Day 192

The Happy: Little Toirtle

I found her on Foxden Road tonight and named her Pumpkin, which was stupid because I only had her for about 30 seconds before Liz sliced my dreams into thirds with Google searches about the detrimental effects of removing a turtle from its station.  Somebody begrudgingly put their big girl pants on and drove Pumpkin back...

ONLY BECAUSE I LOVED HER, MOM.

Not pleased about this whole taking away free pets thing.

But at the same token, nobody could have replaced my red eared slider (RIP Isabel).

Love, Happy Girl

Day 191

The Happy: Diamonds & Blackbird

In the spirit of Summer vacay, I've been testing my skill set and trying to master old passions of mine.

I want to start painting things I love.  This season, I love diamonds, and the painting below is one of the most inspiring I've ever come across.

Last night I also learned to play Blackbird on the Martin, and while thoroughly exhausted of the tune it feels nice using something so reminiscent of the man I love the most - my dad - to strum my fingers on.  I passed by his cemetery in DC yesterday on my way to The Capitol, and it got me missing my fingertip callouses and bad singing voice.

Develop your talents.  That's all for today.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 190

The Happy: That Moment in Target When You Imprint on Something...

...and then it's only 22 bucks!!!
Not even on sale, baby.  NOT. EVEN. ON. SAAAALE.
So much win.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 189

The Happy: Popsicle Grocery Store Run

Somewhere inside my brand new box of goodies lies a pineapple flavor.

So much win.

And a very happy Memorial Day to my fellow Americans and country.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 188

The Happy: The seats I got at the Easton Corbin concert that almost happened

So me and Liz go partying it up mother-daughter style in downtown Rockville because the city was throwing a free concert tonight with Easton Corbin, my favorite country singer.  Not one of my favorites.  Not close to my favorite.  My favorite.  And the best part was, living within this snooty eastern county means absolutely nobody knows who he is, so the majority of people who didn't realize he's the all-american shiz sat in lounge chairs 60 feet off.  I walked to 2nd row seating 25 minutes before he was supposed to start.  That is pride, people.  And he is fine, people.  I wore a jean vest for that man.

But as luck would have it, we had a mini-tsunami, and the show was cancelled.  No Easton.

It was awful.

But my seats were great, that's what matters.

Easton, you're my country boy.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 187

The Happy: Doller Chipotle Rice

 

Never been a Chipotle girl, unless I was with Miles (who coincidentally called me on Saturday for the first time since high school! ahh so great, love the man).  But other than afternoon burritos with Jonesi, I never enjoyed the place much.  I LOVE carbs though, rice most particularly, so I was thrilled to learn I could order a bowl of straight up cilantro lime rice for uno verde.  It was delish, I want mas.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 186

The Happy: The Village!!!!

Congratulations to me and the lovely future roommate, Alyssa!  With 1 hour left to do it, we both cancelled our contracts at our old complex and signed with The Village.  I feel so, so good about this decision.  I don't know what I'm more excited about - the indoor pool, the fact that everything is brand new (bragging), living in the same place as Daniel and Andrew, or just that it's AWESOME!  Oh my gosh I'm sooo so excited.

Lyss, I love you.  Best decision we ever made.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 185

The Happy: Taking a nice Thursday Coma with Sasha

This...is almost me. 

If there was drool, it would be me.

 Oh this is soo summer.

 Love, Happy Girl

Day 184

The Happy: Easy BBQ Salad

Okay, this is what you need to have a terrific lunch.

Chopped lettuce, chicken tenders (I cut them into strips), cranraisins, thinly sliced purple onion, BBQ sauce, vinaigrette dressing.  It's especially beautiful when you drizzle the BBQ in sweet iron chef zig-zag patterns.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 183

The Happy: I didn't lose my hair

Where I get all my best home remedy ideas:

Movies.  In this case, Matilda.  It is suggested that her mom bleaches her hair with peroxide.  I only had Hydrogen Peroxide, but it says Peroxide in it, so I figured what the heck.  I mixed it with some other crap, and while it did the job, it made it duller and nearly fried it.  I think I saved it with a deep condition.  I say "think" because my deep condition was also a home remedy recipe...the legitness is up to debate.

What we gather from this is that I am cheap in all the wrong places.

