30.12.10 - create joy

i loved your letters - even if they are thoughts and musings from months ago.
i especially love that you always want to be better, to love more, feel more, grow more. that is one of your great beauties, and one reason i am so glad you are my friend. (it is also why i am so excited to see you - seven days together will do my soul so very much good.)
just before christmas, i spent an afternoon watching flash mob videos on youtube and crying my eyes out. ridiculous, i guess, but these clips make me so happy, remind me that there are people who make the world beautiful, who create joy even in the most unexpected moments. i needed the reminder - if you ever do too, here are the links to my two favorites:
danish bus driver birthday
hallelujah food court

29.12.10 - preppin' and plannin'

getting stuff all clean and pretty for you,
starting with some laundry in my little rooftop cage.

three days!!!

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU

How cute are these two little boys!!!
This week has just been too crazy and now at the end of it I will be seeing you, wow, feeling a little on overload. But what a great surprise. Happy New Year to me!

27.12.20 - woo hoo

Thank you for choosing Frontier Airlines.

can't believe i get to see your face in five days

24.12.10 - buena noche

that's what the call christmas eve down here, and i will agree that it is lovely.

missing family, missing friends,
but its hard to be glum when the world here is so simply beautiful.

love you and wishing you lots of beauty on this good night.

20.12.10 - stuck

last night, just after you called, xochi knocked over a full glass of water on me and the couch. somehow, in between swearing and mopping up the mess, i tweaked my back.
this morning, i tried to do some yoga, to stretch it out.
it did not work, and now my day of errands looks like it will be a day of sitting on the couch.
i am officially old.

Last Night

We missed you last night, but had a really great time. Nutcracker, awesome. Dinner at The Corner Office, awesome. Dancing at the Tavern, awesome.

18.12.10 - i heart vacations

recovering from a night of delicious tequila with coco krispies + tea + toast + honey on a long slow saturday before an afternoon of christmas shopping = bliss

Nutcracker

Today, I am hitting the town with some peeps and we are going to see The Nutcracker in Denver, then dancing with M and N. So excited. Follow this link to get a glimpse of what I hope to be experiencing tonight.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mosesnavarro.net/The%2520Nutcracker%25202005%2520(17).jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mosesnavarro.net/picture_gallery.htm&usg=__fBkVa8aj4QCS4Bh43EYlviZDWi0=&h=600&w=800&sz=128&hl=en&start=28&sig2=HqOha09I9U2wesw3Qt3a6g&zoom=1&tbnid=M9Ju6ncYTLZnlM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=143&ei=O_3_TITlDYi_ngeDu-zlDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bnutcracker%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D597%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1074&um=1&itbs=1&biw=1280&bih=597

Also, Tim said he had a great time with you last night, warms my heart to think of the two of you chilling together.

17.12.10 - party time

school is done with and i am looking forward to an evening of food, friends, and frivolity. plus booze. lots of booze. but i couldn't think of anything that started with 'f', so i couldn't it put it in my initial list.
at any rate, by the end of the night, i intend to look as slap happy as xochi, and if there is a sombrero to be found i will wear it.
wish you were here.

Snowy Morning

woke up to snow this morning, now i am cuddled in and doing nothing till i have to go to work later today. love me some snow days.

that kind of night

And this is what i have planned for the night, mass consumption of wine and cheese, could there be anything better, except sharing it with you. We should have a white elephant with us amigos, we would rock it. And you are totally right about Rob and Rich, so awesome.

15.12.10 - white elephant

i hate these kind of parties, especially when i don't know what people think is funny. i can be funny. you know i can. but with the new co-workers and boss, i don't want to be forever tagged the weirdo or creep. plus, most mexicans aren't funny with gifts; they are just really nice. so i opted for lame - an insulated coffee mug with silly saccharine snowmen on it. neither funny nor awesome. le sigh.

i wish i could be at a party with you and rob for white elephants. you guys would be awesome. and then rich would walk in and try to top everything with something ridiculous.

also, i wish i could start a company that only made white elephants. stuffed, painted, oragami, whatever. and then people like me could have a fallback for these sort of things.

