A Little Something Beautiful

Sorry for the absence of late. My life seems to be a bit in flux right now, and I just haven't felt inspired to post. But today I came across a lovely thought that I wanted to share. It's just a little reminder to me to stop and just breathe.

The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.
~ Galileo Galilei

Roots

My entire adult life, I've been looking forward to the next move. It's been one year here, a couple years there, and then on to the next place. The longest I've planted roots anywhere since undergrad was four years in St. Louis, where I managed to stay for an additional two years after finishing up grad school. In between was a year in Wilmington here, a year in Nashville there, and some time back home with the parents in Georgia. Even growing up, I knew I was unlikely to stay in the same area once I finished high school. It seems that, as long as I've been old enough to decide where I live, any place I've called home has been a temporary stop.

Philadelphia is the first place I've ever lived that I knew I wasn't planning to leave. When Dan and I decided it was time to leave St. Louis behind, we agreed that we were weary of the moves. For us, Philly was the perfect choice--solid job opportunities, amazing history, beautiful architecture, great culture and food, and an opportunity to live on the East Coast in a big but relatively affordable city. The fact that Dan had nostalgia for Philadelphia didn't hurt, as he was born here and spent many a summer in Philly visiting his grandmother, munching on soft pretzels, and being treated to oversized drinks at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Not long after we moved into our first apartment in Philly, we knew we were unlikely to stay in the same neighborhood. Like so many moves, the first place you live is rarely where you stay once you have more opportunities to explore. As we learned more about the area, we spent our first year here thinking about where we'd go next. And so there I was, once again, looking for that next move.

And now, here we've been for six months in the little town of Media, PA. The town that we think will be our last stop. Though we always imagined ourselves living in the heart of the city, I've found that the slower, smaller pace here suits me so much better. We have all the things that matter the most to us: walkability, local businesses, a feeling of community, access to public transportation, a liberal streak, and a "downtown" that makes everything feel centralized instead of sprawled. The people are friendly. The town is big on the arts. There's a festival or event almost every weekend, and a farmers market every Thursday. And the fact that they close the main road in summertime and bring tables out into the street for "Dining Under the Stars" just warms my little heart.

For the first time--ever--it seems that I'm going to stay. And lately, all I can think about is wanting to really become a part of this place. I'm so ready to belong to a community, and one that I know I can truly become a part of for the long haul. The other day, while I was out running, someone from my church passed me on the street and gave me an enthusiastic wave. My excitement was palpable: This is my town! I see people I know when I'm out running!

Though it's happening slowly, I can't wait until we have the familiarity that only comes with having been in a place over time--that familiarity with a place that I haven't had in years. I can't wait until we can really get to know our neighbors. Until we have the festivals that we go to every year, and the local business owners that we chat with while popping in to buy a greeting card or a bagel (because Media is a place where that sort of thing actually happens). Until we have the places that we start to call "ours." Until we have memories that can only be connected with our own hometown. Until we buy a house. Until we plant a garden in our own backyard. Until I can really sink my fingers into the earth of this place.

New 'do

A Good Laugh

This article from The Onion is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time.

Seashells Transform Suburban Bathroom Into Tropical Hideaway

Formerly the Watson's bathroom, now an enchanted portal to the gleaming white sand beaches of Bora-Bora.

WOODMERE, OH—-A wicker basket filled with seashells and placed on top of a toilet tank has magically transformed Dale and Paula Watson's suburban bathroom into a serene tropical oasis, sources reported Thursday.

"I can't believe the difference adding those seashells made," said Paula Watson, who had somehow been transported from a beige, run-of-the-mill bathroom to an unforgettable island paradise thousands of miles from the Greater Cleveland area. "Every time I walk in here now it's like, 'Wow, where am I? Cancún?'"

Read the rest here.

I could have done without the last line of the article (pretty high up on the ick scale, and it would have been funny without it), but still, hilarious!

The Last CA Post

Just these last few miscellaneous pics from our trip . . . .

A tiny-looking me next to Mission Santa Barbara

A view from the car as a storm was approaching. As we drove, the topography was constantly changing in the most amazing way!

A bakery around the corner from our hotel in Cambria. I felt very French with my chocolate-covered pastry for breakfast!

Some of California's beautiful green hills

My first-ever artichoke soup!

Dan and I took a break from sight-seeing to hit the arcade. Here he is getting hard-core!

A very cold, very windy beach (and yet still beautiful)

Dan and I waiting for our tour to start outside the Winchester Mystery House (and looking rather cute, if I do say so myself). :)

San Francisco

Believe it or not, I think I still have two more posts of trip pictures in me. Indulge me, if you will, with our pics of San Francisco.

Check out the swimmer in the bay!

The architecture in SF never disappoints

Hanging out on Haight Street

The sundaes at Ghirardelli are one of the many reasons I couldn't say no to dairy on this trip.

Spending a little time in Beat country

Vesuvio Cafe, a regular hangout of the Beat poets

Waiting for the trolley!

A view of Golden Gate Park from the observatory tower in the de Young Museum

We finished our SF stay with dinner at Millenium, one of the most fantastic vegan restaurants in the country. I could have cried it was so good--and so exciting to have my pick of anything on the menu!

Los Angeles

Here's a few photos from our trip to LA. The beach was lovely, though my favorite part of LA was definitely the food! There were so many vegetarian, vegan, and raw options. . . as far as I was concerned, I was in food heaven.

Stop #1 was Rahel's, where we had vegan Ethopian food. Deelish!

Smiling with our Ethiopian goodness

Dan's sister treated us to organic raw vegan food at Planet Raw. I was so excited!

More organic vegan food--this time at Real Food Daily. Check out my brunch spread of French toast, a tofu scramble, bacon and fruit! This was followed by a tasty vegan chocolate chip cookie.

Dan and his sister Anisa at RFD

Dan was feeling a bit under the weather during our trip. Anisa insisted that wheatgrass would help. Here we are with our daily shot. (Hey, if you're going LA, I say go all the way!)

My monstrous French toast at The Griddle Cafe. Anisa and I shared this and her Nutella French toast. It was so good, though I have to confess that I felt a bit sick afterward because it was so rich--that is a ginormous pat of butter on top!

Me and Sally after our trip out for vegan pizza and desserts!

Getting my toes in the sand at the beach in Santa Monica

Dan with the beach umbrella--it was way too windy for it to be useful, but it sure does make a nice accessory!

The Redwoods

If you're into trees, there are more photos here on Facebook.

Yosemite

I can't think of a more relaxing, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping place to have spent my birthday. It literally took my breath away. Standing amongst all of this, you can't possibly worry about a thing in the world. You feel so small--and yet part of something so big--all at the same time.






If you're interested in seeing more photos, there are others posted here on Facebook.

California: Pacific Coast Highway

I'm back! My trip was amazing. . . Dan and I both agree the natural beauty of California is unsurpassed by anything else we've seen. It's so beautiful that it has inspired a new look for my blog--I took the header photo at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Here are a few other pics from the Pacific Coast Highway; I also posted a dozen or so on Facebook.





Traveling around California--we covered over 1000 miles--is like traveling to four different countries all at once. There's a Mediterranean feel on the coast; a European feel in San Francisco; a bit of Scotland in California's rolling hills; and then the Redwoods and Yosemite, which are like an entire country all their own. They're so different--and so equally beautiful--that I'll be posting the photos in series so you can get a feel for each one (with the added bonus of giving me some additional time to cull through them all!). And, of course, there will be photos of the family and friends we saw. And food. Lots of food.