it’s been so very long

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve even looked at this blog, let alone updated it. So much has happened in the last (can it be?!) 8 years! I’m still working (hard!) as an architect, still living in Memphis, still running, still traveling, still loving life.

I am most definitely NOT loving our current political state, however. The immature child who is firmly NOT my president has been in office for 2 weeks and has already rained down havoc, confusion, and lies that are beyond belief. I shudder to think about enduring this for 4 years. I was in D.C. last weekend and heartened to see the protesters who were there, carrying on the good fight.

Stand strong! Call your senators and representatives! Protest! Fight! Do NOT let this demagogue destroy our wonderful country! Be brave, people, and most of all, have hope.

“Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.”

President Barack Obama

You say it’s your birthday! Well, it’s my birthday too, yeah!

Hooray! It’s my birthday! (yet again), or, as my husband says, a national holiday! No Christmas allowed today — it’s my birthday, all day!

So, feel free to celebrate! (:  Have one for me, and forget about the Christmas stress for just a few minutes — and HAVE FUN!

snow!

Well, okay, there’s no snow in Memphis (yet!), but it is getting toward Christmas, and there should be snow, so there’s snow on my blog. And isn’t it just perfect that it’s snowing on Chicago in the photo above?! I grew up and lived for a long time in Michigan, so snow is second nature to me. So…..LET IT SNOW!

post Thanksgiving

Wow — I had such an amazing time during those 4 glorious days off! Mark and I went to St. Louis and had a wonderful, relaxing, amazing time! It’s so important to get out of our everyday lives once in a while, just to recharge and remember why you’re really here! It’s a little tough to get back into work — I long for that freedom, that time to think and dream……

If you get a chance, check out Forest Park, shown in the photo — it’s an amazing urban park!

350.org

thanks to http://www.frankejames.com for the fantastic image!

Have you heard about the climate change day of action coming up this Saturday, October 24?!

A bunch of pretty smart people – scientists and the like – have said that the maximum amount of planet-warming carbon pollution the earth can handle is 350 parts per million.

The problem? We’re already at 387 ppm and rising, which is why the ice-caps are melting, the polar bears are drowning and California, Australia and other places are literally on fire.

The Arctic sea ice has melted to record levels. This raises the possibility of an almost ice-free Arctic sea in the summertime within a few years.

All of this SCARES ME! And it should scare you, too! Go to http://www.350.org to find out about all the exciting things happening this weekend. We need to get people to sit up and

PAY ATTENTION!!

please help

fall colors

Pumpkins and apple pie and crisp, cool sunny weather — isn’t that what fall is all about?!

mmmmm……..I can taste that dutch apple pie from Uncle John’s right now!! Here’s to everyone who’s ever loved the rich orange-ness of a pumpkin and the crunchy crispiness of fall – enjoy!!

books

Have you ever gotten so lost in a book that you forgot what was real, even for just a little while? I have a challenge for you — go out to a bookstore or library right now (or tomorrow morning — whatever) and find an amazing book. Buy / borrow. Open. Read. Sleep. Work. Read. Repeat until finished. There’s nothing quite like putting your life behind for a bit and borrowing someone else’s. There’s also no substitute for great writing and a captivating story. Oh, and if you like short stories, check out Tin House (see link at right), a literary journal that’s available at most bookstores. So much fun in such a little package!

getting out of town

It’s so great to just get out of town every so often. New places, new scenery, new discoveries, new restaurants — it helps me to see everything, even the regular and familiar, in a new light. Everyone needs a little quick vacation every once in a while — you don’t have to spend a bunch of money, just enough to get away for a night. Experiencing new stuff makes your brain work better!

autumn haiku

light grey sky against gold leaves

the fall chill descends

quiet gathered in the still

running is life

Just got back from an amazing run. Only 3 miles after work, but it was fantastic. There is nothing like running in the fall — cool temps, low humidity, leaves crunching under your feet. A perfect day to apply my running mantra: “clear skies, long roads.” Running is that perfect sport – all you need is a great pair of shoes. Pull on some shorts and a tee shirt and get out there! It will make you feel great, and you’ll feel even better when you’re finished! Seems like I always come home singing……

And to think I was one of those people who HATED running. No, I mean, really hated it. I loved walking though, and once I found a program that showed me how to gradually increase the speed and duration from walking to running, I was hooked.

so get your butt off the couch and……just run!!