i officially have a beautiful healthy new neice!
jayden nicole was born (three weeks early!) at 1:12 pm today. she is 19-and-a-half inches long and she weighs 7 pounds, 7 ounces.
she has a full head of hair and she smells like heaven!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
may: spain!
the last few days of april were spent preparing for our anniversary-moon trip to spain!
our trip began on the 30th. we were so excited that we got to the airport four hours early. we ate breakfast, did a crossword, people-watched, bought magazines, anything we could to pass the time. the people-watching part was pretty entertaining, actually, since we happened to be at the airport at the height of the swine flu hysteria (those masks do nothing, people!). of course that's not to say that i didn't bring some air-borne and lots of hand sanitizer with me...
we ate lunch at pop-eyes (it's a weird travel tradition we have) before boarding the plane for our first flight to atlanta. we had a long enough layover there to grab a snack and let our loved ones know we'd made it safely to our next leg of the journey.
the eight-ish hour flight from atlanta to barcelona went smoothly as it could have possibly gone; we both got a little bit of sleep, and we had those little tv screens in the back of the seats in front of us that let you choose what you want to watch and when you want to watch it (they actually had some pretty good movies!). the food was gross, but what can you do? we had to fill out lots of paperwork - the usual stuff with some added bonus materials due to the swine flu - before they would let us off the plane, and then they bused us from the plane BCN...
spain: day one (arrival in barcelona)
when we arrived in barcelona, it was raining. after grabbing some cash from the atm, we took a cab to our hotel on the passieg de gracia...we were both a little sleep-deprived and foggy and i don't even think we had realized that we were actually in spain. we weren't able to check into the hotel when we got there, so we dropped off our bags, borrowed an umbrella, and set out to do a little exploring.
after breakfast we walked up the street past gaudi's famous casa mila (la pedrera) and wandered the streets of barcelona, marvelling at the beauty and history of nearly every building we saw. even the lamp posts were lovely! the rain cleared up and the sun came out, so the bright colors of the city could be seen the way they were meant to be seen. we made it all the way up to avinguda diagonal before we realized that (a) we really didn't have a clue where we were, and (b) we were pretty much delirious from fatigue and hunger. so we headed back more or less the way we had come, and found a quick bite to eat in a quiet cafe. we made our way back to the hotel just in time for a nice long siesta...
four-and-a-half hours later, we got cleaned up and went up to the rooftop of the hotel for the most magnificent view of the city you could possibly imagine -- la sagrada familia, against a mountain backdrop and surrounded by its perpetual cranes, was there to greet us when we got off of the elevator; we turned to the right to see the beautiful mediterranean sea, and one more turn to the right took us to a view of montjuic; in between was gaudi's casa battlo... i'm fairly certain i got a little teary-eyed (and i'm fairly certain also that this was not the only time i got a little teary-eyed) -- i was seeing these amazing things that i had read about, studied, wanted to see, in college but also in high school -- it was too much. i am so blessed.
we were feeling adventurous, so we decided to try out a restaurant that i'd read about in my guidebook, taverna basca irati. it was hard to find, and we had to some scary turns down some dark and narrow streets, but eventually we found it. the place was long, narrow, and crow. ded. as soon as we walked in the door we got yelled at in catalan (of which i understand nothing), but we figured out that they were warning us to keep our belongings close to us in the crowded place. waiters were continually bringing out serving platters of pinchos (bite-sized servings of different foods on top of bread held together by toothpicks) and setting them down on the long bar. a not-so-nice barmaid gave us a plate and explained to us that we would eat what we wanted and then pay at the end of the night based on how many toothpicks were left on our plate. (honor system? what??) so we pushed our way through the crowd of locals to get a sampling of pinchos -- we didn't always know what it was that we were eating, but more often than not it was pretty delicious. it was loud, hot, and more or less insane in there, but it was the most fun!
first stop: breakfast. we stopped in a little chain coffee shop for coffee and croissants (they made hearts out of our coffee foam!).
after breakfast we walked up the street past gaudi's famous casa mila (la pedrera) and wandered the streets of barcelona, marvelling at the beauty and history of nearly every building we saw. even the lamp posts were lovely! the rain cleared up and the sun came out, so the bright colors of the city could be seen the way they were meant to be seen. we made it all the way up to avinguda diagonal before we realized that (a) we really didn't have a clue where we were, and (b) we were pretty much delirious from fatigue and hunger. so we headed back more or less the way we had come, and found a quick bite to eat in a quiet cafe. we made our way back to the hotel just in time for a nice long siesta...
four-and-a-half hours later, we got cleaned up and went up to the rooftop of the hotel for the most magnificent view of the city you could possibly imagine -- la sagrada familia, against a mountain backdrop and surrounded by its perpetual cranes, was there to greet us when we got off of the elevator; we turned to the right to see the beautiful mediterranean sea, and one more turn to the right took us to a view of montjuic; in between was gaudi's casa battlo... i'm fairly certain i got a little teary-eyed (and i'm fairly certain also that this was not the only time i got a little teary-eyed) -- i was seeing these amazing things that i had read about, studied, wanted to see, in college but also in high school -- it was too much. i am so blessed.
once we had taken it all in, we headed down to the hotel lounge for a couple of before-dinner drinks (it was only 9:00 or so, and i'd heard that nobody ate dinner before 11). i had my first glass of cava (catalan champagne), and i fell in love. it was only cava for me after that!
we were feeling adventurous, so we decided to try out a restaurant that i'd read about in my guidebook, taverna basca irati. it was hard to find, and we had to some scary turns down some dark and narrow streets, but eventually we found it. the place was long, narrow, and crow. ded. as soon as we walked in the door we got yelled at in catalan (of which i understand nothing), but we figured out that they were warning us to keep our belongings close to us in the crowded place. waiters were continually bringing out serving platters of pinchos (bite-sized servings of different foods on top of bread held together by toothpicks) and setting them down on the long bar. a not-so-nice barmaid gave us a plate and explained to us that we would eat what we wanted and then pay at the end of the night based on how many toothpicks were left on our plate. (honor system? what??) so we pushed our way through the crowd of locals to get a sampling of pinchos -- we didn't always know what it was that we were eating, but more often than not it was pretty delicious. it was loud, hot, and more or less insane in there, but it was the most fun!
after dinner we made our way to las ramblas, the super-touristy main drag of barcelona. we watched all the different people doing their different things; tourists and locals, street performers and vendors. we walked all the way down to the port, and saw the christopher columbus statue all lit up in the center of the plaza. on our way back to the hotel, we got some yummy ice cream for dessert. we wanted to go back to the rooftop, but it was closed, so, exhausted, we climbed into bed for some much-needed slumber!
spain: day two (la rambla to the port)
apparently, we needed lots of slumber, because we slept till 11 a.m. on day two of our anniversary-moon (oops!).
once we got up and running, we walked down towards placa catalunya for a breakfast (brunch?) of coffee and pastries. we stepped into el corte ingles (a popular department store chain with everything you could possibly imagine) and were immediately overwhelmed and overstimulated. the number of people and the number of things to look at was staggering. we made a mental note for later of where the grocery store was, and then we made a hasty retreat.
from the corte ingles we wandered down to la rambla, which is a completely different scene during the day than it is at night. one entire section of the rambla is lined with vendors selling the most beautiful and colorful flowers, of every imaginable variety, big and small. the colors and smells were so powerful and just absolutely enchanting. the next section of the rambla was filled with vendors selling all sorts of apartment-sized pets: birds, ferrets, bunnies, turtles, ducks, hamsters, etc. lots of them were babies, and they were so adorable and so much fun to watch.
a little farther down, we came to the mercat de sant josep de la boqueria, an open-air market with endless aisles of booths where you could buy just about any type of food you could ever even think of - fresh fruits and veggies, fresh fish and meats, nuts and candies and chocolates - and they were all arranged so artfully and thoughtfully. i could see why this place was packed with people - it was such a treat to just admire the displays, and to be surrounded by all of the different colors and smells. we paid a euro for a cup of fresh blended fruit juice (strawberry and some other fruit we'd never heard of) and it was delicious, of course.
