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  sunset through the haze and rain tonight (see full size on twitpic)

can you see it?

I came to Miami to get away from New York. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love NYC... there are just people and things there that I needed some distance from for a bit. I've had a pretty crappy year, to put it nicely, and thought some time away from everything would recharge me. I've been in Miami a few days now, and it has rained every single day. One might be bummed out about a rainy vaca, especially while trying to get a tan. But after every rainstorm, there has been a rainbow. Great big, wide rainbows... stretching over the ocean or the highway or the bay. The message here isn't lost on me: rain means rainbows. Whether the storms are 10 minutes of downpouring, freezing cold rain (like this afternoon) or hours of cloudy drizzle, it never fails- there's a rainbow. I've only got one more day here, then I hop on a plane Thursday morning to head back to Queens. I'm not new and improved, I'm not free of worry or stress, and I haven't met any fabulous men. But I've learned to look for rainbows. That's a good enough take-away from this trip, no?

I was on the beach not 15 minutes today and it started to downpour... then I saw a rainbow (pictured above)

I packed up my beachbag and retreated across the street for lunch. I ordered a super healthy chicken stir fry with uber-veggies.... then got this massive chocolate cake for dessert. And ate almost all of it.

I got back to my hotel and the weather had cleared a bit. The pool was deserted. I sat and read several chapters of Eat, Pray, Love then went for a night swim. Was so peaceful having the entire place to myself.

Woods Hole, MA (photo by Ray)

I know so many New Yorkers (myself included) who couldn't wait to leave their hometowns and come to the big city. I grew up on Cape Cod in a small town where everyone knows everyone else, gossip spreads like wildfire, last call is at 1a, and restaurants close for the winter. I couldn't wait to move to NYC, where tourism isn't the only industry.

 
Provincetown, MA (photo by Ray)

Now that I've lived in New York a few years, I've developed a renewed appreciation for my hometown. The seabreeze, fields, open space, friendliness of strangers, Main Street... there's a coziness and comfort to home that is lost in the brash abrasiveness of the city.

Time away has definitely made me see that there are a lot of great things about the Cape that I had previously taken for granted. I'm home for the weekend to see my family and attend a wedding, and I'm soaking up the salt air and sunshine, and breathing out a bit of stress. Enjoy your weekend!

sailing Cape Cod Bay (photo by Ray)

What's in fashion today will eventually be in fashion again. Even the most ridiculous trends seem to make their way back into the mainstream after ages in the closet. Here are some of my fave 80s trends that people are rocking now:

I was obsessed with Swatch watches growing up (I even had a Swatch watch nightgown...). So many patterns and colors... and they're making a serious comeback. Not sure if layering them up will ever be cool again, but you never know...

 Ray Ban wayfarers were the sunglasses in the 80s. Rising to peak popularity with Tom Cruise wearing them in Risky Business in '83, wayfarers were reintroduced by Ray Ban in 2007 after a surge in vintage wayfarer trends.

In the 80s, if it was neon, it was automatically cool. Everyone is wearing Converse these days, and neons are in! (green, blue, pink, yellow)

I was pretty leery about the "jeggings" trend, but I think it's growing on me. I'm not sure if I'd wear them with pumps, but I have had issues getting even my skinniest of skinny jeans into sleek fall boots. I'll definitely rock these with this year's knee-highs. (from left: juicy couture, GAP, Ralph Lauren)

I kinda love leg warmers. How many times have you gone out in the city wearing even your thickest of tights and been super chilly? I love wearing wool skirts and dresses with opaque tights and chunky pumps in the winter-- but sometimes it's just too damn cold. These new takes on an old trend give leg warmers an updated and chic look (go easy on the scrunching please, ladies). (from left: alexander wang, michael kors, etsy user montanaknitwit)

What 80s trends are you wearing? Which ones do you wish stayed in the 80s?

Am I happy to see you or is that a poppy on my page?! Well, both! (If you can't see the Poppy, click the header on my blog... it's only on my homepage!) Coach has launched the Poppy Project, and Poppy Patterns are growing all over the web. To make them grow, you have to tweet! Once you tweet with my hashtag, my Poppy Pattern here will grow and you and I can both with some sweet prizes from Coach! To get in on the action, tweet the following:

Grow, Poppy! Grow! #CoachPoppy #FollowRabbits www.coach.com/poppyproject

Or you can just click on the Poppy plant on my page and it will give you a link to tweet. Please participate! Want more deets? Here's the whole story, which you can also see over on the Coach Poppy Project site: