@Problems

I am loving the Twitter accounts that post problems of my everyday life.

I use Twitter to find most of my news during the day and to keep in touch with current events, but there's nothing like a mid-day sorority girl problem to make to laugh.

Summer Beach Reads: The Help

This book was recommended to me awhile ago but once I saw the movie preview, I knew it was way past time to read it.

And it was time for me to take a break from reading standard chick-lit, so it arrived from Amazon at a great time.

The Help is set during the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. While the rest of the US is integrated and the hippie movement is starting in the north, young women in Jackson can't wear dresses above the knee or grow their hair long. And black women are still the help, performing the household chores, cooking, cleaning and raising the white children of wealthy families.

This novel tells the stories of three women- Skeeter, a white recent college grad looking to change the world with her writing, Aibileen, an older maid, and Minny, a mouthy younger maid.

It's a good, entertaining read that opens your mind and makes you think. How can one city in America have been so far behind? How was it just okay for that to happen?

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose

I don't have a new episode of Friday Night Lights on my DVR to watch this week.

Last summer, Matt got me hooked on this show. I've seen a couple episodes with him, but I didn't realize that he was fast forwarding through all the good parts of the show. I mean, parts that aren't about football.

So, during my unemployment, I watched all four seasons of Friday Night Lights in anticipation for the fifth and final season.

What a good show.

What made the show was the chemistry between Coach Taylor and his wife. Both during the show and during interviews, it's amazing and so believable.
Ignore the sneakers. But seriously. So good. Matt and I want to be them. Minus their two kids.
Is is appropriate to lust over a man with a daughter in the show a few years younger than me?
And she is beautiful. Matt loves her. I want to look like her when I'm 45. Hell, I want to look like her now.

The first four seasons can be streamed on Netflix and if you need something to watch with your significant other, this has something in it for both guys and gals and I highly recommend it.



Photos from here, here and here

Weather Report

Toasty

It's no secret that I wait all year for the dog days of summer.

Well, they're here.

Can we, um, turn it down a little bit now?

It's too damn hot to turn my oven on to cook something (popsicles and cold fruit diet, anyone?), but no worries, because it's hot enough to cook in the street.

Where did all the hicks come from?

I am, very obviously, from New Jersey. Even though it gets a bad rap, I can't imagine living anywhere else.

I swear, it's a completely different place than it's made out to be.

Last Friday, I went to a sold-out country concert in Holmdel, NJ. This town is located about an hour away from Snooki in Seaside Heights and an hour and a half from the Manzos and other crazy Italian housewives from Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Nor is it in South Jersey, where I was born and raised and, yes, there is a rodeo a half hour from my house.

Below is proof that, well, there is much, much more to New Jersey than GTL.

(Jersey pride tattoo. Jersey Shore, Rt 35, Tillie, Jaws, a hoagie (or sub). Seen through overalls.)

BBQ, Blues and Beer

And just like that, my favorite weekends of summer have come and gone.

I love the Fourth of July and the weekend that it’s attached to. There’s nothing better than fireworks, backyard barbeques and beer.

Music, beer and competition-quality barbeque do a pretty good job, though.

The New Jersey State Barbeque Championship and Angelsea Blues Festival were held over the weekend in North Wildwood. This weekend has come to be a tradition among my family. Like almost every other year for the past ten or so years, I spent part of this weekend at the festival.

Let me tell you: I used to HATE this weekend. Growing up, my parents rented out our beach house for the summer. So yea, we had a beach house but we couldn't use it. So nice of them. But they would drive my sister and me an hour and fifteen minutes down to North Wildwood. We were too young to go to the beach alone so were forced to spend a hot, sticky afternoon surrounded by BBQ, beer, horrendous music and drunk people.

It's funny how just a few years later, this is now one of my favorite weekends of the summer. I love barbeque. And beer. And blues music is tolerable and a great memory of my dad.

So now, I look forward to this weekend. I get excited for spending the weekend with my mom, boyfriend and my sister when she's not too cool to come down. I love a good pulled pork sandwich with a beer.

BBQ= Very happy boyfriend

Summer Beach Reads: Opposite of Me

I'm starting my Reading List with one of my all-time favorites.

Since I read this book last year, I have compared every single book to it and nothing has come close to this one.
"The Opposite of Me" is an absolute must-read if you are a sister. You'll still enjoy it if you're not one, but if you have a sister, this will put things in perspective. Whether you're older or younger, you'll feel for the sisters in this book and find yourself going, "that is so me!"

The sisters in this book, twenty-nine year old twins Lindsey and Alex, have grown up in the shadows of each other. One is, of course, smart and successful but a little overweight and frumpy; the other beautiful and carefree. What sets this book apart from others with similar characters is what the sisters go through and how the characters change and develop throughout.

I don't want to give too much - or anything, really - away in this great beach read, but I promise you, this book is easy to devour. My friends and I have passed this around and around since last summer and no one has been disappointed. You'll want to pass is around so you can discuss it together. (Yeah, I'll admit I'm a nerd, but not all my friends are, and they wanted to discuss it, so I swear that you will too!)

If you pick this one up, let me know what you think!

Moving on up

The past week has been a whirlwind of perfection.

Girl's night. Boyfriend. Sunny mornings on the beach. Summer sales. Kayaking. Long runs. A promotion. A long Fourth of July weekend. Grilled lobster. Fireworks.

Ahh, I love summer. And positive things. Life is always so much better when things are on the upswing.

Maybe all my good luck needed was a little thing to get it started. Once one little thing hit, a lot of little things just started happening. It capped of with one big, exciting promotion, and it could not have come at a better time.

Stolen bike? Whatever.

For once, all is well that ends well.

My Holiday Playlist

What says 4th of July on the beach more than a playlist full of my country favorites?

Here's a little sample of what songs are going to be played over and over and over again the next three days!

Barefoot Blue Jean Night- Jake Owen

Country Girl (Shake It For Me)- Luke Bryan

Old Alabama- Brad Paisley ft Alabama

Honey Bee - Blake Shelton

Dirt Road Anthem – Jason Aldean

Live a Little - Kenny Chesney

Knee Deep- Zac Brown Band

Summer’s Little Angel- Steve Forde

Made In America Toby Keith

My Kinda Party- Jason Aldean

Chicken Fried- Zac Brown Band

Felt Good on My Lips- Tim McGraw

Don't Drink the Water- Brad Paisley (feat. Blake Shelton)

Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July weekend!