Break Time is Almost Over

break time is almost over.
see you later sea, sun and sand.
just enough time left for a lovely family meal
and a dip in the hot tub.
then back at it.
It was a good wedding-related visit and our
congrats to the happy couple.
family time is a wonderful wonderful thing.

break time

Sometimes you need a break
more than you think you do
more than you admit to yourself or others
more than some people may think proper.
When you find yourself in those moments,
I recommend pink champagne, oh, and palm trees if you can get them.
And the most important ingredient of a proper break...
no guilt.

working together

Working in the fall, on the porch
with those I love!
very nice way to build a life.

roll over

Sometimes what i WANT to do is roll over and play dead
but when i resist the urge, more often than not,
good things happen.
Yes, we are too busy,
and yes we are not perfect,
and yes we can do better BUT
we still kick ass- and we are getting it done.
Just maybe not the way we imagined.
Upside down is also ok.

big city / big lists

I'm home again. Back to the big city.
Big plans, and a godizilla sized work load.
My to do list could wrap around Tokyo.
(Perhaps more than once.)
And Fall is here.
Busy busy time of year.
Nose - meet - grindstone.

breaktime

Autumn colored kitties,
and backyard breaks
cleaning and clearing
endings and beginnings
uptime and downtime
plans and schemes
cool mornings
sunny afternoons
and restful nights
much work 
we are getting it done.

Royal-Tea

Mornings with tea.
thinking through plans and priorities.
-good starts.
for good accomplishments. 

down home

I had a taste of the south, it was inspiring, energizing
and tiring all at once.
Now I am ready to roll up my sleeves
and dive into it.
Searching, freeing, cleaning,
packing and prepping.
Writing, pushing, reading
and voting.
In a glorious mixed up mess,
Together.

not so footloose and fancy free

Leaving home is hard, being away is hard.
I love to travel- but I hate when things go wrong while I am away.
Flooding, injury, missed opportunity.
It makes it difficult.
Hope it all stays together for another 12 days.
Too.Much.Stress.

A Wee Bit Weary

After such a long hot summer
we could all use a little rest.
Alas it is not time yet- still more to do.
as they say here in Japan,
"issho ni gambarimasho"

Summer Pause

Summer is winding down.
A big hot sultry season with wins and losses.
Lists and accomplisments.
We still have some long roads to walk.
But we are looking ahead and preparing-
From this brief pause in the summer sun. 

Cheers!

Yesterday was a day of Toasts!
Cheers to me, and 45 years.
Cheers to breakfasts, lunches, cafes and dinners.
Cheers to LIFE! in all of it's bubbles, and creams, and rich flavors.
Cheers to celebrating each moment. 

Pitfalls, Potholes, and Hidden Tacks

Sometimes watching out
for hidden tacks and slippery slopes
is a full time job.

Droopy sunny heads and blossoms

Droopy summer sunflowers
I am alternately energetic and wilted
optimistic and overwhelmed
skilled and screwed up
as the blue hazy skies change from clear to cloudy and back again
and the heat rolls off the city streets

bits of beauty

so I walk a certain part of my area every day
sometimes multiple times
zoning out, usually...
But there are bits a beauty everywhere, and I decided
I am going to pay attention
and share
and revel
in "a place"
wherever I go.

well and truly summer

Hot days and sultry nights
hours of fireworks
beaches and ice in colors nature never intended
sugar sweet stickiness and oh the flowers
lazy bobbing heads of yellow and black
it is well, and truly summer

Old Windows, New Opportunties

Doors and windows close

new ones open
new pathways and new experiences
new people and new opportunities.
But we move on always with a little sadness
for what we left behind.

Holding Court

Crowning the kings and queens of summer.

The heat from the pavement

makes me want to run away to the beach

and hold court with the seashells, the sand and Oh, the waves.

Soon we will sneak away for a few days, and it can't happen soon enough. 

 

On the road

Having wheels is not always enough.
Sometimes the going is slow, the road is winding
and the traffic signs are confusing.
You just gotta keep going.
Assume the best and believe
that when the time is right
somehow you will arrive.

Crystal Clear

Before you can serve people
you have to set the table.
Before you can move forward
you have to take a moment and think.
And prepare,
For what comes next.
But for a few minutes when the table is set
and the guests have not yet come- you can
imagine that the future is as perfect
as a white table cloth and shining silver and
clear clear crystal.

quiet colorlessness

This week I am feeling it all in black and white
Feeling muted and quiet and tired and grey
the color will come back I know but maybe not today
in the meantime- just letting it happen.

