a day off

i had the day off last friday. 

i spent it exploring a new museum and just generally enjoying the spring weather.

i would seriously love to have dinner with this man.

granted, i probably wouldn't understand much of what he would say, but...

bloomin' daffs and magnolias.... sigh.

the national building museum is beautiful.

the lego room... you can build your own building.

all in all, a very good way to spend the day.

thoughtful thursday: the best parts

           The little unremembered acts of kindness
                                                 and love are the best parts of a person's life.

       
                                                                      ~William Wordsworth

naked trees, ropes and harnesses

here's a glimpse of the birthday weekend fun on saturday morning.

an obstacle course, zip lining adventure through the naked trees of maryland.

it was great fun, and oh so very cold!

all harnessed up.

trying to keep my hands warm.

rope ladders... ugh.

the starting point

seriously, i'm not indiana jones...

really, really high up

grit my teeth and let go

uh, no i'm not walking across on that cargo net.

hey, indie where'd ya get that hat?

yet another bum shot...

WOOHOO!

it's about letting go.

free fallin'...

things that made me smile this week

* it was the week leading up to my birthday. lots of cards arrived in the mail. birthday wishes were posted to my facebook page. it was soooo nice to feel the love. thank you.


* i caught a glimpse of healing, golden light this week. thank you.
   oh.... and my liver makes me laugh...


* a play by david mamet put on by spooky action theater. it was a great evening with a good friend at ben's chili bowl, an interesting play, and full moon gazing as we came out of the theater.


i love playing with settings on my camera phone.

* a day off spent touring the national building museum--amazing building. a movie and a stop by the library. perfectly relaxing.


* spring is in the air complete with lovely allergies.


* zip lining through the wild woods of maryland when it's freezing cold outside. s'mores for breakfast around a fire. getting caught on film swearing as i work up the nerve to jump and let go. laughing at a friend's reaction to falling off a ledge. me not jumping quite far enough and almost cracking my coccyx. (photos to follow.)


* a long bath. good music. clean sheets. comfy pjs. sleeping with the window cracked. cleaning my house. folding laundry. playing the piano. walking the dog. working from home. reading a book. cooking.


* josiah was gone all week because my roommate was traveling. he came home on saturday afternoon and was in the backyard when i got home. he totally started whining when i came in and didn't stop until i went outside to sit with him and cuddle. i love that darn dog.


* my fish penny is still alive. i've had her over a year now. she's doing well and still making me laugh.

* i love the different ways my family sings happy birthday to me. they all know i'm musically inclined, and they like to torture me. so their renditions are simply hilarious.
    * brother R1's family basically summoned all the chaos in the universe for their rendition, including a loooooong and artistic belch by nephew C.
    * brother J's little boy M, who is almost three, sang to me in the cutest voice ever and then said, "happy dirt-day tristine!"
    * my dad serenaded me as only my dad can. "your nickle's done...."
    * sister B and her two boys sang to me on the phone and on my answering machine. i can listen over and over again.
    * brother R2's family also sang to me, and little Miss L telling me she loves me, just melts my heart every time. nephew G asked if i had eaten any brains for my birthday and i told him no, because i was waiting until i could suck his, 'cause they're the best brains ever.
     * and my mom said, "happy birthday!" when i called to tell her i had purchased her plane ticket to come out for the cherry blossoms. best birthday present ever. (please keep my mom in your prayers--she needs to feel calm, strong and healthy, so she's not so nervous about traveling by herself. thanks!)

* my roommate brought home cheesecake factory lemon raspberry cream cheesecake and linda's fudge cake, and the cutest ever purple kate spade handbag. she played her birthday play list and lit candles for me, and we ate dessert together. it was fun birthday!

things that made me smile this week

it was a rough week, but there was plenty to smile about.

* a gorgeous spring-like day with birds singing, trees and flowers starting to bloom, sunshine and warmth all around. it was an absolutely gorgeous day.

