20/52

I've been thinking about how I could sum this week up in a way that feels true to the complexity and exquisite nature of the past seven days without sharing the personal details I only allude to here.
I don't think I have the capacity to find the right words to express myself yet, but I can tell you that what I've taken from the experience is that all is right in the world.  

A quote from my favorite movie comes to mind, "People are always telling you that change is a good thing. But all they're really saying is that something you didn't want to happen at all... has happened."

You all know how I feel about change.  I love it.  Even when the thing I didn't want to happen, has happened.  It's bound to happen, so bring it on I say.  It allows for so much opportunity for growth.  It lends a new perspective.  A chance to hit your knees and say I am not in control here.  And find complete and utter relief and peace in that knowledge.  

In the highlight reel this week:

Celebrating the women in my life. 
Mother's Day is such a beautiful holiday and so appropriately in May when the world is in bloom. 
The day was a landmark day in the history of me.

Having my favorite poem recited to me in a moment when I needed it most.

Getting a glimpse of heaven and knowing it is out there.  Eternal optimism is a true blessing.

An early morning temple visit to find inner strength and purpose.

Logging 70ish miles in every kind of weather imaginable this week and feeling much more prepared for Little Red

I left the office yesterday afternoon to run an errand but ended up at Liberty Park instead.  It wasn't even a conscious decision really.  One moment I was on task, the next I'd completely checked out. 

That cat of mine. 
She seemed grumpy this week.  So I brought her home a grasshopper.  I had a dream a few weeks ago that she asked me for a kitty.  I don't think she's ready for that kind of responsibility, so a bug seemed like a good compromise.  She handled it like you might imagine.  Captivated then quickly lost interest.  The bug is fending for herself now somewhere in the apartment.

And a quote that was shared with me by a dear, wonderful friend that I really enjoyed:

“The truth is that the heroism of your childhood entertainments was not true valor. It was theatre. The grand gesture, the moment of choice, the mortal danger, the external foe, the climactic battle whose outcome resolves all--all designed to appear heroic, to excite and gratify an audience. Gentlemen, welcome to the world of reality--there is no audience. No one to applaud, to admire. No one to see you. Do you understand? Here is the truth--actual heroism receives no ovation, entertains no one. No one queues up to see it. No one is interested...True heroism is minutes, hours, weeks, year upon year of the quiet, precise, judicious exercise of probity and care—with no one there to see or cheer. This is the world.” 

David Foster Wallace, The Pale King

19/52

 What is it about this spring that feels so cinematic?  Like I'm walking around in my own personal girl movie.  Not any specific one, just blend of all my favorites.  Plus the surprise element and suspense of creating my own storyline and not knowing how it will all turn out in the end.  But the really great thing about not knowing, is I still know it'll all turn out just fine no matter what.  What a relief.

I've had an over abundance of wonderful conversations with friends this week.  Catching up with long losts and spending time with my usuals and discovering new ones, friends really are the people in our lives who show us the pieces of ourselves we don't see clearly on our own. {Stolen sentiments from emails back n forth with my dear friend Annie.}  I've said a million times before, but I am so beyond blessed by the people in my life.

 Highlights:

A blissful afternoon spent at Kura Door Spa with my friend Jess.  We were so giggly as we checked in and put on our plush robes and explored the Japanese style accommodations.  We would try to act calm around the rare person would we cross in our wanderings, but I told her I didn't feel like I was in the appropriate zen mood as we cracked each other up and tried to keep it down.  But being silly at the spa is just as relaxing as being calm and serene.  Maybe even more so?  Laughter is the best isn't it?  My massage was lovely, but my favorite part of the experience was the steam room.

Rainy spring weather adding so much ambiance to my life.  I feel like a bloodhound sucking in all the wonderful smells.  It makes me smile right down to my soul.

So does riding my bike. Make my soul smile that is.  I've been oh so lazy about riding thus far this year.  Waiting for just the right weather is probably my biggest excuse.  But with 3 weeks to go before the Little Red Century I figure I better get it in gear.  And fast.  So I'm reacquainting myself with my bike and having fun riding with my friends.

That cat of mine still remains on the highlight list even though she whines constantly like the little spoiled creature she is.  I do love her though even if her attitude can be so uppity.  And she does looks fabulous as a purring accessory in my house so I think I'll keep her.  She matches everything.  Or does everything match her?

