Pictures, not words

Lately I'm enjoying Instagram so much more than Twitter. I think it's because my head hurts from being overworked, and all the words of Twitter flying by at a rapid pace only ramp up my crowded brain. Looking at pictures, though, makes my head feel clearer, calmer. And so while I've been a terrible blogger, my phone is bursting with images that hint at just what I've been up to the last couple of weeks.

Not pictured: working. Working working working.

But fun things I've been doing, and photographing, include admiring the colors of my neighborhood.

 Being blessed with gorgeous wedding invitations.

Turning a head of cauliflower into a dessert-like substance.

Eating lots of oysters (which happen to go really well with martinis).

Replacing a toilet (surprisingly easy, it turns out).

 And working... again.

But then, finally, it was time to jet off to Austin. Oh how I needed this trip.

I spent the first day with my dear Kate, introducing new Bebe L to the wonders of Austin patio lounging.

T arrived and by the miracle of all miracles, we did not call into work. We did a lot of this instead.

We ate ourselves silly at Salt Lick for the rehearsal dinner. We also spent a lot of time looking up at the sky, marveling at all the stars. It's sad how long it had been since I'd done nothing but look up at the sky. Feeling small under all those stars is an amazing feeling.

The next day, it was time for the wedding. And oh, this wedding. One of T's best friends from Dallas married a woman who is his match in every way. It was stunning, and so full of joy.

We arrived back in DC late Sunday night, and the first thing I saw was the bounty of pink blossoms, bright even against the night sky. Our cherry blossoms had opened over the weekend. The next morning I took the same shot, in awe of these pretties right outside the door. 

Spring has sprung. And now I'll be taking pictures of flowers every day to document it.

A new leaf

Lately I can't bring myself to open up Blogger. I've had a handful of recipe posts lined up (in my head at least... but pictures already taken and recipes already written out), and I can't bring myself to post them. Maybe it's the weather here... cherry blossoms are open, dogs and kids are out to play, the neighborhood is opening up to say hello more each day. I love my neighborhood walks, and couldn't be more excited to have more sun soon to fit them in. Daylight Savings or bust.

Pretty in Pink, last weekend

I'm ready for the weather to change, ready for new blossoms and ready for... newness. And while I doubt this spring will turn out exactly as we hoped it would, it's easier for me to feel upbeat when there's such beauty everywhere. I'm thankful for the big fun we've been having as the season turns, with friends who make my sides hurt from laughing so hard. I'm thankful for the three weddings we're attending this spring - in Austin, here in DC, and in New Orleans - and all the hope those events engender. I'm thankful for a yard that gets my landscaping wheels turning in this great weather, despite my decision-making paralysis about layout and fencing and plantings. But mostly, it's the walks that settle my brain down that I'm so thankful for... and the guy who's often with me for them. 

Lincoln Park at dusk

I want to go and play outside with the ferocity of the birds outside my window. There are literally two dozen of them in a single tree right now, flitting around and celebrating the moment. These budget spreadsheets I'm working on seem especially cruel by comparison. Isn't it terrible that adults don't get Spring Break, too? This is why smart people get married in the spring, I think... providing Spring Break for their loved ones. In that light, then, my Spring Break is two weeks from now, in Austin. Just in time.

Friday I'm in Love

I'm so ready to sleep in and relax with friends this weekend... how about you? Here are three little gems from my week.

Hank for Senate

Meet Hank, a cat running for Senate in Virginia. Do you notice that he looks shockingly like our cat Switters? Poor Switters is pretty pissed. He was convinced he had the right mix of dashing good looks and humble roots that would help launch him into office, and then Hank went and stole his thunder, before DC even had its own Senate seat. Switters is licking his wounds in the windowsill right now. It isn't pretty.

The Women of 'Community'

I'm giddy that 'Community' is coming back to NBC mid-month. The 'Community' fan base is a rabid one, and we are proud. This Daily Beast interview with the women of 'Community' shows exactly why our show is better than your show. I raise my glass to women written as whole characters, to blowing apart stereotypes, and to the magic that can happen when women write for other women. Well done, team... well done.

Hometown Kitchen

This is me, glowing with hometown pride, pointing you to a fantastic article written about the family of one of my favorite high school pals. The reporter joins Saleem's family for dinner, where the Rs have been churning out innovative fusion cooking since way before it was cool. Read about family rice wars and get hungry, then go dive into Saleem's creative work, which consistently makes me feel close to him even though our days of daily conversation and high school hijinks are no more. Big props to Saleem for being vanity-aged in this piece, by the way - is it really that easy to shave a couple of years off that number? Note to self.

Have a happy weekend, everyone!

February, in pictures

I ended February on a blur of a work trip featuring lots of work and little sleep, and now it's March. I suppose that's how time slips away from us, isn't it? At any rate, I'm back in DC looking out my office window at early cherry blossoms, and wishing my knee was 100% again so that I could walk around in this gorgeous weather. (So much nicer out than the monsoon I drove through back to DC last night.)

Despite time rushing by much too quickly, I do have one great visual reminder of the month, courtesy of Instagram and the February Photo a Day Challenge. I had so much fun responding to the daily prompts with pictures that I'm doing the March Photo a Day Challenge, too.

Not on Instagram? No worries. You can find me online here, where you can also see the pictures in full size and view their captions (i.e., figure out how I justified a random shot as "sun" on a day that was as rainy as yesterday).

Come play along! (And I know, I know, Instagram really needs to develop a Droid App already.)

PS: I always have my Instagram feed running on the blog, too, down on the left sidebar.