a peach and a beach

7 weeks later..

2012-03-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

7 weeks seems like no time at all, but i don't remember what life was like before jan 21. one day i'll write my side of the birth story, but that just seems like too much work right now. i already feel guilty enough blogging when i should be writing thank you notes! i'm starting to hear little grunts coming from the baby swing so i doubt i'll have much time. i'll just make a few notes of some current events...

poppy is just now really smiling at us because she knows who we are.
she's slept from 10p-4a for the past 2 nights. woohoo!!
i survived my first week of work and my sister survived her first week of having poppy!
we took poppy to the beach for her first time last sunday. she loves being outside.
her first of many disney trips with her cousin, aunt, gi and myself (and uncle bo one day) is in 10 days!

i remember when i was dumb and pregnant saying something like "my baby will have to get on my schedule.. i'm not going to let her dictate what i do and when i do it" BAHAH! ignorance. everything i do and everywhere i go revolves around 1. when she ate last 2. when she will eat again 3. the weather (don't want to take her out in bad weather) 4. how we slept (too tired to dress on most days) basically, it's all poppy 24/7. and i'm good with that for now.

goals for this week: write thank you notes, upload pictures of poppy onto the computer because i haven't done that at all!

looking back on the last 39 weeks

2012-01-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

when i found out i was pregnant i immediately made the following statements:

i will not pig out just because i'm pregnant. i will only gain the 25-30lbs you are supposed to gain
i won't eat junk food. when i snack, it will be organic produce because what i eat feeds my baby
i won't complain. it is a gift to be able to grow and carry a baby. a gift that so many aren't blessed with.

this is what my pregnancy was really like:

i'm gonna go ahead and throw out a number here. because i need to own up to it... 64lbs. omg.
chocolate milk, sugary cereal (like 4 bowls a day sometimes), ice dream cones, candy, cakes, pasta
crying, whining, making jake rub my back and feet, making jake play with my hair until i fall asleep, begging a baby to hurry the heck up because i can't stand one more freaking night of near suffocation every time i roll onto my back for 2 seconds, making jake run some hot water in the tub so i can soak my feet... (poor jake!)

this is what i'll do differently next time:

not eat everything that isn't moving.
know beforehand and mentally prepare that pregnancy changes EVERYTHING about your body.
set more realistic expectations for myself
walk more, whine less

things i'm looking forward to about not being pregnant:

holding a wittle, bitty baby and being able to smell her little baby-scented head any time i want.
starting weight watchers and getting back into my old clothes that i miss so much. i'm looking at you, jcrew cords.
watching jake be a dad.
sleeping on my back, shave my legs while standing up, being able to pick up something off the floor when i drop it, painting my own toenails, not wearing carpal tunnel gloves and being able to feel my fingers again
pickle martinis, raw oysters and sushi

things i'll miss about being pregnant:

feeling a little butt pressed against the upper right side of my stomach, sitting on the couch watching poppy do somersaults
the food!
the smiles and "congrats" and well wishes you get from strangers out in public
being excused from having to do anything you don't want to do. "oh, you don't worry about doing that! you're pregnant... let me get that for you." :)
having poppy all to myself

photo by caroline ziebarth

jake has almost sworn off any more kids after dealing with me crying and pitching fits almost every night, but i owe it to poppy to have more kids so she can have what i have with my sister and brother. so buckle up, jake! these next few years are gonna be ~~hell~~ challenging! :)

photo by caroline ziebarth

love, michel

ginkgo biloba, please!

2011-10-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

I have a HORRIBLE memory. Sometimes it's a good thing... like when someone says, "Remember that really stupid thing you said/did in high school?" Chances are that I don't remember. On the other hand, I never remember any funny stories or good memories, either, without the help of a friend recounting the stories to me.

Today I was driving back to work from lunch and tossing back a few ~~thousand~~ milk duds when I had a really funny flashback of middle school. I wanted to write it down so that I could hang on to one story that I remembered all on my own. So here goes...

One Friday night, a group of my friends got together to go to a movie. I was probably 13 or so, and was into this guy named Shane. He was there that night with the group of friends to see the movie, and from what I can remember we were being little flirts (as 13 year old kids tend to be). I'm pretty sure we sat next to each other during the movie and I'm also pretty certain that we did that awkward thing where you both have your hands in the "palm up" position (because that's comfortable and natural??) on the armrest waiting for the bravest one to grab the other person's hand. Clearly, I had one hand (or both? I don't remember if the hand-holding action ever took place) free because I was scarfing down milk duds. After the movie, I remember hanging around waiting on my mom to pick my friend and me up, and I asked Shane to tie my shoe (because being a flirty teen makes you incapable of tasks you accomplished when you were 5 years old).

