so apparently

it's been exactly two years since I landed in Paris. At least that's what my friends who also studied abroad there keep telling me on facebook. Which means it's been two years since the start of the best three months of my life (so far). Honestly, I had forgotten it was today.

So to honor that monumental day, two years ago, sitting on the plane thinking what did I get myself into, here's a few photos that show that it was worth it.

Warning: I say "few" very loosely. I started looking through these photos and got a little carried away!


The first photo I took. Near the Champs Elysees.


I loved all the street markets. And nothing beats fresh flowers.


Marais.


Waiting in line for the top floor of the Eiffel Tower.


Pretty incredible what a lot of time and patience will get you.


Montmarte.




Window display and street refection off the Champs Elysees.


View from the top.


My roommate and greatest friend of the trip, Kelsey. And I. Lost in the early hours of morning near the Louvre.




Paris in springtime. Pretty lovely.


Amazing transportation system, including these bikes you can rent all over the city.




Bicycles in front of Notre Dame.


Brandon decided to join us on the left. And then there's Sam-and-or-antha, moi, Sophie/Quasi, Kels, and Karissa. My partners in crime.



Je t'aime Paris,
vous avez saisi mon coeur et ne laisserez pas aller.

walk it off

when I was a little girl, I had to wear an eye patch, pirate style.

Thanks to a little thing called strabismus, I had (and still have) a lazy eye. Don't worry, I don't walk the streets looking like a crazy, thankfully contacts and glasses set my eye straight. When I was younger, I would wear an eye patch over my strong eye to strengthen the weak one.

And I hated it. When I was really little, the eye patches were pretty much big sticky band-aids, which hurt like a mother to take off. And then later, there were these neat felt ones that slid over my glasses (making it easy to cheat). Because the big sticky ones were so awful, my mom made a calendar, put it on the fridge, and every day that I wore my eye patch she would place a sticker on the calendar. When the calendar was full, she'd take me out for a prize, like a Barbie. It worked. Like a charm.

Fast forward almost twenty years later. For years my mom has been complaining about weighing more than she'd like. But she never does anything about it. She doesn't like to buy new clothes, because hopefully one day soon she'll magically shrink and then they wouldn't fit. A few years ago she and my dad bought a treadmill. That I've used more than her. Problem is, I've probably only used it ten or so times.

I've begun to realize how much my mother and I are alike. We need that push from someone else, and, I just realized, we're not self starters. Bummer.

I guess this means I need to be the one that pushes this time. So yesterday, I made a calendar. Put in on the fridge. Got some cool stickers.

And this morning (because she kept putting me off yesterday) we got up (way earlier than I'd like) and went for a walk.

A forty minute walk. The compromise we made because she didn't do the twenty minute walk yesterday.

I hope my mom will keep with it so she can get her barbie.

in the spirit of February...

Okay, so maybe it's a hospital commercial about heart disease, but it's lovely all the same.

music for your Monday

So I'm sure you've all seen this because of it's awesome-ness.

Which is why I've never posted it before. But this morning I was in the mood to watch and listen to it for probably, umm, the hundredth time, so I figured you might want to join me in celebrating the wonderful outcome of what was probably a very long day.

Yeah? Okay, good.



Hurray for stop-motion and good music combined!

P.S. This weekend I discovered that I've been spelling hurray wrong for as long as I could miss-spell it. Apparently hooray isn't right. I think I prefer hooray anyways. Or perhaps I will begin to say hurrah! Maybe, even, huzzah! Much more climactic.

Alright. I'm done.

oh goodness

expectations.

They're terrible.

Have you noticed that when you have expectations you will almost always be let down?

I suppose that's why I don't expect much of others or from experiences. Because when you don't expect much, things always go great. When you don't expect much, you appreciate what you get. When you don't expect much, it's hard to get angry over little things, that in the broad scheme of life, matter very little.

All I'm saying, people, is to expect less and enjoy more.

spunk

Last summer my mom came home from a garage sale with a huge box full of old photographs. And of course I permanently borrowed some.

When I look at these,
I wonder who they were.
What was their story?

I suppose I'll never know their reality. But it's fun dreaming them up.

Like this girl?
In my imagination, she's full of spunk. The slightly quirky girl that everyone adores and wishes they could be.


And these girls?
Fifty years later they still get together every Wednesday to gossip.


This woman has traveled the world. But nothing makes her feel quite as good as coming home to her cactus garden.

music for your Monday

Beautiful music, right?

This is Andrew Bird, who I'm new to, and then, if you have a longer attention span than I or time to kill, you'll see a bit of St. Vincent!

I'd say that's a pretty sweet deal.

Pom Pom Paige

This afternoon my family had a little get together to celebrate January birthdays, but I only managed to snag about twelve or fourteen shots. These are of my cousin Holly's little girl Paige, who just turned two. She had fun playing with my old dress up things, and carried these pom poms around the farm.

resonate

are there ever any quotes that just really resonate with you?

Here's one that's been getting at me lately-





This is my only self portrait from my Europe experience in 2008. Some of my happiest memories. Looking at this photo almost two years later, I hardly notice the disgusting blanket, my fuller cheeks, or my bad Italian haircut. What I see now is contentment.

Because I threw off the bowlines.

I long to feel that once again. The rush of stepping outside my comforts and fully embracing life. Which means I have some changes to make.

Glad we had this chat.

risotto

I learned a valuable lesson today.

The next time I'm hungry for risotto?

I should go to a restaurant and order it.

Attempting to make it myself?

Bad. Very bad.

music for your Monday

I like to dance around to this when I'm getting ready to go out.

Actually, that's not true.

I like to dance to it for absolutely no reason, anytime I please.

It's just such a happy song. Especially the video, doesn't it just make you long for warmer days? And a convertible? And sunglasses that magically change color?

The only negative about this video? Thinking about how much it's going to hurt when she combs out those windblown tangles. Ouch.

P.S. I first saw this on someone else's blog quite some time ago, but I can't remember whose! Sorry and thank you to whoever (whomever?) introduced me to this wonderfulness.

Oh geez, I just can't help myself... I also love this song by Mozella, Can't Stop. It's been on repeat all weekend.

one of those days

Do you ever have one of those days when you just wake up in a mood? Where you have a closet overflowing with clothes but ABSOLUTELY NOTHING looks good once you put it on? When your smile rarely comes out to play? When you come across as the supreme bitch? And you can't explain it? You're just in a bad mood and you want to stay that way, no matter how much you tell yourself you're being ridiculous?

Today. Today was just one of those days for me.

My poor mother. I don't think she knew what hit her. But she took it well. I guess I just had a case of the mean reds. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, oh man look out. I don't yell, or snap, I just become easily irritated. I become quiet. And perhaps overly sarcastic. Which could very well be worse than yelling. The worst part is, my family members usually take the hit. Innocent pedestrians, have no fear. Family, take cover.

Thankfully, approximately three hours ago, I snapped out of it.

I think the fact that I bought an adorable pair of lacey pumps from Nordstroms and a fun apron from Anthropologie helped.

Aah retail therapy.