personialized gifts

Maybe it's because my name is not very common. Maybe it's because they make me feel special. Whatever the reason, I love gifts that either have my name on them or point towards something that is uniquely me. My friend Valerie gave me this ornament with my name on it. It was perfect on so many levels...

the first dusting of snow

this week, we had our first dusting of snow. the deck and tree limbs were covered. it felt so cozy and wintery and fresh. i just love it. it left me wishing for more.

my new RAV 4!!

i love it! it's smooth and pretty. our dogs love it. it feels so safe and fancy. it's our first car with the remote control locks. i'm loving it!!! those of you who know me, know i don't love driving. but the other day i actually thought to myself, "where do i need to go today?" just so i could drive it!!!

secret santas

At work we drew names for Christmas. We are going to give one gift per week to our special person until Christmas. It's so exciting! I just loved looking for something small but special. And, I had no idea I would be so excited to tell them who I am at the end! Some secrets are fun and this is one of them!

shopping

Like most girls, I just love shopping. I especially like it at this time of year. I went in Target the other day and they were playing Christmas music and all the trees and lights were twinkling. Ahhh. I feel cozy and cheerful just thinking about it. I can even get into Internet shopping. Lately, I'm intrigued with this website "etsy." It's where people buy and sell homemade items. Fun! You can buy any number of unique items. I looked for aprons, pottery mugs, Christmas cards etc. It's great fun when you don't have time to search for a parking space at the mall...

late night quizzes

So I'm here at work and am wasting time with brainfall quizzes. I took the quiz "Which Desperate Housewives Character Are You?" and found out that I am Susan. Here was my description:

"You are Susan. You are a klutz and verifiably awkward in social situations, but you are sweet, easy-going, and not afraid to get what you want in creative ways."

Other things I've learned about myself tonight:
1. if i were a sesame street character, i would be Elmo.
2. if i were a disney princess, i would be part Ariel and part Cinderella
3. if i were a car, i would be a volvo station wagon
4. of all the cities in the world, i should live in Paris. Very nice...

Yoga

So I've always loved the idea of yoga. It seems so peaceful and lovely. It also seems a little more my speed. I'm not really one for high impact aerobics and fast crazy stuff. It's probably my lack of coordination. Whatever it is, the idea of yoga really pleases me. My only problem, as with any exercise regimen, is motivation. Well this week, I am happy to report, I dusted off one of my DVDs, laid out my yoga mat and tried my hand at it again. Wow!! I was sore all over for days. In fact, I'm still sore! My back, arms, tummy and thighs. It feels so good! I'm super inspired and am going to try it again today. Maybe I'll work up my nerve to actually join a class!

waffles

so my friend matt won a bakeoff with his oh-so-fabulous cheesecake recipe. not only was it the yummy flavor that won, but also the presentation. he made it in a heart shaped pan and put cream and raspberries on the top. it looked like valentine's day delight. with his prize money he bought a super duper waffle maker and then invited larry and me over for some yummy breakfast. we always joke that we are the friends he tries his recipes out on first. depending on how how a recipe goes with us, it might get tweaked and used again or perhaps discarded. as for the waffles, we voted for them to be cooked on the setting between 3 and 4. this resulted in a golden browned waffle with very little crunch. ahhh, it's hard work being experimented on, but we are up for the challenge. :)

Winning

This week, my mom and I went to Keenland, the local horse racing track. I absolutely love going there. The races run in April and October, my two favorite times of year. In April, the dogwoods and red buds are in full bloom and spring has settled across the bluegrass. In October, the air is crisp and the maples are blazing with orange and red. The atmosphere is charged with excitement and history. Usually we don't bet. It's fun enough just to be there watching the horses being led around the paddock before a race. It's fun enough to see the tiny jockeys in their bright riding gear. But this time we thought we would try our hand at betting. One of the jockeys waved at me and that sealed the deal. I made my first $2 bet. I won!! Of course the horse was favored to win and I had only bet for him to place. So I won a grand total of $3.20. But the thrill of seeing him sprint across the finish line sent my heart to pounding. I literally screamed with excitement. It was a wonderful wonderful moment.

Adoption

My dear friend Heather and her husband are working towards adopting a baby from Russia. She told me the other day how amazing it is to think that her baby might be growing in a woman's belly right now. That is such a beautiful image. Heather is trying to raise money for the adoption by selling children's books. I am going to buy some to have on hand for baby showers and birthday parties. I thought I would include the link to her adoption blog in case any of you would like to help her as well. That would definitely make her (and her future baby) smile.

