Playing in the RAIN

this was me and Kait on Saturday-
playing/dancing in the rain in the dunkin donuts parking lot.
my parents thought we were crazy.
but we were already wet from being caught in the down-pour as we left Puffers Pond a few minutes earlier.
so when i said something like "gosh, this is the kind of rain i just wanna play in,"
Kait said "let's do it!"

how fun.
the rain was perfect temperature.
we were already in our bathing suits.
and were already wet.
so why not?

i wanna make it a point to do this more often.

week in Revere - Graduation Day [part 2]

this is one last photo of a bunch of us all swimming in my pool before we took the rest of my party to John's boat.
this picture makes me glad because it reminds me of growing up and so many days of the summer spent in my pool.
i was recently looking at old photos the last time i was home and came across a picture just like this one but only it was from when i was probably in middle school.
i remember Disha and Nicole Healy being in the picture. and John with his long lost friends, Josh and another who i cannot even remember his name! that's how old this pic is!
and now.
now, the picture is so recent.
with old people [my mom and John]
some new people [Samm]
and some people who have been around for a while, but not since middle school [Ngozi and Natalia]
and this time i'm 22 (not 12) swimming with family and friends.
too funny.

soon after this picture was taken we got out of the pool and decided to move our little party to PP Yacht Club.
[this is my brother's other home. he spends almost all of his days in Winthrop and many of his nights hanging down the yacht club and plenty of nights even sleeping on his boat.]

so me, John, Kait, Jenn and Samm headed over to Winthrop.
John decided to give us a lil tour of the town.
i just love this place. it's so close to home and just reminds me of the summer and boating.
it's actually the first place i can remember my dad keeping his boat [Crystal Cove Marina] and i love going down to hang with John on his very own boat.
he is too much like my father i can't even describe it.

So off we went- onto the dingy. all 5 of us.


here is a shot of me and Samm.
and behind us is the place i joke about living next year.
though it will never happen unless i become a millionaire in the next 12 months.
we'll see.
if that's the case, i can even get myself a boat while i'm at it.

here we are on the back of John's boat.

this is me and Kait right before we jumped off the top of John's boat into the ocean.
holding hands.
i've always wanted to do something like this! it wasn't a real high jump but a great place to start.
with a great friend.
(i seem to experience a lot of firsts with her- flying on an airplane for the first time ever and now jumping off something into the water)
it was a lot of fun and turned out to be not as scary as i was expecting.
i didn't stay under water for the whole minute i was expecting to.
don't ask me what i was thinking!

the water was so refreshing and salty.
sigh. i really love the ocean.
i'll have to show the video Jenn captured on another post because once me and Kait landed and were above the water- John decided to be a wise ash and zoom over on his jet ski, causing a wave to come crashing toward us. it was great though.
and then i couldn't make my way back up on the dingy because i am a total weakling.
so Jenn and Kait had to pull me up.
too funny.
this is my roomie Jenn. she is great and i love her.she picked it right up.

and so didn't Samm. but i don't have pics of it!
just look at how pretty she looks here though.
Samm may have picked it up the fastest actually.
and then Kait gave it a shot and she picked it up great too.

i'm the only weakling who still has a hard time just pulling myself up enough to kneel on the darn thing!

and here we are just all having a lovely evening.

it was such a blast.
everyone had so much fun trying the jet ski.
they even say it's a little addicting.


and here's to my main-man:
my big brother John.
[or Johnny Pipes as they like to call him down the boat.]

thank you for a night on the water.
thank you for taking me and my friends out on your boat.
thanks for trusting us enough to give a shot at your pride and joy.
thanks for inviting me down the yacht club even though i'm your "little sista."
thanks for pointing at all the old men and telling them not to mess with me.
thanks for being you.
love you.


and that put an end to my graduation party.
actually, that's a lie.
after jet skiing, we went down to Revere Beach to watch some fireworks.
(how perfect could the day have been? perfect weather? fun people? boating? and then fireworks to top it off?!?)
and then back to spend some quality time with just Ngozi and Kait (everyone else from the party left) on the patio sippin on white zinfandel and margaritas.
with the view of Boston in front of us.
and the ocean breeze.
we even got a round of free drinks from my bro's friend Matt.


and that put an end to a wonderful graduation party.

week in Revere - Graduation Day [part 1]

Last week i spent the entire time in Revere-
it began with a sweet 16 party for my cousin Ashlee.
followed by a day on my brother's [broken] boat which turned into a day on his dingy.
we went home around dinner time to grab something to eat and then went back so he could work on his engine some more. i think he just wanted some company because after dinner he asked me if i was going back with him (which i think is a little unusual, unless, like i said, he is a little lonely). so i did. he worked a little. and then we went for a little "putt putt" on his dingy, over to Orient Hights yacht club for a drink. he got a beer. i got a white zinfandel. yumm. it was a really fun lil adventure and just special to go for a ride with my big bro.
i love going for rides. and i love my big bro.

and then the week consisted of more time with Lightning, going to Kohl's with my parents, laughs with Ngozi, going shopping with cousin Maria.
and then the whale watch which i already posted about.
and THEN Saturday.
my graduation party.
it was really such a fun day.

