May 2013
14 posts
3 tags
I Married for Love
photo credit Jodi Miller Photography
I met my husband on April 28, 2007 at a mutual friend’s 21st birthday party. The next night, the dude actually called me. Two weeks later, the semester was over and he was stopping by my house five minutes before I hauled out of there for the summer “to pick up that extra box of spaghetti if you’re really going to just leave it on the shelf...
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One Day, Twelve Moments
We finished watching Silver Linings Playbook last night and it’s left me in the same sort of love story funk that I get after watching Garden State or Breakfast at Tiffany’s or really any movie that looks at love from a not-so-perfect angle. It’s raw and it’s real and it’s ugly I’m pretty sure these sort of movies are the closest Hollywood will ever get to truly...
Friend Connect Blog Hop
So awhile back I teamed up with Melissa to co-host the Friend Connect Blog Hop. We’d love for you to add your blog to the list and for you to visit some new friends while you’re here! You can choose to follow the co-hosts in whatever way is best for you. The blog police won’t come after you so go ahead and choose your weapon of choice: GFC, BlogLovin’, HelloCotton, RSS,...
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Project Green: Go Baby Grass, Go!
It has been an honor to sponsor The Home Depot Garden Club over the past two months. I feel truly blessed to have them finance and support my lawn project. As always, the words, pictures and video (!!!!) in this post are solely mine.
So, let’s summarize what Alex and I have been up to in our front yard. Here goes it then….
PROJECT GREEN from Tina Byland on Vimeo.
Aw. That was fun,...
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The Sunday Currently {31}
madly in love with my new hanging wandering jews….
missing my family up in Michigan. Especially my mom on this Mother’s Day. This is my very first Mother’s Day away from my mom. It’s…. weird.
reading not a whole lot this weekend. It’s been a busy weekend filled with spring cleaning and gardening and bridal showers so I haven’t left much time for...
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The Best Part of My Day
Within a week of bringing Misha home, her name changed three times and her size grew zero. She didn’t really want anything to do with humans, but at least she wasn’t hiding underneath the dresser any longer. When you least expected it, she’d hop up on your lap and kind of just sit there, looking at you. A few weeks later, she actually let you pet her. But she wouldn’t...
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On Miracles and Moms and Babies
I’m about to tell you a story that will make you believe in miracles. It doesn’t matter who you pray to (or don’t). It doesn’t matter how skeptical you are of luck and chance and the serendipitous nature of things. All of that is about to change.
My mom calls me her miracle baby. And I am. After an entire decade wrought with constant pain and endless miscarriages, I stuck...
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Project Green: Manual Labor
I’m thrilled to be sponsoring The Home Depot Garden Club in this series of posts on spring lawn care and fertilizers. While they are financing and sponsoring this post, the rest was really up to me. If you’re new to this blog, I’d hate for you to be out of the loop as to what I’ve been up to with The Home Depot so be sure to catch up here.
After our shopping trip, we went...
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Becoming Me: I Do It Real
I am a teacher. It’s my job. But that’s about it. I don’t feel teacher like some people do. I work teacher rather well but not an ounce of my heart more. So… what do I do?
I do the best homemade chocolate chip cookies in the history of the world and I do not give out my recipe.
I do words on paper with pens and typewriters and keyboards and pencils and pretty much anything that will take ink...
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The Sunday Currently {30}
slowly, slowly our deck is waking back up….
clicking on my blogger adoration, Natalie Holbrook. I do, truly, adore her. She’s the sweetest in-real-email-life (if only I could say I’ve met her in real life…. if only) and her blog is the first blog I read where I thought, wow, there are great writers out here in blogland and maybe one day I can be as great of a writer as...
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Rest and Be Kind
image source
Jack Kerouac defined my college years. I devoured his paperbacks like a starved child devoid of nutrients in those years. Since that time in my life, it’s safe to say I’ve turned slightly more….. mainstream? conservative? prude? Nevertheless, this man really knows how to stop and make me think.
I wish I could plaster this to every billboard in every city across...
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The Neurotic House Guest
image source
I nearly bailed and it’s day three. People. I blame it on Jenni’s order choice for these prompts. “Things that make you uncomfortable”. On day three? This post makes me uncomfortable, Jenni. Thanks. It would’ve been totally fine to skip this prompt if it were on something like day 27, and even mildly acceptable for me to have bailed with this one on day...
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May Day in Annapolis
I can count the times I’ve been close to calling myself anything remotely close to a garden club member on two fingers. One when I watch Dennis the Menace and pretend like I’m an extra in the scene when that super rare, super old flower finally blooms for half a second. And, two, when one of my friends hosted a garden party, I baked my first pie, and then it rained so we sipped on...
