a good bar.

i stumbled across this interesting article today. in steamboat, mambo was my "third space"-- where i gathered with my friends, felt known and a part of community. three penny could become that for me in vermont, but so far it's been an infrequent destination.


"The vaunted ‘third space’ isn’t home, and isn’t work - it’s more like the living room of society at large. It’s a place where you are neither family nor co-worker, and yet where the values, interests, gossip, complaints and inspirations of these two other spheres intersect. It’s a place at least one step removed from the structures of work and home, more random, and yet familiar enough to breed a sense of identity and connection. It’s a place of both possibility and comfort, where the unexpected and the mundane transcend and mingle." 


Why a Good Bar Is Essential to Sustainable Communities

puppylove.

the lumineers 2.

yup. still loving them.

it's all up to you.

signs of summer.

mom & i headed to the boat last night. there's always lots of work to be done to prep the boat for another season in lake champlain, and i have to be sure to put in enough work to earn my invitation for some sweet summer sailing adventures. i'd say i have a few more hours of work to go (wouldn't you, dad?) before i've earned my keep as crew, but this was a good start. it was a splendid mild evening, with a bright sun setting over the bay. mom & i worked away and then enjoyed a picnic on the bow, twelve feet in the air! the sun was setting over the lake & the adirondacks as we drove home, and i was reminded again just how special summer in vermont is.

corporate cup.

last thursday was vermont's corporate cup-- a giant 5k race for businesses from all over the state to help promote fitness! it takes place in downtown montpelier and i distinctly remember the big event from many years growing up (as well as from the middle of a bachelorette scavenger hunt two years ago!). this year, both brett and my employers rallied folks to participate. it was a gorgeous spring afternoon, and a good time all around. i was on a walking team with two of my coworkers, and we kept our feet moving quickly to a 16th place finish for women's corporate walking teams. brett's running team rocked-- and brett finished in 23:14! i was shocked when we passed each other so early in the race. afterwards, we had our respective coworkers back to our house for a bbq celebration.

two ORS teams supporting muscles not motors

the green mountain girls

hold on.

aside from ben howard & the lumineers, the other likely sound you might hear coming our our open windows these days is that of the alabama shakes. i found out about them after an upcoming concert was recommended last month, but by the time i got a chance to enjoy their sound, the show was sold out!

i am digging them!

happy dog, happy people.

this picture is just how i felt all weekend:

like a happy dog panting in the sunshine.

simply stunning weather and a whole host of perfect summer activities with some of my favorite people has left me smiling with joy (and ready for a good nap).

happy birthday, b.

today my boy turns 30. we both took the day off and have enjoyed the most beautiful day. breakfast in bed, a snuggly puppy, garden work, peddling around town. golf with al for b, a walk with j for me. today is 73 and sunny, with a sparkling blue sky. i'm about to frost a cake (chocolate with cream cheese frosting) and then we are bbqing in the back yard. what a perfect way to celebrate. 

i pulled together a special little surprise for brett for his day. here's the teaser.

old pine.

you know that moment when you hear a song for the first time and you immediately know it is an instant favorite? speaking to you oh so sweetly, and saying- i'm going to be your new soundtrack. i love that.

it happened this morning with this song. lyrics here. enjoy!

"there is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything. negative people find their walls. so never apologize for your enthusiasm. never. ever. never." -ryan adams

i just really love the first sentence.

mother's day.

i got to spend mother's day with these lovely ladies this year. a quick trip to the cape meant cocktails and cheese with gran, family dinner, a beach walk with mom, and a special sunny afternoon celebrating a life well lived with lots of family.

i'd like to live here. or maybe just try staying here for a week or two. doesn't it look like fun?

tiny stories.

Sunday.

Not a bad spot to start the day.

week of fun.

it's been such a busy week that i'm looking forward to catching up on sleep a bit this weekend. but there have been so many lovely things that i meant to share with you!

last weekend started out with a fun night out. i had heard that a local vermont theatre group was doing a production of rent & knew that i needed to round up jenna and go. we both loved rent (j loved it even more than me!) in high school and we've each seen the play on broadway, sang songs in chorus, and i even own the movie. so we headed out to plainfield for the play with one of jenna's coworkers and caught dinner at the awesomely revamped positive pie beforehand. p.pie was delicious- enjoyed an algash white and a perfectly cooked burger. we headed over to the haybarn for the show and i was completely blown away. i was expecting a good ol' community theatre rendition of the play- but the level of talent and professionalism of the group was amazing! it was hard not to sing along, but i was successful until the end. all weekend i kept telling folks how great the play was and that they should make time to go see it!

saturday was a great balance of productivity (laundry, vacuuming, dog walking) and fun (dog walking in the cemetery, cremees, sunshine). then the evening was a delight. there was a big street party downtown in the afternoon which i enjoyed with brett's coworkers, and then we ended up back on our porch drinking beers with jen & al and getting to know our new neighbors. after that, we picked up burritos downtown (happy cinco de mayo!) and took them to jenna and al's to enjoy and let the dogs play. we wrapped up the evening with a walk (to another cemetery) to watch the super moon rise. what an incredible moon! it was so bright that there were shadows everywhere even.


lupe & od holding hands during a rare & brief break from playing.

