Tomorrow, Tomorrow

YAY! I will be in TN tomorrow.

This weekend I finished up some Christmas shopping, and I got my car worked on. That stinks. But Mark went with me to drop it off on Saturday and then drove me to the beach! We ate at our favorite Lighthouse restaurant on Key Biscayne and had a beer, then we walked on the beach. It was a really pretty day, and although we didn't have swimsuits on, we still kicked around in the water a little bit.

So I saw that TN is ELEVEN degrees today, and feels like ONE degree. So, please bring me a jacket and gloves, whoever is lucky/nice enough to pick me up from the airport!

See you all soon.
J

Emily IS Nashville!

Congrats Emily! We're going to be the doing the same job in different cities. Now we'll have code names, similar to Charlie's Angels. Now I can call her and say, "Hi Nashville, it's Miami."

So if anyone has restaurant suggestions for Emily, let me/her know!

1112 Whatup?!

:)

Oh we're going to be so fat and happy.

I AM Miami! :)

So I got a job. And I'm so excited about it! Let me tell you the details...

I'll be writing for HelloMiami.com

I AM Miami. I will be the reviewer of restaurants and events for the website. It's sort of like a city guide on the web. So I'm getting paid for my time AT the restaurant, reimbursed for my meal, and then paid for the actual writing of the article! Also if I attend an event, that will also be paid for (the event and my time at the event). I'm even getting business cards, so yeah, big time.

So far I'm going to do around 15 hours per week, but later (hopefully) I'll be able to work for them full time!

I just wanted to share my good news with you all! I look forward to seeing EVERYONE at Christmas. I'll be in town on Tuesday, the 23rd.

Love,
Miami.

70 Degree Saturday! - Really.

Wow, Miami is sure warm! (Since everyone was blogging about the snow, I thought I'd share my weather as well!)

Today my book club had a holiday party. We met at a member's house and each brought a dessert and a book (that we already owned, used) to swap. What a relief not to have to buy a new book! Then we played Dirty Santa with them. I ended up with a book of short stories by Alice Munro, which I very much wanted. Then we discussed the book Persepolis, which we had read for December. It was a graphic novel (comic book-ish) autobiography/memoir about a girl growing up in Iran in the 1980s. It was very good and I highly recommend it. Gopal (one of my housemates) is reading it now. Aunt Becky: I'm bringing you Bel Canto for Christmas, and I really think you're going to like it!

One of the girls I met through the book club is in the Coast Guard and she's from Bowling Green Kentucky. The dessert she brought (and made) was Chocolate Bourbon Balls. A true KY girl. They were very yummy. She brought a lot so she told me to take some home with me, and the boys at my house liked them very much.

Then I went to the library and to do a little bit of Christmas shopping. Sadly, I'm not too far along. I'm more excited about coming home than doing shopping! Can't wait to see you all.

Trapeze was a COMPLETE BLAST! I'm debating running away with the Circus, since I love sequins so much anyways. Patty has pics/video and as soon as she gives them to me from her camera I will share them with you all.

Trapeze Wednesday?!

That's right. Tomorrow I'm going to take a trapeze lesson!

Patty, Tamara, Julie and I are all going to Miami Beach after work tomorrow to undergo a 2 hour trapeze lesson! If the decision to go wasn't so last minute, then I would have prepared a sequined outfit to wear. Hopefully I'll remember to bring my camera, but if not, you all will get a full update about the experience, with or without pics!

What I'm reading now...
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

What I ate for dinner tonight...
Baked tomatoes, onions, zucchini and cheese with pepper and Italian dressing on spinach! A salad of sorts; fantastic!

What I'm listenting to...
People say she's crazy she's got diamonds on the soles of her shoes.
That's one way to lose these walkin' blues...

What I'm doing now...
Crashin'!

Shoutout...
to Nikki - hey cuz! Glad we got to catch up some tonight! Love!

Shoutout Two...
Sissy - Where ya at?!

:)

New Painting

Hey all. This is a painting I did yesterday. Just wanted to share it with you all. I think I'm calling it "Flame".

