i haven't been around (or at least haven't had the time)
to say much lately,
because after having to cancel our little getaway last weekend,
i've been in and out of hospitals/emergency rooms/doctor appointments with my little sister the past few days.

i spent this morning thumbing through my journal and read over an entry from last summer describing an afternoon i had in
new york city.

"after strolling through the library,
we drank lemonade in bryant park
and then played a few rounds of ping pong."

and right now,
that's all i really feel like doing.

too bad my time machine isn't working at the moment.

neverland.

youth had been a habit of hers 
for so long 
that she could not part with it.

-rudyard kippling

___


i'm off to vacation for memorial day weekend!
wishing sunshine for myself,
and for all of you too!

me plus you.

guess who finalllly got tickets for a hot date
to see this beautiful face in concert?

i am freaking. out.

___

july 10th i may just fall in love,
and then never fall out of it again.

i'm only me when i'm with you.

walt whitman once said,
"i no doubt deserved my enemies,
but i don't believe i deserved my friends."

after reading that - i could somehow relate.





so i made a video this past weekend,
because the rainy weather kept me indoors.

and i'd like to introduce you to
some of these wonderful people.
they are all pretty special.

bottlecaps.

sometimes, dates can be really awkward things --
but not when you open a Jones soda pop bottle cap
and learn that you've just saved a child's eyesight.
all my date could say,
"too bad we couldn't have saved a child's legs."
i laughed so much, i ended up crying,
and the rest of the night, i couldn't stop smiling.

truth be told, i usually expect dates to be awkward --
but sometimes it's nice when life doesn't go according to plan.

retrospect.

hindsight (at least in my case)

seems to always be 20/20 vision.

i keep learning that.

yesterday

was not quite what it could have been.
as i anxiously opened the mailbox expecting a letter,
i instead received a warrant for my arrest,
because i had forgotten about a "fix-it-ticket"
and my 14 days were up.
and i was charged $90.

the only thing, and let me repeat - the only thing
that "de-stresses" situations like yesterday are the following:
1. eating 8 bowls of cereal.
2. celine dion.
and 3. asking for sympathy from the experts,
mom and dad.
i know i'm a bit late (and a bit early)
for mother and fathers day -
but i find myself very lucky to have my parents as mine.

as john f. kennedy once said...

"nothing compares to the simple
pleasure of a bike ride."

especially on a sunday afternoon.

ps. my bike is now going by the name of thelma,
(the raptor will follow in parenthesis)

pps. iron man 2 wasn't nearly as good as the first one.

counting my blessings, instead of counting calories.

not as if i usually count my calories, or even necessarily watch what i eat - but i thought that phrase was special, so why not pass it on (and work on being grateful, too).

so...life seems to get busier and busier, and it's beginning to feel a lot like summer - which (considering those two combined) doesn't make much sense, but here are just a few items of business:

1. has anyone read the book thief by markus zusak? i just started it the other day and love it. (thanks for the recommendation elin!) -- any other summer book suggestions?

2. yesterday the radio was psychic and knew exactly what i needed to hear as i made the long unbearable drive down university parkway, managing to hit all 127 red lights in .5 miles (this is usual). i usually prefer one of my cd's (i haven't hopped on the ipod wagon yet - emphasis on yet) but the radio just knew exactly what i liked for once: john mayer, justin bieber, no rocket summer - but that's only because the rocket summer isn't on the radio (yet).

3. but speaking of the rocket summer...
before "kelsie" was the name of choice - i was going to be a "summer." since this news was revealed, i have been convinced that i'd name one of my own daughters summer. and i will.
and just the other day i found out that my friend kylie wants to name her daughter rocket. which means... our children together will be named: rocket summer. in my world, i'd call that fate, but i still don't have any real evidence to support that theory, but maybe one day i will.

that's all for now.

{photo via}

cheers.

here's to my summer starting off a lot like this.

(this includes, but is not limited to the following:)

riding my bike all the time.
going to california.
eating, sleeping, breathing otter pops again.
turning 21.
finding a drive-in movie theater.
reading on lazy afternoons.
enjoying yet another summer
(in apparently)
"the most boring place in the united states"
(haha - reading that headline on friday made me laugh)
listening to the beach boys.
starting a picnic/book club.
and waking up early enough to watch the sunrise.

can you tell i'm getting excited for the summertime?

(and yes, i am a justin bieber fan)