the fireworks came late...

this year we watched 4th of july fireworks a weekend late... but it was worth it. we headed to the farmington river with our friends Matt & Gina. needless to say, the crowd was huge, the food was fatty, the music was good and the fireworks display was great!

antiques!

we went to collinsville antiques this past weekend. i took so many pictures, had to choose a few of my favs. this place was amazing and we had so much fun with our friends Dan & Laura. can't wait to go back soon and get some of my fav finds.
albert wanted the large robot (or a traffic light as you americans call it) and roulette table - no big deal.



P.S we're all pictures in that very last photo... see us?

quote:

If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.

- Henry Miller

amber is the color of her energy

i have a sister and she is 5 years my junior. however, people constantly ask if she's the older of us two. this could be a compliment to me or an insult - i'm either very youthful in appearance OR just youthful and lacking maturity... hmmm.

regardless of other people, she is my favorite sister! over the years we have grown in appreciation for one another... and sometimes i think appreciation can out trump love. it's easy to love someone especially family, but to completely appreciate that person for who they are, no matter what, that's grand!

amber aka "pooks" has some strange tendencies. she is addicted to diet coke, is fascinated with the speech impaired - hence her studies to become a speech pathologist, knows sign language, has the most beautiful/thick red hair (which she has tried multiple times to dye, but i would not allow), is easily grossed out, hates the sound of people chewing and has 5 just-as-weird best friends since the 5th grade.

this girl is a gem and she makes me smile - but she has also made me mad and cry, BUT she has NEVER let me down. here's to my POOKS!


it's not ever day you meet your soul mate at 5 years of age... live with them for the next 20plus years... have them bare witness to every mile stone in your life... and then have them stand next to you on the day you marry your male counter part.
i'm just blessed - i guess.

savers... again.

just love savers - mostly because i love a good deal and great find. my friend gina and i made a quick trip this week. besides this cool looking cart for your stuff, we found a tie, a bag, a chair, two trunks, a necklace and a yellow decor pot. all for around $45. nice!

preparing for the RED, WHITE & BLUE

christopher kane: resort 2011

an amazing combo of metallics and fluorescents. wow.

discovering CT: tisane

i am a tea freak! when i originally went to tisane it was with my friend gina. we had lunch and drank tea mixed with Bailey's and mint - amazing!. the cafe/tea bar/bar is a diamond in the rough - literally. it can be found in a "random" part of town, but the place is perfect. the food is great, the tea and drink are phenomenal and the atmosphere, along with the people, are great. the Hubbs and i went for brunch after church today and i took a few pics.
this is def one of my new fav spots.

south african lingo

While eating a delicious meal prepared by the Hubbs, I unexpectedly chocked on a piece of corn. After an abrupt cough I preceded to exclaim, "Ugh, I chocked on a milli!" To my surprise Albert began laughing hysterically and asked what a "milli" was. I quickly explained how in South Africa, our family and friends referred to corn as "milli" - don't ask me why, but we did.

This word encounter between the two of us started a whole discussion on the funny (in Albert's mind anyway) words that my family and I have brought over from South Africa.

The list is as follows:

Milli - Corn
Robot - Traffic Light
Tacky - Sneaker
Mince - Ground Beef
Loo - Toilet
Jersey - Sweater
Trolly - Shopping Cart
Ja - Yes/Yea
Pardon - Excuse Me
Chips - Fries
Braai - BBQ

If anyone else thinks of more I will amend the list ;)

mk & ash olsen

while surfing some blogs this weekend, i stumbled upon this amazing blog completely dedicated to mary-kate and ashley olsen (& their stylishness). there are a few blogs about them on the web, but non come close to the fashion genius of this site creator - she also does moonlight blogs for whowhatwear.com. check out olsens anonymous to see all these twins have to offer. i personally think their style genius lies in their attention to detail, while still maintaining their signature "just thrown together" look.

*all images acquired from olsens anonymous.