I'm thankful for who was able to make it out that day.
thankful for perfectly hot and sunny weather that day.
thankful for my parents and all the thought that went into the party.
thankful for all of their preparation and cooking.
thankful for my personal photographer [Kait] capturing so many great photos.
thankful to have shared the celebration with Ngozi.
thankful to have met lil stinkin Xavier!
thankful for a night on John's jet ski with my friends for a change.
thankful for a lil tour of Winthrop and for John treating us to a night out on his boat.
the weather was beautiful, the water was perfect.
the combination of going down to the boat, in Winthrop, seeing Boston right in front of us, hanging with my bro AND my friends, and on the water truly made for a perfect ending to such a great day.
thank you God, truly.
truly, truly.
i don't thank you enough. but those are some of the specifics.

and now on to some pictures...

Me and John sitting on the swing together.
let's hope that those legs of mine are not really that ghostly white and that there is some sort of reflection from the sun or something! i'm gonna work on that today actually- getting some sun on those legs of mine.

Me and Aunty June blowing up some fun blow ups for the pool!
that right there is a volley ball net i believe!

Cousins swimming.
Lily n Me
[don't ask me why i am grabbing onto her bumm- beats me!]

Kait surviving the hammock! and looking pretty darn cool doing so!

oh my word! this is lil Xavier (Ngozi's newphew - Lolo's son! yess, Lolo is a stinkin father!!)
and i want him, truly! how cute is he?!

This is my delicious cake that i made with the help of my dad and Kait. Half chocolate, half yellow. and then my favorite- whipped creme and strawberries! what can be better than that?
[you should all know that i dropped the rest of this bad boy on the way up my stairs, the next morning, bringing what was left of it from the basement to my kitchen fridge. where did i drop it?? RIGHT when i made it to the top of the landing, right outside the kitchen door. brings back memories of my cake dropping incident Valentines Day, freshman year, Samm and Kait, 9th floor Washington. am i a klutz or what?!]


Dad got the ice cream machine working for the party! we haven't seen that thing for a couple years now! Everyone got a kick out of it, including Kait.

Friends, always.
she makes me laugh.

John and his famous smirk. he's had that smirk his whole life!
you have to admit, he's a good looking kid!
and would be even cuter if he kicked that nasty smoking
habit of his!

My mom and Miss Natalia! what a little miss sass she is. but i love her!


funny story/convo in the pool-
John talking to me and Samm: "it's kids like Natalia that make me wanna have kids"
later on while playing...Natalia: "I hate you, i hate you John."
Samm says to John: "Oh really, John? it's kids like her that make you wanna have kids?"
too funny.

What a riot she is!
but she is truly a little sweet girl.
see that belly of hers? i was making fart noises on it the entire time i was in the pool with her.

and these are just some of the people and moments from my graduation party.
again, thank you Kait for capturing these great moments in photos.

Come back for more of my graduation celebration!
to be posted at a later date.

Wednesday Nights

Wednesday nights = prayer night.
and they are good.

and the afterward dance parties are good too.

1 Dislike, 1 Like

i Dislike:
trying to get a wet bathing suit back on you after you have to run to the bathroom!
it just doesn't happen.
especially when it's a one piece.
i try to avoid it at all costs-
by either peeing in the ocean.
or outside by spraying a hose in that area
(like when i was a kid- but i haven't done this in a while)
or i change my bathing suit all together.
just to avoid the annoyance of it all.
because when i do go through with it,
it takes at least 3 whole minutes of trying to pull it up!
no fun.

but wanna know what i like?

i Like:
buying really good songs on itunes for only 99 cents
when the song are like 8-10 minutes long!
what a deal.


just some random thoughts before i post about my graduation party with some awesome pictures my personal photographer [Kait] captured.

