Home Sweet Charlottesville

Easy-ish flight, but the whole trip still takes about 5 hours. For the most part, the traveling isn't bad and it was probably one of the most enjoyable visits I've had in a while.

To the Corner for new running socks, which are really one of life's small pleasures. And Butter Chicken Curry.

Spontaneous 3 mile run and catching up with Christie.

Little bit of concern about some noticeable weight loss in Big Kitty.

Plans for a respectable arrival time at work tomorrow.

Thankfuls - Atlanta, cont.

The day of never ending meals.

Chauffeuring the family in the too-high-tech-for-us Odyssey.

Meeting 6 month old Baby Ethan for the first time - he's a blue-eyed cutie too, and crawling already.

Beth's stories. "We made it all up! And we placed third at the Regional Science Fair! Me and Melinda Bell!"

Another movie night with the 'rents: Blood Diamond. Reminds me of What is the What, and that I've been meaning to read Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.

Making a deal with Dad about moving to Cville. It's conditional, but it's official - we even shook on it.

Thankfuls - Atlanta

Staying up late Friday night for good cause, but not so late that I overslept and missed my flight - although my arrival at the airport was a closer call than usual for me (that is, when Beth is not involved...).

Requests from Sister for a blog entry, and wishing I had a picture of something fun to attach for her right now.

Swearing Hailey's grown 3 - 4 inches since Christmas, and being really impressed while watching her play with the wooden stack toy. And, damn that girl has some long eyelashes!

Homemade dinner by Pa, nice dinner conversation with the parents, team-cleaning the kitchen (an unusual event!) and comforting company while watching bloody No Country for Old Men, a movie I've been looking forward to, but was too scared to watch alone.

Early-ish to bed and some more reading: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, already impressive and I'm only 4 chapters in.

Oh, and sweet, harmless secrets.

Sweet Saturday/Lazy Sunday

Saturday evening power outages on the north half of the Downtown Mall send us across the way to TEN instead of Zocalo for a lovely girls night. Making connections with Whitney about exchange studenting.

Sunday’s spring forward time changes leave me feeling a little sleepier than I’d care to be, but we head out for Circa shopping and a Cville Coffee lazy afternoon. Enjoyable team crossword puddling and a welcomed guest visitor.

Quick, late afternoon 2 mile run at Riverview. Thankful that the sound of the rushing water drowns out the sound of my rushing thoughts.

Falling asleep with Garrett curled up under the covers pressed against my belly.

Waking up thinking of the lyrics to Paul’s On the Fiddle, the song that I love, but can never remember the name of.

Some thoughts on Grace

"I understand that [he] meant grace in the theological sense, meant it as the force that infuses our lives and keeps letting us off the hook. It is unearned love--the love that goes before, that greets us on the way. It's the help you receive when you have no bright ideas left, when you are empty and desperate and have discovered that your best thinking and most charming charm have failed you....I do not understand the mystery of grace--only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us."
--From Traveling Mercies: Some thoughts on faith, by Anne Lamott.

Free weekend

Long morning talks with the brother (we both salivate thinking about supper at the Smith House next weekend!), and with the Pa (and this priceless moment, where after I make an innocent comment, he pauses, and declares the score Love - 40. (Who knew I could be so profound on a Saturday morning?!).

Loving this Live Streaming WXPN Public Radio.

Updating some of the captions and adding new pics to my slideshow.

Wild wind blows in a dramatic little storm front, me thinks.

Looking forward to Girls Night!

Advice just given to me by my favorite co-workers

"You know, Cat, it would help things out around here if you weren't so damn happy all the time. Would you mind acting a little more disgruntled? A little more unsatisfied with your job?"

Plugging a little

Glen and Marketa are appropriately rewarded at the Oscars, see this NPR story to hear a tune.

And, while I'm at it, a little plug for NPR in general, and NPR Music, including World Cafe (which featured Devon Sproule here) and the live streaming music.

And, while I'm at it, a little plug for public television, where you can catch cool shows like Bob Dylan: Live in Newport 1963-65.

Kallie has a very comfortable relationship with the camera...

 

Here she is showing all of her teeth. She loves taking pictures with the camera, and then looking at them afterwards.

Anne Lamott shining brilliantly

"Mostly things are not that way, that simple and pure, with so much focus given to each syllable of life as life sings itself. But that kind of attention is the prize. To be engrossed by something outside ourselves is a powerful antidote for the rational mind, the mind that so frequently has its head up its own ass -- seeing things in such a narrow and darkly narcissistic way that it presents a colo-rectal theology, offering hope to no one."
From: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.