Middle Class Life

So I guess it is true. As my friend Nicole points out, I am officially middle class. Even though I've been working for two years now, it still comes as a surprise to me that I can actually afford things that I previously thought were crazy and only for rich folks! For example, our dogs now go to "doggie daycare." This sounds absurd, right? Well, in our defense, they go just one day every other week. They love it. They get to play all day with all kinds of dogs and people. They get great exercise and socialization. As I type this, I realize that it is actually really embarrassing to admit that we are concerned about our dogs' socialization skills :) Are we ready for the loony bin? Here is another example. I bought some meals from "Dream Dinners." It's like going on the food network! You pick a number of meals from a monthly menu, then you go to the shop and make them. They do all the prep for you. When you arrive, preferably with some super girl friends, they hand you an apron, turn on some music and set you loose. Everything is washed and chopped and ready to go! You just stand at your little counter and compile your meals like you are Paula Dean herself. You follow the recipes, or venture off a little if you'd like, and at the end you take home meal after meal to put in your freezer for future days. Again, I am so embarrassed. I feel the need to tell you that mine averaged out to be about $5 per serving. So, am I going crazy or just taking advantage of some fun opportunities? Hmmm.... In the spirit of this blog, I must also admit that both of these adventures, regardless of how silly they are, definitely make me smile :)

Haines, Alaska

Larry and I found our idea of paradise in Haines, Alaska. We found ourselves wanting to wake up there every morning. Although, I'm not sure I could actually make it to work with the scenery you have to pass on the drive into town. I imagine folks would say, "Well she still isn't here. Must have stopped to watch the brown bears again." Really you can insert any number of words for "brown bears." You could say eagles, seals, whales.... To describe Haines is to risk sounding like a travel add. You just can't help it. "Haines is located on the shores of Lynn Canal, the deepest, longest fjord in North America. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and hanging glaciers, it is home to some of the most stunning scenery and wildlife you may ever see." Maybe they should hire me to advertise for them! It also didn't help that before going there, I read this book written about the life and people of Haines. By the time we rolled into town I felt as if I knew everyone personally.

I wish I did.

One new thing

While we were on vacation we met this national geographic photographer Paul. (I must admit I could have had a slight celebrity-type crush on him. Larry, on the other hand, claimed that he did not appear to like girls.) Anyway, during our conversation Paul mentioned that he likes to try to see at least one new thing everyday. I loved this idea. It was easy on vacation because each day we were seeing amazing things like the alepenglow on Mount Denali, orcas spy hopping, puffins, and bears pulling salmon out of the river. But, I'd like to try this idea out at home too. Maybe it will help me notice things in my world that I would have otherwise stepped right on by.

Homecomings

We are home from Alaska! It was so wonderful. It was even better than we expected. And usually we dread coming home from vacation, but this time we were happy to return to hot water, puppies, families and friends, not in that order of course!! As we expected, it is so nice to be back home. Our house feels like a mansion compared to that tent!! We are thankful for it all over again! And, while we didn't see this particular seal (we haven't downloaded our pictures yet), we did see lots of seals and incredible wildlife. We now feel like National Geographic Explorers. It's so good :)

Memoirs

I like reading memoirs. The latest two that I have enjoyed are "The Glass Castle," by Jeanette Walls, and A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel. They are different from each other, but entirely wonderful to read. It seems that everyone thinks their life could be a memoir. I have a friend who's dad says "Everyone has at least one good book in them." I like to think that's true. For these girls it definitely was.

health

Larry and I are saying "cheers to good health" this week. The reason we noticed our good health is that Larry temporarily lost his. Thank goodness, it appears to be coming back. There are several versions to what happened, the quickest is that he was pulled about 30-40 feet across a parking lot by an SUV. He didn't lose his footing so he wasn't dragged. Just pulled. The other versions include him leaping across car tops in a single bound to save a poor little family from certain destruction. Of course, these stories are also true. So he basically has serious muscle strain. He's going to physical therapy and is off work for at least three weeks. He's fine,but bored and tired of hurting. Anyway, it helped us to realize how much of our life plans depend on us being able to get around. It doesn't sound like that stunning or dramatic of a discovery, but for some reason it was for us!! Three cheers for our health!