Anyway, not much happened yesterday, I painted, bought a new book, and ate at a Brazilian Steakhouse. The food was AMAZING! My new book is called The Complete Persepolis, and it's an autobiography about a girl growing up in revolutionary Iran. Pretty interesting, plus she wrote it as a graphic novel, which means it reads sort of like a comic book. But it is really interesting because the pictures are beautiful and it's still a really serious book. I never thought I'd be into that sort of book, but my book club picked it, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Also Mark and I took a walk around the neighborhood yesterday and it was close to sunset time. (We had to take a walk because we were so incredibly and grossly full from the fantastic Brazilian Steakhouse.) There were lots of houses that had spun Christmas lights around the bases of palm trees! I love it!

That's pretty much all for now. I'm going to do some research at the library soon for my article for the green search engine. (If you're lost, see the post before this!)

Love to all. See you all in just a few weeks. Christmas is almost here!

Go Green Writing!

This morning I had an interview at a place on Miami Beach. It was really awesome driving over the bridge and having all the water underneath me and tall tall buildings everywhere, and thinking, Man, I live here!

I believe I got the job, although it's a non-paid position. An internship. But it's something I'm really interested in, and there is a chance that I could get paid in time.

It's for a green/eco-friendly website that is just starting. It hasn't launched officially, and they are now working on generating more content and obtaining advertisements (to be able to PAY writers). So I'm submitting a few articles to them next week, and we'll see how it goes from there. I'm pretty excited, because if it works out, I could see this site go to a "hard launch" and would be able to see it grow and grow with it. If it doesn't result in a job of some sort (either writing/editing full time, part time, or freelance) then at least I will have some work under my belt.

About the pics: The first one is how I presented my resume and writing samples. I burned them onto a disc and painted the box that held it. On the front (the part you can see) I put my name, etc, and on the back I attached a rip piece of a crossword puzzle and in the empty squares I put my phone number. The second pic is Mark trying to force me into the picture.

So if anyone has any ideas about what kind of articles you'd like to see involving green living, alternative energy, eco-friendly technology, let me know! I've started brainstorming some things, and I even wrote a short article at work today.

So if anyone would like to check out the website, the address is....... www.greenplanetsearch.com
I think the photography is really top-of-the-line, and if you look at the website, it will be obvious as to why they need writers. There isn't a lot of content yet, but now that they have me, they're about to EXPLODE! Lol, okay, that's enough.

MAG-------> I can't wait to see your permit! Good job baby! I love you, and happy 1-5! (Next year you can sing, "I am sixteen going on seventeen..." and that'll be awesome.)

Curling up with a book and a blanket. See you all soon.
J

I heart weekends...

These are our plants after just one week! They are really growing.

Last week at work was slightly crazy. We're getting ready for a huge trial in January, and Ray is traveling all over taking depositions and talking to experts getting ready for it. Also we're having a Thanksgiving potluck the day before Thanksgiving, and I'm going to make a casserole of some sort. I found a glass casserole dish at Ross for $6! So I'm thinking either broccoli/cheese casserole or hashbrown...or if anyone has a tastier one I should try, let me know!

Mark and I are going to eat these fantastic subs later from Mario's. It's this Italian place really close to our house, and everything they make is amazing! Monday nights their pizzas are cheaper, and the garlic/pepperoni is the best! Anyways, I've been thinking about that meatball sub since I woke up. Can't wait! Then we're going to see a movie at 3. Gotta take advantage of the matinee at the moment!

Miami's 25th Annual Book Fair is downtown this weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to meet up with a girl from my book club, have lunch, and browse the books! There are lots of authors going, both English and Spanish, so I'm hoping to find some good stuff. I also heard that a lot of artists set up booths of their work, too, so I'm excited.

That's really all for now! I'll be home on Thanksgiving day very early, so I'll definitely be at all the festivities. Can't wait for the fabulous food and treats! And, of course, to see all of you! Love!

It's been a while since the last post....

This week at work, Patty and I planted flowers. She bought them at Target's Dollar Spot and by Friday they had already sprouted! Green thumbs, what! That's them on Day One in Ray's window.


Sorry that's it been so long! I've been a little busy. Here's what I've been up to.


Two weekends ago (on October 26th) I ran a 5K for domestic violence. Me and my friend Patty got up reeeeeeeeeeeally early (it was still dark out!) and drove to Sunrise, FL (almost to Fort Lauderdale) for the 5K. Two attorneys from our work met us there to run also, and they kicked our butts. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun. They gave us a lot of food at the end and a free t-shirt. I love free t-shirts! Then I came home and took a nap.


