not full disclosure

today i am blue. i don't normally feel this way, although there was a time when i was quite intimate with the feeling.

i have done all the things i normally do when i am blue to make myself feel better, but so far they aren't working.

so now i feel restless and grumpy, impatient and irrational.

i'm not quite sure how to remedy my state.

1. The last thing I ate was a bagel with strawberry lavender preserves and nutella for breakfast and orange juice.

2. a bike lock is something I recently bought.

3. When it rains, it can be wet and cold or it can be soft and warm.

4. b was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are essential and i love to give and receive them.

6. being cozy-wrapped in a blanket or taking a hot bath gives me extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to driving to SD and hanging out with old friends, tomorrow my plans include attending a friend's annual summer party and Sunday, I want to go to the beach!

june reads

1. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

2. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

3. gossip girl: only in your dreams by cecily von ziegesar

4. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

5. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

6. gossip girl: only in your dreams by cecily von ziegesar

7. gossip girl: would i lie to you by cecily von ziegesar

8. gossip girl: don't you forget about me by cecily von ziegesar

9. Dingo by Charles de Lint

10. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

11. chibi-vampire vol 13 by Yuna Kagesaki

12. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

challenge update

999 challenge-34/81

666 challenge-27/36

1. When I heard sarah mclachlan's fumbling toward ecstasy for the first time in eigth grade I was instantly enthralled and have loved her music since.

2. laughter is the best medicine.

3. It's late, but i can't stop watching trueblood.

4. i will love books always.

5. My eyes have seen many horrific things and many beautiful things.

6. i feel strongly.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to eating indian and going to a water park, tomorrow my plans include yoga and hanging out and Sunday, I want to read!

i am utterly grateful for these awesome blessings

i don't usually post about the wedding planning but today i just have to share.

my friend M and i have been working out an arrangement for her to photograph the reception. she is an amazing photographer. she did our engagement photos and she has done headshots for me in the past. on top of that i have purchased two of her original works. i love her. the tricky thing is i just moved and she just moved. so we are no longer in the same city or even a couple of states away. i am now in az and she is in ny. when i propositioned her i told her i would fly her out and pay for accomodations. i just needed to know how much she would charge for the photography. we finally worked out a price that works for the both of us and it is still within our budget. yay!

second piece of good news-my good friend scormelio is an amazing metalsmith and makes the most awesome, unique jewelry. i was making my list yesterday of the things left to do and i realized i haven't even thought about the rings. at all. i just knew they were going to be custom-made because nothing i've seen so far looks good with my filigree silver engagement ring. last night while i couldn't sleep i thought of scormelio. i can't believe i hadn't thought of it before. so tonight i called her up and asked her if she would be up for making our wedding bands. i was completely prepared to pay, i just needed to know how much she would charge;however, she shooed me away, saying that she will make it a love offering. she said she would be honored to make our bands and i told her i was completely stoked that i would have a scormelio creation to wear forever. seriously, i love her work.

so that's my two "made my day" moments. seriously, everything is coming together so smoothly, it's like kismet. i'm still waiting for the stress, the strife to pop up, but so far so good. i send out my intentions and what i imagine has been manifesting itself beautifully. i feel so blessed to have so many wonderful, unique and personal contributions from my friends. i love that people are giving me the gift of their time and talents. it is truly awesome.

13 things about now

1. it's been over a month since i participated in thursday thirteen. i have been really busy with the move, which has kept me from regularly blogging.

2. but now the house is sold and we are in arizona. which means i can blog again. :)

3. i have been here for five days now. i am feeling quite unsettled. we are staying with b's parents while we look for jobs and then will get a place of our own. the room we are staying in is small and there are no places to put our stuff. so now it is a huge mess and we keep tripping over everything. tomorrow we are going to buy organizers and get the room in order. it's driving us crazy!

