WILW: Debordieu!

Well after 3 longgg days of no power I am FINALLY back up and running and can I say I am more than a little bit overwhelmed!  Haven't started classes yet but I already feel like I have so many assignments...so bare with me as I get in a new schedule these next few weeks.  I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post but hopefully I will be able to still find time and it will be a good stress reliever.  ANYWAY now that I got that out of the way, onto things that make me SMILE!

Well in keep with What I'm Loving Wednesday I wanted to write about my LAST vacation of the summer (and trust me I've sure been on plenty so I am not complaining!).  This weekend I am EVER so excited to be traveling down to the lovely state of South Carolina to go to the beach with so many old and new friends!  My ex-roomate/childhood friend/pretty much like my older sister has a house in Debordieu and every year she invites a big group to come down for the weekend and just enjoy the sun, the south, and of course, some wonderful cocktails!

old roommate pic :)

Last year there we all kinds of people and we had all kinds of fun but I have to say one of my favorite memories was making music with spoons with roommates cousin, oh my goodness we were such nuts...or dingbats :)  This year is sure to be loads of fun as well and I just can't wait to get down there!  PLUS I haven't seen most of these people in it seems like AGES, it will be a wonderful reunion of sorts.  

Bocce Ball on the beach

Can you believe this is the last weekend of the summer?!  I can't, where has the time gone!  What are you up to this weekend, any fun labor day plans?  Wherever you are don't forget to wear your white, linen, Lilly and any other summer clothes (if you go by those rules...have to say I kind of do!).  

P.S. Have you been over to jcrew.com to check out their sale?  I just got 2 awesome bathing suits and I'm in LOVE with them:

Happy Labor Day weekend (a little early but I probably won't be able to post again)!

No power, hopefully back soon!

Well we've been out of power since Saturday night because of Irene so hopefully we will have it back soon, cross your fingers!! I'm getting a bit tired of life without power! Hope you all have power and survived the storm ok!

Friday Friday Friday

So I feel like it has been a bit of a busy last few days and I'm a bit behind!  Yesterday I babysat for almost 12 hours and I am EXHAUSTED, twin 2 year olds and a 4 year old will do that to you!  Anyway, I don't have a lot of time to post but thought in keeping with seeing The Help this week I thought I'd just leave you with a Pinteresting quote to start the weekend because I thought it was one of the most poignant parts of the movie and such a good thing to remember:

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Peyton on Pinterest

YOU ARE AND I FEEL SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU AS A BLOG FRIEND!

Have a great weekend - hopefully the storms aren't coming your way!

So today I'm linking up with This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

1.  I am LOVING the weather!  Right now I have on a long sleeve shirt, in August - I am a huge fan of cool nights and warm days (see my last post) so I'm really enjoying this...although I'm not sure how long it will last.

Source: etsy.com via Peyton on Pinterest

2.  I am LOVING The Help, I finally saw it yesterday - wow what an amazing movie.  I thought they did a phenomenal job of sticking to the book as well as making it honest and real.  It just makes you think so much about human nature and how we treat each other.  It reminds me to always treat people with respect and dignity, as I would want to be treated.

3.  I am LOVING that I have 1 more vacation planned before the summer TOTALLY ends.  Next weekend for Labor Day I'm headed back down to South Carolina with my old DC roommates and lots of her/now my friends from UVA and all over the place!

Last summer DeBordieu trip

4.  I am LOVING all of your blogs lately!  Since I pretty much missed just about EVERYTHING last week I am slowly catching up on everything and I just love reading all of the neat things you all are doing, you inspire me!  

5.  I can't seem to get enough of STRIPES!  I know it's the end of the summer but the style seems to be trickling into fall and I LOVE IT!

Source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com via Juliana on Pinterest

Source: greatfullday.blogspot.com via Holly on Pinterest

Source: alittledashofash.blogspot.com via Yenessie on Pinterest

So, what are YOU loving today??

"If dreaming made things happen, if wishes could come true, camp would last forever, a summer all year through"

Uhhh how I wish the above quote was true, but alas, all good things come to an end...I guess that's what makes them so special.  This weekend (as many of you know since I've been posting about how excited I've been) I attended the 85th camp reunion at the summer camp I went to for 10 years.  It was absolutely fabulous, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  We slept in the cabins, swam in the river, sang camp songs, stargazed (I saw 2 shooting stars!), and so much more.  It was so neat to be back with friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in years, and just fit right back in, right where we left off.  

I think I had a smile on my face just about the whole weekend.  I barely slept because I was so excited to be in such a special place.  Waking up to the cool air in the mornings makes you feel so rejuvenated and glad to be alive.  Something that was really inspiring for me (since this was my first reunion) was to see all of the generations coming back to camp and how the love never changes.  As a camper and counselor as you grow older and understood the true meaning of camp your love grows deeper.  But by the time your one of the oldest at camp your love is stronger then many of the younger campers because you've been there longer and are just more mature.  Coming back this weekend was different though, we'd all been there about the same amount of time and everyone, though in some cases generations between, had the same love for camp.  A beautiful legacy.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Friday night dinner  

Dance party...got a little wild!

