4

The Middle

The Hubs and I are completely different people.  He’s a quiet introvert with his head on straight.  I’m a loud extrovert with my head in the clouds.  You wouldn’t think we could work, him and I, but we do.  Somehow, we make it work.

I was reminded of this last night when he was trying to write a very important email.  (As you all know, I’m fearless and completely honest when it comes to important emails.)  I said, “Just be straightforward and to the point, but also charming and genuine.  Make them WANT to reply to you!”  He followed that with, “I can’t be charming and genuine!”  After a good laugh I asked him if he would like me to write it for him, which he did, so I did what I do best: schmooze.  Seriously people, I can write you an email that will knock your freakin’ socks off.  You will be like “Who is this person and how can I meet them NOW!”…and then you’ll mess up and call me Mr. Davis because Evan is obviously a boy name, and then feel like shit when I correct you, even though I said, “no worries.”

But I digress…

I was proud of The Hubs for that email (even though I wrote it), because we are not the same people.  Its difficult for him to put himself out there like that, while it comes so easy for me.  I’m pretty sure hitting “send” conjured up a lot of emotions for him, whereas I crave that feeling of throwing myself into the unknown.

This is just one thing that makes us opposites, but I wanted to tell you about it because it made me appreciate not only our differences, but The Middle as well.  The Middle is where we meet.  Where we see eye to eye.  The Middle is that little wonderland of “I totally get you!” in any relationship.  It is precious.  Guard The Middle with your life, because nothing should ever happen to it.

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4

Random Conversations w/ The Hubs – Part 1 Million

Yes, I have lost count of the number of times I’ve blogged my random convos w/ The Hubs.  If you are new here and want to see more of his hilariousness, click on The Hubs to the right.

As I get ready for my 8th day in a row of work (half-way to an off day, people!), I realized I have a couple of these in my arsenal just waiting to be told.  So here you go, friends.  Here you go.

—–

In which I leave for the weekend to visit my family:

Me: I’ll miss you!  What will you do tonight while I’m gone?”

The Hubs: “Ummmmm…Jessica, probably.”

—–

In which I don’t tell my story correctly:

Me: “I’m going to make this cake for her…”

The Hubs: “For WHO?”

Me: “My friend at work.  The vegan one I was just telling you about.”

The Hubs: “You weren’t telling me about her.  I don’t know what your talking about!”

Me: “The girl at work!”

The Hubs: “You can’t Quentin Tarantino this conversation by giving me the end first!!!”

—–

This one needs no fancy introduction:

The Hubs: “Jesus Christ!”

Me: “Don’t say Jesus Christ.”

The Hubs: “Abraham Lincoln!”

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2

This week I…

This week I…

-emptied, scrubbed, and refilled a huge pool in 100 degree weather.

-have handled approximately 6 Northern Gannets, 15 Laughing Gulls, 30 pairs of blue exam gloves, and about 2000 fish.

-discovered that film crews, even the super awesome ones like National Geographic, are just plain annoying.

-was stupid and didn’t wear sunscreen.

-went to bed between 8 and 9 every night.

-watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 3 times.

-recalled that laughing gulls aren’t very funny.

-learned that gannets are lazy little bitches.

-met some really amazing people from all over the country.

-finally learned how to use my canon SLR in manual mode (be proud Jeff, be very proud).

-learned that pregnant woman sometimes lose their belly buttons…which is scary…because it makes them look like aliens…like Kyle XY.

-discovered that this whole oil spill mess is not as organized as it should be.

-have not had any desire to go shopping…weird.

-wrote my first article for the Mod Mobilian.

-have been listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in my car.

-realized that I’m obsessed with Harry Potter.

-left home before the sun came up…twice.

-have not spoken to any of my friends, who I miss so much.

How was your week?

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2

NYR Update and new schedule

Yes!  I’m still keeping up with my New Year’s Resolution!  Can you believe it?  I’m halfway through the year and have not bought any new clothes or shoes!  Wow.  The two hardest things to find have been fancy dresses for weddings and cute sandals.  I found a dress to wear to summer weddings (the green silk dress below), but I still haven’t found a new (used) pair of metallic bronze or gold sandals to wear for the rest of the summer.  Actually, metallic is not necessary.  I would do with a nice woven cognac gladiator sandal.  But if its not on the used shoe rack, I can’t buy it.

