Come Fly With Me

{The world is your runway. Including the tarmac.}

With Memorial Day Weekend in a couple weeks, I thought it would be a great opportunity to suggest all of you to take advantage of my personal fave...FREE FUN. I had not been to the Air Force Museum in Dayton since I was very small, and I was stoked on the opportunity to go back this past summer. Just a mere hour or so drive from Columbus, it houses an immense amount of retired as well as currently active aircraft. The best part is being able to get up close and personal to many, and see them as they really were way back when. Another trip back in time, an educational moment, a little more military history for my ravenous appetite. In understanding the past we can change the future. My father was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, volunteering to avoid the draft, and to be able to choose his desired branch and location. I have been told recently that he gave up a college basketball scholarship to John Carroll University, married my mom, and headed off to war (Turkey to be exact). As I walked through every corridor I was taken by the photographs of these men and their individual stories not unlike his. Their lives, their loves, their losses all there for public consumption. Set aside an entire day. 

{Trophies given to the greatest mistakes.}

{I felt very tiny in this room.}

{WW II}

What I've Been Crushing On

{Sneaking out for a late night showing of Spiderman with my son.}

{15 years of watching her train.}

{Mother's Day breakfast at a local Diner.}

{Friday night baseball.}

{Making time to catch up with friends.}

{Falling in love with reading again.}

{Norman watching "Too Cute" on Netflix.}

Mani S'mores Please

{PS. Don't skimp on the good quality chocolate and marshmallows. It makes a difference.}

Every so often I get these goofy ideas for blog posts. I don't know about anyone else, but I love S'mores.  It is the ONLY time I like marshmallow in it's purest form. I have always loved whipping up a batch sitting in front of the crackling fire inside or out, any time of year, and having a fire place gave me that opportunity. Of all the places I have rented this is the first one that didn't have a fireplace. I even got rid of my portable fire pit because I got tired of moving myself and all the baggage that comes with me (wink, wink). Putting them in the microwave just doesn't cut it. They aren't that gooey, ever so perfectly crusted, melt in your mouth, sweet summer treat when you nuke em. Then as I am preparing a pan full I realize my mani matches flawlessly. I mean...what else is there?

For a 12 inch skillet use 1 1/2 bags of your favorite chocolate chips. Cover the top with Marshmallows and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for as long as it takes for the tops to become a golden brown.

OPI "You Don't Know Jaques" and Essie's "Instant Hot"

I can drink to that.

Summer Sun

The weather this week has been pretty fabulous. It has felt truly wonderful being able to wear shorts and flip flops. I feel like I haven't seen my feet in forever. Even though I am probably not supposed to say this, I love a little sun kiss on my skin. I wear sunscreen and make sure that all my skincare products contain SPF. However, where I work requires me to be in the pool pretty much every day of the summer, and I cannot tell a lie...I love it. Not only do I love all the fun colors that become all that richer against summer stained skin, but freckles begin popping out all over my face, and I have never tried to hide them. It's like a thousand tiny beauty marks. Bring on the sun.

{Stuart Weitzman "look alike" gladiators from Candies, shorts are old Abercrombie, top is LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's, and Madewell sunnies. Mug is Anthropology}

