Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Beat Goes On

Life has kept me hopping lately - no rest for the wicked I guess. I worked the closing shift for most of last week, which meant that I got to experience the frustration joy of being delayed by last-minute customers nearly every day. We actually got out of the office on time Saturday, and I went home for about an hour before heading off to book club. 

Oh yeah, I joined a book club. And consequently discovered that, either due to the higher elevation or the fact that I really haven't drank for six months or so, alcohol affects me way differently than it used to. "Your body can process one drink an hour" no longer applies to this girl. Lesson learned.

Book club adjourned after discussing The Hunger Games (which was fantastic), and we headed to a bar to listen to our host's boyfriends' band play their very last gig. The notable thing about this was that the bar happened to be located in the Bermuda Triangle of downtown. This area of downtown has boggled my mind since we moved to Boise. I can't really explain why it confuses me, other than the fact that it's almost like a town within a town and I never go there alone since I'm 98% certain that I would never make it back out. Add in the issue of overly-potent alcohol and I was hopelessly lost - at which point I phoned home for an emergency extraction and called it a night.

On Sunday we hosted a BBQ with friends, and Monday evening saw me heading to softball practice since I decided to join a team through work. I warned the team captain before I signed up that my only experience with the game was making daisy chains in the outfield during T-ball; we were both relieved to discover that I am apparently capable of functioning on the field and at bat. We have a great group of people on the team so it should be a fun experience.

Soaking up some rays 
We also met a few more of the neighbors last weekend. Unfortunately some of these relationships are off to a rocky start...



"What ever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it."
- Eckhart Tolle

Monday, March 19, 2012

Domestic Ponderings

I've been contemplating a lot of decor related items (love Pinterest!) and am slowly making plans for the new house. I originally thought that I would have a good idea of what I wanted to do decor-wise by the time we moved in, but I've discovered that I enjoy taking my time on these decisions. In lieu of any real verdicts, I'll share some of the items that have made the short list:

via
I like this idea for our entryway, but would make the birds smaller and the background a bit more rough and abstract. Also I would stretch it across at least two, if not three, canvases.

via
I'm obsessing over modifying a version of this bench for the foot of our bed. It won't be quite as rustic and the corners/edges will be purposely rounded as I am incredibly talented at finding the sharp edges of furniture at two in the morning.

(my own creation)
I adore quotes laid out in this fashion; above is a rough idea of how I may try to incorporate this particular one into our home. I grew up with this verse and it holds a lot of meaning for me, despite its extreme overuse in recent years.

via
I'm in love with this idea for a pergola. The side pieces would add just a bit more privacy for the deck while still creating an airy, open feeling.

via
I'm already drafting up a design inspired by the idea of a glass top console table that doubles as a desk. It will be about half as wide as the one in the photo since it will be used on the small wall between the entry and the dining room.

Obsession of the week: Christina Perri - A Thousand Years
I have a weakness for just about everything from Christina Perri, but this song is my current favorite (despite the fact that it was used as Bella and Edward's wedding song in Breaking Dawn).


Monday, March 12, 2012

Misplaced Time + A New Addition

I find myself constantly wondering where time has gone lately. We've been in our new house for three weeks, I've been at my new job for almost two months, and we're already halfway through March!

I had myself convinced that I would only take one week off from posting...
and then I blinked and it was three weeks later. In my own defense, I have been working a lot. The office has been crazy, and I work six days in a row there every couple weeks. My evenings at home have been spent working on graphic design projects and yet more unpacking; I've literally been falling into bed exhausted every night for the past two weeks. Chris has been amazing though - cooking dinner on the nights that I don't get home until 7 in the evening and keeping up on the laundry (my most hated chore). He's pretty fantastic.

We've also been having random snowstorms every few days which are greeted with enthusiasm by only half of our household. I'll give you two guesses as to which half...
 



Last weekend we went on a date to our favorite little Mexican restaurant (their Carne asada is unbelievably good), attended a yard care seminar at a local garden shop (woohoo, homeowner stuff!), and then explored the park near our neighborhood. The trail system was much more extensive than we realized and actually connects to the Greenbelt trail that follows the Boise River. The weather was lovely - partially cloudy, almost warm, and very little wind.

How gorgeous is this view!?
And finally, allow me to introduce Zoƫ - the newest addition to our little family of furballs.


She is about a year old and a total sweetheart. She and Jake are getting on well, but the cat is understandably concerned.



"Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog."
Franklin P. Jones