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Of Periwinkle Carpets and Fluffy Orange Cats
I’m thrilled to be participating in Jenni’s Blog Every Day in May challenge. I am certain to miss a day between now and the 31st, but for now I’m 1 for 1. Today’s prompt was to share the story of your life in 250 words or less. Now, I counted. That story down there… well, it’s 237 words so take that all of my lengthy posts (though I didn’t count this intro...
April 2013
21 posts
4 tags
Project Green: The Shopping Trip
You might recall from last Monday that I’ve teamed up with The Home Depot to share my spring lawn care project with you this year. While they are financing and sponsoring this project, the rest is really up to me (as you are about to find out).
If you missed earlier posts on how I’m getting ready to dig in with my self-titled “Project Green”, you can catch up here.
Now,...
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The Sunday Currently {29}
…. in which we finally get around to our annual spring yard work day….
reading nothing particularly at this moment. I haven’t had much time to sit down and devour a good hardback recently but that’s about to change thanks to the fact that I can feel myself not allowing any time to just relax.
Listening Van Morrison. Talk about a way to bring back my childhood. Love him.
...
6 tags
Old Rag
I must have been somewhere in those awkward preteen years where I wanted to be a tomboy just like Amanda on It Takes Two (Mary Kate? Ashley? Whichever one it was….). Probably nine years old, but that’s just a guesstimate. We stayed in this amazingly rustic little cabin with our family friends and played Uno all night long. Looking back, I sure hope Alex and I...
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Becoming Me: Contentment
Keep Your Head Up by Ben Howard on Grooveshark
I’m swallowing water and struggling not to sink in the backlog of reading I face on Bloglovin. It’s been busy here. By choice. We’re filling our minutes, hours, days with home cooked meals and ten mile hikes and resume updates and husband/wife time and longer runs and pretty much everything but reading blogs. It’s been a terribly confusing time of...
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Love Notes: Pillars Of The Earth
“This is how we fell in love.” Alex mentioned quietly.“Yeah, I miss this. I miss our hikes.” I pick up the pace, almost skipping I’m enjoying our run so much. “You mean our outdoor adventures?” I laugh. Yeah, I guess you can call them adventures.
Old Rag loops to a conclusion with a 3 mile stretch back to the parking lot from the end of the trail....
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Project Green
So awhile back I mentioned that I’m teaming up with The Home Depot to work on some much needed lawn care in these parts. While they’re sponsoring this project, the rest is really up to me. Which got me thinking….
Today the landscapers came by our school to do some spring maintenance on the grounds. It’s cold today. Too cold to feel like spring but warm enough that...
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The Sunday Currently {28}
gone hiking
reading some old stuff I wrote. Odds and ends. Press releases and little notes and journal entries and some of the most random stuff. Why do we keep these things?
Listening Leather and Lace. Classic Stevie.
smelling this awesome candle I bought at the Targets (picked that one up from the one and only Natalie Holbrook) that smells like Anthropologie. Not even kidding. Good work,...
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Reflections
I’m up an hour earlier today to write this post. Otherwise you wouldn’t have heard from me until Sunday and I just didn’t feel right about that. On Wednesday, I had the fifth grade boy I tutor read an article on self-reflection. We concluded our hour in quiet with a few moments to reflect and I found that I needed the practice more than him. It’s been a wild week.
To cap it all off, I had one...
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Into The Wild: Back To Alaska
from the garden in my Aunt Jeralyn and Uncle Bruce’s front yard// Denali, Alaska// August 2008
It sure is becoming a gorgeous spring around here. Nearly every tree’s begin budding and the birds are starting to sing outside of our windows before the alarm even goes off. Maryland’s humidity lingers with the morning dew, but it’s still burning off by midday. We’re...
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$100 J. Crew Giftcard Giveaway
Or might we call it the “you, too, can dress like Tina” giveaway. Friends, if I weren’t hosting this giveaway, I’d try and rig it so that I won. See? I’ve already picked out my winnings:
Exhibit A: adorable snail print bikini Exhibit B: lovely scalloped shift Exhibit C: navy anchor shorts
So here’s the deal. For the month of April, my lovely sponsors and I...
2 tags
Seeking Gold....
for the record… that’s the same paint color, just different lighting….
As soon as I tore the blue painter’s tape off the edges of our half bathroom, I realized I’d set myself up. Redecorating this room was going to come at a cost much greater than two coats of Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy. Yes, this was going to be quite a project for such a teeny room.
