Watch Hill, Rhode Island

While we were at my parents' house a couple weekends ago, we went to the picturesque town of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which about a 30 minute drive from our house. It's so lovely there, as you can see. There are sailboats everywhere, clear water, an uncrowded beach and breathtaking vistas. It was the first time we were able to swim in the ocean this summer.

Wir fahren nach Österreich

We are going to Austria! In two weeks, we'll be here:

Hallstatt

Zell Am See

Salzburg

Innsbruck

these are the funniest videos you'll ever see

My sisters and I got my mom a set of Zumba DVDs for her birthday or Mother's day (I already forgot which one) this year. While we were visiting my parents last weekend, we (Tim) tried them out.

The quality of these videos is extremely poor, but I think you'll get the idea. Try to watch them without bursting out laughing:

Good thing Tim's a good sport about these types of things...

sunflower fields

When we were up in New England last weekend visiting my family, we stopped at a local farm to take photos next to a gorgeous field of sunflowers. Every year, this farm grows acres and acres of sunflowers and sells bunches of them to raise money for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation. It's a hugely popular time of the summer, and people from all over stop by to photograph, paint and simply admire the breathtaking collection of these happy flowers. This year, they raised over $100,000!

Tim, me, my sister Kelsie, my mom and dad

Spring Lake: the real Jersey Shore

I've never seen the show Jersey Shore, but I gather that it has made the beach in New Jersey very popular these days. I was born on a Jersey shore town, and lived there for a couple years, and my grandparents lived in Wall, NJ (which is only about 5 minutes from the ocean) so we visited there a lot when I was a kid. When people say Jersey Shore, I always think of the town of Spring Lake, which is one of the most beautiful towns you'll ever see. I doubt that it's the type of town those Jersey Shore  characters would want to visit; it's not a party town or anything, but I love it there and grew up visiting multiple times a year. The houses are huge and immaculate and have striped awnings and triple-decker balconies facing the ocean. There is an unending boardwalk that stretches from town to town. Absent are high-rise hotels that seem to litter most touristy shore-towns. The waves are big and the water temperature warm. The park in the middle of the town is so cute and the shops and diners are quaint. Spring Lake feels so carefree, with people riding around on beach cruiser bikes, going to grab ice cream at all hours of the night, walking the boardwalk, and kids playing in the streets. That's a very romanticized version of the town, but it's what I feel when I'm there. It reminds me of the best times of my childhood.

We visited this past Friday on our way up to my parent's house and stayed the night at my mom's friend's house. It was a glorious time and I was able to show Tim where I spent many lovely days of my youth.

native shoes=comfy

I've been looking for some comfortable shoes to take with me when Tim and I go to Austria at the end of the month. I came across these curiosities on the website 6pm.com. They're called Native Shoes, and they're sort of like crocs, but with more style. The whole shoe is made of some sort of rubber-like material, which means they're easily washable and you can walk in the water with them, etc.



I was doubtful of how they would feel, but they're amazing. They're pretty much weightless and conform well to the shape of your foot. The retail price is $54, which I personally think is pretty high, but I got them for half off, which isn't so bad, I guess.

But yeah, they're playful and weird and comfortable. Tim also has a pair in navy blue, and he looks really handsome in them, in my opinion.

spring rolls: God's provision

I didn't have time to make anything for lunch today.This is a rare occasion, but it happens once in a while. When it does, though, it always seems that surprise food appears for me either in the form of one of my co-workers bringing in food for everyone or an unexpected slice of pizza being leftover after a meeting, etc. I take it as God taking care of me.

Today, he provided for me in the form of spring rolls. A client of mine at work popped in today to give me a plate full of homemade spring rolls and sweet and sour sauce. The food was glorious and authentic and it came out of nowhere. I didn't do anything to deserve this food. I was so thankful to her for thinking of me, and thankful  to God for reminding me of how he cares for me, even my petty "hunger."