fireflies (you can't make this up volume 12)

do you think it's because of boredom

the hit song

fascination for mating rituals in general

or an over-inflated sense of tourism

that people trek to see fireflies

do what they are created to do?

i mean...it's cool and all

but...

in gatlinburg

anything goes

(this illustrates once again why i can stomach g-burg about once every 5 years. the surrounding mountains though i can handle just about anytime...)

Smokies prepares for flashing bugs
June 02, 2010 04:03 EDT

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) -- The synchronous fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are just trying to attract each other, but they get a lot of humans as well.

To accommodate the crowds of nature lovers, National Park Service officials have made arrangements to bus in people who come to watch the insects.

From June 5 to 13, the Elkmont entrance road will be closed between 5 p.m. and midnight to all traffic except trollies and registered campers at the Elkmont campground.

Trollies will pick up firefly watchers at the Sugarlands Information Center and take them to see the fireflies, which -- as part of their mating ritual -- flash in simultaneous patterns. The Smokies website says the species is the only one in North America capable of this. The trolly ride costs $1 round trip

(news story credit: foxnews)

sparrows

*written last friday after arriving at the cabin*

they were everywhere today.

one landed in front of me as i walked into the grocery store

pausing every few moments to turn

and look at me

inquisitively

as if he were wondering about what was going through my head

just as i was wondering what was going through his.

then as i sat in traffic, trying to just get out of town

they kept landing in front of my car

taking a moment to splash in a puddle

in the midst of heavy traffic

only flying away when the light would change and traffic

began moving.

it took a few times -- and then i got it.

i'm a sparrow too

and God is watching out for me

just like He is for them

i don't think it coincidence

that my favorite song to play on the piano

when i am stressed or at the end of whatever rope i've been clinging to

is

"His eye is on the sparrow"

oh -- i know He watches me

and that is why

through death

foreclosure

asthma

floods

and whatever else may come

(and it will)

i am ok.

Thursday's Ten: product recommendations

i've been wanting to do this for awhile...why not now?

ten products or items that i would highly recommend for your own use. most of these are VERY cheap :)

(PLEASE play along even if you don't have a full 10 list!)

1. my stacking recycling bins from ikea

2. my can opener. it was a gift from my parents one Christmas, and it's a.m.a.z.i.n.g

(mine is red, but i couldn't find an online image of it. it's the 'one touch' brand and i think you can even buy it at target or walgreens now)

3. my creative memories all purpose scissors. coupon clipping, scrapbooking, photo trimming...fantastic

4. pampered chef kitchen shears (ok, similar to the above, but they are AWESOME on their own and i use them for *everything* around the kitchen)

5. avacado slicer. it makes it so easy to have fresh avacado when i don't have to get so stinkin' messy cutting it up!

(you can buy it wherever you buy kitchen tools)

6. starbucks insulated cup. you knew i'd bring it up again eventually!

7. and on that note, the sigg water bottle. um, i don't know where mine is...someone besides me packed it. must.find.soon!

8. (for pet owners) the mouse laser light. best purchase under $5 i have possibly *ever* made. emi loves it! (i bought mine at target)

9. cfl's (compact fluorescent lamp). not only are they SO much better for the environment, they also last forever and drive down your energy costs!

10. in that whole "green" vibe--reusable grocery bags. trader joe's are quite stylish, and i'm forever taking a reusable bag with me on trips, or to carry stuff back and forth from jobs...so they're quite versatile for me!

i KNOW you have a similar list. please share!

Monday's Memory: the one in Venice

this is one

where the picture can kinda speak for itself

(may 2002, europe tour)

...so incredibly proud...

le boyfriend and i haven't seen a *whole* lot of each other over the last few weeks

not due to my crazy schedule

or the foreclosure, moving, asthma, or flood

(someday i'm going to come up with a catch-phrase for that month.

current top runner is *hell*)

but because something incredible was happening in his life.

you see, he's been a gaming enthusiast all of his life

and has converted me to a few of said games

(i still don't know a fraction of what he knows though)

and he has had a passion/dream of writing about the industry

and a few weeks ago

he got his chance!

he applied for an internship with a website

that is apparently a pretty big deal

and was accepted along with 3 other people

and less than a week after submitting

his very first feature article

he's published!

please go here and check him out

and if you're like me

and have little or NO idea what he's talking about

pass the link on to those people

(boyfriends, husbands, brothers, sisters, roommates, neighbors)

who do understand!

