Rose, Bud, Thorn

A little bit late because it’s not the brink of the New Year anymore, but a worthwhile thought nevertheless:

On New Year’s Eve, Derek and I were at dinner with one of his friends from home who asked us, “What was your bud, rose, and thorn for 2013?” In other words, what was the beautiful part of your life, what has the most potential that you’re excited to see blossom in the future, and what was a pain? I thought it was an interesting way and especially beautiful visual to consider when reflecting on the past year. Here’s to 2014 and a year full of roses.

Photo: Dumbarton Oaks | Georgetown, D.C.

 

On technicalities.

(So technically I believe I promised you that I would never do a post solely focused on you, but since anniversaries are for two people that means I count as 50% of the following, right? That’s my loophole – this is only partially about you, therefore doesn’t break my promise!)

Despite the suggestiveness of this photo, which was taken over a month before we started dating, I would not have even remotely thought at the time that you would end up being my boyfriend. It would seem that (yet again) you’re the more intuitive one. Happy anniversary to my best friend, my most trusted source of honest advice, the person who puts a smile on my face every day, who loves me unconditionally. Turns out, this wasn’t just a pose for the camera – I actually do think you’re kinda cool.

You know I probably have about eight pages worth of card for you to read, and I know that although I could write something on here every day about how much I love you, that certainly would not be your favorite way to receive such thoughts. So I’ll somewhat respect your wishes by keeping it short, sweet, and discreet…in another language using words written by someone else that are already the world’s to read.

Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde,
te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo:
así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera,
sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres,
tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía,
tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño.

On season’s greetings.

Beautiful card available from Little Bohemian Papiere via Etsy – click picture to purchase

Though my appreciation for writing materials and the contents they contain is quickly becoming a constant theme, with the holiday season in motion my mind can’t help but be brought to the thought of cards. Though I love them in any season and for any occasion, there’s something extra special about them around this time of year.

I love the flurry of meaningful activity the mailbox gets once December hits. Although catalogs seem to roll in at an all-time high, and packages certainly take the title of “most exciting thing that gets delivered to the house,” the influx of holiday cards is such a special sign of the season. I remember when I was younger there was the inevitable pressure in the previous months to get a photo taken that would achieve Christmas card status (me and my dog in matching Santa hats anyone? Sadly, this actually happened once…). In fact, in my house there’s a highly entertaining series of photos on our stairs depicting selections from years passed – a popular source of entertainment for any of my friends visiting nowadays. Photo cards are my favorite – it’s always exciting to see what picture people choose, how much everyone has grown in just a year.

I always have considered the idea of sending Christmas cards of my own as being one of those token “adult” tasks, albeit not one I was dreading. Though I haven’t purchased mine yet, I’m thinking this year will be the first that I take the plunge by mailing out my season’s greetings to people. I’m a sucker for any chance to write a note, so while my list is still a manageable size (under 40 is manageable, right?) I’ll be in my element working to use every available inch of space for my thoughts. I’m sure somewhere down the line I might be eating these words, but for now the thought of writing out my Christmas cards is an exciting one.

Does anyone else love doing Christmas cards? What was the first year you decided to send them out?

Sesame Street x Will I Am

In case you haven’t felt special today or were looking for an opportunity to question my tastes in music, I offer you this: an inspirational song by Will I. Am for Sesame Street. I found this in my junior year of college and come back to it once in a while mainly to laugh to myself. Pretty sure the friends I’ve shown it to think I’m a little insane. Notable details:

• The utterly neutral look on Will’s face almost completely throughout, except for the occasional slight smirk
• Autotune
• The lyric “What you are is magical”
• The head-bob dance move all the puppets do throughout. Breaking that out sometime soon.
• Since when was there a fairy character on Sesame Street?? #outoftheloop

On picking up the tab

At this stage in my life, when I’m still in the first months of my first job and college does not feel so long ago, there are tons of exciting “little things” to experience. This past weekend, I got to savor what it felt like to take my grandma out to breakfast and pick up the tab.

To be fair, it was not an expensive bill – dramatically less than what I’d spend to split dinner and a bottle of wine with my boyfriend. However, the gesture itself was what felt so special, like a right of passage. To be honest, it’s the very least I could do for someone who has taken such great care of me my whole life.