Petite billet doux (little love notes)

Dear Africa,

I wish I could come visit. Why do you have to be so dangerous?


Dear allergies,

I'm grateful for what I've been gifted in life, but allergic to the yellow fever vaccine... Really?


Dear San Diego,

I finally feel like myself again. I have you to thank for that.


Dear Little Italy,

I like your little neighborhood. I mean, MY little neighborhood.


Dear new job,

I like that I made my own hours, my bosses appreciate me, my salary is perfect, that I basically have the run of the town, and my accounts love me already. Plus, being able to walk to work is a HUGE bonus.


Dear Mama,

I miss hanging out with you and talking forever into the night. I am so grateful that I was able to spend 4 weeks with you. I wish you were here to see my new place, but I know that when you come visit, you'll absolutely love it!


Dear Dad,

I miss you. I'm sorry that my move wasn't planned better. There's no time like the present and there's no point in waiting it out. I'm happy here, but I miss you a whole awful lot.


Dear little sister,

Sorry I couldn't explain it better or wait any longer. I hope that one day you'll understand the why's and how's of it all... And in the meantime, just know that I miss my best friend and really wish I could drive across the bridge to see you right now.


Dear Allisen,

I miss hanging out and wish, now more than ever, that I'd spent more time coming to visit. I hope you'll visit me soon.(and maybe stay?)

Dear Michelle,

I am so glad that we've come back into eachothers lives. I forgot how much I missed you and I'm so grateful to you for needing me as much as I need you right now.



Dear blog friends,

I don't have Internet yet, but I promise to update more and catch up on what I've missed as soon as I do.


xx Carrie



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

spontaneous combustion

Have you ever felt so much excitement you just feel like you're going to explode?

I have.

A lot lately.

maybe too much?

is there a such thing as 'too much'?

I mean, if it's exciting, you might as well get all worked up about it right?

Well, let me tell you what made me feel so much giddiness that I happy-danced around the house awhile...

I was chatting to my sweet sister, Michelle,

(you know, the one that lives in San Diego with my darling niece & nephew?)

she was having a tough week -

they have a WHOLE lot going on right now -

and mentioned that she wished I was around for sanity & company.

Well, that got me to thinking...

(and that's always dangerous)

I really want to see them again soon.

(and no, when I move there in July is not soon enough)

They have a couple of trade shows coming up

at the end of February
(next week)

 AND a store opening the first weekend in March.

Well, the shows are in Vegas.

And then they are driving back to San Diego for the opening...

And Vegas is on my list...

(it might not have been on the 2010 Intentions list,

 but it is definately on the life list.)

So guess what?

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

I'm going to Vegas ((!!!!!!))

and then back to San Diego to pop bottles with my sis for her grand opening!!

I'm making moves.

a smile for my past

I know, I know... I have a new years post all set & ready to go, but I had to post this -

http://www.runawaygallery.com/2010/01/jolene-jolene-jolene-jolene.html

I read this blog this morning and it immediately made me smile this morning.  My lovely big sister, Michelle, used to sing this when she was little.  She used a turkey baster for a microphone back in the day.  She knew all the words and I can just imagine her sweet little children dancing around with turkey basters and wooden spoons belting out old tunes like this...


It definately made my day.  Thanks Kristina for posting this.

proud big sister.. for good reason.

Ok, So I must once again tell you about my little sister.

I know I've said this before, but as you'll see, there is a definate need for you all to know how wonderful she is... 

read Jackie's Interview here.

My dear sweet little sister,

I am so grateful that you are in my life because you are an amazingly talented and caring young woman.   Thank you so much for the un-ending support and pure excitement that you have for me as I start continue on my own little journey through life.  I am so proud to call you my sister. I consider myself lucky to know you and to be a part of your life.  You are inspiration for my hopes & dreams, and you keep me grounded when I start to float a bit too high.  Thank you again for being there for me when I need you most, when I don't need you at all, and especially when I need to smile.

I love you so much.

Carrie xx

A few of my favorite things in San Diego...

Plus her sweet little family that brings joy to my soul and silliness to my heart. She is my original best friend.






Love love love being by the water. The air is calm, softly salty and the breeze is warm in the fading sunlight.





And the sky at night. It's not black, but navy blue. The stars are twinkly and bright. Sweet moments of light in the uncertainty of life.

#6 - get to JFK

- Recap -
List of things to do this week:

1 - visit family
2 - visit the Tanzanian embassy for my visa's
3 - photo shoot with Jac
4 - spend time with good friends
5 - pack for cali
6 - figure out how to take a train to JFK

#5 - How do you take the train to JFK? No idea. I thought that grown-ups knew how to do these things, you know, get to the airport on your own... yeah, no. As it turns out, if you're really a grown up, you can just ask one of your good friends to drive you. It doesn't matter that it's a drive through NYC and a long one at that... they have to... because it's what friends do. In my case, because I have a sister (well, only one in the area), I ask her to take me and she is mandated by the sisterly code of conduct to agree. And be happy about it.

