First Sunburn of the Season and Hopefully the Last

Oh what a beautiful morning!... Oh what a beautiful day! And it was has been exactly that.

It is currently 76 outside and I have been loving it. This morning as I was dressing to run, Sis decided she wanted to come along. How do I tell an excited little person she can't come? I don't. We went up to the reservoir to exercise. (The Druid Hill Reservoir is a favorite place for people to bike, run or walk around. They have stations around the reservoir with exercise equipment like rowing machines, ellipticals, leg presses, pull-up bars, sit-up inclines, and more - permanently installed there. It is on the edge of Druid Hill Park which has trails and baseball diamonds and playgrounds scattered throughout. The Baltimore Zoo is in the middle of the park as is the Rawlings Botanical Gardens and the Conservatory. It is one of my favorite places to run, in large part because it is safe and close to home.) Much to our surprise, Eco Fair 2009 was setting up for the day so we had a small change of plans. They had these beautiful beach cruisers that you could "borrow" if you left some collateral. Esther got on a smaller bike and I got a gorgeous little blue number to zoom around on. We were out for an hour zipping through the adjacent park and along the trails. I haven't been on a bike since we moved and I forgot how free I feel on a comfy two-wheeler. Sis was fabulous. She didn't complain a bit and wanted to "race" every minute possible. I was in a long-sleeve tee at the beginning but it got deliciously warm so I shed it for the tank underneath. No sunscreen. None. Not a drop. What can I say, I didn't intend to find a shiny beach cruiser with my name on it for an hour. To make a long story a bit longer, I got cooked. Or as Kramer would say it... "Put a fork in me. I'm done". 

Favorite Friday... Springtime!

I love springtime!! I love everything about it. I love the chaotic weather. I love the trees in bloom and the flowers. I love not knowing whether to wear flip-flops and a skirt or jeans and a sweater. I love being able to make chicken soup and rolls one day and the next only wanting popsicles. I love flying kites and having picnics and leaving the doors and windows wide open. And the very next day making sure to pack an umbrella when I go to market because of the torrential downpour I will inevitably encounter. For a girl who doesn't love chaos, I am a little surprised at myself with how much I love the chaotic nature of spring. I think part of me loves the little bit of extra time I feel spring gives me before summer is on my back porch knocking.
During the summer I want to give myself over to the freedom of season. I want to swim and run and bike and play. I want to read more books in the park, drink slushies from the Sev (7-11) and only wear flip-flops. I want to swim until I am too tired to move my arms and then crash in glorious air-conditioning. I want to eat dinner on the patio and watch the sun go down behind the trees. The things I don't want to do are as follows: dishes, laundry, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, baking (I know crazy right?!) etc. Instead I want to take my kids to the beach and visit family and friends and roadtrip and go to the farmers' market and swim and eat fruit in-season and swim and get tan and swim. Let me just say it again.... I love spring!!

(Sis took this pic and the angle is a bit skewed, but I thought the colors were lovely and I am tired, so you get just what she took. :)
Springtime is in full swing here in Baltimore. Everything is in bloom! I knew Baltimore wouldn't disappoint me. It is more beautiful than I thought it would be. As we walked home from the market today I had to stopped and plunge my face into these lilacs. They were intoxicating! I just couldn't help myself, I swiped two little branches with blossoms just beginning to open and brought them home where I could indulge in their fragrance all week long.
The fountain on the parkway in front of our apartment was magically spouting today like it couldn't wait another minute to herald in springtime. It was one of the first things I fell in love with in Baltimore. This fountain was surrounded by flowers when we first moved here - as you can see in the next pic. 

The last few days have been gloriously warm after days of rain and supposedly tomorrow will be even nicer. Then beginning Sunday we are to get another three days of rain. It is all part of the season I love that we call spring.
And anyway I need the rain-days to catch up for the last few days of sunshine. The laundry is piling up and the vacuum is still waiting its turn. It won't hurt it to wait a few more days. I'll clean on Monday. Right now I am going out on the porch to read.

