the more things change the more they stay the same

some new things in my life since we last talked...

1. luna!

2. moved to alexandria

3. became a nurse practitioner <3

4. iphone



though i've long mocked the iphone, now that it is in my life i am a pretty big fan. most notably i've been trying to photojournal my life through instagram, positing at least 1 picture every day. i'm going to try to do it for a least a year. i guess a part of what i'm trying to do is capture the daily bits that i often forget as life moves forward. how the bushes look on my daily walks, the trees and scenes i see everyday, ordinary moments in my apartment. i don't have a place to store these pictures or cumulatively look at them so i decided to come back here. to my old place where i was trying to do the same thing, just at a different time. i've already been uploading a daily photo to my phone for the past 6 weeks, now i'm trying to figure out how to make it happen here.

stay tuned :)

what happened to february?

missed a month but i still love you. promise.

blaaaaaaaah

i hate winter. it makes me feel terrible.
winter is dark, cold, grey, and seems unkind.

luckily i get to pick my own thoughts like flowers. i'm hoping for this result in a few hours.

wild wednesday

take necessary precautions.

precious treasure part II

today i found a whole new hospital...it is not everyday you work at a hospital for 2 years and find out that there is another WING to the hospital, right there, all the time. to be fair - it is mostly offices of doctors that work in the hospitals where i work. but still, i had never been to any part of it! and the name: WEST HOSPITAL.

world, keep the surprises coming!

precious treasure

i walk around the fan like it's my job. i love walking around the fan and have been doing so for about 3 years. i know most of the streets but not all of them. never all of them. and the other day my friend and i went on a walk and she showed me a NEW STREET! what a precious treasure. it is 3 blocks long. it is not hard to get to but not a noticeable street by any means. those 3 blocks look like 1950s/london. it seems idyllic. children play in the road together and leave their toys out. it is oddly peaceful and quiet compared to the rest of the fan. the day after i was exposed to West Ave. i woke up and took a walk to go back and check it out. that was this morning. i decided to take a picture diary of my trip to share with you.

damn the man?

went to kroger late last night because i'd just returned home after a month away to NO FOOD. this simply wouldn't do. as i'm checking out, i put in my kroger id and am congratulating myself on using a fake phone number so the man can't infiltrate my life. then i realize i gave a legit name and address so maybe the man is already in my life. however, as i'm checking out a funny thing happens.,.the machine starts printing coupons JUST FOR ME!!! it is only coupons of things i buy most frequently and thus will definitely use - amazing. maybe i love the man?

3 coupons/most purchased items
1. greek yogurt. duh.
2. coffee creamer
3. grapefruit juice!

creepy computer kroger, i think i love you <3

la la land!

the new year has been full of traveling, family, and sunshine. i'm currently in LA hanging out at my brothers house with lots of arrested development and walks on the beach. yesterday his neighborhood was visited by a cloud and we were enveloped in a thick fog all day. when i walked on the board walk i couldn't even see the ocean which was just a few feet away, when i walked to the shore i could barely see past the breaks. it was wild.


our cousin is coming tonight for her first visit ever to california - i'm glad she's staying with all of us at the beach of the sun. the last time all these cousins were all together was....more than 5 years ago? i'm glad we're making it a priority to chill now, it feels like an incredible choice. i'm ready for an epic weekend.

If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation

thanks for the wisdom, pope.


let's be careful with the earth and each other this year. sounds like a glorious adventure

blacksburg winter

i stole this picture from one of my friends, mary. she is an incredible photographer/person. mountains in the snow are so so beautiful. i love being at home with my family!

