Nashville

Have you been watching the new ABC show "Nashville"? I got drawn right into it. Yes, I'm a sucker for anything with country music and a plot line. I never realized what a brilliant actress Connie Britton is...she's got the classic Faith Hill/Martina McBride thing down. But the song below from the premiere stopped. me. in. my. tracks. If you listen to anything today, listen to this song! It was originally recorded by The Civil Wars, a brilliant duo.

A bicycle story

I once had a beautiful, sea blue beach cruiser bicycle with a white wire basket and a matching bell that chimed pleasantly to warn passersby of my arrival. I saved up for the bike between my freshman and sophomore year of college and rode it happily to school and work each day, zooming along the blackberry bush-lined bike trail that connected my apartment to campus. I took my bike to the park on weekends, rode it back from the store with groceries in the basket, and when my friend Jenny visited from England, she rode it around too, fascinated at how our California "university" culture was obsessed with these oversized two-wheelers meant for boardwalks.

Then one day, someone cut the lock and took my bike away in broad daylight. I was furious. And I’ve always wondered what happened to it. Sold for parts? Sold in another county? Another state? It's one of life's little mysteries...And I later learned that bike thieves make off with 200,000 bikes every single year. The madness!!

Now I have a new bike - great and less valuable - but not nearly as magical. ;)

Also:
- a famous Australian bicycle poem
- the coolest hand-painted bike bells
- the app by my mountain biking enthusiast of a brother uses when riding crazy trails like this 

*Painting: "A Dog's Pace" by Carolee Clark

My bucket list

Do you have a bucket list? 

I clearly remember that day in freshman English class at the computer lab, sitting next to my bff Katherine, as we typed up our dreams and goals. Our assignment? Create a 100-item bucket list.

The other day I was thinking of that list, wondering how my goals (however mundane or far-flung) may have changed since then. So I dug into my computer files, way back 10 years ago. Sheesh, was it really that long ago?? Katherine, we’re getting’ old!

Lo and behold, I found that list from 5th period English. I skimmed through it laughing and shaking my head. A lot of my dreams have remained the same (travel around the world, write a novel or two, learn to play the guitar, hike the P.C.T. ...) but some have changed completely (learn to yodel, ride all the roller coasters in the U.S., have lunch with Kobe Bryant??) What was my 9th grade mind thinking? Funny how 10 years can completely alter your perception of the world. But then again, the core of who we are and how we think stays pretty consistent, I believe.

I was proud to learn I've already accomplished some of those goals I wrote down that day (work for a while as a newspaper reporter, go skydiving, travel to Australia). And one item in particular on my bucket list made me smile. It said, "marry someone I trust and love." 

You see, dreams, goals, wishes (and buckets) do come true.

Echoes: make your path

Thursday night inspiration...I can see Friday on the horizon!

*My photo from an endless eastern Wyoming wheat field 

Happy Halloween!

One of my most favorite Halloween costume ever -- a baby burrito! I hope this kid grows up knowing that his parents are geniuses. 

Happy Halloween, everyone! 

P.S. Chipotle is giving away $2 burritos to anyone who shows up tonight in costume, and it's all for charity. Ten years ago, Halloween centered around finding the house with the full-sized candy bars. Now? Cheap dinner options! 

P.S.S. Many more cuties...

Bridesmaid boxes

As soon as we began planning the wedding, I knew I wanted to ask my bridesmaids in some special way to join me on the "journey to the alter" as I like to call it. We are all scattered around California and across the globe (literally!), so sending a little box seemed like just the ticket. I'd seen a few inspirational ideas for bridesmaids boxes around the web (like these and these beautiful ones) and fell in love with the idea, but I wanted to make them unique with my favorite colors and filled with little treasures made just for my ladies. It was my turn to pop the question, after all!

Here's how they turned out, with a little tutorial on the project...

Secret trail

Feeling a little guilty that while all my relatives on the east coast are battening down the hatches to prepare for hurricane Sandy, we are enjoying radiant sunshine and crisp fall weather here in California...

I say, come on out west, folks! (we only have earthquakes to worry about...and sometimes tornadoes...)

Yesterday, Andrew and I went on a hidden hike up by Collins Lake, the kind in which you don't see another soul on the entire five mile trail and I'm constantly scanning my surroundings for mountain lions. But it was refreshingly peaceful nonetheless! 

We planned to hike to the lake, but an impassable flowing creek led us to a lunch spot and we stopped to enjoy the silence and fall colors and stringent scent of pines in the area.

I've realized that as soon as you start working full-time in your 20s, you understand how valuable these relaxing weekend moments can be! All part of growing up I guess...
:)

More coffee, please.

At the little on-campus café called Charlie Brown's at Sonoma State University, there was a sign hanging near the cash register that said “Instant human, just add coffee.” I can still picture it. Maybe it's still there.

Life is a little hectic lately, and I've fully realized my caffeine addiction as a result...so this artwork above made me chuckle. :)

I inherited a deep and unwavering appreciation for good, strong coffee. One of the best cups I’ve ever tasted is pictured to the left, from Zatori café in Nelson, New Zealand. And I’m sure there’s much more great coffee to be tasted out there in the world. Have you ever been coffee tasting? Think wine tasting but with sips of fine espresso and roasted brews. I just discovered they do tastings at Sacramento's Temple Coffee and classes on making latte art with foam and milk (which has become an intense competitive sport these days). Sounds like an energy boost!

And this concludes a very jumpy post. Happy sipping, and happy Friday, everyone.

P.s. Some insider information: Peet's Coffee locations have been giving away free cups of coffee every Wednesday in October. Halloween is the last chance to pick up a cup. 

Echoes: Launch yourself on every wave

Wise words. Happy Monday, everyone.

*My cloud photo from Torrington, WY

The coolest children's book

We live in an age in which toddlers know how to use iPads, grandmas chat on their cell phones and our cars recognize our voices.

So, when browsing through the toy store on my lunch break last week (doesn’t everyone?), I was amused to come across this children’s book: Press Here by artist Hervé Tullet. It begins with a single yellow, painted dot. You press the dot and on the next page, it turns into two dots. Then, three. Then they change color, get bigger as you press harder and shift to one side when you tilt the book. Genius! 

The New York Times bestseller was published just last year, but is a comical and refreshingly simple take on the power of a regular old printed page in a world of touch screens. But still, there’s an app for it. Lol. One day when I'm a mom, I'll have to remember this little story. You can watch the book trailer below: