I love summer!

And one of my favorite things about summer is WATERMELON!

(sorry cantaloupe... you're pretty good too.)

Everything looks fun and fabulous on these cute plaid plates my friend Lindsey gave us as a wedding gift. It's like every meal is a picnic! (and the summery table cloth is from our wedding!)

When we have a car we can...

Go camping
Visit Nashville!
Visit Greenville
Visit home
Eat pizza at Marcos
Eat pizza at Ritrovo Update:  We hate this place.
Hangout in West Asheville (but we should bike there)
Dine in Biltmore Village
Buy watermelons
Go to box stores (for better or worse...)
Buy big pots and soil
Drive to work (my work!)
Go hiking
Listen to music on the radio (and NPR of course!)
Rock bumper stickers
Go to IKEA
Explore!!!!

Busy busy weekend!

This weekend we did a lot!

On Saturday we went to the farmers market, and among other things got some tomato and herb plants. Yesssss! Then we rode our bikes to West Asheville for Go West, a small street festival.  It was sunny and hot, so we didn't last long.  The music was good, the food was good, and the ice cream cone was good. =]  That night, Chris had to work but I had some friends over for easter egg coloring! Sweet!!  We had a good time and made some fabulous eggs.  None of these friends had ever been over before, and everyone was especially delighted to meet Rocky.

The Easter Egg miracle!  See the bunny?  It sort of looks like a bunny face or a bunny head + ears.

On Sunday, we slept in, had a lovely breakfast of toast with butter and jam, hard boiled easter eggs with s&p, and lattes. Mmmm! Then we went to St. Mathias to watch Brass Knuckles, a bass trumpet jazz band.  Bass trumpet? Who knew?!  After that, we came home and had an awesome dinner of steak, salad, and bread + butter. Yum!  Then, we went to Forsythia Hall to see the Watson Twins.

What a great weekend!

THE WEATHER IS GORGEOUS

I'm in love.      

With the temperature.  

And with Chris, of course. =]

And with the fact that 3 of my friends are preggers!

And with the idea that in less than a week I'll be Miami with my hubby, my 2 adorable nieces
(and future adorable nephew!), my brother and sister-in-law, and my bro-in-law + his future wifey.  Sweet!!
Looking forward to things makes me think of this quote.

But back to the present moment - the temperature 
is 77 degrees, there is a breeze, and 

I'm on the balcony looking at 
a pretty tree. 

Happiness. 

Valentine's Day, Sister Phil's Day

Sister Philomena Cassidy was born on the fourth of July and died on Valentine's Day.

One year ago this morning, Sister Phil passed away.  She was the nun at the little Catholic school where I worked for 3 years.  She was sweet and funny and wise and wonderful.  She had a quiet way about her that could be kind or disapproving or desperately funny, and always caring.  She had so many quarks, and what I realized when I reflected on what I knew of her was a great lesson:  her actions spoke much louder than her words.  A pat on the arm, a hint of a smile, a raised eyebrow.  They all said enough.  And when she did speak, her words were few and well chosen. She got her point across in a few sentences or even just one.  She often used one of her many Sister Philisms, which we all loved:  "Chocolate is to be eaten in bar form only."  "Boots are for walking dogs."  "Oh, to be wafted away."  "You're the best!"   "Not for eating."  And one of my personal favorites: "A face that could stop a clock!"  One time she told me, "Coats are to worn when your mother is cold."  hehe

Here is a look Sister Phil often gave me.  

I think what it says is: I'm trying very hard to disapprove of what you're doing but also I think it's funny.

PS: Sister Phil had beautiful handwriting.

I heart NPR

I love NPR, and I listen to it all the time.  My parents listened to it while I was growing up (and still do), and I pretty much thought it was boring.  But, when I started dating Chris and he listened to it, I realized how interesting the programs are... most of them...  most of the time! We don't have a TV, so we listen to the radio A LOT.  In fact, just this moment I am listening to A Prairie Home Companion!

 This year for Valentine's Day, they have free NPR Valentines on npr.org.  Here's an awesome one:

Finally, farewell to Christmas.

Now that it's February, I've finally taken down the Christmas decorations.  It's hard to get used to the place without the garland on the mantel and the colorful lights in the Great Room!  I can see how people get addicted to decorating for every season/holiday...