Whale Watchin

this past weekend was such a fun weekend.
it began with a whale watch on Friday.

that morning Kait drove her way from Amherst to Reveahhh and soon after she arrived we headed to Gloucester, MA. there we met Mary for a whale watch.

this makes me glad for a couple reasons:

1) it now seems like tradition. last year i went on my first whale watch with Mary and Chels. after being out on the water all day, we spent our evening in Rockport - walking around, eating dinner, checking out stores and then we finished the day off with some mint chocolate ice cream. or at least i did. i don't remember what kind Chels got. but i do remember that Mary was a weirdo and didn't get any! which i reminded her about once again this past Fri! anyways, this time around we did the same thing but only instead of Chels, Kait came along. almost no difference considering they are both my freckly red head friends. but that's actually a lie. i really missed Chels this year. she would have loved it. [missed you Chels! we even sat in the same exact booth at the restaurant in Rockport! what's the restaurant name again? i was so excited to be seated in that corner booth again!] but it was a lot of fun to have Kait along because she loves this kind of thing and was just so excited to see some whales! it was a wonderful time. minus the end where i definitely got a lil sea sick! but overall, so worth it and something i want to continue to do every summer to come!
2) me and Kait get to cross off another thing on our summer "to do" list. exciting, right? very.
so far we have quite a few things crossed off that list and this trip to Gloucester and Rockport crosses off 2 things! pretty sweet :)

this time around, i was smart enough not to wear a dress that would blow up the entire time i stood on that windy boat! i didn't learn my lesson all the way because i still decided to wear a dress. but i figured this one, reaching the floor, could do no harm. i was proved right. pretty darn comfy for a whale watch. and any other kind of activity. thank you Ngozi for sharing your dresses with me when i'm home. thank you Old Navy for making such comfy maternity dresses.
why do i always seem to have a thing for maternity clothes?
hopefully this is just a glimpse of what is to come!

welcome to Rockport! such a beautiful place to be. so touristy, i know, but i love to be the tourist walking around and admiring all the beauty of the ocean and all the cute shops. every little alley i walked by i would look in and love seeing the water behind all the buildings! and i love all the bright colors of each different cafe/store building or front doors. it is so fun.

Kait trying to be serious. Mary wondering what the heck Kait is doing.

Me just so glad to have been on a whale watch earlier that day. why? because it means having spent the entire day on a boat. on the water. underneath the sun.
and now glad to be in Rockport which i think was the most exciting part of the day for me.
truly glad to just be sitting on giant rocks, be in the company of friends, staring at the ocean, enjoying the beautiful and perfect weather, hearing the sounds of the waves crashing, and being touristy. it was so relaxing.

Kait and Mary being cute. these faces are so typical to Kait and Mary.
i love Kait's eyes looking at Mary and i love Mary's smile.

me getting my head stuck between two poles. guess how long it took me to squeeze it on out?
ps- i was not so smiley on my way out.

JK. it just looks like my head is stuck between two poles. but really, it is not.
those are just random poles in the background.
kait and ngozi got a kick out of this pic of me.

check out this pic! is Kait's head photo shopped or what?!
surprisingly not!
and i just look like a goof.
and of course Mary was not playing along with us and our lil game.
she just has her Mary smirk!

Me, Kait and Ngozi cannot get enough of this picture! me and Kait died looking at it moments after it was captured. i think i actually fell to the ground laughing and Mary asked what was going on. Kait was hysterical. she likes the face i'm making. i cannot believe how her head seems totally cut out from another pic and then glued onto this body. and the best part was showing Ngozi later that night. she totally had the best response which made me and Kait laugh even harder i think.

and this year, thanks to Kait [my personal photographer, truly] i now have a picture of all these kayaks! for some reason last year when i was in Rockport and saw this row of kayaks, i flipped. i thought it would make such a sweet picture and i just loved seeing all the colors. this year i went straight for where they were and Kait snapped a few pics! i even tried to count how many there were but then I lost my count. maybe next year i'll add on a kayaking trip in Rockport to my summer 'to do' list. i call the pink kayak.

and that was the end to a wonder Friday - spent with friends and on the water - which to me, can't get any better than that.

but Friday was only the beginning to a wonderful Saturday, even more wonderful that Friday.

more to post tomorrow: graduation party

Friendship Makeover --> Ottoman Makeover

** i am new to this whole blogging thing, and especially new to blogging with pictures (first time ever right now) so i had a lil difficulty putting in pictures where i wanted them. and then also had difficulty putting them in order**
note: when i say "picture 1" start from the bottom picture and make your way up from there!

---------------

ok, so this blog entry is really cool to me for a few reasons.

1) it includes a craft project that i did with my friend Kait and that alone is exciting to me [again, for a few reasons] like...

