scenes from the farmhouse

This past weekend Zan and I went up to The Farmhouse in New Hampshire. We went up with one of Zan’s brothers and some of his work friends, too. It was the perfect weekend to go on a hike (intense) and enjoy the amazing views of the mountains (well worth the climb). These pictures were all taken at the place we stayed for the weekend, at the glorious farmhouse on the hill. It belongs to Zan’s father’s cousin, but is basically a stomping ground for anyone in the family to visit when they please. I’ve been up a few times now and besides the bugs (I am still itching mosquito bites!) I think the summer is my favorite time to go.

We spent Saturday on a day-long hike, made a pasta with veggies dinner, had ice cream and s’mores for dessert, and spent a lazy Sunday with pancakes and bacon straight from the old wood stove. I finished my first book of the summer while Zan fished in the nearby stream for some brook trout, and little Rue came along for the fun, too.

I loved it. The quiet and the simplicity. It’s so clear after trips like this that I just need a change of pace sometimes, to go somewhere different, away from the bustle of every day life and just slow down.

I’m so happy we went.

And my favorite part? There is nothing quite as peaceful as sitting on a front porch with the warm June light on your skin while you look out over the mountains. Do you have somewhere you can sit outside in the summertime? If you do I hope you know it’s special. There is just something about time spent on a porch that just makes me so glad to be alive.

summer mode.

FRIENDS.

I am in full fledge summer mode over here and I’ve only officially been on vacation for 2 whole “school days”. That’s how my teacher mind works, as I’m sure yours does, similarly, if you’re in any type of Monday-Friday gig. For me it’s always been school days and weekend days. WHAT a difference a day makes.

So what will I do with my school days now that school is out do you ask?

First off, I do have a summer job. The teacher’s salary is unfortunately tragically just not big enough to lie around in the sand and sun for two whole months (what a DREAM), especially with my student loans and love of shopping. SIGH.

Instead of working on my freckles at the beach I’ll be spending my afternoons in Beacon Hill with that little nugget in the picture up there. She’s most definitely the cutest city girl around and quite the museum hopper, too! Much like last summer, we’ll be spending our days here and there around the city, eating pirate’s booty and licking ice cream cones. AHHH, Summer, you are too good to me.

As for the morning I shall do as I please.

Little bit of yoga. Little bit of blogging. Little bit of any. thing. I. want.

I’ve been biking all the live long day and I couldn’t be more pumped about it (YES! A bike! MINE!), and I am taking the train to and from work each day and so finally, finally! I get to read my little heart out. During the school year the only reading I do is the 3 minutes I lie in bed before my brain officially shuts off and I’m snoring. I want to read during the school year, but my busy schedule and my tired eyes will just never let me. So yes, this whole train-to-work thing is very exciting for me and something I’ve missed terribly since I started teaching outside of the city. BOOKS! Oh, delicious books.

And the weekends? The weekends are for spending time in the sweet summer sun. I’m taking them as they come, and with open arms. New Hampshire’s on the agenda for this weekend and I’m so so excited. I’m just checking things off that bucket list like it’s my J.O.B.

So, yeah. Things are good around here.

Summer, I think I’ll keep you.

summer bucket list 2012

Here we go again!

I did this last year and thought it was so fun checking things off. It’s a little shorter than before, but I think this one’s got a little more beef to it. You know, just trying to keep life awesome.

Summer Bucket List 2012:

1. Shop mostly at the farmer’s market.

2. Run 3x a week, increase my running stamina, and sign up for a 5K for the fall.

3. More yoga. Do the 6:45 AM class a couple times a week. (I did this last summer and it’s completely worth it. I need to remember this.)

4. Take a photography workshop.

5. Photograph my way around the city of Boston. And do weekly blog posts about my favorite spots.

6. Flash mob. Doing it.

7. Read 10+ books.

Some ideas, but not limited to:

Unbroken

The Year of Magical Thinking

Midwives

Love Walked In

Matched

The Alienist

Operating Instructions

The Book Thief

Fifty Shades of Grey

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Bossypants

My Life in France

8. Picnic and/or canoe on the Charles.

9. Swim in Skaneateles Lake.

10. Eat a lobster roll in Cape Cod.

11. Make homemade ice cream.

12. Get a bike. And a cute helmet.

13. Have a BBQ. Send invitations.

14. Take a flying trapeze class. I’m totally serious.

15. Write a handwritten letter to a friend once a week and walk it to the local mailbox.

16. Go to a Red Sox game.

17. Make a homemade video to music on iMovie. Been wanting to do this, but not sure what to do it about.

18. Create a piece of artwork. I even bought a canvas.

19. Visit the following list of Boston museums:

Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum

Orchard House (Little Women!)

Boston Athenaeum

Harvard Museum of Natural History

20. Take public transportation every possible day I can.

21. Nantucket!

22. Print my favorite instagrams and do something cool with them. I like this idea a lot.

23. Have a romantic dinner with Zanner at the Top of the Hub.

24. A weekend in NH at the Farmhouse/ Hike Mt. Lafayette in the White Mountains

25. See Ingrid Michaelson in concert.

Here’s to soaking it in and living it up. And most important: SAVORING it all.

– – – – – – – – – – –

I’m heading out of Boston tonight for a wedding weekend at the North Shore in the perfectly adorable town that is Manchester by the Sea. An ideal way to start summer in my book. See you all next week!

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View my completed list HERE!

the swimsuit: opinions wanted

So almost every year I get a new bathing suit.

It’s just sort of a thing I’ve done ever since I was little. Like new school supplies for the start of a new school year, I get a new suit for the start of a new summer.

Usually I just go with a j.crew suit because I know they fit me and I know they are usually pretty flattering. They’re pricey, but tried and true. The above suits are my faves from j.crew online this season.

Are you a one-piece or a two-piece wearer?

I have a fair amount of two-piece suits, but over the past several years I’ve been leaning towards the one-piece. It’s both comfortable and timeless. Can’t go wrong when those two factors are concerned!

Which one do you like best??