Each visit is beautiful, and each time it is harder to leave. This week was particularly delightful, with the reunion of Five Alive and the celebration of V & Mort's wedding! That event will be saved for it's very own post. In the meantime, these shots are from a walk I took with my parents in East Montpelier. Somehow in the span of 6 days I managed quality time with both parents, a weekend worth of wedding beauty with many of my dearest friends, an afternoon on the Burlington waterfront with Kate and Lay, and dinner with my beloved Mushlin and his wife Liz. It is so amazing to spend time with so many of my favorites. My heart is full as I head back to Colorado, and I'm thankful too for the fun summer that awaits me in Steamboat.

83 and blue skies in Montpelier.

35 and snowing in Steamboat.

So happy to be in Vermont right now. Not only for the sunshine, but for the friends, parents, neighbors, green trees, blooming flowers, and most of all... for the maple cremees! (kidding, i swear).

ilovermontpelier.

detroit, thursday morning at 5:30 am.

There has been so much good news in my world this weekend!

Yesterday I learned that Kim, my freshman roommate at Vassar, is engaged to her partner, Lucas! As you may recall from below, I just saw Kim about a month ago in Boston, for the first time in 4 years. She mentioned that there was an engagement in her future, but didn't think it would be particularly soon. Turns out the time came sooner than she thought! Congrats Kimmy, on your engagement as well as your graduation from Harvard!

A few hours later, I learned that my dearest friend Jenna accepted a job as the guidance counselor at MAIN STREET MIDDLE SCHOOL. This is the middle school in MONTPELIER that we attended, walked to each day (uphill both directions in the snow) and graduated from to the tune of the Saved By The Bell. She has been on the job hunt for the past 5 months, in both NYC and Vermont, and this is AMAZING. Congrats, Jen, on your perfect new job, graduating from Hunter, and renewing your Vermont identity!

In other news, it is finally warm and sunny in Steamboat. It's been cold, wet, snowy & rainy for the past several weeks, and I thought spring was never going to arrive. It arrived yesterday in full force-- green buds popping, blue sky, sunshine, green grass. It's lovely. Brett and I had a great weekend on the farm, and now I'm back at work for 3 days before jetsetting from Denver at 1am on Thursday. Woohoo!

one week til vermont. there is a buzz beginning all over the country amongst 5 of my dearest friends. hooray! hoping that energy will carry me through the many things on my to-do list before then.

I ran home for lunch for the second day in a row. Sometimes lunch breaks really ruin my work flow, and other days they are such a blessing. Today it felt necessary.

What's for lunch today?

A roasted pepper, mushroom & red onion sandwich with herbed goat cheese. Yum!

So, the first two days of my April trip were spent in Boston. I spent two nights with my dear Vassar friend Emma. Emma was one of my earliest friends at Vassar- a hallmate in Strong Dorm. We bonded over our love for home states and the cultures we were raised in, a passion for dancing and good music, a following of the moon, and many other beautiful details. We remained close, although my rowing schedule for all four years limited our playtime. We've also remained close since graduation in 2006, although we (ahem, me) aren't always as good about staying in communication as desired. Regardless, we had a delightful day together watching the Boston Marathon, and met up with Kim, my freshman roommate, for breakfast. Kim and I have been positively terrible abut keeping in touch, but had such a fun time catching up over lattes and sitting on her couch. I also managed to run into a camp friend, Sam, at the Boston Marathon. We trekked across the city to meet Emma's roommate's friend and boom- there was Sam standing next to her! I love the way the universe conspires like that.

I just ran home for a quick lunch, and thought I would post some long overdue photos from my April trip to Boston (coming in another post) and Cape Cod! It was a wonderfully relaxing week spent enjoying the ocean, spending quality time with my parents and grandparents, two good Vassar friends, one darling cousin Lauren, eating lobster, walking on the beach (some days warmer than others), gardening, reading, napping and more.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

--MARY OLIVER

happy mother's day to a simply remarkably, caring, artistic and wonderful mother. i love you momma!

What a lovely song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe3RqgnXaT4

"Find happiness within yourself. Then share yourself with others."

-Yogi teabag

Today:

• A quick and sweaty workout
• Walk to work
• A glimpse of sunshine
• A delicious smoothie (i'm on a kick-- banana, berries, yogurt, spinach, pomegranate juice and oj!)
• Josh Ritter on Pandora Radio
• Two weeks until the best-weekend-ever
• In the meantime, this weekend is looking pretty awesome as well. Tonight, happy hour with my cubs and then Cabaret with Schmeltz. Tomorrow, a visit from Nick. Sunday, a shopping date with Kate!

May.

Oh May, how I've been waiting for you....

May 2010 has been a highlight on my horizon for about a year now, when my dear friend V announced that she and Mort would be getting married. It became something tremendous and beautiful to look forward to-- celebrating the love and unity of two amazing people, enjoying what will hopefully be beautiful spring weather and activities in Vermont, and uniting our full crew of 6 for the first time since 2003.

Guess what?! May has arrived. The countdown has begun, the quest for a simple & stylish dress has begun, and the visions of hugs, laughter, barefeet & maple cremees have infiltrated my heart and mind.

Sigh. Life is lovely.

"Sometimes the beauty's easy, sometimes you don't have to try at all. Sometimes you can hear the wind blow in a handshake, sometimes there's poetry written right on the bathroom wall."-Ani Difranco

In the morning when you wake up, you reflect on the day ahead and aspire to use it to keep a wide-open heart and mind. At the end of the day, before going to sleep, you think over what you have done. If you fulfilled your aspiration, even once, rejoice in that. If you went against your aspiration, rejoice that you are able to see what you did and are no longer living in ignorance. This way you will be inspired to go forward with increasing clarity, confidence, and compassion in the days that follow.

—Pema Chödrön, ‘Bite-sized Buddhism’ (Fall 2007)