small things...

so long, 2007...it's time for you to go

Sorry for the long absence!  I came here a few times over the past couple weeks to write about the holidays etc...but it turns out I needed a break.  Dealing with the holidays internally this year and had no words to share it seems.  You can understand that this years holidays were hard for my family and I can say I am happy they are done for!

As I write this now it's New Year's Eve.  My apartment is getting dark as the sun begins to dip.  And it's snowing out - a really pretty soft snow.  Making the dirty streets clean and white, at least for a moment. 

I am happy this year is over.  And I am looking forward to the year that begins in a few hours.  I am making soup and taking stock of what has happened so far.  I love the magic of New Year's Eve.  Everything up til today becomes immediately the past and everything gets to start over tomorrow - whatever we want to be is possible come the strike of midnight. 

Have you ever read the book "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"?  There is a New Year's eve scene where the main character is told that whatever happens at the stroke of midnight will set the tone for the year ahead.  If you get a kiss - you can look forward to pleasure this year.  If you are sleeping - you may find a year of rest or peace.  So think good thoughts at that moment wherever you are, I will be doing the same.

I watched this video on youtube recently and it got me thinking a lot.  So in the spirit of wrapping this year up and putting it behind me - here are all the things I meant to say to you this year:

I love you

I miss you

I'm sorry

Thank you

Now THAT is the spirit

Emmett loved getting his first christmas gift of the season so much he laid right on top of it in joy. 

He then proceeded to stand on top of it and practice jumping off. 

More goodness later, I am sure.  Hope your holidays or days off are being enjoyed half this much.

Weekend 3 - IIN

I'm a terrible traveler.  I need to figure this out.  I get sickly after every trip to NYC (I'm currently recovering from a 24hr stomach flu...ech)  I have 7 more of these weekends to go and I don't want to get sick after every one. Plus, I'd like a lifetime of travelling, but don't want to be dissuaded by a junky immune system.  I'm also a disorganized traveler.  I forgot a hat and gloves before heading out to a very cold tri-state area (and returning to a snowier Chicago).  PLUS, I forgot hair products - which is an issue for many girls, but definitely one with a frizz-top like mine.  I did not forget underwear or my winning personality - thank god. 

Once when I went to Jamaica with my family and Sarah P. I forgot to bring any shoes other then the sneaks I was wearing.  UNCOOL for the beach, mon.

Any good travelers out there?? Bring on the tips.  (I already bought Airborne)

Despite my unorganizedness the weekend was really good.  I had to miss part of Sunday b/c of the pending winter storm in NYC and the storm I heard was happeneing back in Chicago.  But what I got to see was good!  Here are the highlights from the whole weekend:

• Sat on the tarmac in Chicago for 3 hours before taking off.  I sat next to this very talkative, very positive Korean man who mostly talked to his neighbor on the other side (thankfully, I'm not a big airplane talker), but he did mention to me how patient he thought american's were.  Which I found surprising, but was true for that moment.  Everyone around us were talking and joking and getting to know one another, rather than complaining or revolting.
• Shared my birthday adventure plans with Ali and she's coming up with her own (!)
• Learned about the digestive system by this woman, Lynn Goldstein ( I was trying to recall her wise words as I dealt with my digestive system over the last 24 hours)
• Ali, Greg and I went to see the windows at Barneys - which were totally worth the trek in the freezing wind across the prairie that is Central Park.
• The last morning we heard from John Douillard, a Ayurvedic doctor who runs a center in my old stomping grounds of Boulder, CO.  He was really insipiring and informative and made just about everyone want to learn all they could about ayruveda - and I only heard an hour of it!

I've been thoroughly wiped out since getting back and haven't had the time to really process what I've been learning and how I want to start putting it into practice and place for my future.  There is a lot to do and think about.

The most exciting news we received this weekend is that we will each be given a website of our own to start promoting our biz.  I'm really excited and anxious to see this and start playing around with it.  I'll pass it on to you all, once it's ready. 

sigh. I think it's time for another nap.

ciao!