we continued down the rambla, past our friend christopher columbus, to the port. we crossed the rambla del mar (a fancy pedestrian bridge that looks like waves) to get to the maremagnum mall. lunch was fish and chips (and cava and cerveza) out on the boardwalk, where we could sit in the sun and watch the boats out in the harbor for a little while. after we did a little shopping in the mall, we went to the aquarium, because we can never resist an aquarium. i have to say that the aquarium was a little...disappointing. there was not even one otter there! we did see a fish that we'd never seen or heard of before, but aside from that, i wasn't impressed (plus, the photo booth ate our euros!).
once we got up and running, we walked down towards placa catalunya for a breakfast (brunch?) of coffee and pastries. we stepped into el corte ingles (a popular department store chain with everything you could possibly imagine) and were immediately overwhelmed and overstimulated. the number of people and the number of things to look at was staggering. we made a mental note for later of where the grocery store was, and then we made a hasty retreat.
from the corte ingles we wandered down to la rambla, which is a completely different scene during the day than it is at night. one entire section of the rambla is lined with vendors selling the most beautiful and colorful flowers, of every imaginable variety, big and small. the colors and smells were so powerful and just absolutely enchanting. the next section of the rambla was filled with vendors selling all sorts of apartment-sized pets: birds, ferrets, bunnies, turtles, ducks, hamsters, etc. lots of them were babies, and they were so adorable and so much fun to watch.
a little farther down, we came to the mercat de sant josep de la boqueria, an open-air market with endless aisles of booths where you could buy just about any type of food you could ever even think of - fresh fruits and veggies, fresh fish and meats, nuts and candies and chocolates - and they were all arranged so artfully and thoughtfully. i could see why this place was packed with people - it was such a treat to just admire the displays, and to be surrounded by all of the different colors and smells. we paid a euro for a cup of fresh blended fruit juice (strawberry and some other fruit we'd never heard of) and it was delicious, of course.
we continued down the rambla, past our friend christopher columbus, to the port. we crossed the rambla del mar (a fancy pedestrian bridge that looks like waves) to get to the maremagnum mall. lunch was fish and chips (and cava and cerveza) out on the boardwalk, where we could sit in the sun and watch the boats out in the harbor for a little while. after we did a little shopping in the mall, we went to the aquarium, because we can never resist an aquarium. i have to say that the aquarium was a little...disappointing. there was not even one otter there! we did see a fish that we'd never seen or heard of before, but aside from that, i wasn't impressed (plus, the photo booth ate our euros!).
as we were leaving the aquarium, we saw a poster for an imax film that we had seen on our very first trip together (to new orleans)! guess they don't make new movies too often. we indulged in a little chocolate waffle action before heading back up the rambla towards placa catalunya. on the way, i stopped to take a drink from the fontana de canaletes - the legend says that he who drinks from this fountain will fall in love with the city and will one day return (i think it worked...).
once we'd made it back to placa catalunya, we braved the pandemonium that was el corte ingles. we needed groceries. snacks. provisions. it was beyond crowded in the supermarket, seeing as it was an hour to closing on a saturday night and the store was closed on sundays. and it was impossible to find anything. by the end of it i was sure we were going to kill somebody (or each other), but somehow we made it out alive, and with our groceries no less!
after that little adventure (and all of the day's adventures), we had no energy to speak of. we stopped at a tapas place close to our hotel and ordered some yummies to go. we spent a quiet evening in the hotel room - a delicious tapas dinner in bed, accompanied by some delightful bbc programming - and then we drifted off to dreamland...
spain: day three (sunday in the barri gotic)
the thing about spain is that it didn't seem to understand my need for coffee first thing in the morning. there was no coffee maker in our hotel room, and as far as we could tell, no room service in our hotel. there was some sort of breakfast situation downstairs from six to seven a.m., but i was never awake early enough for that. so the morning of day three, alan was extra amazing and ran out for coffee from a nearby cafe. after we got dressed and ready, we picked up a light breakfast and headed back down toward the placa catalunya.
from the placa, we walked down avinguda portal d'angel, past lots of fancy shops and not-so-fancy
stands selling little trinkets. we heard some music coming from one of the tiny side streets and decided to explore further, following the sounds down the narrow cobbled lane until we discovered some sort of procession... all sorts of people, young and old, were emerging from a gate in the stone wall, some playing music, some carrying a big shrine-type thing (it reminded me of a mardi-gras float with jesus on top), others were carrying banners or nothing at all. tiny older women wore black mantillas, and the musicians all wore green. they were all very serious-faced, and as they passed we followed some other onlookers through the gate into a lovely little hidden courtyard. there was a little flower shop on our left, and directly in front of us was a beautiful 15th century church. the cloister was charming and quiet, and we just couldn't believe our luck, that we had found this incredible little church, tucked away where we would never have expected to find such a thing.
we could still hear the music as we left the courtyard, although we could no longer see the procession. continuing down our original path, we came to a fork in the road. before we made our decision, we took a moment to admire a 17th-century fountain that once served as the last watering stop for horses on the way out of barcino (ancient barcelona). past the fountain, we came to a square where there were two towers, left over from the walls that surrounded the city in roman times.
eventually we came to the cathedral of barcelona, a 14th-century gothic cathedral dedicated to 
one of the patron saints of barcelona, santa eulalia. we toured the cloister, where thirteen geese are kept at all times, in honor of eulalia. i don't have good history with geese (they're mean!), but these ones were behind a gate, so i felt pretty safe. we left the cloister and made our way to the front of the cathedral, which sadly was under construction and hidden behind a giant picture of what it was supposed to look like. a large crowd had gathered out in the square in front of the church, and there was a group of musicians seated on the cathedral steps. it was time for the sardana dances! every sunday at noon, locals of all ages come together to celebrate catalan pride with this traditional circle dance - dancers put their belongings in the center of the circle and join hands, moving to the music made by the cobla band on the steps. we watched in awe as up to seven circles formed during each song. everyone seemed to know the dance, young and old, and anyone could join any circle at any time.
we ate a small lunch at a lovely little cafe (margherita 
focaccia) and wandered around the narrow cobbled streets of the gothic quarter for a bit. everywhere we turned, there were hidden plazas and sunday concerts - there was always soft music coming from somewhere. we found and toured the picasso museum, which housed an amazing collection of picasso's works from every stage in his artistic journey. it was fascinating to see it all laid out like that. and there was an entire room dedicated to his fifty-ish interpretations of velazques' famous las meninas. after the picasso museum, we ate a tortilla espanola (more like an omelet than a tortilla) at the museum's textil cafe, tucked away in a sweet little courtyard nearby.
we did a little more wandering and found ourselves in barcelona's ribera (el born) neighborhood. behind the church was a long narrow square that we learned was once used for jousting. there was also a monument with an eternal flame, dedicated to catalonia's own september 11th tragedy, a massacre of catalan patriots that happened almost three hundred years ago.
it was getting to be siesta time, so we looked for the metro (actually, got lost looking for the
metro) and took it back to our hotel. after our nap, we took our cava and cerveza and hopped on the metro again, bound for the magic fountains! as it happened, our arrival at the national palace coincided with the end of a futbol game... celebrating fans were out in droves, cheering and making mischief. kids were playing in the mountain of foamy bubbles they had created in one of the small fountains. the magic fountain itself was pretty impressive - every twenty minutes or so there was a fantastic light and water show set to music. we sipped our bebidas and watched two or three different shows, and a few of the people too. this woman in particular was absolutely...mesmerized.
once we were back in the eixample, we ate a delicious tapas dinner at a table outside - seafood croquettes, patatas bravas, a bikini sandwich, and paella. they kicked us out at midnight because they were closing the outside seating area, so, satisfied with our meal and our day, we went home for some sleep!
spain: day four (gaudi and the beach)
we attempted to get up early on day four of our trip in order to avoid the crazy lines at gaudi's casa mila.
