Back in the Cincinnati airport. But this time, there is not the anticipation of a lovely vacation to occupy my thoughts. Nor are the cute, chubby babies or friendly dachshund lovers available to entertain and amuse. Tonight, there are only grumpy, tired travelers and hundreds of cancelled and delayed flights. Bleh. For now, I am in the latter category, praying that I don’t end up in the former. It is NOT on my agenda to spend the night in Ohio…
It has been a long and frustrating day of travel…but the trip was so wonderful and relaxing, no amount airline stress can take that away from me! One of my favorite parts of my time there was the art. There is SO MUCH creativity and art in Santa Fe. And a ton of galleries…my dad and I took a walk down Canyon Road before dinner one evening and I was overwhelmed and delighted by all of the beautiful galleries (not to mention the super-friendly gallery owners who happily chatted away with us -- this one even said she wants me to email her photos of my work!) It was very inspiring and I am excited to get back to New York so I can begin several of the project ideas I have floating around in my head.
There is so much more to say about the trip, however my writing energy is rapidly dwindling. But I will leave you with a list of highlights because lists are fun and I love my lists:
* 5 movies in 4 days -- nothing like curling up with a fuzzy blanket in front of a flat screen TV with dad for movie night, which is EVERY night in Santa Fe :)
* a massage at this place, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Oh yea, and the massage pretty much rocked too...
* the best sleep I have had in MONTHS. No insomnia, daily naps, and eight hours straight thru the night (except for the few seconds lost to the howling coyotes at three in the morning, which only interrupted my sleep long enough for me to be in sleepy-awe of the beauty and rawness of this peaceful place)
* walks and mini-hikes in the Rockies
* lots of good shopping and good food
Oh, and yay! Good news! We are boarding now! Farewell airport. Farewell mini-vacation. Back to reality. But it’s okay…I feel refreshed and ready to take on life and New York. Here we go….
Monday, July 30, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Santa Fe bound
i am currently biding my time in the Cincinnati airport, drinking diet coke, people watching, etc. i just watched a man and woman, both single (it appeared), and both forty-ish, meet and bond over their love of dachshunds. maybe they will fall in love. and live happily ever after in house full of puppies. then i watched two tired moms bond over their eighteen month-old babies. they traded stats and watched their babies coo at each other, wearing tired-proud-mom smiles. and me? hmm, well i just ate a really delicious philly cheese steak sandwich. anyone else have a good sandwich story? anyone? we could bond....no? ah well....
~~~~~
i am down to the last magical page of this magical, lovely book. and i am sad. i don't want it to end! i have another novel with me, for when this one runs out, but i feel like it would be wrong somehow to move on so quickly. to jump into another world without so much as a thought on all that i've been given and all i have learned. i feel that i need some time. some space. to just let the juices of this yummy, yummy book marinate in my heart. really it is difficult to describe how full and lovely this story is. and how incredibly hopeful it manages to be without the fluff or pretension or strained effort one might typically see in this type of story. the characters have become so real to me -- my friends, my family. and it has somehow managed to renew my faith in hope. sometimes life just seems so disappointing. so overwhelming. and....well, so broken -- broken in an irreparable sort of way. but this story is a reminder and a testimony that it IS possible to break into a million tiny pieces and then come back to life. and that sometimes it is even NECESSARY to break in order to come back to life. and that fullness and joy can spring up from really unexpected places, and in unexpected ways. besides that, it has all of the elements of a great story (in my opinion): humor, love, art, relationships and redemption.
that's all i have to say about that. now -- i am off to read and savor my last page, which will probably be followed by ipod-ing and pondering.
au voir!
~~~~~
i am down to the last magical page of this magical, lovely book. and i am sad. i don't want it to end! i have another novel with me, for when this one runs out, but i feel like it would be wrong somehow to move on so quickly. to jump into another world without so much as a thought on all that i've been given and all i have learned. i feel that i need some time. some space. to just let the juices of this yummy, yummy book marinate in my heart. really it is difficult to describe how full and lovely this story is. and how incredibly hopeful it manages to be without the fluff or pretension or strained effort one might typically see in this type of story. the characters have become so real to me -- my friends, my family. and it has somehow managed to renew my faith in hope. sometimes life just seems so disappointing. so overwhelming. and....well, so broken -- broken in an irreparable sort of way. but this story is a reminder and a testimony that it IS possible to break into a million tiny pieces and then come back to life. and that sometimes it is even NECESSARY to break in order to come back to life. and that fullness and joy can spring up from really unexpected places, and in unexpected ways. besides that, it has all of the elements of a great story (in my opinion): humor, love, art, relationships and redemption.
that's all i have to say about that. now -- i am off to read and savor my last page, which will probably be followed by ipod-ing and pondering.
