La Fonda

Chick-fil-a is the enemy of vegetarianism. I caved. Not that much was lost from my four-five week stint of meat aversion; even that is a generous estimate of elapsed time.

In other news, the loft has been painted! As I celebrate, I am adjusting to the bright "La Fonda Teal" that sits as an island in our home's large grey common space. The money I saved for chairs has been redirected toward  a new desk for our office. Now Chad and I will have our own. I'm hoping this pre-summer timing will offer me a space to write glorious sentences that will float themselves off of the bookstore's shelves and into the hands of monetarily compensating strangers who find joy in my (imaginative) craft. Think happy thoughts for me in this endeavor.

Oh! I also spent some time crafting life into old decor items around the house that seemed...sad. I plan to position them in the loft at some point in time. Perhaps I'll post pictures.

Finally, I recently relocated our passports because Chad and I will be spending the majority of July in Europe. (eek!) We are so thrilled that the opportunity presented itself at a time when we are able to take hold of it. Our plan is to spend some much needed time with my family in the Netherlands. Three of my cousins have recently raised the Jongkoen baby count from zero to six! I have yet to meet a single kiddo! Chad and I will also be visiting London, Paris, and (possibly) Rome. Toronto will keep us company during a 15 hour layover on our return.

I am beyond thrilled to show Chad places in the Netherlands that I grew up visiting: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Gouda, Bruinesse, Den Haag, and many more. My father was born and raised in the southern mussel-fishing town of Bruinesse in the province of Zeeland. I plan to show Chad the very house in which he grew up in not long after World War II. Much of who I am has been shaped by that beautiful country. I lived in London for three months during the summer of 2006. My heart is definitely full at the thought of sharing the city with my husband. Paris and Rome are new to us both and we are simply bursting with excitement.

I can't wait to recount our many adventures. Until then, it's me and you, La Fonda.

Me Mischief

Welcome weekend. I for one am happy you're here. It's been quite some time since my last visit so I'll take a few moments to update you on all that's been taking place.

First a thankful shout of praise to the Lord for some recent blessings that have made a huge impact on our marriage. For the past several weeks, Chad has been working two jobs: while continuing at Masterworks he has also accepted a position at a part-time IT position with a growing company. He is very, very busy lately, but enjoying the experience so far. The extra income, coupled with a newly paid off car, has been an answer to prayers. I, too, am expectant for doors to open and God's voice to call me down the right path. We are blessed and so happy.

The iPhone is an amazing thing. My sister recently upgraded to an iPhone and FaceTime with my niece and nephew has quickly become my new favorite pastime. I just cannot get enough of them! I can watch them laugh and play, see their art projects, hear them read stories and rest in their mother's arms. Thank you Steve Jobs.

I am overwhelmed with joy as I watch many of my friends prepare for and enjoy the company of little bundles of joy. Babies are everywhere. As much as I want little munchkins running around my house, we are waiting just a little while longer before expanding our family. In the meantime, I'm making some changes of my own.

1. My hair. I have had, for the most part, the same hairstyle since high school. In many ways I'm a creature of stagnant comfort. So, I got daring and died my hair something crazy. I got home, felt too crazy, and toned it down a bit. But, hey, it's different!

2. My diet. In efforts to eat healthier and save animals (yes, it's because I feel bad for the animals) I have taken to a no-meat diet. I rarely eat meat, and only chicken or turkey when I do, so this is rather easy. It's been about two weeks since I decided to intentionally do this and I've only endured one fairly strong Chick-fil-A craving. I didn't cave. I plan to spend some time this weekend researching dietary supplements and some recipes. I'll keep you posted on my progress and discoveries.

3. My home. This loft vision has been prolonged long enough. I hope to start the project "Loft Makeover" this weekend by picking out paint, curtains, and perhaps seating. It's going to transition from a random sit/crate dog/store extra furniture place to a warm and comfortable reading area. More to come on this too.

Here's to living a little. :)

The price of convenience

I love city life. I love the richness of the arts. I love the mosaic of such a diverse population. I love buildings growing old with the weight of centuries worth of history. I love the daring nature that captures the wits of city dwellers and leads them to believe their dreams are within grasp.

I also love the small remnants of country still left in the midst of it all. Perhaps that's why I fell in love with London. It possesses all of the adrenaline cities contain but is punctuated in all the right ways with green; green trees, green fields, green beauty. My love for Charlotte's same green areas is just as faithful. That is the same reason why I am so saddened.

The recent effort to complete 485 has taken one of my favorite greeneries: a quaint property decorated by a pond, resident donkey and the occasional flock of geese. A grove of trees protected this serene estate from the forceful ways of civilization and progress, until recently. Now, the groves are gone and the donkey, assumedly, relocated. The tradeoff? Convenience.