He got down on one knee and I threw my foot up on his thigh for him to tie my shoe and he suddenly got really awkward and weird. He tied my shoe and then awkwardly left. I didn't really think much of it at the time.

My friend and I got back to my house and went straight to the computer to get on AOL and instant message everyone on my buddy list like we did every. single. night. I remember I had one knee brought up to my chest in the chair while typing away, and I happened to glance down and see this sticky, brown, HUGE gross smear in the crotch of my jeans!!! I remember looking at my friend and us both freaking out wondering WHEN AND HOW I POOPED MY PANTS WITHOUT KNOWING IT! Suddenly, the lightbulb switched on and I realized that I had my box of milk duds between my legs during the movies and I must have dropped some while I was throwing them down my gullet at mach speed and being too preoccupied with the boy palm resting on the armrest in my peripheral vision. Then another lightbulb switched on (yeah, we're up to 2 lightbulbs.. try and keep up) and I realized why Shane got weird when he tied my shoe. HE THOUGHT I POOPED MY PANTS!

TEENAGE NIGHTMARE SOCIAL SUICIDE.

Thank the LORD his name popped up on my buddy list shortly after and I explained the whole thing to him. He laughed and made that horrible situation a little better. It became a little inside joke (teenagers LOVE inside jokes) and he called me "milk duds" for the rest of the year. I'm so glad he was a nice guy and didn't make a big deal out of it!

moral of the story: tie your own shoe. don't try to be cute and helpless.

and, slow down when eating candy in a dark theater. you don't have to empty the box before the previews.

and, most importantly, be able to laugh at yourself.

michel

a few favorites

2011-09-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

i haven't been posting many pictures lately, because my camera is always out on loan for loughtide beach weddings. luckily, after a hormonal cry fit because there were 2 or 3 grains of sand on my lens, my parents are now slow to ask to borrow my camera and they are getting their own. oops.

so my canon and i are reunited and it feels so good. here are some recent photos of my favorite new things... mostly in the nursery.

poppy print from etsy

curtains from ikea

my "football sunday" sewing project

a growing library

free art via lilly pulitzer calendar

can't wait for a baby to sleep in there

that's my name, don't wear it out.

scentsy-ish warmer from bath and body works

a few other favorites that i'm unable to photograph..

laying in bed not able to sleep because poppy is perfecting her butterfly stroke.

going to see lion king in 3d with my momma and sister.

watching amelia pet tarantulas at her first field trip, trying to wrap my head around loving another little girl more than i love her in just 4 short months.. i can't fathom it. i'm scared my heart will just burst from growing so much.

counting down the days until disney world! (34!!)

and the slight, very slight, hints of fall here in florida.. (no, not as in pretty leaves) just not suffocating in the heat when you walk outside for work in the mornings.. i take what i can get. and if that mean 85 degrees, it beats the heck out of 100 degrees.

- michel

a belated post. there's a theme going here...

2011-09-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

oops... again.

Actually, I've thought over and over again that I never posted to share about the gender reveal party... here's why I haven't: My readers are also my Facebook friends. You know I'm having a girl! You know her name is Poppy James Lough. You know I am beside myself excited. To update my status on Facebook makes updating my blog seem a little redundant. But, I'll do it anyway... because I was scolded by 2 of my 6 readers this weekend at my friend's wedding.

When we cut into that cake and found out we were having a girl, I could just see Jake crunching numbers in his head.. car, wedding, college tuition, sorority dues, clothes.. etc. Luckily, while he's been crunching numbers, Cadence has been tossing tons and tons of baby girl clothes my way. My friend, Sarah Beth, has been on a little Poppy shopping spree. I'm really hoping she doesn't get in trouble with her husband! :) But I'm not dumb enough to tell her to stop! Poppy is now a proud owner of her first Lilly Pulitzer dress. Not many fetuses the size of a banana can say that!

I'm 90% done with Poppy's nursery. I have a few more prints to order from Etsy and a rocking chair to find and paint, finish sewing the mobile and we'll be all set (see, that was my facebook status yesterday..). I was putting things away last week, and came across an old friend, Molly. She's looking a little rough around the edges. I guess anyone would after being stuffed in a box in an attic for 15+ years. I foresee a trip to the doll hospital in her future.

Also, football season is in full swing! yay for Saturdays! boo for Sundays! i just can't get into pro football. Instead of griping and whining every Sunday afternoon, I have decided to turn Sunday afternoons into crafting opportunities. This Sunday I will make...

