Smiling on the Incline

and I mean INCLINE.  This past Saturday morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn to "suit up" for my first major hike...really ever.  I mean, nature is beautiful and exercise is awesome but hiking has always been, ehhhh...not so fun from my perspective.  The best part? The M&Ms found in the trail mix brought along. (I've later found out this is called "gorp" by the experienced outdoorsy folk). SO be it. I hike for the gorp.

But this time, I was hiking for the summit (views and company of course got me through and meant much more, but who get magnets that say "I hiked Mt. Washington with good company" ya know?)

But I did. And I wouldn't have gotten my suburban butt up 6,288 feet without the blood, sweat and tears that were shed (albeit, there was no blood - thank goodness, and no tears - although give it some time and they might have come).  But there was sweat, and doubt and trembling quads.  HOWEVER, there was also 20 questions.  A game which passes time in a miraculous fashion. Especially when played with Laura, who can discern the MOST abstract characters in order to take the win, time and time again (note: sharon stone is tricky).

We, being the trailblazers we are, decided to take the path less traveled (aka the longer/harder route, hence no one on it with us)...thus leading to exhaustion:

yep, this is 3 hours into the trek and we still can't see the destination....

even Lucy was tired...

But we did it and it felt SO GOOD to get to the top.

(all pics thanks to Laura - the camera wouldn't fit in my fanny-pack.  that's right. Fanny-pack. no shame here folks. I hiked that mountain like it was 1985.)

So, #47 on my bucket list: CHECK.

Time flies...

As I had a blast playing around with this photo of lovely Laura's from Kristy and Charles' FABULOUS wedding a couple weeks ago, I noticed something.  It happens to be the exact wonderful six friends that sit next to me as I sleep every night on the shelf beside my bed in this gem of a shot taken 2 years ago in San Diego, while visiting for Leslie and Keith's wedding.

I think the obvious choice would be to slide the newbie shot right on over the old one as an "update", or that's what neat, orderly people do, I suppose.  I, however, will probably print it as a 5X7, frame it and shove a bunch of things closer together to make it fit on an already cluttered space.  Some may find my obsession with pictures narcissistic. I disagree. (Though not entirely, I just have a totally different folder for those). Anywayyys, its pictures like these that make me feel super lucky and grateful for the friends and experiences I have. And if modern technology makes it easier than ever to edit and store and share them all, then, who I am to not welcome it with open arms?

So, I guess today I was just feeling grand that these ladies are still some of the best faces adorning the walls and shelves of my personal spaces, even after a handful of years have passed on by...

so in the spirit of it, here are a few other goodies:

Gotta love girlfriends. I sure do.

The end.

FALL

Little else to say really, but that it's finally here, again. And this makes my heart happy. While summer days and nights have their own special flavor, there is something about fall that sits with me 'just right'.  I practically have a crush on this season, giddy as I've been watching it descend upon us.  I mean, little yellow school buses riding by, colors bursting in pockets throughout the trees, apple picking, pie baking, pumpkins and football sundays...what is there not to love?! except maybe the shorter days. i will give you that. dark at 7pm tonight...

I was particularly pleased to recently, perhaps prematurely, pull out my box of Autumn-y clothes and such.  Feeling a bit brisk on my walk back to my room from the shower, I felt it was a sure sign that cooler days were ahead.  This provided a perfect excuse to pull out my BRAND NEW Patagonia vest (an investment to say the least. But at least its from the outlet. Tom really needs to stop bringing by the Freeport outlets in search of a particular (sometimes obscure) item that he rarely even finds, while I walk away with several bags cutting off the circulation to my wrists and a pile of wrinkled receipts in my hand.  

Unfortunately, as the sun gained some height above, it became quite a beautiful, sunny day out. Determined as I was to wear my newest purchase, I suffered through the discomfort of perpetually feeling hot (you summer folks actually enjoy this feeling i believe) and the result was a suffocated, pit-stained shirt underneath. not ideal.  I will try to hold out a little longer.  

and since photo-editing seems to be my latest obsession i will leave you with this, repetitive as it is...

Happy Fall :) 

birthday fun...

As tradition would have it, I got to spend an evening after work last week getting spoiled with dinner, drinks and quality time with some favorite high school girlfriends. This will never get old.  It's amazing what calling our somewhat regular hangout time a "birthday celebration" can do to the fun we have.  Suddenly, we become these giddy girls, adorned in pink boas, gushing with our latest "top secrets", and engaged in hilarious, chaotic conversations where if you actually stop to take a breath, someone else may just start talking over you, so..you sacrifice breathing.

The hilarity of our chatter turned into a round of "You know you're 26 when..."'s.  I cannot recall all of the creativity but here are a few to wet your appetite and hopefully incite additional ideas:

*disclaimer, these will all be anonymous to protect the participants, but you know who you are..*

YOU KNOW YOU'RE 26 WHEN...

you're psyched to get gift cards to Whole Foods.

(because without them you are resigned to Market Basket and the like, unless you drop by the WF hot or cold bar once in a blue moon, which i HIGHLY recommend, dee-lish...) Moving on... 

instead of being satisfied that you are in a good relationship, the peanut gallery wants to know when you're "tying the knot" and may even go so far as to inquire to said good boyfriend.

