sunshine, vintage shopping, and fried seafood. perfect day.

Today I went to Daytona Beach with my Mom to help her with a favor/errand for my Nana & Papaw (in Asheville, NC).  It's a quick 40 minute drive, so it's not a big deal to "go coastal" for the day.  Obviously, living in Orlando, I can make a day trip out of both the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.  Pretty awesome and something I shouldn't take for granted, ya know?!?

Today was a pretty day - the sun was out beaming, but it was cold and breezy over on the coast.  It was a fun day, though, and I'm glad we got to spend that time together! 

We vintage shopped at these two ecclectic little shops on the river...

... and that's where my mom found THESE!!!

Vintage, Authentic 1980's RAY-BAN WAYFARER SUNGLASSES!!! If you know me, then imagine my squeal when Mom pointed out to me the proof of authenticity on these gnarley boys!

They were marked for $15 and I knew I'd never find a better deal for my growing Ray-Ban collection.  But, the plastic part of the ear piece is broken - yet, the earpiece/frame is actually Aviator-style gold metal that is wrapped in plastic.  I guess that's how they did it back then before they had this better plastic material of today - or whatever it is my newer ones are made out of.  Ha!

I collect 'em, not an expert on 'em. 

I talked her down to $10 since they were broken.  Now, I don't know about YOU but that is what I call a vintage/thrifting JACKPOT!

I also got this...

For sentimental reasons.  I was OBSESSED with Peter Pan as a kid.  I mean, crazy-talk obsessed!  So this was a little nostalgic for me, plus I hope to pass down my love for vinyl to my children one day... so why not start 'em out with something I loved as a child, something vintage, and something meaningful?

After our errand and the shopping, Mom and I were hungry so we went to "Aunt Catfish's" - a famous, local favorite in Port Orange, FL (a few minutes South of Daytona). 

It was a YUMMY, SOUTHERN meal. 

Not ALL of Florida is a big amusement park or Little Cuba.  It definitely still has it's Southern roots and in our neck of the woods it's very much still a culture!

I don't know what I would do

 without Southern food!!

I hate Ranch dressing,

what are you talking about?

Cheese grits & cornbread.

Fried Shrimp. Yum.

And I washed it down with a

Coca-Cola from a Mason jar.

HOPE YOUR DAY WAS SPENT

LOVING THE LIFE YOU HAVE!

Mine was. 

PEACE & LOVE

Baily

snow day? not in FLORIDA

Since this story was reported, my gratefulness for being back in the Sunshine State has tripled - times a million. 

While everyone else wore snowsuits today, I played frisbees with the dogs in a tank top.  Not lying.  72 and sunny.  Would I rather be anywhere else in the world right now??? Nooo way!  Well, maybe... but I probably couldn't GET THERE if I wanted to.  I'll just stay in the 72 and sunny spot.

I got to have a little 'girls rendevous' with our favorite blogger AND real-life friend, Michelle, tonight.  Jammed to some Mumford and Sons, drove around some back roads (but didn't get lost, barely) and went to Target. 

I celebrated being a Floridian today by buying these:

Bandeau tops are the "it" right now, I guess.  I definitely love them... how pale I was when I tried them on??? Noot so much.

I'm ready for it to be Spring/Summer time so that I can spend my days really celebrating my Florida-girlness by wearing a bikini every day by day and something with these fancies I just CAN'T WAIT TO WEAR by night:





I found these BCBGeneration heels at Dillards during the Holidays and instantly FELL IN LOVE.  And it just so happened that "the shoe fit" and, ladies, what have we always been told to do in case of that??? BUY IT!

Cha-ching! $$$

I love shoes... but I dig the affordable ones best!  These were on sale, plus I got an extra 10% off because they were scratched from being the display shoe. (When you have tiny feet like me, this happens a lot because I'm the usual display shoe size which is typically the smallest size the style comes in.) 

I'm SO READY for Summer...

