The Greatest
Spring Fever Strikes Again
I have a particular sense when it comes to detecting the arrival of spring. For some, it is the arrival of Spring Break or Easter. For others, it is the spring fashion lines just hitting the department stores. But for me, it all comes down to my nose. Despite what Punxsutawney Phil says about the arrival of longer days and warmer weather, I don’t believe the season has really come until I can smell it in the air. It’s the aroma of jasmine and orange blossoms, with a slight hint of freshness. This is a certain scent that is around only during these few months of year and it makes me long for other spring delights.
The Labels We Give, The Labels We Receive
What a week America has had!
First, the bombing of the Boston Marathon, then the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, and finally the death of one Boston Bomber suspect and the arrest of another. As someone with many family members in the Boston area, including Watertown—some a quarter of a mile from the action—where the suspect was finally captured, I am incredibly relieved to know that the only thing that happened to my family was the fear that ran through their minds as their hometown was put under lockdown. Thank you Watertown Police and all those involved who ensured a swift arrest with no civilian casualties.
Now that the manhunt is over, the fact-finding mission begins. With news coverage almost exclusively broadcasting every minute detail into the life of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, many labels have been attributed to the young man who remains in critical condition.
The Accelerated Crawl Of Time
Time is a pretty strange concept when you start to think about it. It’s one of the few things in life that no one really has control over, yet something that everyone possesses at one point or another. We hold onto it, we waste it, we give it to others, and we can never get it back.
With twenty-four hours in a day and twelve months in a year, time is a fixed idea. Sixty seconds tick by and before you know it, a minute is gone then another and then another. The sun rises and sets each day at variable times, but the pattern persists for most individuals. Wake up, exhaust the daylight hours, go to sleep, repeat. Sure, the activities of each day will inevitably vary, but we intrinsically are living just as the ancient cavemen did. Granted, we have technological advances that can keep us up well into the night. I’m looking at you, Internet! (more…)
Unromantically Yours
Last night, I met up with a friend for what is becoming our quarterly check-in into the other’s life. With busy schedules, meeting up for drinks a few times a year is about all we have time for and sometimes we even have a hard time penciling that in. Tucking into one of our favorite local bars, we ordered pints and settled into a table for two with house-made potato chips and the delightful charm and camaraderie that only an Irish pub can offer.
As it turns out, the past few months have been great for the both of us. We happily chatted about our jobs, our hobbies, and then got down to the exceptionally good stuff: our relationships. Toasting to our good fortune and thrilled that karma seems to have finally found us, we began to gush about our significant others in ways that seemed very adult for two people who quite recently had been wondering why we seemed to be the only two singles left on the planet. We talked about how we journeyed into coupledom and where we saw things going. Then he said something that completely took me by surprise.
“I think she could be The One. I really do.”
The One.
A Time To Celebrate
When life has swapped out your lemons and given you a free pass to all things fun and exciting, it’s hard to keep the happiness inside when all you want to do is scream from the rooftops, “Life is awesome!” And the best part is, you can. It seems that as we get older we often forget to celebrate ourselves. It’s completely normal to attend a birthday or graduation party, but outside of bridal or baby showers, when did we lose the art of celebration?
I’m here to tell you all to go ahead and celebrate. There is nothing wrong with cracking open a bottle of wine you’ve been saving for a special occasion or treating yourself to a hot stone massage when the boss tells you what a great job you’ve been doing or you reach a particular milestone in your blogging journey (Happy blogiversary shout outs to Laura, Rian, Tobi, and Jules!). Here are some of my favorite ways to celebrate.
Not Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop
Have you ever had a time in your life that everything was just coming up roses? A span of time that makes you want to buy a lottery ticket because you are sure you’ll win since everything else in your world is going according to plan? Did that every scare the crap out of you? If everything is going so right, something must inevitably crash and burn right before your very eyes to bring you back to the harsh, cruel light of reality. But what if it doesn’t? What if you choose not to worry about it? What if you just savor the moment as if it were a decadent piece of chocolate melting on your tongue?
To give you all a little insight, my 2013 has been going exceptionally well for being only a quarter of the way through the year. I was chosen for a promotion at work in the midst of a hiring freeze, I started dating a man I’m actually really excited about, and I’m still the favorite auntie to my four munchkins. Without getting too sappy or boastful, I am incredibly happy with the place I am in life and am not freaking out about anything—quite unusual for me. And I’ve got to say, it feels really good to just be.
A Side Of Swiss: Part 2
With heavy hearts and thoughts to those in the States, we packed our bags, left the beautiful Schweizerhof, and headed to a boat cruise along Lake Luzern before heading to Zürich. From the lake, we took in the beauty of the Swiss Alps, the gorgeous homes along the water, and just a little bit of Brazil. Ok, maybe just a statue similar to Christ the Redeemer.
Just Because It’s Funny: St. Patrick’s Day
March 17th has finally come. A day of corned beef and cabbage, Lucky Charms, and all thing green. ’Tis also a day to drink your socks off with various libations while the sound of bag pipes play in the background. You may not feel it now, but you’ll feel it tomorrow. I’m staying sober this year (darn those adult responsibilities of working tomorrow) and decided to make my co-workers some yummy treats for tomorrow instead of enjoying an Irish Car Bomb. Regardless of my celebratory staying home, I can still find the humor in this day.
A Side Of Swiss: Part 1
We left the AmaCello and departed for Switzerland. We were supposed to arrive in Basel, but due to a broken river lock, the AmaCello was forced to return to our last port of Breisach (where we toured the Black Forest). It was bittersweet to say farewell to most of our fellow passengers as only about a third of us were continuing the journey to the land of cheese and chocolate.
Even the fountains were cold.
Since we were due to begin the land extension in Basel, we traveled by bus to the cosmopolitan city. The first thing we noticed about our first Swiss town was how cold it was. By far, this was the chilliest of all the places we visited and it was hard to admire the medieval character of this Swiss banking center.
One Hundred Wonders Later
I have two announcements to make.
- Today, I am headed to the Boston for what has become my annual pilgrimage to visit with family and sample what a real winter feels like just as Southern California is expecting 80-degree weather. I know, I know, it seems like I spend most of my time on vacation, but I really do hold a full-time job (one that may see me getting even more time off).
- This is Defining Wonderland‘s 100th post! I can’t believe how quickly it took to reach triple digits and I am so grateful to the Wonderlings who have been around for the last year and the new ones who have joined this blogging adventure. To the next hundred!
