{When I was a little girl, my mom taught me that you could start seeds in eggshells. It's my favorite trick now.}

Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is go downstairs and talk to my plants.

Someday, I will have a huge garden where I grow strawberries and tomatoes and eggplant and peppers, but for now, the herbs on my windowsill fulfill my need to be surrounded by green things.

I love them.

I always forget how restorative a beach vacation can be until I'm on one.

Lately I've been working working working, and I've been exhausted all the time. But one of the grad students in the lab got married in Cape May yesterday, so my boss (who happens to be Emily's mom), and Emily and I took a three day weekend to attend.

The wedding was beautiful, even though it was 96 degrees. It was in the teeny tiniest little chapel right on the ocean, and then the reception was in the lounge of the ferry terminal, and it had the most gorgeous views of the bay and of ships coming and going.

Our hotel is also right on the ocean in downtown Cape May, and it's perfect. We can walk across the beach to jump in the waves for a little while, and then when we're ready, we just grab our towels and walk right back for a dip in the pool. Right now, we're sitting on the patio, waiting out a thunderstorm and watching the massive waves crash on the beach. It's pretty much perfect. I hope all your summers are going just as well.

Dear Internet,

I've missed you lately!

I've been busy living life (funny how that happens sometimes, no?), but I promise I'll be back ASAP.

Love,

Abbie

Happy Monday!

Man, what a perfect weekend.

There were fireworks (duh), a picnic (double duh) and lots and lots of swimming.

For dinner tonight, we ate watermelon while we watched Dirty Dancing (I don't care if it makes me sound like a stereotypical girl, I love love love that movie), and it was wonderful.

Happy Monday.