–coming home oh-so-late last night and finding a lone pearl earring perched on the nightstand. After losing it 2 days ago and thinking I would never see it again. (thank you, he-can-find-a-needle-in-a-haystack John!)
–mailing out a slew of Xmas gifts on Tuesday–before December has even begun. Woohoo!
–after my super-chilly-outdoor-pool swim yesterday morning (yes, the temps around here have finally dipped into the 60s), John warming up my shivery-cold body in his own particularly effective way.
–cooking CatGirl’s favorite bean soup all day today in the crockpot. anticipating her squeal of delight when she comes in the door from school.
–getting the garden bookkeeping caught up yesterday (I’m the treasurer for our community garden).
–GameBoy and GatGirl’s ebullience about the upcoming holiday season. the care with which they unpacked the Xmas tree and decorated our apartment with all of the traditional Christmas trimmings. their pride in having done it all themselves this year, with just a smidge of advice from me and John.
Category: make me smile
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Make me smile…
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Make me smile…
-balancing on my right foot in yoga today. for quite awhile. feeling strong. then the good neck pull at the end of yoga. yvette’s hands cool and firm on my shoulders.
-a sushi lunch with John. a ‘healthy crunchy roll.’ my favorite. John & I musing about where we will be in 5 years, reveling in the many possibilities. recognizing that enjoying today is more important than knowing where we will be in the future.
-rain today. splashing through puddles after dropping the kiddoes at school this morning.
-a french vanilla candle burning in the kitchen.
-cracking open the spine of a promising-sounding history book. for discussion in my study group on friday.
-CatGirl wearing her “there are no ordinary cats” shirt.
-a package of tea arriving in the mail recently. starting my day with a cup of vanilla almond tea & toast with creamed honey. knowing that breakfast just doesn’t get any better than that.
-reading RJohn’s post about Regina Spektor and thinking about “taking that love you made and sticking it into someone else’s heart.” Connecting his thoughts to Elise’s powerful post about her deconversion from Mormonism and why, ultimately, love is what really matters. Listening to ‘Samson‘ and singing softly, “he told me that I’d done alright and kissed me till the morning light…” and contemplating the many haircuts that I’ve given to myJohn, “my sweetest downfall.”
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Make me smile…
-Sitting in silence in Quaker Meeting today. Feeling ebullient. Loving each person that I am sitting next to and that I greet after the meeting; not because they are perfect, but because they are human. Joy.
-Seeing my friend Rebecca yesterday for the first time in six months or so. CatGirl and GameBoy raking leaves at her house and jumping in the piles afterwards. And her gift of fuschia cuttings.
-A new blow dryer from a freecycle friend (after mine died last week).
-a nearly perfect egg salad w/tomato sandwich from John for lunch. Watching the kitties fight over my egg crumbs afterwards.
-a truly tasty pumpkin/yellow cake concoction that a friend shared with us after church. Whoa…loving that pumpkin pie season is upon us [note: IMO, life just doesn’t get much better than those days when one can have a cold slice of leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast] -
Make me smile…
-wearing my pearl stud earrings. they make me feel classy even when I’m clothed in a t-shirt and sweatpants
-the satisfaction of all the laundry now being folded. and almost all of it put away, too.
-John telling me the secret words that are written in my eyes.
-making a wrong turn as I took GameBoy to school this morning, because I was tired and forgot where I was headed. but making it on time anyways.
-finding my favorite short-sleeved black sweater. in a dusty ball at the bottom of my closet. washing it last night and it is as good as new now.
-flossing regularly, for the first time in my life. a habit that I now enjoy.
-finding a note from the John and the kids on my steering wheel when I return to the car after class. a reminder that I am loved and cared for, even when I am in student mode.
-the deep peace that comes from a morning full of possibilities. the confidence that today will be a good one. -
Make me smile…
–returning my way-overdue-and-already-billed library books and finding Ned behind the counter. a nice chat, with a good book recommendation and the promise of yet another pumpkin slaughter party at Karen’s lovely condo.
–the first rainshower of fall this afternoon. rolling down the car windows, not minding as the drops fell on my arm.
–A family member (who shall not be named) calling to tell me that she enjoyed reading a post on my blog
–listening to John tell the highlights of his “Jesus Camp” viewing
–munching on a few ‘figments,’ courtesy of Dora-chan. Bitter black chocolate coating on ripe mission figs. yah.
–an email message from my little bro. letting us know that the ultrasound went well and boy #2 will soon join their family.
–it’s 9:30pm on Friday the 13th. and all is well…
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Make me smile…
–the new huge oriental-style RED rug that the kids and I ‘rescued’ from our dumpster area and now graces our living room floor (before you get too grossed out, do know that it is a very clean rug that was nicely rolled and ready for a new owner).
