Category: http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post

If you’re looking for the girl…

trostlsa2 Comments

…who loves the color pink. That always has her nails done and her hair in the perfect style; the right outfit for every occasion. The one with a size 2 waist and thin, slender legs. Who never swears and sits straight at the dinner table. That eats appropriate portions at every meal and never gets food on her face. The girl who has flawless skin and perfectly done make-up. The cheerleader. The one with a boyfriend on her arm or that turns every head when she walks through a room. The demure, polite, Audrey Hepburn-esque girl. The super model.

If you’re looking for that girl…you won’t find her here.

Instead, you’ll find the girl who owns hardly any pink. Who usually has chipped nail polish and whose hair is a mess; the t-shirt and jeans kinda girl. The one with a size 8 waist and legs that people automatically identify her with a soccer player. Who swears against her best efforts not too and has a horrible slouching habit. That loves to eat too much and always manages to get food on her face. The girl who’s skin is never flawless and barely wears make-up. The clown. The one whose only “boyfriend” is the 5yr old she nannies and that usually only turns heads for laughing too loudly in public. The outspoken, attempts to be polite, wishes she were Audrey Hepburn girl. The tom boy.

That’s who I am. Who I’ll probably always be. Sure some things may change as I get older, wiser, more mature. But at the end of it all, I don’t ever see myself fitting the “typical girl” mold. I may be average in a lot of ways, but I’ll never be typical.

I’ll never be the A typical girl and I love that about me.
And if someone else doesn’t, well that’s just too bad.

yep…that’s me.

crochet fun

trostlsaLeave a comment


I feel like someday, whenever I figure out how to crochet, I should do this to a tree! Doesn’t it just look so happy and comfy and warm?! Why shouldn’t a tree have a sweater?! hahaha And a rainbow one at that!
I just couldn’t help but be amused by this and there are plenty more to see here.

perfect

trostlsaLeave a comment

When I walked out the door this morning, jacket on and tea in hand, I couldn’t help but notice how perfect the weather was. Yeah there were clouds in the sky and rain in the distance, but there was a briskness to the temperature. Not to warm, not to cold, but just right to be comfortable in my light jacket. It was so Fall.
Being in Florida for 5 years I never realized how much I missed Fall. Even though I was here last year too I don’t think I took enough time to really enjoy it. I was too busy being hurt by the situations in my life and trying to deal with them. Now, a year later, I find myself really looking around, breathing in deeply, and looking at the leaves as they change color. It’s truly beautiful. I don’t think I ever want to live in a place without Fall again, for an extended period of time at least.

yay Fall!

fall fest

trostlsaLeave a comment

Last weekend was one big fall celebration! Chautauqua Institution has it’s annual Fall Fest/Quilt Around Chautauqua which is basically a quilt show combined with a number of other vendors and food carts to be had. There was kettle corn, and pumpkins, and crafts galore! I only wish I had had more time to see everything and really enjoy it. Alas, I was working all weekend. I did however get a chance to visit some of the quilt vendors with my sister after work on Sunday. It was so nice to have a few hours with her just to be silly and enjoy each other. Here is more about the quilts I liked on my other blog.
Before I wrap things up take a look at these!

One of the girls I work with does these! Aren’t they just incredible?! I love the Jack pumpkin. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies!

Quilt Around Chautauqua

trostlsaLeave a comment

This past weekend the annual Quilt Around Chautauqua/Fall Festival was held at Chautauqua Institution. Since I work there I couldn’t wait to spend the weekend surrounded by quilters and their gorgeous creations! And boy was I not disappointed. The quality and craftsmanship that was on display was like nothing I’d ever seen. And there were SO many! The Festival was spread throughout the Institute in 10 buildings, each dedicated to a guild or two. The hotel I work at fed nearly 300 people per meal and housed 250! I’ve never been around so many quilters in my life.
It was impossible NOT to feel inspired by the work I saw. The patterns and color choices and variations of different ideas; truly awesome. My sister and I literally walked from quilt to quilt doing the “oohs and ahhs” and pointing out the ones we loved (my sisters boyfriends followed along, putting his input in from time to time. such a good sport). What was even more fun was running into a lot of the ladies that we quilt with, many of whom knew our grandmother. It’s always a pleasure to chat and catch up with them. Cassie and I aren’t sure if we’ll be able to make it to the retreat this fall so we’ve already decided that if we can’t we’ll just have our own retreat and visit the ladies at the camp. It will be fun regardless.
So here are some of my favorites from the show. I hope your enjoy them and are inspired as well! 

a wall of fall!

on of my favorites! I SO want to make a Halloween something!

tooooo cute!

PUMPKINS!! yay

My Friend Kim and her friend made these!  They bought one cut of each fabric and divied them up!
these colors are to die for and I LOVE the snail trail pattern.

the best place on earth

trostlsaLeave a comment

or one of them anyways.

