the countryside

David, Miles and I spent the day in Wisconsin, about an hour outside of the Twin Cities. A colleague invited us and some other women that we work with to her parents' place in the country. The land there is so beautiful. It was quiet and peaceful - something we never really experience here in the city.

A light lunch on their screened-in porch. An extensive garden tour. David's attempt at swinging over the pond - which turned out to be a very wet adventure after the swing broke and he fell into the water, soaking all of his clothes. The little ones roasting marshmellows over the fire and catching bugs and critters in their butterfly nets. Miles grasping a freshly-picked sprig of oregano.

What a relaxing way to end the weekend.

a family dinner :: made by me (gasp!)

So, I'm not exactly a foodie. I don't really like to cook, and I don't do it very often. But, inspired by other women I see in blogland and by women in my own life, I decided I needed to plan an organized cooking event. I decided I needed to "entertain", to host a small informal dining "thingy". The unlucky recipient of this hairbrained idea....my mother-in-law. With the best of intentions, I thought this would be a nice way to do something for her, instead of her taking care of us. Fortunately, the food turned out quite well, and no one was hurt or injured in the process.

The menu consisted of a very veggie summer salad (greens, cukes, tomatoes, carrots, green pepper, chick peas, etc...), pasta with homemade pesto, italian seasoned baked chicken, and garlic bread. I even mustered up the courage to make dessert, a simple banana blueberry bread served with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

We actually had a nice visit , despite the glum looks in this photo

Dishin' it up. Serving it family style and eating it in the living room

And a few cute shots of how Miles spent his morning - in the bath with a mohawk made of bubbles. He still loves bathtime and now that he can sit up and has his hands free, he loves to splash and play with random bathroom objects...cups and toothbrushes are hot commodities at the moment

gorgeous sleep and other luxuries

Just a few of life's indulgences that make my everyday a little bit more beautiful...

• Sleep, sweet undisturbed sleep - for the fifth night in a row, Miles has gone to sleep in his crib, on his own, without a peep. Not even a tiny little whimper. We do the bedtime routine - reading books, rocking and singing songs, and then putting him down in his crib while he is awake, but drowsy. He curls up onto his side and falls right asleep. Not a sound. This is noteworthy mostly because up until now I either had to nurse him to sleep or we would put him down awake and he would cry for a little while (which is just plain torture for a parent!) before catching the train to sleepytown. Now, this kid is going to sleep by 7:00 pm every night, sleeping until 6:30 am or so the next morning (usually only with one very brief nightfeeding) and still napping twice a day. Lovely sleep for the boy, much needed rest for mom and dad. I hope this lasts...

• Family - being able to see my two whimsical fairy nieces, David's siblings, my mother-in law and a host of other family members who just might happen to be at Yasmin's house when I pick up Miles is a lucky thing that I look forward to after the workday

• My favorite scented hand soap - Mrs. Meyer's lavender liquid hand bubbly is no ordinary soap. Scents can play a powerful role in triggering memories, and whenever I lather up with this stuff, I think of David and I moving into our very own house, becoming a family together, the briskness of chilly weather, and a plain ol' happy feeling

• My favorite book - a worn, seaspray-stained hardcover copy of Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I think I stole this book from my dad years and years ago. I love the story - it takes me to a place made of daydreams, just like every good book should. I refuse to see the movie. The story I imagine in my head is so much better.

• The beautiful hand-carved amish jewelry box that David gave to me as a present soon after we met. An elegant place where we both store our baubles and trinkets.

• And finally, a tribute to the most functional beautiful item in my life - my Medela breastpump. This handy little marvel of engineering has allowed me to continue my amazing and nurturing bond with Miles while being a working mom. Who knew that a gadget would make such a difference in my relationship with my boy?