–the way the kitties frolic on said rug and chase at the fringe on the edges
–the little chunk of hair that’s poking straight up on the top of GameBoy’s head. He’s sitting at his computer and is focused on completing his homework. Adorable.
–Catgirl wearing a red blanket across her shoulders as batwings, swooping around the living room as I tell her that our friend Peggy plays the flute and wants to play with CG.
–receiving a package of photos from my newest cyber-friend. Seeing her lovely face and her sweet children for the first time.
–studying on the back porch this afternoon. Burning a stick of vanilla incense and letting the scent wash over me as I read The Age of Reform
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Make me smile…
–eating a salad w/fresh lettuce from my neighbor’s garden. gifted over the fence between us, with an accompanying smile because we don’t speak the same language
–CatGirl’s super-orgnanized studiousness, including color-coded notecards for each subject
–GameBoy’s cello audition going well, and his placement at FIRST CHAIR in the school orchestra after 2 weeks of concerted practicing
–knowing that I am surrounded by friends who care deeply about the fate of my immortal soul
–taking the car into the shop and exiting with a bill of less than $50
–a trim of my bangs, so I can see the world again
–wearing my brown oxford shoes. because it’s fall now
–the leftover cornbread that I am about to eat, drizzled with fresh honey from Logan
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Make me smile…
–Yuki bringing by peanut-butter cookies as she picks up a big bag of our clothes that our kids have outgrown
–My students saying to me during my office hours that “You are a way better teacher than the one we had last quarter for World History”
–Tasting a yellow watermelon for the first time and finding that it’s crisper and sweeter than the red (and so worth the $5 we paid for it at the Farmer’s Market)
–Watching Ellycat attack the pile of washcloths that I so neatly folded
–Kissing each of the kiddoes on the temple and giving them a big hug on Sunday evening, after we’d returned from The Museum of Tolerance. Feeling overwhelming gratitude for yet another day of life with them -
because I’d rather be in bed
Many of you have probably already heard the tale of our freecycle bed. It’s a queen sized Ethan Allen, cherry wood, four poster canopy bed. It’s a bed for people have who live in 2-story, 5 bedroom homes with a double garage. It’s not really the type of bed that ‘fits’ in our 750 sq ft apartment (yep, you read that sq footage number correctly, there are no missing digits there). Yet, it’s an extravagance that I’ve justified because of the joy that it brings.
Our bed is the safest place in the world to me. It’s so high that I have to vault into it (yah, the travails of one-legged leaping into a ridiculously tall Victorian style bed). But when I’m nestled it, with its canopy of pale peach silk (gifted in a bag of misc fabric remnants from friend Carole), the world is shut out and I am in my perfectly safe space, like a cocoon. Hanging from the canopy edge is a string of multicolored lanterns, whose soft glow is just bright enough to read by, but just dim enough to soothe (or snooze, as often happens).
It seems apt that John and I have taken to recording our podcasts while in bed. There’s nothing kinky about it–it’s the most sheltered space in the house. The sounds of our voices don’t reverberate around in the bed–they are muffled by the draperies and the wall along the backside. Last night when we recorded our latest ‘cast, I reclined on my belly, foot in the air, totally relaxed in my coziest PJs as I told the story of our changing marriage relationship.
When I am tired or discouraged, I retreat to this bed, where I can nap or lie and dream for awhile. John and I have our best conversations in this bed. Where nothing else can distract and we are completely focused on each other. Our bed, this space, is both haven and heaven.
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embarrassing
What’s your most embarrassing moment? I like to tell John’s, but today I’ll offer a few of my own…
–discovering a hole in the crotch of my pants just after I got home from meeting and spending the day with my boyfriend-at-the-time’s parents.
–realizing that the yellow stripe across the chest of my favorite swimsuit was completely see-through when wet (this, after having worn the suit for a couple of years).
–putting in a swimsuit off of the clothesline at summer camp and realizing a few moments later (in front of fellow campers) that there is a large moth in the crotch of said swimuit. [Note: not the swimsuit with the yellow stripe, in case you were wondering]
–the day I walked out of the house with an American cheese slice stuck to the seat of pants (placed there by my ever-so-loving toddler daughter). Also, a similar incident with a large (like 5″ square) Pokemon sticker on my back.
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first
Today, took my first-ever swim in the ocean. Surrounded by jellies, siblings, John, and my kids. Glorious. Spent two hours out swimming in the early morning and another two in the evening. Kudos to John and Chris for rescuing me from the riptide (aka strong-for-me current) more than once.Warm, relaxing, scary, exhilarating. Can’t wait to do it again :)
But ocean water sure tastes nasty.