Here’s all of the wonderful stuff I’ve found recently, including the items I found at the Buffalo Exchange (BE) in New Orleans and Philadelphia:

So I’m pretty much getting the hang of this.  But be warned:  The second stores open on January 2nd…it is so on!  I’m going to raid Target and Forever 21.  They won’t know what hit them.  And Shoe Station!  Yeah!  But I’ve also learned so much about buying pre-owned clothes.  Now that I know where to look, I plan on continuing to buy used, but I will treat myself to something new every now and then.

I would also like you all to be aware of my new work schedule, which starts next week.  I think its a pretty neat schedule, but my blogging will be a little funky.  I will be working on a 14-day rotation, meaning I will work 14 days straight (looooong, 12+ hour days) and then have 14 days off.  Awesome, right?  So during my work weeks, you probably won’t hear from me much, but when I’m off, I will be bombarding you with blog posts.  Cool?  Also, I’m going to start taking outfit pictures again.  I promise.  Scout’s honor.

Have a happy weekend everyone!

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7

The Hubs is a closet Twilight fan.

This may be grounds for a divorce, but I truly feel that the truth will set you free.  So be free, The Hubs.  Be free!

I have experienced quite a few moments in the last couple of months that have made me wonder, “Does HE like Twilight more than ME?”  Describe those moments, you say?  Gladly.

1) The Hubs does partake in watching the movies ONLY when they come out on video (because he doesn’t want to be seen at the movie theater, I guess).  But then he tends to have strong opinions about them, such as this:

“I wouldn’t exactly say I’m hooked, but if someone held a gun to my head and made me choose, I would be on Team Jacob…because DEADward is just soooo depressing.”

2) So now you know that The Hubs only watched Twilight movies when forced to, right?  Wrong.  We got a new tv a couple months ago.  One of those big flat ones with fancy technology that makes everything onscreen look phenomenal (like Edward’s face).  So we’re lounging in the living room late one night, flipping channels, when I see Twilight is on.  I quickly said, “Hey The Hubs, put it on Twilight so I can see Edward’s face in HD!”  So he did.  But you should know that I quickly fell asleep, because it was late (obvi).  When I woke up, the movie was at the end of the prom scene (a.k.a. the end of the movie) and The Hubs was awake and STILL WATCHING IT!!!

I can’t make this stuff up.

3) Finally, for my last bit of proof, I’m going to tell you that The Hubs not only informs me when Twilight actors are going to be on late night talk shows…he even records them so we can watch them together.  Yes.  This is true.  While I am flattered and think it is absolutely adorable that he would think of me and want me to see these shows, I obviously can’t help but wonder if The Hubs is a closet Twilight fan.

And with all of this compelling evidence, one question remains unanswered.  A question that must be answered ON HERE by The Hubs himself (because I know you’re reading, you blog lurker):

WHY WON’T YOU GO SEE ECLIPSE WITH ME IN THEATERS?!?!?!?

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4

What to wear…in Italy…in October…

A few weeks ago, I received the following comment from a very sweet lady named Megan:

Can you do a post on what you packed and took to Italy? I am going during the same season as you (Oct. 2010) and would love to see pictures of what you wore and how you maximized what you packed. I also think this would be useful to other readers given that it is vacation season. Thanks!

Why, yes, Meg.  I would love to tell you what I wore in Italy in October.  But let me explain the weather in Italy in October.  See, we had been watching the weather like hawks for weeks.  It was always in the 70s during the day and in the 50s at night.  So I packed a couple pairs of jeans, sundresses, light sweaters, and sandals.  Yeah.  No jacket.  Cause the weather was perfect, right?  WRONG.

I decided to travel in style in a black maxi dress, black and white striped cardigan, and gold sandals.

But when we got to Rome, it was 40-something degrees.  Not good at all.  I was instantly miserable (see the miserable-ness on my face?).  I packed two pairs of jeans and basically rotated them out the entire trip.  Here are a few outfits from Rome and Florence:

Watching the sunrise on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.  My favorite picture from the whole trip!

This was the coldest day.  I get chills just thinking about it.

But Florence was the turning point for me, folks.  Not only was it our absolute favorite place, but it was also the coldest.  Seriously.  We were freezing.  So since we had a train to catch, The Hubs gave me 5 minutes to run into Zara and find a jacket.  That’s exactly what I did.  And here’s what I found (modeled for you in Venice):

Recognize this trench?  I love it.  I wear it whenever I get the chance, which is pretty often in the fall and spring because Mobile is one of the rainiest cities in the US.  It was well worth the money spent on it and I think I’ll be keeping it forever and ever and ever.

