emotions running plentiful...

several things...one, i just finished the novel p.s. i love you. i haven't seen the movie yet and heard the book was better and now i can't wait to see the movie. i cried maybe, 1o times! what a book. it's my biggest fear: losing someone you don't want to even think about living without. i'll stop now so i don't start up again...yesterday the family celebrated my aunt and uncle's fortieth wedding anniversary. my uncle rented a big 'ol suite with the most beautiful view of the city. the piano man set the mood grandly and it was nice to enjoy everyone. love was in the air... i just received my dress green etsy purchases. hello christmas shopping! i could browse art on etsy forever and a day...of course that's where i found the prints up and below. something about birds i tell you. it's the flying. lucky devils.

(Top)

"Wild Garden"

(Left to Right)

"Flock"
"Lovely Bird Design"
"Little Sparrows"

my heart just skipped two beats...

so gorgeous my heart just skipped two beats...

a realization and some...

this past weekend i realized a few things...
1. tony makes the best spicy chili ever.
2. i'm a hopeless sucker for teeny-bop vampire romance. get it, "sucker"... get it.
3. joanna newsom's "sprout and bean" is my favorite new song.
4. hearing the preservation hall jazz band live makes me very, very, very happy. more then i thought jazz could ever possibly do.
5. the blind boys of alabama can see so much more than me. what an inspiration.
6. you're never too old to shimmy and shake.

forever and a day...

yes, it's been forever and a day since my last blog. geez, where to begin. my ring came in! i love it more and more, sometimes i can't stop staring at my hand...i feel so vain! bad me. tony and i book the reception hall next month followed by the church in february and then the details begin! i finished my third marathon..slowly but most importantly surely this past sunday. school is causing some distress, the new principal's expectations are up the wazoo and with wedding excitement, the marathon, and plain old reliable fun i just can't seem to sacrifice the much needed time it will take to get things done the right way. really, can the days be longer? but how can i complain. my lovely company makes all the difference. i am lucky and thankful. ooo, i just forgot my crazy, pathetic, psychotic obsession with the twilight books. tony's glad to have me back, although i'm dragging him to the theater saturday morning to see the movie. i think he's a little curious as to what the deal is. but really, what a story. a very unrealistic, fantasy, perfect world with perfect lovers and perfect endings kind of story. but still. ahhh. can i come back as a story book character in my next life, preferably bella...and tony as edward...see what i mean, pathetic and just plain weird, time to move on. my darlings moved back up to tennessee and my dad moved to el paso, my mom will soon be following and then so will tony and i for a little visit in january. we booked our flights today. we're planning a little vacation in new mexico for some fun in the snow ...hopefully with our family who are thinking of joining in ... ahh, much much to look foward to...

a lovely question...

on friday, october 3rd 2008, i happily accepted my lovely tony's marriage proposal!! that whole week i had been looking forward to that friday because tony was finally going to show me the "premiere" of our california vacation movie that he and his friend had been working very hard on for the past two months or so. let me say, the movie was amazing. tony had been raving about the cool effects and shots they were working on during the past months so i was so excited to finally see it. well, again, the movie...amazing. he made several copies of the movie but the one we were watching was a "special edition" because at the end was quite a lovely addition...a lovely proposal! he presented me with roses and a huge ring... and i'm talking huge... 7in x 8in! he actually made a huge gold diamond styrofoam ring! i'm not a ring gal myself, i actually only own one ring and that's my high school ring...my accessory obsession is earrings.....he knows my pickyness with jewelry all too well and the next day we found my PERFECT ring together: a unique emerald and diamond beauty by new york designer sarah perlis.

saturday lovely recap...

it's been quite a while since my last blog largely due to the very sad sad relocation of my unknown backside neighbor a.k.a my personal internet wireless provider. i know, bad me. so now i'm stuck with having to find a lovely provider all my own and i'm avoiding it because i've become spoiled and i'm too busy. the latter is partially a big fat lie but i've convinced myself for the moment. with almost a month of no full access to the internet...and work access doesn't count because i can't log on to anything interesting except my dear etsy.com... i've completely amazed myself that i haven't had any internet withdrawal symptoms or some kind of breakdown. but i've done it and i'm okay. i can survive with no internet. but now i've become addicted to bravo. my tv time is 50% bravo, 30% hbo, and 20%cnn. i love it. great shows. anyway, enough net and tv talk. on to life. school is crazy. kids are great. but a lot of work getting all the kids caught up to where they need to be. but how can i do anything else? really. the schoolbags i made in the summer are really holding up well and the kids love them. so work is work and i'm chugging along well enough. last weekend, tony and i went to a friend's wedding. the music was so so lovely. ah, what a fun night. as for me, i had too much wine. somehow i didn't realize it until i got back home. well, there wasn't a dj. they hooked up their computer to the speakers and we danced away. i think it was the most dancing i've done at a wedding. the lovebirds also had a friend of theirs play an acoustic set and he sang coldplay, smashing pumpkins, beatles... great playlist. such fun. well there's a recap. until next time and until i get my hands on a computer with full net access...