au voir!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
today, today...the sun is shining
today i had the pleasure of taking a nice long walk down to the Appellate Division Courthouse (errand for the boss) in this absolutely GORGEOUS weather. after yesterday (mucky. wet. cold. DOWNPOURS.) it was heavenly...it is amazing how much my mood, disposition and love for this city is affected by the weather. how finicky of me! but anyone who has attempted to commute by foot in midtown manhattan in the pouring rain knows what i am talking about: HUNDREDS of dripping umbrellas belonging to our fellow (irritated) commuters. THOUSANDS of dripping umbrellas belonging to pokey tourists wandering aimlessly about (bless their pokey little hearts). then there is the simultaneous dodging of taxis, tourists AND umbrellas, all while jumping massive, muddy puddles. the goal? stay dry. don't cry. let's just say it's NOT a fun way to start the morning. i was definitely a (wet) grumpy-pants by the time i reached my office yesterday (late, of course, because of the puddle-jumping and dodging and such). midtown is still crowded and ridiculous on sunny days as well, but cutting out the umbrellas and puddles helps immensely. and, as is the case with *life* in general, the gray and terrible days make the glorious days all the more rich and sweeter. so today, on this sunny 80 degree day, i was once again in love with my new york. thank God. my heart had been growing a bit cold for awhile there. on my way back from the courthouse, i walked along madison avenue where i spotted a beautiful little park packed full of kids and moms and business people on their lunch break. i attempted to take a picture with my phone to post here (i really need a digital camera) but it didn't even begin to do it justice. it was a moment though. a definite new york moment. *magic*
~~~~~~
in other news, i am in LOVE with this book that i am currently reading. more to come on that later...
~~~~~~
in other news, i am in LOVE with this book that i am currently reading. more to come on that later...
Monday, July 23, 2007
Church
God's purposes will ripen fast
Unfolding every hour
The bud may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain
God is His own interpreter
And he will make it plain
~God Moves, William Cowper (1774)
The above is an excerpt from a hymn we sang this morning at the Village Church. I was visiting with a friend because I think it's time. It is time to get serious about plugging into a community. I love Redeemer, and I LOVE the teaching, but 1) Tim Keller is not teaching this summer (summer vacation?) and 2) it's very big and I usually go alone. Anyway, this morning the music was beautiful ~ that hymn especially touched my heart ~ the service was warm and friendly and I left feeling very refreshed. So, yeah, I am thinking about it -- because lately, I am craving God and fellowship and community. And it's time.
Unfolding every hour
The bud may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain
God is His own interpreter
And he will make it plain
~God Moves, William Cowper (1774)
The above is an excerpt from a hymn we sang this morning at the Village Church. I was visiting with a friend because I think it's time. It is time to get serious about plugging into a community. I love Redeemer, and I LOVE the teaching, but 1) Tim Keller is not teaching this summer (summer vacation?) and 2) it's very big and I usually go alone. Anyway, this morning the music was beautiful ~ that hymn especially touched my heart ~ the service was warm and friendly and I left feeling very refreshed. So, yeah, I am thinking about it -- because lately, I am craving God and fellowship and community. And it's time.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Avoidance
I think I've been avoiding the ol' blog lately. Don't know why. Perhaps because I have been lazy about writing. Or perhaps because I'd rather not write about how I feel New York is kicking my butt lately and how very, very tired I am.
It's not ALL bad though...there have been some positives over the last few weeks...such as:
* a trip to Virginia ~ a wedding ~ and a wonderful visit with the fam & old friends
* the possibility of renting studio space at the Women's Studio Center so I that I am free to paint and create whenever I want (I am looking at the space tomorrow)
* rehearsal with two other musicians tonight -- the ones I mentioned here -- perhaps a band will be born!
* a quick trip to the Jersey Shore to see my grandfather. He's so dang cute and fun :)
* after days of thunderstorms and grayness (not to mention the steam explosion, which happened 1 block from my office building only minutes after I left - scary), today is a well-deserved, breezy, beautiful & semi-sunny day for us New Yorkers.
And....hmm....well that's all I got for now. Next week I go to Santa Fe, New Mexico with my dad and to be honest, I am desperately looking forward to it: the quietness ~ the peace ~ nature ~ time away from the craziness...(don't worry New York, I still love you. I do. I just need some space. It's not you, it's me. Really.)
It's not ALL bad though...there have been some positives over the last few weeks...such as:
* a trip to Virginia ~ a wedding ~ and a wonderful visit with the fam & old friends
* the possibility of renting studio space at the Women's Studio Center so I that I am free to paint and create whenever I want (I am looking at the space tomorrow)
* rehearsal with two other musicians tonight -- the ones I mentioned here -- perhaps a band will be born!
