What is Love

The Last Person to Tell You they Love You.

My mother is the last person to tell me, “I love you.” We have only recently started saying those words aloud to each other. Our family is not a “show your emotions” type of family. I grew up feeling loved, of course, but I don’t recall hearing those words often. That might explain why I’m such a love cynic.

The commercial holiday celebrating love is right around the corner. I am always single (something I’ve come to terms with) so it is just another day to me. Sometimes I have the thought that I will always be single or end up finding my prince by the time I’m 70. Society has programmed me into thinking that there is something wrong with me because I am in my thirties and in no rush to marry and procreate. Let me tell you something, society, don’t hold your breath waiting for me to get my shit together.

So love, does it require you to have your head on straight? I am a very selfish person, so I can’t even imagine devoting half my thoughts/feelings to someone else. What is love? I am convinced that I have never actually been in love.

How would you define or describe love?

Coming Home

My house is a home because…

A home to me is where my books are stacked and my coffee is brewed which is why I feel at home in a library, half the equation is present. In great libraries the whole equation is complete. A house comes in many shapes and sizes; I would know because during my childhood we moved many times. Each time we moved it was difficult to settle in but my mother always did a great job making each place feel like home.

Many say that “home is where the heart is” and I agree. The best part about moving was evolving my taste in how my room was decorated. The trick my mom used was making my room my own and giving the freedom to my safe haven. To this day, my bedroom is my favorite room in the house and where I like to relax.

A house is just where your stuff is or the address you use for official purposes; a home is where you feel safe and where you love to return to when you are gone. A home is filled with love, either family, pets, or material items that evoke that emotion. One of the best feelings in the world is the feeling you experience when coming home–relief, joy, and a small amount of gratitude.

What makes your house a home?

Shutter Bug

What was your last major purchase?

For nearly a decade I have been taking photographs. It calms me, centers me, and allows me to express myself. Photography is one of my loves.

Three years ago I purchased my first DSLR and haven’t looked back. Usually major purchases involve a mix of buyer’s guilt and indecision for me, but not this time. It was my Christmas present to myself.

This shot is one of my firsts taken in my hometown. I love the simplicity of black and white photos, the whole story of the photo is hidden with the details just beneath the surface. I try to have my camera with me at all times, not knowing when inspiration will hit.

This is a later shot in Seattle that was taken while I was on vacation. It is one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. All of Washington was amazing and perfect to photograph. The Pacific Northwest is my dream destination.

My weakness in photography is portraits. I am never happy with what I manage to capture. Plus, I guess I am not a people person which would be helpful when trying to photograph others.

What hobby of yours keeps you sane?

‘Morrow

Tomorrow I will_____

I will make a to-do list and get things done. I get behind staying organized when life gets busy, so tomorrow is my catch up day to get back on schedule.

The week is almost over and so is January. I cannot believe that the first month is nearly gone. “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” (Allen Saunders)

Twenty-eight days into 2015 and it feels okay. I feel like I have kept on task, for the most part, and stuck to my resolutions. I do wish I had more reading accomplished but I am not rushing myself through my Goodreads challenge; it states that I am still currently on track which is good enough for me. I have changed a few goals and added others to balance the tasks I have dropped but in my mind it’s all “even-steven”.

Tomorrow I have the house to myself in the morning. This means I will get to listen to some 90’s music while I tidy up the living quarters. Tomorrow is also laundry day, one of my least favorite days. If I could buy new clothes and just throw out my used ones I would. That is how much I like doing laundry. My head would explode if I ever tried that tactic; I hate wasting anything.

Tonight I’m going to listen to my 90’s music radio station to prepare my mood for tomorrow.

Do you have a genre of music or particular artist/band that puts you in a good mood?

Errands

Today I had to pop off to the store to pick up some essentials–tortilla chips and bread. I could have skipped the bread but running out of chips in this house is a big no-no.

We never use to go through so many chips in the past but my sister perfected her salsa recipe last year and we’ve been addicts ever since. It is a favorite snack around here, and with the big game coming up on Sunday we had to stock up on chips before the weekend.

I stopped into three stores and had more errands to run but met my limit of being out in winter, plus I get easily angered by stupid people.

Today’s prompt asked about how much I spent at my latest grocery store outing, which I found to be an odd writing prompt. I spent around $7 at the store for three items, not too bad. My coffee from the local *bucks was more than half my grocery bill.

The feeling of wanting to write is getting hard to muster up. I try to write at the same time each day but the last few days has felt like a chore. I am hoping that it is just a phase and will pass with time but I think I might have to research some activities to help with this block.

Any tips you have for writing even though you feel like you have nothing to say?

Snowmageddon

Weather

Today’s temperature was a lovely high of 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Everyone has been freaking out about the winter storm Juno. Luckily here (near DC) there has not been too much winter going on outside.

