beach reading.

- These weekend snaps from Natalie were the perfect way to start my week on that early Tuesday morning after the Memorial Day festivities. Now, when is my trip to London?

- Lauren is basically my fashion icon. And the shoes in this post are inspiring me in a big way.

- I always get excited when I see that Laura has put up a new post. There is a simplicity in her writing that is endearing & enchanting. I love the writing workshop posts she has started, & I'm looking forward to participating soon. I loved this past week's workshop on detail.

- Allyssa's summer reading 2013 post has me jonesing to put together a warm-weather list of my own. You know, for beach reading.

letting go.

Today's prompt for the challenge is, 'react to this term: letting go.' And while I would love to regale you with anecdotal evidence of the wonder of being able to let go, I have a test later today, & my first-test-jitters mind is only capable of so much. Thus, I am responding with a photo.

flowers bloom amongst each other; eventually, they have to let go

Want to write about letting go? Want to read what others have to say about the idea? Go here.

the meaning of music.

Today is a day for sharing music that means something to us. In the spirit of the day, I've put together a little Grooveshark playlist for you. But before we launch into discussions about these songs, I have to say that I love this prompt for Blog Every Day In May. Music means so much to me; like I said here, it takes me to a different place. It really does quiet & soothe my soul. There are so many songs that should be on this list - including the first dance song from our wedding - but I decided to go with the first five songs that popped into my head. Thus, I give you...

Buddy Holly, Weezer | My cousin took me to my first-ever concert when I was fifteen - Weezer, in Dallas. And when reunited with my parents afterwards, they told me this was the one song they could hear & recognize from miles away. I think about that every time I hear this song. 

Angeles, Elliott Smith | Elliott Smith is one of my favorite artists. Has been since 2002, & always will be. Angeles is the first song of his that I ever heard, & I still remember exactly where I was sitting, exactly how I was feeling, when those first few notes poured over me. Back on my old blog, I wrote a little bit about Elliott - along with another artist that had a big impact on me - here.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love, The Darkness | 2004. Senior year of high school. Three girls are piled into a red mustang convertible, with the top down. They are picking up one of the underclassmen girls from their school, headed toward lunch or coffee or something in-between. They are eating root beer Dum-Dums, & singing this song at the top of their lungs. 

Home, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros | When Lindsey & I worked together, I like to think we built a bit of a musical mecca in our little office-closet. I have always loved alternative music, but Linz had a way of making it seem like it was the best sounds our ears had even been met with [probably because it was]. This song, along with tunes by Grizzly Bears, OK go,  & some other select artists, will always remind me of my time working in the Neurosurgery office with someone who would become one of my Best Friends. 

Silvery Sleds, Army Navy | Somewhat similar to the passage above, this song reminds me of the Neurosurgery office. This memory, however, comes a little bit before the comfort of Edward Sharpe - this song was the soundtrack to the very beginning of my time on the third floor of LSU. It was the week I started my job as Editorial Consultant - the night prior to my first day, I ate an entire pint of Americone Dream, watched True Blood until very late into the night with Kara, then woke up after way too little sleep to amble into my brand new office.

What songs hold special meaning for you? Go share on Jenni's blog. And check out my other Grooveshark playlists here.

in the spirit of adventure.

Yesterday, Justin & I went on a little driving adventure around Wrightsville Beach. I say it was a driving adventure because we slept in late, & by the time we got to the beach, all the parking spots were taken, & the place was practically swarming with people soaking up the sun. So we drove around, windows down, sunroof open, music up, & just enjoyed being residents of this beautiful piece of North Carolina. 

We then headed downtown, toward Shuckin' Shack, for an oyster poboy & fish tacos. And as we waited in the dingy parking garage we've been frequenting lately on our downtown adventures, we made a promise to be adventurous each & every weekend of Summer Two Thousand Thirteen. Be it posting up on the beach for the day, further surveying the eclectic seafood restaurants on the downtown Riverwalk, or traveling - in North Carolina or outside of it - we plan to be doing something, to be soaking up everything we have around us. 

Because it is beautiful here. And we intend to maximize each & every moment.

fitness inspiration.

get the look | wildfox top + nike pants + nike shoes + oliver bonas water bottle

Ever since my return to Wilmington, I've had the fitness bug. Justin & I bought a scale to keep in our bathroom, & our diet + exercise routine is getting an overhaul today. With this wave of inspiration, comes the want for some new workout duds. I'm thinking slouchy, oversized tops, tight, dark cropped workout pants, & bright shoes. And let's not forget to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I've been seeing these self-filtering water bottles around lately, & I'm thinking a purchase may be on the horizon.

Where do you turn for workout inspiration? There are some great accounts on Instagram that promote a healthy lifestyle. That, coupled with the fitness goals I've set for myself for the year, are what keep me truckin' on that treadmill.

the sunday currently, volume 36.

