If Bruno says it, it must be True.

My good friend, Bruno, often tells mini-stories that are kind of unbelievable and then ends his statement with, "No, really.  It's true."  He is from Brazil and I think they like to tell the truth in Brazil.  While chatting with him online today, he wrote:  If a good cook is too thin, you can't trust her food.  In my quest to be a good, respectable cook, I will NOT go jogging today.  Baaaaaah!  The idea of me being 'too thin' has never entered my mind before today, but he is my friend and I must heed his advice. 


Thanks, Bruno.  I think I'll go start cooking dinner!

note: Bruno is my very first Brazilian friend, and the only blue eyed Brazilian I know.  I assumed he was Scandinavian when we first met, and thought he was lying to me.  I should have known better.


Me - "What?  You're Brazilian?"  
Bruno - "No, really.  It's true.  I am from Brazil."  

See?  They always tell the truth!

Jog Blog

Since jogging alone is not a social activity, mentally stimulating, or plain entertaining for me, I like to have some company; my little green second hand iPod.  Today was a little different.  While running jogging around my newly discovered lake route, I took out the ear piece closest to the lake, as if to try and hear what the lake was saying.  "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?  My iPod was turned up too loud."  I think it said something like, "You should get out more." 

Talking to Rosa is now an hourly occurance.  Frankly, I think she understands me, which also means she is learning the full extent of just how nutso her Human is.  Case in point; when the Hershey's squeezy bottle refuses to give up it's last tablespoon of chocolate, I open it up and stick my finger in it and pretend it's a bowl of brownie mix.  I HAVE GOT TO GET OUT AND SEE SOME NORMAL PEOPLE. The real problem?   Matt just laughs when I talk to my cat or shamefully lick the last bit of chocolate from the bottle.  And I laugh at him when he rounds the kitchen corner looking like this:

It makes me laugh so hard whenever I see it.  He was training for the Northern Blizzard Smog Jog.  OR He was working on our fireplace and didn't want stuff in his lungs or his eyes.  The result?

 

No wait, that's my applesauce...which was also very enjoyable.

 

The fruit of his hard labor was this:

So maybe my days of solitude aren't so bad; a warm fire, knitting goodies, and eating applesauce.  I'll see what the lake has to say tomorrow.  

Falling for Fall and Color

Autumn always brings out feelings of nostalgia for me; the smell of freshly fallen leaves takes me back to treasured trips to the "Patch" with Mom to pick out the best pumpkins, weirdest looking gourds, and witness the projectiles of the pumpkin cannon.  And we mustn't forget the caramel apple stuck between your last 2 molars that kept the memory of the visit alive for weeks.

Ah, the Pumpkin Patch.  It's like a form of (dare I say it?) worship for me.  It is a recognition that summer is Over.  Days of grilling out with friends late into the night, laughing around the bonfire, drinking cold fruity refreshments, and warm breezy bike rides are Gone. To visit the Pumpkin Patch is to acknowledge this End, and to welcome the Beginning; backyard football games before the light fades, homemade soup and bread, and laughing around the fireplace, drinking hot chocolaty beverages.  While at the Patch, I give thanks for the beauty surrounding the End and wonder if our End will look as brilliant and beautiful.

After a 2 year absence from the Patch, I was back to a new one without Mom but with a new husband and 2 neighbors.  We picked pumpkins and apples and welcomed (tasty) Autumn. 

 The Copper Street Brass Quintet also gave some respite from a cold day of transitions (changing my name-gasp!)  Their Color Project Tour concert was warm, refreshing, and full of beauty.  Matt even commented afterwards, "Wow, that was really different!"  (I think he expected to be bored at a brass concert!)

It may not have cured my transitional blues, but it certainly helped me give up hope for one more day in flip flops.  The sweaters are being unpacked, the arm warmers are being knit, and the soup's on. 

Words from People I Love

In place of my words and pictures (half of these photos are taken by Souba or Court) here a few snippets of recent funnies and lovies* from some of my favorite girls...

Dedication
I really need you guys to all make lots of noise and clap during our encore. Al

I pulled my bull horn out of storage to blast along to the beat...and I have my pleated mini-skirt. Courtney

Peace

I hope your newly wedded bum is enjoying every single second of it! Jen

Obsessed Fun

Where are you??? I'll admit I'm been stalking your page and blog a little bit... call me! I want to be phone friends!!! Call me!!! Emily

Sunshine

You make my days bright!! Love you MOM

*Posted without permission. :) Love you too.

Love, love, love...Bum bah bum...love, love, love...

As a result of Two People Falling in Love, a few things recently came to fruition. After a year long cross-cultural, cross-sea engagement, surrounded by friends and family on a beautiful September day, Matt and I exchanged our vows. It was perfect, with one exception; one of my brothers could not be there because of a different "fruit."


After a great honeymoon in Mexico, I hopped into the car with Mom for a long drive to Texas. Waiting for us was a warm bundle of gurgles and grunts that kept Adam from walking me down the aisle. At first glance, I decided Collin was probably worth missing the wedding, and I fell in love, again.


At a friend's baby shower, her mother shared her thoughts from when she was pregnant with her 2nd baby (which turned out to be be TWO babies!). I will paraphrase..."I couldn't imagine how I could love ANOTHER baby, when I already loved my little family so much! But I did!" She went on to express her amazement at how we never really run out of love; the more people in our life in need of love, the more we have to give. I thought that after spending so much time with and loving my family, my already existing nuggets, and my new husband, there was NO WAY I would feel strongly about another nephew. Oh Young Grasshopper, you have so much to learn.

I love him, so much. With a (gas-induced) grin like that, how could you NOT love him?

Oktoberfest in September

An evening with friends is only bettered by Oktoberfest beer! Friends Al and Tim hosted the 1st Annual Oktoberfest Tasting and not being a big beer girl, it was better than expected. Grading is usually easy for me since I'm a teacher, but it was hard to rank each one, especially the first one, and I got a new appreciation for the judges at music festivals. If you're the poor student who has to play first for the judges, know it's not your lack of talent that got you that middle-of-the-road score, it's because you're first.

productivity; a product of laziness

I did not run today and since I failed to throw out my mirrors yesterday, it is definitely both a 'fat' and 'bad hair' day.

The bright side, and YES! there is a bright side, is that the wedding programs are finally being printed aaaaaaaaaaand the guest book is also on it's way to the 'almost presentable' category. Procrastination really does suit me.

The other bright side is that there is still time to run, fix my hair, and enjoy this beautiful day. Yay!