Suddenly I See

When Firmoo contacted me about trying out a pair of complimentary glasses, I was intrigued. I like free things (who doesn't?), and free glasses are actually very useful and practical for me. I have awful eyesight and usually rely on my contacts, but I have been trying to wear my glasses more often since contacts dry my eyes out like whoa. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to get a new pair of glasses, even if they were free. After all, the ones I already had were just fine! But after browsing Firmoo's selection, I knew I had to try out some of their styles.

Their variety is their biggest strength. In addition to eyeglasses (both prescription and non-prescription), they also have sunglasses, and I think everyone can find a pair that suits their tastes. Even if your eyesight is perfect (lucky duck!), you can have a lot of fun sporting glasses. These days, they're becoming an accessory, and it's an enjoyable, easy way to change up your look. I wanted to try out a larger frame than I normally wear and ended up going for a nerdy sort of look. This pair is a bit retro, and I was excited to try out something different from my usual basic black frames. I went with the tortoiseshell look and totally felt like a British professor. :D

I greatly appreciated that Firmoo was able to offer me a thinner glass lens that would normally cost extra. My prescription is pretty strong, so if the glass wasn't intentionally made to be thinner, it would end up having that extra-thick Coke-bottle glasses feature. I am definitely very thankful that I was able to avoid that!

I will say that I think Firmoo could do a better job of making their check-out process a bit easier. After making my initial glasses selection, I wanted to go back and get a different pair, and their shopping cart doesn't allow easy editing of the items in the cart. It was a bit frustrating to navigate that system, and while it was hardly an impossible feat, I like my online shopping experience to be easy and require minimal effort. This was hardly a dealbreaker for me, but again, I want to be honest about my experiences.

Overall, I would definitely order from Firmoo again. They have a wide, changing selection of eyeglasses and sunglasses, and it's a lot of fun to play around with different looks. The best part is, dear readers, is that they offer a free pair of glasses to new customers! When all of you have to do is pay shipping, I think this is a great opportunity to try out a new pair of glasses virtually risk-free. They also offer free shipping codes for future orders, which I always like to see for my online shopping needs.

Whether you need to replace a new pair of glasses or just want a stylish accessory for spring, consider checking out Firmoo!

  Full disclosure: Firmoo contacted me and asked me to write about my experiences. This is an honest, unbiased review that accurately reflects my opinions and experiences. My only compensation was a pair of free eyeglasses.

Sunday Currently : 17

Today I am digging outdoors in the dirt, getting back to the basic joys in my life. As a kid, I used to follow my dad around our backyard, "helping" him tend our vegetable garden and brandishing my small trowel with such pride. It's been years since I've spent time outside like that, sitting on the ground and getting my hands dirty. Why is that? Why do we stop giving ourselves time for simple joys?

I'm changing that. This weekend is all about digging into the soil, grass on my knees, and watching the bees buzz around the yard. And lemonade. Lemonade is very important.

I see you, dandelions. You're going down. 

reading :  Cross My Heart, Hope to Die. Yes, that's one of The Lying Game books... sometimes you just need some fluff, you know? After I finished Beautiful Redemption last week, I went to the library in search of some Hemingway, but since the novel I wanted wasn't there, I wandered over to the YA section and walked away with this little gem. I've decided that I like having one fluff book and one serious book going at the same time. It's nice to have options. 

writing :  Lots of posts for May! Last week, Lauren wrote about the Blog Every Day in May project that she will be doing, and while I initially thought I wouldn't do it, I took another look at the prompts and am now really excited by the idea. I won't blog every day, but I will definitely try to keep up with the prompts. 

listening :  To birds chirping outside. I still can't get over how many birds I hear in our new neighborhood!

thinking :  About future travels. In a month, I will be riding a camel in Morocco!! :D

smelling :   Dirt. I've been digging around in the backyard all weekend, trying to get rid of our dandelion and clover patches. Mmm, the outdoors. 

wishing :  That DC United would get out of its funk and start winning more games this season! It's hard when your team doesn't get the results you all want, especially when you know they're capable of so much more. Sigh. 

hoping :  For more warm, sunny days. I'm realizing more and more that being active outdoors does wonders for balancing my mood. More, please!

wearing :  Leggings and a bright J. Crew tank top. I got a pedicure on Friday, and now my toes are bright mint! Today's theme is all about being comfortable and happy. 

loving :  The hubs! He took his comprehensive exams a few weeks ago, and he got his results last week. Although he had been worried that he didn't study enough compared to his classmates, Mr. Smartypants McGee passed with distinction, which is the highest mark a student can receive and an honor given to only one or two people each year! I'm so proud of him for finding what he loves to do and for working so hard. :)

wanting :  Our shiny new DSLR to arrive in the mail. We decided to take the plunge and order a new camera so that we can play around with it for our honeymoon. Yay for new toys!

