The Choir

My parents and I are addicted to the BBC reality TV show, "The Choir." It was filmed a few years ago in the UK and is now being broad casted on BBC America. We don't actually get BBC America as part of our cable package, but fortunately we do have Comcast OnDemand which allows us to watch new episodes a day after they are released. If you've ever sung in a choir, as I have for many years, you will really be able to relate to the show's singers and sole "choirmaster," Gareth Malone.

You've Got a Friend In Me

Last Friday evening, July 23rd, a group of my friends from high school and I had our annual summer costume party. This year the theme of our costume party was Toy Story, and all of us came dressed as different characters from the popular Toy Story animated films. Pictured above are all the party guests in my living room. I am the one crouching on the floor dressed as the character Buzz Light-Year (although in this photo, my ensemble resembles that of Luke Skywalker!) In past summers, we have had party-themes based around the Harry Potter and High School Musical films. My friends and I may be getting a little old to continue this tradition of impersonating kids' movie characters, but we simply get too much enjoyment from all the creativity involved!

One-Lump-Or-Two Lamp

I couldn't help but share a photo of this clever lamp from Anthropolgie, a store with an eclectic collection of home decor and clothing! If it wasn't $198.00, I would totally purchase this lamp for my dorm room as an expression of my love for tea cups!

Dad's Birthday Celebration

Here are a few pictures from my Dad's birthday celebration on July 13th! My mom and I made him a spice cake topped with frosting and toasted walnuts. As you can see from the photos, he also added French Vanilla ice-cream, caramel sauce and fresh raspberries on top of his special desert! I also blew up a few balloons (no one is ever too old for balloons and birthday cake!) on which I drew a sketch of his face. Currently my Dad DOES NOT have a mustache, but he has had one for many years in the past which is why I had to incorporate it into my "Rick balloon cartoon." Bon anniversaire mon pere! Je t'aime!

Retro Video

Check out the outfits in this music video for Brooke White and Summer Bellessa's song, "I am A Girl." Very retro chic - I'm loving the red lipstick trend!

I Am A Girl - The Girls With Glasses Theme Song from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.

Summer Employment

This is for anyone who is wondering what I've been doing for the summer months away from college (and for the organization CUSP, in case they need a little P.R.!)

This summer I am working for the Center for University, School and Community Partnerships, also known as CUSP. The mission of CUSP is precisely what the title implies - the people at the center partner which the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School of Education, Public Policy and Civic Engagement to provide professional development and licensure opportunities to educators in south coast school districts. CUSP is run primarily by retired teachers and administrators from Southeastern Massachusetts. My boss, Karen O'Connor, a former kindergarten teacher, applies for grants to fund PD and licensure programs at CUSP.

My duties at CUSP are mostly clerical - I help answer phones, make photo-copies, sort the mail, set up for classes, events and conferences, take pictures and occasionally I get to do some research for my boss. Right now I am researching post-graduate ESL programs as models for a potential ESL program at CUSP.

If you're wondering how on earth did I land that job? - well, let's just say, I have a very gracious older sister who put in a good word for me while she did her graduate assistantship at CUSP last year! I am really blessed to have this job since (a) I get to work 40 hours a week! and (b) its an opportunity for me to work among experienced teachers (my goal has been to pursue a teaching license after college!)

July 1- 4th

Independence-Day weekend is a time of the year which I anticipate during all other seasons! For me, the weekend festivities begin July 1st, my birthday. This year, as we entered the month of July, I officially exited my "teenage years." Thank God, I am finally 20!

My birthday celebration on Thursday, July 1st, was probably not too exciting by most people's standards, but nonetheless enjoyable. My parents and I rung in my 20th year with a batch of purple-frosted cupcakes and chocolate-chip cookie dough ice-cream (my favorite ice-cream flavor - shamefully, I rarely eat any other kind!) I had fun opening gifts from family and friends. Among the gifts I was given was my very own DVD copy of "The Young Victoria," Sonya Kashuk make-up brushes and a graphic t-shirt from my sister Meredith that reads, "I LOVE British Boys" (truly, that t-shirt could not be more fitting - no pun intended).

On Saturday, July 3rd, we continued my birthday celebration by eating breakfast at a quirky restaurant in Providence called the "Liberty Elm Diner." I ordered a plateful of their famed Johnny cakes, which are essentially pancakes made from cornmeal and water and covered of course, in thick maple syrup. My Johnny cakes were topped with a miniature umbrella - similar to the parasol we poked into my birthday cupcake (pictured above). At the diner, we were accompanied by Philip and Anh Sawyer, relatives from my mother's side. Philip and Anh took us to their loft apartment after the meal for a tour of their home/fashion studio. Philip is a clothing designer and he and his wife are directors of a ministry for artists in the Providence area.

Later Saturday evening I joined my two closest Middleboro friends, Laura and Danielle for our annual trip to Marion, Ma to see their fireworks display. We got there a couple hours early and hung out on the beach until the fireworks began. You can see a picture of the three of us above with our oh-so fabulous glasses!

By Sunday, July 4th - the nation's official birthday, my parents and I hadn't much energy to do any more celebrating. My Dad and I drove to Duxbury beach in the early evening to take a relaxing stroll along the water. We ended the evening by toasting marshmallows over a fire in the backyard and by watching the annual Boston POPs!
concert on TV.

Below are two links: one for the "Liberty Elm Diner," and one for Philip Sawyer's clothing design website!

http://libertyelmdiner.com/
http://philipsawyer.com/index.html