* i recently bought this lovely jacket. it makes me smile whenever i wear it, and everywhere i go, i get the loveliest compliments on it. it's so much fun to wear.

* a friend and i took josiah out for a walk and watched him play at the dog park. he's so funny and the other dogs are fun to watch as well. some are so friendly and while others are so skittish. plus, it was nice to stand with my friend and chat as we watched the stars come out as the sun went down. venus and jupiter are so bright this time of year in the western sky.

* i worked from home one day because i was sick, and in between emails and phone calls on my dreaded blackberry, i also planned out my front garden for this year. i can't wait to get started. it's going to be an explosion of color.

* oh, and josiah is really great at warming up my feet too.

* an early birthday present from a friend, who knows and appreciates my love of star trek. yes, it's a star trek door chime with a motion sensor that sets off a klaxon. this will be great fun in the office! oh, and the hat fit him.

* on friday my roommate left close to midnight to drive up to new york because her baby sister was in labor and she was about to become an auntie again. this meant i got josiah all to myself this weekend. woohoo! while on a walk sunday morning, there was this cute little boy, probably about 18 months old, with blond hair, blue eyes and a brilliant smile who turned the corner in front of us, saw josiah and fell in love. he was soooo cute and excited to meet him. he wanted to pet josiah and instead of reaching out to pet his face, he knew just what to do. he walked over so that he was standing behind josiah's face, and reached out and tentatively touched him with his fingertips. he had the biggest smile on his face as he looked up at his dad. i loved that little kid.

* shakespeare is always fun, and the production of two gentleman of verona i saw on saturday night with some great friends was certainly entertaining.

* i watched this documentary on Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey. it's the loveliest film about following your passion and being supported by family and colleagues. i laughed and cried. when i grow up, i want to be like elmo.

thoughtful thursday: adventure

The test of an adventure is that when you're in the middle of it, you say to yourself "Oh now I've got myself into an awful mess; I wish I were sitting quietly at home." And the sign that something's wrong with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of adventure.  -Thornton Wilder

things that made me smile this week

* a south facing yard across the street is in full bloom with bright, sunny yellow daffodils. it makes me smile every time i go outside.

* meanwhile, my daffodils, tulips, crocuses and hyacinths are sending forth green shoots of plant life. my yard is north facing and doesn't get quite as much sun, so it's a little more slow going. but there are signs of life.

* reading four books in 4 days last week. i haven't done that in a while.

* dinner with great friend MJ. it was so great catching up with him and reliving a couple of funny moments from chief's training. plus the food at rosa mexicana is amazing.. the crab enchiladas are to die for.

* so, i'm chatting with a friend who tells me my birthday present is on order. i tell him that i have his birthday present and in fact had tried it on the other day, and it was pretty snug on my head and i was hoping his head was smaller than mine. he looked at me and said, "sooooooo, i'm getting a hat..." doh!

* a friend's birthday party with sparklers for candles on her cake. so much fun!

* almost a full week without desserts and other kinds of sweets. i like observing lent in my own little ways. helps me refocus energies and thoughts.

* my roommate brought this recipe home last week for kale pesto. it's like eating green sunshine. scramble a spoonful into scrambled eggs. eat it on baghette. add it to stir fry. stir into pasta. seriously, it's sooo good.

* my mom is almost committed to coming for a visit. please keep her in your prayers, as physically she's feeling a bit frail and not sure she's up to it.

* and finally this little picture from here. ha ha snort....

thoughtful thursday: love is awareness

"Awareness born of love is the only force that can bring healing and renewal. Out of our love for another person, we become more willing to let our old identities wither and fall away, and enter a dark night of the soul, so that we may stand naked once more in the presence of the great mystery that lies at the core of our being. This is how love ripens us -by warming us from within, inspiring us to break out of our shell, and lighting our way through the dark passage to new birth." -John Welwood


from here.