I'm the big 2-8 now and I'm feeling good about it. 28 feels like a solid age. I, at least sort of, have my life together. I can finally comfortably pay my bills. And I know the importance of both doctors appointments and oil changes, and that tequila shots on a Tuesday are a bad idea. Actually shots of any kind at any time are probably a bad idea.
I celebrated my birthday in Talkeetna, one of my favorite places in Alaska. Even Denali came out to play. Feelin' lucky, you guys. Feel.in.lucky.
Today's hot jam is New Kids on the Block Happy Birthday. Because it's my birthmonth and I can do what I want.
When I was in high school, I drove a '95 Ford Escort Wagon.
Color: Minute Maid Berry Punch
It didn't have power windows or locks; thanks to our dirt road, the alignment was off; and the blower didn't work, which meant the heat/air conditioning only came out if you were driving fast enough. This was in California, so no heat wasn't a problem too often, but at the beginning and end and sometimes middle of the school year, the lack of air conditioning was a hassle. My afternoon routine involved opening all the doors and windows and standing around in the parking lot while at least some of heat escaped before I drove home.
These days, I've moved up in the world. Not only does the blower work in my car work, but I also have a sunroof.
Trust me, I look as cool as this kid.
If I'm being honest, I'm not a huge convertible fan. My hair blows all over the place, it's hard to have a conversation or hear the radio, and sunburn is likely. But a sunroof lessens some of those problems. It's a convertible for the less tolerant. Or at least the fair skinned and curly haired. And, bonus, no one mistakes you for a midlife crisis victim while you're riding around with the sunroof open. (I'm looking at you, Miata drivers.)
This week's hot jam is a cover of Drake's Hold On, We're Going Home. I'm a
big fan of The Voice and two weeks ago, Christina Grimmie did an AMAZING
job on this song. I already like the Drake version, but this sounds
awesome in a totally different way.
Good news folks, I have now switched from my spring/fall coat to my spring/summer fleece! I even rode my bike yesterday. Whaaaaaaatttt?
Anyway, my main squeeze recently acquired a large chunk of empty land out in The Valley.
Not this Valley
But hopefully it won't be empty for long, as he (we?) plan on building a cabin. I may not know a ton about construction, but if there's one thing I know about, it's storage solutions.
Is this heaven? No, it's The Container Store
I love the challenge of finding ways to store things. It's totally a creative outlet for me and it turns out a lot of people feel the same way and then post all there ideas on the internet. Which it super helpful.
Toe kick storage? Genius.Cooking sheets? Skillets? Place mats? Table clothes? Presents you're hiding? They would all fit under the cabinets
Just like most things, there is no reason to waste space. Especially if you are designing it yourself.
This week's hot jam is Not a Bad Thing by Justin Timberlake. Not a Bad Thing sounds like *Nsync era JT and I love it. I can just imagine it playing at my middle school dances in the cafetorium. (Yeah, cafetorium), some kids slow dancing, other kids sort of swaying and snapping because it has a in-between-speeds beat, awkwardly hoping someone will ask them to dance before the song is over. Sigh. Middle school...
I made it, you guys! I'm currently deciding what to wear to Easter mass tomorrow! (Mostly, which shoes are best for stomping through parking lot slush.)
(I probably wouldn't be the only person in Xtratufs at church, but no, Mom, I'm not going to wear them)
It seems only appropriate to write about my family today. If we were living in the same state, we'd be celebrating together tomorrow, but because I'm the "free spirited" child, I'm up North while everyone else is enjoying warm weather.
It's actually +50 F, totally shorts weather
My family is amazing. They've supported me through all my weird decision. Whether that be hangers on my head or moving to Alaska. (With only minimal hassling)
And I couldn't be more thankful for them.
I know I've already used this photo, but it just makes me SO happy.
Cutest member of the family.
This weirdo doesn't quite fit into family or friends, but he's certainly something special, and I'm wholeheartedly thankful for him.
It's Good Friday, folks. so that means TOMORROW will be my last post of Lent. I've (almost) made it!
I have a bunch of weirdos all over the place that I can call friends, so I feel pretty lucky in that department. They keep me on my toes and keep me from being too much of a hermit (which I definitely need). I'm thankful for having people to send outfit pics to and people to trade recipes with and people to get book recommendations from. (And I'm thankful for friends who won't judge me for ending a sentence with a preposition)
I'm not an extravagant person. I will use something until it is
absolutely unusable. I bring my lunch to work (almost) every day. I
rarely go out to dinner. But sometimes you just need to "treat yo self."
Or you know, office supplies. socks. Hansen's Cherry Vanilla Creme soda.
I like to treat myself to small things. Today, for example, it was an Italian soda from the coffee shop across the street.
Other times, I bribe myself to get stuff done. Because being a grown up is hard. "Okay, Maggie, you can treat yo self to _______ (popsicles, beer, hot cheetos - I'm mostly motivated by food...), if you _______ (wash your hair, get the oil changed, finish your to-do list, etc)"
I think it's important to keep yourself happy. So as long as your not treating yo self out of house and home, maybe go ahead and get those 'zerts. Or take a trip to Bali. Whatever floats your boat (or bank account.)
For being a mid-sized town in, what is essentially, the middle of nowhere, Anchorage has surprisingly good restaurants.
For lunch today, I tested out a new one. Technically it was a work research mission, but in practice we just wanted to try out the place one of my co-workers has been raving about. So we hopped in a couple cars and headed over to Mountain View to test out Xalo's.
I had a carnitas super burrito. And it was DELICIOUS. Don't you just love when that happens?