So Meg, the moral of the story is this:  pack a little bit of everything.  Be prepared for any kind of weather.  And if all else fails, there’s not one but TWO Zaras in Florence.  You are welcome.  Also, pack a pair of boots.  All the ladies are totally rocking the boots over there.

P.S. I recommend taking only carry-ons, which makes traveling by car and train so much easier.  Here’s how I did it.

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4

Eco-Friendly Friday

I saw these two wonders on Etsy this morning and just HAD to share them!  I want them.  Like, bad.

Reusable Snack/Sandwich Bags

These are amazing!  Think how much less plastic we would waste if we use these instead of ziploc baggies every day.  I’m going to get this retro design for myself and a set of black ones for The Hubs.  And at only $14.50 for a set of 3 bags, I think these will make excellent birthday presents as well.

Organic Reusable Vegetable Bags

Don’t you just hate wasting all of that plastic at the grocery store?  I personally have a set of reusable grocery bags, but still have to use the plastic bags in the produce section.  With these reusable veggie bags, I can feel good when filling up my basket with fruit and veggies!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

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5

Just my opinion…(and that big news I mentioned)

A couple of weeks ago, when I spent the weekend at the beach, I had my first interaction with oil from the oil spill.  It inspired me to write the following excerpt:

——————

I can count 56 oil rigs from where I’m sitting.  Sure, its beautiful and nothing compares to spending time with the people I love, but every time I look out onto the water my heart breaks a little.

I stepped in oil today.  I was out on the beach for approximately 60 seconds, and while the tarballs were about the size of a dime (mostly smaller), it still took forever to get it off my feet.  I was so disgusted, I had to take a shower.  It made me so sad, thinking of all of the helpless animals that don’t have soap, or even a pair of hands, to remove it from their bodies.

So The Hubs and I have put together a little piece of artwork just for the party responsible for this epic fail to our gulf coast environment and way of life:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  It looks like THIS picture is going to be worth a million animals’ lives.

———————–

I know.  Deep stuff.  My bad.  Pardon my emo-ness for a few minutes.  But I have some big happy news!!!  Well, two big pieces of news actually:

1) I got a new job.  While I can’t tell you much about it, I can say that it involves oil, BP, and helping wildlife.  I have 5 years of experience working with injured wildlife, so I’m really looking forward to getting back into that field.

2) I may soon be a fashion/style blogger for a local Mobile, Alabama blog.  We are still working out the kinks, but I’m super excited about it!

Do YOU have any big happy news to share???

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1

A beached whale…and a winner.

First of all, let me just say thank you for all of your participation in this photo contest.  Billie and Ravyn were neck and neck in the finals, and the winner actually only had 5 votes more than the other.  So the winner is….

RAVYN!!!

Congratulations to all of the finalists, and a special congrats to Ravyn and my bestie Billie for having the two best photos of the contest!  Ravyn, I hope you love your necklace!  Could you please email me with your address: anerdlikeme@gmail.com.

Now onto more pressing matters…like what happens when you mix alcohol and the beach.  Last weekend, The Hubs and I went down to the beach to visit my family.  After the grown-ups went to bed (grown-ups = grandparents), my dad, my other grandmother (Algie), The Hubs, and myself were left to our own devices.  Let me set the scene for you: It was dark, and we were on the balcony overlooking the water.  The only light came from the glowing full moon.  The beer came from the cooler…which we drug out to the balcony in order to keep from walking the few feet to the kitchen.  Aaaaand scene:

Dad: What is that out in the water?

Me: Oh my gosh its a BEACHED WHALE!

Dad: Yeah it totally is!

The Hubs: (in the background) Its not a beached whale.

Me: Ok!  We need flashlights, a camera, and a phone to call the authorities!

The Hubs: (in the background) We don’t have beached whales here.

Algie: I’ve got a million flashlights!  Here, take them ALL!

Dad: I’ve got the phone.

The Hubs: (in the background) Its probably a great white shark.

*we walk down the steps and onto the beach, when reality strikes*

Me: Its not in the water anymore.

Dad: Nope.  Doesn’t look like it.

The Hubs: Its the canopy to a tent!

Me: Whoa, I totally thought it was A BEACHED WHALE!

