K Marias summer dozen

I have been enjoying the summer so much so far. There are lots of new experiences and challenges that I am facing but in the end it's all good. Summer is about half over, and I was reading other blogs about fashion and what to pack when you travel, how to pack etc.. I began to think about all the things that I have been loving this summer. Not all of them are fashion related. I spend many weekends at the shore and coming back and forth. I have spent many quiet weekends chilling out, reading, have a few drinks/cocktails and just listening to music & talking etc... I have listed below a few of my favorite summer things. Most of the clothes are casual which is the definition of my life right now. As much as I'm loving the 4 inch heels in the J Crew catalog, it's not something that I see in my near future! Enjoy!!!




This is the Tiffany Ribbon Ring. I love this ring sooo much. It is classic and beautiful, it is dainty and elegant and not trendy! It would be perfect with a skinny band underneath. I am in no way near shopping for wedding rings, but I have loved this ring for so long. I was just talking about this ring last weekend, I can't describe it because it's so unique, I haven't seen a 'rip' off of it anywhere! I love it because it's not gigantic and obnoxiously big!

James Morrison is one of my new favorite singers. He is awesome, and his songs fit my life in so many ways. I can listen to this music when I'm happy or sad. I can sit in the winter in front of a fire and drink martinis too it, or I can hear it in the car on the way to the shore for the weekend. It's good music for dinner parties or coffee dates at home! I can't wait until he comes out with an new album!

These were a gift to myself in 2010 for my birthday! It was a great call. I wear them all the time, they are a timeless classic. I also think they look good on most faces!

This sweater is a J Crew pink cotton V neck, and I have it. I wear this sweater all the time. It is a perfect weight for taking to the shore. It's great on a cool night or even while in the AC. It goes great with any jewlery, and can be paired with skirts, cute scarves, over tank tops, t's or even collared shirts in the fall. I love it! It was a great buy! I am constantly grabbing it to take with me! I can't wait to wear it this fall!

I love classic England. I love the old manor homes, and the tudor style architecture. I love the hunting doggies, and the wellies! One of my favorite time periods is 18th century England. I love historical fiction taking place during this time period. The Tudors is the entire series about the reign of King Henry the VIII. It's a great show and the acting is even good. I totally got into it and am loving catching the reruns. I recently found out that there is a book! I am going to kindle it up ASAP, hopefully I can dig in by early fall!

These shoes are one of the many things that TipsySkipper is doing that I love. This is a new found designer that I love. Her stuff is fun and preppy but certainly not uptight. She makes the best little clutches, and dog collars, bags and great shoes. The below shoes are on my wish list for fall! I am loving her stuff. It makes me want a carreer in fashion !!!!!

These earrings have been my "GO TO" this summer and spring. Honestly, as much as I try to be trendy and hip, I'm not. I'm not boring, but certainly pearls are the way to go for me. They go with all of my outfits. From leggings and tunics to jeans and tank tops, cardigans and hoodies, they are the perfect jewlery. Mine are rather large, which I really love. Now, if only I had a matching ring :) .

Below is the new Lands End line. Lands End Canvas. It's the greatest line. The clothes are similar to old school Jcrew. Preppy, classic and affordable. I have several things for the summer and I am constantly going back to them time and time again! I can't wait to see what they have for fall! I think this line took off for Lands End. People I know are loving it!

Recently my bestest and hottest guy has been making me Rum and Cokes and I honestly, have been totally digging it. It's a good drink. It's not filling or too sweet. It may be my new drink of choice. Has it replaced the Gin and Tonic???  We'll have to see about that !

Everyone on the east coast owns at least one of the LL Bean totes below. I mean, honestly, I think I have three or four between me and my soon to be 5 yr old. She has an XL one that she received when she was born and we use it all the time. I got one from the Agnes Irwin Crew parents one year and I love it, and I have another one with a zipper. I use them all the time, all sizes! They are great! They are cute and go with everything. The best thing is that you can vacuum them out after a day at the beach and the sand is GONE! I think they make great gifts for little girls, especially the size S. And monogramming is a must when purchasing!