But lucky day, my hair is still in tact.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 182

The Happy: AGAIN.
Hi.  Okay, I know I already posted this video the other day, but that's how funny it is.

It has made my 4:00 pm at least three times since my first view, so I'm posting it again in case anyone missed.

It's just that brilliant.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 181

The Happy: Vampire Diaries?  Should I be happy about this?

Essentially, I am convinced I'll never be done sewing.  But to get the job going, I turn on some Vamp Diaries.

It's...interesting.

No picture of them.  Those people look strange.  Hot.  But strange.

One positive thing to consider - at least it's not something on Lifetime, the women's network.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 180

The Happy: Poolside Tanning with Nat Barb

I don't take pictures much anymore, I'm sorry.  I'm on vaca.

What a wonderful, sun-burned day.
P.S. I ran 8 miles.  OWNING LIFE.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 179

 The Happy: Breaking Dawn Hillywood Parody

Watched it twice with my mom, called everyone in town to catch a glimpse.I heard her downstairs playing it again.  Brilliant, that Hilly Hindi.
Love, Happy Girl

Day 178

The Happy: Mom's Birthday

The way I shop for family birthday presents is that I simply ask myself "If (goodness forbid) the worst of the worst happened and I inherited this, would I be excited to wear it?"

Just sort of kidding!

Happy birthday Liz, we're glad you could join us down here on Earth.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 177

The Happy: The Kennedys

 

I pulled a brutal all-nighter (and during Summer vacation!) where I just craved paninis the whole time and sewed like a maniac.  Too entertain the self, I watched every episode of The Kennedys AND I LOVED IT.  Oh my family drama. If you don't have time to watch it, let me sum it up: everybody cheats on everybody (even Jackie was involved in an affair with her brother-in-law, Bobby).  However,  it feels less bad to watch because you learn some American History in the process.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 176

The Happy: Sewing Sewing Sewing

Almost finished sewing slipcovers for the madre

Love, Happy Girl

Day 175

The Happy: Anddd I'm a Flowerchild

Today I decided to stop hating the rain, so I ran to the stream with pup.  It was full of ferns, "flowers" (weeds), and "strawberries" (the wild miniature ones that I've considered eating for 22 years but won't because I'm scared they'll make me die...or worse, throw up).  It smelled incredible, looked beautiful, and made wonderful my afternoon.  Oh Maryland, there you go again, being perfect 100% of the time.

I came in the house with my homemade headband.  My mom asked if I was planning to take drugs now.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 174

The Happy: The Color Green

My mom is surely the most colorful individual I've ever known, but if I were to relegate her to just one color, it would have to be her favorite: green.  A symbol of many things, it is above all representative of life.

My mom is full of life.  Her energy, passion, and wit is unmatched.  I've learned from my mom to fear less, to have faith, to work hard, to identify quality, to be slower to take offense, to stand up for myself, to adore animals and elderly women, to ask questions, to converse, to pull the sheets tight when making my bed (on the rare occasion that that actually happens), to maintain a sense of humor, to make good sandwiches, to be healthy, to stay loyal to family and friends, to listen, to take things seriously, to not take things seriously, to be conservative, to love Cary Grant, to be myself, to millions-of-things.

I love her. I'm blessed to be her daughter.

Happy Mother's Day

Love, Happy Girl

Day 173

The Happy: My favorite flowers are blooming, and here to stay for at least half an hour.

In a perfect world, Peonies would remain alive much longer.

Tonight, I said a bad word.

Just kidding.

Tonight, I said several bad words.  This is why:

 You are so positively ugly, Marigold.

She's under a cup right now :)

My mom is as anti-bug-killing as she is a Republican, and I don't want to disappoint her, especially because it's Mother's Day tomorrow, so the centipede is still intact.

Ethan, on the other hand, could not care less about Marigold.

There's a 100% chance that he is going to wake up before me as it is 3 AM and I am up sewing slipcovers for Liz.  Ethan will see Fugly Von Fuglystein wriggling in my sacrificed water glass, "take care" of her, and by Sunday I won't even remember she existed.  Can we sayyyy perfect?

After cruising tonight through Downtown Abbey, Doc Martin, Gossip Girl, and Anne Frank (the TV series?) I've finally settled on The Kennedy's.  We'll see if I like it.  Some show about America's Front Page Family.  I don't really know, or care, about the Kennedys.  I just want to see if Jackie's wearing anything cool.