 sunday was another quiet day but i wrapped up the day mountain biking with brett, al, jamie & the two dogs. it was a pretty technical ride (with three fast boys) and while i had plenty of frustrating moments and i walked my bike a bit, i was so proud of myself! i am a self proclaimed chicken, and i'm entirely intimidated by brett's coworkers and the crazy rides that they do, so this was a good step in the direction of self-improvement. last summer i preferred dirt road riding to single track riding, so we'll see what i enjoy most this summer. i came home muddy, scraped up, exhausted &smiling and we feasted on pork tacos with guacamole, showered and crawled into bed.

wednesday night brett and i went out for a fancy dinner. hen of the wood is a classy, locally sourced restaurant nearby, and i had purchased a deal for it ($25 for a $50 card) so we went for an early birthday dinner (the ol' man turns 30 next week!) and date night. we both got dressed up and had a wonderful time. the best things we ate: maine grown mussels with a garlic sauce and buttercake with lemon curd & rubarb.

last night i went to a play with my folks right in montpelier- another impressive cast. it's been so fun to have a little arts & culture this week! tonight i'm going for more as we're going to see feist. beforehand we are trying a new mexican place in burlington. i know- we have been living large this week. but we've tried to go two other fridays when we were in burlington for a show at the flynn, and both times they were too busy. so now we have a reservation and there is a margarita with my name on it (rocks & salt, please). tomorrow i'm heading down for a quick overnight on the cape, and then i'm back for another busy week at work!

longest post ever? apparently i've been too busy having fun to tell you about my moments as they occur. have a great weekend, friends.

feist.

we're going to see feist perform tonight, and i am really excited. i like feist, but i don't actually listen to her music all that much. i've heard great things about her as a performer, so i decided to splurge and get the tickets. to get ready, i'm listening to her today at my desk.

i just watched this video and i think the images are remarkable. i'm not sure who the photographer was, but i love the project. and feist's voice accompanying it.

stand up! walk around!

here's a healthy reminder for all of us. stand up. smile. move around. walk. run. exercise, moderately. drink chocolate milk (!).

silly dogs.

i came across this pic over the weekend on a blog. it's amazing what's on the internet. i just love this.

ps- when did i become a "dog person"?

sweet potato bread.

yes. bread. with sweet potatoes. there sure are some creative people out there. i came across the recipe on a blog over the weekend and immediately scheduled some baking into my sunday afternoon. and oh yes- this was a success. it's similar to pumpkin bread, but not too sweet. i added raisins and walnuts: two things i never add to my zucchini, pumpkin, or banana bread- and yet they are just right. it's made for a great breakfast every morning this week!

sorry for the poor color quality!

Recipe:
•1 1/2 cups white sugar

•1/2 cup melted butter

•2 eggs

•1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

•1 teaspoon baking soda

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

•1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

•1/3 cup water

•1 heaping cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (a bit more than a cup, more like 1 1/4)
•1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

You can either boil the peeled, chopped sweet potatoes or roast them. Your choice.

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and butter; mix well. Add eggs and beat. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in sweet potatoes and chopped nuts.


2.Pour batter into greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. Bake for about one hour.

loved and used.

"people were created to be loved. things were created to be used. the reason the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used."

mumford & sons.

my favorite line from a mumford song.

spontaneity.

last week was full of some wonderfully spontaneous adventures.

• beautiful tulips to decorate the apartment
• a pre-dinner bike ride to the cremee stand (whoever said eat dessert first knew what they were talking about!)

• a trip to the movie theater on a weeknight
• taking myself out to lunch between meetings (check out the sister moon sammy!)
• an overnight on lake champlain at the cabin my folks were staying in 

morning walk.

most mornings i head to the gym early for my workout and brett takes lu for her morning walk or run. after a big bike ride last night (separate post), lupe and i were both feeling a little tired and sore this morning. it was a most spectacular morning-- perfect blue skies, dew on the grass, flowers in bloom, and the sweet scent of crab apple blossoms. we stretched our legs and smiled with the sun. it was a good reminder that perhaps i should forgo the gym for the outdoors a little more often in the morning!

vista verde days.

six years ago this month, my colorado chapter began. with post-grad plans looming, two of my best girls and i opted for adventure and headed out for a summer on a dude ranch. little did i know as i drove across the country that my summer waiting tables and playing in the mountains would lead to a five year journey in routt county- including a great job, a lot of alpacas, and eventually some truly special friends. the ranch also brought me & b together, as well as alaya and her now-husband cholly!

today, after years of living in vermont and in colorado, alaya & chol are headed back to routt county to work at vista verde. i could not be more excited for them. enjoy that fresh mountain air, my dears!

"why can't i try on different lives, like dresses, to see which fits best and is most becoming?" -unknown

happy friday!

here's a little tune to keep your friday going.

live accordingly.

taco.

we had the easiest yummy dinner last night. i picked up some corn-flour tortillas that several coworkers had been raving about at hannaford's. topped them with refried black beans (jazzed up with lime & garlic powder), oven roasted chili powder coated sweet potato cubes, a bit of goat cheese & cilantro. topped off with hot sauce and YUM. we were meant to have avocado on them as well, but it wasn't ripe yet. i love trying new combinations. this dinner took less than 15 minutes to prepare, as i had already roasted the sweet potato earlier in the week when i had the oven on for something else. what's your favorite taco?