delight in life

grateful

For the crew of US Airways flight 1780 that waited for me while I ran back to the previous plane to find my iPad

For the crew of US Airways flight 2698 that understood my pleas between my gasping breaths and found my iPad

That I chose to wear Toms yesterday morning and not flip flops: all the better for sprinting, my dear

For the Charlotte airport employee/OKC Thunder fan who gave me a ride on his cart "even though" I was wearing a Spurs shirt (go Spurs!)

That my record for lost and found iOS devices is 2 for 2

For my legs and lungs, which somehow held out for me, when I found myself running further and faster than I have in a very. long. time.

For Molly and Hiram, who came to take care of our cats when we forgot to leave a key for the cat sitter

For the city of Savannah, which was a perfect, delightful host

For my wonderful, thoughtful, loving husband, two fun years of marriage, and plans for many, many more. "Grow old with me, the best is yet to be."

 

new york city day trip

Saturday we went to New York City to see How to Succeed on Broadway. What a fun, fun day it turned out to be.

We took Megabus up there, which was un-sketchy and very cheap. I approve. We left at the crack of dawn and arrived just in time for a delicious brunch at Cafe Cluny. Three-egg omelette with goat cheese and fresh herbs? Yes, please!

It was a gorgeous (if chilly) day, so we didn't mind the 40-minute walk from brunch to the theater for the matinee show. The show was a total blast. I loved it completely and so did Chris. It was very, very funny, and the retro costumes were really fun.


Despite the insane, body-crushing crowds, we braved a trip to Rockefeller Plaza to see the giant tree. It was pretty, but I was happy to get out of there as fast as we could (which wasn't very fast at all). I may have even thrown an elbow or two in my attempt to get out alive.



I loved seeing the signs of Christmas everywhere! Saturday was also Santacon, which is essentially a massive pub crawl for people dressed as Santa Claus. It was pretty funny to see roving gangs of Santas everywhere we went.

We took a bus home at 9 pm, which made for a very long, but very fun day. So glad we made time to do this.

west virginia adventures

My sister Abby has been off all summer repairing houses in West Virginia. She volunteers for a great organization called Mustard Seeds and Mountains, and has spent a few summers now cut off from the internet and the rest of civilization, getting dirty and tired, helping people.

She comes home this weekend and since Chris and I are within driving distance, we went to visit for her last weekend.

Have you ever ridden in the bed of a pickup truck, racing through gravelly mountain roads, whipping around corners on a blown tire?
I have. I can't properly describe the feelings associated with that, but I will tell you that I was completely terrified and giggling hysterically at the same time.
An adorable little corner store from the era when cameras were called "kodaks".

We slept in bunk beds and swam in a mountain river and held our breath as we drove on winding narrow roads. (Well, that last one was just me.) It was a great weekend. I'm so proud of Abby and the work she does there, and I'm so glad we got to see Abby in that place.

we are here

2 days of travel
1,462 miles driven
24 hours in the car
7 states
.5 miles walked due to South Carolina's draconian anti-parking-by-welcome-signs legislation
4 ant bites at the Louisiana welcome sign
6 stops for gas
4 stops for food
3.1 Harry Potter books read
80 Twizzlers consumed
1 u-turn due to a missed welcome sign
2 very happy and tired people pulling into their parking garage at 8:30 last night

the convex mirrors.

When we are traveling, a favorite thing to take photo of is a convex mirror. The kind you find by parking garage entrances and big wide corners and ATMs. My sister used to take pictures of them and I liked hers so I started doing it too. She informs me that moving to a city will ruin them for me because they are everywhere. While I like to think that isn't true, I thought I'd document a few of my favorites before I'm totally over it.

San Diego Zoo:

Boston:

Annapolis (I love this one because Chris and our two friends were all in the photo without realizing it):

Chicago:

Office parking garage:

Dallas Museum of Art:

Virginia:

breakfast to die for

Saturday morning Cara and I had breakfast at a crepes place called French Press. It was so. good. So good I dreamed about it last night. They had tons of options, both sweet and savory, but we both opted for the custard-filled crepe topped with strawberries and fresh whipped cream. It was definitely the best thing I've tasted in recent memory. (Though given that my culinary repertoire for the last 2 months has mostly consisted of things that can be prepared in five minutes or less, maybe that is not surprising.)

I would consider moving to Oregon if it meant I could have this once a week.

the miracle cure

Well, wow. I feel so much better. I got home Wednesday night from a week-long trip to Georgia to see my family and my best friends. A much needed trip. I feel all charged up again and I am fairly certain I can make it another five weeks without another meltdown like we saw around here last week. Or at least I can get close.

If your friends can't live within driving distance of you, the next best thing is for them to live within driving distance of your family. I flew in to see them and after a few days, drove up to my parents for Easter weekend, and drove back down to be with my friends for one more day before I flew out. Perfect.


The only not perfect thing is that I forgot my camera. Luckily I had my trusty phone with me, but I still didn't take many pictures. As usual. No matter. A great week.

I knew it was just long enough when I arrived home and instead of feeling overwhelmed by the de-vacationing tasks (mail sorting, unpacking, etc), I just felt relaxed and happy to be settling back into my routine. My genius decision -- that I don't even remember making -- to clean the apartment before I left didn't hurt either.

Cheers to going away and coming home!

budapest.

So...I went to Budapest last week! I had the opportunity to go for work and I jumped at the chance. I've never been to Europe and have been dreaming of going for years. I had hoped to extend my visit past the 2-day work stay, but unfortunately that didn't work out. I still was there for two days and despite not having a ton of free time, I did get to experience a little bit of Budapest.

Most of the shops and businesses close at 6, which is about what time I was done with work each day, so I didn't get to do much shopping or sightseeing. My hotel was right on the Danube River though, and the second day I went out for a walk along and across the river. I took a cable car up a big hill and wandered around what I later found out was the Royal Palace. Throughout this walk and the many cab and shuttle rides I took through the city, I was so impressed with how OLD everything is. That is definitely something you do not see in the US. Just walking around, wandering between buildings that are hundreds of years old, and oh hey there's a castle! It was so very cool and I can't wait to go back with Chris for a real vacation.
Taking a picture of yourself using the self-timer is always a tricky thing, but when the only marginally appropriate balancing surface is a crooked pole with a rounded top, and it's nighttime? Nearly impossible. I was grateful there was no one around to watch me run the 5-yard dash, stand awkwardly, and repeat, over and over and over.

Heart you, Budapest. Thanks for the fun!

columbus

The best part about returning Sammy to her family was visiting Molly and Hiram in their new home. It's been ages since we were all together and I miss them every day. They live on post at Fort Benning, so we visited the National Infantry Museum and shot M16s in a simulator. (It was hard.)

Mostly, though, we just hung out and chatted. I good in some good quality time with my favorite tiny human.

We had a scare Sunday morning that resulted in a trip to the ER for Olivia and Chris, but thankfully, Olivia is perfectly fine and Chris is almost perfect, save for four stitches in his right hand. No biggie! (I say that now. But yesterday? Let's just say I'm not great in a crisis.)

The best part was bringing Sammy to Olivia. Turns out Livi's a bit of a burgeoning cat lady. A girl after my own heart. She spent the weekend chasing Sammy around and, when Sammy would allow, gently petting and hugging her. Sammy was probably wondering what she did to deserve it, but it was quite adorable to see.

Molly and Hiram, you were the best hosts. Love you!

weekend shots

We celebrated Chris's birthday in San Antonio at a Spurs game. The game was great, but sadly the weather was not. We spent a few days wandering around shivering and wet, and then came back to Dallas for some cake and Trivial Pursuit. Good weekend.