Love, Happy Girl

*Hello.  Juliet here, and it's the morning after.  I would just like to report that while I did not forget about Marigold, she is gone.  Ethan must have done something with her.  What an insensitive human being, she was so tiny.
:)

Day 172

The Happy: Hang out sesh with the Carver family.

 

And that was exactly what we did.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 171

The Happy: Herblock Award Function

What: Award given annually to a political cartoonist.

Where: Library of Congress

Who: Matt Bors, this year's winner.  Age 28, won a check, gave a short speech. Garry Trudeau (second guy to pop up when you type 'Garry' in the google box - means he's legit), who created Doonesbury, also spoke.  You think you're smart, and then you hear Garry Trudeau talk.  You realize you're not smart.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 170

The Happy: The Moldy Panini Argument - Juliet vs. her mother

A rendition that is exaggerated but still kind of accurate.

Ju: Mom, I'm not using that rye bread for my panini, it's covered in mold.

Liz: The world is full of mold.

Ju: I'm not scared of it, I just don't feel like cutting it off.  It takes too long.

Liz: The world is full of mold.

Ju: I know, I'm not afraid of it, I would just rather not consciously eat it.

Liz: The world is full of mold.

Ju: I don't want to eat mold.

Liz: The world is full of mold.  Eating it is inevitable.  Cut it off.  The world is full of mold.

Ju: I don't want to look at it when I'm eating it.

Liz: Too bad.

Ju: That's like asking me to lick someone's zits.

Liz: It is completely different.

Ju: Okay well it's like asking you to eat mayonnaise.

Liz: NO ONE SAYS 'MAYONNAISE' IN MY PRESENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ju: mayonnaise mayonnaise mayonnaise mayonnaise mayonnaise mayonnaise mayonnaise

Liz: The world is full of mold.

Ju: Mold is not a food.

Liz: Well it's not not a food

I'm laughing now, but at the time, no one was.

I found out Franco Zeffirelli, the Italian movie producer, photographed my Uncle Tommy years ago as a potential lead for a movie that Zeff ultimately chose Tom Cruise for.  Merry Wednesday.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 169

The Happy: Cookies in Exchange for Good Toothpaste

Oh, the faux pas that is a chocolate chip raisin cookie.

Younger Brother: Hey, did you want to make those chocolate chip cookies?

This question is actually an ultimatum, and well, it's either follow through and brush with his Colgate, or deny the punk and succumb to my mom's endless supply of orange flavored toothpaste from Hell.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 168

The Happy: My improving level of maturity

My Panera chicken soup changed recipes on me, and is now a watery bowl of nothing.  Did I complain?  Not even a little bit  (except on here).

Big girl pants on.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 167

The Happy: Horse Therapy

It's a legitimate remedial source, okay?
                                                       ....i have a website to prove it
Horse Therapy Website
Stopped by the Rock Creek Horse Center in DC.  My grandparents took me here growing up.  Papa Snookums, the green horse I always loved, has since kicked the bucket.
My visit made me miss riding so much.  I become such a prideshow when I visit stables with other people.

Me: "You're probably wondering what that wooden thing with all the bristles is.  That's a brush.  See, I used to ride horses..."

Other People: "Well what's that pointy metal hook thing?" 

Me: I have no freaking idea what that is... "Ha...oh my, I remember using these things.  Those were the days.  Yes siree. They certainly were." Lowers voice.  "This is a shmffrmrmrf..."

I liked most of the horses, but Clever had the best manners, so he gets featured on the blog.

After, I went to visit my grandmother in her nursing home.

Everything there smells like melted plastic skin that's been chilled in the refrigerator, and then sat on the counter for a few days. There's like this impervious wall of scent that just absolutely knocks me over when I open the door (really fast, out of spite for the metal plaque that says "open slowly").

And then I went back to the Bogdan's for crabcakes, steak, spanakopita, and other things that taste like a real live man made it.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 166

The Happy: Bogdaning

Meet my other set of pitbulls, Koko and Kaya.

Love, Happy Girl

Day 165

The Happy: Another Friday where all I have to do is check my email and hug my mom.

Love, Happy Girl