Grace: Issue 38

1. Taking a daydream vacation on sunny shores... Bermuda... Kauai... Low-key, coastal Florida.
2. Imagining the soft sand giving way under my feet as I walked the shoreline.
3. Thinking about a dip in a refreshing pool of water.
4. Floating on crystal-blue water, with cloudless blue skies overhead.
5. Sipping a cocktail as I dangle my feet in the pool.

Grace: Issue 37 (Cousin's Wedding Edition)

1. Rediscovering a kindred spirit in a distant relative.
2. Escaping the noise for some quiet and cool air with my hon.
3. Momentarily losing my voice from talking so much - and so loudly - over the din.
4. Enjoying a band that worked the crowd into a frenzy.
5. Hearing the amazing band play James Brown's "I Feel Good" and later learning it had been my cousin - the groom - who was singing! (He was surrounded by a packed dance floor you couldn't see who had the mic.)

Grace Issue 36

1. Picking up my good-as-new shoes from the cobbler.
2. Taking a long, long walk amidst the break in the rain.
3. Crunching on kettle-cooked chips.
4. Parking at a meter with time still left on it.
5. Eating a fresh-baked croissant and gabbing over fresh coffee with what turns out to the shop owner/baker.

Springtime Friday Workout

This morning, I had to stop at the cobbler. You know, the shoe repair guy's place. (I know, cobbler sounds so ancient and too-prim and/or proper.)

I was dropping off shoes that I needed fixed in time for an event I'm going to tomorrow night. These are fancy, pointy shoes that I seldom wear, and the last time I'd worn them, I realized way too late that the rubber heels had become detached from the shoes (as in, while at church!).

And of course, this discovery was made after I'd clomped all through our hardwood-floored house while trying them on and testing them out, noting that I was curiously less steady on them than usual.

Plus, didn't they seem extraordinarily clacky, I'd asked Mr. Spandrel?

I dunno, he shrugged.

A quick look at the bottom made it clear I'd been walking on the connector screws instead of the rubber heels that had once been there! Gah!

Luckily, I didn't seem to gouge the floor anywhere I can discern. But I digress...

So I walk into the shoe repair store, and I'm not alone: a little puppy is barking like crazy, runs over and starts clamoring around my legs, jumping up, pawing and snurfling at my knees with excitement.

Her enthusiasm is palpable - and catching!

The shoe repair guy, aghast, runs out from behind his counter to corral the puppy, only to inspire her to think we're all three engaged in a game of "catch me!"

Around and around the store we spiral around each other, the three of us, a cacophony of barks, "sorry!s" and "whoops!"

Each time the proprietor tries to scoop up the puppy, she scampers away and runs hither and yon, her tongue and tail wagging in triple time.

Should anyone else have walked in, it would have seemed quite the spectacle.

I dodge, but the puppy lunges, until finally there's a tiny break in the action. And suddenly this puppy, wound tighter than a rubber band, propels herself into the cobbler arms in a little heap and calm is restored in the pocket-sized shop.

Just. Like. That.

I spent the rest of the morning with a goofy grin on my face.

Grace: Issue 35

1. Finishing a necklace with beads from my favorite bead artist.
2. Realizing that what I like best about jewelrymaking is the completion.
3. Making incremental progress on a big project I've been stewing over at my day job.
4. Promising someone a chocolate bunny once Lent is over.
5. Watching robins hop around and knowing that spring is definitely en route.

Daily Grace: Issue 34

1. Dress shopping with my Mom, my sister and my niece - three generations of funny women.
2. Deciding to buy cool shoes (to be worn to work later) to jazz up a little black dress already in my closet.
3. Walking several miles in one day after too much time away from the gym.
4. Spending time playing "The Candy Game" - which consists of naming random kinds of candy - during a car ride with my niece.
5. Realizing that simpler can be better, in fancy dresses and in most areas of life.

Maximal Weekend

This weekend went by in a - poof! - of activity.

It all started off bright and early Saturday morning, where I snagged a prime parking spot in the city for $2 (just one block from my destination - hurrah!).