* a quick trip to the Jersey Shore to see my grandfather. He's so dang cute and fun :)
* after days of thunderstorms and grayness (not to mention the steam explosion, which happened 1 block from my office building only minutes after I left - scary), today is a well-deserved, breezy, beautiful & semi-sunny day for us New Yorkers.
And....hmm....well that's all I got for now. Next week I go to Santa Fe, New Mexico with my dad and to be honest, I am desperately looking forward to it: the quietness ~ the peace ~ nature ~ time away from the craziness...(don't worry New York, I still love you. I do. I just need some space. It's not you, it's me. Really.)
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Let Freedom Ring
Happy Fifth-O-July everybodys...Yesterday, to celebrate the independence of this great country, I:
1) went on a blind brunch date. yikes. (note to self: never, ever agree to a blind date before noon. ever.)
2) took a nap (to recover from No. 1)
3) went to a 4th party with the lovely anna-banana at an AMAZING apartment: 38th floor, 25th and Madison, perfect view of the East River fireworks display. It was my first viewing of the NYC fireworks, and I have to say I was quite impressed -- they definitely lived up to my DC standards. Sitting there, looking out over the beautiful New York skyline, fireworks lighting up the night-sky, I reflected on my last 4th (I like to play this game: the "where was I exactly one year ago from today and how much has my life changed?" game). My life really hasn't changed too drastically, which is quite something for the girl who moves every five minutes -- I mean I have the same job, and the same apartment, in the same city....But I was in a completely and totally different setting last 4th...and then I realized, I have been in a completely and totally different setting for EVERY 4th of July the last six or seven years. It is interesting to think about how much my life has changed over the years:
2006: Vail, Colorado, on vacation with my daddi-o (residence at the time: NYC)
2005: Solvang, California with my dear friend, Dillon: we were in the middle of a three week long road trip, and stopped to visit another friend on our way down the CA coast (residence at the time: Ann Arbor, Michigan)
2004: Somewhere around Windsor, Ontario: a boy and I drove from Detroit to the land of Canucks to visit some of his friends. Fireworks and patriotism were not involved, but it was still a fun time none the less (residence: Redford, Michigan)
2003: Lakeside, Montana, post SBS: I was in the middle of recording my album and we decided to take a break from the studio and head "downtown" to watch the townies light sparklers in the street (residence: Lakeside, Montana)
2002: The ER, New York, NY: My brother, sister-in-law and I decided we would spend the 4th in the Big Apple, but as we were heading toward the river to catch the show, my brother suddenly got violently ill. So ill that we had to call an ambulance. He ended up being fine, but it was a scary and crazy night. We got a good story out of it though :) (residence: temporarily in Northern VA with the fam, but was soon heading back to MT)
2001: Washington, D.C. with my sweet Erin and her new YWAM friends: this was the moment when I decided to go to Montana (residence: Virginia Beach, VA)
Ah, the memories...wonder where July 4, 2008 will take me.
1) went on a blind brunch date. yikes. (note to self: never, ever agree to a blind date before noon. ever.)
2) took a nap (to recover from No. 1)
3) went to a 4th party with the lovely anna-banana at an AMAZING apartment: 38th floor, 25th and Madison, perfect view of the East River fireworks display. It was my first viewing of the NYC fireworks, and I have to say I was quite impressed -- they definitely lived up to my DC standards. Sitting there, looking out over the beautiful New York skyline, fireworks lighting up the night-sky, I reflected on my last 4th (I like to play this game: the "where was I exactly one year ago from today and how much has my life changed?" game). My life really hasn't changed too drastically, which is quite something for the girl who moves every five minutes -- I mean I have the same job, and the same apartment, in the same city....But I was in a completely and totally different setting last 4th...and then I realized, I have been in a completely and totally different setting for EVERY 4th of July the last six or seven years. It is interesting to think about how much my life has changed over the years:
2006: Vail, Colorado, on vacation with my daddi-o (residence at the time: NYC)
2005: Solvang, California with my dear friend, Dillon: we were in the middle of a three week long road trip, and stopped to visit another friend on our way down the CA coast (residence at the time: Ann Arbor, Michigan)
2004: Somewhere around Windsor, Ontario: a boy and I drove from Detroit to the land of Canucks to visit some of his friends. Fireworks and patriotism were not involved, but it was still a fun time none the less (residence: Redford, Michigan)
2003: Lakeside, Montana, post SBS: I was in the middle of recording my album and we decided to take a break from the studio and head "downtown" to watch the townies light sparklers in the street (residence: Lakeside, Montana)
2002: The ER, New York, NY: My brother, sister-in-law and I decided we would spend the 4th in the Big Apple, but as we were heading toward the river to catch the show, my brother suddenly got violently ill. So ill that we had to call an ambulance. He ended up being fine, but it was a scary and crazy night. We got a good story out of it though :) (residence: temporarily in Northern VA with the fam, but was soon heading back to MT)
2001: Washington, D.C. with my sweet Erin and her new YWAM friends: this was the moment when I decided to go to Montana (residence: Virginia Beach, VA)
Ah, the memories...wonder where July 4, 2008 will take me.