Source: completely-coastal.com via Claire on Pinterest

...that's if i can get my act together and get to pensacola to buy burlap fabric.

if not..

Source: neststudio.typepad.com via Michel on Pinterest

tata for now,

michel

you might be a bad blogger if...

2011-08-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

..If blogger had to send you an email with your password, because you forgot it.

...If you are in your 2nd trimester of your first pregnancy and haven't blogged about it.

...If your occasional facebook wall post from your mom says "blog" and you still don't.

...If you are the photographer for the family business. Beach wedding season kicked my butt.
sorry for the lack of posting, ya'll! but, i'm back!

Today I go to the doctor to find out what I'm having. My appointment is in 2 hours, but I won't know what I'm having until tonight. Why? Because I'm a trend-loving dummy. I've jumped on the gender reveal party wagon and I want off! I remembered this little bit of information about myself (that I hate surprises) AFTER I suggested this party and invited people. I know that tonight I will be so glad that we did this, but all day today I will need to be distracted. My sister is the only person (ONLY PERSON, Cadence!!!) that will know what I'm having, as she is the little blue or pink cake baker. My in-laws, mom's parents, and my friend and her family are coming into town for the reveal! even my brother is coming. Considering this is not a major holiday, baby Lough should be very honored by uncle Bo's attendance.
They say that a mother always knows if she is having a boy or girl by intuition... pfft. I haven't the slightest. I guess if I HAD to guess one, I would probably guess I'm having a boy. This makes me cry. Not that I wouldn't LOVE that little boy to death. I would. That's the problem... I'm scared that if I have a boy, after the first few years he'll be all into boy stuff and he won't want to play with his mom. I don't know anything about boy stuff. My sister and I made Bo play dress up and pretty, pretty princess. It also scares me that one day my son will grow up, move away and marry a girl and be apart of her family. How do you even pretend to like the girl who steals your baby? That is my fear of the blue cake. That is why I cried in bed last night when Jake asked what my reaction would be if the cake is blue. Too much love for someone who would grow up to not need you.

A girl loves her mama. Mine is my best friend. My fear of a pink cake is the dreaded teenage years. I don't know if I can handle the responsibility raising a girl with high morale. I feel there would be lots o' wine involved. on my part, of course. :)

Either way, I feel like tonight I will really meet the little person growing inside me. I will be able to picture our little family. I'll know whose name I'll need to stitch on a christmas stocking. I'll know what little prizes to buy for the little squirt. Most importantly, I'll know what kinds of things I need to be pinning on pinterest! :)

xo, michel

*ps. sorry for any misspellings, grammar, or punctuation. i'm running behind for this doctor appointment and there is no time to edit!

whale of a tale

2011-03-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

i dream about whales regularly. by regularly, i mean every 2 months or so. that doesn't seem often, but those dreams are so vivid and real that i never forget any part of them. with other dreams i wake up trying to remember what it was i dreamt of so i can tell jake.

i had a whale dream last night.

Source: tineye.com via Emily on Pinterest

i was on a boat and the whale was far off in the distance when he noticed me. he came closer and closer, showing off his tail every time he swam nearer. he appeared to be almost smiling.

Source: breath-of-sunshine.tumblr.com via Jorge on Pinterest

then he tried to rock the boat making waves with his tail. i ran down into the boat and watched him through a porthole. he found me and starting trying to bite through the glass. his smile went away and he seemed to be snarling...

Source: weheartit.com via Joe on Pinterest

then i woke up and googled whale dreams interpretation.

To see a whale in your dream, represents your intuition and awareness. You are in tuned with your sense of spirituality. Alternatively, a whale symbolizes a relationship or business project that may be too big to handle. You are feeling overwhelmed. The dream may also be a pun on "wailing" and a desire to cry out about something.

Dreaming about a whale signifies power and strength. Everything being foretold by the dream is positive. Expect a good turn of events coming your way. Enjoy your business and love life with full confidence after dreaming about whales.

To dream of seeing a whale approaching a ship, interpret that you will have a struggle between duties, and will be threatened with loss of property.

If the whale is demolished, you will happily decide between right and inclination, and will encounter pleasing successes.

