DC Again

** This is the largest number of photos I have ever, ever posted. Some of them are even objectively good. I am just a little bit proud of myself.

If I could visit DC every spring for a couple days, I think I would be happy. There’s something special about that city. This trip was brief, but it was just enough to refresh my spirit and make me feel really good about people, again.

I flew in on Tuesday morning and was able to stop in and see Timothy at his truck while he worked on the NatGeo Bee. We had a quick lunch, he showed me around the “office” (not a euphemism), and I ventured off to the American History Museum,  one of the spots we missed on last year’s trip. Three hours was more than enough for me to see everything (I was on my own, but I do like to stop to read and engage if given the opportunity). My two favorite exhibits were Julia Child’s kitchen (now a part of “Food: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000) and The Star-Spangled Banner. I spent a good long while at the Julia Child exhibit. Finally seeing those copper pots up close actually brought me to tears (totally embarrassing, everyone saw).

Julia instagrammed

I also got a little wispy over the Spotsylvania Stump. It may have just been an emotional day. I don’t know.

I popped into the Natural History Museum on my way back to our hotel to take a look at the gemstones/minerals and “The Birds of DC” which has been on display since the 1920s. The empty hallway it is displayed in, as well as being reminded of the forever sad story of the Passenger Pigeon, left me a little down. What is my problem. I bought a lovely chunk of turquoise and a mandala coloring book to make myself feel better. You know how it is.

We had dinner at Zengo, where I was emotional (again) over duck daikon tacos and lemongrass sweet potato.

On Wednesday, Timothy had to get up at 5am to go to work. I slept in and spent my day at The National Zoo. Sadly, the panda habitat was closed, as was most of the Asia Trail (I did get to see the Sloth Bears). I spent a lot of time in the reptile house, though, and was absolutely content.

Here are some photos of animals and the funniest memorial bench I have ever seen in my life.

see?

I do not like monkeys, but my monkey photos came out nicely.

I had a good ten minutes to hang out with this Komodo Dragon before anyone came around the corner. We were pals.

entrance to Reptile House

Basilisk lizard

Gopher torts ♥

Aldabra torts

I definitely hope to make it back to The National Zoo, again, as I would really love to see the pandas and the rest of the Asia Trail critters. It was a really lovely way to spend an afternoon, and I had a surprising amount of fun playing with this camera.

100 Things

This is a continuation of my list of one hundred things I am thankful for. I thought it would be nice to link up this post this week (at the bottom of this post), and that leads me specifically to my seventy-first…

71. the world being full of crazy beautiful different people
72. my eye color
73. art collaborations
74. open windows
75. Maine’s rocky coast (and living it with this boy)
76. salted caramel
77. friends who make me dream catchers
78. packing and purging
79. New England weather
80. The Smithsonian (visiting again in a couple days!!)

let the sun shine in

priming canvas // tort // downtown Dover // magic

I’ve been a bit manic lately. And depressed. And anxious. I don’t know how a person can feel all these things at once.

I have a lot going on, and a lot more that I would like to have going on. Does that make sense? I stress about not having a MASTER PLAN, but I feel too overwhelmed to make one for myself.  I’ve started back on my iron pills again, as of yesterday, which should hopefully get me out of this funk. I definitely need to be more proactive about my health. Summer (and life, gosh) is far too short to feel so out of sorts; there are too many wonderful things I need to do.

There is a lot of good surrounding me. This is going to be a happy, productive week.

Please, let’s all be kind to each other. Soak it in, breathe it out. I know I’m a happier person when I actively choose kindness.

++ You still have a few more hours to enter my gemstone giveaway. Leave a comment on that post if you’d like to win!

Mail Day: Second Stitch Fix Revealed!

My second Stitch Fix arrived in the mail, earlier this week! You can read all about my first Fix, here. Both experiences have been entirely enjoyable, and I highly recommend signing up if you’re interested in style! The price range absolutely reflects the quality of the items you receive. I paid around $40 for each of the shirts I’ve so far, and I am so pleased with both.

So. Let’s see what they sent me, this time!

• 41Hawthorn Hook Detail and Toggle Bracelet Set

I received bracelets in both of my fixes. While I originally signed up to receive jewelry items, I think I may change my settings. I am making a huge effort to choose quality handmade, ethically produced, or vintage jewelry that I absolutely love. The bracelets I’ve received from Stitch Fix have been nice, but they totally don’t fit my current standards. Besides, I would much rather have more clothes to try on!

• Collective Concepts Poplar Pintuck Bishop Blouse
• Mystree Tay Colorblock Crochet Knit Cardi
• Peppermint Summer Ruffle Detail Sheer Tank
• Awake Couture Linda Chevron Stripe Jersey Dress

Let me just tell you, before I show you photos, this Fix was SPOT ON. I had such a hard time choosing just one item. I honestly would have kept all four pieces if I had the money, this month. Sadly, I could really only afford the one item.

