Some days that are classified as “beach worthy” days I get too lazy to actually get out to a beach. Is it just me or does the heat or humidity make a person lazier and have a desire to take naps instead of go outside? I must have the spirit of a cat.

I feel like a lot of my posts in these coming months are going to include mentions of my “favorite things about living in New England or along a coastline.” Around this time I get to experience nicer things when they take place in warmer weather versus freezing temperatures. With that said, one of my favorite things about living along a coastline is the access to an ocean. For some reason when I need alone time to reflect and clear my mind, I head straight to the nearest body of water. Something about the combination of the breeze over the ocean, the salty air, and the sound of the waves splashing around just relaxes me.

I’m sitting inside today while the weather is being awfully weird so I’m making mental notes on how I’d like to spend my summer days on the beach. I can’t make promises to myself that I’ll find a hammock to lay on or have a cute and toned waist by the time I put on my bathing suit, but there’s still time to make things happen. Anyone wanna meet up for a picnic sometime?

P.S. Anyone anticipating the new season of Arrested Development on Sunday? I have seasons 2 and 3 to catch up on so I’ll be spending the next two nights watching those and the last 3 episode of Game of Thrones.

Have a good weekend!

This week was been kind of quiet, sorry about that. After hearing about what happened in Oklahoma on Monday I felt sad and not motivated to post anything. When something happens where a lot of innocent lives are lost I get really reflective and try to spend more time focusing on my family. Even things that are out of our control can still happen to anyone anywhere on this earth and I’m just reminded that tomorrow may or may not come for some of us. It’s also a good reminder to tell those you love that you love them.

So! The performances on Sunday went so well that I was sad to see the day end. Mozart’s Requiem is one of my favorite Requiems and it was on my musical bucket list to perform the whole piece. I’d done bits and pieces in college but never the whole thing. It was a dream come true for me to be able to perform it with at least 150 other choristers, an orchestra, and four amazing guest soloists. And I did it twice! Countless hours of rehearsals were not taken for granted and I shed a tear when I heard the orchestra play those first few opening measures. It was a great experience from the perspective of a choral singer and I’m thankful for the Chorus of Westerly for making this happen.

On Monday afternoon we took Aiden to get his first official haircut. (A previous cut had been done by his grandma, which I am fine with, I’m not keeping score or locks of hair for the memory book) We went to Wayne’s Barber Shop in town and Aiden was taken care of an apprentice (I forgot her name, eek!) and T, who were both so nice and made Aiden feel comfortable. He was good enough to stay seated for the whole thing so I was relieved that it was a great experience for everyone. I think the bringing child out in public-anxiety I had over the last 2 years is starting to lessen now that Aiden better understands the world around him.

Yesterday we did some errands and then got lobster rolls from Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock. One thing I love about living along a coast is the access to fresh seafood. A good lobster roll costs a lot but is so worth it. Adam and I chowed down on $16 lobster rolls and Aiden shared his french fries with a seagull who took advantage of Aiden’s generosity. No pictures, unfortunately, since it was a spontaneous move and involved food so I was focused on eating more than taking pictures.

If you go, Capt. Scott’s is on 80 Hamilton Street in New London, CT. Also, doesn’t he remind you of that guy from Mr. Deeds?
[ image via ]

And here I am, sitting at work. It rained today. I got paid, though! Yay, thursdays!

[ Top image via VW Campervan (really beautiful photos here) ]

Some random thoughts and interesting links I found this week:

→Has anyone else been having more-than-usual emotional reactions to tv season and series finales this month? Don’t get me started about The Office (I haven’t seen the finale yet, eek!) and Jim and Pam. When I watch with Adam I have to run to the bathroom to cry whenever they do something reaffirming with their relationship, because I don’t want him to laugh at me for having feeling for fictional characters. But I love them soooo much. Insert an old adage about love here.

→I jumped the gun on Summer and we’ve already eaten our way through 3 boxes of ice cream. Adam then implemented a “no sugar” rule because we all gained weight from the ice cream, so I’m looking for summer treat options that are still cold and delicious but not sugar-heavy so we can avoid putting on more weight. This Peanut butter, chocolate chip, honey, banana “ice cream” is a great (and easy) alternative. Do you have any favorite summer treats?

→According to both Natalie and Becca, Bubby’s is a great brunch spot in Manhattan. I’m in love with breakfast food even if it’s for dinner. I’ll have to put this on my list of places to go the next time I visit the city.

→I don’t know why, but I’ve grown very interested in flowers lately. Back in my younger days I didn’t care for flowers, as decoration or as gifts. I would’ve told you to never buy me flowers because they’d wilt after a few days therefore making them the most useless gift to give. Here, enjoy the pretty for a little while but they’re giong to die soon! Now I see floral arranging as an art form. I’m following floral designers’ blogs and my Instagram feed shows more flower photos than cat photos. I get the most random obsessions.

→I love lemon bars so these Blackberry pie bars have got to be good. [ via A Cup of Jo ]

→Playdate etiquette in the age of the helicopter parent – the author’s 3 main points are communicate, be generous, and be fliexible. [ via Hollywood Housewife ]

→If our apartment’s kitchen had a smidgeon more storage space I’d go all out in organizing our dry goods and spices. With that said, I still try to keep good stuff in our cupboards. Kitchen Stapes that include sea salt, Sriracha, and quality chocolate.

→Are there any X Files fans still in the house? There was much nerd raging yesterday on Reddit when Gillian Anderson did a Q&A session with Reddit users.

And finally, Aiden.

Whenever I work on a project he wants to be next to me helping or at least being close enough that I can still focus half of my attention on him while I work. My buddy and me.

Tonight begins performance weekend. I have a rehearsal tonight and tomorrow afternoon and then hit the ground running at noon on Sunday. There are tickets left if you want to hear some fine Mozart pieces.

Have a good weekend!

“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” – Rudyard Kipling

Mother’s Day is in a couple days. Do you have any plans to treat a mom you know? What gift did you get her? (psst: I need gift ideas!)

Gifts are overrated for my mom. She’s the person who has everything she needs and is too nice to ask for things she might want, so getting her a gift for any reason is a challenge. Sometimes I have to get creative in order to make my gift more personalized than just a wrapped up candle or bath soap. Luckily she loves photographs of her loved ones so I’m sure she’d love a few recent photos of Aiden to add to her collection. The last photo gift she received was a collage of beautiful photos of Aiden and me in front of a huge sunflower field. She loved it.

If you’re like me and you’re still scratching your head about what to give mom, I found a few nice things you can whip up if you have a printer and are feeling creative. If not, you could always bake a cake!

Affirmation Bouquet [In Honor of Design]

Polka Dot Bouquet Wrapper [via Ardor]

“You’re a Gem” printables and gift tags [The Paper Mama]

Make a Photo booth strip Mother’s Day card

15 Mother’s Day downloads [Babble]

The Best Mother’s Day Gifts [Babble]

Three ways to arrange flowers [A Cup of Jo]

Is it Friday already? Well. Have yourself a good weekend!

A certain adorable little sour patch kid has an affinity towards electronics and it amuses me when I open my laptop to find my webcam on and the Photo Booth app open.

(rough morning, Aiden?)

Speaking of electronics, Aiden’s favorite apps to play on my iPod are the Angry Birds games, Paint Sparkles, and a Ms. Pac-Man app I just downloaded for free via Starbucks. He also watches his favorite cartoons on the Netflix app when mommy and daddy are hogging the living room tv to watch their shows. Are your kids too good with electronics? What apps do they like to use?