raindrops & polka dots

i'm all for rainy days.  when it's damp and cool outside, and i'm curled up and comfy under a soft blanket, watching a movie or reading a book, drinking a cup of warm tea.  love it.

rainy days when i have to be outside?  not liking that so much.  especially when my mode of transportation is my feet...my cold, wet feet.

but instead of getting all pessimistic about this perpetual rain, i thought i'd list the things i'm thankful for in this rainy weather:

• only two classes today within relatively short walking distance [1/2 mile one-way isn't so bad, right?]
• my mom's yummy homemade cauliflower soup [perfect way to warm me up!]
• anti-frizz serum that keeps my hair from looking ridiculous [seriously]
• the grass, flowers, and foliage are happy
• my pretty polka dot umbrella...it's cheerful AND keeps me dry :)

so over the next two days [which will be full of rain as well] i'll remember to be thankful for raindrops...and polka dots.

wishies

[see larger image on flickr]

i took this photo on my "take time for you" walk yesterday :)  i used my 55-200 lens for the first time and, let me tell you, that baby gets some serious depth of field.

when i was trying to search for a quote or song lyric to go with the photo for my flickr post, i couldn't find one that really fit.  these dandelion flowers, or "wishies" as we used to call them, reminded me of being little and believing with all my heart that if i blew off all of the petals while making a wish, that my wish would come true.

now, when i was little, i used to write a lot of poems...they were so silly, usually with lots of awkward, forced phrases so that the words rhymed [although i did have one poem actually get published!].  and thank gosh for my mom, with her patience and encouragement, always telling me how great they were.

so, in the spirit of my 8-year old self, i decided to just write my own poem [also considering that i was attempting to do anything BUT read research papers].  given that my poetry skills are still at that 3rd grade level [at best] this is what i came up with to try to capture that innocent and hopeful wishing on wishies memory...

oh, to be that young, little girl
with her sweet and cheerful allure.
in the grass, barefoot as she twirls,
wishful thoughts, so innocent and pure.

she plucks a dandelion flower,
blows the petals to the sky of blue.
she believes in its magical power
to make all of her wishes come true.

after taking its picture, i did pick the dandelion and blew off the petals with a wish in mind...and it made me smile when i realized that i still believe in the magical powers of wishies :)

to-do lists

if you know anything about me, it's that i'm obsessed with to-do lists.  at any given time, i have at least 5 to-do lists going.

...grocery shopping, school/work assignments, long-term goals, short-term goals, cleaning, extracurricular activities, workout schedules, christmas gift ideas, what music to download next, what tv and movies to watch....it's insanity [albeit, organized insanity].

lately, i've been overwhelmed with the amount of things i need to get done. so i decided to create a simple list of one item...an item which is not found on any of the other lists i have.

"take time for you"

...so, as i'm working on getting through my enormous to-do list for today, i'm going to do just that.  i'm going to go outside for a walk on this gorgeous day with my camera so that i can focus on getting only one thing done in the next hour:  enjoying the beautiful fall day.  taking time for me.  i suggest you try it too :)

slainte

after a jam-packed week of presentations and assignments, some of the ladies and i decided to head down to the new kildare's irish pub for a pint [or two].

we ventured out in the torrential down-pours...got a wee bit wet, but it was well worth it.

a delicious, creamy guinness.

yummy pub food.

therapeutic complaining about classes.

much needed laughs :)