when your heart just knows

as much as i love flowers, i'm really not a roses type of gal.

however, my heart nudged me this morning...yep, it's time to spice it up a bit.

50th birthday surprise...SUCCESS!

last saturday was mama's 50th birthday. for the past three weeks, i had been planning a surprise party with the help of my family. phone call after phone call. reservation after reservation. lie after white lie. wow! trying to keep this a secret was quite the feat. but it was worth it! to see mama's face...now that was priceless.

before...clueless

during

after!

24 guests. 1 extraordinary dessert cake. oodles and oodles of laughs and tears. such a lovely day to celebrate a woman of strength. inspiration. compassion. life. and love. happy birthday, mama!

aisle conversations

one of my favorite pastimes is grocery shopping. the produce, the colors, the variety, the aisles and aisles of pure delight. overworked? go smell some fruit. bored? go read some labels. lonely? go chat with some fellow shoppers. when it comes to grocery shopping, i may be a bit of a snob...i like specific items from specific stores. namely, trader joe's and whole foods. the best thing about my grocery-shop infidelity is that i get to spend more time perusing different aisles, occasionally running into familiar faces.

last weekend, i met a fellow morning shopper at trader joe's. there i was, deciding between pomegranate and honey greek yogurt, when "history" (i will refer to the shopper as "history" since that was his major in college) asked if i recommended the vanilla soy milk. it was a lovely few minutes, exchanging food preferences while scanning his basketful of items. we chatted about the glory of stocked shelves. we commented on the awkward music. and then we bid adieu with well wishes for a tasty week.

today, i stopped by whole foods for some last-minute ingredients. there i was, picking out a raspberry bar, when "history" called out "nurse!" so we meet again. we started our chat around the topic of after-dinner treats, to which i recommended the ginger bread. he then showed me his fresh salmon. i later remarked on the great watermelon sale. and that was it. we said our farewells and journeyed down our respective aisles. who knows when i'll see my friend again...trader joes? whole foods? oh the mystery!

on the edge of my seat

this morning i treated myself and bought a ticket for a performance by the cedar lake contemporary ballet. simply brilliant. this performance was absolutely stunning. it was raw. it was mesmerizing. there were layers and layers of emotion and subtle eroticism. the movement was fluid. it was pure and graceful. every bit of energy expelled in the form of art. and dance. even the lighting captured the moment. shadows. mystery.

i love how the movement imparts a drama from which emerges my own internal narrative. he said this so she did that. i often found myself on the edge of my seat, my heart pounding. i felt connected. sometimes people laughed when i wanted to cry. sometimes i giggled when there was complete silence. and that's exactly what i love about dance - it's all subject to interpretation. the story-line running through my mind may have very well been completely ridiculous to the stranger sitting next to me. but so be it. every minute of that show took my breath away. thank goodness for intermissions...time for some nice deep breaths.