(pardon my gushing...i'm just a little bit proud)

Monday's Memory: the one with the suitemates

(this one shall have lots of pictures)

we met during freshman orientation

a weekend when we visited a local waffle house way too late at night

ordered pizza that took 2 hours to arrive

learned a tiny bit about each other

and decided to be suitemates

we paired off with the 2 "l's" in one room (lindsay and lora)

and gwen and beth in the other

a yankee and a southerner as the makeup of each room

you would have thought we wouldn't work

since NONE of us knew the other

but somehow

beautiful friendships were formed

together we celebrated:

first dates

birthdays (on a budget)

and sometimes just dressed up to dress up

thursday nights were "suite nights"

usually they involved going to wal-mart or the mall

stopping by sonic for a meal

or even walking to the scary subway for a sandwich

we would come back and crash

and watch a movie

(in gwen and beth's room. they had the tv. we had the fridge and microwave)

lindsay introduced us to a show called "second noah"

and we would have marathon nights of watching it on her vhs tapes

from the first season to the last

and we sang

loudly

to the partridge family's "i think i love you"

to rascal flatt's "prayin' for daylight"

and to dixie chicks...well, anything

("goodbye earl" was a particular favorite, however)

we all had musical taste differences

but THOSE were the songs we could agree on. always.

we argued too

and would have nights where we would just talk and work things out

some of those nights involved some tears

but without fail, we'd end up all piled together on one bed

laughing at something

we had long talks

about what we wanted our lives to look like

about faith

family

how we wanted to live out God's calling on each of us

(we had no clue how to do that...we just knew we had to)

it was an idyllic 2 years

junior year, only beth and i returned to trevecca

and we had different roommates

(although our apartments were just across from each other for awhile)

we got together often

and still took classes together (mostly music)

it wasn't quite the same

6 years after the last time we'd all seen each other

beth got married

and the 4 of us saw each other again

(although beth was a little busy...

so it was mainly gwen, lindsay and i who were able to reconnect)

that was in 2007

gwen came to visit nashville last year and we were able to spend a few days together

different "pairings" like that have happened

but the 4 of us haven't spent any time together

that's going to change

THIS WEEKEND!

someone's parents have a cabin

close to gatlinburg

and lindsay, gwen, beth, elijah (beth's toddler) and i

will spend thursday through sunday together

i'm not sure we'll have the same kind of menu

(we're trading ramen noodles for my vodka pasta)

or the same movies

(at least we'll be switching vhs for dvd)

and WE are not the same people

but we still have mad love for each other

and these friendships, i truly treasure

because when we get together

it's like it was 10 years ago when we first met.

30 before I'm 30

originally i had this scheduled for a few days after my birthday. then came the foreclosure...the packing...the hospital stay...the flood. so i'm just a LITTLE late. :)

here's my 30 before i'm 30 list...30 things i want to accomplish and do before i turn 30 next march! none of these are earth-shattering huge things...but if the last few months have taught me anything it's that even the little things count.

truth be told, i hesitated at even posting this. it seems so...frivolous...after all that's happened just in the last few months. but something my smart boyfriend and his father pointed out to me as we were packing my stuff up for storage and moving is that i need "wins" right now. little ways to smile and acknowledge that i've accomplished *something* no matter how small.

so some of these are silly, some are fun, some are serious, and many are modified because at the time i first wrote this list i had no idea i'd be losing my house.

1. actually run an entire 5K (I've run/walked several now)

*modification due to asthma...run at least HALF a 5K. we'll work on the whole after that.
2. take a trip to Holiday World--i want to introduce A to a place that was fun for me as a kid!
3. visit at least one brand-new-to-me place
4. eat 3 fruits/veggies every day for a full month (0/30)
5. read 20 books (0/20)
6. volunteer at *something* at least 5 hours/month (2/12)
7. take one picture per day of my 29th year

