Feliz Jueves

Things that made me happy this week

Registering to go back to school - The idea of going back to school has been in the back of my mind for quite a while, but life always seems to get in the way. I've finally decided that it just can't wait any longer. I'm 34 years old, and I've always had a belief that success, for me, is tied to my level of education.

I've been to school twice before, and while I've done exceedingly well in most of my classes, I've never completed my studies...mainly because I tend to choose my path based on romantic notions, and then I get scared when I hear others talking about impracticality, lack of jobs, etc.

This time, I'm approaching school with a level of maturity that I didn't have before, and while I may not have the energy that I had the first time around, I do have the desire. I don't yet know exactly what I'm going to study, but I have some time to work on my core classes before I have to declare a major. I'm exploring the idea of a major in social work with a minor in Spanish language. There are so many different directions that I could take with that focus of study, and they all contribute to society in an altruistic way. That's important to me.

As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Little things that brought me joy

Trying out geocaching. ♥ A high school graduation party for a lovely girl who is soon beginning an amazing adventure in the heart of New York City ♥ Finishing my summer inspired collage ♥ Seeing my good friends share their product on television (I'm proud of you both!) ♥ CDC zombie apocalypse preparedness advice. Good job to those who realize that entertainment CAN be used to present information effectively. ♥ Masterpiece Mystery's Sherlock. I usually dislike modern adaptations, but this one worked very well. ♥ Riding in the car with the T-tops off ♥ Doting on my super dogs ♥ My cilantro seedlings are out of control!

Glad Torsdag

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ♥ Taking the Myers-Briggs test (INFJ) ♥ Fever Ray ♥ Our Cilantro seedlings are growing like mad ♥ Nag Champa ♥ Receiving artwork handmade by Annie ♥ Delica Seed Beads ♥ Collaging with color

And that's all I've got this week. I've been too busy doing work things to pay attention to the world outside the office. Ebb and flow, ebb and flow, ebb and flow...

Things I love Thursday

Things that made me happy this week

Mother's Day

We took Christoph's Mom to the Denver Botanic Gardens and to lunch. There are a large number of flowers in bloom, and the colors and scents are breathtaking. I'd like to go back on a less busy day and just laze around in the Japanese Garden, which is one of my favorites. It's aesthetically appealing and peaceful, and I like to watch the koi.

After the gardens, we went to lunch at Racine's, and I had the Ahi Salad Niçoise which was delicious once I picked out the anchovies... The conversation was good, and everyone had a good time.

Seedlings

Our seedlings are starting to sprout. I'm most excited about the cilantro, because if we grow it successfully, it means lots of homemade salsa. ♥

Little things that brought me joy

Wandering through the park with my camera ♥ Galore by Michael Crummey ♥Watching quirky movies with Christoph ♥ Fresh strawberries ♥ Spring rain

Web Candy

• The Day Zero: 101 Things in 1001 Days Project seems like a good timeline for accomplishing some serious and fun goals. I'm still working on my list.

• The yellow house on benefit street is for sale. Anyone want to be my benefactor?

• I love Ricardo Fumenal's illustrations.

• Carisa Swenson at Goblin Fruit Studio creates whimsical beasties from paperclay.

• Amanda Louise Spayd will be selling a limited number of these lovely ladies.

• Sofia Ajram is doing some magical things with light.

• I like the impermanence of the sand dancer's artwork.

Things I love Thursday

A few of the blogs that I read participate in "Things I love Thursday," and I like the concept of taking the time to appreciate the good things in life.

So without further adieu, here's my TiLT list for the week. (We'll see if I can actually manage to make this a weekly event. I'm not promising anything, as I'm fantastic at neglecting this space...)

Things that made me happy this week

Coffee with old friends - There's nothing like reconnecting with kindred spirits that you haven't seen in ages. I went to Common Grounds with two friends (J & J) that I've known since Junior High School but haven't seen in more than ten and fifteen years, respectively. They're now engaged, and it feels good to know that they're doing well. It was a comfortable reunion without any of the awkwardness that sometimes happens when large periods of time have passed between meetings. I still feel the same, easy connection that I always have with these two individuals, and I hope we'll meet again in the near future.

Urban Apartment Gardening - Christoph and I are trying our hand at growing some herbs and vegetables in our apartment. We don't have a balcony, so we're limited in the types of plants that we can grow, but it feels good to make the effort. We planted two varieties of strawberries, chocolate mint, lettuce basil, chives, and swiss chard. We're also trying to seed English thyme, dotted mint, and cilantro. I expect that some of these plants will flourish, but I'm worried that the basil and the strawberries may not do as well. From what I understand, most basil needs full sunlight, and we have an east facing exposure which limits the amount of light that we get. It could be worse, but it could be much better. We do have some grow lights, but it's just not the same as unadulterated sunlight.

Little things that brought me joy

Starting a 101 in a 1001 list ♥ new Chuck Taylors ♥ dogs, dogs, dogs ♥ A refrigerator full of in season fruits and vegetables ♥ receiving the book Inside of a Dog as a gift ♥ Guided by Voices ♥ shopping for new dishes with Christoph ♥ reading about animal assisted therapy ♥ working on a spring inspired digital collage ♥ The "rosehips winestained lips" playlist on my ipod (which I think I've actually had on rotation for nearly a year)

Weird Finnish sketch comedy.

Amusing Swedish boys practicing their death vocals.

Comment Wonkiness

For some reason, my comment notices haven't been coming into my e-mail properly, so I've missed quite a few comments that I didn't know were there. Sorry about that!