What I've Been Crushing On

{The Ashland country sunset}

{So happy I can finally do this for him.}

{Revlon "Fire and Ice" and Essie's Hip-Anemia}

{My Friday night cocktail.}

{My new favorite spot...Katzinger's}

{Watching someone I love go after their dream.}

Only The Strong Survive

Upon entering college I was dating a "West Pointer", and just to survive those first few months of separation when he first entered the Academy, I read as many books on the subject as I could. The Long Grey Line and Duty, Honor, Country were a couple of my favorites from back then. I have always had a passion for military history. I took classes on different conflicts during my years at my university even though they had nothing to do with my major. If I could teach any class it would be that. The stories of courage, overcoming incredible odds, survival, mental toughness, physical endurance, comradery, loyalty and leadership mesmerize me. I was at Target a couple weeks ago looking for another book to read and this popped into view. I had no idea until a couple chapters in that it was in fact a true story. It encapsulates all those pieces I mentioned above. The story of a man, an Olympic athlete, who was pulled into a world conflict that would take his will to live to weathering heights. Sometimes difficult to read due to the sheer graphic nature and brutality of his experience, it was impossible to put down. At every new chapter's beginning I just wanted to see if he would survive. The greatest lesson from this book comes from a quote from a Billy Graham speech that turned his life around and healed his soul.

he said 'God says, "If you suffer, I'll give you the grace to go forward." '

Upon reading this line the tears came. It touched me in a way only people closest to me can ever understand. In less than two days I devoured the entire 406 pages. His story is that inspiring.

Print That

Prints kind of scare me when it comes to dresses. There is all this trepidation with regard to which types will make you look wide, which ones will detract from your look, which ones will be too youthful, and on and on ad infinitum. Two years ago I bought my first printed tapestry in the form of a 40's era dress that I wore with the perfect platform pumps and retro hair to a friend's wedding. I tread the area cautiously, being that it was black, with a barely there gold pattern, belted at the waist and below knee length. I got so many compliments that day that every so often, when something catches my eye, I will stalk it until it goes on sale. The other day while posting about a dress I already own from Boden, I hopped on there and found a couple more for next to nothing. The combination of the navy, fuchsia and 60's era pattern... I fell in love.

{Target booties, vintage bomber jacket, Boden dress, RayBan sunnies, vintage clutch, earrings are old JCrew}

 PS. Dress is just as cute with a gold statement necklace and nude heels for a night out.

Carpe Diem

{Steak tacos with charred salsa, Mexican wedding cakes and white wine Sangria}

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over French forces during the American Civil War (via Wikipedia). Not unlike the Movie "Rudy" or the great football upset of Appalachian State over Michigan in 2007, everybody loves the underdog. There is something so exhilarating about seeing the unlikely opponent overtake the much more revered and expected victor that I think all of us can get behind. Which is why I believe we Americans love celebrating on the 5th of May every year. Not unlike our own victory over the British, the Mexican people were not willing to be kept. Not only has their presence brought us great food, but great music, beautiful dancing, vibrant textiles, as well as a peaceful and laid back approach to life that we hurried and over tasked American's struggle to embrace. Even this past Friday, after a hectic week, I could not wait to hit happy hour with some friends and sip lime Margaritas. Delicious.

These are your ingredients. The green pepper is a "poblano" pepper. I also added an orange pepper not pictured here. 

Either toss or lightly brush olive oil on the chopped veggies.

Charring the vegetables, which basically means you burn them a little, entails cooking them at a very high temperature and turning them occasionally. Add a clove or two of chopped garlic. If you have a grill pan or skillet (my next purchase) then use that. You may want to separate the onion, corn, and tomatoes so that you have better control over the cooking process. Set aside and keep warm.

Cook your steak. I did mine medium well. Cut into small bite size pieces. Season as you wish. I used a touch of seasoned salt.

Toss veggies with salt, pepper, fresh chopped cilantro, and lime juice to taste. I also added Feta cheese, which is part of the recipe, but not seen here. Gives them a tangy little zip. 

Steam and Lace

One of my favorite neutral colors to wear when the weather begins its eminent ascent into the warmer seasons is a very pale pink. Not only is its appearance soft and feminine, but it is also calming, and can be sexy in a very subtle way. I think what is alluring is that it is as close to the color of skin itself, or at least the color we women would all like our skin to be. Add a bit of lace and it's as girly as it can get. It is not intimidating but inviting. Very much what as a woman I aspire to be. 

{Target faux leather jacket, Anthropology booties, Rock&Republic denim, Ralph Lauren sunnies, Target lace top.}