Milestones, Motivation & a Massive Move

Milestones...

*photo note

3 years ago today I became Matt's wife. And now he's a part of who I am and how I see myself. Of course, he already was before we actually tied the knot- many of you know that living with your partner for years feels very much the same a being married- but there has been some changes in our relationship brought about through marriage, and they have been good ones. He is a great husband. He's funny and sweet and smart and strong, and I'm always happier when I am around him. I feel pretty darn lucky to be Matt's wife and I look forward to lots more years of wedded bliss ;)

Our wedding was kind of a throw back to "old" Los Angeles, and we are celebrating our anniversary tonight with a visit to the one of our city's most venerable landmarks, The Orpheum Theatre, to see Robin Hood with Douglas Fairbanks. We're also visiting our wedding and reception venues for  dinner and drinks and a little romantic reminiscing. I think it will be a wonderful night.

The Orpheum

And while it's a bit less significant, I get to celebrate another milestone this week. My dreamy little blog hit 100,000 visits. It's strange to me to think that so many people have stopped to see my little spot on the internet (even if a hefty percentage of them have only come through Google image searches... I still count them, right?)

100,000 visits, and I haven't even posted anything since the end of May... and before that, my posting had become few and far between. Hmmmmm. Makes me think a little. I have not had much desire over the last few months to write here or share in all the Dreamy or Happy Things that have been going on in my life.  Maybe it comes down to...

Motivation...

My original reason for starting this blog was so that when life got a little dark, or hectic, or stressful, I had a collection of beautiful, dreamy, wonderful things to turn to give me a dose of Happy. At the time, I was in school. Law school. Which, even for "born lawyers" is a rough place to hang out for three years. I found it a bit soul-crushing. I am not in law school anymore. So, maybe I don't have to remind myself as much to be Happy. Because in general, I am Happy. 

But there are other reasons why I have lost some blogging motivation. I don't really have much energy to post about pretty flowers or lovely sayings from wise old authors, because I am totally and utterly focused on something else. Something big. Something exciting.

A Massive Move.

Matt and I are leaving Los Angeles! I know most of you who read this blog have known for a long time, like, over a year.  Some of you only know about me and my blog because of our plans to move. But for reasons that I still don't quite understand, I wasn't allowed to blab it all over the internet until recently (Matt still hadn't told one member of his family- although every one else that knows us at all had know for ages- and didn't want her finding out here. I can't imagine she'd ever come close to reading my blog though, as I think she is allergic to both Dreams and all things Happy.) But I digress. The cat is out of the bag, and now I get to post whatever I want about it. So here's the big announcement:

Matt and I are moving to Edinburgh, Scotland! He is going to earn his Masters at the University of Edinburgh and I couldn't be more proud of him. He has wanted to go back to school for a while but was very particular about the subject and program (he picked a degree that is only offered in, like, three universities in the world! And while Nashville would have been interesting too, I'm happy he chose Edinburgh) I am going to work, and part of that is facing a job market as challenging as the one here, but I have full confidence that I will find something. We are bringing along our pets- which wouldn't seems too strange if we were talking about dogs (for some reason people assume  when you travel with animals that you mean dogs!) but no. We are bring cats. Three of them! And the whole thing makes for a mountain of paperwork. For us, for them, for the school, for the financing, for everything. And I have never been happier to do paperwork. Because I know that with every form we complete, we are one step closer to starting a new adventure!

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We've been really fortunate that most everyone we know has been incredibly supportive and excited for us (there has been one exception but I am trying really hard to focus on the positive. There is so much more positive to focus on. Why is is so challenging to ignore that one bad vibe in a sea of good vibes?!)  We already have some friends and family member promising to come visit and we've received tons of good advice- mostly about how to handle the drastic change in weather, and where to get the best single malt Scotch... (as if Matt won't dedicate the first few weeks to that endeavor alone!)

We've also been fortunate to connect with people online we have yet to meet in person who are living in Edinburgh. I feel like we already have a few friends there!

So, I am sure that posts in the future will certainly have a different theme, at least for a while. I don't know if I'll turn this into an expat blog- I'd rather keep it a collection of things that make me happy, and figuring out this move and the adventure ahead is a big happy dreamy thing!


*photo note: You're welcome Matt! I was going to use another picture from our wedding (one that I don't remember ever seeing before!) but decided against it because you were making a Robert-DiNiro-esque fishy face. And I looked really skinny! (Hence me wanting to share it online ;) Who loves you , baby?!