Team comp, the Buffs cheering!

Green Team snake 

During the deck tennis team comp (learn more about deck tennis here),
all three of us were green team captain as JCs :)

Crimson Sunset on Carrington Deck :)

My JC group, love them

Camp for 2 days or 2 months?

Anyway, it was a wonderful weekend and I could probably go on for hours with all of the special moments and rekindled relationships.  My mom (who was also there for the weekend and went to camp as a little girl) and I talked about the weekend the whole way home, such a sacred and unique bond that we get to share.  After the weekend, although very camp sick, I'm feeling rejuvenated and re-centered on what's truly important.  Weekends like these help you remember what life's all about, so happy I was able to be a part of it.

Do you have places that help you remember your childhood and bring you back to what is truly important?  

Happy Tuesday, glad to be back...and still catching up on many of your blogs!!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Goodness!

Hi! When all else fails, SMILE followers, I am stepping in for Peyton as she is at her (and mine!) CMS camp reunion (which I think you all know by now how excited she is for this event :)!) Anyways I am the resident blogger at Rudi's Organic and Gluten-free Bakery and I am very excited to post today about my favorite meal and sandwich the PBandJ. Now you would think that by now after over 9 years of eating pbandj's that I might be tired of the mixture, but every time I get that peanut butter craving I just HAVE to have it. I think it definitely helps now that I work at a Bakery and we always have bread that my love of PBandJ has continued with me to Boulder!

There are many combinations of PBandJ that I have experimented with through the years. It all began my freshmen year of highschool when I only liked peanut butter. Almost everyday without fail I would spread myself a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread and pop that baby into my lunch bag.

Then I began to add apples to my peanut butter sandwich. I would slice up an apple and stuff the apple in between the peanut butter sandwich in the morning so therefore by lunch time the apples were soft (or more like soggy) and peanut butter coated. During this phase I also began toasting my bread to really get the peanut butter nice and smooth and the apples completely covered in goodness!


It was not until college that I discovered that I liked jelly! At the dining hall at Cal we had some very interesting food choices and I was also super picky! So my diet consisted of most of the time PBandJs, frozen yogurt, granola and the salad bar! But not to worry as limited as I was I never tired of those PBandJs!

Towards the end of college I began to discover OTHER nut butters and Jellies and the importance of having excellent bread in order to construct the best PBandJ. Almond butter, Chocolate hazelnut butter, Sunflower butter, Honey peanut butter the list goes on and on! And I have not even gotten into my love for peanut butter and honey or agave! MMh my mouth is watering, wish I had a peanut butter something right about now!


Now that I am gluten-free I have found that I really enjoy a open face PbandJ toasted on Rudi's Gluten-free Cinnamon Raisin bread. Something about the mixture of cinnamon, raisin and peanut butter really satisfies my sweet tooth and my peanut butter craving!

Ok that's all about my love for peanutbutter and jelly, honey, apples, did I even get into bannans and nutella?! What is your favorite nut butter concoction?

Make sure to get your PBandJ fill in this week:)

Happy Eating!

Tighe

Is it a sign?

Happy Monday dear blogger buddies!  It has been so dreary here the past few days, not fun - although the weather did hold out for the Oriole's game Saturday night...sadly they lost by one :(

This week I'm headed to Virginia to visit family and hang out on the farm and then on Friday my mom and I head over to Bath County for the 85th camp reunion!  I know I know, I've been talking about it for weeks but I am EVER so excited to see all of these people I haven't seen in ages!  Oh gosh that reminds me, I have got to get packing!  Anyway, that said I am not sure how much I am going to be able to blog this week but I do have a lovely guest blogger who is going to be blogging for me at some point in the week.  She writes the blog for Rudi's Gluten-Free Bread and she just happens to be my amazing sister!

So today I thought with all of this dreary weather I would share one of my favorite signs in the world.  I have loved this sign for years and every time we go down to the beach it makes me smile.  I don't know what it is about it but it is just so simple and witty that I can't help but crack up every time!

The other side of the sign is kind of funny too:

...and yes I did make my mom practically stop the car in the middle of the road on our way back from the beach to take these shots (thus why they're not the best).

And a few more funny/witty signs to brighten your Monday via Pinterest:

Source: therabbitrun.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: forum.girlscene.nl via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: blog.travellerspoint.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Do you have any signs that you just adore?  Or something on the way somewhere that always makes you giggle?  Here's to a great week!

New Hair Style!

For some reason I'm having a little trouble focusing today so sorry if this post is a bit all over the place!  Anyway, a few weeks ago I was reading Sundresses and Smiles and she had a guest blogger (Recently) who talked about different tutorials she'd found.  Well she found this one from A CUP OF JO about how to make a three twisted bun hair style.  I am ALWAYS trying to find new creative hairstyles because I get bored easily with my hair and like to try funky hairstyles.  So I saw this and fell in love, it's super easy and her directions make it even easier!

Sooo I tried the hairstyle myself, and if I do say so myself, I think it turned out pretty well considering it was my first try!