In the end, it came down between the navy blouse and the sheer tank top. The dress, even though I did like it a lot, was a bit too expensive for something I knew I wouldn’t wear often. The cardigan was absolutely 100% perfect, but I couldn’t quite make the price work for me, this time around. I am really, really sad to see that go.

I ended up choosing the tank top. It is summer, after all! The diamond print is great, and I fell in love with the buttons.

This top will be making its summer debut during my trip to DC in a week and a half!

++ PS. You can still enter my little gemstone giveaway! Pop on over to this entry and leave a comment if you’d like to win!

Mama Care Packages… Revealed (and a giveaway)!

I figured it would be safe to reveal what I’m giving my lady pals for Mother’s Day, as none of them read this blog (probably)!

Some background before the reveal: I am a… secret spiritualist? I don’t know. That sounds lame. I keep it to myself, mostly, so it’s kind of strange to put that out there. Atheist, definitely. I believe in freewill. I believe in science. I know old energy exists all around us, and I know life is simply amazing. I totally believe in ghosts (that’s another entry altogether), but I don’t believe in higher power. I believe that ritual is necessary, comforting, whatever that ritual may entail. A ritual may or may not result in something real or tangible, but what is real is different for everyone.

I love. I exist. I am made of stuff that is ancient.

So now that you know a bit about where I’m coming from…

I thought it would be nice to put together a tiny gemstone “care” package, something full of positive energy, for the deserving mothers in my life.

I chose these specific gemstones after doing a bit of research. What I have listed here are the powers that are commonly associated with these specific gemstones; I wanted to choose a combination that was healing, restorative, and balancing for these insanely hard-working women. I really do think, though, that any power can be applied to any object, and that this kind of energy association can work for just about anyone. I find these common associations a great starting point, and I rather like the idea of a focused, community energy.

Moonstone: symbol of femininity, soothes emotions, aids with stress

Picture Jasper: “Mother Earth” stone, grounding/harmonizing, absorbs negative energy

Rose Quartz: unconditional love and peace, restores trust/harmony

Amazonite: soothing, calms mind and nervous system, balances masculine and feminine energy

Sodalite: peace, healing, wisdom, dispels fear/guilt, stimulates trust

I knew that I had to include moon stone and rose quartz, and the others came up as I was searching certain characteristics. Aesthetically speaking, this ended up being a really lovely mix of stones.

** I have one extra set of these (with a handwritten and painted card) to give away. Leave a comment before 12:01am Tuesday, May 14th if you’re interested. I’ll randomly choose a winner on Tuesday. US only, please, and be sure to leave an e-mail so I can get in touch with you if you win! You can also tweet a link to this post for an extra entry. Please leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet if you choose to do so! ♥

++ I bought all my gemstones from Green Earth Stones on etsy.

100 Things

 

61. Crayola crayons
62. tides
63. iron supplements
64. having an October birthday
65. Bearna
66. making friends
67. air travel
68. my grandfathers
69. tower defense games
70. Kindle (or e-readers in general)

I’m not intentionally dragging this out. I have a great deal of things to be thankful for every day, every hour, every minute. It changes. Sometimes I am more shallow than I am insightful, and sometimes I feel bottomless, but I am always thinking how fortunate I am to be here, right now.

I have become fond of this weekend ritual.

Friends and Mothers

Thursday was the first of what I hope to be many “Girl Adventure” days, this summer. We hiked around a bit at Vaughan Woods in South Berwick and made a quick trip to Long Sands Beach in York (photo). Bigger hikes are in the works, but it was so nice to get outside.  It was even nice to just ride around in the car. The weather has been beautiful here, lately.

I have been fortunate enough to make a couple of actual friends at my current job, women that I really enjoy spending time outside of work with. This doesn’t happen often; as an introvert, making and keeping real friends has been hard for me as an adult. It is so easy for me to e-mail, tweet, and blog, but when it comes to face-to-face interaction, I am unbearably awkward.  I was so worried when I moved here three years ago that I would make no friends and have no life, especially if I didn’t immediately get into school. Now, I am definitely seeing a possibility of remaining friends with these women even after the inevitable exit from Goodwill.

We started out having after-work drink nights, but realized that having daylight excursions could be even more enjoyable. Plans are in the works for hiking trips, shopping trips, bowling, girl stuff.  It seems somewhat strange at a glance that I would bond with women who are mothers, since I have absolutely no point of reference.  Despite my inexperience in those particular matters, I am still made to genuinely feel like I offer stability and good advice. It’s nice. It’s empowering.

It was brought to my attention today that Mother’s Day is in one week. May and June can be a bit of a blur. I’ve been thinking about putting together a small gift for these friends who are mamas (and one of my childhood friends recently had a baby!). I like the idea of surprising them, and the action helps turn what is a somewhat down day for me into something a little more positive and loving. It should be a positive day. The moms I know deserve celebrating.