With Friends

So I'm realizing that this will be the second post in a row without a picture. Oops. That's not good. Sorry!

Last night I got to hang out with some great friends and enjoy their company, good food - lots and lots of good food, one half of a weird movie and one good standby movie, and enjoy our hostess's beautiful new condo. Thanks, Maria for having Pam, Crady, Gina and I over. The homemade pizzas were fabulous, even with the dough that wasn't quite defrosted! The salad made us all feel like we were eating healthy, at least for a little bit, though the bread sticks balanced that illusion out somewhat. Then there was the dessert course...homemade ice cream, banana pudding, large bakery cookies with lots of icing, and thankfully, some fresh fruit (to again make us feel a little virtuous). Yum! Okay, so much for the healthy eating idea. Who could resist having one of everything?

We tried watching Funny Games, but this bizarre movie freaked a few of us out a little too much, so we switched to watching Double Jeopardy instead. Nothing great about this movie, but at least there's no animal and child torture, or threat of a rape scene in Ashley Judd's movie!

Maria, the condo looks fabulous! I know you're loving it, which you so very much deserve after the first 5 months of this year and the ongoing issues that you will continue to deal with. You look so happy and comfortable in your new space, and it's so nice to hear you talk about your plans for this place of your own. I'm so, so happy for you!

Summer Showers

I got home last night just in time for a thunderstorm. The sky had been growing steadily darker, so I knew it was coming. All I did last night was curl up with a book and listen to the storm. I *love* summer storms. One of my favorite childhood memories was watching the storms cross over when I was at my grandparents' house in Tennessee. You could see the storm building, building, building, until finally the pressure was almost visible, and then that first crack of lightening would light up the sky and the thunder would just roll and roll. One thing I missed when I lived in Portland were thunderstorms. There was just not enough land between the coast and the city to build up that kind of pressure.

I didn't turn on the TV to see what was going on with last night's storm. My love for thunderstorms has been hijacked in recent years with all the new technology that can track a storm's progress, block by block, through the city. Now that I know all the details, fear has crept in and replaced the sheer joy and wonder. Now I worry about where to hide if there's a tornado, or winds strong enough to topple the tree in the front yard. This fear was exacerbated earlier this year when we had a bad storm in the middle of the night. I had heard it was coming, but it wasn't expected to reach my area until after midnight. It was a weeknight and I was tired, so I went to sleep. Anyone who knows me knows that sleeping through a storm is no problem for me...I sleep like the dead. But apparently I shouldn't have slept through that one, probably. One home just 4 blocks away was completely destroyed, several others had severe damage, and you could see where the tornado had touched down and grazed homes within 100 yards of my house. Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't be so sanguine about these storms.

But that didn't stop me last night. I wasn't about to turn on the TV. Blissfully ignorant, I can still enjoy the storm for what it is, rather than what it may bring. Now if I just had a screened in porch where I could sit and watch it roll by.

Butterfly Summer

Butterfly Shoes, originally uploaded by kyredbutterfly.

Sounds better than "Cicada Summer," somehow! While my neighborhood had the big cicada fest several years ago, they are about done flying around Frankfort...thank goodness! They are freaky bugs, and soooo loud. I was not amused to find them in NC, too, and even less amused when one tried to hitch a ride on my shirt. Eeewww!

Anyway, I had to post a picture of my butterfly shoes because I always think of summer whenever I catch a glimpse of them. Aren't they too cute? I bought them in Hawaii four years ago, and even though they aren't an "everyday" kind of shoe, I love them. They make me smile all day long whenever I wear them. This week it's been the best kind of summer...warm but not muggy, with a light breeze. Unfortunately, around here, it's also the kind of summer that lasts for about one week in June and one week in September. Since last week was in the high 90's with tons of humidity, I was afraid we'd passed right on by this kind of weather. I'm glad it made an appearance, however briefly!

Carolina on My Mind

I spent the weekend with my mom in Asheville, NC. The reason for going in the first place was a concert by one of my favorite artists, David LaMotte. While we were there, we sampled several local eateries, took a historic trolley tour, shopped, enjoyed the architecture and personality of the city, and toured Biltmore House, seen here. There's plenty of pictures on my Flickr page, which you can get to by clicking on the thumbnail to the right. I was really charmed by Asheville. It reminds me of a very small Portland, OR. Very hippie-ish. Mom made the comment that it was sometimes hard to tell the hippies from the homeless. But the downtown, small as it is, was full of people, artists, and bustling shops. Besides our hotel room and meals, we also contributed to the economy through a few purchases. I bought some luscious alpaca yarn to make a scarf for myself. Mom bought a beautiful red leather love seat. It just barely fit in the C-RV, with less than an inch to spare in all directions. Whew! It was a whirlwind weekend and both Mom and I came back more tired than we were when we left, but it was a lot of fun, too.

Belated Birthday Love

Bday Ballgame, originally uploaded by kyredbutterfly.

Meant to get this posted over the weekend, but oh well! I knew there was a surprise coming, but I just didn't know what it was (sort of). Anyway, on Thursday night Mom whisked me off to the ballpark to have a fun night with the girls. Here's most of us hanging out pretty early on in the evening. Mom, Linda P., and Lisa S. are missing from the shot. Thanks to everyone for coming! And a big, huge thanks to my Mom for getting us all there and giving us such a fun night! Even the weather cooperated and made things pleasant. I had a blast and it was a great way to usher in the new (for me) year!

Happy Birthday, Kat!!!

I have to give a shout out to my friend Kat, whose birthday it is today. It's also Dragon Boat weekend in Portland, so Kat, I hope your birthday is just a ton of fun! Josh, I'm sure dinner last night for your wife was righteously good (you can take the girl out of the '80s, but you can't take the '80s out of the girl).

Life List for the New Year

Today is the big day where I turned 35. It feels a bit momentous, though I don't really think it is. But because of that feeling, I started working on a list of things I wanted to do during my 35th year on this little planet of ours. The following isn't everything on the list (I do have a few secrets to keep) but it's representative of my whole list:

1. Learn to sew, using the brand new - to me - sewing machine Chrissie sent to me. Just awesome. I am sew excited! *groan*


2. Learn to play chess.


3. Use the Cuisinart my mom gave to me, on "loan."


4. Plan meals and take advantage of the farmers' markets in the area.


5. Prepare for yard sale this fall and pack along the way for move next year.


6. Get back to walking regularly.


7. Stop using the TV as "background noise" - get up and move, listen to music, or just enjoy the silence.


8. Ride the van to work daily so you can save on gas.


9. Clean out paperwork and files; take stuff to shredder at bank.


10. Walk the labyrinth regularly and become more attentive to my prayer life.


11. Blog and Flickr more frequently.


12. Take more pictures.


13. Read at least three classic novels a year.

There are several other things on the lists, like projects around the house and more detailed ideas about some of the above, but this is a start. One that makes me feel good about myself. I have already put a few of these ideas into practise: I've read The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas, have been good about getting to the van pool on time, been to the farmers' market, and am carrying my camera with me everywhere I go.