13.12.10 - tree in a box

this is our christmas tree.
my parents' also sent it.
it's silly, but cute,
and the cat likes to take the ornaments off it as much as if it were a real tree.

Spark's Morning

working in bed, the best!

it still has not snowed here yet, and yesterday i went for a run in shorts and a t-shirt, in the middle of december, weird. and today is a high of almost 70 degrees... hello climate change.

also, i have a long list of to-do's for today, wish you were here to run some errands with me, you are the best errand runner, and you always make me do all my errands. which is great. cause sometimes i get lazy and give up.

really missing you today....

12.12.10 - dia de la virgen

today is perhaps the holiest day for mexicans, maybe for all of latin america.
there were pilgrims everywhere, walking, biking or driving to the basilica with the famous image strapped to their backs or tied to their vehicle.
we stayed in, taking it easy after a fun night with tim, geoff, and a bunch of random people from my school. really good to be with tim - oddly normal - and we helped him find a free place to stay for a couple of weeks, so i bet he likes us now.
and of course, seeing him makes me miss both you and zachary all the more.
lots of love and peace to you on this holy evening.

lovely

my friend made these earrings for me. missing you lots today. but so glad that there is someone to give you flowers and stuffed animals.

10.12.10 - the little things

every day when i come home,
i find xochi's stuffed bear on the bed,
where she has brought it as a gift.

when we left her for three days,
the bear was joined by her mouse toy,
a ribbon, and two coasters.
she is pretty cute.

and today, i also found a vase of flowers
and a love letter on my dining room table.

it is nice to feel loved.

love letters

a. I need your address still.

b. Letters keep pouring in from people to say congrats about nursing school. This is one reason I love letters. They come two weeks after all of the hype and are a reminder that it is still exciting and good. I am gonna write you a letter today.

9.12.10 - apathy and poets

still fighting through the blues these days,
but long walks, a few tears, and some chocolate is helping.
also the poets lane in my park, where i found this poem.
i don't know exactly what it says, but i think i love it.

Idilio
fragmento

Un prestigo rebelde á la letra,
Un misterio inviolable al idioma
Un encanto circula y penetra
Y en el alma es edénico aroma.

Salvador Diaz Miron

home

A little mood lighting for Christmas.

I have my last day of class tomorrow and only one final after that!

Ok, back to studying.

Enjoy the last few days of school.

Did I mention I am jealous cause you will be getting a tan over Christmas. That is awesome.

8.12.10 - 8 days of school left

this is my cute new mirror from cholula. i love it.

and i have time this morning for a cup of tea, a tasty pastry, and a few pages of madeleine l'engle.

good things for a hopefully good day.

7.12.10 - worst, ever?

i know, i know... but c'mon. we have friends who are engaged for months and still haven't emailed. worst ever is a little low.

but i have been in a slump, like all the creative juices have been drained right out of me. i need a project to get my mojo back. or you sure you don't want to just swing down for a quick weekend visit?

(remember the days when i used to make you cut out snowflakes and hang lights in my classroom?)

Camping out by the Fire

You are the worst blogging partner ever! Get your butt in gear.

Oh Christmas Tree

We found this beauty the other day in Lyons, she is only about 3 feet tall, but she is adorable! Makes me really feel like Christmas is just around the corner. Now I am ready.

Mountain Adventure

Took an adventure up to Lyons today, had brunch, got a Christmas tree (pictures to follow), and stopped by the river for awhile, but even more Z and I were just together and it was so wonderful. I thought he died yesterday (weird irrational fear that he got sucked down the river while fishing, did not die, did not even come close) but it really made me think about how much I love him and how much I need to enjoy him while he is around.
Anyway, it was a lovely winter day and I feel ready to face the week.

My Baby is Growing Up so Fast

Henry and Summer this morning. They are having so much fun together. What a ladies man.

