Summer time and the living is easy..

There is a peace and placidity in college towns you will not find anywhere else from may to august. In gainesville, florida, watching swarms of students head toward the interstate sometimes saddens me, as i know that some i will never see again. but with the mass exodus a sense of calm overwhelms me.

Here is a fond farewell to some of the students i started with back in fall of 2006. the past two years have been wonderful, i am glad i could help.

jacob
john
matt
kerri
trevor
jon eric
katie m
aleesa

Summer Reading List

One of my most favorite childhood memories was going to the library with my mom and brother. I would check out as many books as the law of the library allowed. With not much to do in Brandenburg Kentucky, the library was quite a field trip and treat for a bored child on a hot summer day.

This summer, i am going to slowly chip away at a new summer reading list. A reading list that allows for a few new easy fictions, but honors the classics as well. Here is my summer reading list. Some i read as an adolescent and i am excited to read them again as an almost responsible adult.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird (repeat)
2. Slaughter House Five
3. Siddhartha
4. Peony in Love
5. The Great Gatsby(repeat)
6. The God of Small Things (repeat)
7. Ladies of Liberty
8. The Grapes of Wrath

nabbed this cool nine west bag in white. LOVE IT

Buy CoopePueblos Coffee NOW!

Buy the best coffee ever right HERE

Lula

The Costa Rican Cow.

Look for more Costa Rica pics over the next few days.

Things i will never forget about our trip.

The sounds of the birds at 5 am, waking me from my slumber.
The sight of Toucans in the rainforest.
Salsa lessons at the Coop with the Ticos.
Coffee on a continuous tap.
Ricardo's Compost.
Buying the wheelbarrell for our friend.
Rice and Beans, Rice and Beans, Rice and Beans

Separation anxiety from an entire country, Costa Rica on my mind.

Any one up for ziplining over the canopy?

This lucky girl is heading to Costa Rica baby! Will return on March 15th with some great photos and stories, hopefully some lovely stuff, and probably a new addiction to costa rican coffee.

Ciao Bella!

Five on Friday - 5 Things Your Prefer to Do Alone

1. Shop
2. Shower
3. Sing
4. Read
5. Cry

Give the gift of fortune..

A gift from the harlequin romance character.
Get them at Good Fortune

This Dog Destroys Shoes.

Great Photos

Stumbled on this photograher's website through a friend.
Check out some great pics.

For Hire in North Central Florida.

Dawn McKinstry Photography

Comfy New Work Shoes - Trying to look taller without the pain.....

Get them at Nine West.

Monday Monday Monday

It's Monday fabulous Monday. Torrential downpours outside my window and i find myself easily distracted.

So i have been playing with my new camera right? Still experiencing lots of red eye and blurriness. I was looking for some photography inspiration last night and found these cool tidbits.

1. A $1 tripod that fits in your pocket.
2. Photojojo - Inspire yourself.
3. A special Photography project - Allison by Jack Radcliffe

Lucky Girl Endorses O'Bama

Life's Code of Conduct .. according to me

1. Never show up to any place of business 5 minutes before closing.
2. Always be kind to the person who gets stuck with the middle seat on the airplane. Make sure to leave them atleast one good armrest.
3. Raise your children to say please, thank you, and yes or no sir (maam).
4. Don't inflict others with your political or religious views (unless they ask for your opinion).
5. Remember where you came from.
6. Send thank you cards.
7. Don't always play the victim - gain the power of personal accountability.
8. NEVER wear white high heals or pumps or suntan hose- that's just bad.
9. Don't be a snob. Mutts are as good as pedigree dogs when it comes to companionship.
10. Recycle anything that can be recycled.
11. Don't go to work sick to prove you are more dedicated, you are not doing any favors by spreading your funk.
12. Carry breathmints.
13. Don't ever ask when someone is going to get married or have children - ITS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
14. When you visit someone's house with dogs and cats, don't ignore the pets. they are like kids to some people.
15. When emailing, don't forget the salution and common business courtesy. Email is not the same as yahoo instant messaging.
16. There's no excuse for cleanliness. Bathe everyday!
17. Do not share your financial information - no one cares how much money you have in your bank account or how much your horse is worth..

Want to add to my list - COMMENT

Costa Rica Here I Come

In preparation of a super cool spring break trip to Costa Rica, I purchased a new grown up girl's camera. If ease of use is important to you but you still want an upgrade from your typical 4 megapixel pocket click and shoot, check out the KODAK Easy Share Z712 IS. This camera is a full body camera but still small enough that you don't feel like a big nerdy tourist wearing it over your neck.

Check out the photos i have taken so far.

and you thought that i had fallen off the face of the earth

I'm back.


Stay tuned......

Happy Graduation Splurge!

Products that DON'T Work.

I seldom take to the task of writing about products I don't like, i typically just discontine use. However, on this, i have to tell the world - DON'T BUY THE CLINIQUE ACNE SOLUTIONS LINE.

I am plagued with red marks and breakouts along the jawline and mouth. I have tried lots of things and nothing ever worked but seeing a dermatologist. I ran out of my prescriptions and thought i might try the new Clinique line to avoid another costly visit to a doctor and costly washes and creams.

4 months later, my skin was worse then ever. not only did it look bad- it was painful as well.

I am back to a 10% benzoyl peroxide wash and very light moisturizer, using sunscreen when i am in full sun. I can already that my skin is slowly healing and back to some sort of normal.

Reasons I think it stinks:

• Salicylic Acid washes don't work for severe acne. The wash didn't clear up any of my blemishes or pores.
• The toner burns if you have blemishes and irritates them even more.
• The moisturizer didn't moisturize much and just left a wierd flaky film on my skin. I could not wear it during the day with make up. This product was the only one with benzoyl peroxide in it, but i couldn't tell that it helped to repair my broken out skin.
• If you purchase all the full size products- its pretty darn expensive.