Mornings

Morning is my favorite time.

The quiet. The solitude. Nothing but Dehlia’s steady, rhythmic breathing and the occasional rustle as I flip the pages of my book.

The smell of coffee, flavored lightly with vanilla and cinnamon, wafts up from my cup and tickles my nose.

Soft white light creeps in through the windows and stretches slowly across the living room floor, bathing the room in an ethereal glow.

The shadows recede, and the day presents itself.

Like clockwork. It’s a pattern. A cherished ritual.

7 AM.

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"Morning is when the wick is lit. A flame ignited, the day delighted with heat and light, we start the fight for something more than before."
-- Jeb Dickerson

Snowmageddon

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"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?"
-- J.B. Priestley

Snow Day

Our lush green backyard has turned a stark white. The winter sky, normally gray and saturated, is now bleached and flecked with shimmering bits of white fluff. Ice is spreading across the windows, blurring our vision and casting a silvery glow over the outside world.

Seattle has turned into a winter wonderland.

And I, for one, am completely thrilled about it. :)

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"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."
-- John Ruskin

Compl'i'mentary Colors

The sky from our porch last night.

Unedited.

Source at its finest.

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"I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright."
-- Henry David Thoreau

To-Be-Read Pile

What's on my nightstand...

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth
2. Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here
3. The Hunger Games
4. Moonwalking with Einstein
5. Steve Jobs
6. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
7. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
8. God is No Laughing Matter
9. Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later

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“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi

Inspiration (in many forms...)

A friend of mine on facebook posted this today, and I felt compelled to share. It's a quote I've heard before, but today the words just really hit. Hard. Lately, it sums up my life beautifully.

And, speaking of inspiring things, check out this amazing video from Klara Harden. Beautifully filmed, this documentary reaffirms my desire to live a life that's free from monotony. And to always, always make time for adventure.

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"Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives."
-- Tony Robbins

Good-bye, 2011...

Hello, 2012. :)

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"The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul."
-- G. K. Chesterton

Reading Challenge: 2012

I devour books. Devour them. Sort of like chocolate.

I, uh, just can't get enough.

*Sigh*

Anyway, with the new year fast approaching, I thought it'd be fun to track all the books I digest in 2012.

(Again, I'm talking about books, not chocolate.)

I've set a goal of 125 books for the year. I can't wait to get started.

Happy reading!

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"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it."
-- Oscar Wilde

Couch Potatoes

What we’ve been falling in love with lately.


Rise of the Planet of the Apes

We saw this for the first time on Christmas night and loved it. (Loved it!) As a kid, I was fascinated with The Planet of the Apes movies and relished their sci-fi goodness. Having what one of my grade school teachers called an "intolerable, overactive imagination", it wasn’t a stretch for me to believe that, hey, this could actually happen! And after seeing Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the little girl in me practically squealed, See?!! I told you so!! Plus, it was nice to see Tom Felton break free from his trademark role of Draco Malfoy and dive into the part of the equally sinister Dodge Landon. When he spat Charleton Heston’s famous line, "Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!" and Ceasar (speaking for the first time ever) shouted back, "No!", well… I got chills.


Shameless

With the season six finale of Dexter a few weeks ago and ten whole months to wait before season seven, it’s a good thing that Chris and I discovered the gem that will be taking its timeslot in January. Shameless is, well, shameless. And it’s soooo good. Raw, gritty, and real, this Showtime original kept us glued to our TV for twelve hours straight as we caught up with season one. The actors are superb, the writing is magnificent, and the whole thing really is shameless… In a really, really good way. Season two premieres on Sunday night, January 8th at 9.


Horrible Bosses

I’m lucky. I’ve never had a boss that I wanted to kill. But if I ever do, I now know how to do it. This is without a doubt the funniest movie we’ve seen all year. All. Year. We laughed so hard we cried. And then laughed some more.


I AM

I’m giddy about this documentary. Giddy. I’ve been waiting for close to a year to see it, and it lived up to all of my expectations. I just can’t find the words to do it justice, so here’s the trailer to give you a better idea of what this must-see flick is about. (Thank you, Tom Shadyac!)

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"Look, if you want a promotion, you gotta earn it. Now, what do I keep saying? Life is a marathon and you cannot win a marathon without putting a few band-aids on your nipples. Right?"
-- Dave Harken (via Kevin Spacey) from Horrible Bosses

Taking A Moment

Reminiscing.

The holidays usually bring that on.

Today, while sipping tea and remembering Christmases past, I pulled out the few pictures I have of my youth. Flipping through them, gently fingering the worn edges and savoring the memories, I felt a tug on my heart.

It's hard. Being alone. Well, of course I'm not really alone. I have Chris. And, aside from D, he's my world.

But what I'm talking about are parents. A mom and a dad. My own dad died when I was fourteen. I've been estranged from my mother for close to seven years now.

And it's hard.

There are times - especially after having an unusually rough day - when I'd love nothing more than being able to call people who really, truly, from-the-bottom-of-their-hearts cared. The freedom to vent to a mother who listens and sympathizes. Or the security of having a dad to lean on when life gets hectic and tough.

Always having that support. That helping hand. That refuge, love, and connection.

That feeling that, no matter what happens, you're never, ever alone.

I miss that. Like crazy, I miss having that.

I've come to terms with the fact that my life is the way it is, and that it's the way it is for a very good reason. And after the holidays, I'll be able to perk up and go on with it without a hitch. Because, in all honesty, my life really is good. And I'm thankful that I have the common sense to realize that.

But for now, just for a moment, I'm going to allow myself to remember.

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"You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles."
-- C. JoyBell C.

Ho-Ho-Ho...

Still feeling a bit Grinchy this year, but managed to whip up a holiday card for the masses. :)

Hope everyone has a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

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"Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in."
-- Amy Lowell