2:: July

i realize i really need my camera fixed ... sigh! soon ... soon.

i've been keeping up with all the blogs, but have been meaning to do a link clean-up for a while. too much clutter. on the flip side, i'm looking to add more inspiration. any ideas (new blogs for me to peek at) .... ?

i can't believe it's only a month until we're moving to the lovely Eastern shore of Virginia. We're going down there to look at rentals in 10 days or so. Before the month is out, I'll be done at Trader Joe's. I'm also taking a short trip home to Connecticut and to visit Newport, R.I., walk the cliff walk and eat some good New England seafood!

i've been enjoying the break from blogging, but missing it, too. we are fine here, john and i are doing great and still learning about each other (eight months is not so long, despite engagement!) and really feeling more comfortable and happy overall. i'm so proud of how well we've done despite our various personal traumas of the last, very difficult year (which has recently come to a close, save for our BIG move ... and new jobs ... and the wedding..okay never mind, lol).

i'll be glad to be in a place of settling-in again, where we can hopefully make some friends and i can do some entertaining (dinner gatherings...) of sorts. sometimes i wonder if i'll ever find the place i want to live forever. i feel like i'm still gathering all the lovely puzzle pieces.

the thought of being able to walk by the sea every day is delicious ....

i have been trying to lose some weight and a week ago started daily vigorous walks and tracking the amount of food i eat. it's been quite a challenge. so has living without AC (except in the bedroom). and, of course, the small space is always tricky. we escape it a lot, drives into the more rural parts of new jersey, playing mini golf, getting ice cream. soon we won't need to escape at all.

i am striving to be a more humble person confident in my own various beauties and talents. that's never an easy path. ego is a hard tiger to tame.

i wish i had more exciting things to write about, but hey, it's summer: rides, walks, sitting on the porch with a cold drink, getting to the town pool once or twice, picnics (even just a sandwich out in the country), cold pasta salads, good novels. i'm trying to simplify what can often feel overwhelming in this tiny space, in this state that really really gets under my skin so much. oh, new jersey .... how i so do not fit into you, at all.

i'll be back soon.

xo