four score and 100 bucks later

yesterday, after getting bella's oil changed and doing homework for a few hours, i went and picked up salimah at her apt. and we decided to drive to westminster. as we were getting closer, though, we saw a sign for gettysburg and decided to keep going. spring drive, sunshine, outlets - what's not to like?

so we made our way up some lovely country roads, even stopping along the way at this awesome little pottery shop where i procured a very unique pitcher/gravy boat-looking container in this glazey honey brown. so pretty.

once we arrived in gettysburg, we made a beeline for the outlet shops, parked at one end, and proceeded to wind our way down to the other, going in and out of stores along the way. in addition to a kitchen shop where i bought a few random little items, we found this awesome leather outlet where i scored not one but TWO new bags with matching wallets. i'm telling you - leather is like a drug to me sometimes. i am ALL about the handbags.

so, i dropped a bit of cash. after that, we made our way back to the car (after a very awkward incident in a public restroom wherein a very elderly woman asked me to help her with her pants), drove through historic gettysburg, decided that we are DEFINITELY coming back for a long weekend, and then drove the country road right back to home, stopping at this little 'greek' place on the way (the food was only mediocre).

the bottom line is that i needed a day away from schoolwork. i'm just tired all the time lately and i'm tired of being so tired. getting to drive in the sun and the air may have set my allergies ablaze, but it was SO worth it just to forget about due dates and papers and analyses and business plans, if only for an afternoon.

and now it is sunday night and after spending an entire day working on school stuff, i'm spent yet again. monday morning mocks me. i shall mock it back by getting into my very warm bed and zonking out like a champ.

just watch me.

you say it's your birthday

it's official. i'm now 32. i had a great weekend, including an all-day trip to havre de grace and north east, md, with salimah and vanessa, during which we shopped, ate, chatted, shopped, and ate some more. i bought myself a super fun bracelet and a pair of pink crocs (complete with a little matching pink flower decal to decorate). here's the bracelet:


today started off with brunch at the cheesecake factory, then a trip to home depot to pick up two butter yellow adirondack chairs for my patio (upon which i sat for awhile and took a little nap), and then dinner out with several of my best girls from work at a seafood restaurant in reisterstown. i felt very surrounded and loved and it was just how i wanted to spend it. tomorrow night i'm out for dinner with another friend, and then tuesday continues the celebration with MORE great friends. i'm lining up times with different pockets of people so that i can really spend time with them and have no one feel left out of conversations or anything like that. and plus, when you have too big of a group, you yourself can't possibly pay attention to everyone. that makes it too hard.

so i'm happy. and whatever is to happen in this year, let it come. as ever, i will face it with as much courage as i can muster and maybe a little finesse along the way. i have such great friends, and i'm so thankful for that....it's good. it's just all good.