Keifer

We weren't planning on getting another puppy. It just sort of happened and now it's wonderful. Piper and Keifer are best friends! It's so darling. And Larry is so happy to have a "boy." It's pretty adorable around here.

planning

so, i'm not always that great at it. sometimes i procrastinate and am therefore forced to be spontaneous. like the time i didn't plan and let my sweet hubby organize our backpacking trip to glacier national park. we ended up hiking 10 miles a day to find empty campsites! i wouldn't trade it now, but yikes-a-rama!! but back to planning, the idea of it makes me happy. it gives me something to look forward to; something to direct my attention towards. i always love having something new and exciting on the horizon and planning makes that something stay at the forefront of my mind. right now, i am conjuring up ideas for a trip to alaska this fall. if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please share them...

Sites we have found useful:
http://www.kayak.com/
http://www.carrentals.com/

Pearls

When I was younger, I thought pearls were for "old women." They seemed too stately for me. My birthstone is the pearl, but I always wanted it to be something more flashy like emerald, aquamarine, or sapphire. Now, I am starting to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of pearls. There are freshwater pearls, saltwater pearls, cultured pearls, natural pearls... Yesterday was my birthday and I celebrated my special day by wearing a string of beautiful black pearls that my friend Matt brought me back from China. They felt cool on my neck. Just thinking about the time it took for them to form and all the miles they had traveled made me feel rich and, well, maybe stately. But, I liked it. Hmm...

Projects

I love projects. I’d like to have one. The problem is that you have to be creative to come up with a semi-original one. I have ideas of refinishing furniture or planning a better flower garden… But what I really like are long, crazy projects. I recently read the book, Julie and Julia where the author decided to cook the entire Julia Child’s cookbook in a year (I would read some reviews before running out to get this, it's not for everybody). Right now I’m reading the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A year of food life, where the author and her family eat for an entire year on only the foods from their own neighborhood. Wow! I’m so inspired! I love reading about others that take on something so big!! Oh, I just realized that both of these were food projects. Hmmm. I’m not sure that my 2 tomato plants are going to help me… and there's the fact that sometimes I look like this bunny when you try to get me into the kitchen ...

girl with a pearl earring

For the past few years I have been rather unimpressed with my literary choices. Yikes! That's a bummer since I love to read! After every book, I seem to say the same thing, "It's no Secret Life of Bees." Occasionally, I also say "And it's not The Red Tent." Of course, this book wasn't either, but I loved it anyway. It was lovely and it made me want to go to an art museum. It made me grateful for my life and curious about the lives of others. It inspired me to try to find more books that are not my old favorites, but wonderful in their own right...

spring life

My friend Ellie's baby is due today. I can't wait to see how happy everyone is when they are holding her. What a wonderful way to welcome in the springtime!! Doesn't that just seem to be what spring is about? New life? I love it. The flowers, baby animals (and people), fresh faces, bright air... It makes me feel warm and happy and new.

swimming

Remember that feeling you had as a kid after you swam all afternoon? Your muscles were heavy but your heart was light? That's how I feel now. I've been swimming a little for exercise the past month or so and it feels so good! i never understood when people said they felt energized after exercising. now i do. i feel healthy and invigorated. p.s. these are my new goggles. i love them....

a day away

a day away acts as a spring tonic. -maya angelou


Larry and I just went on a little weekend canoe/camping trip. It was wonderful. I think I need to subscribe a day away for myself every month or so. I come back refreshed and exuberant. Ahhh. :)

Pink Lady Slippers

Pink Lady Slippers are endangered and this past weekend I saw my first one in the wild. I loved how bizarre and beautiful they were. They are actually wild orchids. I wish I could have them in my front flower bed. I would feel as if I was walking through a cozy forest on my way to work!!

cupcakes

while i really don't make them, i do really love them. it must be part of the general theme that i love all things little. and yes, mini cupcakes are really my favorite! this cupcakeblog that i found has lots of recipies. the bar on the left has ingredients listed. you just click on say.... bananas.... and recipes for banana cupcakes pop up!! i'm already trying to think of where i might need to take some!

dice

my grandparents came to visit last weekend and it was so good to get to see them. my grandad taught us how to "shoot craps." we laughed so hard our sides hurt. at the end, i went "all in" and won about a million "dollars!" i must take after my grandad who won enough money playing his navy buddies to buy my grandparents' first vacuum cleaner!!

dreams

for years, and i do mean years, i dreamed of relaxing in a rocking chair on a cozy porch sipping lemonade. little did i know that the porch would be mine! spring is good. life is good.

p.s. can you find little piper in this photo i took this morning?

affirmation

yesterday in our marriage class, we talked about affirmation. we each had to stand in the front of the class while the rest of the class used affirmative words to describe us for 60 seconds. it was wonderful! how often do you get to be bombarded with kind words by 30 or so people? never. it will make me smile for a long time. we should all try it with those we love.

