body is starting to calm down from the craziness of my summer schedule. I've mentioned before that I didn't treat myself very well this summer-crazy ridiculous hours at work, very little sleep, poor eating and drinking habits-and that I wanted to take time to better myself this fall. What better way to start than by flushing out the old? Literally.

I've been doing some research on cleanses lately and I think I have decided to give it a go. I'm going to try out the master cleanse, aka the lemonade cleanse. I'm sure that you have all heard of it before. I'm planning on trying it out for 7 days. Let's be honest though, if I make it past 4 I will consider it a success :)

I've been feeling incredibly lethargic and run-down so I need something to restart my system. I want to start this season fresh, giving my body plenty of time to gear up for cold/flu season.

If any of you have either done a cleanse or this cleanse in particular, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts! I've heard that the first three days are the most difficult, but I would be grateful to hear any other words of wisdom that you may have. Please dish ladies!!

Fall Wish List Part I: Tory & JCrew

Dorese High Heel Bootie

Jasmine Shell

Dowling Tunic

Double-cloth Symphony Coat

Sidenote Sweater

September Sweater

Enough said.