I bought a spool of white lace awhile ago thinking I would use it in my hair (which i do once and awhile) but I still had a bunch that I had no idea what to use it for. I learned how to make Hemp bracelets last summer (thank you Kathleen) and I've been making them ever since. It's really a nice hobby if you want to stop thinking about everything. Anyway, I grabbed my lace and the braiding cords I use for bracelets and combined the two. I love the product I came up with.
String + lace + beads =
Inspired by miss Kristina Wade, and a constant obsession with singing loudly to every song I know, I would like to post just a few of my many favorite songs. My head swims in lyrics all day long, regardless if i'm listening to music or not. If I'm not listening to music, i'm singing it.
A few months ago, while I was staying with my sister, my niece Emma thought it was just so funny that I was always humming a tune or singing something. She was always asking, "why is Aunt Hayley always singing?" I guess I don't have an answer for that. I don't even have a good enough voice to sing all the time. I guess I just live in my music.
I listen to everything. Well, everything worth listening to. So if you're confused by the mixture of genre, don't be. I don't care about genre. I care about passion.
Panic! at the Disco: Northern Downpour
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros: Home
Simon & Garfulkel: Sounds of Silence
The Airborne Toxic Event: Sometime Around Midnight
What a great weekend! Friday night was kicked off with a fabulous and totally lame (by choice) movie night with our friends Emily and Seth Trader; complete with pizza and icecream sundaes with home made brownies. (teehee) I love the traders. You can never be in an ugly mood around them. And that is admirable. This weekend I worked both Saturday and Sunday. It wasn't too bad. After work Saturday I met up with Mr. Eckstein and our friends the Scotts and the Moccos for a little mini golfing and dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We laughed all night and had a wonderful time. I feel like this week was just go go go. The army likes to do that to you. No time for rest.
Today after work I did nothing besides sit on my couch and eat anything I want and watch Lost and play video games. Productive? No. Relaxing? Yes.
We're finishing off our weekend with a little tea time with pomegranate white tea, folding laundry together and getting ready for bed. I enjoy doing nothing in my own lame way. I'm going to make tea and sip it while I read a book and be perfectly happy with my evening. We like it that way. Isn't it the simple things that matter anyway?
I hope everyone had just as good of a weekend as us.
I try to take good photos with/of my brother. Doesn't work. The only way I've been able to get a decent picture with/of Seth has been when he isn't aware a picture is being taken (sneak attack) or he's laughing. So... here is my point proved:
I have been blessed with vacations. I flew home to Arizona last week, and it was much too short of a vacation. I saw almost everyone I wanted to see and I felt so bad I couldn't spend as much time with each person as I had hoped. Fortunately, I have very understanding people in my life who know how crazy it is to visit home and get tugged in 100 different directions. I didn't sleep much, and spent most of my days seeing people and going out to eat and driving from place to place. Fun, fun fun!
I came home for several reasons, but one reason in particular was for the wedding of my dear friends Julia and R.D. The wedding was beautiful and I feel grateful to have been a part of it all. Pictures to come. I had some slumber parties with a few different friends, and snuggled some very handsome nephews of mine. All of this, was much needed. Ill save the rambling for another time. Here are a few of many photos I love from my trip home:
Julia & Audrie the day before the wedding.
Last night: slumber party with HollyAnn
A handsome and snuggley baby nephew after bath time.
Time at the Park with friends (Rachel ^)
The morning after I returned to NY, Mr. Eckstein and woke up early and left for a vacation at Lake Placid in the Adirondack Mountains paid for by the Army. Thanks, Army! The place was beautiful. Crawling with little shops to visit and irresistible coffee shops and restaurants. I feel sorry for anyone who will never get to see this place. We walked around for two days straight and still didn't want to leave. It's been good to have time away from Fort Drum. It gets a little too quiet here.
A few days ago, a friend of ours, Isaac Martinez (we call him either just Martinez or Tina) left Fort Drum to be stationed in Colorado. Over the last couple weeks, we've had friends over to say goodbye to Martinez and to celebrate their friendship together. Martinez served in Afghanistan with Mr Eckstein and the rest of the fellas and they've all been closely knitted for the last two years or so.
About a year and a half ago, right before the unit deployed, the guys were training and came across an obstacle course called Mystic Obstacle Course. In this course the final task is to climb over this six and a half foot wall with your vest on. Martinez was the last in line when everyone went through this course so, he didn't have anyone to give him a little boost over the wall. He just could. not. do. it. So, ever since then the guys kept talking about Martinez going back to the Mystic Obstacle Course and "conquering the wall". What better opportunity to do that than the night before he leaves this unit and joins a different one in Colorado? Last Thursday night, a handful of his closest friends and I got together and went to the wall to watch him conquer that wall!
And so it began. Martinez strapped on the worlds heaviest vest (seriously) and tackled the wall. Easy Right? Wrong. He could make it up the wall without the vest- no problem. That vest is what weighed him down. We were out there for a good hour at least. It might've been 2 hours. And finally...
Tada!
In the end, he needed a bit of a push but that's why we were there! To tell him he could do it and support him. I think it meant a little more to him than just climbing a wall. It was good to be a part of something like that, to watch someone struggle and conquer something. It might've seemed small to us, but it was a huge triumph for him. We'll miss Martinez up here. Even his dry sense of humor.