4. i have been extra active since i have arrived. saturday morning i went for a nice run. sunday morning i went for a long bike ride. sunday evening i strength-trained. monday i went for another long bike ride. tuesday morning i went to yoga. tuesday afternoon i rode my bike to the library and back, twice, because i wasn't aware that i needed proof of address along with my license to get a card so had to go back to the house for a piece of mail (4+ miles). tuesday evening i rode my bike to the yoga studio for an evening session (6 miles roundtrip). today i did nothing and gave myself a break.

5. i am getting more exercise because i can ride my bike to get myself places. also i don't have much to do and it gets me out of the house.

6. i went to my first open-air farmer's market tonight and loved it. i bought some raw honey, strawberry lavender preserves, bath bombs and foot bombs, and some fresh pastries. it was fun going to all the stalls and checking out the wares. all the stands let you taste-test everything before you purchase. i tasted three different kinds of honey, a few different olive oils, apple butter and the strawberry lavender jam. the stall with the bath wares had a bunch of testers. it was fun to try the different lotions and they all smelled really good. and they were all made from natural products. mostly shea butter and essential oils and goat's milk. and that's about it. very short list of ingredients.

7. i get to shop at trader joe's now. i have shopped there in all my travels on the east coast and the southwest but texas doesn't have any. i love love love that market and am thrilled there is one down the street.

8. they also have whole foods here, which makes me happy because there isn't a central market. i love trader joe's but they don't carry everything.

9. i have already developed a slight tan on my shoulders and arms. everyone who knows me knows i am pale as a ghost. i am putting on my sunblock religiously but am still acquiring a bit of color where my arms are exposed. it's weird to me.

10. there is a lot of sun here with very little shade. the air is dry and i am thirsty all the time. there are tons and tons of palm trees along with the cacti. i love it. there are streets lined on both sides with palm trees. it's beautiful.

11. i really miss my friends. i feel a bit unanchored without them. everyday i think "i haven't talked to (foi, izzy, v, amethyst, fill in the blank). and then i feel sad but have to remind myself that i didn't talk to my friends everyday in texas either. but knowing i am far away is very different.

12. i really miss my favorite local restaurants too. especially spiral. i am glad i ate there five times my last week.

13. i keep meaning to take pictures to show my friends, but i keep forgetting to take my camera when i go out. the landscape and architecture is quite different out here.


to participate in the new TT, go here.

discoveries

when we moved, i already knew arizona was hot (but so is texas) and i knew it was desert. but it never occurred to me that my body would need to adjust. and it has definitely been adjusting.

i drank a lot of water in texas but i feel like i am drinking even more here but it doesn't seem to make a dent. my throat is constantly parched. and i have to pee all.the.time. i will go before i leave the house and then five minutes later on the road i have to go again. it is very inconvenient.

and i have had a slight yet constant headache. and i have felt a little sluggish and loopy. b has been feeling it even more so. he has been taking long ass naps every day. he usually never naps. i suspect he is not drinking enough water. i know our bodies will eventually acclimate. i just hope they do sooner than later.

other (pleasant) discoveries:

i found a new yoga studio. it is 1.5 miles from the house. i rode my bike there yesterday to map it out. it's awesome. i plan on riding my bike there for class every day. i went today for the first time and found out they give 20% discounts for riding your bike to class! :) :) :)

i also found the library. it is this awesome blue glass modern construction with a silver metal sloping roof that reminds me of the ocean. it is less than two miles from the house. i rode my bike there too. now all i need is a basket to carry my books home.

one of the reasons we chose phoenix was because of the walk/bike friendly aspect, not to mention the intercity bus system and light rail. so i am happy to find that it is truly that way, not just on paper. the city is big, the suburbs are big but there are bus lanes and trails and parks. i see people walking, running and biking. there are bus stops everywhere. and the light rail is beautiful. they really made it look gorgeous, not like an eyesore. everything here is so manicured and pretty. i am sure there are less-than-stellar areas, but i haven't seent them yet.

and today was the first day i've seen clouds. yay clouds!!!!

i never realized how important clouds were in shading the sun.

and the discoveries/observations continue. . .