wreck this journal - the final chapter

this is the final week of wreck this journal. i gotta say, i've had run through the gamut of emotions. i think the biggest thing i'll take away from it is that i have learned to let go. i had been holding onto some ideas of who i was and realized that i wasn't letting my full self shine through. ok, ok, enough with the life lesson - onto the wrecking finale!!

first i had to find just the right page to wreck

after finding the right page, i played in the mud

rub with dirt - yes!!

seeing how much fun that was i decided to play around a bit

trust me this is great

that was awesome! now i was craving more...

i had to check the wreckage

yep looks good to me

wreck this journal - DONE!!

photos and videos courtesy of ryan

adorable find

francophiles and target lovers may i have your attention please...

as i was browsing around tar-jay last night looking for a desk i saw this:
a map of paris memo holder for $19.99!! i thought it was adorable and if i had an office or even a home office (or room of my own) i would have totally snagged that!

um, carolyn, this totally fits in your budget ;)

au revoir july

july has been a bitter sweet month for me. for the first half of july, i was majorly stressed out. prepping for the gmat as best i could and then taking said gmat. one of my best friends, rebecca lost her dog/son coal. coal was just as much a part of the family as anyone. it's still really hard to believe that he is gone.

it was great because we celebrated ryan's birthday, went to delaware to see our friend annie, hung out at lewes beach for a day, cracked crabs for hours, had fun wrecking my journal (last entry to come), received a wonderful package in the mail from michele, got my important papers in order, bought a desk (see pic below) and had a few artist's dates.
i got my desk at target. i got this one but didn't attach the hutch. i just wanted a plain, simple, cute and cheap but not too cheap desk. this one fit the bill perfectly. i love looking out my window and seeing my morning glories (you can kinda see them in the picture). as you can see sanjay is also enjoying the desk. as a matter of fact, i am sharing the chair with him right now.

pass along your pearls of wisdom

if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out city girl's newest blog post "pearls of wisdom."

she is asking that you write a simple letter to your younger self. she describes it perfectly: "Think of it as writing a postcard to your 22 year old self, or your 17 year old self, or your 13 year old self, or your 30 year old self - the only requirement is that it has to be an age you are not currently at. It could be an age in the past, or in the future."

she will be collecting these pearls of wisdom letters and posting them on her blog soon. join in the fun, i did!

"plan b"

alright, you have waited long enough for this....

BUT, before i tell you (and no cheating and scrolling down either lol) i wanted to give you a little back story.

as you all know, i studied long and hard for the gmat. what you might not know is that i am terrible test taker, especially standardized tests. i have never been good at them, ever. i also get test anxiety pretty bad. all of this bundled together with a 4 hour long test that costs 250 bucks makes for not such a pleasant experience. oh, i also forgot to mention that you have to do a palm print verification. i didn't even know what a palm print verification was until i took the test. seriously, i'm not kidding. the big-time security measures only added to my stress levels. i even dressed head to toe in tranquilit but only that can offer so much comfort (honestly, being dressed in tranquilit was the only good part about the whole experience!). so, as stressed as i was, i went in, did the best i could and walked out with my "unofficial score" in my hand with a smile on my face (even though i didn't get a high enough score). i felt a major lift off of my shoulders.

i was so stressed that i booked a reiki session followed by a massage two days before the test at bliss bliss bliss, my favorite local membership massage/yoga studio. during my reiki session i tried to calm my mind and just focus on my breathing. but i had an epiphany (plan b was born)! once my session was over i spoke to the lady and she said that when she had her hands on my head that her hands were literally vibrating from my energy. she told me that that had never happened before. i knew why, but i thought that i would keep it to myself for just a few more days to make sure it was really the right thing to do. my massage with lindsey was fabulous. she is excellent at deep tissue massage and that is exactly what i needed.

i've been debating myself whether getting into grad school for accounting was the right thing to do now. i love accounting but just couldn't seem to get past this one obstacle. trust me, i took the gmat twice so, it wasn't for lack of effort or trying. so i put all of the questions regarding my future out to the universe. it was no longer for me to try to figure out what i'm supposed to do, the universe was going to show me. and laying on that table during my reiki session is when the universe gave me an answer!

if you follow me on twitter you know i've been dropping hints about meetings regarding plan b. both of these meetings went well. i am happy to announce that i will be going to school starting late september for massage therapy and that my friends, is just the beginnings of plan b!

photo found ici et ici

ratatouille a la rouxbe

no, not as in this

but as in the dish. you can get the recipe here.

and i gotta say ryan did a fantastic job!

artsplosion

i was one of the lucky winners of michele's crafty goodness giveaway winners (double hooray because i never win anything & i love this kind of crafty goods). i was expecting to get some stuff, but i got a ton of stuff (see for yourself below) and i love every bit of it!! i am like a kid in a candy store in my own house lol. thank you so much michele!!

