Thursday, February 25, 2010

season of the sweater


so tomorrow i'm taking a mini-trip after work to the mountains. i am going deep into the mountains. the town i'm traveling to is colder than any other US city outside of Alaska. i'm excited and i'm nervous because for me growing up a cardigan was considered proper winter attire. the friend that is taking me told me to bring my warmest clothing. i held myself back and didn't say, so you mean i should bring plaid cotton throw over sweatershirt that i got at forever 21 for 6 bucks. warmest piece of clothing. i have scrambled and borrowed. i shall look like a raggamuffin quilt for my weekend away.

i'm so excited as taking trips is potentially my favorite thing to do. i'll keep you posted and put up pictures later this weekend...

photocredit: {melissamaple}

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

wonderful world wednesdays: dr. david benke of deer creek school


this morning i want to recognize a local hero. i feel pretty strongly about the fact that teachers are heroes everyday. it takes a certain kind of patience, enthusiasm, dedication, and spirit to teach children. my mother is a teacher and a few of the most significant people in my life teach or have been teachers. it takes a servant heart to teach and i think it is one of the most difficult, yet lovely callings around.

this wednesday, february 24th, i want to acknowledge a teacher that exhibited a bravery and selflessness that should not go unacknowledged. yesterday a mentally ill man opened fire at deer creek middle school, which is located in my town. it is also located down the street from Columbine High School, which is the school at which one of the worst school shootings in our country's history happened. our county is located on the eastern slope and front range of the rocky mountains. it is a county that represents communities of extreme wealth and extreme poverty and currently has the fastest rising rate of childhood poverty in the nation. it is a demographically diverse and complex region.

the shooter entered the school property and asked students if they attended deer creek. when they answered that they did he began shooting. two students suffered gun shot wounds. one of them has been released, but the other is in critical condition. doctors are saying that he should make it. it is miraculous given the fire arm power and the nature of the situation that no one died. our community is up in arms and grieving today.

no other students were shot in large part because of the heroism of dr. david benke. dr. benke is a math teacher at the middle school and he tackled the shooter while he was reloading his weapon. he said that he did not really have time to think; he just did it. i believe that generally acts of bravery manifest in this way. we usually cannot plan the times where we are going to step up and be brave. such an act of selflessness wells up inside someone and just happens. in the face of this horrific and traumatic event i find a lot of hope in the fact that there are people who will sacrifice their own well being for the sake of others. it reminds me that we are all in community together. protecting others is noble.

keep the victims, the other students, and the shooter in your thoughts. the man who fired the shots is at trial already this morning. he has a history of deep mental illness and a history of being unable to secure the proper medication to treat his illness. what this man did is horrific, yet just as dr. benke protected the students and faculty of deer creek so might we be compelled to protect the mentally ill and their victims through securing proper long term treatment for those who suffer from mental illness.


so many, many thanks to you dr. benke. you are a hero everyday in your teaching and were especially significant in the lives of many students and teachers yesterday!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

beauty of a barn dance



good morning duckies,

hope everyone is enjoying this tuesday. here in denver we are experiencing a freezing, but sunny day. i am on my fifth cup of tea and am contemplating another because i just got an full bodied rooibos tea full of vanilla nuttiness. yum.

i thought how nice it would be to be enveloped in live music dancing. i would especially like it if i were dancing in a barn. these are the things i think about as i wait for my case notes to print on chilly tuesday mornings.

where would you go if you could transport anywhere right now?

photocredit: {oncewed}

Monday, February 22, 2010

samantha grace: lovenote #7


my dear friend had her baby this weekend. samantha grace entered the world on february 19th around 2am. she is lovely and i cannot help but think about how amazing it is that families grow and that new people enter the world everyday.

it is astounding and breathtaking. welcome samantha grace; we hope you have a beautiful life! you are very loved by your family...

photocredit: {theproudparents}

little better...




i hope everyone had a lovely weekend. mine was full of friends, surprises, dancing, and music. i'm taking a night to rest, reflect, and chill out.

i've been thinking a lot about how important it is to spend time with friends. there is little better in the world than deep sleep, delicious food, good music, and laughing with friends who really care about you.

what did you all do this weekend?

