Ophelia's drunk

This is what happens when I have weekends off. I started getting ready for a wedding a little too early and found I had a few extra minutes on my hands. What better way to pass the time than with a camera, some lip gloss, and a nice syrah.

(i know absolutly nothing about wine. i picked this one because it is a red, and because of the fun picture on the front of the bottle.)

So here's to still having another 20 minutes to kill. The piano has been drinking.

Not me. Not me.

Still my favorite...

The thing I love about life, is how Moonlight Sonata can make me so happy and break my heart at the same time. It's like having a horrible day and Christmas morning all rolled into one. I almost cry every time I hear the song and I don't know why (crying is for girls).

So take an amazing song and throw it in with a beautiful night, a quaint little fountain, and some bears (i don't know why the bears...they just sneak in EVERYWHERE!) and my little escape is complete. I crave my escape.

Elphaba lives!

For years I've wanted the little sticky word magnets. Sunday, my dream came true. I've never been so inspired by my refrigerator...or have I?

I think I will start to communicate with people only through my magnets. It may take awhile to get out what I'm trying to say, but oh, how poetic it will be when done.

I think everyone needs a set of these things. They make me happy. Thank goodness for the little things.

(about 500 little things that took me 20 minutes to break apart and put on my fridge...totally worth it)

The glass is not broken.

Some days I just can't help but think, "Damn...life is good."

When I was young...

I grew up outside a small town in the middle of Nebraska. We had forts scattered throughout various shelter belts, rode our bicycles on gravel roads, and our nearest neighbor was 1/2 mile away. I wouldn't change it for the world. Today I took Taya to Morrill Hall and the Capitol. It reminded me of our trip (to the city) to those same places when I was about her age. I was maybe even a few years younger. Today, when we were at the top of the capitol, it didn't seem to be as far up as it did all those years ago. The creatures of the past in Elephant Hall were also less awe-inspiring than I remember. Thinking back on the way things seemed makes me appreciate how amazing childhood can be. It makes me miss the feelings of astonishment which came so easily in my younger years.

Taya is very anxious to be a "teen" and is constantly reminding me that it is only three years away. Today I told her she needs to slow down and not be in such a hurry to grow up. When she asked why, all I could think to say was, "because". Wow...words of wisdom. But I don't think I could put into any words what it feels like to watch her reaction after being splashed by the fountains and to tell her to put that emotion in her pocket and hold onto it for those days in the future when life is bearing down on you and you feel sad. And whenever she needs to step away from the crap life can hand a person, all she needs to do is pull a little bit of the moment by the fountains out of her pocket of throw it in the air. How do you make an "almost-a-teen" slow down and enjoy the little things?

Tag-along

This is my shout out to Taya for being such a good sport this week. She's been with me since Monday, and during that time she's put up with me taking her wherever I go. (captain obvious)

She's gone to Crescent Moon three times and was wonderful each time. Monday - it was bad vocals, Wednesday - horrible wind, Thursday - chilly and windy. But she stuck it out. I'm glad she did, because what better place than a courtyard sanctuary to take all of her pennies for the fountain in some exciting games of tic-tac-toe (for money!). I RULE! Yes, I gave her the pennies back.

So here's to you Taya, for being about the best niece a person could have. I say about because you made me put on a swimming suit, and that's just not cool. Nonetheless, I've enjoyed the week and can't wait to do it again in another nine years...wait, what?

All that is evil.

Okay, there are little fruit-fly type thingies that keep landing on my screen. It is very annoying. No matter how many times I swipe them away they just keep coming back. It's like their sole mission is to piss me off. Well little guys...job well done. I don't know if I've just typed a comma or if it is a fruit-fly hanging out. Ahhh!! That one is huge! I'm going to have little bug guts all over my screen. Ugh...the perils of blogging with the lights off.

While this photo has nothing to do with bugs, it is a joyous one nonetheless. It offers a glance back at more simple times. A time when the wind didn't blow 800 miles an hour and the sun actually popped out from behind the dust clouds. A time where you didn't have to wear sunglasses when the sun was down to keep the f-ing dirt and tree bits out of your eyes. A time when you didn't have to yell so the person sitting next to you could hear what you were saying.

It is from yesterday.