In no...
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The Sunday Currently {27}
so I finally hung the Gregory Beauchamp print above our bed and I think it looks quite nice….
thinking about how disappointed I am that the northern lights ended up staying north last night. We ditched our evening plans, camped out in a new, empty subdivision around the corner from us with my brother, his girlfriend, and my dad and just waited. They never amounted to enough to make their...
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Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
snapped the hell out of this tree in my neighbor’s backyard after Tuesday’s run and decided that I might actually have the whole photography thing figured out…. this is one of my favorite shots
Recently, I’ve been stuck in this wildly glorious limbo of happiness. It came alongside the strangest compilation of folk rock that keeps the beat in the back of my head. One moment Eddie Vedder and I...
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Print Me Prettiful Giveaway
Today I have a wonderful giveaway from across the pond with Leanne of Print Me Prettiful. I find her collection of stationary, prints and blog designs to be so refreshing, contemporary and clean. She’s giving away a print of your choice to one lucky Like Ordinary Life reader.
Leanne made me this awesome monogrammed print with our anniversary date that I just love. And it fits in so well...
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Union Market DC
People always think of the fishmongers when Pike’s Place Market’s brought up in conversation The way they toss these giant seamonsters over tourists heads, soaked in melted ice and fresh for the eating. But Pike’s Place Market has so much more and goes on for block after block. There’s something about that public market, perhaps it’s the chowder and the chili and...
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My Blate With Betsy
I almost feel rude calling it just a blate. Goodness. Let’s call it what it is. On Saturday I spent the afternoon with an awesome, new friend.
I think I’ve mentioned this before. I didn’t ever expect, nor particularly care, to foster friendships through blogging. Maybe I was too egocentric? I don’t know. I kind of didn’t think much past the whole “I need an outlet to write” part of the plan....
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The Sunday Currently {26}
wearing Lilly. May she rest in peace.
reading 1984 as soon as I hit the hay tonight. Apparently you all love it.
listening to the Folk Rock radio station on Pandora. I grew up on this stuff. They don’t make it the same anymore.
smelling sunshine. It’s a gorgeous scent.
hoping for a super awesome, super amazing Mad Men season premier tonight.
writing this week’s posts....
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Pura Vida: The Hot Springs
It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of my “I am dying over here of wanderlust and I really wish we could go on our honeymoon all over again” posts. They were fun, no?
I don’t ever watch The Bachelor or The Bachelorette or whatever those shows are. But, for those of you who do, many moons ago I guess a group of them went down to Costa Rica and stayed here. We knew we...
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Never Have I Ever...
full disclosure: I was never very good at this game in college….. but all things considered (see images below), I think everything turned out alright.
Ok. So. Never have I ever… been an obnoxiously drunk college student. Wait. Let’s try this again…. the 26 year-old version.
One. Dated a short guy. I’m that short girl everyone hates because she only goes for...
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Sometimes You Just Have To Surrender
If we were having this conversation even two months ago, I would’ve been adamant that we’d be one step away from putting our house on the market by spring 2014. One foot would be up north somewhere that the sun shines cool and balmy and the winters are white and pure. The other foot would be tirelessly bogged down by the logistics that go along with a big move.
And isn’t it...
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Dig In.... Springtime's Here
It’s about that time of the year where, as thrilled as I am to see the advent of budding trees and the first signs of cherry blossoms, I’m also hit with the terrible reality that our yard won’t beautify itself. And with each spring, we get a bit closer to a final product when it comes to our outdoor home appeal. Oh, we have ideas! Perfectly sketched out little concepts that...
March 2013
20 posts
1 tag
The Sunday Currently {25}
Can you see it? That’s springtime trying to bud it’s little head… It is Easter Sunday, after all.
reading The Great Gatsby again. That movie’s going to be out before you can say Dr. T.J. Eckelberg. Get re-reading, people!
listening to some George Harrison faves. Team George all the way. He was hands down the best of the Beatles.
smelling a lemon and lavender candle....
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The Blogging Balance: Revisited and Syndicated
A week ago I had it in my head that I’d be spending my spring break rising early, packing my morning with all things productive and wonderful before setting out on fabulous, fun adventures each afternoon. Instead I’ve let myself rest. Morning’s are beginning closer to 11:00 and I’m okay with that. I’m packing those first hours of the day with kitten snuggles and a few...
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Love Notes: The Last Ten Percent
Us// Somewhere on the Appalachian Trail// 2009
Years ago Alex and I went camping down in Virginia where we had our first date. We set up camp riverside and then went out to hike Crabtree Falls. I was certain he was going to propose at the top of the waterfall. Well, he didn’t. But the sun hadn’t set yet and we were itching to try out a new hike a few miles down the road up to Spy Rock....
