It’s not even dinner time and I’ve already spent some quality time with two of my favorite fellas: Joe and Tom.  I had the day off and no plans, so I decided to drive up to Virginia Beach on a whim.  Once again, I was reminded of how much I appreciate Perry’s working AC, and completely astounded at the fact that I survived almost two summers on the Outer Banks without it!  There’s a heat advisory in effect , and I feel like I’m perpetually melting whenever I step outside.  Oy.

Anyway, I enjoyed a nice cool ride to VA Beach, made an unplanned stop at Borders to check out the going-out-of-business sale, and finally made it to the main event:

I.  Love.  This.  Place.  I’ve never lived in close proximity to one, but I used to go almost every time I was in Boston.  There are just so many yummy goodies that you can’t get anywhere else!  I’ve been avoiding making the trip JUST to go to Trader Joe’s, but my craving for edamame and my desire to get off the beach for a few hours finally convinced me!  After the hour and a half drive, I only spent about twenty minutes in the store (they’re not actually very big inside!), and hopped back in the car to go home.  A long drive for a short stop, but worth it: behold the spoils!

I got back to KDH in time for my afternoon treat: a manicure!  I’ve actually only had a manicure once in my life before, and it was in fifth grade at a friends birthday party (as I recall, I had my nails painted dark blue with dolphin decals on them.  Awesome.) so I thought I’d treat myself.  I got that new shellac polish – regular nail polish wouldn’t last through a single shift at Front Porch without getting all chipped up! – in a color appropriately called “Iced Cappuccino.”  Ironically, there’s not actually such a thing as an iced cappuccino.

The lady who did my nails was SO nice and we had a really fun conversation – mostly about reality TV shows and wondering how people come up with nail polish color names.  This definitely isn’t something that my budget can afford to incorporate on any sort of regular basis, but I sure wish it was!

When I got home from my manicure appointment, my second date was waiting for me:

YAY!  I have been drooling over TOMS for a while now, and my aching feet finally convinced me that these would be a worthwhile investment!  Plus, they give shoes to kids who need them!  I think that’s great.  I’ve been wearing them around the house since I opened the package, and they’re so comfy and supportive that I can tell they will make an eight-hour shift on my feet MUCH more pleasant.

They look sort of gray in this picture, but they’re actually brown.  I figured that was the most practical color choice, since I usually come home from work with my shoes covered in coffee splashes and espresso grounds!  (Side note: I think TOMS look like Aladdin shoes from above.  They look cute from the side, though!)

Speaking of pictures, can you tell that my memory card arrived and my new camera is officially up and running?  Hooray!  I always like reading blogs much more when they have lots of pictures.

And speaking of blogs, I’ve been getting really into blogging again this summer!  I’ve missed writing in any capacity since graduation, and my graphic design classes last year sparked my interest in the web design side of blogs.  I’ve been updating the layout and theme of my blog little by little, and I’ve actually been toying with the idea of switching to WordPress.  Blogger is great overall, but it gets a little frustrating at times because things like formatting photos aren’t super easy.  Thoughts or advice?  I’m definitely not sure enough to actually make the switch yet.

The rest of the evening is going to be spent writing letters, munching on my TJ goodies, and watching TCM.  If I can stay awake, that is!