january

January is promising me that things will become routine, and our life here will feel whole and full soon. 

We got year passes to the zoo so we can go whenever we want. I think of this as a good investment for us. So many animals to see and it never gets old because they do different crazy things every day. 

The view of the sun from the giant pier that is a short walk from our house…this will never get old either. I could watch the sun and the sea there in any weather, at any time of day. It's a magical place.

One favorite daily ritual: My coffee sometimes gets cold before I finish it. There is about a third of a mug left some mornings. When that happens I add a drizzle of maple syrup, a few ice cubes, and top it with milk. It is the most deliciously easy iced coffee.

Happy long weekend! We're gonna explore. And maybe go to the zoo again. xo

 

p.s. photo credit to Jeff for taking 90% of these.

beach week

We spent a perfect week at my family's beach house last week. I don't want to ruin it with words, but the feeling I have when my existense consists of swimming, letting the sun beat on me, reading on a porch swing, being fed, playing with my sister's dog, taking outdoor showers, and going on walks or bike rides - all with people I love - is the BEST FEELING there is. I want to live on the beach forever, surrounded by everyone close to me.

7/4

We headed to the beach in the early morning before the rest of America arrived. For two hours, the ocean belonged to us. There are no waves on this beach, so we think of it as a lake with the benefit of ocean sounds and smells.

this place is a beaut

In winter, even here where there is no snow to transform the landscape, the beach is an entirely different place from the hot, crowded beach of summer. It's beautiful for sure - despite the violent wind that forced us to walk with our backs toward the whipping sand and cut our picnic short. A nice break from the dog days.

P.S. Bringing a Canadian to the beach in winter is an experience in itself, I think.

scenes from the beach in winter

This year is starting off great. Happy 2012!

Pictures from a walk on the beach after Christmas. The sights and smells are just as good in winter as in summer.

the beach house

 

Jeff and I met my family at my grandparent's beach house last week. We ate delicious granddaddy-prepared-breakfasts and multiple watermelons. We played beach volleyball and swam in the canal. We danced in the dark and played a ridiculous amount of four-square. I want to live like that all the time. I can't wait to go back.

Also squeezed into our trip: eastern nc bbq with my dad's family in the town I grew up in; lunch at a favorite pizza place; catching up with a sweet, old family friend, and a trip to my grandma's house where we spied on newborn kittens and ate her good cookin'.

 

1. applying spf liberally  2. yard dancing  3. net casting  4. sunset  5. leah on the stairs   6. pulled pork tacos courtesy of lauren + nathan  7. leaving (detour/lost/middle of nowhere)

my husband's birthday

 

Jeff is 23 today.

I'm still not used to calling him husband. I love it, but it makes me feel all grown up every time I say it.

He is my favorite person in the universe. I'm very lucky to call him husband. Even if he thinks I'm silly for getting more excited about his birthday than he is.

We share a birthday week, but this day is especially his. I woke up with him (while still dark out) and made him breakfast and a smoothie. More celebrating tonight.

a summer evening. north carolina 2009

You know when you spend the day at the beach
(eating, swimming, reading, swimming, napping, swimming, etc.)
and suddenly you realize the beach is nearly empty?

That is my favorite time to be at the beach.

Around 7pm, I can try to surf or skimboard without worrying about
running into people or making a fool of myself in front of a crowd.

The beach belongs to me and whoever is with me.
That is one of the best feelings in the world.

*My dad always said that this time of day is feeding time for the sharks.
Maybe that made it more fun/exciting to play in the water?

leah's arrival

Leah and Jeff with some of the dead jellies that washed up all over the beach. Parents being in love. Getting to spend some time with the people who know me best.

My parents drove to Savannah over the weekend to drop Leah here for her spring break. We are cramming all of our favorite sister activities into a week. Fun fun fun!

paradise (jeff's island)

 

I love this place so so much. I mentioned that Jeff and I flew out to the Marshall Islands over the summer of my eighteenth birthday (to visit his parents who were still living there at the time). I call Kwajalein "Jeff's Island" because he lived there from junior high until college (what? how lucky is he?). Kwajalein is a tiny little island that is a completely different world than anywhere else I can imagine.

Vehicles are bikes. Leisurely afternoon activities include shark watching, snorkeling, sea turtle petting, or finding the biggest hill to ride down. The teensy grocery store is called surfway instead of safeway. Spam is sold in the vending machines. Cell phones don't work and aren't missed. Picnics and night swimming are regular occurrences.  The sunsets are spectacular. So are the stars. There is an outdoor theater that plays movies for free. The beaches are small and never crowded. When it rains, everyone just wears rain suits over their clothes and bikes wherever they need to go. Everything is so simple, and so perfect.

If Jeff lands a job out there we will be the happiest people in the world.