Brain is completely not working today. All I can think about is soaking in a hot spring without a care in the world. Too bad there's so much going on that I should be thinking about. We're meeting with the future/new land lord tonight to sign the lease and get things all figured out. Then it will be moving madness. I can't wait to move, but I'm not at all excited about the phsyical reality of packing and unpacking.

Started my new diet today

Breakfast: Two bowls of Apple Jacks Cereal
Mid-Morning Snack: Three cookies and a Red Bull
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Sandwich, with 100 calorie snack pack for desert.
An hour later: Still hungry - ate peanut butter Twix out of necessity.

We Are Moving

Finally, the fiance and I are going to be moving out of our respective parents' homes and into a place of our own, stragically placed almost exactly between his job and mine (about 30 miles either way). It's kindof out in the middle of nowhere, right on the edge of a big corn field, but I'm pretty excited about it. There are llamas living beyond the back yard, and they just had a baby. There is a momma barn cat with a litter of kittens. And I'm hoping to have some chickens there so we can have fresh eggs. I've also been fantasizing about building a wood-burning hot tub in the back yard, but that is a little more far-fetched, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull it off. We'll have a roommate - one of Henry's good friends; but it's a big house with four bedrooms, so I think it will absorb the three of us nicely.

Unsuspected Proposal

We went to Wrigleyville to look around and go to some shops. We decided to get a new photo of us in front of the Wrigley Field marquee (since we have one from '07 or '08). Henry handed the camera to his friend to take the photo, and then he started getting down on one knee...

I was totally shocked, and didn't know how to react, but I eventually said "yes." :)

My Dad discovered that Rocky likes to ride in the basket of my bike. Those are my worried hands on the right.
Rocky is happy with my Mom at the wheel.

Rocky and I are both nervous when I'm driving.

Rocky loves to jump!

My Mom made this wind chime out of Rocky out of clay for my birthday.

She also got me this really cute treat jar.

Beautiful Spring Day at Galena!

It was a gorgeous sunny Sunday and I was getting ready to waste my time procrastinating about doing chores as usual. My Mom asked if I wanted to go up to Galena to snowshoe while she skied. I really hate last minute plans, and I almost didn't go, but I decided that since I rarely get to hang out with my Mom, I'd regret it if I didn't. I'm glad I changed my mind! It was great to get outside and be in the sunshine with the blue sky and the sparkly snow and get my blood pumping and see my Mom smile. The dogs had a blast too! Pictures below:

"Oh boy! We're gonna go play in the snow!!!"

My Mom with Galena Lodge in the background, and Hank (brown) and Lucky (black).



Mom skiing.


Me and Rocky getting ready to go snow-shoeing.


The day was so incredibly sunny and beautiful. The shattered ice on the creek looked really cool, but didn't translate well through the photo.


Some local history. Cabin shown below.

Historical cabin at Galena.

You may think my Mom is quite the rebel from this photo, but Rocky was one of probably 12 dogs on the deck at Galena Lodge.

Worn out dogs on the way home.

my soul is parched; is every day a new existential crisis?

This is the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho. It is the only man-made structure in the US where BASE jumping is allowed year-round without a permit. I cross this bridge every time I go to visit my boyfriend. It crosses over the Snake River Canyon, which is really quite incredible to look at, especially as the sun is setting. Many people commit suicide off of this bridge, and also fall to their deaths when their BASE jumps go awry. Sometimes, it is even seen as a practical way to dispose of the occasional inconvenient dead body. So I have a somewhat morbid fascination with the bridge, since it represents something beautiful and something sinister at the same time. Also, Evil Kneivel attempted to jump across the Snake River Canyon in his Rocket Cycle, but ultimately failed. The ramp off of which he jumped is still visible today, not far from my boyfriend's house. Last weekend, the weather was warm and the boyfriend was working, so Rocky and I took a pleasant stroll along the edge of the canyon.

This sculpture was there, and it reminded me a lot of a little story I wrote about what it would feel like to jump off of this very bridge, to feel yourself falling, and then to suddenly feel yourself rising and to begin flying. I'll have to see if I can track that down. To me, it looks like these ladies are dancing in the wind. I think it's a nice sculpture.