I thought Justin and I had a Martha’s Vineyard Love Story… but this one takes the cake! Click here for a little feel good Friday.
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie
{feel good?}
#lovemoredomore
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Here’s a flashback, one that found me on Facebook tonight. A memory in a photograph.
It’s the ocean at night, with light overlooking Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard.
And, in this year of Bliss, I’m adding it to my happy list.
Justin found an old iPod Shuffle that is loaded with music from when we lived on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s a bliss throwback. Like finding an old coat with $20 in the pocket.
Score.
Talk about finding bliss!
More tomorrow.
TGIF.
Today continues the weekly series, F*ing Fridays, which will coincidentally occur on Friday. In Year One, I mentioned some of my favorite F words back on Day 5, including: Fearless, Fabulous, Fine, Fun, Faith, Freedom, Forgiveness, to name a Few.
Last week I dove into the words Freeway Fright.
Today’s F*ing Friday is dedicated to the word:
Farewell.
As in, until we meet again.
Today was my last day on Martha’s Vineyard for the season.
As I walked to the boat to board the ferry, the skies opened up and began to cry. It poured rain.
And then I looked down at the sidewalk and saw a heart shining up at me, reflecting light of the cloudy sky, formed in of the puddles on the street.
It felt like the final sign. A little reminder of love in the middle of the long goodbye to summer. Until we meet again.
It made me remember that song from college that we always sang:
Friends we are
And friends we’ll always be
We’ll meet again
Returning faithfully
Cottey friends
We’ll always be
Until the end of time
Farewell Summer. Goodbye Martha’s Vineyard.
Until we meet again.
TGIF.
Today continues the weekly series, F*ing Fridays, which will coincidentally occur on Friday. In Year One, I mentioned some of my favorite F words back on Day 5, including: Fearless, Fabulous, Fine, Fun, Faith, Freedom, Forgiveness, to name a Few.
Last week I dove into the word Farkle.
Today’s F*ing Friday is dedicated to the words:
Funny Things.
As in, oops!
I really farkled up yesterday.
I drove home after working in my “office” (a.k.a. a coffee shop) and sat in my car for an extra fifteen minutes just to collect my thoughts before being trampled by the dynamic duo (a.k.a. Pup and Brady bounding to greet me at the door).
My phone beeped as I sat in my car. Text message.
It was my friend Sue. She wrote: “We just docked. I’ll walk up to Main Street and wait in front of the gift shop on the northwest corner.”
I was totally confused. Sue wasn’t due to arrive on the island for another day. She was supposed to come on Friday so we could take her out to dinner at the Outermost Inn. It was planned weeks in advance as a way to thank her for watching over the house while we were on our Grand Canyon adventure earlier in the summer.
When we first asked Sue to watch over the house, she agreed and we pledged to take her to dinner at Outermost Inn as a gift in exchange for her help. Her face lit up. “I have been waiting 25 years to eat there!” She exclaimed. Done deal. We would take her to Outermost Inn. Dreams come true.
But the reservation was for FRIDAY. NOT Thursday.
“Wait… is today Friday?” I questioned my sanity as I pulled up my calendar. Confirmed. It was indeed Thursday.
Why is Sue here a day early? Then I remembered the Outermost Inn reservation and immediately called the restaurant that REQUIRES a reservation in advance. Sometimes WAY in advance.
The hostess on the other end of the telephone confirmed our reservation was for Friday. I groaned out loud into the phone. “Oh, God. How did I mess this up?” And then sheepishly asked if there was by any chance under the sun and grace of some loving God an open reservation for THURSDAY night. TONIGHT. Like, in the next four hours? Please….
The hostess laughed into the phone. I gulped.
Sue was on the island waiting for me to pick her up, how was I going to tell her that the reservation she had been waiting 25 YEARS to enjoy was not today. Besides her plan was to eat an early dinner and take the late ferry off the island. What to do now?
“We might have an 8PM opening.” The hostess exclaimed. “Great! Book it!” I answered back having no idea how we would get Sue back from Aquinnah, the Outermost part of the island, where the OUTERMOST INN is located to eat an 8PM dinner and make the last ferry at 9:30PM.
I picked Sue up in my car and gave her a huge hug. And then shattered her 25-year dream and apologized profusely. “We can eat there at 8PM but you will miss the last ferry tonight.” I sheepishly explained.
“No problem.” Sue cheerfully answered. “I’m sure we can figure out something.”
I racked my brain. Who has a place for Sue to sleep? I called my friend down the street with extra rental rooms. Not there. We sat on her deck waiting for her to return. No dice. Then I remembered Regina.
Regina! I called her in a last minute dash, crossing my fingers. She answered. She accepted my proposal to allow a stranger to sleep in her house. The Outermost Inn was on.
Except I forgot to tell Justin.
I called Justin and in one breath explained the whole situation, with each character and plot line fully developed including my near heart attack at messing up the reservation night.
He stopped me in the middle of my soliloquy and reiterated. “So you’re saying we have a reservation tonight at 8PM?”
“Um. Yeah.” I shrugged my shoulders as if he could see me.
“Okay, I have to shower but I’ll see you there.” he confirmed.
Men. He didn’t even let me get to the good part where I secured housing (in a single bound) on the island for Sue to sleep over.
The night went from a complete disaster on my part, to a fabulous, fun, frolic in the sunset. What an F*ing day. And I didn’t even plan it.
