Moving Day!

No, no, I'm still at the beach.

But my little home on the web is moving!

If not automatically redirected, you can catch me over at my own place at http://dailypursuitsofhappiness.com!

One reason to have a kid

Amazing.

The best Tweet I've ever gotten

Things I'll miss when the season changes

I'll miss sitting on my bench watching the surfers as I wake up with the sunshine.
And a big mug of coffee.
I've found that mornings on the beach are the best.
Between 7 and 9, a whole different crowd is out.
The runners, joggers, bikers, dog walkers, surfers, and people like me who are stuck working 9-5.
It's quiet and peaceful and the sun is just amazing and the perfect way to start a work day.

Missoni for Target

Missoni for Target is apparently a big deal.

I must live under a rock. I don't know designers. I had no idea why Target.com was down or why "fights at Target" was headline news.

Or why this is the only thing left when my friend and her mom went to Target last night.

But ya know what? I think I like it.

Mainly the accessories, anyway. Some of the clothing is a little tacky, but there are more pieces I would wear (if I could get my hands on them, it seems) than I thought.

Adorable. Sold out, of course.

Dumb and ugly. I would laugh at someone who wore this.
In stock, of course.

Woof.
In stock, too.


In stock.

Proves that being super tiny can make almost anything cute.

Cool accent. Wish I knew where to put it because it's the only thing I like that's in stock.


Love the luggage. I would love a nice, unique set to find easily at airports.
Ya know, with all the traveling I do.

Love love love. Anything that makes a bike even cooler, I'm in.
I would love to rock this around the beach.
Too bad it's a little above my budget.
And is sold out.
And would get stolen.
Again.

Check out the line (and pictures) for yourself here

Another great Etsy find

I love Etsy. You can find the coolest, most unique things there.

Like this awesome beach gnome makeup bag from Ocean Patch Creations.
And it was wrapped so nicely- simple yet protective (not to mention beachy!)

US Postal Service

So one of the news stories I've heard all week is how the US Postal Service is going to be bankrupt in a year.

Maybe it's because my package is out taking a joy ride across New Jersey.

Happy Local's Summer!

By Monday night, all of the Jersey Shore's summer visitors - both good and bad - will be gone.

And my first real local's summer will begin.

Hello, parking in front of my apartment. Goodbye, lines at the coffee (and ice cream) shops and beach badges.

Can we pick the days I have off?

Lucking Out

I am, by nature, not a lucky person. What can go wrong typically will go wrong and I'm still learning to roll with it.

So with that big ole hurricane aimed for my beloved Jersey Shore, you bet I was worried.

I thought that this would be "the big one" for two big reasons:

1. Since February, I've called the top floor of a Victorian home built in 1890 home
2. My mom has been lusting for an outdoor shower at our family's beach house for at least 1o years. It was installed Wednesday

But I am SO glad that if this is "the big one", we are well-prepared.

Riddle me this, though: All over Facebook and Twitter, I'm seeing updates expressing that people are upset and disappointed with the strength of the storm and the lack of damage.

Um, hello? It's called being grateful that my apartment still has a roof. Thankful that the bay across the street from my beach house didn't flood. Happy that my childhood home isn't near a river and is now under seven feet of water.

It's called luck: we lucked out. The big one will come and I hope that we are as prepared for a storm as this one.

Photos from the Jersey Shore Hurricane News Facebook page, the best source of news and pictures of the hurricane and proof that social media rules.

Hurricane Play List

It's 5 o'Clock Somewhere - Jimmy Buffet and Alan Jackson
Water - Brad Paisley
Like a Hurricane - Neil Young
Rain Is a Good Thing - Luke Byran
The Thunder Rolls - Garth Brooks
The Tide Is High - Blondie

And I have to add Come On, Eileen, due to the fact that I am an asshole.

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for someone to make a "Come On, Irene!" crack.

And you know why no one has.

THAT'S NOT THE NAME IN THE SONG.

In a Path of Destruction

Now, I love myself a good weather story to follow.

Snow storm? I'll track it. Thunder in the background? My BlackBerry's weather tracker is up.

But this one is heading a little bit too close for comfort.



New Jersey has already declared a state of emergency and many towns are ordering evacuations. My town hasn't made it mandatory yet, but I'm peacing out tomorrow.

Beer and Wings

I am most comfortable in a restaurant with a bar.

Not a prissy bar where you order wine or a cosmo, but a bar where there are peanuts on the table and shells on the ground.

Dressing me up in heels and a dress is good and fine, but if you want to make me really comfortable, let me where cute jeans, a top and flip flops and I'll love you forever.

I attribute this to my father.

In my 18 years with him, I don't think we went to ONE restaurant in which the dress code was anything more than shirts and shoes.

And ya know what?

There's really nothing wrong with that.

It makes wine and dine date nights special.

And it makes going to bars for wings and beer special, too.

Another reason I love where I live

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE where I live?

Lizzie McGuire is Preggers?

How on earth can Lizzie McGuire be preggers?

Maybe Kate, the mean girl who was obviously a slut in high school could be, but Lizzie McGuire?! It was weird enough with the fact that she is my age and I grew up watching her grow up and she is now married, but pregnant?

And Hollywood is acting like it's so normal. Sorry, guys, there's nothing too normal with a 23 year old being married and pregnant. My friends and I are making fun of all the girls we graduated that are already in that phase of life.

¿De dónde ir el verano?

Holy crap.

Where have I been and what the heck have I been doing? August 12? Really?!

Where did summer go?

It's was 58 degrees when I woke up today. Delightful, yes. But I'm not quite ready for those crisp fall days yet.

Oh well. The biggest perk about being out of school is that summer isn't really over until it's too cold to put a bikini on.

Go-to Power Breakfast

When I was in California a few summers ago, my cousin introduced me as well, for no better way to word it, "stoner food". The egg quesadilla was apparently my cousin's solution to the munchies, but quickly became a weekend breakfast staple for me.

I love this because it's quick and easy, can be made really healthfully and keeps you full for awhile. And it's really good.

Ingredients
2 eggs or 3 eggs whites, scrambled
Tortilla Shell (I use whole wheat)
Shredded Cheese (I use 2% cheddar or taco blend)

1. Scramble eggs as desired. I like a little salt and pepper and a splash of milk.
2. Cover half of the tortilla shell with cheese. Place the scrambled eggs on top of the cheese and fold the tortilla.

3. Spray a cooking pan with non-stick spray. Cook the quesadilla until both sides are browned and cheese is melted.
4. Serve with salsa. Or ketchup. I swear the salsa is good with it!

@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