If you see a whale overturn a ship, you will be thrown into a whirlpool of disasters.

toddlers and tiaras

2011-03-21T14:45:00.001-07:00

howdy,

i know i mentioned i did the disney princess half marathon last month, but i wanted to go a little bit more in depth with pictures in hopes that it will inspire you to join me and the 17,000 other princesses running next year!

the day before the race we picked up our race packets and walked around the expo for an hour or so. they had a TON of really cute running gear for sale. things you didn't even know you were missing out on! i got a cute t-shirt made of bamboo (super soft) and the best earpiece ever!

the morning of the race we woke up at 2:40a (which, by the way, is 1:40a in my timezone). we got ready by the light of our cellphones so as not to wake up the sleeping baby. we met up with our friends who were also running the race at 3:15a in front of the shuttles. and then the party started!! a DJ was getting everyone pumped up with fun music. there were tiaras, boas, dresses, and glittery princesses EVERYWHERE! the energy was so high that you would not have guessed it was 3:00a....

so here we go....

red carpet fun!

fireworks for every corral

a magic spell at the start line from the fairy godmother

capt. jack sparrow (blurry bc i was running before the sun came up)

space mountain! mile 4ish

coming up on the castle!

tomorrowland mile 5ish

mile 8 or 9 and still smiling!

hot air balloons

look closely - all those ppl BEHIND us!

our friends caught up with us at the end!

epcot - mile 12

aaaand done!

seeeee!?! don't ya wanna go lace up and hit the pavement now!!

so much entertainment along the way - highschool marching bands, gospel choir, characters, people on stilts, acrobats, cheering crowds... it's just plain magical.

worth every penny! do it! you won't regret it.

-michel

greedy girl

2011-03-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

oh, you thought i was serious when i said i would be posting everyday? silly rabbit!

lately i've noticed that most of my sentences begin with "i want..."

i try to stop myself, but it just slips out.

i want:

stand up paddleboard

i want:

canon 7d

i want:

to be a mama

Source: None via Sarah on Pinterest

to look like her...

Source: joannagoddard.blogspot.com via Jane on Pinterest

but to eat like this...

Source: mybakingaddiction.com via Torie on Pinterest

a new sofa

Source: sofa.com via Ben on Pinterest

and then i remember...

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (matthew 6:21)

no one can serve two masters. either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. you cannot serve both God and money. (luke 16:13)

and the want list shrinks.

x, michel

deserted

2011-03-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

oops. i just saw a tumbleweed blow across the screen... this blog looks like a deserted ghost town. my apologies, reader. but i sort of have an excuse.. ya see... well... ehh... i got nothin. here's a little bit of what i've been up to while away:

i had a very good pal and her kiddos come to visit
i shot a wedding:

i went to disney world with my mom, sister and niece:

i ran the disney princess half marathon with my mom:

excuse the ~~sweat~~ glistening - 6 miles in

i visited with a sweet little baby girl, Eisley. and her people. must not forget her people. they cooked for me, gave me vanilla coke zero, gave me a place to lay my head, poured me bowls of cereal :), endured my messiness, fixed my nappy hair. (ps. creating a chic ponytail is an talent i do not possess.) needless to say, i love the folds mucho mucho!
i was in a wedding. not just a wedding, but the wedding. my friends, sarah beth and gabe tied the knot last weekend in a very sweet, very FUN wedding. sarah beth is my most thoughtful friend and i'm glad we were in each other's weddings:

the three amigos. love these girls and our fun memories.

some bridesmaids at rehearsal dinner - katie, lindsey, me, jennygray

seeeee... i have been busy! i'll be back next week in full force!

p.s. my sister and i were on one of our favorite blogs, here!

material girl

2011-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

i could spend hours reading blogs and pinning things on pinterest, but sometimes i get bummed because i can't buy everything i like. silly, i know.

one day i was looking around my house and thought "i love my stuff." i may not have every little thing i see that i like, but who does? and really when all is said and done stuff is stuff. if the house burns down, i'm grabbing jake - the rest is replaceable. but i sure would miss my stuff ;) i walked around the house and snapped some pictures of a few things that make me happy.

mickey mouse cookie jar

my magazine collection - the only thing i hoard

my memaw's girl scout handbook - circa 1952

my coffee cup collection - this is the newest to the group

my medal - a reminder of a goal i reached

my first love

a new summer dress

another dress i wanted forever and got 80% off

my mom's old sewing machine

salt and pepper shaker - pier 1... $3

the books on my nightstand

respect the recession and appreciate whatcha got! word? (don't remind me that i said this when i'm whining for a new camera)

michel

date night - portraits

2011-01-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

as i previously posted, the lough family is getting back to basics. we had our first date night in a while.

we turned on the big chill soundtrack (highly recommend) and broke out the painting supplies for portrait date night.

the supplies

my drawing of jake - hold the laughter :)

don't worry - i'm going to stick to my day job!

jake should stick to his day job, too!

oh man... i really hope i don't look like the picture jake painted! yikes. and i am now super self-conscious of my moles on my face (i prefer to call them "beauty marks")

when i hear "mole" i think of this:

moley, moley, moley

it was a pretty fun date. we talked and sang and laughed.

total cost: $10 for the canvases. i had everything else.

nice to mole you,

michel

she bakes!

