Toesies of the Month - July 2011

Though I've gone from 3 jobs to 2 jobs, I still seem to be fairly busy.  Any little chance I get to be lazy or to take care of myself, I definitely try to take advantage of it.

I knew the upcoming weeks were going to get pretty busy, so when I had the chance to be near a nail salon I hopped right to it.  After meeting a friend for a late lunch, I walked down to Newbury Street and hit up the first nail place I came across.  That salon happened to be Town's Nail and Skin Salon, which is located on a lower level section next to Trident Bookstore.

While it wasn't the cleanest of salons, I was pretty impressed by their service and their prices.  A pedicure with a design was only $30!  And the girl who did designs had her own tools and little bag of colors.  She also did a pretty awesome job.  But it was really quite an upgrade from when I thought using a sticker would work.

Nail Technician - Kim
Nail Design - Amy
Town's Nail & Skin Salon, Boston, MA
Color:  OPI - Hungary for My Honey
Occasion: Celebrating the season of my natural color
July 2011

I originally thought I was going to go for another tealy-turquoisey blue.  But, some of the orangey-coppery stuff was catching my eye.  I figured I needed to embrace some of the Leo aspect since we're coming up on that Astrological sign.  I need to be a little bit fiery and energetic these days.

waiting for the B

Beach Day - Dennis and Plymouth

I originally planned to do absolutely nothing this past weekend.

Absolutely nothing.

But when my friends asked if I was interested to join them in a beach day on the Cape, I couldn't say no.  I had only been to the Cape once before to explore the area, but it was still pretty chilly in May.

Earlier in the week, I went with the camp to Singing Beach (so called because the sand squeaks when you hit it at a certain angle).  The sand was ridiculously hot and the water was ridiculously cold.  It really should be illegal for beach water to be that cold.

But I managed to submerge myself underwater several times, but it surely felt like I might go into shock.  Still, even with nearly 100 kids, we survived.

Exhausted...but happy...and on a yellow bus...

So, it was difficult for me to believe that any beach water in Massachusetts could be manageable.  But we made our way to Dennis, which was located on the bicep of the Cape arm.

It's definitely worth it to get up early to make it to the Cape, just so you wouldn't have to park super far away from the actual shore.  However, with thanks to the town of Dennis' Beach Department (I love that they have a Beach Department!!!), if you pay the $20 to park at one beach parking, you can then park at any other Dennis beach parking lot.

At first, we stopped at Chapin Beach.  Though there was a line to get into the lot, it seemed that people were heading out fairly quickly.  We learned that it was because of the swarm of flies that were coming from the marsh on the other side of the dunes.  Those flies were pretty brutal, really.  I counted about 5 different bug bites at the end of the day.

Really, the best way to avoid the flies was to get into the water.  I was shocked at how warm the water was compared to Singing Beach!  So I was quite the happy camper.

Chapin Beach
July 16, 2011

There were also tons of little fishies swimming around!  I overheard a man telling his son that they were minnows, so I'm going to take his word for it.

Fishies, algae, seaweed, tosies

At some point, we started snacking on what we packed.  My friend asked if we wanted some chicken, which we enthusiastically said yes to.  Never would I have ever guessed that she would bring out an entire rotisserie chicken.  But never would I have ever guessed that it is really kind of a genius idea.

Chicken? Heck, ya!

After a short while, we got pretty sick of avoiding the flies, and decided to explore the town.  We ended up at the Cape Cod Chat House, which has a wonderful courtyard area where you can sit and enjoy an iced beverage and pastry.

playing with my new hair piece from Siren's Grotto on Etsy

Eventually, we decided it was nap time.  We braved another wait for parking at Mayflower Beach, and it was most definitely worth the wait.

gorgeous waters and clouds

There's a lot more space, and almost every inch of the beach was filled with people and their beach accessories.  But by 3 or 4 in the afternoon with high tide behind us, the shore was shallow for a good while.  I felt like I was walking and walking and walking and that the ocean might just take me.

It was gorgeous.  It's definitely worth it to make the early morning trek to get to Mayflower Beach.  Be patient with the morning/merging traffic and with the wait for parking.  But believe me, it is worth it.

After floating around in the water, napping, and sunning, one of my friends suggested that we head to Plymouth for dinner.  Though we ended up there just in time for the dinner rush, we eventually settled at the Blue Eyed Crab.  The food was pretty good and filling.  I had a crab burger...num!

Cheers to a successful beach day!

I was definitely nicely sunned and sleepy by the end of it all.  And I'm looking forward to more beach days with the kids, my fellow staff, and with friends.

Sade at TD Bank Garden

For the boyfriend's early birthday present, I decided it was high time he got to see one of his favorite artists.

So, I got us tickets to see the one and only Sade!

At first, it didn't seem like he really wanted to go.  But since I bought the tickets, he didn't really have much of a choice.

Truth be told, I didn't actually splurge being that we're under a tight budget.  I also figured that since Sade's music is relatively mellow, that we wouldn't necessarily need to be so super up close.

Unfortunately, I only had the camera phone on me.

Boy, it definitely would have been worth it to buy at least 1 price range up!

Firstly, Sade doesn't really tour much at all.  I believe it's been at least 10 years since her last tour.  I know the boyfriend hadn't ever seen her perform, and he's been a fan for a long time. The fact that she doesn't tour much is a good enough reason on it's own to see her.

Secondly, the visuals of her performance were utterly amazing, not to mention the fact that Sade herself is pure beauty.

One of the many videos that played in the background
 during the songs. I believe this was for "Kiss of Life"

Can you believe she's 52 years old??? She looks amazing!  Honestly, she herself was breathtaking.

"Kiss of Life" with Sade in a gorgeous green dress in the video

She played some of her amazing hits, starting with "Soldier of Love" to "Smooth Operator" to "Jezebel" to "No Ordinary Love" and ending with "Cherish the Day."  Though I was exhausted and tired, it just felt so amazing to be in her presence.

She also moved around quite a bit, at one point taking the entire band to the stage left corner for an more intimate set.  She also had about 4 costume changes.

White gown

The only outfit I didn't get a picture of was her "Smooth Operator" outfit, which was suit pants, vest, and button-down shirt.

Lady in Red on a platform

The next time Sade comes through whatever town I happen to be living in, there will not be a question about whether I will see her or not.  There are so few performers who seem to really sing from the heart anymore, especially in such a vulnerable setting like an arena concert.  To bear so much in such a huge space can be daunting.  But Sade pulls it off with all the grace, beauty, and passion, without giving away too much of herself.