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.