Got a haircut from my excellent stylist (always seems a little flatter than I'm used to, but we'll see).

Stopped by a small bead show (spent way too much - but it's inspired me to make more jewelry to sell to de-stash, so stay tuned for more details!).

Lunched with my Mom and my aunt (we are dweebs and all ordered the same thing: crab cake sandwich, but we enjoyed it immensely).

Trekked to Crate and Barrel to check out media consoles (none accommodate our weird too-large speaker).

Slept straight through the night (a deep, dreamless sleep, which is a huge departure).

Celebrated a friend's milestone birthday with her beyond-lovely family (a surprise brunch that actually knocked the socks off the guest of honor, who smiled for hours).

The Thrill of the Hunt

Off to a bead show tomorrow. I know at least two vendors that will take my money - the aforementioned Louise Mehaffey and her lampworked beads, and a silver vendor that gives my pieces their "oomph."

Then, after the show, it's lunch with two of my favorite people.

After the week I've had? I cannot wait!

Grace Issue 33: State of Mind

1. Ever since I can remember, 3 has been my lucky number. The fact that this is the 33rd issue of Grace made me smile.
2. I enjoy the connections I have made with people who are like-minded, and those who are entirely different from me.
3. Having too much to do leaves me feeling very unsettled. Lists don't help in that regard; in fact, a lengthy list can make me hyperventilate because it puts all my obligations in stark black and white.
4. My desk at work is currently more organized than it's been in months.
5. While I thoroughly enjoy gardens and appreciate the beauty of flowers and utility of fresh herbs, I do not have a good track record in terms of keeping them alive. So the fact that bulbs I planted 10 years ago continue to bloom year after year as a harbinger of spring continues to amaze and enthrall me. And they're finally peeking out of the mulch!

Grace In Small Things: Issue 32 (On the Road, Part II)

1. Arriving early at the airport and getting through security in record time.
2. Realizing that there's a Checkers in the food court.
3. That first, delicious bite of a Champ burger - when it's been years since we've been acquainted.
4. Snagging a table with a view of the planes taking off for destinations unknown.
5. Spending 20 lovely minutes eating at a table beside a sunny window, for the first time all week.

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast...

Ever since I learned to touch-type one summer in high school on a primitive computer programmed with rudimentary business software, I have been a wicked-fast typist (between 100 and 120 WPM).

It's come in handy in my line of work.

So most times, my fingers can keep up with my thoughts.

But lately, my computer keyboard has been persnickety; it misses a letter or two every other word or so while I'm typing, especially when I go fast (and it's not me; Mr. Spandrel has noticed it, too).

This equipment quasi-failure has forced me to gear down and literally consider every word I write.

It's led to frustration many times when I'm hoping to dash off a note before I forget what I'm thinking about.

But in other ways, the fact that it forces me to slow down and think is not necessarily a bad thing.

Grace in Small Things: On the Road

1. Riding the escalator to baggage claim in back of a man wearing full lederhosen and an alpine hat.

2. Getting to the hotel safe and sound to find I've been upgraded to a suite.

3. Learning the hotel desk clerk is a stand-up comedian who just had an audition in the morning.

4. A surprisingly good piece of salmon for dinner.

5. The first Macy's I've ever seen that was neat as a pin.

What, Me Worry?

I've read that spending time worrying about things is a waste of time and effort - and brainpower, too - aside from the stress that it generates.

That if you just take a "let's see what happens" approach, things will turn out fine 99% of the time.

But preparation is key and by worrying, I'm just trying to be prepared. What some might see as "worrying too much," I see as planning ahead.

In the wake of yesterday's nor'easter, I'm headed to slightly warmer climes for a business trip. Just hoping the airport cooperates and things aren't too delayed.

So instead of worrying, I'm visualizing smooth, on-time flights and cheap bottled water on the other side of security check-in.

A girl can dream, can't she?

Grace: Issue 30

1. Friends who get you.
2. Catching up over Japanese food.
3. Staying close to home.
4. A second cup of Refresh tea in a Roulette cup.
5. A random reference to the Greg Kihn band.