Happy Thursday. Hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to the weekend. I will be headed down to Tampa, Florida this weekend for the Jimmy Buffett concert, so I am most definitely looking forward to the next few days and sharing my first JB experience with all of you :)
In honor of my upcoming trip to Margaritaville, here is a little JB-inspired playlist for you all to kick back and enjoy! Miss you all! Little blessings this week listed below :)
Margaritaville: Jimmy Buffett
Three Little Birds: Bob Marley
Kokomo: The Beach Boys
The Little Blessings Day 30: Strawberry Cream Cheese Such a great comfort food for breakfast! Spread it on Oatmeal bread accompanied by a glass of milk! Perfect breakfast to start my morning off right!
Day 31: Love, love, love!! This blessing has surfaced various times during the Lenten season, but my goodness! You can't live without it and it has been most present in my life the past few days :) Blessed with love all around! So thankful!
Day 29: Technology & Friends...Swing Life Away to Blue Skies!
Busy, busy evening, so I will keep this short :) Totally forgot to apply for financial aid this "academic year" until I received an email informing me oh-so-kindly that my MUSC financial aid account went inactive. Not the happiest of news, but at least I was "informed." No worries. Made a few calls and found out what to do and crossed that headache off my list so I could enjoy the late evening with my pup and Trombley book...Yes, cranking out some work on my first day back. Not the worst thing, but this last rotation seems like it will be packed with assignments, and while on the topic of fieldwork, thank goodness for friends!! I would have been super late to work if it weren't for Ankur Patel (i.e. "Papa")!! Definitely got lost on my way to work this morning. And Lindsay Rowland! Honey! Without your financial knowledge, I'd only be getting $5 for living expenses. Thanks to these two, I survived my first day at Carolina Hand Therapy and managed to complete my FAFSA and loan application for my LAST SEMESTER OF GRADUATE SCHOOL :) Many thanks!!
Couldn't choose between these two songs tonight...somewhat morose/"emo", but still solid tunes on various levels. Enjoy and Happy Monday, my friends! "Swing Life Away" from Rise Against and "Blue Skies" from Noah & The Whale.
Day 28: Charleston & "Many The Miles" What a great day in Charleston! Had a refreshing lunch at Saffron with my friends, Katie and Christie, then spent the afternoon in Water Front Park laying out catching up. Spent the evening having dinner at Fleet Landing with Andres, followed by drinks at Pearlz and Squeeze to watch the Masters. Later met friends at Brick for darts and good times :)
If you haven't been to Squeeze, give it a shot. I always overlooked it due to its size and location, but it's unique and worth a visit. Grrrrreat play-list too! The bar was filled with music from Jack Johnson and Sara Bareilles. Delicious picks :)
Day 27: Mac&Cheese and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" Had Mac & Cheese around 9AM this morning for breakfast. It was delightful and much needed. Definitely the best comfort food. Listened to Vampire Weekend until I spooned the last bit of cheesy-goodness into my mouth :) Went straight back to bed after breakfast and didn't wake up until 1 or so. Such a lazy day, but I wouldn't change a thing.
I've been singing only one line from this song all day. Here is "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" from Vampire Weekend. One more day of vacation...miss you as always!
Day 25: The Act of Listening & Joshua Radin I wish you all could feel my heart in writing this blog post this evening. I am filled with love and understanding and find myself extremely grateful for where I find myself in my life at this specific moment. I am not perfect by any means, but it is nice to see that I have come to develop an increase in listening skills since my college days. I have not always been a "good listener." Actually, I found it infrequent, on my behalf, when it came to listening to that "significant someone" whether we were talking about the weather or discussing the roots of an unforeseen quarrel. I hate to admit that, but it is true. However, good news stands this evening; I am a changed woman, my friends :)
Maturity is natural, but I feel that such maturation is dependent on meeting someone who makes you want to change for the better. You find yourself wanting to listen, to learn, to grow with that person. You want to hear their concerns, their fears and their dreams, and you want to do anything in the world to erase their troubles that they may come across in life. In discovering these exact emotions in another, I have unveiled this desire to listen, to hear another's voice other than my own. This in no way has been a Cinderella-transformation, but I have been enjoying its progression in my relationship. We talk to one another and listen in return. AND I mean we actually listen to each other. There is no walking away in anger with mornings of regret or days without contact. We actively love, listen and learn. I am who I am, because of learning to listen and learning to love. My ears have perked up and I couldn't be happier :)
With this post, I am not blaming my past relationships for my erratic outbursts, as if they were not worth listening to or as if I did not care for them; however, I was not ready to completely give myself in this way to someone else in that point in time. I was immature, young and careless with my words; my college-self would disagree with this statement, but in looking back, it is undoubtedly true. With that, I still have a lot of listening to do and learning to go with it. I imagine there will be times that I will want to hear my voice over that someone else's a time or two, but "make love not war," people. I am most ready to listen and keep on listening.