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Why Spring, What Strange Weather You Have!
In all seriousness, I’ve been waiting for a good dumping of snow since 2010. There was no way I was going to let this mini-dump go ignored. Alex kindly joined me on my daffodil hunt around the neighborhood. Sadly, we found zero daffodils. I think we went the wrong way. As life goes, right?
But it was solid, good, clean fun. We saw snowball fights, conceived yet not so...
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Snow Falling on Spring
The date is March 25th and winter finally fell on Annapolis. Any other day this year, I’d be elated. In fact, even today I am thrilled to feel the heavy plops of a wet snowflake on my nose. But for a multitude of reasons, it doesn’t seem right. Could it be that we are on spring break? The later days, urging us to enjoy dinners on the patio. We’re tiring of the slow cooker and...
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The Sunday Currently {24}
so we went on a seafood binge this afternoon…. I blame it on spring break.
feeling so incredibly lucky. We had a major scare with our electrical circuits this week (hence the drop off the blogging planet). After thinking we just had a minor issue in our bathroom, we come to find out we’ve been living in a ticking timebomb of an under-code mess ever since we moved in. We were having...
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Becoming Me: Seeking Truth
Us// Lake Garda, Italy// 2010
I’ve been tiptoeing through broken glass and burning coals regarding this subject as of late. When I’m certain I’m being careful enough, avoiding burns and cuts, my dad will call and tell me how transparent he found a post to be. Or, my friends will come to me first thing in morning and go, “wow, I totally saw right through that”....
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5 Things
Surely you’ve seen this floating around blogland in one form or another. It reminds me of the whole If You Really Knew Me thing. That was fun, no? So here we go again. I fear that soon I will have no secrets left.
One. I once spent an entire summer moonlighting as writer of Hanson fanfiction. I went through ream after ream of college ruled and over a dozen ticonderoga’s documenting...
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Clarisonic Mia 2 Giveaway
Let’s talk skincare for a moment. I was blessed with an imperfect complexion. You remember the teenager that had pimples, but never enough to illicit a trip to the dermatologist? Yeah, that’s been me my entire life. I also flush super easy. If I am stressed, nervous, angry, upset, drink too much wine, go outside in the heat… shoot, if I breathe wrong my face gets red.
This year has been...
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The Sunday Currently {23}
Kiss me! I’m Irish!
wearing the same Tippi sweater I wore Friday night and all day Saturdayuh, green. duh. I’m Irish. County Clare represent!
reading my friend’s newish blog, Who Moved My Cheesecake. Go say hello. She’s one of my close friends and a wonderful colleague. I think you’ll like it over there. :)
listening to some good ol’ fashioned Irish step...
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I Kinda Like It...
Personally, I find the character trait of always looking for something new to be quite a fickle little trait. You know, the person who’s constantly redecorating their home from top to bottom. Or, the person who simply can’t wear the same wardrobe for more than one season. Maybe because I’m not, nor will I ever, be in that echelon of economic class. Or, maybe, it’s because...
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Washed Out Mornings
These pictures were taken last weekend, on a quieter morning when I had time to set my cup of coffee down and appreciate, if for only a moment, that mornings really are beautiful no matter what. Luckily my camera was on the table, because this turned out to be such an introspective moment for me to share with you. (& yes, Baci was on the dining room table… sue me.)
I used to be such a...
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A Rain Day
I’m at the crossroads of denial and acceptance in regards to our detestable subterfuge of a winter here in Maryland. We haven’t suffered through a proper winter since the snowmageddon of 2010 and I suppose I’m ready to admit that snowmageddon was, in fact, an anomaly.
When a “snowquester” magnitude storm comes rolling in from the south and...
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The Sunday Currently {22}
feeling blue….
thinking about how a total stranger can turn your entire day around. I wasn’t going to write my currently post today. In fact, that’s a lie. It was half written and incredibly negative. I just returned from Advanced Auto Parts where a very attractive sales associate helped me figure out what THREE taillights were out on my car, asked me on a lunch date for next week, then...
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Joyeux Anniversaire x3
Last Saturday was my baby sister’s 20th birthday. Today is my baby brother’s 23rd birthday. And today is also my mom’s ##th birthday. Happy Birthday to these beautiful people.
That’s right, she gave birth to him on her birthday. Isn’t there some sort of prize for that sort of feat?
& so I thought I’d leave it at just this and save them from embarrassing photos blasted all over the...
