Wow. You all really know how to welcome a girl back. I'm sort of awestruck. Your support and encouragement... I hope you know how much it means to me. To us. But before I get a all choked up, I should press on because I seem to have run out of time today, and nothing short of a bullet style entry will be sufficient to recap the current craziness.
Things I Have Done In This Blur of Months, Henceforth To Be Known as June-ly:
- Worked. Double time. With a manager who goes on extended vacation this time of year-- which also happens to be the time of year most feared by persons in my profession, all I can say is, Holy Crap, you guys. When does school start again?
- Ate my body weight in popsicles.
- Drafted a new pattern based on a shirt I already own, cut out the pieces, proceeded to freak out about it, and abandoned it on the dining room table. Which is not uncommon for me. If I had a nickel for every project I started, but lost faith in because of my sewing abilities, I would be a freaking bajillionaire.
- Spent a day eating ridiculously amazing fruit, and lounging at the river's edge with friends.
- Did a little victory dance in the aisles of Goodwill, when a never-used Polaroid SX-70 shone like a beacon out from under a dark bottom shelf.
- Went on a mad-hunt to procure film for said camera.
- Spent an overwhelming amount of time buried in construction paper. Why I feel the need to out-do myself for each and every story-time craft is beyond me. Do I believe that preschoolers can gauge how much effort you put into these things? Probably.
- Read, maybe, 400 YA books. Okay, more like 30. But that's a lot of angst in under three weeks and, let me tell you. I am this close to losing my grip on reality. I've already plowed through every Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, re-read the Twilight series, Libba Bray, a few other obscure and marvelous authors (good lord E. Lockhart is AMAZING), read all the Newberry contenders (and the winner), and threw in a couple of Harry Potter's (not YA) for good measure. Now I need to go and get really really drunk and talk about mortgages with a bunch of grown-ups, just to celebrate the fact that I AM NOT A TEENAGER ANYMORE.
- Geeked out over the latest Harry Potter movie.
- Geeked out over the upcoming kid's books turned films slated for release the following year. I may, or may not, have started bawling at the 30 second preview for "Where the Wild Things Are,' and may, or may not, have embarrassed the grown man sitting next to me in the theater, who knows me well enough to understand that I LOSE MY SHIT at anything that involves kind, vulnerable, and/or maligned non-human creatures.
- Worked on the final draft for a writing project due next week. (And I will share a bit more about this, that is, as soon as I stop worrying about it.)
- Snorgled with the two most amazing dogs in the universe.
- Took a walk every evening after dinner with the most amazing husband in the universe. It's my new favorite time of day.
Things I Did Not Do in June-ly:
- Clean my house.
- Do any laundry. I have no socks. Really. Not even one.
- Pick up my camera much. (I am still woefully behind on 52 Weeks.) I plan to make up for that this weekend.
- Spend much time on the internet.
- Think about my upcoming birthday. Which is, as it turns out, tomorrow.
- Pack for a short trip to the coast, even though we leave in under 24 hours. (Did I mention that I haven't done any laundry? Maybe we can just wear clean sheets. Or newspaper. Or something.)
- Sleep
* * *
And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go dunk my head in some cold water before it explodes, and then try to make it to work on time. Oh, Summer. Your ability to slow things down and speed things up simultaneously is nothing short of miraculous. Happy Friday, friends.
All love,
*Andrea
May I be the first on the internets to wish you a most happy birthday.
You have some great links in your post. I am pretty darn envious of the camera.
Posted by: Ramona | July 18, 2009 at 06:56 AM
Happy Birthday Love! I hope you guys have an awesome trip! (And I am counting the days until I get to see you!!)
Posted by: Jack Barnett | July 18, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Happiest of Happy Birthdays.
Posted by: KT | July 19, 2009 at 06:25 PM
hope your birthday was so full of beauty and love and hope. looking so forward to seeing your polaroid images and hearing more about this writing project. hugs.
Posted by: shari | July 20, 2009 at 03:33 PM
What a great post! I can't wait to check out all the links. I totally agree about summer slowing things down and speeding things up ... I feel exactly the same way. I also harbour a love for YA books, but I haven't ready many lately. I should get back into that. And happy birthday!
Posted by: Isabelle | July 20, 2009 at 03:45 PM
well if you ask me, june-ly sounds just about perfect. especially the popsicle part. happy day lady. happy day.
Posted by: hannah | July 21, 2009 at 01:31 PM
oh happy happy happy birthday to you andrea! and your list is perfect, as always. i'll have you know that i'm right there with you on the abandoned projects, though not all of mine are sewing related. it always makes me happy to know that i'm not the only one of my kind. that, and i spent the last few weeks reading the percy jackson series at my son's request. have you read those yet? if not, you should add them to your ya list. (and now, is it going to be jul-gust? just wondering.) xo.
Posted by: emily | July 22, 2009 at 06:43 PM
wow. an SX-70? At Goodwill?
I totally cried at the trailer for Where The Wild Things Are too. And get teary every time I rewatch it on YouTube. Which is going on, like 15 today. And I only saw it for the first time on Monday.
I need to eat more popsicles.
Posted by: Tracy | July 23, 2009 at 07:59 AM
You had me with your summer manifesto. And now, after reading this post, it is official. I have a new favorite blog.
Happy Birthday.
Posted by: joAnn | July 28, 2009 at 06:56 AM
What a wonderful month you have had. Happy, happy birthday. xo lj
Posted by: louise | July 28, 2009 at 05:33 PM
So lovely to see you back! If you're looking for any YA suggestions I recommend John Green and Maureen Johnson.
Posted by: Nicola | July 30, 2009 at 11:52 AM
You have been busy! I also cannot wait for the Where the Wild Things Are movie to come out. Piotr went out and bought a hard cover of the book because he realized we only had a soft cover.
I'm also with you on the popsicles. We've gone through I don't know how many boxes.
Hope you had a wonderful birthday and I'm sure I'll see you soon.
Posted by: Chelsea | August 18, 2009 at 02:26 PM
Hey, if you ever are interested, i'll sew up your projects for you...
:)
Posted by: Erin Chaney | November 08, 2009 at 09:06 PM