I have a feeling it is going to be the best one yet!!!

peace and love

b-j-j

Guatemalan Worry Dolls

When Clay and I were in Charleston for Halloween weekend, we got to play 'tourist' since I was around.  Even though I've visited Charleston several times and have always loved and adored the monumental Southern city, I had never explored it's watercolored streets the way that I was able to with him.  It's sorta funny - the way that he and I do things soooo the same.  We like to take it all in, go to the little places in towns that make up the funky personality of somewhere, and we both like "stuff!" 

That's why we strolled through The Market, making sure that we could stop to visit as many vendors as possible.  What is one of the many awesome things about him is that he appreciates the artsy things that I appreciate.  I think some of our most fun times together include thumbing through vinyl at record stores and shopping for "the little things" in vintage places and market-type places, and playing soccer in our cleats we both carry around in the back of our cars for "just in case" scenarios.  I didn't know my "just in case" was going to be, 'just in case I meet my new bff who will just so happen to love me back'.  I guess that is what I have come to know as being a really important thing - the actually doing the things we both enjoy, which just so happen to be perfect matches as well.  Ding! Ding! Ding!

Anyways, as we were strolling through The Market in Charleston, Clay was drawn to a photography vendor while I mosied over to a little girly gifts and trinket type set-up.  I squealed when I found these:

Guatemalan Worry Dolls!!!!

Muñecas Quitapenas

I sort of had a "moment" when we were in The Market as I tried to explain why I was wigging out about these little mini-dolls in a Crayola marker decorated wooden box.  I'm sure I made no sense but that's when the little message in the box comes in handy.... it reads:

According to legend, Guatemalan children tell one worry to each doll when  they go to bed at night and place the dolls under their pillow. In the morning, the dolls have taken their worrying away.

And since I can sometimes let anxiety override my natural laid-backness in some situations, I bought two little boxes - one for him; one for me.  We each wrote a little love note to the the other on the back of our message inserts.  It is an automatic morning smile to wake up and see my worry dolls and words of love on my bedside table.  One thing is for sure, Clay definitely has that ability to take my worries away.  There's another very important thing to me.  Perf match again... ding! ding! ding!

The reason I had my "moment" upon my Worry Doll find was because when I was a little girl I rocked this really cool headband (imagine that!)  Haha - I am, without a doubt, the headband girl these days but I guess I have always been the type to daunt the cool hair accessories.  My sissy usually had the matching one and we would bopsie twin around town until that became just 'so uncool' of us.  This particular headband was made with Guatemalan Worry Dolls.  To be honest, when I was a little girl, I used to think the meaning of the children standing hand-in-hand next to eachother - which formed a row of dolls on my child-sized head - was something to do with "He's got the whole world in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands..." but I guess I was wrong.  According to proper legend, those little kiddos on my head were actually supposed to be taking my worries away.  How cool!

I guess that's my story about my "little thing" I found that meant a lot.  I've always preached that those are some of the most important things in my life.  I miss them, the trinkets and little 'finds' of mine that I had laying here and there before the fire destroyed my room.  Thrifting, vintage-shopping, garage sale-hopping - all those things that told a story that were special to me.  But, one of the many important lessons that I learned throughout that fire was to not dwell in the past.  Like Forrest quoted, "Mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on." I've learned that... and that is why I can be so thrilled, so moved, and beyond grateful for the people in my life that continue to bless me with the little things that matter. 

In this case, I am singing my Thanksgiving song to Clay for the fun we always manage to muster up in the most unlikely of places, and for the worry he has stripped from my life.  I can honestly say that meeting him changed my life, but I know even moreso that the little things we do, the days spent without documentation in FB albums, and the thoughts, words, and lovenotes that we share between ourselves and only us, are what assure me that life can be a joyride and with the right person that beautiful ride can handle any storm. 

And, with a little help from our friends (the folklore 'Worry Dolls') but, more importantly, with faith - all things are possible.

peace & love

baily

To those who have given up on love, I say "trust life a little bit." -Maya Angelou

shoes/summer/sass

Oh sweet summertime is finally here. I was raised in The Sunshine State so the warm weather is my bff. And, before I lost my wardrobe my summer clothes were my favorite. My summer shoes were even better. Last weekend I did a little exam/fire retail therapy.  I have been good about my spending since the fire, and I continue to practice self-control when shopping, but I needed some summer goodness.  So, I went to DSW. Yep, Designer Shoe Warehouse.

