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by now, you all know about my SICK HABBIT that i'm TOTALLY obsessed over. well..... i've added several mugs and i'm now up to TWENTY FIVE MUGS! (screaming wildly)

two of my most recent additions:

portland, oregon (thank you jason & galilee!)

and one of my FAVORITES from a city i CAN'T wait to visit, new york! (thank you mr. f!!)

mugs galore

i have been collecting starbucks mugs for a while now and there has always been an "unwritten rule" stating that all mugs placed in a collection must be from places you have VISITED. well as you all know, i don't get to travel much; so instead of buying a mug from every city i visit and having a collection of what... 2 WHOLE mugs, i changed it up a bit and added an "unwritten clause" stating a mug purchased FOR me from someone i hold dear could count just the same.

enter my cousin gregory.

i haven't talked to him in over 22 years. that made me... 4 years old the last time i saw him. [LOTS has happened since then. hahaha.] while my uncle soctt was visiting, he told me greg was on a business trip in las vegas (LAS VEGAS!!). i thought i'd take the prime opportunity to open up lines of communication once again by BEGGING him (greg) to get me a las vegas STARBUCKS MUG. not only did he get me a VEGAS mug but he threw in a SAN ANTONIO mug JUST because he's that AWESOME!

so NOW... i have SEVENTEEN mugs. 18--if you count my forged "tallahassee mug", purchased for me by a dear friend who didn't have the heart to leave the city without one. =)

even though all my mugs weren't purchased BY me in cities i have VISITED, they all still hold wonderful memories for me. and that's what counts the most. =)

parental spring break

i had a WONDERFUL time with my parents these past two weeks. below are a few "photo highlights" of our times together. =)

my uncle scott and aunt kathy visited as well and we all went to the sponge docks in tarpon springs and enjoyed the board walk that had tons of neat little shops; we ate some salt water taffy--that stuff tastes so good but it ALWAYS gets stuck in my teeth and i'm forever trying to suck it out of the crevices. its a mess. we also enjoyed a fabulous greek lunch at hellas. below, my dad and i were FORCED to drink out of the same drink because the waiter only brought one glass when both of ours were empty. hahaha.

we went to sand key beach in clearwater. it was GORGEOUS! the weather was perfect, the beach wasn't too crowed, and i was with my favorite people--my family. =) (ruth, when you come down to visit, i'll take you there. you'll LOVE it! i so can't wait. =D)

my dad and i walked the beach and collected all sorts of things and made our very own "leafy collage". =)

i was HOPING to get a chance to see david hasselhoff but alas, he wasn't there. he must have been on break or something. and i didn't understand the strange look i got from the lifeguard when i asked him where david was. odd, huh.

my dad picked this... this THING up and asked me what it was. i had NO clue of course but i told him in my very informative, i've-lived-here-my-whole-life-and-know-everything-there-is-to-know-about-my-surroundings voice and told him is was a "sea turd". funny, he didn't drop it right away. instead, he held it up for a picture. hahaha!

my mom and i had the pleasure of experiencing "chase customer service" at wal-mart. HOLY CRAP! it took FOREVER for us to resolve the issue. i'm GRATEFUL for fraud protection and really shouldn't be complaining but come ON. TWO hours while standing at the wal-mart auto center? (waving finger) "ish don't sink so."

my sisters, mom, and i went to the pool. IN APRIL. it was so much fun and so relaxing. I LOVE LIVING IN FLORIDA! =D

I GOT A NEW STARBUCKS MUG! HOW long have i been living in florida and i JUST NOW got the state mug!? (shaking head) for SHAME.

and that my friends is the end of my parents "spring break"! =D

so long miami

this past weekend, natalie and franklin bought me a starbucks miami CITY mug as payment for my fabulous house sitting skills during their 3 day absence. i was SO excited that i HAD to take a picture of it right away and send it to my friend ruth who also collects the city mugs. my phone was dying so i had to wait till we were in the restaurant lighting before i could take a photo to send to her. i popped the mug back into its box, stuck it under my arm and in my excitement, i didn’t think to put the LID of the box on the TOP. instead, i had put the box under my arm UPSIDE DOWN.

as i walked into the store, i heard this LOUD SHATTERING noise and my heart plummeted. i knew INSTANTLY that i had dropped my mug. i slowly turned around and sure enough, there on the floor, lay my shattered mug (and heart). the lid had popped open and my mug, my precious miami mug lay shattered on the floor. being the mature adult that i am, i held back my TEARS (more like HID) as i stooped down and picked up the pieces. i felt absolutely awful because not only was it a city i didn’t have but it was a GIFT from natty and franklin!

below are the heartbreaking pieces i was able to gather from the floor:

SOON, i will be visiting miami MYSELF, and i will be able to replace my mug. until then, i get to play with the pieces and see if i can glue them back together. (shrugging) besides, i've been needing a good place to stash my change. =)