2011-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

a couple of weeks ago i was looking up recipes for a few freezable meals for a friend who just had a baby. i was so overwhelmed by all of the delicious recipes posted out there on the world wide web that i shut down and ended up baking. whoops! that reminds me, i still need to cook for her! i found an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that i needed right then and there! i added chocolate chips because it was friday, and everyone knows you add chocolate chips on friday.

throw the goods in the bowl

stir it up, little darlin

spread the love on a cookie sheet and bake

and, because a family friend was in town and had a birthday, i baked a cake!

before the powdered sugar shower

hope your day is sweet!

michel

i'm reinstating date night. dang it.

2011-01-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

via on Pinterest

once upon a time there was a young couple who did fun stuff all the time. every day felt like a date. they dressed up in 70's clothes from a thift store and went to a fancy restaurant in atlanta. they did things like that all the time - totally enjoying each other's company, hardly noticing anyone else around. they set up a campground (huge tent, sleeping bags) in the living room and told ghost stories and sang campfire songs.

fast foward almost six years...

we they spent this evening watching food network, dawson's creek, and how i met your mother... in ~~our~~ their sweats.

and that's ok. we're married. that's just life. but there needs to be some dating too. a gal needs to be pursued. it's not ALL jake's fault. (heh. kidding) money is tight and when you think "date night" you think money. after 6 years, sometimes it seems as though we have no more tricks up our sleeves.

that's not always the case. and we need to remember that.

thanks to the ole blog-a-roo i've found great ideas for expensive (or free) date nights. it just takes a little thinking. most of these don't even involve leaving the house. date night is about spending time together - chatting, laughing, learning things you didn't know about the person who hogs your sheets every night.

via on Pinterest

paint portraits of each other.
cook 2 new recipes - one person picks the main course. the other person picks the dessert.
put together a puzzle or play a 2-person board game.
video game night.
create bucket lists together.
read the same book and have a little book club night. discuss the book over coffee and dessert.
go through old yearbooks together.
museum/ art gallery/ local brewery.
geocaching.
staycation at a bed and breakfast.
progressive dinner.
day dates - antique stores, thrift stores, movie dates {cause it's cheaper in the day ;)}

some of these are cheesy, or are better in theory. but it sure beats the heck out of what we are doing now!

via on Pinterest

if you have ideas i would love to hear them!

here's to reinstating date night and the pursuit of feeling pursued.

xx, ml

summer

2011-01-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

i know. i know what you are thinking about the title. here goes THAT girl always wishing away every season. i admit.. by august, i'm usually dying for cooler weather. i try not to complain, because it bugs me when people are always wishing for the next season.

but i was made for summer.

i moved to the beach! i was a mermaid in another life - i just know it. i look better in the summer. i feel better in the summer. i'm just generally a happier person in the summer. i like the summer foods, the summer clothes, the smell of sunscreen, the cover bands playing at the local restaurants. i love the way that my feet and fingers don't get numb in the summer and the way my hair doesn't stick to the side of my face from static. i love the forgiving summer clothing that says "go ahead. there is still plenty of room in this flowy dress for that margarita and chips and salsa."

and then i came across the most beautiful summer images:

via on Pinterest

come on, summer. i need you near. i promise i won't swear at you for your humidity, stickiness, and for making my hair frizz. i'm sorry. please come back.

sorry for being THAT girl (but not really all that sorry),
ml

Q&A

2011-01-14T22:04:00.000-08:00

Q: Tell a story about you and each of your brothers and sisters.

the siblings

disney 1997?