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

dear tuesday,


i woke up with an unreasonable request. i would like a horse. i now live in a part of colorado where it would not be wholly ridiculous to have one. i have always wanted to wake up and go out to a stable and care for a horse. in reality my sleepy tendencies might make this daily care taking ritual a burden, but i like to imagine that it would be something gratifying and enchanting...

i hope that she will be auburn and copper in color. i will name her abby.

photocredit: {pioneerwoman}

Monday, February 15, 2010

love note #6: a message to our hands and feet


happy monday loveday. i spent this valentine's day with a smattering of some of the most significant people in my life. they are my solid ground. i don't have a story about two people today, but some musings on love in action inspired by my circle.

i have a number of people in my life that struggle with body issues and love issues. it is hard in our busy lives to feel grounded and full. in the wake of many discussions about flaws and worries, i started thinking about things that i love about my friends and who they are in the world. i started thinking about what their hands, feet, and hearts do everyday.

i love that i have people in my life that use their hands to serve other people, whether it be through advocacy, medicine, music making, teaching, cooking, or providing wild gestures of humor...

i so appreciate that i have friends that use their feet to walk in this world in a way that is mindful about environmental justice. i appreciate that their feet take them into all sorts of new experiences that they then share with me. i'm constantly being transported around our country and world through their stories...

i value that my people have good hearts and that they express their ideas and ideals in a variety of fascinating ways...

photocredit: {saraheinrich}

taxis and schwarma and kisses, oh my!


happy monday all,

this past weekend i headed to dc and nyc to visit some of my very dearest friends. i will post more on specifics later, but the highlights of the weekend were:

a. seeing my beautiful friends' faces
b. the amazing snow in dc...i have to admit that i thought it was overblown since i live in denver and have a false sense of weather savvy. it was amazing and all news stories about the blizzard are now personally confirmed.
c. the delicious food smells of the new york city streets
d. watching couples take little moments in the midst of nyc hustle and bustle to appreciate each others' lips...

photocredit: {amberalves}

Saturday, February 6, 2010

ode to awkwardness


when living in south africa my friend and i had a wonderful afternoon of swimming, running, 80's dancing, and awkward posing for silly pictures. i love days of reckless abandon, don't you? so good for the heart...

activate the sage



happy weekend...

sorry i have not been a good bloggerette this week. it's been a stretch of days that has worn me out. it's nothing big just a bunch of little feathers that have fallen on me and have collectively become heavy. i've had a lack of creativity this week. to combat the doldrums and activate the sage i will:

a. make a honey and pumpkin face mask
b. take a walk around one of the many lakes surrounding my town
c. make kale chips and bread
d. do all my laundry
f. listen to spanish guitar with a lare glass of wine
g. go on a friend date with one of my lovelies

yes that should do the trick...

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

the sassy seventies



good morning duckies,

i really like watching older people who are in love. i hope to one day join the ranks of the sappy elderly. this morning i overheard a couple in their late 70s having a little chat. i have changed names, but it needed to be shared.

bob:"it's boring today. entertain me. do what you did last night."
judy:" bob! i can't do that here. i didn't bring my whip."
bob: "that's too bad judy. i surely do like that whip."
judy: "oh bob, put a lid on it."



keeping it fresh even in their 70s...all i could think was, YES.

photocredit: {kellyandchet}

Monday, February 1, 2010

love note#5: farmers' market and editing


this monday i'd like to dedicate monday loveday's post to my father. when i was growing up every tuesday morning he would go to our local farmer's market and buy us fresh flowers. we lived in inner-city Los Angeles and were neighbors with one of the largest highways on the west coast. anything living and bright was significant.

we would wake up to flowers and to a poem needing editing. my father is one of the better writers i know and instilled in me a love of words and rhythm in language. i look back so lovingly on those mornings. i would sit and eat toast, drink tea, take in the flowers, and edit his writing.

do you have memories with your family that are particularly significant?

she plays the pianoforte very ill



this describes my ability to play piano to a tea. however starting today i am committed to learning the great pianforte. my dear coworker will be teachign me in exchange for baked goods. i cannot wait. i will keep you posted as i think this promises to be a journey full of awkward mishaps and marvelous breakthroughs!

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