I know, I have been woefully neglectful of my blog. Between planning a vacation, wedding, honeymoon, and continued home renovations, I have allowed my blog to suffer. My apologies to a virtual non-entity.

My New Year's Resolution for April is to blog more often. It's Naw-Ruz - the Persian New Year, so it's as good as time as any for new beginnings. My entries may not be long, or that particularly thoughtful, but I'm feeling the need to write.

So there.

I have several entries that I started but never published. I might publish these - it is kind of fun to go back and read what I was thinking with the ability to edit for stupidity and self-interest. For those of you who keep a journal, you understand what I mean. Looking back on previous writing can be painful.

Case in  { read more... }

It ties me to my father and to my roots in a way that few other things do. Thankfully, it's also something at which I'm pretty well skilled. I might not be able to take down Johnny Chan, or even my Uncle Frank for that matter, but I can hold my own in a friendly game.

So, it is the game of poker to which I return when I flail about for a metaphor for recent events.

For those of you who have known me for a long while, you probably already know. After fourteen and a half years, Doug recently proposed marriage, and I happily accepted. I cannot properly express how happy I am or how excited I am about taking our next steps in to the great unknown. Thrilled  { read more... }

Much like the joyous burst of freedom that comes from the end of the work week and the anticipation of an unknown weekend with infinite possibilities, spring is redolent with the future, with growth, and with the promise of unfurling and youthful abundance.

This must be why, every year, we plant. Every spring we plan our masterpiece - the perfect garden, the gorgeous flowers, and the well-tended beds. We visit the big box stores to inhale the earthy scent of mulch, peruse the local nurseries for the most stunning plants, and envision the transformation of the wintry landscape into a private oasis - a sanctuary of green. This year will finally be the year that our yard wins awards and our organic garden produces obscene abundance that will turn our kitchen into a farmers market. We will fill the  { read more... }

While this kitchen project has taken longer than expected, we have also replaced the roof and all the windows in the house during the same timeframe. We're almost done with the kitchen:

We still have some detail work to complete, including installation of the new stainless steel appliances, crown molding, and trim. I am so happy with the results - the entire house feels different.

In my defense, I really did intend the kitchen remodel to be a simple and straightforward cosmetic makeover. We agreed to  { read more... }