we got some strong coffee to go and drank it as fast as we could while we stood in the short line. the atrium of casa mila was an exciting taste of what was to come on our tour of the building, 
which was gaudi's last major work before he began working on la sagrada familia. it's nicknamed la pedrera (the quarry) because, well, it looks like a quarry. it's a little hard to describe gaudi's style - it's like he took art nouveau and ran with it all the way to crazy town (in a good way). he was inspired by nature in everything he did. the inside of the building was interesting, with its parabolic archways and its complete lack of pointed corners, but the rooftop was the best part - it felt like a disney world ride, with undulating walkways, fairytale windows, and 30 chimneys that looked like menacing knights and/or white mosaic ice cream sundaes. we sat on the roof for a little while and recorded our adventures in our travel journal, all the while soaking up the incredible city views and the strange fantasy atmosphere.
after lunch, we began the hike to parc guell. we ended up getting there the back way, which 
required a scary climb through an area where the walls were covered with anti-tourist graffiti... we were slightly terrified, but we made it safely to our destination. and what a destination it was! it was ten times the fantasy wonderland that la pedrera was - perhaps because it was an entire park, and gaudi's creative expressions had not been limited to the space of just one building. parc guell had been designed as a sort of high end housing development, which was an idea a hundred years or so ahead of its time. apparently, people weren't ready for that particular idea, so it became a public park for the people of barcelona to enjoy. the front gates of the park are spectacular - two gingerbread houses mark the entryway, and walking through them brings you to the most magnificent stairway and the famous multicolored mosaic dragon fountain. as you go up the stairs you come to a hall of columns with a mosaic ceiling. the columns serve to support the main terrace above, an open space surrounded by a long winding bench that resembles a serpent. the bench is ergonomically designed to fit the natural curves of your back, and like nearly everything else in the park, its entire surface is covered in beautiful mosaic tile. the wall behind the terrace has lots of little "bird's nest" alcoves - we picked one to hide out in while we ate some ice cream and listened to a band play some happy music. the entire place was just... magical.
when we were exhausted from the park, we made our way to the closest metro station and went back to our hotel room. for whatever reason, we just couldn't fall asleep for siesta-time, so we finally gave up and got ready for the evening. we took the metro again, this time out towards the water, and walked the rest of the way to the beach. we drank our grocery store cava and cerveza as the sun was setting. we took our shoes off, drew a heart in the sand, and put our feet into the mediterranean sea. then we ate tapas at an open-air restaurant on the beach - classic catalonian paella and pa amb tomaquet. it was dark as we walked back to the metro station, past the gypsies building their intricate sand castle creations. having had no siesta, we passed out almost immediately when we got back to the hotel room. i think it was the first before-midnight bedtime we'd had for the whole trip (if you know me, you know i usually go to bed before 10pm at home)!
we got some strong coffee to go and drank it as fast as we could while we stood in the short line. the atrium of casa mila was an exciting taste of what was to come on our tour of the building, 
which was gaudi's last major work before he began working on la sagrada familia. it's nicknamed la pedrera (the quarry) because, well, it looks like a quarry. it's a little hard to describe gaudi's style - it's like he took art nouveau and ran with it all the way to crazy town (in a good way). he was inspired by nature in everything he did. the inside of the building was interesting, with its parabolic archways and its complete lack of pointed corners, but the rooftop was the best part - it felt like a disney world ride, with undulating walkways, fairytale windows, and 30 chimneys that looked like menacing knights and/or white mosaic ice cream sundaes. we sat on the roof for a little while and recorded our adventures in our travel journal, all the while soaking up the incredible city views and the strange fantasy atmosphere.it was time for lunch. we were both craving something light and green after four days of cheese, pastries, ham, pasta, fish, salt, butter, and rice. the only place we knew for sure that would have salad was macdonald's... we were pretty ashamed of ourselves, but i will say that that was the best salad i ever had in my whole life! i'm pretty sure my body threw a party at the introduction of leafy greens filled with fiber and nutrients. we sat on a bench in the shade and did a little people watching while we thoroughly enjoyed our macdonald's salads (btw, barcelonian pedestrians have some interesting habits).
after lunch, we began the hike to parc guell. we ended up getting there the back way, which 
required a scary climb through an area where the walls were covered with anti-tourist graffiti... we were slightly terrified, but we made it safely to our destination. and what a destination it was! it was ten times the fantasy wonderland that la pedrera was - perhaps because it was an entire park, and gaudi's creative expressions had not been limited to the space of just one building. parc guell had been designed as a sort of high end housing development, which was an idea a hundred years or so ahead of its time. apparently, people weren't ready for that particular idea, so it became a public park for the people of barcelona to enjoy. the front gates of the park are spectacular - two gingerbread houses mark the entryway, and walking through them brings you to the most magnificent stairway and the famous multicolored mosaic dragon fountain. as you go up the stairs you come to a hall of columns with a mosaic ceiling. the columns serve to support the main terrace above, an open space surrounded by a long winding bench that resembles a serpent. the bench is ergonomically designed to fit the natural curves of your back, and like nearly everything else in the park, its entire surface is covered in beautiful mosaic tile. the wall behind the terrace has lots of little "bird's nest" alcoves - we picked one to hide out in while we ate some ice cream and listened to a band play some happy music. the entire place was just... magical.when we were exhausted from the park, we made our way to the closest metro station and went back to our hotel room. for whatever reason, we just couldn't fall asleep for siesta-time, so we finally gave up and got ready for the evening. we took the metro again, this time out towards the water, and walked the rest of the way to the beach. we drank our grocery store cava and cerveza as the sun was setting. we took our shoes off, drew a heart in the sand, and put our feet into the mediterranean sea. then we ate tapas at an open-air restaurant on the beach - classic catalonian paella and pa amb tomaquet. it was dark as we walked back to the metro station, past the gypsies building their intricate sand castle creations. having had no siesta, we passed out almost immediately when we got back to the hotel room. i think it was the first before-midnight bedtime we'd had for the whole trip (if you know me, you know i usually go to bed before 10pm at home)!spain: day five (last day in barcelona)
day five of our trip was our last full day in barcelona, and there was lots to do! we grabbed some coffee and breakfast pastries to go and hopped on the metro to go to la sagrada familia.
after that little adventure, we ate lunch in the cobble stoned inner courtyard of the castle, and then headed up to the roof to admire the view of the port below. it was a beautiful sunny day, a little windy up at the top of the mountain, but it was clear and perfect for looking out at theboats on the blue mediterranean. 
we were looking down at a garden on one side of the castle when we noticed a man with a few plastic shopping bags walking towards a big bush next to the garden wall. he banged something against the wall and then probably a dozen cats appeared from inside a few different bushes and ran over to him! he reached into his plastic bags and retrieved dry and wet cat food, which he then set out for the cats. i, of course, was really jealous (and missing my own cats) and decided that i wanted to go down and be loved by the kitties. when we got down there, we watched as another lady came bearing cat food and did the same thing. we got quite a show, although we learned that these were not the kind of cats that like to be petted so much.
on our way back down the mountain, we went through more garden areas and past a pretty fountain. since we didn't really know where we were going anyway, we took our chances and went exploring. we ended up finding a zip-line type swing in the garden and spent a few minutes swinging between platforms and acting like kids (who can resist a zip-line swing??).
gaudi's famous church was breathtaking, to say the very least. nothing could have prepared me for it - not my high school spanish class, not my college art appreciation class or art history class - seeing it in person, right before my very eyes, was absolutely indescribable. we entered at the passion facade, a stunning portrayal of the last days of christ's life made to look stark and white and pointy, like bones and pain and sadness. we got the audio guide and learned about the symbolism and meaning that had been carefully built in to every single part of gaudi's church. the nave, a nonstop construction zone, was created to look like a forest. the supporting columns twist subtly and then branch out as they make their way up to the cieling, which looks like the forest canopy, and spaces between the leaves let the perfect amount of natural light in.
we took the elevator up to the top of the passion facade, which was an accomplishment for me, as i have an irrational and sometimes paralyzing fear of elevators, but how many times are you at the sagrada familia, right? so i took my chances, and it was more than worth it. incredible views of the city and of the rooftop details of the church were my rewards when we got to the top... and so as was a crazy winding staircase adventure to get back down. the first crazy winding staircase involved a narrow passageway and walls on either side of me, but the second one had only an outside wall and nothing to hold on to in the center; in fact you could see all the way down to the ground floor if you looked through the center (which alan told me not to do but i did anyway and immediately regretted afterward). i didn't have the guts to take a picture of that situation until i had my feet planted firmly on the bottom.