Dad: Let’s go look at the oil.

Me and The Hubs: OK!

So there you have it, fellow Nerds.  Be careful how much you drink at the beach.  When canopies start to look like beached whales….go to bed.

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Photo Contest FINALS!!! [CLOSED]

Are you ready for this?!?!  These four ladies are competing to win this lovely necklace from China Cherie’s Etsy shop:

A special thanks to China Cherie for donating this necklace to our lucky winner!

Now that we are in the finals, the rules have changed a bit.

  • Vote on your favorite picture.  If you have entered a photo, invite others to vote for you!
  • To vote, simply leave a comment with the name of the photographer.
  • One comment equals one vote, and please only vote once per person. *honor system people!*
  • Voting will only last for 2 days (Monday and Tuesday).  After that, all comments will be closed.
  • The winner gets bragging rights and a classy piece of jewelry.

Ready?  Set?  GO!!!

by Jennifer

“I’m not sure this is the best picture I’ve ever taken, but lately – it’s been my favorite. This photo has so much of my personality in it, I liked a tightly cropped photo, intense light and a beautiful subject – no matter what it is. Butterflies are some of my favorites because their flight pattern is erratic yet beautiful, they appear misguided but they know exactly where they are going.”

by Heather

“Pictured is mine and my husband’s smiling golden retriever puppy, Biscuit, at 2 months old, taken this past fall. October is my favorite month, and it was just a few days before Halloween.  We’d only had Biscuit for maybe 2 weeks at this point, and he was having the time of his life eating all the red and yellow leaves he could find.  I feel like this picture captures the vivid colors of fall, Biscuit’s sweet and silly nature and, well, just how much of a fluff ball he was then!”

by Ravyn

“The photo I’ve attached was taken about a month and a half ago at Bridal Veil Falls in the Columbia River Gorge (Oregon). The hubs and I were vacationing in Portland, and we ventured out of the city for some outdoors adventures. The Columbia River Gorge is home to some of the world’s most breathtaking views, including it’s many waterfalls. In order to get to this specific waterfall, we had to park our car and hike a bit of a distance (aka, me wanting to turn around about 30 times, because it was hot and my legs hurt). The trail took a sharp turn the right, and there it was. The most beautiful sight I’ve ever set my eyes upon. The pain in my legs disappeared, and I wasn’t hot at all anymore … this is what I hope Heaven looks like!

The water was roaring down the side of the hill … it’s the only sound we could hear. Although it was extremely loud, it was soothing. The mist created by the water hitting the base of the falls was almost indescribable. The sun reflected its way through the mist in every direction, and within the roar was so much calm. The whole scene was surreal, and I lost myself in that moment.

As we walked closer to the falls, we noticed the large rock in the left side of the image. Though it now sits off to the side of the falls, it used to be attached … over time, erosion caused it to split off and become it’s own being there in the middle of the scene. We were able to climb on top of the big rock, which gave us an up close and personal perspective of the fall. Here we were, 4 tiny little people, standing on this huge rock, while this rushing water is falling less than 50 feet from our faces. The mist was spraying, and it was hard to not feel the power of nature in my soul. To say it was refreshing was an understatement. The water below was the most beautiful color of blue-green I’ve ever seen. It was crystal clear and even though it was only feet away from the base of the falls, it was almost completely still in places, letting us see the life the lived underneath. In the middle of this entire scene was a lonely log. I took a moment to sit on that log and just soak it all in. It was here where I had that ‘moment’. You know … the moment in your life where everything makes sense?? The hubs and I have been debating whether a move across the country is in the cards for us. While sitting on that log, all signs pointed to yes. That was it. It was my life changing moment. I can’t describe the feeling in words, but something just came over me and calmed my soul. It was like the feeling you get when you know the first kiss with the love of your life is about to happen. Ya know?

I am sure this photo doesn’t evoke the same emotions from anyone else that looks at it, but for me … this photo is my future. This photo represents everything that the hubs and I are working for hard for. Every time I see it, I feel that ‘feeling’ again, and it warms my heart. Again, words can’t even come close to describing it … but I hope I’ve done an okay job.”

by Billie

“This is my favorite photo because I took it back home, in a small community called Bermuda, Alabama.  I now live in a city and this photo reminds me of a slower paced lifestyle, the fresh outdoors, and where wild berries grow.”

Vote, now.  Go!

Are you on Twitter?  So am I!!!

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