I am not the biggest fan of winter, but it does make pretty photos. There are quite a few things about winter that I do love. I like watching snow fall. Snowflakes are one of my favorite things and I have dreamed about having a winter wedding. Hot chocolate or hot coffee is the best part about mornings in the winter. Winter fashion is my favorite and sweaters are the best. Blizzards sound terrible but being snowed in and spending the day reading seems like a day well spent. My house would be amazing if it had a fireplace, then I would never leave the house during the winter. Even though the weather is cold, I would much rather be cold than too hot.

The view from my bedroom, quite calming. I hope to venture out tomorrow for some more photos. Stay warm, New Englanders.

Coffee or My Life Source

What’s your favorite thing to drink?

One of the best ways to enjoy a coffee, pair it with a cupcake.

It’s about time that I devoted a post to my love of all things coffee. Coffee is my beverage of choice. I can drink it all day long, but try to stop my intake after eating dinner. I”ll have one cup after dinner with or for dessert . The best thing about coffee is connecting with friends over a cup.

Cafe in Chicago.

I love coffee so much that I moved to coffee land, Colombia, for a year when the opportunity arose. I find it fascinating the different ways to prepare coffee and how different cultures take their coffee in different manners.

Coffee plants in Colombia.

My favorite coffee shop I have ever visited was in Springfield, Missouri. The Coffee Ethic has a great atmosphere and my friends and I spent many hours here. I’ve always had a perfect cup of java from this shop. While in Springfield I had the chance to attend a caffeine crawl, which was amazing. If you love coffee and talking about the topic with others that share your love a crawl is a perfect event for you to attend.

Do you have a favorite beverage? Enjoy coffee as much as I do?

Life, not just a board game

What are you looking for from life?

I have a plan. It won’t be as detailed as in my head but this is the general idea. The end of my life, whenever I decide I’m old enough and want to retire, will be spent in the Pacific Northwest. I’ll be spending my time in the beautiful city of Seattle or Portland. I can’t decide and love them both.

Before I settle on the West Coast I’ll spend some time in one of my favorite cities. Chicago is the best of the east and west. It has that Midwest charm and is like NYC’s cousin or a hybrid of NYC and LA. I have visited almost half the major cities of the US and Chicago is still in my top 3.

I am currently on the East Coast and love it. Everything is so close and everything started here. I am fascinated by the history that surrounds me. I want to continue to live around these parts until my head is full of gray hair or I see it all. I would love to live a few years in each of the following cities:

• Boston
• NYC
• Atlanta
• Philadelphia
• Indianapolis

As you can tell I’d love to clone myself so that I can be everywhere at once. I want to experience America from sea to shining sea. I’m not sure of the statistic these days but most Americans don’t travel that far from home or where they were born. I’d rather look under every rock of this nation than put down roots and live in one place for too long.

So my plan includes a lot of moving, but I also expect from life a continued passion for the written word. One day I will have a room devoted to books as lovely as this one in our nation’s capitol.

I’m not asking much from the universe. I want a life full of travel, access to the fictional worlds, and a bottomless cup of hot coffee.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

–Steve Jobs

Atypical Day

What made today unusual?

I have a thing for numbers making today put a smile on my face. When looking at the month and day only, 01/23, an order is in place. My day was very much in order. I got things done, the day went quickly, and at the end of the day I made it through.

Today is National Handwriting Day and I’ve yet to put pen to paper which is not that uncommon in this technological age. I’ll leave this post with this so that I can go celebrate Handwriting Day.

Today is a most unusual day,

because we have never lived it before;

we will never live it again;

it is the only day we have.

–William Arthur Ward

The Sun Will Come Out

Tomorrow will be better because it will finally be the weekend!

Fridays are great because it signals the end of the work week. In the morning I spend daydreaming and making mental notes about my plans for the weekend. I don’t have a care in the world and I don’t sweat the small stuff. It is hard to stress me out or irritate me on Friday mornings. By the afternoon my mood starts to shift. I get more antsy and hyped up for the bliss that is the weekend. I relish in the thought of walking into my home and removing my pants. What is it about women and taking off their pants? Pants at home are restricted to yoga pants (insert your personal style type here) or no pants. And then Friday night, I tend to stay in to relax and unwind over a more complex dinner than the rest of the week.

Saturdays should be longer. Saturday mornings are spent preparing fancy breakfasts, sipping on coffee, and reading. I will usually pick one thing to get done on Saturday, a must do item like going to the grocery store or picking up something new from the mall. I only change this plan when there is an event in town I want to see or a family/friend obligation is scheduled. Saturday night’s alright for fighting. Saturday night is spent enjoying life, in any way that feels right.

Sunday is catch up day. That morning is for cleaning and other housework. I usually end up doing laundry on this day. Sunday is when the fun of the weekend wears off and it’s back to business. Even though Monday is right around the corner, Sunday evening is great for relaxing and enjoying the last moments of the weekend. Sunday night is the most common night for takeout in this house. Time in the kitchen is minimal unless the mood to bake something strikes me. I usually try to fit in some reading on Sunday, where I can.

Are your weekends elaborately planned or do you take each moment as it comes?

I only have one plan for this weekend. I’m participating in the National Readathon Day on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Hopefully I can get ahead on my reading challenge.