Open Range

You know how when you're driving out in the desolate backroads of southern Utah and you see these signs every few miles?

And you know how you keep driving? Chatting, singing, and gasping over your jaw-droppingly, dramatic, out-of-this-world surroundings? And then...  this happens?

And then you realize those signs were no joke! Of course, cattle, being domesticated and all, are not supposed to inspire great awe. But they did, in me at least. I would chalk it up to the decade plus of city living I've got under my belt, but I'd be lying if I said I was ever used to seeing a hundred cows hanging out on the highway... even when I was a country girl!

So we stopped, obviously, and let them do their thing for a while. Watching them mosey back and forth across the Interstate.

And there were babies! They were literally frolicking and playing with each other and giving each other kisses with their baby cow tongues! (I do not understand how anyone could see that and still decide to eat cows, but that is another topic for another post...)

And then we saw Big Daddy charge down the hillside. He was really going pretty swiftly, with those big horns bobbing up and down in the brush. He kind of got everyone else heading in the same direction and off they went.

And so did we. Mindful that we were still driving through their open range.

(ps- gotta love the camera's miniature setting once in a while!)

Happy Trails! 

Grandma's Lilacs

my Grandma loved lilacs

my Grandpa planted a lilac tree for her right outside their front door

It grew taller than their house. It burst into blooms every spring, sending it's fragrance in every direction

it's in bloom now

10 years after her passing, one sniff of her favorite flower, and I can feel my Grandma beside me.

Break's over

I took a little break, but now I'm back. Expect big things... or don't, really, because instead of feeling refreshed from my break, all I can see is all the things I put off that need to get done. NOW. 

Or maybe after this too-cool-groove by Dave Brubeck (who I would most likely not even know about if I wasn't given a Brubeck mixed tape when I was 14... and then subsequently quizzed/lectured on his brilliance. Thx J.)

So, everybody, "Take Five"

Goose stepping along the American River

We ran into this lovely family of geese out for an evening stroll

watching mama and testing their land legs...

foraging for a little snack...

Right next door to this nice old trestle bridge.

Doggie Kisses (part 9 of a 365 part series)

Gretta was giving Papa kisses, but when she saw me with the camera, she decided to strike a pose!

silly Matty plays kazoo

take two...

Ren Faire

A weekend or two ago Matt and I spent a day at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. We had both gone as youngsters, but never as adults. It was much how we remembered. The costumes, the food, the music, the merriment. It was all good fun! Truly, a positive vibe filled the place.  My favorite was the maypole!

Of course, there were wares to browse and songs to sing... and even elvish ears to be had-

and one of us ended up in the stockade...

We went to the adults-only section of the place and chimed in on bawdy songs... this one retells the sexual adventures of sailors aboard the good ship Venus-

Fun day in the sun! Gramercy, Matt, for taking me!

we're composting!

Remember when composting meant taking your peels and scraps out to the pile on the edge of the yard and dumping them on the heap of leaves and twigs and half decomposed remnants of last week's dinners? (Or maybe that was just the way we did it out in the country ;) Growing up, composting was just a part of the daily routine, and I never paid it much thought. Anything that could go back into the soil, did. There wasn't anything chic or trendy about composting, and I certainly didn't feel any sense of pride for carrying out this simple chore...

This compost heap is how we did it back in the day. 

But, when I left home to live in an apartment in the city, figuring out a way to compost was not on my to-do list. In fact, I didn't really think about it at all for the first 10 years or so of city living (shame on me). Recycling was second nature, but it took a while to realize I need to compost as well. The thought hit me... why am I throwing all this compostable food into a plastic trash bag for it to end up in a huge landfill?! It probably helped that around this time San Francisco imposed city-wide composting ordinances- and while Los Angeles has always been light years behind the Bay Area when it came to matters of the environment, I couldn't help but feel personally compelled to keep up with our 'sister' city to the North (or 'brother' city, as is it in my case).

So I looked into it, and found out it was super easy for us to start composting. Lucky for us, our apartment building has 3 kinds of trash pick-up; the black barrels, for regular garbage, the blue barrels for recyclables and... wait for it... the green barrel for yard waste. One call to the LA City Department of Sanitation and I got the green light to use the green barrel for composting. All we had to do was to tie up our table scraps in a compostable bag (they sell the green corn-based ones at our local supermarket), put the bag in the barrel and violá, they take care of the rest.