Making Sense of Senselessness

Sometimes no matter how much you want to understand why
you cannot make sense of senselessness
It is not like the movies
There is no time machine to go back and change the course
there is no sudden hero to save the day
no epiphany - just a choice in a dark, quiet moment
and then silence as the world keeps moving past

giving in to summer

Jumping into summer.
breathing in the heat. 
immersing myself in sultry days, cool bits of shade
water and frogs and dogs and bits of beauty-
and summer fun.

your home is your castle

This one is not my style. But the sentiment is true.
Your home should be your castle, your keep, your citadel. 
A place that makes you feel safe, happy, at peace.
There should be beauty and love.
And a little luxury too- be it a flower in a vase
a glass of wine with a loved one, a window to the world
or a cozy spot to dream and recharge.

Simply Delicious

There is a simple beauty
to things well made respect paid to details.
There is a satisfaction to sharing ideas
and sharing with all our senses to all of your senses
there is a pride
in a job well done.

A Toast, to Life!

It's been a week of celebrations. (and cocktails)
Projects launched, marriages and big milestones,
wine dinners, and websites.
Important to take the time to say "cheers" along the way.

Making Rainbows

Sometimes I need to just be proud of myself
and my rainbows.
I have done some pretty good stuff.

dreamers and wishers

Even in a city this big, with this many people and this much haze.
you can still find a starry night sky
to dream under
and wish upon

in black and white

There is something about the past that is so resolute.
I think nostalgia comes from the certainty of understanding.
It happened and you looked at it and filed it away- like an old postcard, school year book, favorite snippet.
It is now black and white because it is not longer unclear.
It happened.
It was real.

How To-s

I was so intrigued by this little pamphlet in a DIY shot. How to Idea!
indeed.
There are good and productive ways to Idea.
I like the idea that TO IDEA is an action, a verb, an activity on it's own
Not To Make, To DO, To Finish, To Complete-
but first TO IDEA.
I love possibilities.

woman-power

Last weekend it was all about what we can all do
find our confidence
reward and support ourselves and each other
find a path
deviate from it
find it again
be real
and be women

there's a lot out there

I love to play and many of the tools seem better than the ones before.
the question is how to choose, what works best, what is a fad and what has some long term staying power?
What does my online life look like? How does it fit with my offline life?
Questions for a new age.

Sometimes it is easy in all the obligations and details and paperwork
to forget that it is about the food and making things taste great
and sharing that with others. That is what makes me passionate.
That is the reason.

round and round

We are back from SXSW 2012. It was a round and round circle of walking, ideas, talking, thinking, tweeting, texting, seeing, doing, sitting, recovering, sleeping, and planning. Mostly planning. Glad we went. Want to go again next year.
Still. Love. Austin.

from A to Z

It is really time to get all the pieces in line.
Time to think about ALL of the steps, not just the ones I dance most naturally.
Time to harness my energy a little better and hone my focus.
Hand off what someone else can do better.
And get done what I can do myself.
A to Z

Making Strides

Lots of things are moving forward.
Slowly.
But I feel like I am getting there, step by step.
Time to focus on a few of the sticky parts.
The ones I avoid.
Time to get real.

half time

These days,
1/2 the time it is going right
sometimes better than right.

...but just don't ask me about the other half

slow start

This year is starting slow. 

Lots to do, but for now

most of it is bumping around in my head.

A bit sluggish on the outside

not a bit on the inside. 

Ready or Not

New adventures seem to be coming my way
nevermid if I am ready, or not...

Bits and Pieces

image from etsy artist available here http://www.etsy.com/listing/80949996/chicago-original-collage

I am determined to form the year ahead of me into shapes and adventures that thrill and satisfy
but for now it is all still bits and pieces.
what do I want to do? What do I want to learn? Where do I want to go?
How do I want to celebrate and what do I want to take into my soul?
Questions, and snips of paper- but no answers yet.

My cup overfloweth

 

One of the best things about seeing an exhibition, especially like the Magritte in Vienna--

is the change in views and perspective. 

Happy 2012!

A new year is upon us. 

May it be filled with clouds in our cups,

blue skies overflowing,

and amazing new ideas and dreams come true.

glittering final hours

We made it. the Last few hours of this the last day of 2011.
What a year it was.
We survived and I think the challenges of this year have made us all a little bit stronger.
There was sadness, loss, and struggle.
There was also survival, growth and determination.
It was not easy.
It was not that joyful.
But we are polished and glittering from our efforts as we come to the closing hours.

Next year is ours to create.
It is ours to define.
It is ours to embrace.
Here's to love, laughter, light and lusciousness in 2012.

home and hearth

I did not write as much on my journey as I had hoped but I did relax-
and after the year that we have had I think that was job #1.

It was a trip filled with toasting and hugging and browsing and eating and twinkling and art-ing and sitting and thinking. Could not ask for much more. And still home in time to do some last days of December writing.

I am still considering 2012- Where do I want to go and what do I want to accomplish. But 2011 certainly is ending better than it was throughout.