Birthday adventuring

My birthday is a few months away yet, but as we near the end of what has unarguably been 1 of the 2 hardest years of my life - I'm looking for an upswing in 2008.  I recently read another blog about birthday adventures here, but I've heard this concept a few times before.  She explains it on her blog, relayed to her from another as, "The basic idea of a birthday adventure is that you have some sort of a goal related to your age, and you’re supposed to achieve it on your birthday". 

My boss for her 40th birthday made a list of 40 things she'd always wanted to try (including learning how to play golf and learning how to fly a plane?!) and she knocked them off one by one.  My boss is cool like that.  Seems like you should give yourself a year to do all your birthday adventures, especially b/c the number of adventures keeps going up!

So i've decided to take on the challenge.  I'm going with a singular goal - to be repeated 35 times by my birthday, March 21st.  (I can't believe I'm turning 35 in 2008, I keep thinking I just turned 30).  Since my birthday is a mere 3 months away - I figured the singular goal would be easiest to accomplish, yet still challenging enough to be considered an "adventure". 

I'm going for a Yoga adventure.  I've been wanting/needing to get back into yoga.  I think it will be good for me on all levels: physically, emotionally, spiritually...but I keep not doing it.  So that's the goal 35 yoga classes before I turn 35.  That's roughly 2.25 a week. 

So now I need to figure out the details.  Should I go to 35 different yoga classes?  There are enough yoga studios in the chicagoland area that I certainly could...and that seems at least a little more adventurous then just attending the same studio 35 times.  hmmm.   I'll need to figure out the logistics of this plan.  Any suggestions??

How about you?  Anyone else interested in planning their own birthday adventure for the next year?  Come on...now's the time.  This is the year. DO IT.  Let's be a team!  Team Birthday Adventures!

(I *heart* teams more then necessary)

Think about it and if you want you can share your own birthday adventure idea here. RAWK!

Heard outside my office Monday...

"I don't chase em, I replace em!"

I'm assuming he was talking about batteries, like when they fall out of the back of your remote and roll under the couch.  I should probably take his advice...

Where hez all mai chickmunks gun 2??

Molly's cat wants to know.

ps - my sister suggests you watch this video: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1789284  I did and I'm a better person for it.

Crawling back under the covers

I wanted to today. Really, really wanted to after the way my day started. 

Woke up reasonably happy, wandered into my living room and took a peek outside to assess the snow situation.  It looked really clear...too clear.  There wasn't a car on the block - including my own.  I threw on my boots and a fleece over my pjs and ran outside to read the parking sign.  The sign clearly stated when cars had to be off the block for snow emergencies...but it hadn't snowed last night??!? and I didn't hear the siren. How was that an emergency?? Called the local towing agency and they said, "You're on Central? Yeah we have your car."  I didn't even tell them what kind of car I had, bastards.  I took a ride with a very sympathetic cabbie and met up with several other half pajamed neighbors at the tow lot.  I quickly learned that 100 cars were towed that night all from my street and that no one heard the siren.  "Have a better day," the tow-lot manager called out as I left.  I chuckled at that - cuz if was funny and hopeful of him.  I was all pumped up by my new we-hate-the-city-fat-cat friends to fight the system and 'the man' (or in our case the woman) and get back the money I had to shell out to free my car. 

But then the rest of my day started. 

And it wasn't terrible, but it was weird and I can't go into it really, but it may have involved some dramatic malingering  And I drove home thinking - "I'd like to spend my day around less weird negativity." So I'm working on it.  but first I went to Whole Foods and bought impulsive treats like yummy body lotion and a magazine and beer and a natural goodness cookie.  Sometimes sugar IS my friend, despite all that crazy-talk you may have read here a few weeks ago.  And when I got home there was chili waiting at my back door (I *heart* MollyP) and I thought, "Now I can crawl back under my covers.

Before I do, I would like to share a little holiday peek inside my home.  I'm not a big holiday decorator b/c ...well I don't know why.  But this weekend I helped both my sister and Molly decorate their cozy homes and it seemed really nice.  So I came home and tried a little bit of it myself. 

are you wondering what those little cone things are? Here's a closer look...

They're softie xmas trees and I made 'em!  This lady thunk up the idea and I was not afraid to use it.

Alright - off to bedness and sweet dreamness.