Hello, summer, my love.

Jess & I waiting for fried food from the dairy bar

The recent heatwave reminded me that it is indeed summer and I am still alive. Which is very shocking to me. Even more shocking, is the degree of happiness I experience regularly, which I didn’t think I would ever find in my lifetime.

I can only laugh at some of the changes I have gone through recently. For example, I am currently wearing the ugliest black sneakers I have ever seen, because they are Earth shoes and feel fabulous on my feet when I am working the front desk 8hours a day 5 days a week. They are also only the third fashion purchase I have made since February, the other two being a skirt and the infamous brown sweatshirt jumpsuit. My hair is so long that it touches the middle of my back and I have to put it up for work, otherwise it conceals my magnetic gold name tag that is on my lovely green button down shirt. And despite all of the things I have just mentioned, as I write this I have a ridiculous smile on my face, because I enjoy every single minute. I even enjoyed my walk to work in the pouring ran sans poncho because when I put the poncho on, I was too large for it and it ripped apart. I scowled the entire walk to work, listening to Animal Collective on my iPhone that was in a plastic bag to save it from the rain…but was still perky when I walked into the lobby.

I enjoy my job. And my the aforementioned green shirt I wear with my ugly pencil skirt that I got at the GAP ages ago. I enjoy wearing a messy side bun and interesting earrings. (Today’s are lions!) I like walking to and from work. I love that my “fashion” has become fuchsia birkenstocks, high-waisted shorts, and either a crop top or a ribbed tanktop OR a short dress that I used to be afraid to ever wear in the summer. I love my days off, which I cram with so many activities and people so I never feel like I am missing a moment in this life.

Yesterday was one of the days that reminded me of what I love about where I am. I spent the entire day just taking in my town with my bestie. We went to my favorite used furniture store, we had Sushi, we saw Captain America, we went to the lake, we went to the dairy bar, and then we rounded it out with the hot tub. Though I spent more money than I anticipated and I have a colony of mosquito bites on my ankle, I came home tired, happy, and the proud owner of a vintage owl clock and two vintage owl wall hangings. I spend my free time doing things like this…and also drinking far too much white wine, smoking too many Camel blues, and laughing too much. And when I’m feeling like a recluse (read: grandma) I curl up on the chaise with the pups all piled in my lap for some Netflix. I’m happy.

And this is what happiness looks like.