Last Friday (Halloween) I dressed up as a cat for work. After work Mark and I went to eat sushi and then waited for trick-or-treaters. But only one group came to our house, and we actually missed them because we were getting in the car to go eat. We didn't do much that night because we were exhausted, and then I was lazy on Saturday. But on Sunday we went to an art festival on Sunset Drive (close to our house and UM). It was really cool! Artists had booths stretched really far down the street, and people were selling treats and drinks. We saw some really cool stuff, and now I'm re-inspired to paint/draw!


Then this weekend: Last night my book club met for a social event at Dolphin Mall. A new place opened up several months ago called CineBistro. Essentially it's a movie theater, and the seats are extra big and comfy and CLEAN - and there are two cupholders for each person and a tray table. You are seated 30 minutes before the movie begins and you order dinner/drinks. Then they bring all the food out during the previews, and you can eat, drink, AND watch a movie! It was a really neat experience. Tomorrow night some of us may be getting together for a Beginners Spanish conversational meet-up....should be fun!


Okay, I'll be home Thanksgiving morning! -- Birthday shoutout to William - it was yesterday. Also Mark and I watched Purple Rain the other night and it made us think of Chelsea and William. I miss you all and can't wait to see you!

Rainy Saturday

So here are the pictures of Mark's final finished amplifier (and my paint job.) If you're wondering what it's laying on, it's actually on my desk. My desk is covered with a puzzle that Mark and I did last weekend (wow, what dorks, right?) and I'm going to glue it together and put it on the wall. If I can figure out how to do that. To all the crafty ladies in my family: any ideas??

This morning I slept in (my favorite thing!) and Mark cooked me bacon (my other favorite thing!) and eggs. Now it's raining, but I really just wanted to curl up and read a book all day anyway. My new book club book is Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides. It's gotten a lot of praise, so who knows. I'm excited to try it anyway.

Last night we went to our favorite restaurant (one that if anyone comes to VISIT ME, I'll be sure to take you to). It's called Havana Harry's and it has superb Cuban food and the finest Margaritas on the planet. Mojitos as well.

Tomorrow is my 5K run/walk, and sadly I did no preparing for this during the week. Not that it matters, but I'm sure I'll be fine. It's really early though; I have to leave my house at 6:15am! Yikes, I don't like that one bit. That's about all that's going on. I'll let you know how the run was tomorrow! Love.

Gotta love Saturdays.

Hello to all. Most of you that read this are camping right now. I wish I could be there to join you (well, that is, I wish I could be there AND that is was warm)! Hope you guys aren't too cold in the tents. I can't wait to see pictures!

I'm hanging out at my house today (you know, laundry, dishes - woohoo!) And Mark is building an amplifier in the kitchen. He bought an old jewelry box at Goodwill (his new favorite store) and cut out the middle. Then he has small speakers inside and he's made an amplifier out of it. For those of you that have no idea what I mean (and I wouldn't if it weren't for Mark always talking about this stuff) - he basically has an old jewelry box, and he's wired a bunch of things under it (don't ask me what, it looks like a little computer) and he can plug his iPod into it and it plays! The sound was best when the top of the jewelry box was tilted, so I curved a paperclip and we carved a little hole in the top. Now the top can prop open just like a piano - and that way the sound is best. I'm the creative director. It's working, but now he's taking it back out and fixing something so it doesn't short. I started painting the inside; that's why it's white. I'm not sure what kind of design I'm going to paint yet, but when I finish, I'll take a picture and post it. Mark's also going to put a small red light in it that will flash to the beat of the music. He's already tried it and it looks awesome! More to come when we're done. (P.S. - Mark is NOT as creepy as he looks in the first picture...)

My book club meeting Wednesday night was really fun. Me and two other people are starting a Beginners Spanish group, so that should be a lot of fun. I bought a practice book off Amazon, and soon (as in later today) I'll be studying some beginners vocabulary! I'm really excited to start working on this and also to meet more people here. One of the girls that's starting this with me is a social worker. (Yay, Chelsea!) The other woman is a research doctor at Miami Children's Hospital. So it's the three of us right now, but more people and more learning are right around the corner!

