Trove- {a shoreline secret}

Today when I received my weekly e-list email, I did a total double-take...Trove was featured in the honorable mentions as one of the shorelines best kept secrets! Hooray!

Speaking of best kept secrets...if you are not receiving the e-list emails...you need to. It's kind of like having a friend with really good taste who checks out everything new in the area...shops, restaurants, events, things to do... and tells you all about the things worth experiencing for yourself. I am very picky when it comes to what emails I give my time to. I have discovered many great things and people through the e-list!

IMX Pilates

I have come to the conclusion that I hate gyms. I have been a member of several. I go, I run, I lift weights, I people watch, I stare at the clock, I look for any excuse to cut my visit short and go home. There is something about the hum of people on treadmills, all in their own zone that makes me instantly discouraged when I walk in. No one is friendly, if anything they are sizing you up as you jump on the machine next to them or while you fill your water bottle.

Which is why I was very interested when I drove by a brand new building in Guilford that was to be the new home of IMX Pilates Studio. So convenient to where I live, I was hoping this would be the answer to my gym-hating problems.

I attended the open house that was held and was greeted by friendly people eager to explain how the different memberships worked and what IMX pilates was all about. They had an amazing spread of food, some raffles and people showing how the IMX reformer machines worked. But the thing that I couldn't get over, was the design of the studio. Hardwood floors, rattan chairs, a crystal chandelier, a trickling waterfall, wood shutter lockers, framed prints of Marilyn Monroe exercising, huge beautiful mirrors that lean against the walls... this was like working out in a spa.

I joined. No more monthly "donations" to a gym. This is a place I actually enjoy going to.

Roses for Autism

One of my favorite local causes is in a contest. Roses for Autism- which is a rose farm in Guilford, CT that employs people with autism and helps to build a brighter future for them.

Help Roses for Autism gain the lead in a race to win $250,000 from Pepsi! This will aid in their efforts to continue to do great things! You can vote everyday at refresheverything.com.

10 questions

Conn Creatives asked me to answer the 10 questions.

See my answers- !

http://conncreatives.com/

Under the Sea

In 1985, I was 7 years old. My cousin, sister and I used to sit in the TV room in my cousins basement, squeezed together in the old recliner watching movies, acting them out, giggling away. By far, our favorite was "Splash". We would watch it countless times, we had it memorized. And I was mesmerized. Swimming under the sea alongside turtles and fish with a tail and long beautiful wavy hair swirling around my face. Finding a special hideaway in a sunken ship... it was my obsession and before long, I was braiding my hair at night so that I would wake up with wavy locks just like Madison.

This obsession has never quite gone away. My daughter's first halloween costume was a mermaid. I am now a certified scuba diver- I even went diving where some Splash scenes were made, with the same dive company that was part of the film. Every time I am under the water, I have to smile to myself.

A friend posted a link to a blog about a girl named Kariel who is obsessed with mermaids. So much, that she decided to make her own tail and try out the lifestyle. I love her photos and reading about her endeavors as a mermaid. Not to mention, her tail is beautiful- she spent 5 months making it. I finally found someone who shares the same obsession and I am vicariously living through her! Next time I am in Hawaii, I will be sure to keep an eye out for blonde hair and a blue fin.

Visit Kariel's website here.

September

I am sad, as usual, to see September arrive. Summer is by far my happiest time. I enjoy every bit of everything it offers and try and absorb every second- from Memorial Day until that very last degree of warmth disappears. I can happily say, that I succeeded at that this summer and still have a few more weeks of possible last-minute beach days and cookouts. I took these photos this weekend of my daughter on the farm property behind our house, she's just so happy to run and be free.

The summer days are fading, as they must

From endless hours to short and fleeting light

The bird's once bright, immortal tune, now cries

A melancholy aura to the dusk

The children fiercely climb, and dream, and race

Before their wild and unchained days depart

And yet beneath the zeal lies a half heart

For there isn't time, there's only enough space

The sun seems low, a hazy orange sphere

Now reminiscing sweetly of the days

When endlessly before you summer lay

And as in the deep, crimson dusk you stir

Your soul joins with the birds in wistful brood

Crying for lost summer days, for childhood

By: Shannon Georgia Schaubroeck

The Beauty of Displaying Beauty

I've realized there is a definite, fine art to choosing and displaying items. From filling (but not over filling) an empty shelf... to arranging flowers... to choosing which magazines to fan (or not fan) on a coffee table, when you get it just right, you know it. Ever since I was young, I always have had a special appreciation for beautiful displays of beautiful things. I used to re-configure my collection of horse figurines over and over again, trying to give them each their own space to shine but at the same time, compliment each other. This is part of the reason why I think I became a graphic designer and a huge part of why I love Trove.

I suppose this is why I have always liked the online shop, Three Potato Four. I frequent their site to see what different items they have hand-chosen and given a new life to, and now, they have opened a store, which opened today! They have nailed it when it comes to picking the right items and putting them together in a complimentary way. Congrats Janet and Stu- such an amazing space they created, filled with interesting things!