we continued our tour of the church, which took us around the nave and out to the nativity facade - if you've ever seen a picture of the sagrada familia, this is probably what you saw. it was the first and only part of the church that was finished before gaudi's death, in hopes of inspiring funding for its completion. the facade was designed to appear swollen and alive with the joy and love of christ's birth - again it was rife with religious symbolism and images from nature, and just absolutely awe-inspiring beyond words.
from the sagrada familia, we hopped on a tourist bus and headed towards montjuic (literally, "mountain of the jews"), a mountain that overlooks the port of barcelona. it is home to a joan miro museum, the '92 olympic stadium and an olympic 
sports museum, the catalan art museum, and an 18th-century castle. our destination was the castle at the top of montjuic. we accidentally got off at the wrong stop, so we to hike a bit to get to it. our mistake took us through a lovely botanical garden area, up an ivy-covered staircase and through secret garden pathways.
sports museum, the catalan art museum, and an 18th-century castle. our destination was the castle at the top of montjuic. we accidentally got off at the wrong stop, so we to hike a bit to get to it. our mistake took us through a lovely botanical garden area, up an ivy-covered staircase and through secret garden pathways. when we got to the castle, there was some sort of commotion, and we realized that a parks officer and a small group of people were trying to help a scared baby seagull who must have gotten separated from his mother. the officer finally caught the terrified little guy, and we all got to pet him! he was awkward and squawky, still in the fuzzy-baby stages, and so cute!
after that little adventure, we ate lunch in the cobble stoned inner courtyard of the castle, and then headed up to the roof to admire the view of the port below. it was a beautiful sunny day, a little windy up at the top of the mountain, but it was clear and perfect for looking out at theboats on the blue mediterranean. we were looking down at a garden on one side of the castle when we noticed a man with a few plastic shopping bags walking towards a big bush next to the garden wall. he banged something against the wall and then probably a dozen cats appeared from inside a few different bushes and ran over to him! he reached into his plastic bags and retrieved dry and wet cat food, which he then set out for the cats. i, of course, was really jealous (and missing my own cats) and decided that i wanted to go down and be loved by the kitties. when we got down there, we watched as another lady came bearing cat food and did the same thing. we got quite a show, although we learned that these were not the kind of cats that like to be petted so much.on our way back down the mountain, we went through more garden areas and past a pretty fountain. since we didn't really know where we were going anyway, we took our chances and went exploring. we ended up finding a zip-line type swing in the garden and spent a few minutes swinging between platforms and acting like kids (who can resist a zip-line swing??).we took the funicular from the middle of the mountain back to the metro station, and when we got back to the hotel we gathered up our dirty smelly clothes for a trip to the laundromat. the wash'n'dry was located off of the rambla, down the street from palau guell. of course, we had no clue what we were doing once we got there - you would have thought we'd never done a load of laundry in our entire lives (we have, i promise!). the man who worked there was very friendly and helpful, though, and fourteen euros later we had clean clothes!
on the way back to the hotel, we stopped at barcelona's h&m flagship store... it was incredible - ginormous and beautiful and full of fantastic clothes that i was really too tired to shop for.
in the end we were too tired for most anything. we grabbed salads to go and ate them in the hotel room while packing our bags for our next adventure: madrid!
spain: day five-and-a-half (drip...drip...drip...)
we had been in bed for maybe an hour when the dripping started.
at first we tried to ignore it. maybe we could sleep through it. i took a pill to help me sleep.
but the drips got louder. and they came faster.
and finally, at midnight-thirty, we called the front desk.
maybe there was another room that we could just sleep in for a few hours?
nope. fully booked.
so the maintenance man came up to take a look.
there was something wrong with the air conditioner.
he fixed it, kind of.
we got three hours of sleep, kind of.
at first we tried to ignore it. maybe we could sleep through it. i took a pill to help me sleep.
but the drips got louder. and they came faster.
and finally, at midnight-thirty, we called the front desk.
maybe there was another room that we could just sleep in for a few hours?
nope. fully booked.
so the maintenance man came up to take a look.
there was something wrong with the air conditioner.
he fixed it, kind of.
we got three hours of sleep, kind of.
spain: day six (off to madrid)
the cab came for us at 5am, when it was still dark outside. we ate a light breakfast at barcelona el prat and watched the sun come up as we waited for our plane. the flight was short - when we arrived in madrid an hour or so later we hopped on the metro and took it to the puerta del sol stop, which put us in the heart of madrid's central square. our first moments in this city were pretty overwhelming: the square was bustling with people and construction, it was noisy and disorienting, and we were running on three hours of sleep. we got our bearings fairly quickly, though, and started walking down calle mayor in the direction of our hotel.
naturally, we couldn't check in yet, so we left our bags with the friendly and energetic front desk guy and went exploring. the day was sunny and warm. we headed away from puerta del sol, towards the royal palace. we admired it from the outside, though, because (a) we were just too tired and (b) it was packed with locals that day (wednesdays are free for locals).
it was close to 9:30, and our tummies were growling, so we started looking around for some food... but to our surprise, there was almost nothing open (we were quickly learning that life in spain just doesn't start until 10am)! we happened upon a restaurant that was just opening for the day, and we went in. the menu posted outside listed 20 or so scrambled egg dishes, but when we tried to order one, the waitress looked at us like we were absolutely insane (scrambled eggs for breakfast?! preposterous!!!). apparently, those were lunch or dinner meals - i don't know. regardless of how offended spain might be, however, we ate our scrambled egg dish and went on our happy way.
on the way back, we stopped at a supermarket for a few little snacks. there was a room ready for us when we got back to our strange little hotel. it was a really cute room, and a good size... but it had... an interesting smell. it wasn't awful, but it wasn't pleasant, either. luckily we had open-able windows and a nice view of the city. we took a few hours to just relax, check our email, watch a little bit of tv, and take a siesta.
after siesta, we showered and headed over towards the prado. still a little groggy, we stopped at a starbucks (i know! i am disappointed in us too!) for some caffeine and a sandwich. we got to the museum at 6:00 (it's free from 6-8pm), and hit the highlights - goya, velazquez, rubens, titian... of course, las meninas stole the show, and it was everything i'd imagined it would be (even though i'd never really imagined i'd ever see it!).
on the way back, we stopped at a supermarket for a few little snacks. there was a room ready for us when we got back to our strange little hotel. it was a really cute room, and a good size... but it had... an interesting smell. it wasn't awful, but it wasn't pleasant, either. luckily we had open-able windows and a nice view of the city. we took a few hours to just relax, check our email, watch a little bit of tv, and take a siesta.after siesta, we showered and headed over towards the prado. still a little groggy, we stopped at a starbucks (i know! i am disappointed in us too!) for some caffeine and a sandwich. we got to the museum at 6:00 (it's free from 6-8pm), and hit the highlights - goya, velazquez, rubens, titian... of course, las meninas stole the show, and it was everything i'd imagined it would be (even though i'd never really imagined i'd ever see it!).we left the museum as it was closing and roamed around a bit until we found a lovely little tapas place nearby where we enjoyed a lovely little dinner and a lovely little drink. from there we took a little while finding our way back to calle mayor, wandering along little side streets and just looking at everything. i wanted to look at each and every street sign - they're all made of ceramic tile and painted with the street name and an illustration (from the days when most people couldn't read).
our hotel was right across the street from plaza mayor, so instead of going straight to our room, we stopped at the charming 17th-century square. it was getting dark outside, that perfect time of day when the sky is still just barely lit up by the last little bit of the day's sun. a lively combination of musicians and entertainers and tourists and locals gave the cobblestoned plaza a certain care-free energy. the statue in the center of the square and the buildings around it were lit beautifully... we got some gelato for dessert and soaked up the romantic atmosphere for a little while before heading up to our hotel room for some much-needed sleep.
