With this entry I can not-so-proudly announce that I've just beat my previous record for "worlds most delinquent blogger"!
I haven't posted in 24 days! For myriad reasons...none of which are excusable. You guys are there for me and I owe you some fresh stuff. Jeez...I've been an out and out truant! Forgive me.
Lot's of things have happened in the past 24 days and lots more will be happening in the next couple of months...but I'll lead up to that. Let me first flash back to May 9th. That was me and Aaron's 15th anniversary. It's so very crazy how long we've been together and it dizzies us to even think of all the different phases we've been through. We've been self employed since like 1995 and life can be pretty interesting when you mix self employment and co-dependency/ co-working/co-habitation/co-creating/ girlfriend/boyfriend etc, etc... Ups and downs and ins and outs galore! Life will test you a lot, and luckily we've been able to pass those tests.
Anyway, we went out on the 9th and ate some insanely decadent food that seemed to weigh us both down for three days! On the 10th it was my baby brother Walt's 18th birthday! It's funny, but Aaron knows Walt for almost as long as I do! So, for Walt's first milestone we piled into the family van and took to the streets of NYC for a shopping adventure. Walt is a sneakerfreak and a snappy dresser so I mapped out all the hottest sneaker spots and hipster clothing joints in Manhattan and we worked our way down the list on a beautifully mild Saturday. Those pics...one of Walt, one of Jay ( who has been doing great), were taken in a store called YRB . It's a huge store with about ten thousand t-shirts. We jokingly took the Walt photo to look like he was posing out on the graffiti covered meanstreets of NYC when in fact it's just a faux facade inside the store made to resemble such a scene. The day was long and fun and we finished it off with top notch brick oven pizza at Angelo's which is directly next door to David Letterman's Late Show theater.
The following and final day of that eventful, food filled weekend was Mother's Day. A huge and heavy brunch at Aaron's mom's house. Barb love's to entertain, so even though it was her day to relax she was still the hostess with the mostest! Great time! But come Monday the diet needed to be put back in place! It was like Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years combined in one weekend in May. With very warm weather approaching that kind of indulgence borders on illegal!
Ok, so my sister Missy...who now has a blog...and I'm excited to insert the link! Anyway, she just moved to a new apartment and it's fantastic. So perfect for her and I've been doing what I can to help her pull it together decor wise...painting, shopping, antiquing. Alright, so her apartment is in the carriage house of a big old house down the shore. One day a couple of weeks ago she's walking home from work (yeah, she lives within walking distance of her job!) and she sees on her front lawn a for rent sign. The unit in front of her in the big old house is for rent. To make a long story short...we signed the lease within days of this discovery. So we are officially moving. This is what I was referring to up above when I said that the next couple of months are gonna be busy. It seems spur of the moment but we've been dying to move. I'm posting pictures here of our current apartment as a sort of farewell, and to show you that we're gonna have to do some heavy duty sanding on all those wall stripes before we turn in the keys to this place. We did so much work here to make the place look right but so very much of it is smoke and mirrors. Our current apartment is essentially a box, with no character, moldings, natural light, cross ventilation, etc...Whereas the new place is all character, moldings, tons of windows, sea breezes, streets lined with big old trees, a big front porch, etc...and it happens to be within walking distance of Aaron's childhood bestfriend.
It's a huge new start for us. Moving conjures all sorts of mixed feelings. You get weirdly sentimental for the place you've spent the past dozen years in. Even though you know you gotta go...gotta move on to the next phase...you still get a little sad. I know I'll be over it as soon as I'm fully moved into the new place but it's a heavy time. Me and Aaron both keep thinking back to his car accident and the years of recovery spent right here. Which is actually the primary motivation for moving on. A couple of years ago...once we started to see a light at the end of the recovery tunnel, we both agreed that this place has seen too much of us...if that makes any sense. Too many tears were shed here. Too much pain was endured right here. We need a place free of memories in which we can forge brand new bright ones. The next few months will certainly be a financial strain due to deposits, doubled up rent, and because it's an increase in rent (here I'll insert a truly tasteless hint to all of you compassionate would-be Everyday is a Holiday customers!! shop away!!! ; ) ) But this move is more than necessary, and long over due. So on this blog expect lots of new home imagery and a whole new visual vibe in the months to come. One thing I'm psyched about is that we'll be able to reproduce our bathroom decor almost exactly in the new place...that's one room I want to carry over to the new apartment (vintage boardwalk/Jersey shore). But lot's of other stuff is gonna change. And I'm sure there will be a drastic change in the art we create. There just has to be.