Next week some people from my office are doing a 5k for Domestic Violence. Mark said "You haven't even been running!" But hey, it's only a 5k, and I can walk if I get tired! It is very early next Sunday morning, but it should be a good time. That's all for now, back to laundry/Spanish/helping Mark! Adios!

High Heel Hike! For the Breasts!

On Saturday, October 11, I met up with some co-workers to participate in a High Heel Hike in Fort Lauderdale to raise money for breast cancer. I didn't think there were going to be as many high-heeled women as there were. The Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders were there, and there was also a group of drag queens from a local bar with T-shirts that said "Save the Ta-Tas."

We signed in, and then proceeded to be given SWAG – "Stuff We All Get." I got a t-shirt, a fan (it was really hot outside!), fingernail files, key chains, bagels from Panera, and pink champagne. Yes, you heard me correctly. This was really my kind of walk! The walk took place on a street called Las Olas, Spanish for I-don't-know-what. Chelsea should be able to tell you; ask her. Las Olas leads all the way to the beach in Fort Lauderdale, and there are restaurants, bars and boutiques stretching all the way down. The walk was the shortest distance I've ever done; it was a 1K. But it actually took longer than you might think. First, we were all in high heels, and second, most of the restaurants had workers by the street with trays of hors d'oeuvres for the participants. There were men on the street with Evian misting bottles cooling us down, and the bars even set up little tables by the streets and were serving us free drinks. You couldn't go twenty feet without something catching your eye, either food or drink, and then off you'd go! The Sushi restaurant gave out Hot Pink sake. One bar served pineapple mixed drinks. Basically I think everyone had fun, from the tiny little girls walking in their tiny high heels and bright pink tu-tus, to the adults that were basically dressed to match! I wore yellow high heels. I wanted gold in honor of grandma, but I had no gold, so yellow had to suffice. I'm sure she would have LOVED this walk! I guess I am my grandmother's granddaughter…I'm not sure if that's applicable, but oh well. Who got grandma's boobs anyway?

Other than that, not much else is going on. I'm writing some and researching freelance writing jobs, so if anyone has a hookup, let me know!

My next book club meeting is Wednesday night. We're discussing Ann Patchet's Bel Canto, which I enjoyed. Plus (I think I mentioned in an earlier post) she's a Nashvillian. Go Tennessee!

That's all for now! More later on....

Three days away, three pics today!

Three days away, three pics today!

In three days, I'll be in good Ole Tennessee! WOooooooOOooo! (Hence the "three.") In the first pic, we're toasting to Captain Ron - the awesomely cool Captain that led our Bahamas trip in August. He gave us these cups, with "Abracadabra" on them - that's the name of the yacht that we were on. [Right after taking this picture, Mark said my hair smells like poop! "Seriously." Lol. That's mean...but it may not smell too good.] And in the last shot, I'm taking a biiiiiiig sip of my MarGariTa for everyone! [especially Momsy.] Actually I'm drinking what Mark and I have coined "the Kentucky Margarita" --> it goes like this: Jose, Jim Beam [so, Kentucky, obviously], and margarita mix. Quite tasty. But don't take my word for it; MaKe yOuR oWn!

Okay. If you look closely at the last two pictures, you can see Mark "working hard" on his homework while I'm playing! Haha. No, but seriously, I wish I had homework to do. I'm jealous.

Anyways, I just wanted to give a hello to everyone and tell you to get pumped, because this weekend will be here before you know it! YaYYYYY!

Tonight Mark and I made stuffed bell peppers. We used green peppers, and stuffed them with hamburger meat, rice, chopped tomatoes, garlic, cheese, onions, and spices. It was yummy/yum delicious. [See, I can be domestic, when I choose to be.]

See you all soon. Love and salted rims.

J

Es el Martes, y te quiero!

Thought you guys might like this picture of Mark and me. We were being silly. He's traded in his mohawk for a mustache. Lol.

Hey all. So everyone in my office plays the lottery every week, and yesterday we won! Haha, but it was only 4 of 6 numbers, so we won $80. So after we split it, I got like $11. But it was still a little exciting...

