2.2.12

thursday: groundhog's day. 

 i strolled and saw ribbons of blue sky, all manner of beautiful.

i witnessed lights and darks and gradations between. 

color, line.  

letter, texture.

   

i counted runners with envy. i didn't think to bring my kicks.

i passed mommas with slings, nanas with strollers, and i thought of my niece.

i breathed fresh air.  my nose was clear and cold.

 today smelled alive. 

 soy sauce. salmon. a day of delicious. 

globe

I found this at the Antique Mall last week, and I am glad about it -- really glad about it because I love it. And I love it because...

1. Every time I look at it (which is often), it makes me smile. 

2. It reminds me of my dad (I remember when he brought the same one home when I was a kid. I think he still has it).

3. When Cole asked if Africa is bigger than Whidbey Island, I could show him.

4. It reminded Maya of my dad, too. 

5. It compliments the colors in my cove -- like it's been here all along.

6. It reminds me of where I've been, where I am and where I'm going.

7. I've wanted a globe for twenty-plus years, but never indulged.

8. I didn't have to splurge.

9. After an hour of flying Lego-guys around it, Cole asked if he could have "one of those ball things" too. 

10. I found it on a short, spontaneous and sweet date with myself.

11. I wasn't even going to go on my date, but I decided otherwise.

12. Nearly a week later, I'm up late thinking (and blogging) about it.

13. If it wasn't already after midnight (1 a.m.?!? Oh my), I am certain I could come up with at least 13 more reasons I love it.

14. Well, because I just do. I love it, and I am SO glad about it. 

on living

"To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen 

to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, 

is to have kept your soul alive."

~Robert Louis Stevenson

and one more thing...

thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you.

the list 2011

I've been looking forward to this for nearly a year. Ahem, I give you... 


The 19 books I read (and finished) in 2011
1.What the Dog Saw -- M. Gladwell (1/2011)
2. The Tipping Point -- M. Gladwell (1/2011)*
3. Women, Food and God -- G. Roth (2/2011)
4. Into the Wild -- J. Krakauer (2/2011)*
5. The Good Wife -- S. O'Nan (3/13)
6. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake -- A. Bender (3/22)
7. Me Talk Pretty One Day -- D. Sedaris (3/25)*
8. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running -- H. Murakami
9. The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- M. Barberry (4/15)
10. The Time Traveler's Wife -- A. Niffenegger (5/11)* 
11. Her Fearful Symmetry -- A. Niffenegger (5/28) 
12. Anatomy of the Spirit -- C. Myss (7/24)* 
13. The Happiness Project -- G. Rubin (8/11)
14. The Help -- K. Sockett (9/6)* 
15. The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother -- A. Chua (9/24)*
16. A New Earth -- E. Tolle (10/24)
17. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -- C.S. Lewis (10/31)*
18. The Power of Now -- E. Tolle (11/20)*
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -- R. Dahl (11/22)  

I thoroughly enjoyed the books I read this year, and a handful of them, I really loved(*). But I think the one that moved me most -- the book that left me breathless and speechless with book clutched to chest and tears streaming -- the book that revisited my thoughts long after I finished its final page was... 

I am grateful to the writers who made me laugh, who made me cry -- who met, occupied, taught, challenged and inspired me in 2011. I look forward to and hope for the good pleasure of many more hours in this blanket with a cup of tea and a good book. I'm always looking for recommendations, so if you have one, please send it my way. Until this time next year... 

thirty-five

I turned thirty-five in November. 

My day was cake and ice cream -- ballet, a massage and sushi. But to add frosting to an already exquisite day, Paul and the kids woke up early to decorate the house...

And as if that wasn't enough, I received a special surprise in the mail...

yeah.