Chaotic Thoughts

It is raining again and I have been inside too long. My thoughts are so erratic. My son took the dog out for a potty break in the rain and now the house smells like wet dog. Yummy! I need to go grocery shopping today but I am still in my jammies and well... the rain. I find that when I am in the midst of organizing, it is utter chaos. That is when I want to give up and ultimately when I have to push through because the space always ends up better than how it started. (Can you tell I have not yet finished organizing the kids' room?) 

I want a house with perfect order. 

I know such a thing doesn't exist, but I still dream of it. I am not talking always tidy and spotlessly clean. What I am saying is... well, I don't quite know how to explain it. When I go to get a light bulb, I want all the light bulbs to be in the same place. When we have guests over, I want all the sheets, pillows and blankets all in one central location, not spread throughout the house in different closets and bins. I want all my winter items stored together so I know right where to get that one perfect hat out on an unusually cold day. These seem like simple no-brainer kinds of things to want and even more they should be easy to achieve. And I am achieving them, but slowly. Every time I organize, I refine my system to get rid of unnecessary items, and better store the ones I keep. It just seems like a never-ending process. Can you see the analogy I might draw from all of this? Not today. Today I am going to revel in the chaos of the situation. Living in an apartment limits what I have to work with, in that I don't want to spend money on something I can't take with me to the next place, so I have to be creative. I am good at being creative which is maybe part of why I enjoy organizing, also that I am a bit of a control freak might add to it. 

Oh and did I mention that I strongly dislike the paper factor of life? So much paper comes into our house every month. I have changed nearly every bill or statement to paperless and it still pours in. It comes in magazines, junk mail, church information, school work, etc. And we store it for years in boxes until the blessed day comes that enough time has passed to allow us to shred it. We keep papers from our childhoods and our children's childhoods. I see all of these things as valid, still in excess they are a nuisance to me. Receipts drive me crazy too! 

We just have too much stuff. I need to move to Italy and start over in a little villa somewhere.

Thing is, with everything we have I don't feel like we live an excessive life. There is just so much stuff that comes with life. If you live in a climate with different seasons you have two different wardrobes. If you have any kind of hobbies ie: camping, fishing, sewing, baking, gardening, quilting, woodworking, sports, cooking (just to name a few of ours) there is all the gear that goes with each one. Add kids to the mix and the stuff multiplies like crazy. Then if you read books, watch movies, play games, etc. there is a whole heap of new things. And finally if you are in a transitionary state, like we are, then you have things in storage for when you move to a more permanent life. It all takes up space and I am constantly trying to become mistress of my domain with exhausting results. 

I hope I am not alone on this. I know there are many of you out there who have achieved a higher state of perfection in your domains. I applaude you. It is a challenge for me, but one that enjoy trying to conquer. I figure the month that we are ready to pack-up and move, I will feel like everything is just perfect. Life is like that sometimes.

Life is Good

Today I am feeling mellow. Not to worry, it's not sadness, just contented contemplation coursing through my being. I have been thinking about gratitude lately. I have been thinking that I don't express my gratitude enough. I lead a very blessed, a very full and most importantly a very happy life. I want all of you, my friends and family out there, to know how grateful I am for you. Somewhere in the last 33 years each of you have touched my life. You've contributed to that happy life. Many of you touch my life everyday. You inspire me to see goodness, no - make that greatness, in the world around me. You help me to keep my perspective and be able to laugh at myself when all I want to do is scream, or cry, or both. You boost me up when I am feeling low, you lift me higher when I am already feeling on top. And you keep me humble when my head is in the clouds and I need to come back to earth. I miss so many of you and think of you often. Sometimes my arms ache for hugs from you and my cheeks need your kisses. I have so many "small world" moments these days. These are tender mercies from my Maker. He gives so much and then heaps more blessings on top of my overflowing cup. He has given me everything, all of you and I feel so blessed, so grateful for that gift. May you feel God's love this day. He is real. He is all around us. He loves us, every single one of us. And I love all of you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for everything. Go out and make today great!