So last night I got a rejection letter from one of the poetry journals I submitted to. I was slightly bummed, but then Mark ripped it into pieces and ate it and it made me roll on the floor laughing. So it was worth it. I think he spit it out and didn't swallow the paper, but I'm not sure. So now I will include a poem that was rejected...since I never put poems on here, I thought I'd try it out. Here goes....

Groceries

I had forgotten all about her
until I ran into her today
or walked in proximity to her today
I should say, since she didn’t see me

and when I noticed her I dodged
into an aisle with nothing I needed,
spices and extracts, or something.

I hid because I had nothing to say.
What can anyone say
about such a tiny wooden box,

about tucking a newborn
into bed beside you and
waking to the sound of death

about a mother’s hand trembling
in front of a small small
open mouth, feeling nothing?



That's all for now! Hopefully I'll get to see everyone next weekend. I'm excited to see Drew talking! (And KK I hope to see Mitchy, and Karen, I miss Lando! And I need to get to know Grant!)

Now I'm going to snuggle up with a book and a beer, yummy yummy yum yum. Night.

In two weeks, I'll be in Nashville

Written yesterday at work, but I didn't have time to post it because I got busy....so here ya go!!! ----------------->


I finally booked a flight home for the first weekend in October! I don't know if you all heard from my mom, but I'll be arriving in Nashville Friday, Oct. 3 at 9:30 pm. Saturday morning I'm going to Kentucky (right across the border, not even all the way to Bowling Green) to get my "hair did", etc. for my friend Melissa's wedding. I'm a beautiful bridesmaid! – The wedding starts at 2pm and the reception is scheduled to start at 3pm, so it shouldn't last too long. That evening I'll be home, and I think mom is going to get everyone to come to her house and hang out! So pencil me in. You can write something fun like, "Best Day of the Year: Jessica graces us for one FABulous weekend, Let's Party!" I realize that's a lot to write in one little box of your calendar, so feel free to edit it to something shorter, like "Jessica – YAY!" That will do.

I'll be in town until Sunday, October 5. My flight leaves Nashville at 6:55pm. I realize that isn't too long, but I didn't want to ask off work now. I'd rather have several days off at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so sorry for the short notice and brevity of the trip. You'll just have to come to mom's house, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4th! I want to see everyone! Weeeeeeeeeeee!

Okay, enough about my trip – here's what's going on with me at the moment…

Well, not much. I've been doing some drawing and painting lately, and I'm still writing. I'm not too good, but I hear practice makes perfect.

I'm at work right now, and it's been a pretty good day. Fridays are always better than any other day. I've actually had some work to do, and I organized a lot of stuff for my boss. He was like, "Wow, I've never thought about doing this before!" But all I did was make an Excel document showing Deposition dates, times, locations, and the witness's specialty so he could see them all at once. So now I think he's getting some crazy ideas about organization, and his office is a wreck! He'll call me in to find things that are right on top of his desk. It's sort of entertaining. And he'll put files from one case into an incorrect folder, and then two days later he runs around like a crazy man wondering where the contingency agreement is for the $500,000 case he just settled went….ahhhh men. Can't do anything by themselves. I don't let him touch his own files anymore; everything has to go through me. Okay, enough about work.

Tonight I'm going to a party where one of the guys I lives with is playing. He's in a band, and he plays drums, guitar, and bass, but in this band he's playing guitar. I'm excited about it.

My book club meeting was Wednesday. I met some really nice people, and we're doing social things as well, so I think it should be fun. Also, the book for next month is Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, and she lives in Nashville, TN. The book looks really interesting. It's set in South America at a hostage situation during a political dinner party. So far it's pretty good. She's a good writer.

Anyways, I have some work to do now so I better jet! Laaaaaaaater!

Per Aunt Sissy's Request...

I neglected to put a picture of the Redwoods at Muir Woods! Thanks to Aunt Sissy for alerting me to that....so here they are! The weather was really great that day; a little more brisk than we were used to, but really beautiful. Definitely the best part of California. Love.

Finally, the long-awaited California trip explained! WEEEEEEE!