Spending wonderful moments discovering my neighborhood is on the list again this week.  I can't get enough of it.  Walking the familiar streets is fast becoming my favorite thing lately.

Live Authentically.

Isn't it a great statement to live by?  Jess said that. See what I mean about my friends being the cat's pajamas?

18/52

Last night I was with a couple friends and one of them reads my blog from time to time {Hi Nicki!}and she said she gets the impression that my life is all walks in the park and easy paced fun in the sun from what I write about here.  Have I got her fooled or what?  I guess that comes from the many times I've heard that busy does not equal successful - important - happy - getting things done - etc. so I don't want to admit that my life can be scheduled down the minute if I'm not careful.

 This week was supposed to be real chill.  Lots of ideas of what I was going to do with my oodles of spare time to catch up on life.  It started out that way.  I soaked in some time at home Monday evening after work.  But after that?  Go, go, go...

And now it's Friday and looking back at the blur it's hard to say where one day ended and another started.  But I feel good about that.

An incomplete list of highlights:

A really fun new design project is in the mix.  The timing is perfect and I can already tell the clients are going to be a joy to work with. 

My new neighbor at work.  He's all paws still and so, so sweet.

 I saw this art installation before my trip last week, but I'll include it here since it's worth mentioning and I'm still thinking about it.  The artist was recreating a memory from when she was a tiny kid of the sound of sacrament cups dropping in the trays.  It was spot on and I liked it a lot.

I met with a new doctor who may be on to the source of my headaches / skin woes.  I'm ridiculously hopeful about it.  The downside is along with the restricted diet I've been on for the last 2 years {no dairy, sugar, refined flours}I'm now completely off gluten, oats and corn too.  Oh dear.  I mourned the loss of oatmeal immediately, I eat a lot of it and really love it.  But the loss of corn didn't hit me until later when I was thinking about popcorn, an all time favorite snack, and how much I wanted a big bowl of it to drown out my sorrow of loosing oatmeal.  Ooooh.  Part of me hopes he is wrong.  But the bigger part of me hopes he's not.  I can eat grass and wood chips for all I care if the headaches go away.

17/52

  I'm home from my whirlwind week and it feels so good.  I'm not trading in my wanderlust for some slippers and another cat anytime soon, but there is a difference between travel for fun, and travel for work.  And a very happy sense of relief walking in my front door and knowing my time is my own.

I started out my week in Michigan with one of our companies based in Grand Rapids.  We were there right in the mix of the flooding which added another element to our stay there.  Then on to beautiful North Carolina to tour more factories and go to the High Point Furniture Market.  Mixed in with all the learning and seeing new products, it was such a pleasure to see quality industry in America.  We were hosting four designers that work on LDS temples and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them more and hearing about the work they do.  Working on temples is a career goal of mine down the road a ways.  I'm happy where I am right now, but one day I'd really like to be a part of that effort.  The group dynamic was of the very best kind.  Easy going people and lots {LOTS}of laughter.

Various shots from the factories we toured.

 A layover in Chicago did get me excited about my next work trip in a few weeks.  {Just happy I have a few weeks in between.}

Highlights from my whirlwind week:

New places, new people, new experiences

6 airports, 5 factories, 1 textile mill, 4 states and countless fun encounters with strangers

Hushpuppies - fried corn balls are like manna from heaven.

A really fun and unexpected misadventure that included socks made out of band aids and walking much further than I sent out to.  This isn't a new story in my life.  I seem to do this in new places, no matter how much I tell myself to set limits and be smarter about my wandering habits.  Best way to see a place in my opinion.

Coming home.

Dinner with dear friends and perfect weather for roof top conversations.

The most perfect Sunday walk I think I've ever been on.  Can't think of one to top it actually.

Everything about yesterday was really great, come to think of it.  A much needed rest after a week of on the go adventure.  Church was enlightening and peaceful.  Dinner with

my grandparents was filled with love and a sense of belonging.  It feels so good to be home.