(always uncomfortable, often unavoidable.) Next...

you have started using the tweezers for, uh, more than just the eyebrows on occasion.

a "night out on the town" just isn't what it used to be. because it's 11:30pm and you're already walking home from the bar while the college kids are heading out of their dorms around you.

you're no longer the "model age" for starting your retirement fund. in fact, you're late now, so start saving!

you have to count back how many years you've been out of college to figure out how many years you've been out of high school.

pregaming is out and looking up recipes for fun dinners to cook is in.

you actually hear yourself ask a friend, "Am I too old to wear this?" or "Does this look too young for me?" (What!?)

You get the idea...there were some good laughs and accidental disclosures which made it all the more fun...of course feel free to add some more!

Then, just before I was swept away by my little birthday romancer for a mini-trip to Maine to ring in my own new year, there was dinner with Mom and Pops to celebrate too...

25 was pretty great..
                      I'm looking forward to seeing what 26 has in store...
but for the present, i'm just thankful for my health, my work and my dear friends and family that make everything else worth it all.

more to come on the Maine get-a-way...

My Mother

...has truly become my inspiration.  Remember that time when you just thought parent figures were standing in your way and only shielding you from things you thought were rightfully yours? well, this time has passed, and i'm learning again (and again and again) how amazingly fabulous the mother i was blessed with has inspired me in, oh, so many ways.

tonight, i was reminded again.

on 9/17/10, she turned 60. to celebrate we went out to dinner. fond as i am of celebrating significant things, i suggested we play a birthday game. (memo: never invite me to your party if you're insecure in the spotlight).  As she, is where i must have learned to love this limelight, she shined.

In highlighting her highs of her 59th year, i think its fair to say, she, magnificently surprised us all when she revealed that before any of us could have possibly known, she made a little pact with herself to "say 'Yes' to whatever came her way so as to not 'grow old sitting at home in her jammies, as she would have preferred at times'.

and say "Yes" did she ever. This year, in traveling to Canada to preform, France to teach and learn, and Bulgaria to sing in a custom that was previously very foreign to her American trained ear, she entertained  us with stories that could only be marvelous and astounding. but what stuck out more was her commitment to "not just grow old" by staying comfortable. and i must say, that sitting across from such a beautiful lady, my very own mother, i hope to one day be as open and willful and loving of life as she has been in her 59th year, to meet 60 with such a positive, welcoming view.

however, seeing as how she was busy taking the globe by storm this past summer, i decided to take an afternoon to capture some of the beauty she's created at home by stealing away to her garden and home address to get a picture or two or three of the work she has put into her surroundings....and, drum roll, for your viewing pleasure....

It's not a wonder she finds God in her own backyard.

I hope someday, I grow to be as fabulous, life-giving and beautiful as my mother has surely proven to be... Happy Birthday Mama_Love, you are more wonderful than you know...

XOXO.

celebrating today.

I'm quite fond of celebrating things, even small things.  Because why not? So much of the good stuff slips by otherwise and it really doesn't take long or cost much to take a moment to write a card or buy an oversized cookie or just sit around a table and raise a glass. Afterall, I'm still the biggest proponent of celebrating 1/2 birthdays.  That' right. Not with presents or anything extravagant, but the fun that comes with noticing someone else is exactly 6 months into their present year and closer to their next with a cupcake is so much more fun than you'd think.  It's uncommon and it never fails to make them smile with the surprise that a normal day in the rat race just turned into a little bit more of their day. Try it.

So, today is the 9th and the 9th happens to be the day Tom and I chose to identify our anniversary of togetherness.  I say that we chose it because he is the sort of go-with-the-flow-type that was perfectly happy to just keep going with the goodness while I'm the neurotic-needs-a-date-type, just in case it lasts and there comes an opportunity to celebrate the relationship of course. I make no apologies for that because it has lasted and it has been fun marking off every 9th and making sure to recognize another fantastic month of togetherness.

Here we are today, this 9th marking our 22nd month and although its only 2 short months away from the 2 year milestone...I say why wait? Here's the to fun of anniversaries, even the random monthly ones!...

So whether you're moving to a new place, running a shorter mile, 6 months older, getting a minor promotion or loving your significant other for another month strong, I say take the time to make it special, in whatever small or large ways are meaningful to you.

Summer 2010

So many people seem to be grieving the close of summer this year. Like, really feeling a loss for whatever summer-ness that's beginning to feel out of reach as September moves in. Maybe these reactions are not occurring more than usual but I am certainly more aware of it than years past.  I attribute this to the giddy, school-girl ache I feel for fall.  I'm ready to wrap the beauty of summer nights, ice cream cones and flip flops up into a pretty little box and tuck it away so that I can open the fun that follows my absolute favorite time of year.  However, in my haste for school buses, colorful leaf piles and scarves I want to give summer a proper tribute in my farewell.  So here goes...some highlights that are brighter merely because the sun shines longer and hotter on these days....

                                         

 

It has been a summer full of fun, soaking up the sun, spending countless hours with fantastic friends, eating delicious food and enjoying romantic sunsets.  I feel so  grateful, my cup requires a bucket to catch all the blessings I've received from the memories made and love felt over the last few months. I'm sure there will be dark, blustery winter evenings that I will enjoy pulling out these goodies and remembering the smell of sunscreen and sweat and dream of next June, July and August....until then, so long Summer 2010!!