oh empo

i got in to blacksburg last night for the holidays! it is AMAZING to be home. mom has already decorated everything. there is a beautiful tree. its gorgeous outside and so much sunlight comes into the house. i'm sitting on a gorgeous, comfortable couch watching a big screen tv and there is a carpet on the floor. i get to hang out with mom all the time. life is good. wanting to share this goodness with jim/sara/mom's cat i decided to get him geared up to sit outside with me to enjoy the sunlight. he seemed excited to go outside - when i brought the little vest thing and lease over he started making lots of noise and rubbing against my leg! we went outside and he laid down in the dirt right away. we chilled out but i noticed he was breathing fast - maybe just excited? then he sat outside the door so i opened it to see if he wanted to go inside (so lame). he hovered at the door jam smelling everything. i wanted to tell him: be an explorer and stay outside. i know it's scary and different but it's SO GREAT out here. it will be ok. and i thought, how many times in life do i turn away from adventure because it's scary or different or hard without even knowing i am standing in a door jam too? empo chose to go inside after a minute or two. unfortunately i had perched the leash on the outdoor grill, which fell and scared him. but since it's attached to him it "chased" him inside and he started running and freaked out. then it got stuck under the couch so he got stuck near the christmas tree and by the time i got in his eyes were so big looking at me. sorry empo! now he is hiding from me downstairs. and i'm about to watch a movie and wrap christmas presents!

world's smallest snowman greets you

this snowman is 1/5 the width of a human hair! science is the coolest.

thanks to those crazy kids at the national physical laboratory <3

eeeeeeeeeeep

just woke up on a glorious, rainy sunday. mistakenly checked my school/work email. apparently there is a meeting TUESDAY and if you don't come, you are no longer allowed to work on the study. this meeting is necessitated because "certain events have transpired."

if you're me you start wondering .....
did i do something?
did i screw up a research study? (seems doubtful)
why do things have to sound so freaking ominous?i'm not going to let this work email turn me into a little black rain cloud of doom today.

a plate of minerals

today i'm going to the science museum for some stellar christmas gifts. also i have decided to incorporate a plate of pretty rocks into my room. i'll keep you posted.

the end of an era

our planets have graced the hall for almost 2 years. inspired by colin's 29th birthday, the planets were magnificent. we've moved on.


turns out the boys love flowers.

bad decisions

3 weeks ago i caught bronchitis. smarty that i am, when things got bad i went to the NP and was prescribed some cough syrup, antibiotics, and told to take good care of myself. idiot that i am, i didn't really listen and continued living the life of a rockstar/nurse. one night i started laughing so hard it turned into a cough and just wouldn't stop. i ended up separating cartilage from the bone in 2 of my ribs.
this is what bad decisions feel like.

off the map

last week i watched INTO THE WILD. it was a good movie with beautiful shots but ultimately i came away feeling: i could never be that dude.

before i digress, let's send some peace and happiness to his family who miss him.

driving home yesterday to richmond, traffic was heavy and stressing me out. i decided to utilize my GPS machine and take some sweet back roads.

gorgeous, right? before i knew it, i was in the middle of jefferson national forest on a dirt road with no cell phone service. the first 15 minutes were pure beauty and enjoyment. thirty minutes in i had the thought that a weaker woman would be crying. i was off the map and i got nervous: what if something happened to my car? when would i be found if something happened to me? no one knew i was taking this back road (if it could even be called that). i tried to focus on driving safely and how beautiful the forest was. i put on some tunes to try and calm down. finally, i passed another car that clearly possessed an errant GPS as well. i was so happy i took a picture:after 45 endless minutes, i popped out of the forest and was on a paved road! with cars!! i immediately pulled over to a scenic overlook to call my brother.


next time i'm off the map, i need to be better prepared.

mandolin madness

sometimes i think about what i could add to my life that would make it even better. lots of time, i think learning to play the mandolin would fit the bill. really this all started a few years ago and reached a fevered pitched when i heard chris thile's "wayside (back in time)". while i haven't started playing the mandolin yet, i still think it will probably happen in the near future. maybe 5 years.

yippeeeee

a series of pictures

in florida a few years ago...

take 1:
me: hahaha. jim, mom looks like she hates you
jim: unbelievable. take it again

take 2:
jim: now who looks like they don't want to be here?