shredding & organizing

it feels so good to get organized. i have a couple of meetings regarding "plan b" tomorrow and i needed to find a document AND that is where it all began.

i had planned on getting my important papers organized sometime soon anyways and after digging through them for a bit, i thought to myself, why not today?!

as you all know, this can be a day long process depending on how many years of documents you have piled up. luckily it didn't take me all day but it did take me a good couple of hours. as usual, i made the most of it. i had some water nearby and tuned into pandora and sorted & shredded.

plus i got a chance to put my papers in my new accordion file folders :)

the meme blog award

almost two weeks ago in the midst of my "gmat hell, " michele over at you and me and lucy awarded me the meme blog award.

the rules are as follows:
1. share seven tidbits about myself.
2. share the award with seven blog friends.

seven tidbits:

1. when i first started my blog i never imagined that i would love it or be this involved and it's all because of you my dear readers :) i love the little online community that we have formed. i feel grateful for each and every one of you. you've supported me in through my rough patches and cheered me on during the good times. please accept my huge cyber hug. :)

2. as you already know, i am fresh back from a mini vacay in delaware. i really miss being by the beach. i used to live in virginia beach, va for almost three years and can't tell you how much i crave beach time now that i am landlocked in west virginia.

3. i have a small organic garden in my back yard which i love watching grow. while it's small, it's still hard work but absolutely worth it. i can't wait for the first ripe tomatoes and green beans. i know a lot of people are thinking 'it's almost august, shouldn't you be getting these already?!' and my answer to that is that with our weird weather we got things in a little later than normal. and that is all well and good because i will still be getting fresh stuff from my garden into september and maybe even october at this rate!

4. i am currently reading "julie and julia" and can't wait to see it in the theater!

5. while september 11th is a hard day for everyone it is a bitter-sweet day for ryan and i. we celebrate our 4th anniversary together. the funny part of that is that neither of us thought we would have lasted this long. i love him dearly and wouldn't want to change a thing!

6. despite been unemployed since april, i have to honestly stay, this has been the best summer ever. i haven't had much money (cause let's face it, unemployment doesn't pay that much) but i haven't let that stop me. you don't need money to be happy. i've spent a lot of my summer studying away for a standardized test that i still didn't pass (yes, i took the f-ing gmat twice). but not passing that test led me to realize that i would be doing myself a disservice in not pursuing a passion of mine. which leads me to...

7. i have a meeting on wednesday about "plan b." after that point i will share in the details will all of my lovely readers. (i know, the suspense is killing you by this point. i appreciate your patience.)

and now, onto the seven blog friends i'd like to pass this award onto (i try to pass these onto blogs that have yet to be awarded but i know doing this practically two weeks late is gonna cause some doubling up. if you got this award already, oh well, you totally deserve it twice):

1. everyday revelry
2. naturally jules
3. globetrotting cacti
4. bountiful living
5. the karma project
6. cupcakes and om
7. onyx and alabaster

delaware delights

what's not to love about delaware?! the cities are surrounded by vast farmland with farmer's markets along the roads everywhere and tons of beaches are very close by. ryan and i had a great trip.

we went to see our friend annie. she lives in magnolia, de, a quaint little town surrounded by farmland galore.

love the irrigation system

crops as far as the eye can see. corn on one side and soybeans on the other.

we dined on some fabulous food. we had fantastic sushi at ichiban in dover. we enjoyed the most delicious cannolis we have ever put in our mouths from la fontana. and all you can eat crabs at waterman's seafood company in ocean city, md.

we also spent a day at lewes beach, de. we enjoyed watching the cape may-lewes ferries coming and going. we lounged in the sun and played around in the water. my wreck this journal even got in on the action. we people watched, journaled and just listened to the sounds of the surf. i really crave beach time and this was perfect.

love this pic, if you look close enough you can see my reflection in ryan's aviators
blue sky and beach as far as the eyes can see
the only jelly fish around

going to and from delaware we had to cross the bay bridge in maryland. i love this bridge. i think it's a fantastic structure and it's so beautiful to look out at the water and all of the commercial and personal boats.

roasted chicken & potatoes

last night we had roasted chicken & potatoes a la gwyneth paltrow's latest goop post "make." while we didn't do everything the same as gwenny, we definitely kept with the main theme.

the main differences we did was:

1. we used clementine juice instead of lemon juice. we had some clementines on hand and forgot to pick up lemons at the store with the rest of the ingredients but it definitely worked.

2. we used what was growing in our garden for the salad. we used black seeded simpson lettuce, purple lettuce, and a little swiss chard for the greens. we used carrots, cucumber and grape tomatoes.