Hey all…

I know it's been a while since I've updated this. So for all that were in suspense, here's what my California trip was like! -

The plane ride – I know you guys probably think I'm crazy with details, but this plane ride actually maybe the coolest I've ever had. Our first flight went from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa. We had breakfast in Tampa at the airport and drank a margarita or two, and then boarded for San Francisco. Our plane stopped in Vegas, but we weren't supposed to deplane. San Francisco had fog and we couldn't land there, so they told us to get off in Vegas anyway and they would get us on another flight in several hours. Vegas's airport is crazy! Slot machines everywhere! So Mark and I sat at a slot machine, and he put $1 in and won $10. So we walked away and bought top-shelf margaritas and some lunch. Then we had another drink or two, and boarded for San Fran. By the time we got to California, we were in pretty good moods. Ha.

Napa – As soon as we got there (everyone else had already arrived and was waiting for us), we all loaded into a 12 passenger rented van. There were 8 of us: his parents, the three boys, and their wives/girlfriends. It was about an hour from San Fran to Napa. We made it just in time to hit the latest tasting of the time, as if Mark or I needed any more drinks! But of course, we sucked it up and drank the wine. Once we were at the hotel in Napa, everyone went to rest or shower for dinner, but Mark's dad wanted to hit the bar before dinner, so we joined him. We clearly didn't care at that point how we looked for dinner! We ate at a restaurant basically connected to the hotel, and it was so so tasty. This was Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday we got up at 8ish, left the hotel at 9ish, and hit the first tastings at various places by 10am. Each day we did 4-5 tastings, so by the end of the day we couldn't tell the difference between red or white! Who cares! The weather was great, not too humid like Florida and Tennessee, and slightly chilly, which we embraced.

San Francisco – On Thursday we left Napa and drove an hour back to San Francisco. Mark's mom wanted to stop at Muir Woods (right outside of the city). She had been there back when she was my age, and she really likes nature and is into gardening, etc, so we drove a few miles up into the mountains and the back down and we were in the woods. It's actually a national park (maybe state park?) – Aunt Becky, you would love it! You should camp there sometime, even though it's really far – where lots of redwoods are. There are trees that were bigger than anything I've imagined! It looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings or something! And there are all sorts of trails up up into the woods and everything is thousands of years old. This may have been my favorite part of the trip. After we left there, we checked into our hotel in San Fran, which was on the top of a steep hill right in the middle of the city. Mark and I had a room on the sixth floor with a crazy high view! We went down to Fisherman's Wharf next, down by the bay, and we saw Alcatraz across the water. It looks like a crazy place to be in prison! Mark, Scott, Ally and I walked many many blocks back to the hotel and everyone else drove, but we wanted to see more of the city. It's really great. I'd definitely love to go back, or maybe even live there someday (grad school??). That night we had dinner at an Italian restaurant several blocks away, but Mark and I were ready long before everyone else, so we went up to the top floor of the hotel where there's a bar/restaurant and took tequila shots. Yum. Then when the time came, we tore the drinks from our hands and headed for some great food. At dinner, more wine and cocktails, and then the brothers (Mark, Karl and Scott) walked back to the hotel in the crazy wind and stopped to get cigars on the way. Mark hates cigars and felt really sick afterwards. The ladies (and Mark's parents) headed for the bar on the top floor of our hotel. The ladies had more drinks while Mark's parents showed off their dancing skills. A swing band was playing, and Mark's parents take dance lessons weekly in Nashville, so they were really good. Mark's dad danced with each of us females, and I was definitely the best! Hah. But that's not me being conceited (or is it…?) – Mark's dad said I was keeping up with him so well that I must be a robot! Lol.

So those were the highlights of Cali. Now I'm back in Miami and back to work. I've just joined a book club for women that meets once a month at a local Barnes and Noble. The book this month is Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, and I bought it yesterday and just started it. The meeting is next Wednesday night, so of course I'm looking forward to that! I've tried to talk Chelsea and Maggie into having a book club with me, and they didn't go for it. Losers. But you can probably guess I'm excited about talking books! Woooohoooo!

Also my friend Kim (I lived with her in Bowling Green, KY) and her husband Ryan are going on a cruise next week. The cruise ship leaves from Miami, so they'll be in town Friday night, and I'm taking them out here. I'm really excited to see my friend! I was in her wedding in Kentucky last September, so this trip is basically their one year anniversary trip.

That's basically all for now! Love to all.

PICS from CALI!

