I just spent a few days in Jacksonville with a group of close girlfriends! We all met on another blogging site back in the day and started having annual gatherings about four years ago. We call our group the SIPsters (Scary Internet People). We’ve met here in Memphis once and in Knoxville twice, but this year we descended upon Bethany‘s house in Jacksonville. This was my second trip to Jacksonville this year, and fourth overall, so Bethany says I’m officially a regular now. Yay!
We spent one afternoon in St. Augustine. It’s such a cool city with a great atmosphere.
We capped off the day with dinner at The Conch House, where again, I have become a regular. I’m addicted to their banana pepper calamari.
(The header of our group’s online community says “Endless Summer,” so we thought this mini-fleet of Endless Summer boats was some kind of sign.)
Of course ocean-communing time is a must for me, so the next afternoon we went to Jacksonville Beach. The water was surprisingly warm for so late in the year, and there were lots of waves! A few of us tried to bodysurf, but couldn’t get out to where the swells were breaking. The current was STRONG.
We also did a little shopping. Amazingly I only bought one book at the used bookstore, but spent ALL the cash I had brought for The Thrift Store (unofficial tagline: “If you don’t find anything, you’re not looking hard enough”). Most of the long weekend was spent doing what we do best: sitting around a table eating and talking! We ate most of our meals at the house. Bethany taught me how to make sushi and I couldn’t believe how easy it was (at least in its basic form). I’m excited to try again at home.
I’m very thankful for these friends. We come from different backgrounds and don’t agree on everything, but are always respectful and supportive of each other. I mean, there were eight adults and four preschool-aged children in one house for four days, and we all still liked each other when we left! We are, as Bethany’s husband has dubbed us, the Sisterhood of the Secondhand Pants.
The more time I spend in the Jacksonville area, the more I like it. It seems like the perfect place for me in many ways. I wish I could pick up my house, church, and all my loved ones and move them there.
Add a Comment + Posted in: florida, friends
I guest posted at Ten Feet Off Of Beale yesterday about one of my favorite parts of Memphis, Shelby Farms. Go check it out!
Sorry for the delay in linking (and the general quietness here), but I’ve been out of town. Pictures and info to come tomorrow! Hello to my new followers – thanks for stopping by. :)
PS – Myla Smith’s new EP Drugs is available on iTunes and Bandcamp today!
6 Comments + Posted in: guest post
My roses are thriving in the cooler weather! I go out to admire and smell them every day. I recently took some Lisa Frank-esque photos of them after a rain. (These are some of the last pictures I have from my lost camera.)
(macro fail) Happy weekend!
6 Comments + Posted in: gardening
I haven’t done a Wild On Wednesday (aka Favorite Things) in a while, so this will be pretty random!
A year after admitting defeat with a gorgeous but painful pair of calf-hair Alfani leopard pumps, I needed (yes NEEDED) a replacement pair. So I ordered these Mix No. 6 Barbie pumps in leopard from DSW, and they’ve hardly left my feet since! Compared to what I’m used to, they’re low heels and very comfortable, and even though they’re printed satin, they don’t look cheap. I’ve already worn them to work, church, and a wedding. I might get more colors/prints in this style!
Organix hair products were recently on sale at Kroger, so I decided to try this Moroccan Argan Oil deep treatment I’d been curious about. It’s fantastic! I use it weekly and see a big difference in my hair the next day.
I’m obsessed with eyeliners that have a sponge on the other end for smudging. Apparently they’ve been around for years, but I just discovered them. Related story: I was recently using a brand new eyeliner of this type, and Gandalf (who likes to sit on the dresser near me while I put on makeup) batted it right out of my hand, and I still haven’t found it. I’ve looked everywhere. With a flashlight. It’s like he knocked it into another dimension – maybe the same one where all the lost socks go.
What I’m drinking: International Delight Cinnabon in my coffee, and Crystal Light Mojito! (Not at the same time. Yuck.)
The fall fragrances I can’t get enough of in my home: Airwick Apple Cinnamon and Yankee Candle Autumn Leaves. Having burned through the last of my Autumn Leaves (ha ha), I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to stock up, but they didn’t have it! They had all the other fall candles, on sale, but no Autumn Leaves. Crisis! If I still can’t find it in the next couple of weeks, I’ll order it direct from Yankee Candle, because it makes me that happy.
Oh, and switching from an original model Droid Eris to an iPhone 5 is like going from a Ford Taurus to a Ferrari. I didn’t expect the difference to be so pronounced. My Droid took forever to do anything, but the iPhone responds instantaneously. The Droid needed to be charged constantly, but the iPhone holds a charge for two days! Such luxury.
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I don’t know if it’s the shorter days already affecting me (and we’re still in DST, people), or other things, but I’ve felt increasingly down over the last couple of weeks. It can be hard for me to find the right balance of time alone and time with people – I’m an introvert and need regular downtime, but if I’m alone too much, I get lonely and depressed. It’s a bad sign when I start feeling alone even in a crowd. Sometimes it’s a very fine line. Also, although I love fall, this time of year can be a little difficult for me due to past events. In the present, I’m worried about my cat Peach, who’s not eating much and getting way too skinny despite my best efforts. Finally, I lost my camera at a wedding reception this weekend. I foolishly left it out on the table along with all my friends’ cameras, and at some point I guess it was stolen (the caterers found a lot of left-behind things, but no camera). I was holding out hope that the reception hall staff found it, but I just got confirmation that they have not. Thankfully, I still have my old camera (and my new iPhone includes a pretty good one), but I’m still sad and angry at myself. Aside: This is an example of why it’s so important to import and back up your pictures regularly! I only lost a few photos because I’m vigilant about backup. If this had happened to my mom, who literally transfers photos from the camera to her computer ONCE A YEAR, it would have been devastating.
Anyway, via a random series of links this morning, I discovered Parker Fitzgerald’s 365 Polaroid Quotes project. I looked at every one – I couldn’t stop. The combination of his beautiful, artistic photos and uplifting quotes (one example at the top of this post) truly comforted my soul. I now feel reassured about life, God, and the universe. If you need a little reassurance today too, check them out.
5 Comments + Posted in: what i'm into