• i have been reading so many talented people's blogs where they seem to take the ugliest looking thing (like a crap ottoman) and turn it into a beauty that i would totally buy in a heart beat. and these blogs totally inspire me but at the same time make me feel inadequate because i usually feel i am "incapable" of doing such a thing
• BUT!! with the help of Kait, my thinking was proved wrong- we totally took one of those crap ottomans that we found at the Salvation Army for like 4 bux and turned it into one of those beauties that i would SO buy in a heart beat
  
• so that right there makes me glad. because this gives me hope for fun projects to come, knowing that i indeed CAN do some of the crafty things i wish to do
  

2) as i was thinking about blogging the process it took for us to take the crap ottoman and make it into something beautiful [yes, me and Kait make sure to try and document all the before and afters that we do because now we are both inspired to make more of this happen in our new house- all the time- with things like key hooks to curtains to ottomans!] but back to thinking about the process. it just hit me how similar this ottoman makeover is to me and Kait's friendship makeover. only difference is that God was the one working on both me and Kait, restoring our friendship and making our hearts/our friendship into something more beautiful...whereas me and Kait were the ones doing this same thing to the ottoman. Cool, right? i think so.

this is some of the process:

Last year we kind of had a crummy year living together in Greenough 315. Such a bummer too, cause that room was by far the greatest dorm room ever to be decorated/furnished and just GINORMOUS! but anyways, ugly year for us. just like this stinkin ugly ottoman we found. both things in need of some work because they held potential for restored beauty [picture 1] you may think that it doesn't look that bad. but take my word for it. it was pretty nasty. fabric was ugly, old, out dated and dirty! it had to go!

First step: remove some of the crap. we pulled off the dust ruffle and immediately it already looked so much better. [picture 2]
remove some of the crap in our own lives (ex. my sin, for instance. not that it was removed immediately or even entirely still to this day, but it's acknowledged and something continually being worked on)
There was a lot of dirt [picture 3] just like there was a lot of dirt within my very ugly heart at the time..

But with the help of some tools [picture 4]- actual tools used for me and Kait's project- but certain individuals used as God's tools for His work in our hearts. I'm glad that God uses our friends and people that care about us to encourage us on. i'm glad for Rachel Kelly and her talk to me about the importance of reconciliation. I'm glad for talks with Becca about core lies and conversations with Melanie. without them tools, who knows how the work may have been accomplished

And with some hope, there was potential. Potential for a beautiful ottoman as an end result to all our work, and potential for a renewed and reconciled friendship with Kait.

This required work. (which i seem to hate. i hate that things are a process and i get too excited for the end result. i'm tooo impatient!) but our friendship required work and awkwardness and time...just like the ottoman did (minus the awkwardness). [picture 5]

The end result?

A Beautiful Ottoman. [picture 6] it's a beauty right? look at that green! i'd totally buy it if i didn't already make it.

but more importantly, a Beautiful Friendship with my dear friend and roomie Kait.

it's crazy to think- without the work on our friendship i could not even be posting about the final product of our ottoman.

i think the ottoman makeover and the friendship makeover are glimpses of really cool things to come.

thank you God.

----------------------

DIY steps:

1) remove dust ruffle- just RIP that thang off. in some areas it may require some extra work where someone holds down the ottoman and the other person yanks
2) remove any remaining staples with the tools we got there in the pic
3) vacuum the ottoman. most likely a lot of dirt will come out of it, especially if it's all old and from the Salvation Army like ours was. we don't know where they have been! whose homes they have been in. whose feet have been all over it!
4) staple some of that white stuff (can't remember the name of what the fabric is- this is where i need Kait's help) all tight to the bottom of the ottoman. just staple away at the edge of the ottoman where you catch the wood
5) repeat previous step with fabric of your choice (in our case, that beautiful green. Kait's pick from some fancy store in NY)

step 6) i think you're done! did i forget any important steps? i easily could have for sure!

then- marvel at your work! be glad! take a picture. show all your friends. slap your friend high five and say "nice team work" cause together, you have redecorated an ottoman!

------

next ottoman makeover:
for my bedroom.
Kait's thinkin bright red.
i'm thinkin she's right.
where's it going? in front of my bed. kind of like a chest but only an ottoman!
can't wait!
just gotta get started on it. kind of like all the other things on my summer "to do list"

oh brother.

dang show

darn Bachelorette has got me hooked.
HOOKED i tell ya!
me and my roomies.
i look forward to each new episode when clock strikes 10pm Monday night.
which means i have exactly one week minus 2 hours to wait for a new episode to air.

my involvement in the show [and the lives of the remaining people] is so bad that tonight as we were waiting to see who was receiving a rose- or better yet- waiting to see if Chris would be kicked off or given a rose, i held out my hand for Amanda to hold. we squeezed so tight til we heard Chris' name called by Ali. let out a quiet yell cause my parents were sleeping in the next room. and then knew what would happen next- Kirk would be sent home. aka: Kirky

i'm partly kidding but partly not kidding when i say i'd accept Chris' proposal if he asked me to marry him tomorrow. or better yet, tonight.
i think i could get used to a man as funny, charming, silly n HOTT as he is. a family as loving as his. and kickin back on the front porch of a Cape Cod home with my dogs, walking the beach every night. ya, i for sure could get used to that.

darn.

if only...


[just so you know- i dont think i should ever watch this show in the future]