Hello out there, to my faithful TSC crew! Thank you so much for sticking with me after these last couple of ramshackle weeks. I've written a bit about how difficult the last month has been for me in terms of blogging, but I am going to apologize again right now. I'm sorry for not commenting on the posts you have linked up here for The Sunday Currently in the past few weeks. I'm sorry for not giving you the Twitter shout-outs I do each week, for all those who have linked up & have a Twitter account. I'm sorry for not putting all of my heart & soul into this space, as I have in the past. 

In the midst of all these apologies, comes some good news: I'm back, full throttle. I will be commenting on your posts, & I will be tweeting you on Mondays if you have a Twitter account & have linked up. In addition, I will be - FINALLY - crafting a The Sunday Currently button, which you can include in your posts each week, or on your sidebar so that people know you're a faithful TSC linker. Look for those in the next couple of weeks. And I will be present here in the blogging community as much as - if not more than - I was before. 

I want to thank all of my readers - not just those of you who participate in The Sunday Currently - for your comments, your thoughtfulness, & just for visiting this space. You have no idea how much it means to me, how much it inspires me, how much it simply makes me happy. Thank you.

reading Casual Vacancy & Little Women. I haven't cracked open LW in weeks. I will finish it, I wish finish it...

writing Sociology study guides. My first test is coming up quickly on the horizon.

listening to the Mates of State Pandora station, still. Sometimes, when you find something good, you just have to keep coming back to it, until you wear it out. I'm glad I haven't worn out this particular station just yet. 

thinking that I love being a student again. And that it's undeniable - I'm a nerd. And I like that, too.

smelling like my very favorite lotion at the moment: Black Currant Vanilla from the Aromatherapy line at Bath & Body Works. One of the best scents out there, & I can't find it anywhere in Wilmington. So thankful to my mom for buying me a bottle while I was in town.

wishing... & hoping.... That is seriously the first thing that popped into my head while writing this. And then, that made me thinking of the candle-stickers party I had with Lindsey & Leslie the week of Lindsey's wedding. We watched My Best Friend's Wedding while finishing up her favors. That memory is special to me - brides are so busy the week of their weddings, so I'm grateful that Lindsey & I got to spend some time together.

hoping we found somewhere cool to go for our Memorial Day weekend trip. As if that wasn't a give-away, I'm writing this post in advance, just to make sure it's not hastily tapped out & sloppy. We were thinking of Virginia, or Asheville, or Charleston, or Savannah. The only of those places I've been to before is Charleston, & I certainly wouldn't mind returning there.

wearing less makeup in an attempt to clear my skin up. When will I stop posting about my broken-out visage? Hopefully soon. And hopefully due to the fact that it's no longer broken out. 

loving being back here in Wilmington with Justin. I'm not going to lie - it was difficult leaving Shreveport this time around. I grew accustomed to having family & friends close by, with endless activities to keep my interest piqued. But being back in Wilmington is a different kind of happiness: a delight in daily routine, a rigorous attitude toward school & working out, & a newfound appreciation for the beauty of being minutes from the shore. And, of course, having a husband under the same roof doesn't hurt matters.

wanting the productivity I'm feeling as I write this post to permeate absolutely every aspect of my life. I'm telling you, if I could spend life lingering in a slightly over-caffeienated [but certainly not too much] state, I would do it. 

needing to get my act together for the coming short week. I have my first test of the semester, I need to start on some very important paperwork, there are people whom I simply must get on the phone with to discuss schooling matters, I have some emails to send out, a work assignment to get on, some thank you notes to disperse [STILL!], & a whole host of other tasks. I'm ready to cross them off that to-do list.

feeling lovely, since I finally decided to work out on Friday afternoon. Since returning to Wilmington almost a week ago, I decided to give myself a bit of a free pass where eating is concerned, to get it out of my system. In the week leading up to Lindsey's wedding, I put myself on a somewhat restrictive diet, which, honestly, put me in a mood of sorts. So when I got back here to Wilmington, I told myself a week of indulgence could be had, as long as I worked out. Long story short, the only day in the week I worked out was Friday. But no matter. I'm now feeling more motivated than ever, & a scale purchase is about to happen, so Justin & I both can track our fitness progress.

clicking my favorite blogs & getting caught up. I've missed reading about y'all's lives.

late lunch at riverboat landing | instagram

you are boring: tales from the high school vault.

boring people don't take goofy photos of themselves. this is a proven fact. i think.

Today marks day twenty-five of the Blog Every Day In May challenge, which means that I should have twenty-five quality posts under my belt for this month, but as I missed a day, that's not entirely true. I've loved taking part in this challenge, because it has, well, challenged me, pushed me outside of my blogging comfort zone, & has served as a much-needed reset button for this little space. And it's not even over yet - we have one day short of an entire week left. 

The prompt today is something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad).