What people and/or things make your everyday life a bit more beautiful?

baby is 8 months old :: mama is restless

Our boy is 8 months old tomorrow! And what can I say? Of course, he is amazing. He is my heart. Here are some of the things he's been up to lately:

• babbling, drooling, babbling some more. he says dada, baba, gaga, dat, dit, bruya-bruya, aiya-aiya...very charming.
• he's discovered a few new items around the house that bring him immense joy: bubbles that we blow for him, plastic cups, and paper towel tubes. he's a cheap date.
• he gives high five...over and over and over...he's pretty proud of this one.
• he reaches for everything, everything. and he's fast.
• smiling, smiling, and cute little husky-voiced belly laughs.
• he loves being out and about. he sits back and watches the world in action. sometimes he'll be unusually quiet and still when we are out among crowds. i can tell he's looking, watching, soaking it all in. he hardly ever fusses when we're out moving and doing.

As for me, admittedly, it has been a rough couple of weeks. I find that I am unusually restless, full of daydreams and thinking about change. I'm trying to find my way through a thick fog of what-ifs, will-we-evers, and i-wish-i-would-haves. I'm craving change, big change. I've been feeling an overwhelming urge to nurture my creativity (if there is any left) and to find/create more meaning in my life. I don't want to sit on this, as I think I need to pay attention to what I'm feeling, but I'm not ready to commit to drastic life changes like switching jobs or a major relocation.

Anyone else ever feel this way? Suggestions on how to tend to and move through these feelings?

Maybe I should just cut my hair.

red wing

An impromptu road trip to red wing, home of the red wing shoe co.

Moments of silliness

and spontaneous smiles

images of small town life

peaceful along the mississippi

an old oak with a riverfront view a sinewy and severe jester, made of metal is no match for our little jester a garden spot, a wishing fountain and a brief pause under the trellis for shade enjoying a long weekend with my guys

dragonboat festival

We went to the Dragonboat Festival - an Asian American celebration - today at Lake Phalen. We saw the dragonboat teams warming up for the boat races tomorrow. It was a beautiful day to be near the lake.

I should probably mention that we went to the festival today mostly because of David - our very own diversity champion. He is co-chair of a diversity group at his office. (These groups seem to be popping up everywhere in big companies.) Anyway, he often has an interest in attending different cultural events in the metro, for both personal and professional reasons. This is why he/we have gone to gatherings like Cinco de Mayo and the Twin Cities Pride Celebration, in addition to several others, throughout the past few years. I think it's great that he participates in these (he usually volunteers on behalf of his company), although I must admit, I'm not nearly as enthusiastic as he is about attending these things year after year. BUT, the weather today was incredible, and I'd never seen a dragonboat before - so there it is - reason enough to go.

Posing in front of the head of the dragonboat (above)

This is what the boats look like in the water (below)

call and response

all about the boy

After looking at the blog yesterday, David thought it important to tell me that he didn't think Miles was getting enough cybertime..."the blog isn't even really about Miles anymore - you should change the name", he said. No, I don't think so. Just because the last few posts included other family members doesn't mean Miles isn't still the star of the show. So, to appease my husband, here are some recent photos of the boy...we played outside for a little while today, but not for too long, since it is insanely hot here!

random announcements

Does anyone have any announcements or items to add to the agenda?

Ooh, ooh. Me, me. I do, I do!

I can happily, merrily, joyously, say that my mom will be moving back to the Twin Cities sometime before January! (Big cheesy smile. on my face. right. now.) Of course, almost everybody reading this has already heard the big news, but I had to make it official by posting it on the blog. And, mom, if there ever was any doubt about how happy your family is that you'll be moving back, or about how fulfilling your life will be here, banish it from your thoughts. We love you and can't wait to welcome you home to the land of lakes, mosquitoes, Garrison Keillor, and spectacular snowplowing!

On a different note, it seems that I'm at the age when everyone around me is having a baby. This would only make sense, since I've had one of my own. With all this baby on the brain, I just wanted to give my blessings to all the mamas-to-be in my life...including Kristin, Angela, Catherine and Missy. May your new babes bring endless joy to your lives!

the light in his eyes

It is amazing what a child's expressions can do to a mother. Especially the looks that jump start the soul and create images so permanent, you can see them with your eyes closed.

cooling off & joseph's famous pie

Another gorgeous summer day to enjoy while my mom was in town. We spent the day at a kid's wading pool just across the river in Mpls. The twins had a great time, of course.

One of my mom's requests while she was visiting was to stop by Joseph's in Stillwater for a piece of their award winning pie. So yummy! Good pie = happy Gwen.