Sweet Summer (IN MARCH!)

Favorite Things of This Very Moment (or possibly today in general depending on how long this post takes me to write since I'm a little disconnected, but in a good way this time, although it makes it difficult to spell and keep track of my thoughts, 12:53 pm CST):

• Emails from the Amazing Amy (Oh how I miss you!)
• Huge cups of unsweetened ice tea
• Knowing there will be fresh sun tea to look forward to at home when I'm done here at work
• Basket Beginnings
• Pulling out Dashboard's Dusk & Summer album so I can play it at work (still my summer cd!)
• Sunshine, glorious, glorious gold sunshine that makes everything feel of hope and summer and causes even the breeze itself to feel like gold brushing your skin
• Hope, hope, hope
• Memories of all the laughter of last night's Alfano's dinner with Hilary and all the great people that came to see her while she was home
• The incredibly bright peach/pink shirt I bought myself yesterday 
• Getting to wear flip-flops in MARCH in ILLINOIS!!!!

God is so incredibly cool. 

Spring officially starts with week, but it has felt like late June here for the past week.  It's like God brought me a GA spring because he knew my heart was longing to be there.  I know quite a few other Northern hearts that this sunshine and warmth has brought home too. 

It has caused me to pull out summer loves in my music a bit earlier than usual, and I have enjoyed feeling the air rush through my hair as I drive with all my windows down soaking in the air and sun.  I love it even more when I can do that at night.  Last night I drove home on back roads just so I could be in the car with the windows down and the sweetness of the cool night air filling up my lungs.  It was so gorgeous.  I don't know how I forget what that feels like in the depths of winter, but I love reexperiencing the first love-like joy each year when I get to have my windows down for the first time.  I hope I never lose that joy.

Honestly, I hope you're finding the weather wherever you are as beautiful as it is here.  If you're like me, you'll be wanting to find yourself thoroughly enjoy the sunshine and warmth as much as possible.  Sit in the sunshine, open up all the widows, sing at the top of your lungs and break out the flip-flops.  It's going to be a long and luck-filled summer (and the good kind of luck, I believe it). 

With love,
J

A Week in Review: It Wasn't THAT Bad! No, Really!

I have been a major downer this week, and I want to apologize for that.  Until yesterday, the week had been one grey, rainy, cold, colorless week.  Or at least that was how I was feeling about the whole thing. 

So let's refocus, shall we?  Instead of whining anymore, I would like to tell you about the AWESOME of my week.

Pie... 

Starting with PIE!  Yes, this week I made pie.  Two of them actually.  The one pictured here was the one I made for my family.  It was a bit of an experiment (as many of mine are anymore).  I put blueberry and cherry pie filling in it, but then I added fresh pear and some dried cranberries.  I realize that probably sounds really, really odd, but the combo was actually really perfect.  We ate this delightful pie while drinking some tasty decaf on Wednesday night.  I made this pie and a second one that was just plain cherry.  The cherry pie actually went to the church on Thursday night.  Autumn on Parade is this weekend and I had agreed to make a pie for the church's booth.  But we at this one here at home, partially because I needed to make pie, but also partially to celebrate the fact my mom had a successful first day run of "Quilters" which is the musical she is currently in through PAG here in town.  

Mom is the sweet, sweet Prairie fire there in the middle!

My father and I actually went to see "Quilters" last night.  I really hadn't wanted to see this musical.  That may sound a little rude or harsh or mean, but one of Mom's monologues was the most depressing bit of a musical I have ever heard, and I have seen Les Miserables...  Honestly, she has this monologue about this little girl's 7th birthday and her mom is already dead, but then during the monologue both the girl's dad AND sister die.  It's 30 below, she's 7, it's her birthday, she becomes an orphan, and she's alone in this dirt house on the prairie.  Honestly.  *shudders*  That one is awful, but the rest of the musical was great.  I mean, Mom did a wonderful job with her monologue, but the rest of the musical was, for the most part, far more upbeat, and it was often really funny.  That I really didn't expect.  The funny was a glorious touch.  If you get a chance at some point, Quilters is a musical well worth watching.  Just make sure you take Kleenex.  

Handsome Rob (erta?)

Ah yes, and then there was one more surprise addition to the week.  On Monday night, Joel was taking stuff out to the garage, and when he came back in he said there was a kitten in the garage.  Sure enough, out in the rain was an adorable little kitten.  I named it Handsome Rob even though we are now pretty sure it's a girl.  This cat is adorable and sweet, but sadly we just don't have the money to take her to the vet for her shots so we can keep her.  We are currently feeding her, and she is currently living on our porch.  We're working on finding her a good home where people will love her as much as we are all coming too.  So...*hint, hint,* if you want an adorable, cuddly, purring kitten of your very own, please let me know.  I would love to see Handsome Rob(erta) to a good home.  The good thing is, the vet we take our cats to told us that if we can't find her a home by the end of next week, he will take her in and find her a good home.  This definitely makes me feel better.  I just want this little one to be loved.  She's so sweet.

Anyway, today is sunny and glorious, and my mood and brain have finally gone back to where they need to be.  Sure...life isn't perfect, but it never will be.  But, I can smile because I got to sleep in this morning, my mom made chocolate chip banana muffins, I am listening to Jamie Cullum sing to me about how weird your 20's are (AMEN!), and in a few hours I will be having dinner with my friend Morgan and some of her friends for her birthday.

Life is going to be just fine.