our hotel was right across the street from plaza mayor, so instead of going straight to our room, we stopped at the charming 17th-century square. it was getting dark outside, that perfect time of day when the sky is still just barely lit up by the last little bit of the day's sun. a lively combination of musicians and entertainers and tourists and locals gave the cobblestoned plaza a certain care-free energy. the statue in the center of the square and the buildings around it were lit beautifully... we got some gelato for dessert and soaked up the romantic atmosphere for a little while before heading up to our hotel room for some much-needed sleep.Tuesday, June 16, 2009
april: birthday fun
april is the best month, as we all know, because it is my birthday month. on april 11th, i turned 26 (in case you want to get me a belated birthday gift).my birthday fell on a saturday this year. alan threw me a party on the friday before my bday, because we had plans on the 11th. two of my oldest and very best friends were in from out of town - carolyn was in town from boulder, and amanda came up from austin. they came over early and we had some time to catch up. other friends arrived early and we all got to hang out and talk before walking over to the restaurant for dinner and more drinks. i was so happy to have all my favorite people there with me! after dinner, everyone came back over to our apartment and we continued the celebration into the wee hours of the night. lots of laughing and talking and craziness (and thankfully no cops this time). there was hello kitty birthday cake even! carolyn and amanda stayed the night, so after the rest of the guests trickled out, we all stayed up talking even later. i think we went to bed around 3 a.m...
i hadn't had a birthday party in probably three years, so i know i'm out of practice, but i honestly can't think of a more perfect one than that.
the next day, on my actual birthday, we headed over to our family friends' (might as well be family) house for an almost-easter cookout with them and my parents. my mom and stepdad were leaving early the next morning for their new home in upstate new york... and everyone was just fine until it was time to go. then the tears started coming. and i cried the ugly cry. i just wasn't prepared for it, i guess. i'd always thought that i'd be the one to move away from them, not the other way around.
for the most part, i'm doing okay about the whole thing. i miss my parents, of course, but i know that they're happy and that's what really matters. i have to admit that i cried once in a barnes & noble because of their stupid mother's day display, but other than little moments like that, i'm good. i'm lucky enough to have all kinds of practically-family family in my life, not to mention wonderful in-laws. i wouldn't mind a hug from my mommy every once in a while though.
Monday, June 15, 2009
april: wedding fun
i had the honor of co-hosting a bridal shower and a bachelorette party with good girlfriends for a good girlfriend.
the bridal shower was actually at the end of march, and it was just lovely; i'd never seen the bride-to-be so happy! we had a "bling bride" theme, with ring pops, tiaras, candy necklaces, etc. it was fun to meet and spend a little time with her family and friends (her mom was just adorable). we played silly games, we drank mimosas, and watched the bride blush as she opened her sexier gifts. then we ate that gorgeous cake (yum!). the whole thing made me remember that happy happy time in my life... seems like only yesterday - i can't believe it was two years ago!!!
the next weekend, we threw her bachelorette party. it was a slumber party - ten girls in our pjs (we got all-white bridal pjs for the bride-to-be), playing games, drinking champagne punch, giggling and talking about girl things... basically being super girly. and the "passion party" portion of the evening was incredibly entertaining. mostly, though, i just enjoyed the quality time with some of my favorite ladies.
the wedding was a few weeks later, and it was beautiful. the bride was beautiful. it was a small wedding and the reception was intimate - good food, good friends, and good wine. the father of the bride cried during his toast. what more could you ask for?
congratulations, jen and zack!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
ta-da
hi friends! i know, i've been m.i.a. for quite some time, and i apologize. i needed a break from the world of blogging - it's been hard to find the time to sit and be alone with my thoughts, much less to write something pretty about them... and then of course after a lengthy period of time, i found myself overwhelmed and incapacitated by the pressure to write the perfect post - as if i needed something really really wonderful to say to excuse myself for being gone for so very long. a grand entrance of sorts.
well, this is pretty much it: i've been gone, and now i'm back.
ta-da!!!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
smarch
in the last twenty days...
i had a mexican food-and-arts and crafts-and-girl scout cookie-infused slumber party night with my girlfriends. arts-and-crafts time is just the best!
i got to spend a whole day hanging out with my mommy, shopping, chatting, eating, coffee-ing. it was quality one-on-one time like we haven't had in a really long while.
alan and i went to our friend's thirtieth birthday party, and came to terms with the fact that we are probably going to be thirty at some point also. at least there were giant sombreros and stick-on moustaches there to ease the pain.
my team at work was recognized with a pretty-big-deal award. that was pretty nice.
i wasted two hours* of my life on the phone with travelocity trying to book a trip to spain after getting a "technical difficulties" message on their website on six different occasions. also, another twenty minutes on the phone with my credit card company trying to get them to remove the charges that travelocity pre-authorized on six different occasions without ever selling me a vacation package.
*i was actually on the phone for one hour. alan was on the phone for another hour. by the end of this adventure i'm pretty sure that we decided that we might not ever book a trip through travelocity again.
we booked our trip to spain! flight through delta.com, hotels through hotels.com, and another flight through orbitz.com. in six weeks we'll be eating delicious tapas, marvelling at the sagrada familia, and wandering the halls of the prado and the reina sofia!
alan got a bonus! we weren't expecting that at all, so it was a pretty fantastic surprise, really. and it's going to pay for a lot of tapas in spain...
i spent seven hours and way too much money shopping with my girlfriends for our friend's bridal shower and bachelorette party. after shopping we went to the bride-to-be's house to put together centerpieces and drink margaritas. it was a long day, but i got in some good girl time so it was totally worth it!
we finally found a great walking trail and went on lots and lots of long walks in the perfectly blissful weather we've been having lately. on one occasion we were charged by an angry goose, but other than that our walks have been lovely.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
celebrations
i've got lots of things to celebrate lately. lots of birthdays, of course, and then the fact that the craziness of birthday month is finally behind me now, too. one of our friend-couples got engaged in december and are getting married in april - which means i get to be all the wedding-crazy i want to be without any of the bride stress. i designed the invitations and i'm on the party-planning committee for the shower and bachelorette party and i'm going to make a hundred pretty little cupcakes for the reception and i love every minute of it! two of my girlfriends are pregnant, which means that when the wedding is over i get to plan at least one baby shower and buy at least two pairs of tiny baby socks. and my mom and stepdad bought a beautiful new house! unfortunately, it's in upstate new york, which is a little farther away than i ever thought i'd be from my mommy, but i know they'll be so happy there. and i know it will be a great place to visit!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
alan's birthday
alan's birthday is in february.
so is my mom's birthday, and my stepdad's. one of our out-of-town friends and six of my good girlfriends have february birthdays too. by the time you throw in valentine's day, february gets to be pretty exhausting. which is not really a good excuse, but inevitably what happens is that i never make a very big deal about alan's birthday. it's not his fault, and it's not fair, but for the most part he takes it like a champ.
but this year i wasn't having it. he's the most specialest person in the whole wide world and he deserves to be celebrated, especially on his birthday!
so i planned a surprise trip - i booked the flight and the hotel and i talked to his boss and got him a whole week off of work. i kept it a secret for as long as i could, but i ended up telling him about it on the tuesday before we left. i'm no good at keeping secrets anyway, but i also know that he likes to be able to look forward to a vacation.
we had a small birthday party for him at our apartment on friday night and on saturday morning we got on a plane to florida. we spent four nights visiting with my dad and my grandpa. we did nothing but relax and sleep in and go on walks and nap every day. we read a lot and didn't watch much television. the weather was blissful and the company was good.
after that we headed down to orlando and spent three nights at disney world. i had taken alan to disney world for the first time in his life the summer before we got married. we'd spent the day at epcot and it was the most fun ever. this time we had three whole days and two park-hopper passes and we went to all four of the parks. the lady at the ticket counter gave alan a "happy birthday" pin and we wrote his name on it with sharpie. i made him wear it every day, and every day at least one person wished him a happy birthday.
we spent the first day at epcot - we ate lunch in england and dinner in china and watched the fireworks that night. the next day we went on all the best rides at magic kingdom, and then we went back to epcot to eat dinner in france. on the third day, we went to animal kingdom in the morning for more rides and lots of animals and then spent the afternoon wandering around hollywood studios. by the end of that last day we were way overstimulated and beyond exhausted. we ate pop tarts in our hotel room for dinner that night. it was my favorite dinner of the trip.
i think we did a pretty good job of really celebrating alan's birthday. but most importantly, we got to spend an entire week just the two of us.