love and a hint of insanity...

love and a hint of insanity best describes this past week. insanity because school is keeping me crazy busy. there is not enough time in a day to accomplish the tasks that need to get done. love. love because tony and i went to his cousin's wedding and it was so much fun and there was so much love. the wedding service lasted well over an hour. about an hour and a half. i hope to never forget the fruit joke. the reception was a blast. good barbecue, delicious cake..tony's aunt makes the best! maid of honor and best man walked around with dollar shots, the mariachis with a female member, that's a plus... the sangria, lots of dancing, lots of cumbias, lots of crazy loud relatives having a ball. the groom was lifted up and carried by his friends around the dance floor mosh pit style, the beautiful bride looked happy and relieved. we stayed until the very end. so much fun.

celebrating love...

friday and saturday, tony and i celebrated our love and 2 year dating anniversary by exchanging some gifts and eating the BEST food ever. we ate at bin 555. absolutely delicious. the restaurant was lovely. chill music, low lights, nice decor, perfect seating, and friendly service. we enjoyed some flat bread with the best butter i've ever tasted, yummy hummus, a delish salad with candied pecans, apple slices, goat cheese, mixed greens dressed with vinaigrette (tony had a cesar), seafood paella (THE BEST FLAVOR EVER), perfectly tendered and coated lamb, a yummy very spicy pizza, and some bread pudding. and how could i forget, a pitcher of sangria....soooo GOOD. the food portions were tapas style and it's definitely a place i would recommend to anyone. it was such a lovely and perfect evening. i gave tony tickets for us to see the blind boys of alabama at the magestic, a band that tony had raved so much about. he seemed very impressed with them and always mentioned that he wished we could see them. i'm looking very forward to enjoying that evening with him. in return i received some beautiful earrings, a teacher bookmark, some super comfy pjs, and the cutest teacher survival care package filled with my favorite jelly beans and other healthy and yummy snacks for work. plus the cutest pattern bird card:) it was such a lovely weekend. we also went to go pick out some glasses for me. funny fate, after we left eyemasters, i called home to see if everyone was there. we wanted to go visit since we were in the neighborhood and had a lot of time to spare till my glasses were ready. marisa told me that my mom and alayna were at target (right across from eyemasters) so tony and i went in to look for them. as soon as we were about to go in to target, they come walking out heading straight for us. talk about perfect timing! sunday i got to swim with my family. and even better, tomorrow is labor day. no school! i get to sleep in. does it get any better than this!?

working for the weekend...

everybody's working for the weekend....that song just popped into my head and boy do i feel it. i can't wait for tomorrow. the end of the first week of school. it has gone very well. i have three stooges that are keeping me on my toes and the rest are the typical third grade eager pleasing free spirits. their math appears to be their strong point, their reading...not so much. so there's a long road. but we will get to the promise land... i'm actually watching the democratic convention as i type. a video of MLK jr. is being shown and as he said, "as long as i am following jesus, i know he'll lead me home..." jut sent shivers up my arm. obama's coming up soon. it's going to be an interesting election. i'm so anticipating this weekend! come on day.

ben who?

i was browsing the net and wasting time like too often i can do. then an intense craving came over me. mmmm yummy said my brain. ben and jerry's brownie and cookie dough swirl is just around the corner. i got in my car and stopped. before turning on the car, reason set in. hello? you like totally missed 12 miles yesterday because of water stop and you told me you would make it up today. i cringed and got my butt outta the car. without thinking i changed into my running clothes, filled up my bottles, slipped into my sneaks, put on my watch, and closed the door. 12 miles later, my legs are burning, i'm dripping wet, and i don't even know who ben and jerry is anymore. just do it. old but so true. thanks reason.