As Katie pointed out at Jac's dinner party, sister's really are amazing. They are basically second or third hands when you need something and they will always be there. Whether it's an ice cube for your glass of wine, eggs for the brownie mix, or an hour & a half drive to the airport... she's always going to be right there.

So how do you take the train to JFK? I don't know. Jackie drove.

#4 - spend time with good friends

- Recap -
List of things to do this week:

1 - visit family
2 - visit the Tanzanian embassy for my visa's
3 - photo shoot with Jac
4 - spend time with good friends
5 - pack for cali
6 - figure out how to take a train to JFK

#4 - Spent loads of time this week with amazing people. I've basically just gotten a good dose of awesome over the last week. Obviously, the family time is included in this.

Jac & I went up to Albany to visit Allisen for a mid-week dinner. She'll be back Friday night for our family dinner before I leave for California. And by family dinner, I do of course mean that it's a celebration for Jackie's housewarming/Allisen's birthday/Carrie goes to California.

In addition to that, spent lots of time with Jac&Kate. No, it's not a typo, they are not sold separately. It's a package deal when you get one, you get both. And I love it. For this reason especially... Only good things happen in Wal*Mart at midnight...








More to come as I finish up my list....

my carbon footprint

I've purchased my ticket to California! I'm heading to California to visit my sister and her lovely little family. My nephew Jax has big plans to take me to the San Diego Zoo. I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on my trip. This will be my first time visiting California and I'm sure, not the last.

In my travels, I want to have a positive impact on the people and places that I go. I want to be conscience of the impacts of my travel on the planet. Just call me environmentally saavy. Yes, Allisen, this part is just for you. Allisen, being the eco-friendly lady that she is, has inspired me. In order to start this, while purchasing my ticket, I chose to offset my carbon footprint caused from the flight. The organization I chose is a not for profit and their website has some really great information for you to check out.

What exactly is a carbon footprint? According to Wiktionary.com, "A measure of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person, organization or state in a given time."

What is your carbon footprint? Find out with their handy carbon footprint calculator!


Here's my certificate showing my offset:

I have a flight to catch.

I have a flight to catch.

Worked from 7am to 815pm yesterday. Did I mention that my work is time
consuming? Oh, I have, eh? Hmm. Taking a week off is stressful.
What will change in the week that I'm gone? Enough about that.

Got home around nine. There was a pizza waiting with a friend,
who had come to see me off.
Sweet thoughts. Brought me dinner and his computer so that I can
update my iPhone music. He knew that I hadn't even packed yet.

Packed and in bed by 1230a. Not bad, considering I haven't flown in a
couple of years. Wake up at 5am. Shower, blowdry hair, coffee with
Dad. He drops me at the airport at 6:09am. He's off to a school field
trip.. Rafting. First time I've missed it in years.

Wait in line for 10 minutes to check my bag. It's not big, but I'd
rather check it. She hands me my boarding pass in just minutes.

"Miss Pfeffer,are you sure that you want to check your bag?it's $20
for each bag checked."

"Oh.my. No thanks, i'll just take that back and carry it on."

$20?? Per bag??? When did that start??? Oh, the lovely attendant is
already explaining that it started in 2008.

So now security. I forgot you have to take your shoes off. Even if
they are flips. I sure did not pack the 'Michelle' way. (another
sister, extremely well organized. Packs everything in clear ziploc
bags.). I'd say my technique is a cross between that and Allisens way-
throw everything you see in a bag and if it doesn't fit, grab another
bag. I have a happy medium, I think. And a problem. Security guard
tells me I look confused. Reading a sign... No liquids over
3ounces? Uh-oh.

Rifled through my bag. Pulled out my toiletry bag.
Deoderant 2.6 oz
Static guard 1.4 oz
Opcon-A 1.0 oz
Lip balm tub 0.25 oz
Toothpaste 1.5 oz
Purell 1 oz
Cortisone-10 1 oz
Hand lotion 3.1 oz
Razor. ( hmm. Is that allowed??)
Mascara, more lip balm, more lotion, you get the idea.

Hand lotion 3.1 oz... Oops. Maybe I'll just push that to the bottom of
the bag... Everything on the conveyor belt... Even my shoes.

They didn't stop me. And nor should they have, either. I'm not
dangerous. I don't look suspicious. Why do I feel suspicious? Why do I
feel like I'm hiding something? Oh, the lotion. It's just over. It'll
be fine.

More on my trip later... I have a flight to catch.

Sent from my iPhone