Friday, February 6, 2009
25 random things {i love} about alan
1. he learned to love cats. for me.
2. when we go out to eat, he always makes me a “perfect bite” of whatever he is eating.
3. he makes up ridiculous songs and sings them quite loudly all day long. these songs normally involve one or both of the cats or serve as some sort of strange musical narrative for whatever we happen to be doing at the moment.
4. he gets lost going to places we’ve never been before. and also going to places we’ve been a hundred times. he puts way to much faith into mapquest and google maps, but he tends to misinterpret or over analyze the directions they give us.
5. he gets incredibly hyper the second he gets home from work. as of yet i have never been able to explain this phenomenon, but it usually leads to bone-crushing hugs, loud noises, crazy cats, and above ridiculous songs.
6 he takes at least two showers a day. what sort of boy does this?
7 he. loves. statues. you should have seen him in paris. why was it that i didn’t even learn this about him until after we were already married? i’d thought i’d known everything about him.
8 he always puts others first. i mean always. sometimes i have to yell at him to make him be a little selfish. i, however, am very good at being selfish.
9 one time there was a plastic spider near him. he screamed like a five-year-old girl and hid under a desk.after that we started a game of hide-the-spider that continues (off and on) to this day.
10 you should see the way he loves his grandpa. it may be the sweetest thing in the world. he always says that grandpa taught him how to be a good man – a good son, a good brother, a good husband. and i must say that grandpa did a damn good job. (thanks!)
11. for some reason, he prefers fruity candy (starburst, skittles, gummy bears) to good candy (also known as chocolate). i love him anyway.
12. he’s my biggest fan (besides maybe my mom). he believes in me more than i do. he brags about me to anyone who’ll listen, but he never brags about himself. i don’t know if this is because he doesn’t know how amazing he is, or if he just doesn’t want to toot his own horn… but i hope that he knows how amazing he is.
13. one time in fredricksburg he drove a four-wheeler straight into a giant pit of the deepest, thickest mud you’ve ever seen. we were surrounded by giant man-eating spiders and we ruined our tennis shoes and we spent the entire afternoon trying to get that thing out of the mud. until then i don’t think i had ever once questioned his judgment.
14. he makes the best mashed potatoes in the world.
15. he doesn’t know anything about music. the only bands he can recognize every time are e.l.o. and boston. he once asked me if janis joplin's piece of my heart was a remake of a faith hill song.
16. he's never been able to say "lackadaisical" right. it bugs me a lot because i'm kinda weird about spelling and pronunciation but i think it's cute.
17. he likes roller coasters even less than i do.
18. he knows every single obscure random fact and rule about football in the entire history of football. he can tell you who won super bowl 22 and what the score was and what the most important play of the game was and which player made that play. and he will tell you all of these things as if he was there.
19. he loves the fact that i like to chase frogs and pick them up. one time i found a snake skin that had been molted and i thought it was fascinating. he looked at me like he wanted to marry me all over again.
20. he reads my blog.
21. when he's nervous or thinking really hard, he rubs his fingernails across his mouth. he doesn't even realize he's doing it until i tell him.
22. when we were in paris at luxembourg garden there was some art piece that he called a "big hairy tv." we sat in front of it and he put one ear bud in each of our ears and played les poissons (from the little mermaid) on the ipod and we drank a bottle of wine and sang along.
23. every time we travel he takes a picture of our tired feet next to each other.
24. he refuses to eat the last bite of a banana.
25. he loves me in spite of my flaws (and i've got a lot of them).
2. when we go out to eat, he always makes me a “perfect bite” of whatever he is eating.
3. he makes up ridiculous songs and sings them quite loudly all day long. these songs normally involve one or both of the cats or serve as some sort of strange musical narrative for whatever we happen to be doing at the moment.
4. he gets lost going to places we’ve never been before. and also going to places we’ve been a hundred times. he puts way to much faith into mapquest and google maps, but he tends to misinterpret or over analyze the directions they give us.
5. he gets incredibly hyper the second he gets home from work. as of yet i have never been able to explain this phenomenon, but it usually leads to bone-crushing hugs, loud noises, crazy cats, and above ridiculous songs.
6 he takes at least two showers a day. what sort of boy does this?
7 he. loves. statues. you should have seen him in paris. why was it that i didn’t even learn this about him until after we were already married? i’d thought i’d known everything about him.
8 he always puts others first. i mean always. sometimes i have to yell at him to make him be a little selfish. i, however, am very good at being selfish.
9 one time there was a plastic spider near him. he screamed like a five-year-old girl and hid under a desk.after that we started a game of hide-the-spider that continues (off and on) to this day.
10 you should see the way he loves his grandpa. it may be the sweetest thing in the world. he always says that grandpa taught him how to be a good man – a good son, a good brother, a good husband. and i must say that grandpa did a damn good job. (thanks!)
11. for some reason, he prefers fruity candy (starburst, skittles, gummy bears) to good candy (also known as chocolate). i love him anyway.
12. he’s my biggest fan (besides maybe my mom). he believes in me more than i do. he brags about me to anyone who’ll listen, but he never brags about himself. i don’t know if this is because he doesn’t know how amazing he is, or if he just doesn’t want to toot his own horn… but i hope that he knows how amazing he is.
13. one time in fredricksburg he drove a four-wheeler straight into a giant pit of the deepest, thickest mud you’ve ever seen. we were surrounded by giant man-eating spiders and we ruined our tennis shoes and we spent the entire afternoon trying to get that thing out of the mud. until then i don’t think i had ever once questioned his judgment.
14. he makes the best mashed potatoes in the world.
15. he doesn’t know anything about music. the only bands he can recognize every time are e.l.o. and boston. he once asked me if janis joplin's piece of my heart was a remake of a faith hill song.
16. he's never been able to say "lackadaisical" right. it bugs me a lot because i'm kinda weird about spelling and pronunciation but i think it's cute.
17. he likes roller coasters even less than i do.
18. he knows every single obscure random fact and rule about football in the entire history of football. he can tell you who won super bowl 22 and what the score was and what the most important play of the game was and which player made that play. and he will tell you all of these things as if he was there.
19. he loves the fact that i like to chase frogs and pick them up. one time i found a snake skin that had been molted and i thought it was fascinating. he looked at me like he wanted to marry me all over again.
20. he reads my blog.
21. when he's nervous or thinking really hard, he rubs his fingernails across his mouth. he doesn't even realize he's doing it until i tell him.
22. when we were in paris at luxembourg garden there was some art piece that he called a "big hairy tv." we sat in front of it and he put one ear bud in each of our ears and played les poissons (from the little mermaid) on the ipod and we drank a bottle of wine and sang along.
23. every time we travel he takes a picture of our tired feet next to each other.
24. he refuses to eat the last bite of a banana.
25. he loves me in spite of my flaws (and i've got a lot of them).
Sunday, February 1, 2009
25 random things
this thing is all over facebook - if you missed it you're probably under a facebook rock. anyway i'm going to post my list on my blog, because, why not?
1. by the time i was in third grade i had lived in four states. i don't understand it when i hear about people who have lived in the same house since they were born. the longest i ever lived in one house was like 6 years. i've been in texas for something like seventeen years and i like it but i certainly don't want to live here for the rest of forever.
2. i had a... feeling about alan the first time i met him. which wasn't actually the first time i met him, but that's a long story. anyway i knew he was something special way before we even went on our first date. i knew i loved him after probably two or three weeks, and i knew without even the tiniest shadow of a doubt that i was going to marry him by the time we had been together for four months. (don't worry, we didn't actually get married until we had been together for 4 years.)
3. i took nine years of spanish classes. i could have minored in spanish if i had just taken one or two more classes but i really wanted to learn french so i took a semester of that instead. i love... languages.