Amazing what happens when you let life take over.
Or completely “F” it up.
Sometimes it’s better than expected. And it was.
Here’s our FOOD photos from one of the most beautiful spots on this place called Earth.
Thank you Outermost Inn.
I hope somebody called you tonight in a panic for a Friday night reservation so you could say: “A funny thing happened…”
It’s Lovemore Monday.
Today, I saw the second best view from a toilet I have ever seen. It was on the ferry heading back to Martha’s Vineyard.
The BEST view from a toilet I have ever seen was in a hotel in Las Vegas and it spanned the entire Las Vegas skyline — from the bathroom stall!
But, today’s view was a close second. I mean where else can you watch a ferry float by in a public restroom!?
It reminds me that sometimes, just sometimes, it’s the dirty – yet necessary – jobs that bring us the most beauty.
And that’s why, on this Lovemore Monday…
I. Love. It.
Today I rode horses that fly.
Around and around in a circle on The Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs.
They are one of the oldest (if not the oldest carousel horses in America) and they still have brass rings.
I had no idea the “game” of a carousel was originally to grab the rings and hope to catch the winning one — the brass ring. (Silly me, thinking the whole point was just to go around and around in a circle.)
Constructed in 1876 by Charles Dare, it is one of only two Dare carousels still in existence. Originally operated as a Coney Island, NY amusement, it was moved to Oak Bluffs in 1884, where it has lived in its red barn, delighting generations of Island residents and visitors ever since.
The horses are so old they feel miniature. Their eyes are made of glass. The manes of real horse hair.
I’m sure we could build a bigger, better horse these days, out of synthetic mixtures and plastic and other fibers.
But, somehow, these ancient horses made of wood and glass seem like the real thing.
As they go around and around for centuries.
And, I love it.
Where were you…
One year ago today?
Never before in my life have I really been able to answer that question. Until now. Because of this blog.
So, here I was on Day 248 in Year One waxing on learning to surf and believe in myself.
It’s a good thing to explore isn’t it– surfing on top of a wave of confidence, a solid belief that You Can Do Anything.
And, you can.
I promise.
I really didn’t know what I was getting into last year when I started this blog and made this promise. And, do we ever really know?
Not if you sit on the bench or the beach.
Speaking of sitting on the beach…
Last week, in the final days of summer on this beautiful island, I watched a couple attempt to sail with their two young boys. The mom approached the boat with a large bag on her shoulder while watching her family get dunked and dripping wet as they attempted to board the tiny sail boat.
“What should I do with this bag?” She asked her husband, clearly the make-shift captain of this voyage.
“Don’t bring it if you don’t want it to get wet.” He commanded.
“Well, what should I do?”
“Don’t bring anything in the boat that can’t get wet.” He repeated.
“Should I bring it?” She asked again.
“Everything in that bag is going to be soaking wet.” He tried to rationalize with her again.
As I watched this unfold in slow motion before me, I thought, isn’t that always what stops us and gets in our way — the bag we carry on our back? The fear of getting wet or losing something.
As she stood on the shore, frozen asking one more time, “What should I do?” I was pleased with the husband’s reply.
“Get in the boat.”
I’m going to remember that. I thought to myself.
Get in the boat. I wanted to jump up and cheer from my beach blanket. Sure, you might get wet, or lose a few items of baggage. But, the journey (the fun!) all happens in the boat (or surfboard or any analogy of choice). Not on the shore.
So, when I find myself waiting to make a promise or waiting to make something happen, I’m going to remember el capitan…
Get in the boat.
#fearless
Hard to believe it’s that time of year.
Time to wave goodbye to summer.
It’s been a great last hurrah here on Martha’s Vineyard, with lots of sun, fun, beach, yoga, food and sunsets.
As we say goodbye to summer, I thought I would say goodbye to the songs of summer. (That includes you Call Me Maybe). To officially say farewell, check out the Top 25 Summer Songs of 2012.
It made me realize that there’s something fundamentally linked about summer and music. More specifically, the soundtrack of summer. Memories of summer past are engraved into my soul purely through the sound of music.
I will always remember the summer of Toad The Wet Sprocket.
We spotted the ocean at the head of the trail
Where are we going, so far away
And somebody told me that this is the place
Where everything’s better, everything’s safe
Walk on the ocean
Step on the stones
Flesh becomes water
Wood becomes bone
But, here’s my new fave for the final days of this summer (new to me, thanks to @phjess)!
If ever there was a time
If ever there was a place
I don’t know what you’ve been told
But we’ll never, never die
And we’ll never get old
Goodbye Summer.
What was your favorite song this summer?
TGIF. F*ing Fridays are back! And, they will continue to occur on Friday. I mentioned some of my favorite F words back on Day 5 in Year 1, including: Fearless, Fabulous, Fine, Fun, Faith, Freedom, Forgiveness, to name a Few. Last week I dove into the word Flip Flops. Today’s F*ing Friday is dedicated to the […]
TGIF. Today continues the weekly series, F*ing Fridays, which will coincidentally occur on Friday. I mentioned some of my favorite F words back on Day 5, including: Fearless, Fabulous, Fine, Fun, Faith, Freedom, Forgiveness, to name a Few. Last week I dove into the word Festivities. Today’s F*ing Friday is dedicated to the word: Finale. […]
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The Promise 365 