I remember telling a friend about a month ago that the good thing about 2012 getting off on such a rough start was that it could only get better from there. I took a lot of blows at the end of 2011 and it just continued into the first couple weeks of the new year. There was a Saturday my dog got sick in early January and I kind of lost it. I didn't think I could take one more ounce of emotional stress. It was at that point that I found comfort in the fact that all things that go down must always, always come back up. 

This week, and the ones leading up to it lately are a testament to that. Every day just keeps getting better and better. My heart, lighter and lighter. I want to say it's been a good week, but really, it's shaping up to be a good year. Happy Sunday Folks!   xoxo

snow bird.

Let's be honest. I was nervous about winter this year. To be more clear, I was nervous that my body wouldn't adapt well going straight from warm, 80-degree humidity into a dry, high altitude winter in the mountains. I was worried about being a wimp. People in Florida told me I was crazy. They'd tell me I was doing it all backwards. At the time I'd sheepishly agree with them. I knew it was silly. I was about to leave the beautiful sunshine state during peak season. The produce was thriving, the bugs were gone, the humidity was low, and the temperatures were TO DIE FOR. I knew I was a little crazy to leave, especially since my last week and a half there was spent at a house (for free) on the island, just two blocks away from my favorite beach spot.

But, now that I'm a month into winter in Colorado I couldn't be more sure that I made the right choice. Our bodies need the change in season. It's only natural. And even though the temperatures have been mild, I still have to pat myself on the back for handling winter so far like a champ. So much so that it's safe to say that I love winter. Yes, I used the L-word. My relationship with the cold has been taken to the next level, apparently. Just don't ask me about driving on snow and ice. We won't go there for the sake of keeping this upbeat. :)

I now realize I'm not the one doing things backwards. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I think the snow birds in Florida are the backward ones. I mean, there's just something weird about seeing Santa on a jet ski, sweating underneath his polyester beard.

a december day (in georgia.)

I grew up with pecan trees in Oklahoma, picking them from the backyards of several different houses where I lived. It was just standard on a fall day to take a long, slow, walk - picking and eating as you went. On farmland in Southern Georgia though, the pecan groves stretch on, and on, and on. I love their perfect rows, the shape that the pecan shells make hanging open on each branch, silhouetted against the sunset, and the damp earth where the fallen lay, waiting to be cracked open. I have a huge bag sitting in my kitchen from this day, longing to be shelled and baked into something sweet. Although I doubt many make it into a recipe. It's more likely they will first make it into my mouth.