My feet

I have always been self-conscious about my feet.  So putting up a picture of them on the internet is a huge deal.  I have inherited what is called the Morton toe.  And, my last toe curls in.  Those are the two things I don't like, and am working to just accept.  They are just feet, right? They are healthy, they function, so what's the big deal?  I remember when I was younger, a kid at school pointed to my second toe, then raised his pinky finger and said that my middle toe was as long as his pinky finger.  Devastating.  


So today, when we were at the park, I decided to take a picture.  And I am decided to start liking my feet.  There are things about them I like: they are slender, they aren't too big or too small, they are flexible.  And, like said, they work.  They treat me well.  They have always treated me well.


So here's to feet.  My feet.  Feet I am going to try to start loving more.

Night out and trees

Since Nate was born, Andy and I rarely have time to go out on a 'date.' Most of our 'dates' involve fluffy blankets, cups of tea or juice, and a movie or show on the futon, in our pajamas. I would not have this any other way.  And since we are living on one income, it doesn't feel right to spend money going out often anyway. 


Tonight we had that rare chance to go out together. We had a giftcard for the Arena District, so we saw a flick and grabbed a bite to eat.  Nate spent a few hours with my in-laws, most of which was spent, I presume, in his new turtle sandbox.  We split and enjoyed an enormous beer

and saw this awesome vehicle on the way home. 

Peace. Love. Reminds me of the cross-country trip in a Vanagon I took after graduating from college where I climbed these.  

I miss them.

Dad is so proud

Even though I unofficially lost the battle on which spring sport we will introduce to Nate-- baseball (my pick) v. lacrosse (Andy's), it was quite sweet and exciting to see him get out and play with Andy and Joe yesterday.

(the unintentional butt shot)

He already loves this lacrosse stick more than any other 'toy' he's had (thanks, Roger!), and the sheer pride and bliss that dawns on Andy's face when he sees Nate's attachment to the stick is a happy, happy sight to behold.  And while Andy politely shrugs when I joke that he married an un-athlete (as opposed to his own varsity and collegiate athletic status), I recognize there's a strong possibility of packing coolers full of snacks and lugging lawn chairs to many, many games.  Time will tell, as it does with all things, which path he chooses to take. 

Series by the pond in blue

Someone commented today, while Nate and I were out running errands, how absolutely blue his eyes are.  I remember the doctor telling me that his eyes were most likely going to stay blue, and a huge smile forming on my face at his words.  When I told Nate his eyes have always been blue, he looked at me strangely.  So, I pulled up some pictures of when he was younger, and showed him that the color of his eyes are blue and will always be blue.  These are the pictures I showed him: 

Blue is soothing, calming, cleansing, peaceful, mysterious. And on him, it is happy, vibrant, pure, joyful, playful, and loving.  His blue is my favorite blue in the world. 

Bananas, oranges, more bananas, more oranges

Andy was out of town all Saturday with lacrosse happenings.  He and Roger brought home a slue of bananas and oranges. I'd just picked up some of each at the store the day prior.  So. What to do with a bounty of bananas and oranges?  I feel a new baking recipe experiments on the horizon.

Winding down

A full day celebrating the mothers in our lives.  Perfect ending to the day consisted of bbq black bean multi-grain chip nachos (with a sprinkling of spice, impromptu concoction), Simpler Times for Andy and I, and a big glass of cool, creamy milk for Nate.  Now, working on a draft of a children's book for Nate, while periodically glancing up at the Transcendental/Emerson rendition of this quote in a rough wooden frame, a gift from Andy today.

Seattle via Andy

We will be traveling to Portland to visit with my mother, sisters and stepdad in July.   As I was organizing our image files, I clicked through the pictures Andy took while in Seattle in 2010. Seattle is one of my favorite places on the planet (and I would love, love to live there someday, even if it was for a short while). He drove down to Portland to visit with Nate, I, and my mom, sisters and step-dad over the weekend, but I couldn't resist posting a few of his pictures as an homage to one amazing place.

Of course, him being there was a bit of a trigger for me.  I love the Pacific Northwest, and struggle sometimes with the fact that my family is literally split between the Midwest and there.  Not only do I love the weather of the Pacific Northwest better than where we are currently, but the landscape and culture do seem to be a more natural to who I am- though I have never lived there (but have visited enough to know it would be so right for so many reasons). I am always impressed with Andy's photo skills, but these really struck a chord.  So I have him to thank for these. Thanks, my love.

Mr. Peanut

Oof. It happened. Another broken glasses frame.  This marks the third frame that has snapped since I started wearing glasses four years ago.  


This time it happened as I was walking out of the bank with Nate. That was a few days ago.  Today, the three of us were driving to Cost Plus World Market when I put on the glasses to drive.  I had taped the earpiece to the rim earlier. Didn't stick. Wore them regardless. Andy started chuckling, which gave way to uncontrollable laughter, asserting it looked like I was wearing a monocle. Karma? We joked about how ridiculous Mr. Peanut looks when we started dating all those years ago.


He managed to snap this and send it to my inbox, so it would be the first thing I saw this morning.
Thanks love!

   

Another trip to the optometrist in the near future.