Monday, July 2, 2007
a weekend recap
it was a lovely weekend, full of sunshine and summery activities...
~ friday night there was a wonderful and touching film with a good friend followed by meandering through midtown and dinner at an outdoor italian cafe. yum.
~ saturday was a totally needed, soul-refreshing day at the beach with my lovely roomie. {jones beach is just a "short" bus then subway then train then shuttle ride away. whew. but all that is forgotten once the salty sea air hits my face}. the weather was perfect, and sitting there on my beach towel with the waves crashing and the breeze blowing, i was filled with so much joy and hope. there is something about the ocean -- really it just seems as if anything is possible. and those areas of my life that seem hopeless or that typically cause me angst suddenly become so *light* and hopeful. yesterday, i delighted in just staring at the water and taking in deep gulps of fresh air, thinking, praying, and reading a few chapters of this amazing book that i got last week...sooo great. it stirs my heart and gets my creative juices flowing.
the day at the beach was then followed by a very new york kind of night, again spent with roomie: dinner at the trendy Loft, followed by drinks at the even trendier Pastis ~oo la la~ then a stop at the new "hot spot" night club Home. it was literally a velvet rope kind of club (my first time at such a place) and i didn't think we had a chance -- but leave it to my roomie to work her southern charm....it's like magic! we were in within minutes. although we soon realized that since we were neither 23 nor the sorority-girl-type, this was NOT the place for us. so we left. and after a very brief stop at our neighborhood karaoke bar, we headed home, exhausted from our day of adventures. (note: my saturday nights are not usually so "glamorous," but it's fun to take advantage of the new york night life every once in awhile!)
~ today before evening church, i spent the afternoon at the park. it was almost as lovely and refreshing and hope-filled as my day at the beach! in just under 2 hours i saw a wedding photo shoot, a rollerblade party, an african drum fest, hippies selling rainbowed bracelets, a live free concert, and a comedy show. oh, and of course the puppies and kittens and babies, O my! and all the beautiful people -- my goodness the people were so beautiful! sun kissed and smiling and happy....from all over the world, speaking their beautiful native tongues. there was just such a vibe JOY in the air. how could there not be though? central park is always so *magical* -- but particularly on sunny, humidity-free days such as today.
overall, a wonderful and refreshing weekend. now, back to work. arg.
~ friday night there was a wonderful and touching film with a good friend followed by meandering through midtown and dinner at an outdoor italian cafe. yum.
~ saturday was a totally needed, soul-refreshing day at the beach with my lovely roomie. {jones beach is just a "short" bus then subway then train then shuttle ride away. whew. but all that is forgotten once the salty sea air hits my face}. the weather was perfect, and sitting there on my beach towel with the waves crashing and the breeze blowing, i was filled with so much joy and hope. there is something about the ocean -- really it just seems as if anything is possible. and those areas of my life that seem hopeless or that typically cause me angst suddenly become so *light* and hopeful. yesterday, i delighted in just staring at the water and taking in deep gulps of fresh air, thinking, praying, and reading a few chapters of this amazing book that i got last week...sooo great. it stirs my heart and gets my creative juices flowing.
the day at the beach was then followed by a very new york kind of night, again spent with roomie: dinner at the trendy Loft, followed by drinks at the even trendier Pastis ~oo la la~ then a stop at the new "hot spot" night club Home. it was literally a velvet rope kind of club (my first time at such a place) and i didn't think we had a chance -- but leave it to my roomie to work her southern charm....it's like magic! we were in within minutes. although we soon realized that since we were neither 23 nor the sorority-girl-type, this was NOT the place for us. so we left. and after a very brief stop at our neighborhood karaoke bar, we headed home, exhausted from our day of adventures. (note: my saturday nights are not usually so "glamorous," but it's fun to take advantage of the new york night life every once in awhile!)
~ today before evening church, i spent the afternoon at the park. it was almost as lovely and refreshing and hope-filled as my day at the beach! in just under 2 hours i saw a wedding photo shoot, a rollerblade party, an african drum fest, hippies selling rainbowed bracelets, a live free concert, and a comedy show. oh, and of course the puppies and kittens and babies, O my! and all the beautiful people -- my goodness the people were so beautiful! sun kissed and smiling and happy....from all over the world, speaking their beautiful native tongues. there was just such a vibe JOY in the air. how could there not be though? central park is always so *magical* -- but particularly on sunny, humidity-free days such as today.
overall, a wonderful and refreshing weekend. now, back to work. arg.
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