...where the deer and the antelope roam...

i've been feeling pretty tired lately. it seems i can only muster up THOUGHTS of productivity...not actual PRODUCTIVITY in itself.

we had dinner with new friends tonight. they live in an eensy little studio-1 bedroom-274 sq foot place that was "handcrafted" by the owner of the main house. words don't do it justice, but it has open cupboards and a dutch door and a multi-colored ladder leading to the "bedroom" and a garden out back. abby and i talked about our love of "little house on the prairie" books and being born in the wrong era. when i was in fourth grade i wrote essays about living in the 1800s and what a joy it would be to churn my own butter. in her spare time, abby sews and makes jam...it's not just a passing "that would be hip" thought for her, it's her reality. she even has her own sewing shack out back. and i'm jealous...she seems to be VERY productive in her hobbies.

i often go to these places in my mind - daydreams of not having to have a job at all. i think of all the random projects and journals and picture essays i would create in all my spare time. but will i every really get around to them? would not having a job and having all the disposable income i wanted be the things that would make it all happen? would living the simple life on the prairie be the key to my contentment? probably not. i would have to milk cows and sew my own dresses and pickle my own pigs feet - and that would go from being my glorious dream to the mundane work of my everyday life. boooooor-ring.

and geez, i get tired just thinking about having to take the dog out at 7 AM. imagine how tired i would be if i had to think about milking the cow at 5 AM.

song o' the day: STRANGE MAGIC...elo

...heroes in a halfshell...

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is on abcFamily right now. Oh, Master Splinter the talking rat.

One of my favorite memories of my little brother is watching him sit in his high chair watching donatello, leonardo, raphael, and michaelangelo on TV. He was obsessed with anything turtles until I was at least in eighth grade...he had every action figure, video, comic book....he even used his nunchucks on our yellow lab Maggie [he denies it to this day].

The best memory of all though is when he was just a little tyke of about 4. My mom brought him chicken noodle soup and set it down on his ninja turtle tv tray. He looked up at her with big, wide eyes and innocently asked "What the HELL is this?"

song o' the day: ICE, ICE BABY...vanilla ice

...youth ministry...

for anyone who has ever been a small group leader, you absolutely must read the chapter entitled "puppies" in cold tangerines.

...with the sun sinking low...

drew and i decided that we love going down to Mexico for one simple reason.
there is absolutley nothing to do.

the beach is pretty, but not incredibly pristine.
the house is nice, but not especially luxurious.
the ride down is quick, but the ride back across the border is a nightmare.

still, we LOVE going to mex.
there are no cell phones. no internet. nowhere to go but down to the beach.
we do nothing strenuous or stressful all day.
we play uno, read PEOPLE, walk on the sand, make dinner and simply hang out with family and friends.
[well, except this trip, we did spend half our time chasing Penny. and i spent another quarter of my time violently vomiting.]

add it to your list of things to do.
take a trip, practice the art of doing nothing.
i'm getting quite good at it.

song o' the day: MEXICO...james taylor

...tangerine colored glasses...

i just ordered cold tangerines on amazon.
rickelle has been telling me about this book for months.
tonight a girl read the last chapter from the book.
i can't wait to taste the rest.

song o' the day: NEEDLE & THREAD...sleeping at last

...there beneath the blue suburban skies...

Penny Lane Davis
We gave into the puppy fever.


4 months
14 lbs.
Sweet little thing.

song o' the day: PENNY LANE...the beatles

...the puppy ads...

i feel like i should be sharing so much more than just the things i'm into right now.
but i have to tell you, in the midst of all my intensely tumultuous emotions and feelings and thoughts, there are the simple emotions and feelings and thoughts.

perfect example: i want a puppy.
i want a puppy. and i want one now.
i'm thinking a jack russell terrier. or maybe a doxie. perhaps a boston terrier. heck, even the rat terriers are looking cute.
i have names and walking routes and doggie beds all picked out.

my mom begs me not to do it. drew begs me to consider a lab. and my brother is all for a "little davis dog"

first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a puppy in the...uh...puppy carriage?

song o' the day: SOMEBODY TO LOVE...queen