“My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been.” – Diane Arbus Yesterday I took my Little Sister on an adventure at our zoo for a behind the scenes tour of Big Cat Country! What a great time! Neither of us had ever done this before. When we first walked up to the exhibit…
Category: favorite things
God is Everywhere
“The presence of God is everywhere, you have only to embrace it with your attention.” – Deepak Chopra LOVED this story in Spirituality & Health by Snatam Kaur called “God is Everywhere.” The contrast between her childhood buddy’s view of God and her own made me laugh. I tend to subscribe to the author’s view. I do…
Distracted Runner
A couple of really good runs this weekend brought the most distractions I’ve had in awhile. It was remarkable. I didn’t even get photos of everything. I marvel at some of the random stuff I find along my routes. After four years, I just now spotted this peace sign — the fourth one of these…
Hey, I Have an Idea!
An 80 degree day and an outing with my Little Sister? Yes, please. The original plan was to go to the zoo, but I had a last-minute idea. Typically, the five most dreaded words in my household are “Hey! I have an idea!” But every now and then, my ideas pan out. Sometimes even some…
It’s the Japanese Festival!
Got to spend the afternoon at one of my very favorite places with some of my favorite people. Today our Botanical Garden was host to the annual Japanese Festival. Bonsai displays, art, demonstrations, food, flowers, Japanese product vendors…there was a lot of neat stuff. We were surprised by how many people dressed in ethnic costumes for the…
Long and Short of It
“There is one simple thing wrong with you – you think you have plenty of time.” — Carlos Castaneda, author Getting older has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve not done anything unusual in the way of self-reflection or anything, but I’ve noticed some changes in myself. People, circumstances, and difficult discussions don’t…
Home
“I never realize how much I like being home unless I’ve been somewhere really different for a while.” – Juno After a number of trips to really different places over the past month or so for work, vacation and otherwise, I am happy to be home. And my travels are over for a little while. But I’m…
Art Adventure
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he* grows up.” – Pablo Picasso *or she. Sorry, Pablo. Check out my Little Sister, the artist! You can see her handiwork on this wonderful metro bus (in partnership with the Saint Louis Art Museum), along with the handiwork of lots…
Patterns, Shapes, and Hidden Things
Try to find patterns, interesting shapes, and hidden things. That was my photo challenge to myself early this morning when I went to the Botanical Garden. I also confined myself to the front of the garden, with a boundary of the pools near the climatron. My favorite subject, the Japanese Garden, is beyond that boundary. But…
Life Lately…
…it’s been busy around here. Within the past few days, my kids and I have seen Coldplay in concert… …saw the Legends of the Dome game (the Rams’ last hurrah in St. Louis. Thank you, Isaac Bruce.)… …including VIP passes and an autograph session… …and went to the ballpark with my Little Sister for Build-a-Bear night….
29 Life Lessons…
…to learn from Thich Nhat Hanh: 1.) Never underestimate the power of a kind word, a touch, or a smile. “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” 2.) If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence. “The most precious…
For the Love of Samaritans
Please take a few minutes to read this sermon from Nadia Bolz Weber, called “Why it is the Parable of the Merciful Samaritan and Not the Parable of the Robbers.” (Link here.) So. Much. Yes. It is a perfect commentary on the state of our world, the deafening barrage of violence and hate within our news, and…
Kind of Blue
All shades, all hues, all blues…a little nod to Miles Davis. Seemed appropriate given how mellow – and blue – this day has been. Three pints of blueberries… …along with my brand new electric mixer… And you get three and a half-dozen cupcakes: roasted blueberry with chocolate fudge frosting (recipe here) and roasted banana blueberry with…
Freedom 4 Miler
Started the long weekend running the Freedom 4 Miler race with Drew this morning. A solid race for us both — and you simply can’t beat a start (and finish) line at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium. The rain held off long enough for us to get in the entire event, so we were super fortunate….
Peace, Acceptance, and Soda Spills
“When you are comfortable in your own skin, you can be at peace anywhere.” — Antsy McClain So today I either discovered or was reminded of some irrefutable truths about myself. For starters, my car seems a lot smaller when the lid from a filled-to-the-brim Big Gulp pops off and Diet Dr. Pepper saturates everything in its wake….
So Good…
Sunshine, comfortable temperatures, and a fantastic long bike ride on a Tuesday night. Technically, I have all three gratitude items for today covered right there. But I’ll roll that up into one big item. Coming in a distant second and third: hot showers, and fireflies pulsing softly outside my window as I get ready for…
My Buddy the Diva
Lord, give me the heart of a child, and the awesome courage to live it out as an adult. — Catherine Doherty A few months ago, I became a Big Sister to a sassy, sweet, and altogether adorable 7-year old. Essentially, I’m allowed to be a big kid and friend — and I get to…
Cheat Sheet…
I had to laugh when I received my daily email from Tiny Buddha this morning with the subject “100 Reasons to be Grateful Today.” I had just said in yesterday’s blog post that I wanted to start working on a gratitude list. Only mine wasn’t as ambitious as a list of 100 things. I could…
21 Days of Gratitude
I’ve been slacking on the blog front lately — and on the gratitude front. So I’ve decided to do a 21-day gratitude commitment to help me with both. I’ll list three things each day for which I am grateful for 21 days. (It’s a tool rooted in Shawn Achor’s 5 ways to create positive change.)…
The 10 Rules of Karma
Whether or not you subscribe to the concept, these 10 Rules of Karma are worthwhile words of wisdom that I wanted to pass along. There’s more detail in the original article here. But I’m including the free prize inside, along with photos from a recent visit to our City Garden. You Get What You Give…
Graffiti Gawking
I’m a St. Louis girl to the core, but I believe that Kansas City absolutely sets the standard for graffiti art. While I don’t always like the subject matter, there is no denying the extraordinary talent and creativity of these artists. These paintings are on point. Here are just a few examples from the weekend….
Are We There Yet?
“Small progress is still progress.” – unknown This weekend brought a road trip to Kansas City to see my bestie — and my second half marathon of the year, the Hospital Hill Half. My bestie and her family were at the start line by 6:30 in the morning to see me off. It was a…
Seek or Be Found
Yesterday after work, I decided to head to Forest Park to take some photos. And I was lucky enough to have my youngest come along to keep me company. I was really hoping to find a few lovely late blooms or something really inspiring, but there really wasn’t much going on. The light was lovely, Tanner was…
A Quick Adventure – Part I
Look who I got to see during a quick visit to Washington D.C.!! And would you look at that, she’s happy to see me, too! Actually, she’s smiling about chow time and a fresh serving of bamboo, but still. She’s smiling. You see it, don’t you? Such a happy girl. And check this out. This swordfish…
hey there, friends 