Hats.

I'm not a big hat wearer.
But there are days when I wish I was.

There are also days {or day...} when I have the opportunity to sport such large, floppy {rather pretentious looking} hats, and I.LOVE.IT.

This past saturday was one of those days...
when you realize you're leaving home for another 9 weeks after being {home for 4 weeks} away at school for 5 months straight, and you haven't done nearly enough fun things to justify your lazy little snippet of summer before selling your soul....signing your life away .....to summer camp. {stop thinking of ghost rider..

 but it was also similar to those days...
when you just have nothing scheduled, and your best friend brings to your attention an event that will
1. Require dressing up {cue entry of floppy hat}
2. Not cost more than $20 {cue fist-bump with my wallet}

and ya know it also just happened to be one of those days...
when you wake up in the morning, and decide to complain to God for threatening to ruin {what was supposed to be} your bright sunny day with rain...

and of course it was a day...
when God TOTALLY pulled through, and burnt up those clouds with a beautiful day!

last but not least,
{drumroll}
it also happened to be the Belmont Stakes!
it was awesome.

'hats off' to sun hats, everyone!

{I totally just did that}

Love,

 

CHECK.

Now... I don't know about you guys, but I literally feel like it was just yesterday that I was on the beach with my best friend, talking about how happy we were that school was finally over, and how great it felt, just to lay in the sun, soaking up the Vitamin D, and knowing we had no commitments, responsibilities, or assignments to hand in the next day.

{albeit, we WERE just at the beach a couple days ago... doing just this...however this isn't the occasion I was referencing}

Anyway. this past year passed by quicker than I would like to admit to.

At first, when thinking back to my year... {I still reference years in school-terms.. pun intended so this past year for me was summer '11- summer '12}...I thought that I hadn't done much this past year.   Looking back at my year, and falsely realizing that nothing monumental occurred was really disappointing. 

But facebook came to the rescue, and showed me that I didn't just waste 365 precious days of existence, I did so many things, and had so many new experiences.

-My house was completely re-modeled. Where did we stay during this renovation? oh... we stayed here... I slept in a recliner and an on an air mattress for the entire summer... and my clothes were chillin with the 90's video tapes in that cabinet.

{Experience...CHECK}

-I modeled for House Beautiful magazine during their Kitchen of the Year in New York City.  Which also happened to be during the hottest week of the year... standing outside for 8 hours a day for a week in 94+ degree weather...

this is the tanline.... i got from one day.
{Experience...CHECK}

-I filled in for a counselor at a Christian camp in New Hampshire for a week, and lemme tell you...AWESOME. {also extremely draining physically, mentally, and spiritually... but still awesome}

{Experience...CHECK}

-I was extremely stressed out for a couple weeks and cried my eyes out numerous nights in a row because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life declared a major!!!! {....actually two}
{Experience...CHECK}

-I pierced my nose!

{Experience...CHECK}

-I wore THESE things...

{Experience...CHECK}

There's more... but now I don't want to write anymore. what a great blogger...

Circumlocution.

Well, my friends...

I know I haven't been the most dedicated blogger at all, {I even wince at the title "blogger".} but today I have something to say! 

I know for those people who know me it's like 

"oh REALLY? YOU have something to say?" 

{and to that, I say, hold your tongue, you mean-spirited "friend" of mine!! Sometimes the things I have to say must be shared on a grander scale than just our relationship? so CHILL. oh. and I love you!}

But seriously, a lot of the time I'm just completely ok with leaving my thoughts and feelings undocumented, which of course leaves you all very unfulfilled, unhappy, just pining my return.... or to be a little less dramatic, you're just lackin a little joy!!!! {erika..joy.. *say that in a james bond voice, and it'll stop being creepy.. or start?*} 

However, sometimes I just start feeling a little creative... my spidey-senses start tingling.. {or maybe I'm just hungry...} and I start thinking of very creative and roundabout ways to say really simple things.

Kinda like right now...

{thatawkwardmomentwhenmypostisgettinglongandIhaven'tevensaidanythingofimportanceyet}

In the next couple of days I'm going to start looking back at this year, pictures included, and talk about things that have {and have not} changed.

That's all I had to say.

well...

YUM. these were in my pancakes.

that. and blueberry pancakes are healthy, AND delicious. {especially slathered with butter and maple syrup...jk about the healthy part} 

that.. and when you sing "piano man" by Billy Joel, interchanging the word 'piano' with 'banana' makes it much more entertaining.

that... and when you find a box of hair products that you used to use a year ago, using all of them after you get out of the shower is a really great idea. {I'll let you know if my hair falls out}

that.... and when you get dressed for the day and someone asks you "oh where are YOU goinnn???" that's probably a sign that you should change out of your pajamas more often.

that..... and eating dark chocolate mounds before lunch doesn't inhibit your appetite!

and before I tell you that today was my first shower since Sunday, I'll just say goodbye...

Cheerio! 

{gosh darn, they're so delicious}

 

P.S: Circumlocution- noun- The use of many words where fewer would do, especially in attempt to be deliberately vague or evasive...or write a blog post.