A: oh man. ok.... you asked. well, you really didn't but i'm pretending you did.

bedtime games: a sister story

when we were young our dad built a dollhouse headboard that sort of looked like this:

except it seemed much bigger. everything does when you are a kid, but our bed was a full or queen so it had to be bigger. i say "our" bed because there is a time where it is all very fuzzy whose bed was whose. we all shacked up. it was musical beds at the oliver house. sometimes (a lot) cade and i would "trick" bo and she would sneak in my room after he fell asleep. for the most part though, it was 3 little pigs in the bed. until i became too cool for sleeping with my younger siblings and then there were two. oops, i digress...

anywaaaaay, when it was just cadence and me (or when bo was asleep) we would take turns hiding a ittttty bittttty teeeny weeeeny polly pocket and the other person would have to find it in the dollhouse. the dollhouse headboard stored a ton of stuff - books, stuffed animals, trinkets, etc. so there were many places to hide ole polly.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leoniesparnaay/4449793169/ - i'm talking about this kind of polly pocket. not that new crap. i'm talking about choking hazard polly.

the game would go on forever (way past bedtime) and when we got bored with that we would take turns tickling each other's back... problem with that was that cadence always fell asleep before it was my turn. ALWAYS. i'm not bitter. nope, not me. even though i always tickled her back. i remember those nights like it happened last week. i'm glad the girl across the hall for all those years was, and is, my very best pal.

FILLED!!!: a brother story

when we were young there was a man who came to our church and every time he came, he would pray for people and yell "FILLED" and touch their heads and they would fall back... someone would catch them and help them lay down.

this video kinda gives you an idea of what i'm talking about... can you imagine seeing all this happen from a kid's perspective!?!

as a kid, we thought this made INCREDIBLE trampoline fun. cadence, bo and i would take turns being the "filled man" as we liked to call him and push each other on the forehead causing the others to fall on their backs.

well, that was all fine and dandy on a trampoline.

i'm a little fuzzy on the details, but i remember it was about bedtime and we were in the living room acting like wild banshee. bo was standing on the arm of the recliner (that's never a good idea), and we were playing "filled". i don't remember if i was the "filled man" or if cadence was, but bo sure enough got filled. filled with the corner of our brick fireplace in the back of the head.

bloody mess. crying. guilty looks shot back and forth between the sisters.

thankfully, our very good family friend/doctor came over to patch up little bo-bo. bo was sporting a cool indian headpiece (bandage wrapped around his head) for a little while and we laugh about the filled game every time bo shaves his head and you can see his scar.

gotta love those siblings!

- michel

birthday bash!!

2011-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

is today my birthday? well, no.. is it any time soon? well, no... BUT it is going to my 25th birthday in june! that's kind of a big birthday - a quarter of a century! i've had my eye on ideas for the celebration for quite some time. i suppose it will come down to the condition of my uterus. if it is occupied, i'll probably be keeping it low-key.

ideas i keep coming back to:

i NEED this cake.

renting a charming lil houseboat and floating down the suwannee river

this dinner party seems perfectly low-key

taking an amtrak to austin, tx

the amtrak and houseboat ideas are a bit costly.. it's a big birthday though, riiiight??

i'm thinking a dinner on the beach with a rainbow birthday cake is more likely. and that is fine by me.

xoxo, ml

one.

2011-01-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

one year.

365 days of floridianism. hey! what do ya know!? i invented a word!

i remember exactly what i did on jan 10, 2010. i woke up at my friend's parents' house (because we were basically homeless) and went to mcdonald's for breakfast.

then, swore i would never eat mcdonald's for breakfast ever again.

went to church - the same church i had been a part of for 23 years. soaked it up. got in the car and headed south. on the way down we listened to an audiobook - the last song by nicholas sparks. heh, poor jake. we got to my parents' house (where we would live for 3 FULL MONTHS!) and i plopped my tush in the chaise. i stayed there for 2 months watching hgtv only getting up to eat (sometimes i ate on the chaise) and sleep (sometimes i slept on the chaise).

i do not exaggerate. ever.

we had no money. well, actually we had a lot of money that we saved up to move. we just weren't able to spend ANY of it because we had no jobs in sight. luckily, now i have a great job! unluckily, i spent all that money. dang it.

i've learned a couple things since moving here:
1. summers are AWESOME. it's like a 6 month vacation from march to september.
2. winters are dark and boring and filled with old people.
3. there are great yardsales, plenty of thai restaurants, and as many bingo halls as there are seashells.
4. if you live on the water, they will come. (think field of dreams) every weekend. and i love it.
5. it's almost impossible to find a place to rent on the water that isn't furnished with cheap beach decor. {i.e. current living situation}
6. you have to have a kid to make friends... well i know this isn't always the case, but it SEEMS that there is a secret club you only get invited into if you have kids.
7. this isn't a hometown. it's a military town so people are always coming and going. i miss that about griffin. i can drive into the city limits of griffin and know the people i see driving by.
8. i can't wait to raise little beach bum surfer kids. and hopefully make a friend or two. sheesh.
9. there is nothing wrong with a town that has 3 starbucks within 10 miles of each other. :)

this is my backyard.

come and see me! - ml

Q&A

2011-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

hiya pal! i think i told you that my sister gave me a blog in a jar. there are 52 questions in here to get us through 2011. let's fire this baby up! :)

Q: what is the most difficult thing a mother/father has to do?