Let's take a trip back in time, to the year 2003. High school. The so-called glory days. I had just found my way out of a particularly bad, particularly lengthy relationship, & while I was feeling on the mend, I was also feeling vulnerable & self-conscious. I was finding my way again, navigating social life in a new light, ready for change. And then I saw it.

Lauren Sowell is boring.

It was written on the blog of a girl in my grade. For some reason, that year, she had taken to writing mean things about the people at our school in her little space of the Internet. And since this was before the big blogging boom, not many people saw it, so no one reported her, or whatever it is kids do these days when they stumble across cyber-bullying. Come to think of it, these days, they probably handle it exactly the way I did: by simply being hurt & telling no one aside from my friends.

I'm not going to lie to you: the girl's words really hurt me. They forced me to look at myself in a harsh light. In a light that told me, maybe you're not as good as you think you are. Maybe you don't deserve better than the relationship you just got out of. 

I was lucky, though. I had friends who were willing to rekindle the bonds that my prior relationship had threatened to forever squelch. I had family who reassured me of my worth again & again, in their voicing of my decision being the right one. And despite the mental & emotional blow those words caused me, I was able to fight against them in the best way: by living well, by thriving. 

Years later, I know for a fact that I am not boring. I am a person who is quite shy upon a first encounter, yes. But after that first encounter, when you start to really get to know me, you'll find that I'm one of the goofiest people on the planet. I know how to laugh at myself, how to not take myself too seriously. And years later, I know that hateful words come from a place of insecurity. That that girl was expressing how she really felt about herself, through the bashing of others she hadn't bothered to really get to know. People who could have been her friends, if she had only opened up & let them in. Given them a chance. And for that reason, I can fully forgive her. Understand a little where she was coming from, & let it go. 

These days, I let those words do something positive in my life: push me to be more active, to pursue more hobbies, to get everything I can out of life. Something that started out as petty high school gossip has transformed me for the better. I never say I'm bored, because bored is boring. 

And I'm not.

the worst things about me.

Well, the unthinkable has finally happened. That's right folks, I missed a day in the Blog Every Day In May Challenge. I had committed myself to getting something written in this space for all of May's thirty-one days this year, but I missed yesterday. I had an Around Here Lately post slated to go up in the evening, but with school & everything else that happened yesterday [like going to see Hangover III], it slipped my mind, & thus, there simply was no post. Rather than back-track & pretend I had written a post yesterday, I decided to let it go. Whew. And that was hard for me, really. 

So, today we're continuing what I'll now fondly refer to as the Blog Almost Every Day In May challenge, because I have full intentions of finishing strong. Missing one day is ok, right, Jenni? I sure hope so. The topic today? Your top three worst traits. So, without further ado...

I'm a perfectionist.
I'm a procrastinator.
I'm selfish. 

There. I said it. Things I could have added to that list? I'm vague. I have trouble explaining myself out loud. I tend to underestimate myself in quite a debilitating way. And I could go on, but the three up there in bold are probably my worst, ever traits. The first two appear because I believe they are linked. I am a perfectionist at my core, but you'd never know that from my messy living room, my unfinished novel, or any of the other things in my life that appear hap-hazzard. They appear this way because I am scared of doing them inadequately. Since I am afraid of doing them inadequately, I procrastinate. It's a gross cycle, really, but it's part of my life. And I'm constantly working on it.

The last one is something I'm quite ashamed of. I try very hard to overcome this particular trait, but it is frequently in the back of my mind. At least I'm working on it, right?

What are your top three worst traits? Go share on Jenni's blog to take part in the Blog Every Day In May craziness. Or, in my particular case, the Blog Almost Every Day In May craziness.

lately.

clearly, i need to utilize my awesome camera lens travel mug more

It's been a busy couple of days for me, but I wanted to pop in tonight for two reasons:

1. I committed to the Blog Every Day In May challenge, & even though I knew I wouldn't be using all of Jenni's prompts, I knew that I wanted to get something down in this space for every day of the fifth month this year. 

2. I genuinely miss blogging with regularity. I miss my blogging routine, my rhythm, my interactions with other bloggers, etc. Having a rough blogging month has, once again, brought to my attention that I love being a part of this community. 

With that being said, since I've arrived back in Wilmington on Monday, I have begun school. This is something I'm really excited about, but it's taken up almost all of my energy the past two days. For the rest of this week, I will be meditating on a new weekly routine for myself, so that I can get back with the program & start doing all the lovely blogging things I'd like to do. Not only that, but there are some long overdue thank you notes that must be written & sent out, some reading I'd like to do more of [my book of choice right now is The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling, which I'm really enjoying], & a seemingly endless slew of other little tasks that simply must be achieved. 

Tomorrow evening, I'll be sharing an Around Here Lately post, with a bunch of images from my month-long trip to Shreveport. I'm also currently working on my June editorial calendar, so I'm excited about getting some great, quality posts up for the next month. And what I'm really looking forward to in the next couple of weeks, is getting back in touch with all of you.

camera lens mug from kris | instagram