4. four days after i graduated from high school, my ex boyfriend (first love) passed away. i cried for weeks. the painful, body-shaking, deepest heart-aching, horrible kind of crying that leaves you weak and wasted for a long time.
that was the day i grew up.
5. as a kid some of my favorite books were jumanji, the phantom tollbooth, and cloudy with a chance of meatballs. i loved the stories and the intricately detailed illustrations. i wanted to grow up and write and illustrate children's books.
6. i want to travel. alan and i have made a pact to try and go to one new country a year. in 2007 we went to france. in 2008 we went to mexico and canada, and the plan for 2009 is spain.
7. when we first got gubs, scoop hated him. he made the scariest noises i had ever heard and hid most of the time. he looked at me like i had served him up with the worst betrayal in the history of cats. nothing felt right in my world for a month. i was pretty sure i had broken our family.
8. i think i could be a really good wedding planner. i'm really organized and detail-oriented and i love all things wedding-related. my only real issue would be the hours. and the brides.
9. i love writing lists.
10. i was 22 when i realized that my mom was a real person and not some super hero. to this day it amazes me the things she has done, the sacrifices she has made, all... for me. it boggles the mind.
11. i believe that disney world really is the happiest place on earth. and i believe that colorado is the promised land.
12. i've done some crazy stupid things in my life. i'm not necessarily proud of everything i've done, but i'm not ashamed of any of it. i can definitely say that i've learned from my experiences and my mistakes. they're all part of who i am.
13. i hear horror stories about my friends' in-laws and i thank my lucky stars for mine. they're just so... nice. i love them all so much. i really hit the jackpot with this boy.
14. i'm afraid of flying, and public speaking, and elevators. i'm a nervous passenger. i have control issues.
15. i am shy, but only when i first meet new people, or when i'm in a brand new situation. once i figure things out and get a little more comfortable, i will open up so much that you'll wish i hadn't.
16. i'm a hippie at heart. i like pretty things and the color pink and i work in the most shallow and wasteful industry there is, but i'm a hippie. i don't eat meat, not because i don't like it, but because it's better for animals and the environment. i do all the inconvenient-but-good-for-the-environment things i can: i unplug electronics and appliances when they're not being used, i buy recycled toilet paper, i use eco-friendly cleaning products, i eat organic everything, i conserve water, and i use nylon shopping bags.
17. i'm a perfectionist. my mom always tells this story about when i was little and she was worried because i was at the age when other kids were learning to walk and i just wasn't. apparently i never even tried to. and then one day i got up and walked across the room like it was nothing. even now i don't like to do anything unless i can do it right the first time.
18. in sixth grade, carolyn and i went to an x-files convention in plano. we painted our nails green and wore our x-files t-shirts and hoped that, even though they weren't supposed to be there, gillian anderson and david duchovny would show up.
19. i met some of the best friends i've ever had in girl scouts in third grade. one summer, though, i went to girl scout camp and i hated it. i didn't know anyone there and it was my first time to spend more than one night away from home and i got the worst case of homesickness ever and one night there was a wasp in my bed and it stung every single one of my fingers before i woke up and realized what was going on. plus i lived in constant fear of ticks and lime disease for an entire week.
20. i think too much. about everything.
21. every job i've ever had i got because of a friend of mine. my first job was at contempo casuals, thanks to my friend gretchen. after that, amanda (from third grade girl scouts) got me a job as a hostess at on the border. then gretchen convinced me to work at chili's instead for a dollar more per hour. when i went to college i transferred to the chili's in denton. after a year or so there, my friend sarah suggested that i wait tables with her at hooters. i worked there for three years until i couldn't stand it anymore, at which point my friend chelsea helped me get a job in retail. i got my first job out of college because one of my favorite professors recommended me to a friend of hers who was my first boss. and i got the job i'm in now thanks to my friend jenny. i guess it really is all about who you know.
22. i think i'm a good person in general. but i want to do good things with my life. i want to go on mission trips again, and i want to do volunteer work. i've been so blessed and all i want to do is spread the love.
23. i love buying gifts for people - i love looking for the perfect gift for someone and then finally finding it and giving it to them. i love surprising people (but i don't always like to be surprised). i love birthday parties and cupcakes and slumber parties, too.
24. i'm not very good at accepting complements.
25. i've found my soul mate. it was an accident. i wasn't looking for him at all and i just... found him. and now all i want for everyone i know is for them to have what i have.
1. by the time i was in third grade i had lived in four states. i don't understand it when i hear about people who have lived in the same house since they were born. the longest i ever lived in one house was like 6 years. i've been in texas for something like seventeen years and i like it but i certainly don't want to live here for the rest of forever.
2. i had a... feeling about alan the first time i met him. which wasn't actually the first time i met him, but that's a long story. anyway i knew he was something special way before we even went on our first date. i knew i loved him after probably two or three weeks, and i knew without even the tiniest shadow of a doubt that i was going to marry him by the time we had been together for four months. (don't worry, we didn't actually get married until we had been together for 4 years.)
3. i took nine years of spanish classes. i could have minored in spanish if i had just taken one or two more classes but i really wanted to learn french so i took a semester of that instead. i love... languages.
4. four days after i graduated from high school, my ex boyfriend (first love) passed away. i cried for weeks. the painful, body-shaking, deepest heart-aching, horrible kind of crying that leaves you weak and wasted for a long time.
that was the day i grew up.
5. as a kid some of my favorite books were jumanji, the phantom tollbooth, and cloudy with a chance of meatballs. i loved the stories and the intricately detailed illustrations. i wanted to grow up and write and illustrate children's books.
6. i want to travel. alan and i have made a pact to try and go to one new country a year. in 2007 we went to france. in 2008 we went to mexico and canada, and the plan for 2009 is spain.
7. when we first got gubs, scoop hated him. he made the scariest noises i had ever heard and hid most of the time. he looked at me like i had served him up with the worst betrayal in the history of cats. nothing felt right in my world for a month. i was pretty sure i had broken our family.
8. i think i could be a really good wedding planner. i'm really organized and detail-oriented and i love all things wedding-related. my only real issue would be the hours. and the brides.
9. i love writing lists.
10. i was 22 when i realized that my mom was a real person and not some super hero. to this day it amazes me the things she has done, the sacrifices she has made, all... for me. it boggles the mind.
11. i believe that disney world really is the happiest place on earth. and i believe that colorado is the promised land.
12. i've done some crazy stupid things in my life. i'm not necessarily proud of everything i've done, but i'm not ashamed of any of it. i can definitely say that i've learned from my experiences and my mistakes. they're all part of who i am.
13. i hear horror stories about my friends' in-laws and i thank my lucky stars for mine. they're just so... nice. i love them all so much. i really hit the jackpot with this boy.
14. i'm afraid of flying, and public speaking, and elevators. i'm a nervous passenger. i have control issues.
15. i am shy, but only when i first meet new people, or when i'm in a brand new situation. once i figure things out and get a little more comfortable, i will open up so much that you'll wish i hadn't.
16. i'm a hippie at heart. i like pretty things and the color pink and i work in the most shallow and wasteful industry there is, but i'm a hippie. i don't eat meat, not because i don't like it, but because it's better for animals and the environment. i do all the inconvenient-but-good-for-the-environment things i can: i unplug electronics and appliances when they're not being used, i buy recycled toilet paper, i use eco-friendly cleaning products, i eat organic everything, i conserve water, and i use nylon shopping bags.
17. i'm a perfectionist. my mom always tells this story about when i was little and she was worried because i was at the age when other kids were learning to walk and i just wasn't. apparently i never even tried to. and then one day i got up and walked across the room like it was nothing. even now i don't like to do anything unless i can do it right the first time.
18. in sixth grade, carolyn and i went to an x-files convention in plano. we painted our nails green and wore our x-files t-shirts and hoped that, even though they weren't supposed to be there, gillian anderson and david duchovny would show up.
19. i met some of the best friends i've ever had in girl scouts in third grade. one summer, though, i went to girl scout camp and i hated it. i didn't know anyone there and it was my first time to spend more than one night away from home and i got the worst case of homesickness ever and one night there was a wasp in my bed and it stung every single one of my fingers before i woke up and realized what was going on. plus i lived in constant fear of ticks and lime disease for an entire week.