So now, atop our counter, sits our very own compost bin! It's not the most perfect design for such a job. as it does have a "lip" on the inside of the rim that makes it difficult to get the bags out if they are too full, but it was a canister that we already had, and it gets the job done. Eventually, I might break down and get one of these cuter styles (because composting is supposed to be cute, right?)

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And maybe one day when I have loads of space to work with, I'll find a spot next to my garden to create this awesome hay bale compost pile.

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So, I have found the light and now composting is something that I'll make sure I always do, no matter where I live.  And like any good born-again, I want to spread the word and convert all the non-composters out there. Below is a list of links- there are so many sites online that tell you the how, where and why of composting, but these are just a few that I found and wanted to share. Hope I've turned someone out there into a composter!




YOUR COMPOST RESOURCE:

For a how-to in composting in the city, check out this site

The site, Composting 101, has everything you need to know about composting, including a good list of what to add and what to avoid putting in your bin.

Got the room but not the cash for a fancy compost bin? Here's a step by step tutorial on how to make a simple compost bin out of a large rubber trash can.

Don't want to do it yourself? Don't have city-sponsored composting? Click here to find a composter near you (in North America)

This site is a great resource for composting in the UK.

Or, simply search online for composting programs in your area- you might be surprised how easy it will be to add a little compost to your life!

Cottage in the Woods

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Harry Potter: How it Should Have Ended

 "I am pointing my wand as hard as I can!"

Good for a laugh... ;)

Danish children watching the changing of the guard

Parents/teachers walk the kiddies to Copenhagen's Amailienborg to see the guards-

They settle into place- prepared for snowstorms, by the looks of it!

The police come to speak to the little ones.

the guards start their process...

watching...

Happy Birthday Mama!

Hoping your day is lovely, and not too full of wackadoodles!

friends, flowers, festivals and fun-runs!

Lovely. That's the word I'd use to describe this weekend. Friday night, Matt and I went to our newly wedded friends' house for a BBQ- and enjoyed good food, good wine and good company. The following morning, we took a little walk through our sunny neighborhood... 

and saw these blooming beauties...

and ended up at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.  I could have spent days here-- checking out all the booths and seeing the speakers-- but we just did a quick walk though. Surprisingly, we left for home with only two new books (it was a difficult thing to do, as I am a book hoarder, but we are resolved not to add anything to our already overly-stuffed apartment!) We quickly crossed paths with some friends heading to the Festival for the whole day, and I am eager to hear all the good things they got/read/heard/saw...

Love this quote (I think it works equally well if you leave out the word "child's") 

On the walk back home we said hello to this lady, who was perched so daintily upon a gorgeous iris.

and then came the hard part of the weekend... saying goodbye to the boys. We were going to be back within 24 hours, but still... 

Linus got all cute and flopped on the floor...

OB got nervous and darted away from the camera...

...and Sherpa took his exact place, waiting for his picture....

Then, Matt and I headed to San Diego. We stayed the night with our friends, Marisa and Alex. We walked about their beautiful garden (but like a dumbski I didn't take any photos! Seriously, it is such a precious plot of veggies and flowers and sweet peas and strawberries. I kinda wanted to live there... in the garden...). For dinner they took us the the BEST restaurant, Sipz, which was friendly, quick, tasty and vegetarian...just the way I like it! If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it. 

After a bit of wine for us ladies and a few beers for the guys, we called it an early night, because the next morning, we ran the SDSU Greenfest 5K in honor of Earth Day! Here we are getting ready to run-

You'll  have to use your imagination to picture us 37 minutes later, crossing the finish line triumphantly! We looked just the same, just a little sweatier and red in the face.

After the race, we enjoyed a well-earned brunch at Tiger!Tiger! (everything is homemade from scratch!) and Matt and I headed back to LA, stopping at a great asian grocery store to stock up on sauces, noodles and steamed buns. When we got home, we promptly slumped onto the couch and zoned out in front of the TV and loved on the kitties until bed time.

And today is Shakespeare's birthday! Last year, I wrote him his own B-day post, but this year he'll have to do with this measly mention... In his honor, Matt got this book from the Festival... 

How awesome does this look?! And it's the actual text from the play accompanied with illustration. If he doesn't start it in the next couple of days, I might have to read it first ;)

If you're looking for a bit of Bard-related fun, test your knowledge of his opening lines here.

Hope your weekend was full of fun too!