Baby duckies

To me, there’s nothing cuter than a baby duck. In our dream world, Larry and I have a pet one named Henry. He comes when we call him.

The Library

Where else do you get to take an item you want, use it and return it without paying a thing? I love the library. I like the quiet peace. I like the big open tables and the smell of old books. I like the pitter patter of little feet in the children’s section. I like the magazaines, the cookbooks, the travel books, the do-it-yourself books. I like the fiction, the nonfiction and the picture books. I like the idea that I can learn about anything I want. I like the slower pace that the library makes me feel. The library always makes me smile.

happiness

the time to be happy is now. the place to be happy is here. the way to be happy is to make others so.
-robert ingersoll

Good seats

Fun! Fun! I got to go to the John Mayer (with Matt Kearney) concert. I replaced our good friend Matt, who ended up having to go to China instead of the concert. Poor guy! The thing that I realized about concerts is that I really like to sit down for them. I like to be cozy and relaxed and just enjoy listening to the music. However, if everyone around you stands, you have no choice but to stand, unless you like looking at thousands of backsides. I guess that's part of the fun. If you wanted to be cozy and comfy, you might just listen to the CD from your couch. And then you'd miss all the lights and the performer talking from the stage (which i love). And you'd miss that feeling that now that you've seem them in person, you actually know them and have a right to love their music more than the next person. Is it just me?

Futons

Larry and I have "moved" into the basement. We are sleeping on the futon so we are close enough to let Piper out when she needs to go. Yikes! I know we sound like lunatics. I would have never guessed we would go this head over heels for her. All I can say is that I'm thankful for our futon so we don't have to sleep on the floor! You don't really think we would do that do you??

piper

welcome home piper!! while we aren't quite ready for parenthood, we thought we would test the waters with a puppy. it's been so fun and exciting. it reminds me how wonderful my friends and family are that they are all so excited for us. thank you, thank you, thank you! it probably comes as no surprise to you that piper and larry are best friends forever (bff).
**my favorite is when she stretches.

Style

Since buying our house, I'm much more interested in style. Mostly, I'm interested in getting some of my own. That might be why I was particularly drawn to this idea that these girls, carrie and danielle, will analyze you and determine the words that define your style. Too bad it costs $500 to find out that you are "elegant playful" or "timeless nature" or some other combo of revealing words. They describe it like this, "Your Style Statement is your life trademark. It is a compass for designing a life that reflects your best self. From your wisdom to your wardrobe; from your longings to your living room, your business plan, your finances, and the parties you throw--your Style Statement is where your essence meets your expression." Doesn't it sound great? Since I can't afford it, I'll just have to think of my own "style statement." Here's a link to their manefesto of style, which I think is lovely and inspiring.

goofy stuff

I love goofy stuff.

That's one reason I love larry.

In college I had this line cut out of a magazine that I hung on my bulletin board. "His goofy jokes make me laugh." They still do...

Babies

This one sounds looney. Who doesn’t like babies? I’ve not always been such a huge fan. Silly since I work in a baby-laden place. Nevertheless, this week one really made me happy. He is about nine months old and he came back to visit. He had been born with gastroschesis, a condition in which a baby is born with the intestines on the outside of the body rather than inside. Anyway, now he is perfect and it made me smile.

Plant catalogs

I’ve recently been really enjoying browsing through plant catalogs. I imagine that my yard will be like a rambling cottage garden. I’ll have hummingbirds eating out of my hand, butterflies landing on my shoulder and glorious flowers to photograph in artistic and lovely ways. Never mind that I can’t actually photograph in artistic and lovely ways, but I’m sure you understand the dream.

www.burpee.com

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/

24

larry and i recently started watching "24," the tv show on fox. since it's in season six, we started by renting the old seasons on dvd. they are keeping us on the edge of our seats. we just finished season two last night! we are averaging about a season a week. i'm a little embarassed to admit we have reached such serious couch potato status, but who can resist a handsome (and often sweaty) manly man who is able to save the united states from certain destruction over and over again?

Rain

i love a good rainy day. the pitter pat of raindrops makes me feel cozy and snuggley. i associate it with pajamas and a good book or movie. i also like the idea of thirsty plants being quenched and birds bathing in the puddles on our deck. ahh. nice.

Happy News

Would you like some happy news? HappyNews.com is a fun website. Instead of the yucky stuff that often fills the news, it tells happy stories. It's pretty fun. Warm fuzzies to you!!