needing :  To decide whether to throw the hubs a big graduation party. He graduates from his Master's program in about three weeks, and while we will definitely celebrate, I'm torn about hosting a party for everyone. I wanted the house to be further along than it is, but I might need to get over that and invite everyone over, anyway.

feeling :  Hopeful. Truthfully, I've been feeling rather blue lately, and this weekend I started to come out of the haze of blah. I think my self-care routine on Friday helped make me feel more relaxed and balanced, and being outdoors this weekend helped even me out. Sometimes a girl just needs a phone call with her mom, a pedicure, and some sunshine to make things better. 

clicking :  On an interesting article from NY Times Magazine that my mom send me this morning. It's about bipolar disorder, and the author writes about her struggles in such an honest, yet unsettling way. The idea of discovering and nurturing the self is really interesting to me, and I think it speaks to how with mental illness, people often feel as though they scarcely know who they are anymore. Their identity is their illness, which can be quite frightening. It's a good read!

Linking up with Lauren for the Sunday Currently

What are you folks up to today? 

Interested in guest-posting while I am off on my honeymoon? Let me know!

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Friday Gratitude

I'm grateful for my kind husband. He meets me at the bus stop when I'm nervous about walking home too late in the dark, he brings me Snickers ice cream bars, and he listens to me when I'm having a bad day-- or a good day, for that matter! The hubs makes life a bit easier and a lot more fun.

I'm grateful for quiet walks in the sun and the tulips that line the paths. Spring reminds me of how exciting it is to see our surroundings come back to life, and whenever I take the time to slow down and watch it happening, I feel so much more calm and at peace. 

I'm grateful for warm blankets. This week has involved a lot of curling up on the couch underneath a pile of blankets and pillows. Even when life gets a little bumpy, those blankets provide comfort. They let me ride out the moment, and I appreciate that. 

Thank you.

What are you grateful for this week?

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Georgetown French Market

I admit that sometimes I let my imagination run a bit wild. I get lost in my daydreams, and while that can be marvelously fun, it also means that sometimes reality just doesn't match the wonder I've created in my mind. That kind of happened with the Georgetown French Market.

When I found out that Georgetown was holding an outdoor French market, I had marvelous visions. Oh, the visions. Crêpes! Bicycles! Antiques! Jazz! Flowers! They all swirled around in my mind, and I basically expected to be transported to Paris via Georgetown. And really, the combination of the two sound quite lovely, don't they?

So, visions dancing through my mind, I headed down to Georgetown last Saturday. I hopped off on Wisconsin Avenue and started to weave my way through the crowds, smiling at the sidewalk sales and quaint shops. Oh, Georgetown in spring! I was feeling pretty merry. Not far from the crêpe stand up ahead was an area with live music, and I slowly made my way through the market, checking out the knickknacks that caught my eye. I was starting to get hungry, though, so I made a quick plan to grab a crêpe and find a seat in the sun to eat it as I people-watched.

But then the line for crêpes ended up being really long, and it turned out that I was supposed to wait in an even longer line for a ticket to get my crêpe, so after waiting for about fifteen minutes without moving, I decided to give up, sad and crêpeless. The live music, while very nice, wasn't quite the lively jazz band I had expected. The antiques, while heavily marked down, weren't what I was looking for, so I walked away empty-handed once again. When I returned to buy the box of macarons I had spied earlier, they were all sold out. 

:(

I started to feel a bit bummed that the Georgetown French Market was more of a nice outdoor market than anything especially French. Yes, it was a nice, sunny day, and the vendors were just fine... but I didn't feel like I was in Paris, and I realized that I really wanted to pretend and slip back into the fantasy expectation I had woven. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with being in Georgetown or its market that day, but it wasn't what I had hoped for.

But then something nice happened. My friend suggested that we try a French restaurant down the street to see if they had anything set up on the sidewalk. As it turned out, they were making crêpes! Hot, fluffy, Nutella-y crêpes. Mmmm. Then, as we walked back up Wisconsin Avenue, we stopped in Book Hill Park, which offered the most lovely view of the street and houses below. We took a seat in the sun, peered down the hill at the flowers lining the stone steps leading up the hill, and I realized that it was okay we weren't in Paris. We were in one of DC's most beautiful neighborhoods, the sun was shining, and I was with dear friends. Maybe the market didn't woo me the way I hoped it would, but life was still pretty darn good.