...ok so it's not nearly as good as the tutorial but it's a start!  If you want to try it, here's the link to the tutorial: http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2011/03/three-twisted-buns.html

Do you have any funky hairstyles that you love to do?  Please share, would love to try them out!

Have a great weekend!

P.S. Just got the new Lilly planner - I'm in love with it!!

Oh and we went to see The Help Wednesday night but got there too late and it was sold out...so I guess I'll have to go this weekend!

What I'm LOVING Wednesday!

Well today I'm linking up with Jamie over at this kind of love for What I'm Love Wednesday:

1.  I'm LOVING that The Help comes out today, my mom, grandma and I are going to see it tonight, we can't wait (definitely will have a review for you in the next few days!)!

Source: None via Wendy on Pinterest

2.  I'm LOVING that the 85th camp reunion is only a week and a half away, I can't wait to see so many old friends and visit a very special place with so many memories!!

Up our way where the nights are gay and the sun shines daily on the mountain top,
I took a trip on a yellow bus and when I reached Mont Shenandoah I made a stop!

3.  I'm LOVING that one of my bestest friends come back from school tomorrow, I can't wait to see her and catch up on all she's been up to this summer before she heads to Madrid for the year!

4.  I'm LOVING that school starts super soon, I'm so so excited about my new adventure and all of the new people I hope to meet!

5.  I'm LOVING life, how can you not when you're at the beach :)

Source: brownpaperandstring.blogspot.com via Peyton on Pinterest

What're you loving today?!?!

Beach time!

Happy Tuesday!  The beach is absolutely beautiful, it's so lovely to spend a little time relaxing on the shore.  Yesterday I picked up my grandmother and we headed down to the beach.  We got here and ate some lunch and just did a little relaxing.  Then my mom taught me how to paddle board - it was so cool!!  My wonderful cousin is very into paddle boarding and has her own that she brings down here.  Last time she was down here she left it for us to use.  I've been too scared to try it because I've been scared of falling in...I know I'm a wimp but when I was little I got a bad jellyfish bite from being in the water and have since been scared.  Anyway, I tried it and LOVED IT!  It's very relaxing but also challenging because you have to keep your balance.  I didn't get any pictures of myself but here are a few of my cousins and mom from the 4th:

I'm really enjoying being down here because this is the first time I've been at the beach without a big group.  I can just take some time to read and relax and reflect a bit.  Especially after this intense week at camp, it's nice to just take some quiet time for myself before the craziness of school starts.  Today I'm headed to the beach with my mom...first time to the beach in a month - how crazy!  I'm excited because I just got three new books  - one of which is the second book in The Hunger Games series (I started yesterday and am already halfway done!!).

Source: ohhelloyouprettythings.tumblr.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Source: thirtyhandmadedays.com via Peyton on Pinterest

Have a great day, wherever you are!

Inspiration Monday: Camp Sunrise

Happy Monday to all of my lovely readers, I've missed you this past week!  I had an absolutely marvelous week out in Crownsville, MD at Camp Sunrise.  As I mentioned before I left Camp Sunrise is a camp put on by the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center for kids that are either currently in treatment for cancer or who have been in the past.  The camp is free for campers and is entirely run by volunteers.  Also on site is an entire volunteer medical staff with doctors and nurses from Hopkins around the clock - kids can even have chemo done at the camp.

Ropes Course activity (sorry can't put any pics of campers)

This was my first year as a counselor at the camp and it was just such an inspiring and special week.  I can't talk or show pictures of any of the kids because of HIPPA but in general all of the kids were just amazing.  It gave me an entirely new perspective on what it's like to have cancer, especially childhood cancer.  I think I sometimes have put cancer in a place so far away and tried to never think about it because such terrible things can be associated with it.  Being at Camp Sunrise helped me understand that while cancer can be a deadly disease these kids do not let it take over their lives, at least not at camp.  The whole week you didn't really hear a whole lot about cancer, the kids just enjoyed themselves and tried to be kids.

Cabin 4 counselors before the big dance!

There were moments when I would step back and think wow, all of these children that I am around have had or currently have cancer, they are inspirational.  I would look up and half the little girls had no hair and you could see their ports on their chests, but it didn't matter.  They didn't care, they were just happy to be enjoying themselves and running around carefree.  There was one event during the week called Celebration of Life where whoever wanted to took a moment to remember those who had died of cancer or who had won their fight.  That was the only moment in the week where I saw what a toll cancer had taken on these children.  It was a good kind of sad because it is important for all of us to remember those who we've lost or who've won the battle.  I was so amazed though, right after the ceremony a few of my campers were upset and we talked about it a bit, and then 20 minutes later they bounced right back and were ready for the next thing.  I guess that's kids for you.

Matching tie dye t-shirts - love camp tie dye

Anyway, just wanted to share my special week with you all.  If you ever have a chance to do something like this you won't regret it, I promise.  Has anyone done something like this?  What did you think?

Lovely nails done by campers - mine were done by a 5 year old :)

Headed to the beach today, looking forward to some relaxing in the sun :)