Beautiful Branches and Luscious Lights

Revisiting a previous adventure can be more rich in detail, more magical in memory and more relaxing and fun. As my path goes back over some of the gorgeousness of a few years ago- my heart and mind are renewed and my child spirit revels. Four seasons again coming to a close. New adventures ahead. Advent indeed.

Things I love 12:17:2011

I want to start regularly writing and sharing a list of things I think are just so wonderful that I want to tell everyone I know. I did this once before but want to do it more regularly!

So here are some to start off with

I Love:

ETSY- really, small biz people at their finest offering unimaginable treasures.

Evernote- a great way to capture ideas, build projects, make plans. A clipping extravaganza and worth the money, Site and App both great. 

A Year Most Lovely- great journal for the year from my gorgeous, luscious, magical friend Anna.

and finally, The Christmas markets I am reveling in this week.

Magical Season

The lights twinkle softly

reflected in eyes and thoughts and laughter around me.

It's Christmas time again. 

I love it. Not for the packages and price tags

but for the merriment and warmth, the hot wine, and snuggles

the time to reflect on a year gone by and dream of one to come.

LEARN.

What lesson did you learn in 2011 from “The School of Life” rather than a classroom? #WeVerb11

I am still learning, even with less than a month to go. I think every day of this year has taught me something. Some painful lessons, some joyous ones. I think the big answer to this question is that I have learned to keep learning. That even small pieces of new information, or small ideas can make a longer term profound effect.

The school of life in 2011 was not a quiet, supportive classroom. It was rough and tumble and often outright harsh. But I am, at the end of it, still standing. And that is something.

One Word...

Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why. Imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2012 for you?
In the spirit of where this all started… this is the same first prompt from 2010.

one word... I guess it would be Shifting. 

The patterns of our life shifted in so many ways. Cancer in the family, job changes, new challenges and the big shifting of the earth- the quake of 3/11. I felt it took months for the literal and figurative aftershocks to stop And even now,  Japan is not what it was pre-quake. It was not all bad- there were some amazing ups and downs and some progress was made- though not in the ways I had hoped or anticipated. I wanted this year to be about clarity, and I guess it was in some ways. I found myself in the position for most of the year that I had to accept that some stuff was just not going to get done. It was a year of priorities and putting out fires and that is just the way it is.

For 2012? what do I want? What one word would I like to have embodied by the end... actually I want to use weverb11 to figure that out. So I think I will keep my own council on this for now and consider a bit more. Time to think about it all.

Who did you meet?

2011 was not a year of lots of new people- it was actually a year of losses. After the earthquake on 3/11 many long time friends left and the holes are still visible. Plus a really good friend's schedule is so different now that we hang out 3-4 time a month- down from something like 2-4 times a week. Some new people came into our lives via THS- and I met Neal and the people at A-JIS in a more substantive way. But it was not a big year of new faces.

One thing that was powerful was the connections that remained after my visit to my 25th HS reunion in 2010. Because of facebook- I bump into folks online and comment and read comments from friends and classmates from a lifetime ago. I have read that this has gone on all over the planet, reuniting , and reweaving childhood memories in current times.

Because of the quake and the changes I felt deeply this year there are some special people I want to deepen my relationships with. Care and water new growing friendships, reach out to supporters and let them know I don't take them for granted. Wonderful people who have supported me in ways that I can never full repay. #reverb11

Where did 2011 begin?

It is time again for #reverb11 reflecting in the month of December on what has come and gone in 2011 and setting a course for 2012. Starting slow, but getting started. Today's first question- Where did 2011 begin?

January was full of promise, just rushed back from seeing family on a shortened trip- to start a new experiment- ultimately it did not succeed as 2011 ramped up to be an extraordinarily rocky and roller coaster-y year. The cold winter month of beginnings, I made my way to the big shrine and thought about the year to come. Change was in the air and I thought I knew the direction things were headed but I did not. I was full of emotions- full of stress and worry- trying to set a simple, clear and sustainable course. My mother's visit was a good one. And with my friend by my side we stood with thousands of people in the Japanese ritual of starting out the new year with determination. The year of the rabbit. I thought of peace, quiet, simple joys- it was instead to be a year of jumping and starting and stopping, running and skittering, staying alive in extraordinary times.



and so it began.

Counting Down and Celebrating

The Countdown has started. The tree is trimmed, the events are planned.
Now is the time it is important to remember to also take time to enjoy, breathe in the pine scented atmosphere and take good care of myself. I love the holidays but can get easily swept up in the stress and whirlwind. Cookies and milk, hot wine, and time to just watch the lights twinkle. Also take time to scheme and plan for the coming year of the dragon. I plan to breathe some fire and take flight next year. The sky is the limit.