I'll write later. But for now, here's some pictures from Napa Valley/San Francisco. Love to all.

Happy Birthday Chelsea!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful sister! She's two whole decades old! These pics are from the beach we frequent, Key Biscayne. When Erica and Emily (Saad, that is) were in Fort Lauderdale, they drove down to visit Key Biscayne. These pictures are from the top of the lighthouse on the island. I love it! It's my favorite place here, and the cafe is excellent and has great Cuban Sandwiches and AWESOME plaintains! Whoever visits me will visit there, no worries.

I'm about to eat some pizza and watch a movie. Wish I were drinking margaritas in celebration of Chelsea! (Well, I'm actually continually drinking margaritas in celebration of Chelsea...so nevermind.)

;) happy two-oh little sis. love.

Cat Cay pics!

Top left: Mark with the mackerel he caught.
Top right: Mark and Filbirt, the sea turtle.
Bottom left: Mark and I with a lobster. He tasted so good!
Bottom right: Me reeling in my very large snapper! Weeeee!

Miami - two months in!

Hey guys! Mom said some of you were saying I should blog again, since I’m in Miami now. So here goes!:

The Job Scene: I got a job at a law firm as a legal secretary. I’m learning a lot of legal terms/practices, and the people are all really nice. The office is only about 15/20 minutes from my house, so it's not too shabby. I got my first paycheck recently, so I don't feel like I'm working for free anymore. I'm thinking (loosely at the moment) about attending law school. I'm also researching low-residency programs for creative writing. Those are masters programs in which most of the communication is done through email and other electronic methods, and you only visit the campus twice a year (about a week each time) for in depth writing workshops. Anyways, these are all just thoughts at the moment.

Miami Scene: Today we went to the Miami Art Museum (because it’s free every second Saturday of the month, and I’m all about free things and all about museums). Anyways, Mark, Elliot, and I went, and there was an exhibit (I can't remember the exact name, unfortunately) that involved lots of illusions. In one room, it was completely dark, and all that you could see was a design of bright green lasers. It was pretty cool. Then we hit the public library (the main one, downtown) and headed home. Just grilled burgers, and now we're watching a movie. Or they are; it's kind of gruesome so I'm filling my time with typing.

My Recent Fantasy VayCay: pictures to follow! Mark and I were invited pretty last minute to visit the Bahamas with Ally and her family. Ally is the girlfriend of Mark's older brother Scott, and her dad is a surgeon in Nashville. He's the same surgeon that did KK's knee surgery on New Years Eve ten years ago, we discovered! I digress. We left from Key Largo and rode a yacht to Cat Cay, a tiny island in the Bahamas. On the way there (it was a 3 hour boat ride), we saw a storm on the water (in the distance) which had a water spout! A water spout is a tornado on water. It was awesome! Sorry if that scares you mom, but the Captain wasn't worried, and we were completely safe. The first day we were there, Mark and I ran around the island like ten-year-olds. The house they had rented was right on the beach. The island was private; you could only visit it if you knew someone that owned property there. In this case I think it was Dr. Byrd's friend, so that's how we rented it. The stars were really clear (it's hard to see stars in Miami, only downfall) and bright, and the island was filled with wild turkeys, chickens, cats, and roosters! We woke at sunrise every day, grabbed our swimsuits, and ran to the boat. One day, Mark was in the water and 13 (that's all we could count, there may have been more) wild dolphins swam up to him!! We all jumped in and played with them after that. They were really close to us, and studying us just as we were studying them. It was amazing. And after many days of eating fresh fish and lobster and chilling in the sun, we returned to Miami. Now I'm back to work.

Next Monday, August 18th, we're leaving for San Francisco. Mark's parents are flying us out there, and all also his two older brothers (and one's wife and one's gf) for wine tastings in Napa Valley! I'm pretty psyched that I lucked upon two places I've never got to visit before. And you all know how I love to travel so! So I'll post some pics of Cat Cay now, and soon look for pics/updates about California. Mark and I both forgot our cameras, so the pictures are from Ally's camera. But she got some good ones.

Enjoy! I miss you all and hope everyone's well. Keep in touch, and check out my blog, which I will update anytime anything noteworthy (or heck, even anything remotely interesting) occurs. Love!