A: well... hm.. i'm not a mother so this is more difficult than i thought.. i was hoping for a question about favorite lip glosses or mascaras. i guess what SEEMS like the most difficult thing that a mother/father has to do would be to raise your kid to be the person that you want him/her to be and then having to let go and let them make their own mistakes and choices. free will scares the heck out of me. but just seeing your kid hurt in anyway and not being able to help them or take the hurt away would seem like the most difficult thing a mother/father has to do.

what do you think? i can think of dozen other things that seem difficult about parenthood. geez. makes a gal wanna hop right up on the baby-making train, huh? pffft.

all aboard?

- ml

yay for fun!

2011-01-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

hope you had a lovely Christmas and a happy new year! i sure did. let's review, shall we?

the family, christmas eve 2010

in my time capsule... yeah, 14yo michel was clearly confused as to how this works...

also in my time capsule.. oooh me.

we unwrapped presents

we laughed and laughed

santa came!

partying it up on NYE 2010

we had hungry girl's bella bella bellini

amelia's last picture of 2010

we made smores

we played catchphrase!

we fell out of hammock chairs...and by "we" i mean just adam

don't you just love a new year? a fresh start? jake and i sat down and thought about what we want to see happen for us in 2011. good stuff ahead!!

what are some of your goals/resolutions for 2011? what was your high and low of 2010?

mine - high: becoming an aunt and floridian
low: leaving my wonderful friends

tomorrow is my first day back at work in over 2 1/2 weeks. i'm looking forward to getting back in a regular routine and knowing what day it is!

until next time, ml

future me.

2010-12-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

10 years ago my siblings and i made time capsules that we are opening christmas eve. i can't imagine what 14-year-old michel put in the capsule, and the excitement of this discovery is almost too much for me to bear! the only condition is that i have to take things to add for 2020. i don't want to list the things i'm adding because i don't want to remember. i want to surprise myself with new-again goodies! i will, however, let you read the note i wrote 34-year-old future me. because i know you are waiting on pins and needles. on christmas eve. i'm sure my blog is ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT. :) so - wait no longer, friends!

Dear 34-year-old me,

34!! wow. that seems so old! i hope you took care of your skin and got better about sunscreen and moisturizer than you are right now! i guess you and jake probably have kids now as the idea of that doesn't make you wake up in cold sweats and panicking anymore. i wonder what you would say to a 24-year-old you… would you tell me to stop complaining about my size 8 body and enjoy it while it lasts? would you have done anything differently? what's been your greatest accomplishment since 2010? right now some of the most recent accomplishments are packing up everything and leaving behind your hometown to move to florida with jake. it was an accomplishment because we saved so much money and we really leaned on each other for support. we had to trust God to move in big ways - he did. you got a job almost immediately working for sonny davis. i wonder if you are still working there?? you also ran your first half-marathon with your mom right before her 48th birthday. that's a big deal!! your time was 2:45:59 and you are getting ready for your next one in disney world! right now you live right on the water in navarre, fl in a townhouse. it's an awesome view and i love for people to come visit, but it's a commute to work, church, and life in general. we are hoping to move closer to everything in april. i wonder where you live now?? i hope you got to buy a house and decorate it just the way you like. i wonder what your style is? right now you can never decide. sometimes you like all white rooms with a pop of color (like blue or red) and a modern white couch. sometimes you like warm cozy rooms with a fluffy brown couch with kids' painting framed on the wall.

you became an aunt this year. amelia was born in may and she stole your heart! she has the blondest hair, bluest eyes, and rosiest cheeks. i bet she thinks you're awesome! i can tell she thinks that now she just can't say it :) when you have kids, the names you really like are : poppy, cate, olive, oliver, bear, mac, elsie, bea, caroline, ruby, and you recently decided you liked felix - jake shot that one down. :( i wonder what you chose??? i wonder how many kids you have? are you done? it would surprise me if you had a kid after 34, but hey - ya never know!

