Welcome Tory Burch

had to take grag back to the airport

after a full month of unadulterated
pure estrogen fun.

not sad.
happy
we had a whole month.

this is one of those
unforgettable outings
i am still smiling about.

went into one of our local malls
only to stumble upon
the grand smack opening of...
that's right,

what for it....

Tory Burch

you remember this post?

never did i think i'd
be strolling her new digs
and checking her stuff out
not through the screen of my computer.

oh glory be.

can you say
"jack pot?"

thank goodness for my trusty
iphone camera.

throw in a little
picnik
and
voila!

look at all this eye candy...

that's right.
champagne,
baby.

and special
tory burch cookies.

this handsome gent
was offering the goodies
for the taking...

we enjoyed both.

i snapped shots of
the products,
the furnishings,
even the throw rug.

coudldn't get enough.

this is us,
giddy.

maybe i can check out
the sale rack?

tell me of your favorite shop
to stroll?

Happy Memorial Day

before we light the bbq

or head to the beach

let us honor
our fallen american
servicemembers.

please indulge me
as i post
the most recent history paper
my 7th grade daughter
just turned in.

The American Dream

The American dream. What is it? The American dream is protecting your country. It’s having pride and faith in it. The American dream is working hard no matter how much blood, sweat, and tears you go through. But most of all, the American dream is the military. Without them what would we be?

My family is full of military veterans each with great stories inspiring the American dream. They have seen and gone through most, none could imagine: Hardships, triumphs, victories and losses.

“A date which will live in infamy”, said by President Franklin D Roosevelt on December 7^th, 1941. This was the tragic day Japan surprised us with a sudden military strike on our ships docked in Pearl Harbor. This day was impacted on my grandfather’s life forever. In his “whites” (white uniform) my great grandpa, George H Doolittle, heard the familiar sirens but thought it was just an air raid. He soon figured out the Japanese were attacking. He did what he was trained to do. He saved lives and helped the injured from the water.

April 19, 1972 at the Gulf of Tonkin, in South Vietnam held a vigorous battle against the North Vietnamese. It was called the Battle of Dong Hoi. My grandpa, Edward Brookes, fought in this battle on the USS Oklahoma City. Out of four ships one ship, the USS Higbee, was hit, leaving 11 casualties and ultimately, a victory for the US. This battle proves the American dream was still alive.

Days before the September 11 attacks occurred, Mary Sobray (a dear family friend and veteran naval officer) relocated from her Naval Intelligence post at the pentagon. September 11, 2001 her entire work section was hit, instantly killing her trusted work partners and friends. This event made not only Mary stronger but the entire United States Military.

The war in Afghanistan has been going on since October, 2001. My dad, Captain Michael Brookes, has had his part in it. After al-Qaeda's hit, one month later American troops invaded. Thousands of men and women, including my dad, were sent to the north Arabian Sea on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Off the carrier, pilots were sent on a mission known as Operation Enduring Freedom. My dad provided intelligence support to the aircrew. Determined and ready they proved the American Dream is alive and well in the military.

The American dream is the service members coming back from the attack on Pearl Harbor or winning a battle against North Vietnamese with one ship down. The American dream is coming back from a loss and still helping to fix problems in the world. It’s invading and tracking down the man who caused such great loss for America. The American Dream is the United States military.

Stop the presses...drool worthy return address labels

We military families

pack up and relocate
more often,
sometimes,
than we'd like.

I, for one,
like to,
at least,
make the process
enjoyable.

We are again,
packing up
in just 4 weeks.

Oh.
Let the craziness begin.

One way I try to make it
fun is with
return address labels.

Check these out.

You will love.

Those three were my personal faves.

Here are some more top picks.

Love the Indonesian flare.

You can find these
adore labels at
iomoi

I have always had an affinity for
cool address labels.

Giddy about my new find.

I'm probably late to
stumble upon these diddy's.

Tell me about any fave finds
you have right now.

Would love to hear.

Wardrobe Wednesday: Red Lips

let me first prepare you
for the lipstick
in the following photos.

yes.
lipstick.
red.

here's the story:

went for a hair trim,
and 3 inches later
came home with
a hair cut.

needless to say,
slapped on some
red lipstick
in hopes to distract
my audience.

hence, the red lips.

trying to bring out
my inner
'conchita'.

ai, ai, ai.

did
'project red lips'
succeed?

Denim: Gap, Sweater: H&M,
Stripped Shirt: Targie,

tell me how you
recover from
hair cut, gone wrong...

would love to know.

DC Cupcakes--Georgetown

Sorry about my MIA

status as of late.
Enjoying time with grag to the fullest

(oh, state cup soccer and track districts
may also have a tad to do with this...)

I digress.
So yesterday we had a gal-pal day
in the beautiful Georgetown.

We toured the university.
In awe of the history.

Founded in 1789,
this is the oldest catholic
university in the United States.

Such an amazing campus to walk through.

At the steps of the
massive church.
Quite a sight.

First the campus...
then the town.

Stop one:
Georgetown Cupcakes

(you may recall the
TLC show,
DC Cupcakes.
yeah.
same peeps)

Grag is so excited.
Look at that face.

The menu varies day to day.
This is the Monday Menu.

Christine took proof photos
for my girls.
I had a feeling they were going to be
green with envy.

Don't worry.
We brought home a little
sample box.

I went total-tourist
with camera in hand
snapping away.

I know.
Dorky.

These poor kids didn't know what hit them.
But they smiled anyway.

We had the most wonderful day
strolling the streets.
Only one criticism:
so not enough time.

We must go back.

Please tell me of your
gal-pal adventures exploring
new territories
and eating your way through.

virginia beach state cup soccer

Sometimes our crazy
sports-filled life leads us
on unexpected
adventure and travel.

The girls play on
a soccer team
lucky enough to have
landed in the quarterfinals
of virginia state cup soccer.

Whoo hoo.

What exactly does that mean?

Virginia Beach for the night...

this is the beach cottage we stayed.

Hubs suggested we reserve one
of these 3-bedroom bad boys
right smack dab on the beach.

One of the many perks of being a military family...
prime beach front real estate
owned and operated by the US military
available to miltary families.

Another whoo hoo.

We couldn't believe this
place was all ours to enjoy...
for the next 19 hours.

Oh.
If only we could have stayed a week.
Drat.

Grag and I needed proof
we were actually on the balcony
overlooking Mr. Atlantic Ocean.

a lovely pathway lead us
to an early morning beach walk

Don't tell coach,
this is what we do before a big game.
Play in the sand!

Mr. Man even made a surprise late night
visit to see the girls in action.

oh so official.

Hadn't seen this little lady for 10 years.
A local, she made the drive to the
sports center for a quick girl gab session.
Just like not a day gone by
as we chatted it up
on the side lines.
Love you, Larry.

Are we the luckiest ever?
another family from our SD days
now, VB locals,
ALSO
made the trek out to the sports center
to reconnect.

We so felt the love.

As many of you sports families know,
this is the stuff life is made out of.

I hope the girls always think fondly
of all those practices and coo coo schedules.

It pays off.

Would love any stories you might have
of your family sports adventures.