yes, it is.

a birthday ski.

today is my favorite day. today is my birthday.

a few years ago, i created a practice of doing yoga on my birthday. what better way to show a little self love? i still intend to do a few sun salutations today.

in the meantime, this year i started my birthday with a ski. b, lu & i were out before the sun this morning and out in a local field scooting around in the fluffy, soft, sweet snow that fell last night. we slid up and down the hill, and i have since maintained the level of smile that makes my jaw ache a little bit.

29 is off to a great start!

create something that will make the world awesome.

this video is amazing. enjoy.

lately.

saturday mornings.

office view.

holiday cookies.

new grey shirts for christmas.

sleepy girl.

tell me...

sunday still life.

words to live by.

skiing at the state house.

the lone bellow.

my dad shared a new up & coming band with me this week. the lone bellow is suddenly gathering quite a bit of attention, and i'm enjoying their country-soul with a side of folk sound!

success.

love.

sending a little extra love to these two sweet souls tonight. xoxo

"This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look, laugh, cajole, create, confront, confound, walk back, walk forward, circle, hide, and seek.” 

-Terry Tempest Williams

chilly.

it was a little brisk this morning-- negative 7 on our morning walk. expected to get windy & cold this weekend. stay warm out there, kiddos!

instructions for living a life:

pay attention. be astonished. tell about it.

-mary oliver

a good january morning.

 fun & challenging workout, giant fluffy snowflakes, mumford pandora, newman's own coffee and a homemade hat (with a pompom of course) atop my head. keep the snow coming & i'll keep smiling.

self-love saturday.

ah, saturday- my good friend. we sure enjoyed each other today. a slow start to the day, a walk in the park with j & the pups. a short grocery list. in the moment when i intended to go to the gym, i lay down on the bed and spooned my dog instead. neither of us could have been happier. leftovers for lunch. a quick grocery shop, with the indulgence of tulips. my favorite-- especially the ones that are orangy-pink with yellow tips. so cheery on this rainy day. a birthday present ordered early. a workout with no time limits, and great pop music. after, on my way to the atm machine, i accidentally found myself outside the new gelato shop. i've been intending to try it for a while for a special treat, and today just felt right. after sampling many, i settled on mintpelier chip & creme fraiche. deeeeelicious. i walked home enjoying my treat, got the dog, and headed back to the park for another loop. now, finally time to shower & head to a lovely dinner to celebrate al's birthday. what a day.

i'm grateful for the gifts of tulips, movement & gelato. laundry, cleaning & work left for tomorrow. totally worth it.

alive.

"we are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. we know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. but we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only  moment there is for us to be alive."

-thich nhat hanh

friday eve.

leaving work right at 5. home by 5:45, in comfy clothes by 5:50. clean sheets & the puff (down comforter) on for the first time this winter. giggling girls downstairs. the apartment to myself. leftover tacos with guacamole. enjoying cozy new arrangement in the spare room. finishing a great book. hot tea. a giant salted caramel. a tv series. friday friday friday.

boots of spanish leather.

i called it early that the lumineers were going to hit it big, and they have-- with two grammy nominations (best new artist & best americana album). the local pop radio has started to play their hit 'ho hey' with frequency since this announcement. i'm glad to see such a great young crew getting good press and recognition. and, i hope they will still come back to vermont to play for us again here in this small state as they were so fun last summer.

my friend amie shared this new cover with me earlier this week. i love it. enjoy!

lighten up.

pictures.

lunch break.

with sun in the sky and sparkly snow to enjoy, my team escaped from the office on ski today. we crossed the field from our building, crossed the street, and headed out to another field. we had a great time (and 3 out of 4 of us matched perfectly) sliding around, and enjoyed lunch nearby before skiing back. 

in my heart.

"i have so much of you in my heart." 

-- john keats

it's ok.

intentions for 2013.

i've never been one to set resolutions at the start of the year-- but there does seem to be some value in setting intentions for the year ahead. what's the difference? i'm not really sure. but an intention seems less intimidating and more like something small i might actually do, at least from time to time. so here are a few ideas...

say yes more. take day trips. use the crock pot. initiate the five minute phone call with far away friends rather than wait for the never-gonna-happen hour catch up call. get in bed early enough to read with more frequency. drink more tea. de-clutter our apartment. practice yoga once per week- even a few sun salutations in the living room will count. host spontaneous dinners/potlucks. fill my tank before the gas light comes on. attempt to leave ten minutes earlier for work. purchase intentionally. bake more cookies. plan & enjoy our first "real" vacation. try new recipes. do more crafting- starting with knitting. get my eyes checked. send small pieces of mail to people i love.

van the man.

any day that starts off with van morrison is going to be a good one. this song was playing when i got to the gym this morning. couldn't help but do a little dance. enjoy!

letters of note.

new website to enjoy:

letters of note.

check it out!

2013.