The Tree House.
That’s right, I said the Tree House. Back in high school I ran track with this great guy, Geoff, who just happened to have a man-made tree house out in the woods. Now when I say tree house, it’s not the Swiss Family Robinson type of tree house. Instead of being built in the trees, this cabin was built around the trees, more amongst them. What’s even more impressive is that Geoff’s dad and 2 brothers all built it themselves. Too cool.
Besides its architecture, it’s very much like a Swiss Family Robinson home. There are 2 hammocks, both of which hang over ledges (one outside, one inside), a swing that goes over the deck, a catwalk over the main level room, and a crows nest at the very top with a balcony. The heavy wooden doors have submarine port holes for windows. The inside is decorated with ornate objects from the family’s adventures around the country. Did I mention that the whole place has electricity?? So just in case taking in the nature isn’t enough, you can curl up, listen to some music, or watch tv, while you pop some popcorn. No big deal. Oh and there’s a pond as well, with a high dive AND a zip line, of course.

Can you see why I love this place so much??

My pictures can’t even begin to do it justice but I wasn’t sure that anyone would believe me otherwise. I’m so thankful to Geoff for sharing this place with me so many years ago and for letting me revisit it now. It’s such a wonderful escape from real life. And it’s so gorgeous in the winter time too. The wall sized windows behind the wood-burning stove just make for the perfect winter setting. It’s perfect.

1. a view from the deck. look closely and you’ll see the crows nest up above. 2. there’s a creek that runs below the cabin…like its own little gorge. 3. Geoff swinging on the swing. 4. the deck. behind that picnic table is a hammock. 5. the sunset from the high dive. 6. the catwalk.  7.the view from above the first floor 8. brother Jer playing us some tunes next to the stove.

a laborious weekend

trostlsaLeave a comment

What a crazy couple of days. My weekend was just as fun and busy as I had hoped it would be. The weddings I worked Saturday and Sunday were both all day events but I somehow managed to muster up the energy to still go out with my friends afterwards. There were many beers consumed, much dancing done, and little sleep had. {am I 21 again and didn’t know it??}
And speaking of friends, I’m SO loving the people I’m surrounded by lately. I haven’t felt this secure in my friendships in a long time. It’s a truly wonderful feeling.
Labor day itself was the most labor-free day of the summer for me. It started out pretty strangely. Let’s just say that having your friends mom find your underwear in the driveway is a situation that can only be laughed about. And no there isn’t a salacious tale to back that up. Beyond that, it included an over-sized bean bag, a No Reservations Marathon, a great nap, and a chili cheeseburger. A pretty superb way to spend a day off, if you ask me.

And somehow I managed to get only 2 pictures from the weekend. On Sunday we didn’t get much of a break for lunch/dinner, so we whipped up a huge salad bar for everyone to enjoy. The girls set up the salad options while the guys set the table on the porch for us all.

It was perfect.

We ate, we sat, we chatted. It was just what we all  needed to prepare ourselves for the Jewish celebration we were about to be immersed in. {side note: if you’ve never been to a Jewish wedding, I highly recommend you attend one. It’s quite the experience. And so much tradition.}

Overall, this past weekend was a great way to say goodbye to summer. Summer, that apparently left overnight.

Bring on the long sleeved shirts and clogs cuz here comes Fall!!

august’s end

trostlsaLeave a comment

I can’t believe August is already over. Not to mention most of 2011! Where did it go?
I’ll tell you where it went….work. Lot’s of work.
But I’m happy to say that the work has payed off. My goal in having a third job this summer was so I could use the extra money to pay off my credit card. It needed to be done. So each week the majority of my paycheck when directly onto the card while the rest went into my savings account. Week by week the amount dropped. It seemed like it would never really diminish though. BUT, after receiving my last two paychecks from the regular season  at the hotel, I will have payed off my credit card, ENTIRELY. Can we say holy sense of relief?! I can’t remember the last time this card didn’t have a balance on it. And to top it all off, this means that all my post season paychecks from the hotel can go directly into my savings account! There’s a light at the end of the I’m-24-and-live-with-my-parents tunnel! Glorious day!
Another bright point to August ending is fall and with fall comes…FOOTBALL. Where can I even begin on my love of the game?? Since I was a little girl there were only 2 things that Sunday was for; church and football (in that order of course). I would rush home to watch whichever game was on and if I was lucky enough it was a Dolphins game. Yes, you read correctly, the Miami Dolphins are my team. You can thank my father and Dan Marino for that. Now in my 20’s my love of football has only grown and I find myself participating in fantasy teams and all the fun that comes with them. I can smell the fall and hear the sounds of whistles blowing and pads colliding. It’s a beautiful thing.
So, as sad as I am to see August go, I’m doubly excited to welcome September. Maybe there will be some rest or even, don’t say it too loudly, a vacation. oooooooooh. I can only hope.