20. i think too much. about everything.
21. every job i've ever had i got because of a friend of mine. my first job was at contempo casuals, thanks to my friend gretchen. after that, amanda (from third grade girl scouts) got me a job as a hostess at on the border. then gretchen convinced me to work at chili's instead for a dollar more per hour. when i went to college i transferred to the chili's in denton. after a year or so there, my friend sarah suggested that i wait tables with her at hooters. i worked there for three years until i couldn't stand it anymore, at which point my friend chelsea helped me get a job in retail. i got my first job out of college because one of my favorite professors recommended me to a friend of hers who was my first boss. and i got the job i'm in now thanks to my friend jenny. i guess it really is all about who you know.
22. i think i'm a good person in general. but i want to do good things with my life. i want to go on mission trips again, and i want to do volunteer work. i've been so blessed and all i want to do is spread the love.
23. i love buying gifts for people - i love looking for the perfect gift for someone and then finally finding it and giving it to them. i love surprising people (but i don't always like to be surprised). i love birthday parties and cupcakes and slumber parties, too.
24. i'm not very good at accepting complements.
25. i've found my soul mate. it was an accident. i wasn't looking for him at all and i just... found him. and now all i want for everyone i know is for them to have what i have.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
tapas
i seem to be on a bit of a tapas kick lately.
last weekend we had brunch with my parents at a lovely little peruvian tapas restaurant in dallas. everything was good, from the little fried corn appetizer to the subtle salad dressing to the grilled veggies. everything had its own unique flavor, and, just as important, the decor was absolutely beautiful. even the bathroom was gorgeous.
last night alan took me on one of our surprise dates to a barcelonian tapas place (we're planning on taking a trip to barcelona sometime this year). it was completely different of course, but it was amazing. the decor was distinctly european looking. i could have eaten everything on the menu (i feel like we got pretty close to doing that, actually)! we had vegetarian paella and pan tomate and grilled asparagus and some sort of ridiculous cheese croquette, and we topped it off with cappucino and a traditional barcelonian dessert. after dinner, we went home and watched l'auberge espagnole, a french movie about a young parisian man who goes to live in barcelona for a year and how the city and the people he meets change his life. and all of it just made me want to go to barcelona that much more.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
inauguration day
praise song for the day.
each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. all about us is noise. all about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.
someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.
a woman and her son wait for the bus.
a farmer considers the changing sky; a teacher says, "take out your pencils. begin."
we encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
we cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "i need to see what's on the other side; i know there's something better down the road."
we need to find a place where we are safe; we walk into that which we cannot yet see.
say it plain, that many have died for this day. sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. praise song for every hand-lettered sign; the figuring it out at kitchen tables.
some live by "love thy neighbor as thy self."
others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.
what if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. love that casts a widening pool of light. love with no need to preempt grievance.
in today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
on the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.
each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. all about us is noise. all about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.
someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.
a woman and her son wait for the bus.
a farmer considers the changing sky; a teacher says, "take out your pencils. begin."
we encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
we cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "i need to see what's on the other side; i know there's something better down the road."
we need to find a place where we are safe; we walk into that which we cannot yet see.
say it plain, that many have died for this day. sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. praise song for every hand-lettered sign; the figuring it out at kitchen tables.
some live by "love thy neighbor as thy self."
others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.
what if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. love that casts a widening pool of light. love with no need to preempt grievance.
in today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
on the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.
inaugural poem recited by elizabeth alexander
Sunday, January 18, 2009
a study in cat personalities
the big cat is a big chunk of tummy and fur. he lives for meal times, and you'd better believe that he will let you know when meal time is. he has been known to chew through a bag of cat food. as much as he loves to eat, he doesn't care much for human food (with the exception of strawberry yogurt). he has a curious fascination with empty carrot bags but no use for actual carrots. he will take any opportunity to jump into an open box or drawer. he sleeps most of the day and only plays with the occasional sock or ice cube. he only seeks out attention first thing in the morning and first thing when his parents get home from work (although he will happily accept a good brushing any time of day). other than that, he can be found napping somewhere in the closet. he is very quiet with a soft meow that he uses very rarely and a big purr that he uses liberally. he can open drawers and cabinets and he likes heights. he will happily spend the entire night curled up at his parents' feet.
the little cat is all awkward skin and bones (and ears). he likes cat food and all, but what he really wants is human food. he has been known to steal cheese straight out of his dad's hand. he recognizes the milk carton and whines until he gets what he wants. he eats things off of the ground that aren't necessarily even food. he could care less about boxes and drawers and prefers to spend his time following people around and "helping". he has a curious fascination with toes and chap stick. he plays with everything all day long. he wants attention all day long. he is the definition of a lap cat. he has a very loud and very strange meow and he knows how to use it. when he isn't talking he's purring. he loves to cuddle but he gets unusually {obnoxiously} hyper at bed time.
they are polar opposites, and we love them both with all our hearts.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
what i've been up to...
so here's the update on what's been going on in my life so far in 2009...
i spent new year's eve with my hubby and two of my best girlfriends, eating sushi and drinking champagne. they came by afterwards to see my new apartment and take pictures and drink more {pink!} champagne. i was in my pj's by eleven and asleep by midnight-thirty. it may sound tame but it was one of the best new year's eves i've had in a long time!
new year's day was a good lazy day, spent on the couch mostly, watching football and reading the second book in the twilight series. i must say that if there was any doubt in anyone's mind that i am a fourteen-year-old girl trapped in a twenty-five-year-old's body, it's definitely gone now. oh well.
alan and i went to canton for first monday trade days. there's no way to explain canton to people who have never been to canton. it's like a giant flea market with a whole bunch of crap to buy and food and maybe the best people-watching outside of the state fair. plus dogs. lots and lots of dogs. i fell in love with a blue-eyed dachshund and a beautiful husky, but alan reminded me that our cats would break up with us if we came home with a dog. in the end i came home with a vintage sugar sack and a tummy full of roasted corn and salsa samples.
i found out that my new car gets 32 miles to the gallon!
we had the seventh edition of our girls' slumber party, which was more fun than you can possibly believe. we went shopping, we ate sushi, we exchanged five-dollar christmas gifts, we baked cookies. we watched a movie about girlfriends that should have been good but definitely wasn't, and then to erase the bad-ness of that movie we watched three happy episodes of sex and the city. we went to bed at two and in the morning (well, okay, at noon) alan and i made vegan pancakes for everyone. yum yum! elysa can tell you more...
alan and i got to go to pappadeaux (best food this side of new orleans) with his family to celebrate his brother's 24th birthday. i cannot tell a lie: i ate some crawfish. and birthday cake. the vegan police are on their way.
other than that, i went back to work for the first five-day week in what seems like forever. two three-day weeks will do that to a person, i suppose. it's good to get back into a normal routine, and it's good to have my whole team back too. plus, i got to reward myself with a "fancy friday" soy chai latte at work yesterday morning and a super-fun girls' happy hour last night after work. i would say that this week was a success!
and so far, i can't really say that i have any complaints about 2009, either.
Friday, January 9, 2009
resolutions
at the start of 2008 i made a new year's resolution to acknowledge every day the things in my life that i am thankful for... three hundred and sixty-eight entries in my gratitude journal later, i am more aware of the beauty of the big picture, but i am also more aware of all the little things that bring me joy each day. this may be the only new year's resolution i've ever carried out through an entire year - i've learned so much in the process; it's been an amazing journey for sure.
i will say that writing every single day got to be a little difficult, especially since i started my new job, which keeps me busy pretty much all the time. i definitely needed a blogging holiday, which is why i've been missing for the past week or so. i haven't quite figured out what i'm going to do with olive relish going forward, so bear with me while i figure it out... i'm still going to try and post at least once or twice a week, at the request of my mommy and my husband and all five of my other readers (shout-out to southeast asia!)... i don't know if it will continue to be just a gratitude journal or if it will involve random musings about sushi and bad chick-flicks or if i will move on to a new set of new year's resolutions...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)