working on my stank face

Even though Robert is sick and final papers and tests have begun there have been a few sparkling moments in my day.

* oddly enough tennis is always the moment when stress hits full force. Today was no different, but I fought it hard and I'm proud that I stuck with it and didn't give up today.

* while babysitting today I sneezed and the little girl, not quite two years old, said "God bless you," only it sounded more like "Ga bess you." Very cute.

* Rose, Ella and I had a lovely walk + we played a little ball.

a little bit of arkansas

we took off Friday for Arkansas. Robert's grandfather used to own a fish farm, and once a week the two of them would travel to Lonoke, Arkansas on fish runs. Robert and I decided to retrace the route and search for old landmarks and familiar places. It was a spectacular little journey filled with stories and music, interesting people and haunting places.

I will share with you my five most favorite photos ; )













You can view the rest of the pictures and the tidbits that come with them at my facebook.

one more thing

Ok maybe two. As Robert's cousin was getting ready for sleep I stumbled upon her diary. No, I take that back. I stumbled upon her diery. It said "Diery of a Rachel ." Isn't that hilarious? Oh and get this. Robert went back and she was watching NCIS. Robert said that she couldn't watch it and she replied that her parents said she could and that was where she got the inspiration to become a forensic scientist. Robert agreed to let her watch it after she explained what a forensic scientist does, but only if she watched it with him. Before he could sit down though she said he would have to wait a moment because she was writing a poem. She's 9! Totally gave me a laugh. What a kid!

happy

Thanksgiving #1



A wonderful visit with my dad and Aunt Lil. He even played a little music before we left.

Thanksgiving #2

Tonight we celebrated Thanksgiving with Robert's family. There was a lot of food and two little kiddos running around. One of the kiddos, Robert's 9 year old cousin, is staying the night so she can play wii : )

I am going to lock myself in the bathroom with House Beautiful, a cup of tea and my favorite bubble bath.

Oh but I am thankful. Very happy I saw my dad and Lil, happy that he played a little music and fixed his hair for the pictures : ), happy that the house was full of lovely food and only a smattering of awkward but hilarious people, happy to call it a night, a week, the end of tight smiles and sad goodbyes.


Tomorrow Robert and I might just take off. Yes, that would be nice.

awesome day

my first sewing class : )


I'm holding the fabric I practiced with. Very scary!

After the class I came home to a feast, crab legs and asparagus!

123

I'm not sure I'm allowed to do this, but I have 3 etsy favs to share.


1.

2.

3.

that's me

Today I saw a reflection of myself and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. Some days I feel like a phenomenal woman.

today, tiny snow

about 7 1/2 years ago a best friend passed. we both shared a love of snow. that year the first snow arrived on my birthday, a magnificent present. since that first year snow has always fallen near my birthday.


this year I think she knew I needed it a bit sooner.

inspiration

2 requirements to write a poem:

anything by Noah and the Whale



and Chad Wys. Particularly Lemon, 4th one down.

lazy days

Robert just got back from Washington DC and NYC (a fun trip he says),
and we spent the day together. It was a fun and relaxing day after a long week. Tomorrow he's making vegetarian chili and we're going to finish our monopoly game. It's always nice to have a couple lazy days with my robert : )

straight face

Felt a little negative today, but after I had a cup of coffee with a friend the day turned around. + I made a fantastic cranberry smoothie and ate pretty healthy today. I even caught myself dancing at one point, something I haven't done in awhile. After I get this degree I'm thinking about getting a mohawk and a tiny tattoo. Why not? There's something inside that's wanting to break out of this straight face.

BEST YOUTUBE VIDEO EVER

We actually studied lovegame by lady gaga in class, but this one is so much more awesomer!

Today, wow

I did not have high hopes for today. I expected a long and brutal day, and I was right, BUT there was so much oomph scattered throughout the day.

1. essay gained tiny recognition
2. while another essay was taken away from the long list of upcoming final projects
3. even though most of my lunch fell out in a busy street I gave someone a laugh + Robert packed extra chocolate : )
4. one particular moment in my life usually makes me cry once or twice a week. so far no tears this week.
5. finally feel comfortable with a poem that I've been working on for six months. And it gave me a little peace to work on it.

I'm looking forward to sleep.

busy day

from The Sun

Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic. ~ Thomas Szasz (a psychiatrist surprise surprise, but I'm not going to let that ruin the quote)

And while we're on The Sun, this month is definitely a keeper to hang on to ; )

And today's gratitude in list form for my mother : )

1. Goofing around with Robert and the girls

2. A lot of little things taken care of: eye appointment scheduled, a million zillion emails sent, signed up for a sewing class, worked on homework, took jeans to tailor

3. Tea and a bubble bath

Yesterday, long long day

For my current ASL class we have a final project that involves volunteering. I spent the morning with a girl scout troop and a few quirky volunteers : ). There were multiple activities for the girls to do, and two of the activities were led by deaf volunteers. Nobody can tell a better story than a deaf person. Seriously. It's poetry in motion.

Thanks to today's volunteering opportunity I now have a few more opportunities to wiggle my way into the deaf community and I am excited.

When no one was looking I snapped a picture of a girl scout's artwork.



Before babysitting I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up some extraordinary vegan blueberry muffins.

And of course I played a little ball with my yellow whir of sunshine.



Usually after I put the kids to sleep I find a soft spot to curl up and then I patiently wait for the furry creatures. It doesn't matter who I babysit for, there is always a warm and furry soul who is ready for some cuddle time. Last night I babysat for my two favorite kiddos. Not only do they have a trampoline and air hockey, they also have George, a very fat cat. I do not have a purse that is big enough to sneak him home in : (

Well, after the kids were tucked in I found my cozy spot and Buddy, their obnoxious black lab mix snuggled in close. It didn't take long for George to climb up too. We were almost asleep when we heard the pitter patter of little feet. The littlest couldn't sleep and after a little pleading I told her she could stay up for another 15 minutes. She left the room to get a puzzle I assumed, but no, she came back with my purse. I'm not sure what the fascination is with purses, but I always babysit prepared to have my purse ransacked. This little girlio had already gone through my purse earlier so I was quite curious why she was lugging it around again. But she dug through it and found my camera and asked how to use it and walla, a picture of George and I, and if you look closely, Buddy too.

after about 500 failed attempts to staple I needed a snack

fresh pomegranate

& a new decoration for the lilac bedroom. I found the fabric at etsy of course ; ).

looking up

Last May I discovered and fell in love with a
journal. This journal gives me a place to reflect on the positive moments in my day. It didn't take me long to realize what an awesome life I have. Even when I'm having a bad day this journal forces me to extract the positive from a negative situation.

Now I'm taking this one step further, because I hope that by sharing I can encourage others to make lists of gratitude.