the dog days are over

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnBau6fL8S8

^ that baby is the best. especially around 2 minutes.

tomorrow is my last day of the semester so i'm just finishing up the last bit of it all--this time of year always makes me so reflective. it's my last time experiencing all of it and i just want to remember every bit!

tomorrow, i'll drive home with a car load of laundry, presents and clothes. i'll eat chinese takeout (i've been craving egg drop soup. gross, i know.), watch a few movies and relax with my bub before everything starts. i'm going to be working like a mad woman while i'm home, which is so sad!

i hope you have a lovely weekend!

sometimes all it takes

is a new coat, a fresh drink or a lovely song...

to make your insides all smiley on a cold, stressful tuesday.

just a quick note to say

i just got back from dessert with a group of my close college girlfriends.
my stomach's full of delicious chocolate fondue, fruit and martinis.
my cheeks are sore from laughter.

this year has been anything but carefree-fun-soak-up-the-last-of-it-good.
needless to say, i would be happy to have more nights like tonight.

as my roommate so expertly put it, "that is how i want to remember senior year."

now i get to twiddle my thumbs...right?

(christmas presents, wrapped)


i'm happy to say that i've almost completely knocked out my christmas shopping this year. matt and i finally wised up and decided to buy presents together, which is so much more fun and sensible!

we set out to find a few little things, and finished the day with tons of check marks on our list! it was so fun. christmas shopping can be really stressful, but sometimes it feels good to go into those things together. it's like "okay, this will most likely be too crowded, too long and too expensive, but we're going to support each other and have fun."

which, if i think about it, is what a life together is all about. choosing to be sweet, supportive and enjoy things in the middle of madness.

i think i might try to get all my shopping done early from now on.


hope your monday has been productive and lovely!


p.s. the only problem i've found with this idea is that, now that it's been a couple weeks and the presents are tucked away for christmas day, i'm wanting to go out and buy more and more for my loved ones! my checking account begs me to chill out. we'll see :)

stopping to look around.

1. radio city music hall
2. a lovely tree on my walk to class.
3. carousel in bryant park.
4. my niece and pup: christmas welcome party 2009
5. ra trip to the pumpkin patch with my love.

sometimes, in the fall, i slow down a bit.

it seems like life picks up, days fly by and the months fade from your fingers just too quickly. maybe this is why my brain and my heart declare a strike.

christmas trees.
warm drinks.
lovely gifts.
leaves scraping the sidewalks.
city lights.
twinkle lights.
children's joy.
family warmth.
tradition.
frank, bing and duke.
future, past and present.

the world is flickering by and my entire system forces me to slow down. it's like i'm unable to process things as fast as usual. at first glance, i physically can't read the words or absorb a picture. i have to take a second to think about meaning; to think about the beauty of it all. it usually just takes a moment or two for the picture to come in focus or for the words to sink in. then, i am able to move on.


with all of the lovely things in excess this time of year, if i don't stop to soak something in, it will be lost in the flurry. not only do i want to live surrounded by beautiful things, but i want to savor and remember them.

i know we are young but we won't always be

five years ago we visited the labor day carnival in my hometown.
fall air was just beginning to creep in and we walked hand in hand in the nighttime, savoring the scent of kettle corn and leaves.
while our friends walked ahead, matt stopped me under a canopy of balloons to pull me close and tell me he loved me for the first time.

on october 20th, i'll put on a dress and meet my bub at the state fair down the road from my apartment.
we'll listen to the avett brothers, eat fried snickers and walk in the glow of the bursting lights.
if i'm lucky, i'll get him to ride the ferris wheel with me.

the scents, the textures, the anticipation of things to come--each detail makes autumn lovely. but i also believe warming your toes next to your love does the trick, too.

onward christian soldier

hello again.

i've developed the nasty little habit of forgetting about my dear blog, haven't i?

well, we certainly have a lot to catch up on. life is hurtling forward faster than i can process it. my body is currently here and my mind is somewhere fifty miles or days ago. i'll catch up at some point. for the most part, everything that's happening is positive, which i suppose is all i can ever hope for.

when i say it that way...i've got nothing to complain about. lots and lots of good things are happening. a few highlights of the summer:

1: my sister is pregnant again. such joy.
2: celebrated five years with my man.
3: started my senior year of college.
4: on the first day of the aforementioned senior year, i switched my major to something far less mind blowing and i'll still graduate on time.
5: last night, i got to explain to my little niece that once her mommy's baby is born, i'll be home for good. (i left for college right after she was born, in 2007)
6: moved back in to my wonderful apartment with lovely roommate.

it's hard to take everything in as each new week brings a new development or plan. i'm remembering to breathe (literally, it's 100 degrees here) and thank god for everything i've got. which is a lot.



here we go.