*modification due to foreclosure, moving, hospital and flood...start a 365 photo album on january 1 next year like everyone else...and just attempt to take a picture every day for the remainder of this year to get used to that
8. try 30 new recipes (2/30)
9. fit into the majority of my professional wardrobe. This will require losing another 20ish pounds, but preferably 30-40. (3/20)
10. review 12 books in 12 months for le blog (0/12)
11. find and perfect a mojito recipe
12. grow a container herb garden
13. look into graduate programs and decide what to get my master's in (hopefully to be completed by age 35)
14. play the piano daily for a month (0/30)
15. begin practicing yoga again, up to 3x a week by my 30th birthday
16. have at least one meatless day a week
17. wear more hats because I love them
18. entertain at least once a month, whether that be a big party or another couple (can be at A's place or mine as long as I have at least 1/2 the responsibility) (2/12) *modification...cooking for A's family counts!
19. get my cds organized...oy
20. reorganize kitchen

(uh...does finding all the kitchen boxes and organizing THEM count?

*modification: find some space saving solutions at IKEA and implement them. Atlanta trip coming up in June)
21. go through wardrobe as I lose the weight and toss clothing that no longer fits into a box for clothing exchange/donation
22. have fresh flowers in the house weekly (from my own garden or an inexpensive bouquet from TJ's)
23. find a wreath for the front door that I love

(ok it's now a side door, but still)
24. once I get it, use the WiiFit at least 3x per week (usually more, especially once it gets cold!)
25. put at least 3 new pieces of jewelry in my Etsy shop per month
26. try at least one new ethnic food group
27. visit NYC
28. unless i'm out of town, keep up with the blogs in my google reader...because 300 unread blogs is NOT a good normal
29. take Emi to the vet for a check-up. it's been awhile...
30. complete a 30 in 30 list (because that's an accomplishment in itself--it's hard!)

Thursday's Ten: Warmer Weather Edition

it's finally getting to be the time of year that makes living in middle tennessee completely worth it.

warm

not yet too humid

(although give it a couple of weeks)

and not over 100 degrees just yet

perfection

well, without a beach

THAT would be perfection

:)

here's my list of ten things i love to do around town when it starts warming up :)

1. go for a hike or a walk. besides the greenway, radnor lake is a favorite place. and amazingly enough i have just moved within a few moments of the trails there!

2. visit the zoo. anthony and i joined last year and i'm totally renewing my membership. with my new nanny gig(s) (more about that later...) and friends who love animals as much as we do it's pretty much a necessity. plus the reciprocal membership with zoos around the country is fantastic!

3. lay out. i know, i know, sun damage...skin cancer...but i CRAVE the sun. i'm never out THAT long...

4. eat. which kind of doesn't seem to fit with the above, but shall i explain? fresh fruits and veggies straight from the garden, avocados sliced up on a sandwich, organic stuff--just anything! i feel like eating so healthily during these summer months--which is probably why i don't have a problem with the diet and exercise routine!

5. garden. i'm excited because this year i'll be planting tomatoes in the ground, plus reviving my herb garden in containers!

6. head to the park--grown-up park with friends, playground park with kids. they're all fun, and everyone feels like a kid when we just play!

7. read. on a rainy or cloudy day, curling up in a chair. when it's nice outside, taking a book and a blanket to the yard and just hanging out with the characters for awhile.

8. take a nap. there's something about coming home on a sunday afternoon...opening the curtains...putting a comfy robe or pj set on...and laying down in the sunlight. it's my inner cat, i suppose--emi and i usually jostle for the most sunny area to sleep in!

9. have a popsicle. those fla-vor-ice pops from when you were a kid? yeah, i totally keep a box on hand at all times. pure sugar...pure fun

10. get a pedicure. ok, so this one is a self-done pedi lately...just can't justify the expense for myself at the moment! but there's something about walking around in flip-flops with pretty feet that makes life a little sunnier :)

what about you? as it warms up, what do you like to do?

Monday's Memory: the one with the hike in Malibu

i'm one of those people
who NEEDS to see the ocean once a year or so
unfortunately i've always lived in landlocked states
the first time i saw the ocean? i was 20.
perhaps i need to make up for lost time!

this picture was taken in malibu, california
my first time to sunny ca was in 2008
my friend vera and i took a little hike
up to point dume
it was fun
(although next time i'll wear something besides flip-flops to hike it in...)
and this picture was taken when we came back down



a hike right next to the ocean?
perfection.