The Perfect Day

If I could bottle up the perfect day, I'd squeeze yesterday in. It began early in the morning at the beach on the most perfect weather day of the week. The water was crystal clear and waves were great for bodysurfing. Friends stopped by for a swim, others stayed longer and some of us even closed the place down! There were walks, long swims, delicious treats, naps, seaside discoveries and lots of reading. Throw in some great conversations that resulted in hoots of laughter and even some tears, but it was all good stuff! It lead to an impromtu dinner party back at a beach house with some more good company, eats and cocktails. More bonding, chatting and laughter went on into the night. It wasn't until a little after midnight when the last three of us decided that we needed to put a cap on what we deemed the most perfect day of the summer so far. Love those 15 hour sun kissed beach days!

Don't You Just Love A Bargain?

I for one love a bargain, and get quite excited when I happen across a good one. I wouldn't rank myself up there with those on Extreme Couponing, because quite frankly I will never need 27 bottles of ketchup. But I do use coupons, and am always looking for a good deal. I scored two this week! The first was earlier in the week at the Vera Bradley outlet. I had received a $20 coupon good for if you spent $20 or more. (Not a problem.) When entering the store I learned that everything was buy 1, get 1 free. Between the outlet prices, my coupon, and the special sale; I ended up with $100 worth of merchandise for a cool....$26!!  Yesterday's find was at the Christmas Tree Shop. It can be a hit or miss kind of place, with yesterday definitely being a hit! I found these great placemats.



They were marked 1/2 off with the 4th of July decor, the 6 of them cost me a little under $5! I love the colors and the thick fabric. The silver rings on the side make them look a little nautical too. The best part...they are reversible! Don't you just love a bargain?







Driving Miss Daisy

A few days ago I took a quick road trip to Connecticut to visit my godson for the afternoon. I was with said godson's grandmother for the ride and a bit of chit chat. It's a trip I've done hundreds of times over the past 15 years or so. But this particular day I saw things for the first time ever. Flowers on the side of the road, bodies of water I never knew existed, cemetaries, houses up on hills...the list could go on. Why was I seeing this all with such amazement? I wasn't driving! My brain wasn't focused on the craziness of Interstate 95 and my eyes weren't intently paying attention to the road. I was soaking the view in while realizing I need to make myself the passenger more often....or get myself a driver!

Maybe Things Do Happen For A Reason....

I once had a friend who always said that things happen for a reason. It used to drive me crazy, because things would happen and for the life of me I just could not find or see the reason. The whole idea behind that saying is a bit difficult for me to sometimes grasp. However, yesterday I found the words of that very saying actually coming out of my very own mouth.
I was on my favorite island with two cousins for the day. One cousin's work friend also came along. She was a nice enough woman, but a little on the regimented schedule side. It felt a little like I was at summer camp - activity #1, move on....activity #2, move on, etc. Apparently she has never heard the expression, "I'm on island time!" All day she kept stating that we would take the 5:45p.m. ferry back to the mainland. I mentioned at one point that I didn't think there was a 5:45 p.m. ferry, but she was somewhat rudely insistent that there was. I wasn't going to argue with her, because I for one was indeed on island time! The look on her face...standing at the dock.....at 5:45 p.m.....with no ferry in sight...priceless! More time to poke in shops, explore on the beach or climb out on the jetty while we waited for the 7:30 p.m. boat - fantastic! She didn't see it that way, and then I heard myself saying those words. "Oh come on, cheer up....things happen for a reason!" And what was the reason why there wasn't and never will be a 5:45 p.m. ferry? Because then you miss spectacular sights such as this: