first week! yeah!

oh this first week back to school (my last quarter of grad school—or any school, hopefully!) has been a douzy.

but only because we've got a sick pup-pup over here. which is never fun. or you know, sanitary.  i've been up to my elbows in unmentionable. but you don't want to hear about that. no, i'm sure you don't want to hear about the explosion of unmentionable i found in his crate when i got home yesterday. or how i discovered there are many helpful howtocleanunmentionableoutofyourcarpet videos on youtube. you definitely don't want to hear about what happened all over the kitchen after i'd cleaned for about three hours straight.

especially if you're eating. that's when you really don't want to hear about it.

so, i won't tell you. and i definitely won't post any photos about it. ;)

but while we're on the topic of eating (right? that's what we were talking about...right?;), tonight we got to go out and meet some friends at yeah! burger, which i would like better if the veggie burger was a little less mushy, but it's still pretty good, and hey! they were number one in bon appetit in 2010! and it was definitely lots of fun with the friends! is it just me or does the exclamation point make this place seem even more exciting!!


so, yeah! burger:
1 star for organic, gluten-free-, eco- and vegetarian-friendly
1 star for being locally owned (i think?)
1 and 1/2 star for taste
= 3.5 stars
really good! go! if you live in atlanta!

p.s. what's happening to my photos when i upload from flickr? why do they get all grainy like? i swear they are actually bigger than what i've uploaded them at so that shouldn't be the reason... anyone got some blog know-how for me?

once on a sunday evening

we got back from my sister in law's fabulous wedding (seriously, it was aMAZing, i'll just have to tell you about it later because i only have about ten minutes till our movie downloads), and then guess what happened?

we went to the grocery store and saw this guy, who i only know from this (pretty funny), but who is also in this and other things according to imdb. anyways, he was just buying things. like a regular person. crazy, right? my second celebrity sighting (in my whole life!), in the past year. who knew so many famous peoples hung out in the a-town? i didn't! we are so starry eyed.

and so, then we went and got some of this:

oh yeah.
living the dream, baby.
living the dream.

got mail (and flowers!)

today i woke up and felt a little lost, a little adrift, or maybe weighed down. but i got up, put one foot in front of the other, looked for something to do, decided to take lars out, and there on my front doorstep, i found this:

...the most beautiful calla lilies. i cannot even begin to explain how much it cherished me, how loved and taken care of, how happy i felt (still feel). and then later, another friend called. and it somehow all boggles my mind to know this kind of care. for me. i'm humbled by and wrapped up in love right now. by the most wonderful, bestest of friends.

thank you and big x's and o's.




p.s. and now you know that if you send me flowers i will make a very public declaration of my love for you. you've been warned ;)

spring doth commence

...with a bowl of spring-colored peanut m&m's

...which i nearly ate all of, all by myself.

Because it seems that spring is the season for new beginnings — and because my hormones are going crazy and it seems like my hair will never have another good day again — i went out and got myself a haircut today, which, though it may not work wonders, probably makes everyone who looks at me a little happier that they no longer have to see my fuzzy, damaged ends. so, mission accomplished. also, i thought my day would get a little more cheerful if i snagged these colorful bites of crunchy heaven and what do you know, i was right. maybe a little too right, as i ended up eating probably half of them while watching some fill-in online tv (suburgatory is kind of funny, right?), while waiting for my lasagna (why yes, i am a super housewife goddess! or i could be if i could just get my degree already!) to cook. Actually, i'm quite proud of that lasagna, since i didn't have to buy a thing to make it and managed to use up all our leftovers, too. it possibly has penne noodles instead of lasagna noodles on the insides, but who really notices the insides, anyways. pasta tastes like pasta. am i right?  

You may be wondering at this point if all i do is run around shopping and cooking and having my hair done. i wish. but no, i did get up before ten and slave away on my manuscript. ooo, i love saying that. my manuscript. makes me feel all writerly. which, by the way, is WAY overrated. if you ever have the itch to write a book, do yourself a favor and just squelch it right there in its tracks. that's right. like a bug. stomp on it before it ever sees the light of the living day. or else. 

So, i did do some writing today, even though it's my 'break.'  and maybe that accounts for my bad mood the rest of the day. huummmpff. and then it was off to see the wizard behind the macy's glass counter, where i found a perfectly lovely watch that begged me to take it home, but alas, twas not to be. maybe tomorrow though.

All of that to say that today was somewhat better than bad, but certainly worse than good. if you know what i mean. the best part was watching this (i'm obsessed) with the hub, while enjoying some savory not-lasagna.

Happy First Day of Spring!

last week & this weekend

i made spaghetti sauce because of this post (and i have to say it's only ho hum. maybe if i'd used san marzano tomatoes it would have been better), jazz made a pizza, we almost went out to dinner but ended up at whole foods instead (and got a cupcake while we were at it),
i worked on my novel/thesis, jazz went for some bike rides,
i had a few meltdowns, got over it, rinsed and repeated, 

jazz was patient and understanding, we watched a super stupid movie, 

i met a friend a the original house of pancakes (good stuff), and we went to bed early. 

or jazz did. i took sleeping aids and still stayed up. :o/

the end. 

our little nights at home

going to bed early has been one of the good things about this week. sometimes it's nice to just check out early. and okay, maybe we're reading or looking at the computer, but at least we're together, and it's made our bedtimes feel so cozy. i must remember these days of just me and him, and this small little house and our dog on the floor there, who won't get on the bed despite all our pleading and coaxing, who we put up here next to us just last night and who immediately sunk down on top of jazz, all four paws splayed out and panting as soon as he found himself up here, because he's afraid he'll fall off our not-two-feet-off-the-ground bed, and who got off as soon as we turned the lights out and went to sleep in the living room, because obviously we were trying to do him cruel harm. he's our funny bunny lars.

i must remember these nights with our old-fashioned target fan and little dorrit on pbs and jazz laughing at silly videos he finds on youtube and interrupting my book to tell me about them in our third rental in our third march (almost spring!) in atlanta and also how when we drive around now we think about how used to living here we are now and how beautiful the cherry blossoms are at this time of the year and how it almost feels like summertime. and how we have some real friends here now, friends that we prayed hard for, that we're still getting to know, but who help make it feel like home.

even these are good nights. 

Yangyang Pan

the importance of talking about things

here's the thing. the thing is, i don't really like talking about myself, but while i'm sitting here (not as) hyped up on the medicines (as I'd like to be) (the saying is surely not "hyped up"?), my writing fingers itching, because hello, i'm supposed to be a writer and i don't like to talk about things?, i've decided to give it a shot. this talking about things.

but, you know what's hard about talking about things? i don't know what to say. everything is not what i mean. or i mean everything. it's a conundrum, a confusion, a mixed bag of swirly emotions and contradictory thoughts that won't make any sense if it comes out. you see? how to piece apart the millions of inconsequential thoughts i have a day into something with meaning.

i wish that at&t man would stop knocking on our door. was it weird that i talked to him through the window? how is that even possible? wait a minute. is that cellophane? i wonder if he knows i'm home alone. lars, would you protect me? i dont really want this raisin bread. but it's made. now i must eat it. why can't my blog just fix itself? what should be my next decorating project? i wish i had a sister. if i had a sister, i would call and tell her everything. but i don't. okay, back to the internet. let's see...what have i not looked at in the last hour? maybe there's something new to pinterest. i hope i can rewrite chapter six in two days, because it's not happening today. am i hungry? what time is it? i should probably sweep the kitchen.

obviously impossible. but today is just the first day. we'll call it a practice day, shall we?

sort of no good

we had a hard weekend over here, and i'm still recuperating. or getting over it. or something. i know everything is going to be okay, and i really am okay. but i'm in bed, rereading old magazines, drinking some coffee, thinking about beach plans. it sounds incredibly wimpy to me, to just be doing that, so i'll probably try to do something more productive. but you never know. i could be in this bed all day.

but really, it could be so much worse. and i'm thankful for so, so many things. so i'm just trusting in God and believing that everything works out for good, not for a good life, but for Him to make His home in my heart, that I would abide in Him and He in me. that is what really makes me happy and at peace.

a surface of my own

on Sunday, my sweet husband brought a desk he made for me home:

and i've really been enjoying sitting at it in the mornings to write. 

morning is always my favorite time of the day. 

and i love having a little workspace all my own. 

can you believe he made that?

happy march day!

i'm so sorry for being mia and all that, but i'm a little swamped in real life right now; 

however, i had to say happy march 1st! because who doesn't love the firsts of things? 

and because who doesn't love march? and springtime? not me, i love it. ;)

so anyways, i also have a little list of things i'm looking forward to in march: 

1. completing all my rewrites for this thesis-majigeree

2. a break from school! yay! so i can keep writing my thesis :(

3. the first day of spring!! don't you love spring? i hope it's longer than last year!

4. a wedding, a wedding! can't wait to see my beautiful sisinlaw in her wedding dress!

5. going to as much yoga as i can before my passes expire!

6. keep on running, gosh am i glad i started that up again!

7. visit the doctor to make me good as new again (he will, right??)

8. and i'd love to finally do this. 

9. and this.

10. and this!

and who knows if i'll have time for anything else, but i'd love to hear what you're 

doing in march! anything exciting! i'd dearly love to throw a spring party, but

don't know if it's in the cards. anyone throwing a spring party for me?
let's have these flowers:

via

love, 

B

sprinkled donut hole love

happy fat tuesday!

last weekend

we were at a wedding in roanoke, virginia last weekend, for jazz's side of the family.

i didn't take my usual amount of photos, for some reason, but here's a few i did get.

sugar, sugar, doo doo doo doo doo doo ooooh honey, honey...

happy belated valentine's day!

a little list of loves:

1. the warm floors under my bare feet at hot yoga.

2. running with my dog around the neighborhood until 

he's dragging on the leash cause he's so tired out.

3. starbucks gift cards in the mail. 

4. americanos from mill mountain coffee.

5. and their mexican roast.

6. watching jazz go out for bike rides in the evening

(makes me wish i had one too!)

7. this song.

8. seeing a friend at my neighborhood coffee shop

9. fresh flowers

10. and valentine's cupcakes!

xoxo,
B

(i'm not going to beg for it, but that's what you can call me;)

p.s. note the blog address has changed!

leave the gun, take the cannoli!

it's becoming a busy week and now i can't even remember what all happened this weekend...
good thing we took a few pictures during dinner at tartufo saturday night, so we at least
remember that deliciousness! 

p.s. always get the namesake pizza. oh yum.

i scream, you scream, gimme some ice cream!

wednesday night we took a drive to McDs for some late night sugar...there's nothing like 99¢ ice cream cones, is there? except i remember when they used to be 27¢!

thanks for the treat, jazz!