Where's Abby (+ Dylan and dogs)

Dear Jacksonville, sometimes I don't give you enough credit, but you're really not so bad. I'll try harder to focus on you and control my lust for Denmark. Though I do miss it mucho lately. Dear Watercolor Painting Endeavors,  you are challenging me in patience, creativity, and persistence.  One actual original of Boston. Not done yet though! Dear Genevieve ,You know I love you when I go to work on my day off for a special visit and storytime. You're the best. This little one got released back into the world yesterday. She brought much joy and laughter to my days and will always have a special place in my heart. Dear New Watch , forget graduating college, getting a big girl job, paying bills, getting my own apartment, and other grown up things, I feel like you were my final rite of passage into adulthood.  Dear Super Tinder Chris, I'm so excited you're a fan of this here blog that you get your own shoutout. And this link to read about our or...

Let me start by explaining that my roommate doesn't tend to worry too much about me. Some friends have expressed their fear for my well being on different occasions, but Roomie? He's just not a worrier.  Well he worried about me last night. I can't blame him either, after hearing him describe coming home at 1:30am to see my bike in the bushes and my keys not even in their usual place on the couch. This made it seriously look like I'd been abducted.  "If Leslie had been here to see that, she would've called the cops, the FBI, and gotten your face put on milk jugs." Fortunately, I'm not blogging to you from a basement of a crazy.   The night started  with getting some brews with Super Cool Dana and her awesome hubs at Green Room. Those brews, in particular are the ones I always forget the power of. So just three in made for a bra and shoeless night (typical Abby protocol).  So I got home and decided "I need to see the beach..." Then I decided ...

I've often seen bloggers share what's in their makeup bags to help their envious readers get their flawless look. At least then, maybe we can feel a little closer to having the seemingly perfect lives of our cyber crushes.  So in case you're all wondering how I get this flawless look of natural beauty, here's all my very new, expensive, secret tips.  Here, you see my awesome liquid Revlon eyeliner that actually is awesome. Thanks Lauren Elizabeth for sharing this wonder.  Then you've got my like 5+ years old Almay powder I nabbed from my Ocala Home when I ran out of my other powder. Forget replacing them with new, good ones... I'll go with the one that was abandoned and unused for years for a reason. The cracked case and powder plus the ripped applicator(?) just add that much more character. You'd think this picture would've been the last memory of that powder before it hit the trash, but no. It went right back in that bag. My l...

 It's actually Friday for me! Welcome, normal work week! This week's highs were 1. An encouraging, exciting first week at the new job. What is this new job I haven't divulged about? I'll be a tutor at an incredible company called Lindamood-Bell. I've never been one to see myself staying at the same job my whole life or even the same company... I got the feeling I could with this place on the first day of training. Amazing staff, great theories, positive attitude, research-based, and it's all over the states and growing. Pretty dang pumped about this job and the company.  2. Getting back on the healthy train. I rode my bike and ran  for the last three days and started this morning off with a ride.  3. Cleaning out my closet and stowing away those winter clothes! Bring it on, Summer! 4. Conversations with Pa and Grandma on the phone. I dunno why in the world I don't call them more.  5. The exciting, love-filled farewell with one...

Strangely I'm getting pleasure from my recent times of economic struggling. These are some of the thrilling experiences plus homeless tricks I've been using... For a little background on how ridiculous it's been, I got paid last Friday. I had $11 in my account by Monday. And I wasn't even buying my booze that weekend. That was practically all bills. Come Tuesday I had to pay for car insurance, so I had to dive into my elephant money for exactly the right amount.   I used the ten dollars left over for my gas. That was gone in two days. I figured I'd make it through the weekend without a car, but I was actually working on a Monday and wasn't getting nanny money til Tuesday. (Or so I thought...That hasn't come in yet though). So I rode my bike to Publix in hopes of exchanging a gift card with a stranger for money... The gift card was empty. I had a Walmart card too, but not enough gas to make it there.  Les and I tried to scheme to find ways to make money, like...

Happy Friday, readers! It's definitely feeling like summer this week. A little worried how the following months will be if I'm sweatin in my seats this much this early in May. Highlights from this week are... 1. The lovely Leslie time I was blessed with yesterday. What better way to vent and relax than on the beach, with your girl, and a cocktail? As we were growing even closer talking all about life and it's crazy turns, all I could think about was "What would I have done if we hadn't bonded over Finger Mustaches those 5+ years ago?" 2. Starting my free Danish language class online with the Jacksonville library. Of all the language course I've taken, this one looks like a winner. I think I may actually learn some Danish. I didn't wanna stop. Plus breezing through the first units made me feel pretty good.   3. Finally having the chance to struggle and learn to survive . Making it happen with an empty bank account, piggy bank savings, l...

The other day, my neighbor informed me that his brother's band was coming to town. "So there would be a lot of musicians running around. Hope you're cool with that..."  "Of course that's cool." ..."And they're all single? This week's looking up." Throughout the week, I saw them a couple times while hanging out on the porch. I later tried to assure them that I wasn't out there just because they were here... I always drink my coffee out there. And that I was really worried about them seeing me doing yoga, half naked, in my apartment, making it look even worse. That's just what I do. Thanks to Neighbor's free tickets, I actually made it to the concert after work and was thoroughly impressed. Vegabonds . Check em out. They're an awesome group of Alabama dudes with some great southern rock jams. One interesting superlative about the concert? The fans were the best smelling concert fans I've ever smelled.  ...