3.12.10 - my advent calendar

morgan sent me this - it's an adorable little thing that opens up to the face of one family member every day. super sweet, and it makes me miss each person more.
what is it about seeing the face of someone that makes you miss them more? how is it possible that we can go through so many days thoughtless, not thinking about anyone, and then one reminder and, bam, their absence is suddenly obvious in every minute?

maybe for all we know

Tulips in December, who would have thought? But they are beautiful. I love how flowers change a room, they brighten it and expand it. I have decided I would always like to have flowers around and I want to live near a field where I can go and pick them myself. And then get really good at arranging them. I am going to be the best old woman ever!

1.12.10 - new season, old poem

The Summer Day


Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is is you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?


Mary Oliver


(we are discussing this poem in my English class today. makes me happy to share old beloved writings with new souls. makes me happy that you are making the most of your precious life!)

mmmmmmorning

Z, Henry, and I were all up early this morning reading, studying and cuddling. But it was one of those morning were we just stayed in bed and enjoyed each others company. This is why I love the mornings.

celebration time

we went out with some peeps last night for a little celebration, as you can see there was much red wine consumed. and i felt totally loved and awesome.

i will call you soon cause i want to catch up more, but these last few days i have really felt awesome. like i am able to dream more because now i realize that dreams really do come true.

turns out they are not just some silly thing that people pretend to believe in, but they are real, and when you work hard for something and you get it, oh man, cannot beat that feeling.

anyway, i wish you were there last night. it would have made the night complete.

hope to talk to you soon.

sorry about the absence

Wanted to share this beautiful thing with you. I love you so very much and you have been so supportive through all the years and always encouraged me to follow my dreams, and look, I am doing it!

Cannot wait for you to buy me a drink in celebration.

27.11.10 - routine

after a day of recovery from visits and indigestion, i am returned to my saturday routine of morning book, day cleaning, and unending prep for classes.

my sweet husband brought me a cup of cafe de olla (very sweet but tasty traditional mexican coffee) to enjoy as i finished my book. have you read the kite runner? i couldn't put it down, but mostly because the images were so terrible, so vivid, that i needed it to be resolved, needed some happiness to come out of the horror

26.11.10 - post-t-day

am annoyed because my posts and pictures from yesterday failed. so this is just part one of today's post but i'm giving up for now.
just writing to say hello, happy turkey recovery day, and i love you.

All My Recipes for Thanksgiving

And here is the plan for my day- cook, cook, cook and then cook some more tomorrow! And I could not be more excited about it. Wish you were here to do some baking with me, you are a great cooking partner. Miss our days of creating magnificence together, remember our cooking day before my wedding, that was amazing, such good preparation for the event. You are amazing.

Lazy Break Mornings

"I wonder, if in our modern, literal-minded age, being able to declare "what I do not see I do not know" is a mark, even a cornerstone, of a poet's faith. I do not mean that we're pragmatists, like Thomas, who asked to see and touch Christ's wounds, but rather that writing teaches us to recognize when we have reached the limits of our language, and our knowing, and are dependent on our senses to "know" for us."

Kathleen Norris

my newest member of the family

I understand what you are saying girl..... I just wish I could fly down there right now, we would have the best damn Mexican Thanksgiving together. I cannot wait till you are my tour guide, cause you will be the best!

I hope that your Sunday morning is redeemed.

21.11.10 - another sunday

she reminds me of you.

and he reminds me of zach.

apparently you two are a match made in olmec history.

Night with the boys

Sorry I cut out on you, my phone died and I just got home. But I will call you again soon, probably tomorrow.

Have a great time with the family and know that I love you so much.

19.11.10 - prepped

alex's parents arrive today.
i'm delaying going in to work because i don't have to teach till 11.
so this morning has a nice aura of limbo,
a few stolen moments for myself
before i go back to work and pubescent children
before i begin to assume a week-long role of hostess.

i'm trying to enjoy the moments and not be distracted by things i could clean before they get here!