It could have quite possibly been YEARS since I went into a DSW. Tuscaloosa doesn't have things like that and I never think to go when I'm in Birmingham. The last time I've been into one of their stores was with my mom when I was visiting Orlando a couple years ago. So when I say I was O V E R W H E L M E D.... it's a complete understatement. It didn't take me long to take it all in and giggle with excitement.

I sent a text message to Chace at work, ME: This is NOT good.

HIM: What's not good? You ok?

ME: SHOOEEESSSS!!!!

I didn't buy on impulse. I rarely buy something impulsively. I'm that girl that picks out something, has them hold "it", looks everywhere to find a better "it" or a less expensive "it", and then I finally go back to buy "it" or am too tired at that point and just say screw "it." I went up and down aisles trying to make my "browsing" loop before I went back through to try on the ones that caught my eye. I was about two aisles away from being done with this browser sesh when I saw them. Like love at first sight, I had found "the ones." What a tease.. I looked to the left and right of them and saw that they came in three other colors. Grey, black, mustard yellow.. ooo! ooo! I love mustard yellow. But "the ones" were red. Really pretty like my favorite shade of lipstick red. I hurdled those last two aisles, making a scene. I squealed when I saw that they had a size 6. They looked perf on my bony little feet. 

ME: Cha-ching!! 

HIM: Oh lord, what did you buy?

ME: SHOOEEESSSSSS!!!!!

Just take in the beauty of those Nine West red leather high heels.... they're a beauty huh?  

I can't wait to be my summer sassy and walk all over town in my white linen pants or my black cotton dress with these babies on! My toes will be painted perfectly red and my lip gloss poppin' (duh!). Bye Bye Uggs, hello lovelies!!

Peace&LOVE

bjj

What are your favorite summer shoes? c.o.m.m.e.n.t. below!

i'm impressive

Yesterday I had my creative juices flowing and took a mid-day break from my studying.  I played around on a couple of websites trying to design my blogger heading.  I had been intending to do this for some time now, but never got around to it.  I decided I didn't need to research it anymore, so I simply put it together in a matter of 15 minutes or so.  I still can't figure out how to get it bigger, so... if you know something I don't know, this re-sizing being it, then help me out!!

I showed Chace my creation last night and I got the perched lips and raised eyebrows look that he does.  I bet he doesn't even know that he does this (kinda like my dad and the aggravated neck popping thing).  But, I have seen this look from him a lot over the past year.  It's the look he gives when he's impressed with whatever I've done or said or shown him.  Not the impressed look that one might get when they do something REALLY great, but the impressed look that kinda startles someone, like... "how'd your dumbass manage to pull that off."  But, he agrees with the rest of us that I have done a lot of growing up.  Well, especially to him.  He was the one that a) picked me up from behind a church I was hiding at when I ran from the cops freshmen year b) saved me from being raped, robbed, and shot at when I was waddling down the road in a mermaid skirt c) stayed up all night quizzing me over test material that I would have known prior to the night before the test if I hadn't procrastinated and d) carried me up and down the stairs at my bid night party after I busted ass. Correct answer is e) all of the above. 

I've come along way.  And I have to give him some credit where credit is due.  I bet he'll perch his lips and raise his eyebrows at the sound of me admitting he's been a major help in these 5 years.  I bring him down to earth though. 

Will blog later about my shopping day today (rockin' shoes, a perfectly fitting dress, and a Rolling Stones tour t-shirt, oh yeah and my $3.50 knock-off but looks better than the real thing Brighton "Daisy Collection" ring).  I'm still my momma's little thrifty bargain hunter.  Now to my sister and brother-in-law's house with Chaceface (and without my sissy) to see the little pigdog and eat my 2nd homecooked meal in 3 weeks. Happy/sad face.

Peace&Love
Bai