And How Was Your Summer?

NOTE: As soon as I figure out how to post more than three pics at a time, you will see more of my summerstime shots. Until then, enjoy these.

You might have noticed that it's been a while. Well, no excuses here. Just the facts. Busiest. Summer. Ever. And it does not even "officially" end until September 15th, the night of Dance Party (insert shameless plug here). So, what have I been up to? Well...


Road Trip. Davis and I traveled up to Ithaca (that's Cornell country, you know) to check in on Poodle once he was done with all his lawyering classes. God, it was good to see him. You know when you meet someone and things just click and you feel like you've known that person all your life? Well, the minute I laid eyes on Poodle and his JCrew ribbon belt, I knew we would be friends forever. He's the Givenchy to my Hepburn (not that I think I'm Audrey, I haven't become delusional!), always there to gently encourage and keep me from going out in gauchos and clogs. Kudos to Davis for putting up with the two of us for 48 hours. We ate well, laughed much and drank...just enough. And I got to meet the new beau AND the new dog. My little boy is all grown up!

Birthday. I turned 34 in June and so far, so good. I had my friends around me, my man by my side and a blue pearl firmly in hand. I got some awesome books that are currently piled high on the night stand and enough fancy note cards to last me a while. Do my friends know what I like or what? Bless their hearts, I'll probably burn through it by Christmas, though, Hallmark whore that I am.

Family. My brother and sister came to town for the Kool & the Gang concert earlier this month. I don't know how ML survived it all, we can be pretty rambunctious when we get together, and Mami wasn't with us, so things got very relaxed! It felt good to be able to show them a good time and have them see that I, too am grown (I'm the youngest by 10+ years, so no matter what I do, I'll always be the baby.) I'm proud of the life I've built here and I want them to know that they don't have to worry. Mission accomplished, I think.

Boyfriend. I celebrated ML's birthday. I threw him two parties, one for friends and one for the family. I know, I have a tendency to spoil him, but seriously, he's worth it. Friday night we gathered up the usual suspects for pizza (mashed potato pizza is awesome, say what you will) and beer and ice cream cake (devil's food, chocolate ice cream and peanut butter cups in cake form...holy crap!) at BAR . Saturday was family day, so I got up early and went to the farmers' market for salad fixings and fresh bread. On the menu: baked ziti, a green salad with super fresh veggies and homemade garlic bread. For dessert, ice cream cake (yes, MORE ice cream cake). His parents, younger brother and younger brother's girlfriend all came over and it was really nice. I think he was happy and I know he appreciated it. Also, I think he's going to take his new ipod to Massachusetts and marry it. I know how he feels, I'm still obsessed with mine and I got it last Christmas.

Work. Nothing new there, but it just seemed busier than usual. Maybe it's because we had FIVE interns to help so the hive was extra buzzy with projects we never get a chance to work on consistently. Maybe it's because people have become more aware of what we do and so they are asking more of us. Or maybe it's because I've gotten involved in more committees and projects outside of the office. I don't know. I do know that it's no where near over yet. Not to worry, I'm taking some time at the end of September to decompress and maybe get away.

Book. Still thinking about it, but not just thinking. I sent Benni the manuscript to see if she has any ideas for artwork. I printed out copyright forms, but have yet to fill them out. I even went on an archaeological dig and found the original notebook in which I wrote the thing. Lots of interesting bits in there, to be sure.

Ok, were all those things excuses? Maybe. The moral of this story is, I need to make some write. Notice I did not say "I have to", I said "I need to." That's a good sign, I think.