For those of you who don't know me, I have a thing for bags, hence the above favorite thing! The below bag/s are new. The designer is JPK Paris, and I love him. These bags are again, classically elegant. They are durable nylon of all colors and they are middle of the road priced therefore they are affordable. I use my hot pink one all the time. It goes with everything from my sweatpants and leggings to cute sundresses and jeans. I would love to have one for the fall like the one below, it's a great color and shape! 

The last thing that I love this summer are my Haviannas. They are great. And surprisingly - they are totally comfortable! I love the solid colored ones. I have the navy (pictured below), and they match everything, gingham sundresses, black jersey skirts, jeans, white pants.. whatever I wear, they go with it! So worth the 24 bucks... 

Who won? Or was it an even score?

When you get divorced who ultimately wins ?? Does anyone? Do you re-evaluate ten years from now and realize that yes, in the end, both people win, because so much happiness has been found in their new lives.

Is it true that the spouses who do the walking "pay" or "get theirs"? Does every dog "have their day"? Is there ever such a thing as "karma"? When your spouse walks away you're often left in the cold ( I like to think of it as a winter season with lots of snow ), you are holding a bag and inside are tons of unanswered questions and broken peices and it's almost impossible to do anything with the contents. But in time, with effort those questions will be answered and the peices slowly are put back together.

But something very sad happens during this time of repairing. You loose people. People disappear from your life. You realize that you are a single parent raising a child or two. This leaves you unavailable for dinner groups, book clubs, early morning swimming, marathon training, girls night out and any other thing that requires someone else at home. 6 or 8 months go by and you realize that you haven't seen your friends new baby, or that you haven't read a book, or gone away on vacation, or exercised, or done anything that was a major part of your life prior to your separation. When you are married you build your life around someone else, their friends, and their family, their work, their likes and hobbies. Suddenly, the life of two people become one.

I haven't talked with my ex mother in law since December 23rd of 2009. This is crazy to me. I called her mom, she was in my life for 8 years. I am the mother of her first "Granddaughter". Greggs cousin and I are the same age, and had monthly dinners, I haven't heard from her since January of 2010. I reached out to her and got no response. Gregg's aunt and uncle were as close to me as my own parents. They haven't talked to me since the weekend that Gregg left here in November of '09. There are friends of ours that haven't contacted me, and there are people that Gregg worked with who I was close with, also haven't contacted me. Where are these people? I have spent the last 21 months trying to figure out and make sense of their abrupt disappearance. I mean, do they know what I went through, and how hard this was for me. Do they understand what my ex did to me?

I know this happens during divorce. Do these people feel awkward? Do they automatically side with their family members, as blood is thicker than water (if you're italian anyway). Have they heard a totally different side of the story? I don't have the answers to these questions. But I do understand that these people who have dropped me, are adults. These adults have choices. People know what is right and what is wrong. I can't really feel for the friends, cousins, in laws etc who are 'in the middle' of two people divorcing. These people are grown up and they can make their own minds up and their own decisions.

So this leaves me to the question of "who wins during a divoce"? More times than not, it seems as though the poor people left (in the winter with the paper bag) are really the victims. More often than not they are the ones loosing homes, families & friendships etc. It seems as though the people leaving, just leave, no consequences, and business as usual for them. Are they the winners? It doesn't seem fair!

I can only hope that some day Gregg's cousin will reach out to me, or his mom. Maybe they never will, I can still hope and think about that time in the future. I can only hope that the girlfriends who I haven't seen in 6 months will understand what I went though and that I am still the same person I was before this happened. I am hoping that in time, it will be clear who (if anyone) wins at this game. The questions about Karma hopefully will be answered, and I finally can see my life as "fair".