T H I R T E E N // THIRTY : Wear Sunscreen

so this song (or speech rather) called everybody's free to wear sunscreen began to circulate in the summer of ninety-seven, just a few short months after i turned thirteen. as i thought about what words of wisdom i would grant future going on thirties, this song popped into my mind and i looked up the words for it, and found it to almost sum up everything that i wanted to say. below i have pulled some quotes out from the song that i thought were good.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.

The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.

Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.

But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future.

Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts.

Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy.

Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind.

The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.

The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.

Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Enjoy your body.

It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance. 

Get to know your parents. 

You never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings. 

They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,
but with a precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, 

because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

 Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths:

Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old.

And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you.

Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

T A M P A T E A T I M E

oxford exchange.

was this really tampa? i gave a tiger woods fist pump as the hostess put us by the fountain in the sunlit conservatory room. vine covered walls and a large glass paneled sunroof filled us with glee and made us trigger happy with our phones.

redemption was in order from my previous night of a bad starbucks cappuccino (how are they still in business), so i started off with one, paired with gargantuan strawberry scones.

moment of silence for the scones, cream, and berry jam.

finished off with a golden monkey latte. rich and malty. grammed the place and got an instasuggestion to check out edison food and drink lab from @kristineyoungin. i have seen where she goes, so when she told me, i was game. great choice. saturdays should always feel like this.

so glad and full.

T A K E M E O U T

sixty balls. five dollars. one girl and her bat.

i haven't been to a batting cage since i was thirteen. it did not take long for the bat and i to become comrades. its amazing what the muscles remember. the manager said i had a solid form and a good swing. dad had a hand in that. my sister stated that all the silly guys in my life had a hand in that. i'll admit, this is a great stress reliever, even if i will feel this in the morning.

my sister showed off her ambidextrous skills hitting straight toward centerfield, homeruns at that. symmetric to the bone. we tried out baseballs our last round. it turns out i hit smaller objects better than big objects.

we ate a champions' meal at hubbly bubbly, a new greek hub in college park. simple menu. grrrrreat baklava. the owner, georgie, i can't even. so adorable.

georgie, the owner. full of laughs, fun, and hugs.

B I R T H D A Y

so there's this really incredible guy that i happen to like a lot and today is his birthday. so grateful that i still have him, especially since a couple of years ago i almost lost him for good. without him, i wouldn't be who i am. 

the intense science projects you helped me with. how many girls can say they learned how to read a naval radar schematic and troubleshoot the problem? 

teaching me how to play sports. teaching me how to enjoy watching sports.

our goofy dance offs to where i was clearly the winner every time, except for that one time in Jersey...you bested me good. you had luda on your side.

our dates. our unabashed love for anne of green gables, ever after, and pride and prejudice flicks.

dressing well. teaching me how to be a strong, independent woman all without being a man.

so as stated before, i would be nothing without him...literally...well maybe genetically someone else, but i just couldn't be 

me 

without 

him.

happy birthday, pops.

LA LA LA LOVE

had a wonderful valentines.
started the night off with 90s jams and famous couples. then valentines cards were made and handed out at random.i was told it was the highlight of most people's night.
food. champagne.
full moon. full hearts.
all while dancing like the fools that we are for allowing this day to be discarded because we hate to be alone. not tonight, friend. tonight love is all around.

S P O R T

four days ago, i got to witness my former college win the national championship in football. a triumph only accomplished two other times within the last twenty years. they said we couldn't do it despite our perfect 13-0 season. four days ago we proved them wrong.

i screamed until i grew nauseous when we scored a 100-yd touchdown off a punt return with 5 minutes remaining in the game. and when we scored the winning touchdown with less than a minute to play, i went crazy. i cried. i was dizzy. i was buzzed. i even bought a not-worth-a-buck-fifty local newspaper just to have the article about my team plastered on the front.

to be honest, when i was younger, i hated football. but my dad liked to watch it and i liked spending time with him, so i started asking him what everything was. suddenly, i knew what a first down was, and now i could cheer with everyone else with purpose. the game was no longer dull. even golf became nail biting. golf.

 i know this means squat to most of my readers. sports on a girl's blog is not too common and i will spare you the play by play. i'll even throw you a bone and say i wore a grey monochromatic look with a boucle coat, heels and a splash of garnet and gold in my scarf to show off my team spirit. but this is me and what i enjoy and it should not make this a less feminine post.

go noles!

R E V I S I O N

i had a conversation with a friend several nights ago, while my car ran for hours in her driveway. the journey of becoming a woman. being a woman, well i am not sure what that looks like, but i do not think it is all frills and dolls.

i want to be comfortable being woman. the natural flirtation. the strength in my form and not just my words. being okay with being pretty. i have shunned this part of myself for so long, and i am embarrassed to draw attention to myself.

i have come a long way from baggy clothes. from hiding. from invisibility. but i still haven't quite stepped out, all eyes on me. unnerving. but i can merge the two. i can be the woman in a sports sweatshirt and a pair of heels.

so this is the new chapter of my blog. the new chapter of me. on becoming.

here's to looking forward.

LIFE l Cabbage Patching

Italian baguette. Giant baby bearing cabbage. Secret gardening among the peppers, the tomatoes, and herbs. All at the East End of the world.

LIFE OF A TOMGIRL | Girl we scoutin'

Sorry I was MIA for the last two days. If you have been following me on instagram, you would have seen my collages throughout the day of my photo/camping trip I took with two friends of mine. Chris asked if I wanted to go take pictures of an abandoned phosphorus factory. I said sure. Frankie added "Lets go camping too." The problem with camping with guys is surpisingly not having to share a tent; its their lack of preparedness for said adventures. Apparently, this is the hipster thing to do, but that's how McCandles wound up dead in Alaska.

I always get ragged on for "overthinking" and being cautious, but the jokes get tossed to the side when they are hungry and all they brought were milk duds, orange juice, and dried apricots. I admire them for their carefree spirit, being able to breath in toxic remnants of phosphorous, or walk through overgrown bushes without the thought of a reptile living there (we are in everglade country for goodness sakes). At any rate it was nice to live on the edge as long as I was harnessed to an oak tree and I enjoyed the time with my boys and I would do it all again.