it's hard for me to say what is popular these days, because (as you probably know) i'm a classics kinda girl. i like old movies, old music (or indie, unheard-of stuff). youtube is huge. i wonder if it still is? in case you forgot (which you probably did given your memory) youtube is where EVERYONE videos themselves and anyone can watch. it's basically for having a good laugh at someone. however, i taught myself how to crochet on youtube. do you still do that? you also like to do hand embroidery. do you still do that? if not, please get back into it. it's something you loved. you also dab a little here and there in photography and do beach weddings for loughtide beach weddings. is that still around, i wonder? facebook. ohhhh, facebook. is facebook still kicking in 2020? right now it's crazy huge. and twitter. everyone is so connected and, at the same time, disconnected. everyone is always plugged into the internet/social network that sometimes we don't pay any attention to life that is happening all around us. sometimes i have to make myself put down the phone and enjoy the moment. momma is really good at enjoying the moments. everyone says i'm just like her. i hope i still am. because of all the technology and lack of real people interaction, a lot of people are really into vintage things, homemaking, and handmade things. at least, i think that's why people reach for that so much. it just makes you remember that slow and imperfect isn't always bad and that the latest, greatest, quickest isn't always best. the environment is a big issue now. everyone talks of doing their part to make the world cleaner. we've done a lot of damage, and the reverse is much harder. most people who are trying to "go green" recycle, have stopped using plastic water bottles, take reusable bags to the grocery store, and don't buy new. also, other big issues are legalizing gay marriage, will there be social security for people my age when we get older, the war on iraq that has been going on for 9 years.

i hope this letter finds you well. i hope you still enjoy life as much as you did 10 years ago. i hope you still learn new things and work on always being a better person. i hope you love and i hope you are grateful. the first 24 years have been a blast!

here's to 44-year-old michel and may gravity be kind to her! ;)

love, yourself

no. seriously. love yourself.

and there ya go! merry christmas eve!

this little light of mine

2010-12-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

dilemma: needed two gifts. it's almost christmas and our gift budget has dwindled to very little.

what to do? what to do? make it!

first i found some little cups at goodwill for $1 each.

then i melted wax from two candles i got from walmart for $.88 each

then i removed the wick from the melted wax and tied it to a spaghetti noodle to sit over the cup. pour in the wax. try not to make a mess or your husband will say "i told you so" or something.

go for a 4.5 mile run* while you let the wax dry! cut the knot that is tied to the noodle and TA-DAAAA!!!

*attempting 4.5 miles after a month hiatus between half-marathons is NOT advised. things will ache. that is all.

soak up these last few christmas days!!

-michel

candy making 101

2010-12-22T21:03:00.000-08:00

howdy. the peppermint bark extravaganza did not take place until tonight due to the wrong kind of peppermint extract. i had peppermint essential oil that i used for a sugar scrub and almost used that until i saw "FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY". yikes! plus, i wanted to wait and make it with my sister. here are some step-by-step shots..

find cute holiday-shaped cookie cutters and fill them with chocolate. yuuuum. and DON'T LICK YOUR FINGERS. otherwise, you will not get to step 2 because you will not stop licking! (or is that just me?)

find something heavy and beat the heck out of your peppermint candies. afterall, they are about to be apart of something very ~~bad~~ delicious! then sift the powder from the bigger pieces and mix the powdery part in the white chocolate.

add white chocolate (which you add peppermint extract to). add the candy pieces. stick in the freezer and find something to do for 10 minutes so that you don't eat it before it's hardened. that would be ~~terrible~~ yuuuuuummmmmy and gooey.

take a knife if you need help getting the bark out of the cookie cutter. i put them in cute little bags to give to people... after i had some to make sure it turned out right (always do that. it's the right thing to do)

and because i never promised to be chef, you may want to follow up with someone who knows what they are doing for actual directions. it's not hard. you can do it!

i will now leave you with the cutest thing you've seen all day:

-michel

a fresh face and a new start

2010-12-21T20:10:00.000-08:00

hey! i'm michel. this has been my blog address for about 2 years and i have been slacking on and off ever since! for the two of you that previously read my blog, you may have noticed all the previous posts are gone. i feel like my old blog never really had any direction and i want a fresh start. we all deserve one, right!? first of all - i'd like to say i'm sorry for the lack of capital letters and the run-on sentences. i don't like the way capital letters look and i have a fear of improper comma placement. therefore, i just don't use them. except that i just did... hmm..

i hope to have a bit more structure this time around and once a week i will have a little Q & A time. my sister gave me a "blog in a jar" for christmas. it has 52 questions or prompts for me to discuss so that you can get to know me a little better and it also helps me when i don't have much to say! thanks cadence! ps. you can follow cadence's blog here!

that's all for now. i'll get going with this after the holidays. i'm about to watch home alone 2 and make this peppermint bark!