A quote from yesterday that really stuck out to me:

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

President Hinckley

{excuse the ugly formatting, don't know what is going on with blogger today.}

16/52

Lots of gorgeous days this week.  I'm searching for a theme for the week, but really, there hasn't been one.  I've been soaking in as much time at home since I'll be on the road next week for work. I love traveling, but I like coming home just as much.

I went to a CEU {continued education for designers} last night for work and the presentation was fascinating.  I was reminded again of how much our surroundings affect our personal well being and I’m making a goal to do better at getting up and away from my computer more.  Did you know that sitting for long stretches of time{anything more than an hour}is worse than smoking on your body?  Goodness, with that knowledge, and the constant awareness that so much of what we’re surrounded by is bad for us, it’s hard to stay positive about it all.  With everything that goes on in the world it’s very reassuring to know that there is a bigger plan and purpose to it all.   If I didn’t know that, I think I’d be discouraged by it all.

Highlights from my week:

Lots of time outdoors exploring and enjoying the blossoms.  Seems like all the trees woke up and said to each other, ‘Let’s put on our finery and impress the heck out of the humans.

I picked a nice sunny spot in my yoga class and loved closing my eyes and following along to the practice feeling the sun beat in on me.  I had the thought that this must be what it’s like to be a cat.

15/52

Just another gorgeous spring week here.  Many reasons to love the rainy weather going on this week, but fighting the urge to write about it.  Maybe I should just come to terms with the fact that I'm one of those people who start out conversations talking about the weather.  And it isn't just to break the ice.  It's because I truly care.  I really, really like it.

I also really like conference weekend.

I lined up a bunch of projects to putter around the house doing while I listened and since I was preoccupied making those plans, I forgot about the little things.  Like how I was planning on actually hearing it.  {My patchy internet is unreliable for long stretches of time.} Five minutes before it started Saturday morning I'm pawing through my 72 hour kit looking for the wind up radio I know is buried in there somewhere.  Then the search for batteries.  Why don't I have batteries?  Why don't I own a real radio?  Why didn't I go buy batteries during the break?  Maybe because I liked having to wind up my radio every few minutes.  Something very apropos about the situation I found myself having to constantly tune in.

Another thing I like is Jen.  She's been in town to have her tonsils out {for the third time, she must have some seriously angry and persistent tonsils}.  She brings out that kid in me that is never really far from the surface.

And that about sums up this week.  

Beautiful weather - waking up to the sound of rain never gets old.

Divine inspiration that lifts my soul.

And seriously good friends.

14/52

What a mixed bag this week has been.

Easter Sunday was my last official Sunday in a ward I've been in for three years.  And while I really try to embrace change, this one has been one full of bittersweet emotion.  As I was soaking in my last day with the kind of ferocity you do when you're nearing an inevitable end, I realized what I was experiencing was something similar to homesickness.  Cut the dramatics!!  I'll still be in the same building in a family ward and I'll still see my friends, for goodness sake.  But that didn't make reconciling the fact I know it's time to move on with the loss of feeling of belonging somewhere.  Along with too many valuable lessons and memories to recount and it was making it impossible to fight the tears that would not stop falling.

This signifies a change I've been anticipating for a long time now and it feels good to have it here and done.  No more waiting for it.

Though waiting and I are becoming more comfortable with each other.  It allows a lot of growth and opportunities I would glaze right over given the chance to have things my way.  Yes, I get it now!  Waiting has it's place.

But so does taking action.  The contrast between taking action and waiting patiently is part of the mix in the bag I spoke of at the beginning of this entry.  I've been doing a bit of both and it's been fun navigating through it all.

On the highlight list this week:
Another couple bike rides and I can already tell this season is going to be even better than the last.

Grandma Awesome's humor.  She is one funny lady.  I love her sneaky wit and how her jokes catch me off guard so that I get to laugh the kind of laugh that feels like a breath of fresh air.

Sending the monster canvas to it's new home.  Commissioned art projects are so fun, even more so when I'm forced outside my normal style to try something new.  A 4' x 6' colorful spray painted scribbled mess is definitely outside my usual comfort zone.

Lots and lots of walking and fun, unexpected adventures.  Like stumbling into a ping pong match with my friend Jess on our walk last night.

Or the Holi Krishna Color Festival last Saturday.  Now that was a really good time. 

Miracles occur when circumstances from a mortal perspective seem impossible.

Judd Turner