Thursday, February 25, 2010

dormant.






today, the alarmingly bright blue sky had me dreaming of this:





but the wind chipping at my cheek and the ice still frosting branches reaching across the sidewalk to greet me this morning reminded me that spring is in my hopes, not in the air.......not yet:




but what a gracious host winter can be, allowing space and time and emptiness and dormancy in its guests. a bearing down and hollowing out. for only an empty cup can be filled.








Sunday, February 21, 2010

inside my window today.




There are so many things I could be doing, should be doing, right now...the careplan and paper I should be writing, the piles of junk on the floor I should be picking up, the laundry basket I should be emptying:



:: but sometimes, it's just more important to be still and do nothing

:: and today, I think I can handle that...








Wednesday, February 17, 2010

art institute





we're not huge hallmark holiday-ers, but we can appreciate a good valentine's day celebration when need be. that said, this year i cooked up the idea of our going to easily one of my favorite places here in chicago, the art institute, to celebrate saint valentine and enjoy some incredible art. amazingly, i've been there 3 times, but andrew had never been. how this can be, i'm still not sure, but remedy the situation, we did.




even though the camera died, we persevered, enjoying a lovely (free admission!) day.....and in true grad-school style, we packed our own pb&j's for lunch, snickering at the lines of people waiting to eat an artfully arranged arugula salad in the cafe. i mean, COME ON, what's more artful or inspired than pb&j?!?




ultimately, it was a fully inspiring day. we forgot about school for the day, enjoyed being buddies, playing games in the galleries, picking out our favorite installations. in a sense, we fed our souls not only with some inspirational art, but with the joy of carelessly hanging out.

{and of course, the big finale came with dinner....we tag-team cooked milanesa - by andrew's request...a blessing of a day, it was, indeed.}








Tuesday, February 16, 2010

mimi




This winter, we visited my family in Texas, and stopped by to chat with Mimi - one of the most stylish and intelligent women I know. In her nineties, she still drives, can tell you the rankings of every NFL and college football team in the country, quote Shakespearian sonnets, shop at the mall for Cole-Haan's just so she can return them the next week, and verify a fact by thumbing through her shelves of books faster than you can say, "google." With her artistic eye, she governs her home.


...Always serving fresh coffee in her mini-chocolate mugs...



...She peruses her shelves and drawers, looking for things to edit....to clear out any "junk"....



....With a keen eye, she observes and is brutally honest at times, rarely afraid to speak up and out for what she deems important. I cherish this about her, and to some degree, aspire to be able to speak up with such confidence. Perhaps, with another 50 years under my belt, I may...










Sunday, February 14, 2010

v-day tribute



Other than my husband, my faith, and my friends, there are few things I hold so dear as a solid cup of java. We've been through years together - since I was 15, I've been brewing you every single morning (with the exception of that one Lent when I foolishly gave you up). And so, a Valentine's Day tribute to the one who has kept me going for so many years, and to the one who Andrew and I can most likely attribute our vitality and sanity through these grad-school years.....the one and only, coffee:



:: to the many quiet mornings when you've accompanied me on the start of a very looong day



:: to the moments when you perked up my brain just enough to have something nice to say, rather than a grumpy-morning-grunt




:: to the numerous beloved stains I sport on every dang piece of clothing I own




:: our's is truly a love story for the generations...to coffee, thank you, and happy valentine's day....muah.









Wednesday, February 10, 2010

today's weather






A foot of snow today here in Chicago, and I'm lovin' it....sloshing along the sidewalks on my way to class and various neighborhood coffee shops to study. Something about the white stuff is invigorating. Today, I'll take it...although....






I wouldn't mind being here either. However, I'm choosing to be right here, where I am, in this moment, enjoying the honking horns, blazing sirens, and activity buzzing outside my 4th story window right now. This is my home, where I am, where I've been planted, and I'll take it....