It's easy to get caught up in the fantasy sometimes. But when the daydream fails to materialize, it's still possible to find something special in reality. Sometimes all it takes is making it to the top of the hill and looking down.

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Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, everyone! This is a holiday that often gets overlooked, but I was very happy this year to take some time out to remember to treat the environment well and to make some plans to do my part to make it better.

Yesterday, there was a small Earth Day celebration in nearby Takoma Park. In addition to the goodies we stocked up on at the farmers market, we browsed lots of plants and got some ideas for the vegetable garden we are planning to build soon. I can't wait until our raised bed is built so that we can start growing some nice squash, tomatoes, and basil!

The idea of growing our own garden and tending to plants and flowers that will not just beautify our area but also provide a nice home to birds and butterflies makes me really happy. I'd also like to plant a tree in our yard, but I need to do a bit more research to figure out what the best one would be for the space and climate. When it comes to treating our planet a bit better, there are so many things we can do, and doing something simple like gardening and buying local foods is one small way I can contribute. It feels good, it's fun, and I like it!

Even if you can't create your own green space, I think it's nice to just take the time to appreciate the nature around all of us. Whether it's a pretty flower or a singing bird, there is a lot to be mindful and thankful for in our environment. This may be my not-so-inner hippie talking, but I truly believe we need to take care of our surroundings so that we can continue to enjoy all it has to offer. 

What do you like best about the outdoors? Any plans to enjoy them in the coming weeks?

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Sunday Currently : 16

Brrr, it seems that a cold front has settled in! It may be spring, but today just might be a day for warm layers to battle the brisk air outside. If we were in our old apartment, I'm sure we would be hearing the rickety heater banging to life in the bedroom, but since I refuse to turn the heat on in April at our new house, I am left to curl up in a corner of the couch, surrounded by a barricade of pillows and blankets to protect myself from the cold. 

Before I launch into my regular post, I have a few exciting announcements. First, there is still time to enter to awesome $100 J. Crew gift card giveaway! Visit my post about the giveaway or enter below-- you don't want to miss out on this!

Second, I will be off on my belated honeymoon in about a month, and in the interest of staying present while we are riding camels in Morocco and gazing up in awe at the Gaudí buildings in Barcelona, I'd like to offer my readers the chance to guest post on the Quixotic Chica while I'm away! Let me know if you're interested in writing a little something. :)

reading :  Beautiful Redemption. And by reading, I mean that it just recently made its way out of the boxes of packed books. I've been waiting for the right moment to finish reading it, but I think I just need to pick it back up and finish it today! There's no time like the present.

writing :  Another weekend recap post. We have been so busy lately, both with the move and with doing fun things, and it's nice to have something to share on the blog. 

listening :  To "Hart of Dixie" playing in the background. I haven't watched any of my regular TV shows in weeks, and I'd like to get caught up.

thinking :  About some plans for later today. There is an Earth Day event in Takoma Park that I've been looking forward to for weeks, and I hope it is as fun as I want it to be!

smelling :   A delicious pomegranate candle. Our house doesn't have the regular scents that our apartment did, so I'm trying to bring back the ones that I love. Pomegranate is one of my favorites!

wishing :  That some things didn't have to change. I've been feeling bummed this week about some life changes going on in my family, and it just reminded me how much I dislike big changes sometimes. 

hoping :  For sunny beach days up ahead! I grew up in a beach town, and I've been thinking lately that I would really love to settle on the beach at some point in the future (among other places! I love fantasizing about future dream homes). I love DC, but it's not so great for getting sand and surf. 

wearing :  Flannel PJ pants and a huge college sweatshirt. Gotta stay warm!

loving :  The weekend! Also loving the Verizon representative who might have cured our internet problems. After forty minutes on the phone this morning, everything seems to be working so far!

wanting :  Coffee. Usually the hubs makes it for me in the morning, and I tend not to make it for myself when he's not around because I think he does it better. :) Still, I could use a cup of coffee this morning. 

needing :   To renew our passports! We leave for Spain and Morocco in less than a month, and both of our passports expire in the fall. I think they need to be valid for six months after the entry date for international travel, which means we won't be allowed to take off if we don't get new passports. Need need need to do this!

feeling :  A little blue as I think about the events of the past week, but some wonderful times are up ahead, and I'm trying to focus on those things instead. 

clicking :  On lots of new articles about the Boston bombing suspects. I was glued to the TV on Friday night as everything was going down and was so relieved that they captured the younger brother alive. Hopefully, everyone impacted by the attacks will have some answers soon!

Sunday Currently Link-Up
What have you been up to this weekend?

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