thanks

thanksgiving and new years are two holidays that can help you remember the best parts about your life. if you have great friends, you're thankful for them or you make a resolution to do better at keeping in touch. this year hasn't been the easiest really for anyone but maybe there's never been a better chance to take some time to be actively thankful for what we have.

i am thankful for my friends. they are funny, insightful, smart, and loyal. they are also scattered, opinionated, and exactly what i need.

i am thankful for my family. they are noisy, overwhelming, and numerous. they love me even when i'm a pain.

i am thankful for my life. it has been sometimes unpredictable and sometimes calm. it has been filled with great people, places, and food. it will be an adventure forever.

i am thankful for things i don't know yet. they will keep things interesting.

i am thankful for yoga, potatoes, the fluffy orange cat that begs for scraps on my porch (he is not homeless, he is just a beggar), on time city buses, and really great coffee. these things make my days perfect in such unexpected ways.


the picture is from park seed memories.

things that make me laugh

friends are the best.

the other day i was feeling ok, but not amazing. in an (unintentional) effort to make my day more stupendous my friend told me a story about his childhood.

apparently he was really intrigued by the cacti in his dentist's office. he knew not to touch them because they were prickly... but one looked wooly and soft.

see where this is going yet?

he was convinced the wooly cactus would be soft and nice to touch. so he licked it.

the things i love about this story are: how hilarious little boys are, imagining what his parents must have thought, imagining the dentist retelling this story for years, the fact that this man is my friend and i could still see him doing something like this.

amazing.

the end.


ps- i know you're laughing now too.

this photo is from flickr.

fall fall fall

the past few days have been so crispy!
new england, or maybe just boston has had a handful of gorgeous late summery days and they've brightened my whole month up. where is the gray, soggy november i was expecting? not up here, thats for sure.

this summer was a little rough weather-wise but the fall is making up for it big time. i've been adventuring out on walks wearing tshirts, thinking about home made ice cream (in november!), and enjoying as much sunshine as i possibly can. i wasn't expecting so much from this month but so far i have gotten a fabulous wedding gift for a good friend whose wedding i am thrilled to be going to, had the most amazing beet salad on the planet (for real), done way way way better on a midterm than i deserved to or thought i would, and reconnected with a friend who i'd been feeling bad about lately. what a month. so good.

still on the list for the next couple weeks: mango cardamom jam (yes or eww?), learning how to be creative with turnips, working my way up to 1.25 miles in a swim, and really hammering out a more concrete idea for my graduate thesis.

more suggestions welcome!

swimming

i've been swimming lately. my friend kate comes with me. i used to swim all the time. it used to be one of my favorite things because in the pool i'm not clumsy or prone to tripping over my own feet. in the pool i can feel the power of my stroke and the momentum of my movements. when i first went back to the pool i was worried that it wouldn't feel natural, or that the swimmer in my mind wouldn't match up with what i was actually able to do.
the pool welcomed me back. a mile is not an insurmountable swim. i am not sore or out of commission the next day. i may not be the athlete i once (thought) i was, but i am still a swimmer.

its great.

this weekend i'll be helping a friend move. she is awesome and i'm really excited to get to spend some time with her. we will be making delicious fall treats and remembering all of our halloweens trick-or-treating together. i can't wait.

this photo is from flickr.

vacation

hello everyone. i have a confession.

i am a terrible blog writer. i am easily distracted, and i forget about you for weeks at a time.

i'm sorry.

this week i'm on vacation. i plan on eating delicious end-of-summer farmstand produce, taking lovely photo walks, and laying on the beach enjoying the last hot days of summer.
i'm excited to see assorted friends who will be guest starring in my vacation and also watching how they are with each other.
do you ever feel that way when friends from different parts of your life meet?

it will be magical, i can tell already

you will never guess what has finally happened.

probably forever ago i bought two tiny little tomato plants, mainly because i was craving a tomato salad. that was months ago. tonight i went outside and there were baby tomatoes growing on the plants. officially i am a tomato grower. man, can life get any better than this?

i dont have any pictures of the little guys yet for proof, but i am so happy to be slightly less of a terrible plant-grower than i thought i would be. it seems a little funny to already be thinking of (plotting?) the ways i will eat them. i seriously cannot wait.

weekends are the nicest ever

i have had some of the best weekends ever this month. despite the fact that summer session finals and looming, and i'm still looking for a room mate for september, and a grab bag of other things that should have left me stressed and grumpy the weekends of july have been so good. better than good.

so far this month i've:
seen amazing friends
visited 2 states other than the one i live in
seen great live music (for free!)
had the best guacamole ever
hunted for delicious veggies at farmers markets
made watermelon sorbet
explored my city
gone for great conversation walks with friends that i could talk to for days
mailed 2 cards that i've had on my to do list for ages

i am so lucky.


my friend lauren took the photo. my favorite part is that she took it while i was mid-hysterical laugh. friends are the best.

oh, hello friend is hosting a fantastic gift exchange/fun mail adventure this summer and i'm so so so excited to participate. i have loved getting mail forever and love sending it just as much. my favorite sent mail lately have been cards for good friends who will appreciate the humor of them. i cant wait to go on treasure hunts to fill my lovely package gifts, and will be on the edge of my seat to receive my own treats.