Five Things That Make Me Happy Friday...

What's the Word June
Today's word is: ( flounder )

Five things that are making me happy today:

1. Mice running around my house in mouse balls.
2. Homemade Vegan Mexican food. (mmmm)
3. Me accomplishing a hella lot of stuff today and not stressing out about it.
4. Kids in goggles.

and...

via Pinterest

5. Disney Movie inspired art. I am loving this cute print of Ariel and Flounder! 

What is making you happy today?

<3, Tabi :D

Thursday Confession...

What's the Word June
Today's word is: ( stubble )

Do you ever lean in to give your man a smooch only to get stabbed in the lips?

It's not an everyday occurrence (the stabbing, not the smooching), so when it happens, it full on surprises me! For all of you that may have your thoughts in the gutter right now, I'm talking about that stray 'stache hair that is poking out at just the right angle to stab an unsuspecting lip.

This is my man and his beard. The beard that is the longest it's ever been. I've always been against him growing his facial hair out so freakishly long, but it's a refreshing thing to switch up your look every now and then and in this moment, I'm digging the beard.  This is my Thursday Confession this week. 

I was wrong. (<-- there it is, in digital word format) I knew I would hate a beard, I knew it would make him look Amish/Man on the Mountain/Terrorist/Harley Davidson Biker Gang-ish. Yup, I was wrong, he doesn't look like any of those things. He looks like my Christopher with a beard. 

Some things I've learned about the beard:

• It needs a professional trim every now and then.
• It also needs to be shampooed like regular hair (I don't know why this surprised me, it makes sense, I just never thought about shampooing anything on a human except head hair.)
• Some days it is unruly. There are good beard days and there are bad beard days.
• It is less unruly if he puts a little leave in conditioner in there after showering.
• I like to grab it, give it a little tug as I demand my kisses sometimes.
• In his beard, there is every shade of natural hair color I've ever seen. Seriously, it's like a hair rainbow on his face.
• It's a conversation starter! For real, I've witnessed this multiple times. Weird, right? Men striking up conversations about facial hair. 
• The beard has made facial stubble pretty much extinct, which is another posi point to the beard. Stubble works on some men, but in my opinion, it's just scratchy. Even worse than the 'stache lip stab.

If I've inspired you to make a confession today, please feel free to fess up in my comments below.

<3, Tabi :D

On Hobbies and Film Cameras

What's the Word June
Today's word is: ( fisheye )

A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure,
typically done during one's leisure time.
(from Wikipedia)

Blogging is my newest hobby, but I have some old hobbies that I do dabble in from time to time. One of those is: photography. I will not, by any means, call myself a photographer nor even an amateur photographer. I just like to take pictures. Back in the day, it meant I was the one snapping away at my friends while we hung out whether they liked it or not. These days, it's my kids who get to be at the other end of the lens. They don't mind, in fact I'm sure they love it.

I got to thinking about my old hobby of photography while reading so many blog posts lately about toy cameras and the different effects you get out of them. I'm no stranger to this phenomenon. I have way too many prints that I've held on to and I went about digging through one of my photo bins today to take a look at some of the different effects I used to get out of the different cameras I used to play with.

Little known fact about me: I used to work at Ritz Camera and it's actually where I met my husband.

While working at said camera store, I played with many many different types of cameras: 35 mm, Polaroid, APS film (geez, just typing that makes me feel old and silly) and digital. I got to develop and print other people's film and memories (and way more fun: my own film). I also had the honor of playing around with lots of different types of lenses. The most fun (by far) lens I got to experiment with is the fisheye lens. Here are some examples of those pictures. I'll have to do some more digging because I know I have so many more, but the kids wanted to go swimming, so I had to cut my trip down memory lane short.

See how fun?!?!

Sadly, these days the only camera that gets any play in my life is my iPhone. While the iPhone and various apps can do amazing things, I'm now yearning for something more. And I'm a little sad I don't have my Polaroid iZone anymore... instant stickers!! Does anyone else remember this awesome camera?

Also, WOW! cameras have totally evolved in the past 15 years!!

<3, Tabi :D

Dreaming of a Getaway

What's the Word June
Today's word is: ( key lime pie )

 Strangely, I cannot find any photos from this trip. 21,000 photos on my hard drive dating back to 2004
and not one from my Key West trip... any ideas, Christopher?

Five and a half years ago, my husband and I took our first and only trip down to Key West. This trip was special in so many ways: our good friends Kevin and Lori were getting married, it was our first trip together as a married couple without children tagging along (we didn't even have a honeymoon), and (sadly) it was also the last time to date that we've taken a trip together as a married couple without children.

I love my children... but I also need to reconnect with my husband sometimes, too.
( And honey, dinner and bowling once a year is great, but just not enough. )

Key West is something else. We indulged in some great food. We relaxed and had a few drinks at a couple of laid back bars. We rented a scooter and toured the island (obviously not in that order). We took our pictures at the southernmost point of the US. We saw our good friends get married in a picturesque ceremony next to a lighthouse. We stayed in the smallest, cutest most quaint hotel room on Duval Street. But the one thing I remember most vividly about Key West (I mean, besides the gorgeous wedding, Lori) is this: Frozen Key Lime Pie Dipped in Chocolate On A Stick. Never since that weekend have I eaten such a memorable dessert. I've never seen them sold anywhere else. You can order them here, but I just can't justify purchasing a dozen bars for $114.95 even if it does taste like heaven on a stick.

I'm rambling...

And I guess I don't have a point to this, either. I'm just dreaming of a getaway. Just me and my Man, my daydreams took me back to our Key West trip and those yummy Frozen Key Lime Pies Dipped in Chocolate on a Stick.

<3, Tabi :D