Lizabean

A good start

"Flowers SOOC", Canon Digital Rebel XT, June 2007

If this week is any indication of what the rest of my summer is going to be like I am in for a real treat!  Since school got out we've had the most beautiful weather here in the Chicago land.  It's nearly made up for some of those miserable weeks in May...nearly.  I've enjoyed many a walk in the past few days and have most definetely stopped to smell the flowers...

"Morning squat", Canon Digital Rebel XT, June 2007

I've had some wonderful quality time with Suzanne and Amia.  In fact, we are having so much fun that Brent and I decided to move even closer to them.  Considering we currently live about a half a block away, I have to chuckle that our favorite apartment from a recent housing hunt happens to be directly across the street from them.  We sign the lease tomorrow.

"Sandy toddler feet", Canon Digital Rebel XT, June 2007

I also happened to recieve an exciting phone call today.  My supervisor from work called to let me know that she could honor my request for work next year.  Come this fall I will be working with both preschoolers and elementary school children.  Immediately after talking to her, I sprinted to my bookshelf and took down all my speech/language books and research articles on early childhood to review for the summer.  I'm a little rusty and was thrilled to discover just how excited I am to be making this professional move.  I'm also ecstatic about being a speech language pathologist!  This is a new feeling.  And a very good one, at that.

Life is good.  So good.  I feel very blessed.

September ends and October begins

"Morning dew", Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, October 2006

Fall is here! With the rather difficult fall  I had last year, I had forgotten how much I love this season.  The air just smells and feels fresher, and I love wrapping myself up in cozy sweaters and going for long walks around beautiful neighborhoods.

"KT Hammer", Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, September 2006

Pumpkin carving parties and visits from dear friends don't hurt either.

"Martha's living room", Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, September 2006

Even Martha's adorable new apartment gets you in the mood for changing fall colors.  It's been a good weekend....and next weekend looks just as promising.

vacation, wedding, and fun..oh my!

  My cousin Elizabeth got married this weekend.  Everything was absolutely wonderful and beautiful!  I am officially done teaching summer school and am on VACATION!  A vacation doing laundry, cooking, and finishing painting, but a vacation nonetheless.  Brent started his new job today.  Yey him!  How many exclamation points can I put into this post?  Many! 

Oh, and my dad bought a boat.  You have no idea how extremely excited I am about this.  I can't believe it.  The Mitchell family owns a boat? Us?? No way!  Unfortunately, I am missing the Minnesota vacation in which ol' "SaraLorraine" (the rumored name) will be introduced.  But I am determined to find a way to launch that thing into Lake Michigan.  I cannot even think about it.  That's just too much fun.

"Sunflower", Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, July 2006

My little hiccup trick

 

"Self-portrait: Laughter", Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, June 2006

Life has been good, real good.  I absolutely love my job (finally!!) and enjoy my free afternoons and evenings immensely.  I get up, work, do creative projects, eat somewhat more healthily... it just all feels so more balanced. I've been in a reflective mood lately and felt compelled to share some of my thoughts.

Suzanne lent me the book "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" by Christiane Northrup.  I highly, highly recommend it!! Over the past week I've read the majority of the book and many chapters multiple times over.  I have spent the past 9 months so ticked off at my body and even though I knew it was not good for me, my anger lingered on.  In past college courses, especially one women studies course in particular, I remember discussing Western society's tendency to separate our body from our mind/spirituality.  I often think of my body as something separate from who I am, as a stranger with mysterious life rhythms and inner workings that have very little to do with "Liza" at all.  Northrup's book has given me some insight in how to lessen the mysteries and I find myself very fascinated with everything.

"Self-portrait: Squint", Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, June 2006

This curiosity to learn about the human body has always been there.  My favorite college courses were those that dealt with human anatomy and physiology.  I remember learning about our respiratory system and how our diaphram and lungs work together to help us breath, speak, yell, etc.  My professor spoke about the physiology of hiccups for about a minute (from my mushy memory it has something to do with your diaphram going out of wack, pulling down on your lungs on its own schedule, and forcing air into your lungs in an offbeat rhythmic sort of way.)  From then on I decided that by visualizing the physiology of respiration -from picturing my lungs and diaphram working in rhythm together- I could will/encourage my diaphram back on track whenever I got the hiccups.  Because the book essentially reminded me to listen and pay more attention to my body, I have been using this little trick lately.  And it works, immediately, every time! 