So, things are gonna be hectic for a while. If you're reading this and you're a patient customer waiting on a package...big thanks for your patience! We're trying our best.
Let's see...what else?...I owe you 24 days worth!
The other night we went into NYC to go see Aaron's favorite band of all time. They are virtually unknown but me and Aar have been devoted fans since their first album...circa 1997?...anyway, the band is called Firewater but it's technically not a band, for the only constant member over the years has been one guy...the singer and sole songwriter named Tod A.
Each album is a like a whole new genre of music and Tod A. assembles a group of expert musicians to help bring his latest inspirations to life. The newest album is his most inspired yet. Four years ago, after being fed up with our country's foreign policy, the war etc... Tod decided to leave the US and live from city to city in the middle east. About a month ago Aaron got an email saying that Tod is back from his self imposed exile and he's got a new album (very much middle east inspired) and a tour. So Aar was at the record store on release day and my sister Missy pulled through with procuring tickets for the whole group of us. We danced like crazy at the show and afterward, out in front of the club Aar got to chat with and pose in this pic with Tod A. Needless to say, Aaron was thrilled. It is his absolute favorite artist. It was truly a GREAT time! And Tod is just too too kind!
Ok, now some stuff... Some Birds of a Feather goodies. Fabulously packaged crepe paper trims! When you shop there it's probably best to buy double...half to use and half to keep on display on your crafting shelf. Everything Heidi does makes me happy...always the prettiest stuff!!!
I gave Aaron these two prints as an anniversary gift. Hemingway and Fitzgerald...two of his faves. The new decor in the new place will work with these. In the past we did a lot in this color scheme and we're planning on heading back in that direction a bit. Aar, will be thrilled to tie literature into the new home decor. I found them on Etsy in this fun (run by three sisters) shop , I am hoping to custom order some more authors soon!
I did a one on one swap with my new friend Tammy whom I met through Flickr after seeing one of her amazing collage pieces and leaving a comment on it. She is a total sweetheart...a doll. Her work has the exact look that I love...the pattern, the composition, the feel, the aged quality. She channels the amazing Corey Moortgat in her pieces and who isn't a fan of Corey's? I am so honored to own a piece of Tammy's and plan on owning a bunch more. She is planning on opening an Etsy shop...big YAY! too bad, I will be absolutely broke for the next few months!! Tammy also sent the other fab stuff in the pics with her piece, it all came wrapped in the cute ticking stripe paper!
The other stuff you see, the super sweet pink and aqua metal photo corners, pom pom trim, and the sweet extras thrown in are from Shabby Scraps . It turns out, that she and Tammy actually live within hanging out distance of each other. How lucky!!! I can't wait to get settled in the new place so I can play at the crafting table with this stuff.
Lastly, another side of Aaron. He recently reunited with his band and they've got a big show scheduled in July. They were a band for ten years, since they were just kids, but in 2002 their guitar player/ best friend/ ersatz brother, Dave, lost a battle with cancer. They ended the band back then because Dave was the band. But just a couple of months ago Aaron got a phone call from the rest of the guys asking what he thought about trying to put it back together to record their's and Dave's unrecorded material and to play a big reunion show in their hometown on what would've been Dave's 34th birthday. Well theygot together in the studio and they feel really good about how they sound so they are back together for real. Not just a one time thing...they want to make a record, do a bunch of shows, etc...
It's very exciting because it's a really special thing that the four of them have together. It's their closest connection to Dave and when the four of them get in a room together...no matter how long they've been absent...it's like they never left...non stop laughs. Anyway, I posted these pics on Flickr a few days ago and got some very funny comments about the other side of crafty Aaron. By day his world is full of cupcakes and glitter...by night...look out!!
I swear I will post again soon. This was a long post but not long enough to make up for my truancy. Thanks for sticking around!
xoxo, Jenny