"I'd Rather Be With You" is tonight's song-pick for this evening. I hope you enjoy it. I find Mr. Radin's voice so creamy. Makes for a lovely dessert after a long day of "big girl" decisions and such :)
Day 26: Naps & Sara Haze Only a few more days of "vacation" before starting my second level II at Carolina Hand Therapy. Spent the day with Nelson in the park and taking some much needed personal time to walk/run throughout Downtown Charleston. I was out for an hour and covered East Bay, Waterfront Park, Rainbow Row and The Battery. The weather was remarkable; the day was sun-kissed and cooled with a light breeze. It gave me some time to think about the decisions I made yesterday in declining my first job offer. No regrets and positive thoughts for a bright future :) I came back home to snuggle with Nelson in my quaint apartment and passed out for an hour. Woke up refreshed and thankful for the rest.
Closed the evening making apple & bell-pepper salad with pasta. Called my family in Puerto Rico to see how my grandmother was doing and now, you find me here, writing to you fine people :)
I heard the next song while I was in my apartment this evening. I love how this song strikes a personal meaning with me. Truly an empowering song. Gives me hope for the future.
Tomorrow is Friday, loves. Hope you have had a wonderful week and that good weather graces your spirit this weekend. Take care.
Day 24: The Gift of Choosing & SOJA + Mumford & Sons
Today started out much like yesterday: making banana pancakes after a wild thunderstorm, playing with Nelson in the dog park after the sun decided to make its appearance and finishing with a nice run throughout downtown Charleston. Good start.
After my run, I decided to do some searching between the streets of "Historic Charleston," soon finding myself at the new Forever XXI on King Street; however, to my debit card's appreciation, I received a phone call upon stepping inside the beckoning shop that changed my afternoon entirely.
Do not fret. Nothing is wrong. Just having to make some HUGE decisions in the next few days regarding a possible career opportunity. Not ready to share the details at the moment, as I need some time to myself to think things over. However, in receiving this call, I realized that I have managed to retain some of what I learned in graduate school and will not be at a total loss when searching for jobs after I graduate :)
That said, what a blessing to have options in life and the power to make purposeful decisions! Thank you to those who picked up their cell phones today and listened to me talk aimlessly while I paced back and forth in Forever XXI.
Lindsay Rowland, you're the BOMB.COM! Adriana Rodriguez, thanks for the positive outlook! Krystena Coppola, your reassurance was much appreciated! Evelyn Martinez (my momma!!), you are heaven sent! Andres Rodriguez, you never cease to amaze me!
Blessed with phenomenal friends and family :) Loving SOJA and Mumford & Sons tonight. Do listen to "White Blank Page" by Mumford & Sons (oh, those strings!) and "I Don't Wanna Wait" by SOJA.
Great selections from these fine musicians. Wishing you all an eventful Hump Day tomorrow :) Good night.
Played fetch with Nelson out in the dog park and went for a run on this beautiful Monday. Thankful for clean water; much needed after my run :) Good start to the week.
Happy Monday, my friends. Here is Regina Spektor's, "Hotel Song" for your evening enjoyment.
What a wonderful & busy weekend! The 34th Annual Cooper River Bridge Run was this past Saturday and it was so much fun! Andres' family came in for the weekend to run the bridge & spend some time in Charleston with some old friends. Made for a busy & exciting weekend of hosting and preparing to "Get Over It" come 8:12 AM Saturday morning! Survived the run, witnessed a wedding in Marion Square, napped in the park, shared Mimosas with some close friends and celebrated finishing the race over a delicious dinner at California Dreaming! Such a great weekend & it's not over yet. One more week of relaxation before starting my second Level II rotation at Carolina Hand Therapy!
In honor of the Academy of Country Music Awards tonight, I wanted to share some of the country songs I've been enjoying most :) Catch some REBA & BLAKE SHELTON!!
My Kind of Country
Sara Evans: A Little Bit Stronger
The Band Perry: If I Die Young & You Lie (see video below)
Lady Antebellum: Hello World
Darius Rucker: This
Thompson Square: Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not
Tim McGraw: It Felt Good On My Lips
And I did not forget "40 Days of Blessings" this weekend; however, hosting for my wonderful guest delayed my prompt posting. Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather! Happy April!
40 Days of Blessings
Day 21: PASTA PARTY in preparation for Saturday I love learning how to cook, especially when me and Andres can learn together. Knowing that 6.2 miles was ahead of us, we decided to host a pasta dinner for his family the night before the race. We decided on fettucini alfredo with shrimp, strawberry salad & cheesecake for dessert! Slightly biased, but it turned out great! Good food to nourish our bodies and good company to wrap up the night :)
Day 22: Healthy Legs & Lungs helped me "Get Over It" on April 2nd!! Team Nandito shirts, Pasta dinner the night before, avid runners all around & beautiful sunshine to light our day! Thanks to Dre's coaching, I successfully finished the race in an hour & 10 minutes! Already setting my goal for next year's race...keeping up with Andres :) So great to be back in Charleston!