I find myself even more curious to know as much about how the body works as possible.  As cliche as it may sound, it feels so empowering to know even just  a little more information than I did a week ago.  It also forces me to reevaluate my anger.  To listen to that emotion instead of throwing it inward.  I still have a lot to think about.  And that feels good.

Fun times

Brent and I just got back from a trip to C-U.  Much fun was had.  It was so, so good to see my dear Baker friends!  Check out the new photo album I've put up to see pics from the fun Mimosa festival.  I think I got a photo of every Baker cousin, if Georgia's hands count :)

Early morning chats

As I was getting dressed for work this morning it started to storm outside.  Following rather loud thunder, Brent bolted up in bed, looked at me and exclaimed, "That was loud!" 

I said, "yep, sure was." 

"Liza, what WAS that?"

Before I could reply..

"Oh, it was a powerranger!"

And back to sleep he went, immediately.

Things you may or may not know about me

I love:

"t-shirt" sheets, my husband's eyelashes, quilts of all sizes, city skylines, playing in waves, sea glass, walking in snowfall, lavender scented dish soap, listening to my sister or father play the piano, belting out show tunes, holding a sleeping baby, organization containers

I do not love:

bees on an otherwise perfect summer day, dirty dishes, the sound of my alarm, ladybugs, the ocean at midnight, TRAFFIC, driving during cold weather - our car windows fog up bad

I have read and highlighted:

"Organizing for Dummies"

I do not:

Swear as frequently as my sister now imagines I might

I do:

Occasionally smoke a cigar or two

Sparkles

   

Many shiny little sparkles in my life right now, with the usual gray pebbles thrown in occasionally. 

When visiting my family I discovered that my Praxis results (big exam that I must pass in order to be nationally certified) were sent to my parents.  I refused to open the letter until I could bare bad news as that test was a major pain to study for. 

And yey!  I passed!

Brent has decided to leave the hotel business and go back to school.  A very courageous move on his part.  He has also been getting migraine headaches and the way I worry (multiplied by 100 now that something actually terrible has happened in my life) I try to tell him that he should be rushed to the emergency room.  He is much more reasonable and has gone to the eye doctor for new glasses.

After a few very cold weeks in this apartment, it has now returned to being my favorite.  While our living habits do keep us in a cycle of "clean then filthy" our cleaning sprees occur more frequently now.  Visitors help.  As does slightly more space.  And another person to help out with the dishes.

I had a rough spell there.  Mild depression for a few too many weeks.  But life's a bit brighter now.

Hope all is well with you too.

First Snow...debated

Yesterday it snowed.  The drifting, fluttering kind.  The kind that while you are driving in the darkness of the evening, you feel like you are in the middle of a snow globe.

I sighed and said to Brent, "Aaah, the first snow". 

To which he replied, "This is NOT the first snow."

?????  Apparently, if it does not stick to the ground and turn the world into a snowy playground, it doesn't count. 

Well, according to my childhood memories, the first snow is literally the FIRST snow.  I remember distinctly discovering my mother's love for first snows.  It was early evening and we were living in our Jefferson St. house.  I recall being with her as she stepped outside and smiled.  The memory of the snow glistening in the lamp post's evening glow will always be with me. 

It was the first snow my freshman year of high school when my friends and I went trick-or-treating for the last time.  A rather early first snow at that.

So my question is this: how do you define first snow?  Literally?  When it finally sticks to the ground? 

My hypothesis is that your answer will depend heavily on the winter climate in which you grew up.  And I'm just plain curious if this tiny belief of mine was purely formed from my memory with my mother...

Sweet Home

I feel content living here.  My apartment feels like home because...it is home.  I enjoy the spaciously wide hallways, the way our living room opens up into a sunroom, the built-in bookcases and un-used fireplace.  It's a very similar lay out to our previous apartment but it just feels so much homier.  I think it may be all the light creeping in from the abundance of windows.  Or perhaps it's the subtle swoosh of the train going by in the late evening.

The fact that we NO LONGER live with ants (regular and the flying variety), mice, and the occasional wild bird helps as well.  Plus I can go without sweeping for two whole weeks (versus two whole hours) before the dust begins to pile up.  It suits me.

Although I wouldn't mind owning this apartment, I don't long to own a bigger place or a house.  This is a major shift for me.  This size feels perfect for now.  Our office/dining/living room is sufficient.  The neighborhood is peaceful, an easy walk to several parks and lovely beaches, and my bank, dry cleaners, and mini-mart (a.k.a. Walgreens) are a block away.

I really couldn't ask for anything more.