I hope you’re all enjoying the wonderful three-day weekend! (UK readers, do you get a Bank Holiday?) Here’s Aveline earlier today, during her first-ever outdoor picnic.
The weather turned out to be lovely, despite the intriguing forecast this morning.
And now, we’re all snuggled together on the couch for a little TV before bed.
Hello, new readers! If you’re stopping by via Artsy Ants, welcome! I’m happy to have you here and hope you stick around. (Thank you so much, Sylvia and Simona, for the mention and the blog award.)
This morning, I’m extra tired. Baby Aveline fell back asleep this morning, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t. And so here I am awake, rubbing my eyes and downing decaf.
The sun is pouring in through the windows, which are closed tightly to keep out the heat. At 9:30 am, it’s already 80° F (27° C). The forecasted high is 95° F (35° C), with a UV index of 10+. And that’s on a scale of 1 to 10! Looks like the little miss and I will be staying indoors today.
P.S. Want the waffle recipe? They’re gluten-free!
the windows are open this morning, and the a/c is switched off. there’s hardly ever a cool-down at night here, so the fact that it’s just after 10 am and still nice enough to enjoy open windows is really something. the hardest part of florida weather for me to get used to, besides the humidity, is the lack of a cooling overnight delta breeze! (you sacramento valley dwellers know what i’m talking about.)
aveline is freshly bathed, laying happily on her stomach playing with toys. and i..well, i just realized that i left my coffee in the french press.
off to rescue my coffee and thus the morning,
gina
it’s just beautiful in central florida right now. as much as i miss norcal, i’m actually really glad i’m missing the pollen-infested allergy season. see this pretty flower? it wasn’t at all sneeze-inducing. at this time last year in california, both josiah and i sneezed non-stop for two months. here? nary a sneeze.
we’re taking advantage of this beautiful weather as much as we can. this afternoon, we went out for a walk in the sunshine.
out little neighborhood is simply lovely. we’re so blessed to live in a place like this. i just love all the palm trees! and i love that handsome man with all of my heart. (aveline’s eyelet floppy hat is from the children’s place; her dress is the sweet pinny from the pumpkin patch. it’s no longer available but you can view it here.)
and what’s a little walk without a detour for coffee? decaf, of course. aveline is enough caffeine for me. when it comes to keeping me up at night, she gives late-night shots of espresso a definite run for their money.
oh, i live such a blessed, beautiful life.
this week was amazing. my lovely friend lauren–who was a bridesmaid in my wedding–came to visit! i haven’t seen her since 2008, so (obviously!) this was her first time meeting aveline.
they got along smashingly. lauren was so patient with the fact that aveline’s naplessness and teething took precedence over going out and about. so, we settled in on the couch and took turns holding aveline while drinking iced coffees, tweeting to each other, and watching back to back (to back) episodes of say yes to the dress. (ssshhh, don’t tell.)
we did have a few outings. it’s always fun to wander around ross, right? especially when you’re with a friend, and you get the giggles upon spotting the creepiest clearance rack ever. i mean, seriously! how can this get much worse? mr. chipped-ear-elephant gave me the willies. and why exactly is he giving the bottle of yeast the eye?
we also drove downtown and took a lovely walk around lake eola. in all the times i’ve been there, i’ve never noticed this monument to the confederate states. it kind of blew my mind. i should have taken a photo of the inscription on the base of the monument. a lot of people will argue that florida isn’t really the true south, but if that’s the case, why are they celebrating the confederacy every time i turn around? i’ve seen more confederate flags here than any other place i’ve ever lived. it’s bizarre.
but i digress…
while lauren was here, we also drove to the coast and spend the afternoon at cocoa beach. this beach as a special place in my heart, as my family came here on an amazing vacation when i was 16 years old, and it’s where josiah proposed in 2008. this time, we introduced little aveline to the ocean for the very first time.
she was dressed as lawrence of arabia for the majority of the time, but i think she enjoyed herself. it was a gorgeous, beautiful day. i just love the florida coast. as i was sitting on the beach looking out over the rolling crystal blue waves, i commented to josiah that as awesome as california is, i really do love florida and i wouldn’t mind living here for years. i see beauty everwhere here now. i know God has done a work in my heart, as i really am so content and happy here this time around — and it wasn’t like that at all before. thank you, Lord, for this wonderful peace.
doesn’t lauren look every part the doting auntie? we had an amazing time together.
some weekends sail more smoothly than others. friday night started out with the power in three rooms flickering in and out. saturday morning, lights still flickering in the house, josiah discovered a hole in one of the radiator hoses in the car. meanwhile, the apartment maintenance man flipped breaker switches on and off, replaced an outlet, said lots of words like volts and circuits and hmmm, this isn’t good. (he said a few other kinds of words, too.) sunday, the iAlarm didn’t go off and we all accidentally overslept. despite my best scrambling efforts, we weren’t ready in time for church. aveline cried herself to sleep last night and woke up wailing at 6 this morning. (and the next thing she did wasn’t really that pleasant, so i’ll spare you the details. let’s just say the washing machine got an early wake-up call too.)
but there were nice things about this weekend, too. we went shopping. we saw a little kid drop dr. doofenschmirtz onto the floor while we were in a store, and my eyes popped out of my head. so we immediately went searching the toy section to see what sort of doofenschmirtz merchandise was for sale. (and yes, josiah pointed out that we are indeed 27 years old; but did you know they sell a mini perry the platypus figure, complete with gnome disguise?!)
so as you might have guessed by now, we watched phineas & ferb cartoons this weekend. we also ate tilapia and avocado. and went downtown, and walked around the lake as we people-watched. it was sunny and gorgeous and wonderful and people were, predictably, funny to watch. aveline wore her sunbonnet and snoozed on daddy’s shoulder.
so things are looking better. today, the electrician is coming to (hopefully) fix the sizzly problem. and best of all? my dear dear friend lauren is flying in from chicago. can you believe i haven’t seen her since 2008, when she was a bridesmaid in my wedding? this reunion is long overdue. i can’t even tell you how excited i am!
Some of you will recognize the following story — I penned it just months after 26PM and i were married in 2008, and published it on my old blog (Remember Xanga? That’s how we all rolled back in the day, ha ha!)
Anyway, I rediscovered these words again today, and realized that I never shared our love story on this blog.
So, here it is. The story of a love that spanned the distance between the Atlantic and Pacific. The story of two people who could not remain apart. The story of our lives.
once upon a time, he saw her. after church, playing football in the grass. she was barefoot. this is his first memory, but she did not notice.
she does not remember, except for the time he could not understand something she said and then she refused to speak.
[we were both sixteen. –yellowcard, ocean avenue]
well, seventeen, actually.
[they had lots of common friends. –dennison witmer, 24 turned 25]
the same church. the same ski slopes. the same junior college.
but they did not notice.
[you never even see me. you look right through me. –coldplay, shiver]
she remembers how he flew before he could drive, and how he drew color and life bursting from grey rubble. she told her mother he thought about things, deeply.
he did not know he was present in her mind.
she did not know she thought of him, even when she did.
Continue reading “POETRY & WORDS :: our love story: how long distance became i do”
i’m finally feeling perky enough to get a few boxes unpacked. i love rediscovering our pretty things!
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