3. for the dressing we didn't have any champagne vinegar. we used a mixture of white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.

i think it's really about making good use what you have. it turned out really fantastic. i would definitely have this meal again.

wreck this journal - week 8

i skipped over wtj week 7. hey, we are all entitled to break the rules from time to time right?! for week 8 i wrecked my journal, delaware style!! i took it to the beach with me and let nature do the wrecking for me (it's still all full of sand and drying out lol).

all buried up

deciding to go for a dip

getting taken away by the current

waterlogged journal drying out

i can't believe there is only one more week of wrecking fun. it's not to late to join in.

mini vacay in delaware

hello all. ryan and i are taking a mini vacation in delaware. we will be here visiting friends, gorging on crabs and chilling out on the beach until saturday. have a great rest of the week!

coal 1998-2009

i am currently writing this from my best friend rebecca's house. unfortunately i came in a rush because she had to put her pup, coal, down today. we are all very, very sad. it's been a day filled with grief. but we will always think of the fond memories that we have of coal.

coal, we love you and you will be in our hearts always.

photo courtesy of rebecca

6 things that make me happy

the sweet, sweet, sweet and sharp as a tack city girl tagged me in this meme. she tagged me in the midst of my "gmat hell" so i am now just responding with my happiness list.

6 things that make me happy today are:

1. knowing that just because i didn't get a high enough score on the gmat to get into grad school isn't slowing me down and causing me any grief (in fact, i haven't shed a tear) - i will now get to pursue on of my passions (yep, still calling it plan b).

2. my beautiful flowers that ryan got me today at the farmer's market (um, on his birthday mind you).

3. getting to enjoy ribfest with ryan and our buddy T.

4. giving the dogs homemade treats from the farmer's market.

5. thinking about our trip to delaware next week - hooray for visiting a friend, eating crab, crab, and more crab and some time on the beach

6. getting ready to have enjoy some ice cream cake for ryan's birthday!

happy birthday ryan

today is ryan's birthday!! happy birthday schweetheart - i love you!!

i can't tell you how lucky i am to have ryan in my life. we have been together almost 4 years. he has totally been supportive of whatever i decide i want to do with my life (and he's pretty excited about plan b as well). i couldn't have asked for a better companion. ~swoon :)

gmat woes & plan b

hey everyone. i can't thank you all enough for being my cheerleaders regarding the gmat. unfortunately i didn't get the score i need to get into grad school. hhheeeyyy, no long faces... i've already got plan b in action. the ever-optimistic melita always has other plans, thoughts, and ideas!
so, i know you are dying to find out what plan b is right?! well, you will have to wait just a bit more because i'm still working out some details. i want things to be more solid before i unveil what my plan b actually is (and i think you'll like it). plus i want to build up some suspense :)

wreck this journal - week 6

my how time flies when you are wrecking :)

i made a paper chain which my not-too-happy-but-very-tolerant kitty, dooty, is modeling. what a good >^..^<

"ha ha, very funny mom"

"ok, seriously starting to get annoyed here"

"you won't get away from me"

"take that!!"

and yes, that is my 747 parked at terminal dooty :)

and finally for some fabulous earrings...
be sure to check out some fabulous wreckers and hey, why not join in the fun?! check out jamie ridler's the next chapter for more details. until next week friends, keep on wreckin'!!

1,000 cards

hello everyone. my mom just called me and told me that there is a 10 year old girl that has brain cancer and her wish is to receive 1,000 cards. please help by sending a card to:

Danielle Bartlett
248 Country Club Rd
Richwood, WV 26261

thank you friends, you are the best!

french women don't get fat...

and now american women don't have to either - for FREE!!!

now that i have your attention :) i was browsing my favorite blogs earlier and stopped by misadventures with andi and saw her "french friday" post about mireille guiliano's website french women don't get fat now being free - hooray!!

i have both of mireille's books and loved them. i wanted desperately to sign up for her website but just could afford it. i am thrilled to find out that it is now free and wanted to spread the news.

photo credit ici

artist's date

i've been in such a gmat rut lately that i have been pretty much letting everything else go. amongst the hundred other things one of them was my bookcase that is in our hallway. i couldn't bare to go past it any more. so, instead of making a "task" out of it, i turned it into an artist's date.

here is the "before" shot (compete with books strewn about everywhere and piled high on the floor in front of the bookcase:
here is the "after" pic:
now for the up close shots of the shelves first is my buddhism shelf:
next is the all things french and yoga shelf:
and last is the bottom 3 shelves that include biography, fiction, literature, travel books, gardening and reference.
i love when things are in their places, don't you?! if you have any questions about my books or can't see what a specific book is and want to know the title, let me know. i'll be happy to share what's on my bookcase with you :)

wreck this journal - week 5

i know i'm getting terribly behind on the wrecking fun. i am just so worried about the gmat that everything else (and i mean everything) has been pushed aside. so, let me introduce you to the wrecking fun i had recently:

i put a dollop of my pink chalkboard paint there. it reminds me of a profile of a head.
yes, the gmat is even infiltrating my wrecking!

and that is because i'm gonna PASS the gmat this time!!

be sure to check out all of the other wreckage by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter. you should join in on the fun, it's never too late. it's really therapeutic too :)