INLET....IN-LIT?

Ah, the inlet! Ironically enough, I've never blogged about it. Which is kind of shocking considering I've blogged about everything from broken bones to what I eat for lunch, but somehow a post about the inlet never made the cut.

(Or, I was too lazy to make one. Probably that!)

We normally go at least once a year, and this year was great! Until I got home. Because then I looked in the mirror and remembered that I hadn't worn any sunscreen. 

And I had been in full sun. For eight hours.

 Needless to say, I looked like a tomato for a good week or so and it's not a look I would recommend to anyone.

I can't really put into words how much I treasure this little group of friends. One reason it's probably difficult is because they actually make fun of me, a lot. But once I learned to let it roll off my back and see beyond their rough edges, I actually have so much fun. It's not often you find people who you feel 100% comfortable to be 100% yourself with, but I'm thankful I have. We raced hermit crabs, and talked about life, love and Drake while exploring the surrounding islands. And even though I ended up looking like a tomato, it was worth it.

(ish. It definitely wont be worth it if I end up with skin cancer.)

So we made a human gradient and I happened to be tanner than my CUBAN friend, which is the greatest honor anyone could bestow upon me! Not really sure where this honor will take me in life, but you can bet I'm going to have it on my resume.

And we ended the night with a walk around the island and then talking in the driveway till midnight. 

Summer nights man, they're something else. 

Back to chocolate and hair history

I honestly never thought I would be the girl who always colors her hair. To me, there was no point, Why would you change your hair? But then one day I came to the conclusion that also, why not? It's fun, not permanent and way less harmful to your body than a tattoo or piercings. 

My bank account will forever regret me coming to that conclusion!

And in honor of a new hair color and cleaning out my computer, I thought this post seemed highly appropriate. My favorite walks are always down one memory lane (mostly because they involve a lot of awkward photos, which this post happens to be full of!) so let's dive right in.

STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER

Happy Fourth, Friends!

Just here to let you know that at 19 years old, I'm still terrified of fireworks. I had high hopes that this would be my year. No earplugs. No anxiety attacks. No hiding in the Laundry room with the puppies. Just me embracing the home of the brave stanza of the song and actually, going outside. 

Which I sort of did, so on second thought, this year was a mild success. I was outside and handled it semi-ok. Plus I didn't have waterproof mascara on so bursting into tears was not an option! Beauty is pain, or whatever they say.

Despite my aversion to loud noises, this was a very good fourth of July. Because any day that starts at Chick-Fil-A is going to be a good day, am I right or am I right?

PS: Previous 4th celebrations HERE.

TOP: Anthro

SKIRT: Shein.com

SHOES: WalMart 

(I'm a classy woman, yes.)

Among my many other talents, we can now add fried chicken photographer to the list! I can't think of anything better to pad my resume with.

After working at Chick-Fil-A for over a year, I was burnt out. Fried like a nugget, whatever you want to call it. The long shifts were exhausting, it was hard to find adequate time to study and the tension with employees made the minutes turn to molasses. I didn't want to quit, but I also knew something needed to change.

And you guys, God is so good.

Palm trees and Pink houses

I've mentioned it before (like, at least ten thousand times) but Pink is my color. Peanut butter has Jelly, coffee has creamer, Jim has pam, and I have pink. The first house we lived in after moving to Florida was pink, and that really set the tone (literally) for rest of my life.

A few years later and a few miles down the beach line, I now live in a town where the town hall is pink. My next door neighbors house is hot pink (and I wrote about it here) and my favorite coffee shop? No surprise that it's a charming shade of cherry blossom pink as well. 

In the next couple months I'll be moving across the country to a state that is a little lacking in the pink house department. But for now, I'm savoring every moment here where there are palm trees and pink houses galore. 

PS: My dress is from Dillards. Honestly, I didn't even know people under 40 even shopped at Dillards. But this dress made me rethink everything, I love it so much. 

WINTER PARK AT TWILIGHT

Mom and I have been making nearly weekly trips to Winter Park for almost a year now. It's easily my favorite day of the week, our sacred sabbath of a Thursday amidst the business and stress of life. No matter how bad things can get, the pressing matters at home don't seem quite so imperative in Winter Park. Probably because we distract ourselves with Trader Joe's and coffee shops, but you know!

Normally we always go around noon and it's so bright and hot that we end up heading home. Not this day! We were determined (and by we, I mostly mean me.) to stick it out until sunset and see Winter Park in all it's sun drenched glory. And it was worth it for sure. Winter Park is beautiful every day but it's even more peaceful and tranquil at twilight. 

A DELIGHT TO WRITE

In case you just can't get enough of this blog (and the nearly seven years of archives that are full of typos and pathetic analogies) you can find even more of my writings on the Delight Ministries blog. While I've never actually had the chance to attend a Delight meeting, I have followed them on social media for a couple years and love the heart behind their ministry. When a writing internship popped up a couple months ago, I applied and actually proofread my post a couple times (something every blog post on this blog is jealous of!)

If you're interested in reading, my posts always go up on the 25th of the month, till September!