it's island time!

ten days in paradise wasn't enough - but it was just what we needed. i don't think i can remember the last time eric and i had nothing to do but hang out and pass time with each other. it was grand. we adopted an "island time" frame of mind and enjoyed cocktails, snorkeling, cooking and laying in the sun - all day, every day - staring out at the most beautiful beaches. (well done, fletcher, re: honeymoon destination).

despite my attempts to beg and bribe eric for us not to leave the BVIs, i was forced to trug to the car, bags in hand, and wave to the bright blue waters as we departed from our little bungalow. our little island oasis had become our home. this corner of the world excluded blackberrys, gus, a schedule and bad moods, and it was hard to go. i didn't know what would be waiting for us back in boston, of course it would be nothing different than when we left, but i wasn't ready to return to it.

please come to boston for the springtime

when i first announced to my parents that eric and i were heading up north, my dad recited this to me. it's just one line in one stanza of one (very sad) song, but it's stuck in my head over and over. and now, as i walk around cambridge and even the city, more than ever.

this being my first spring here i'm seriously taken back by all the color. it's not just green anymore, it's pink, purple, yellow...gorgeous. it's fragrant. it's bright. it's breathtaking. this has been my "longest" spring by far - my trips to nc in early april jump-started the season while it was still bare here. but now, every tree, every flower, every thing is in bloom.

i'm walking down the sidewalk and freesia hits my face. not that i care. i'm thrown off course on my commute to stare at tulips and try to decide which color is the best: hmmm...i love hot pink, so that one's my favorite. no, no, that purple is so vibrant. wait...is that red with feathered tips? yep. it's like that. and i want to be out in every second of it.

so, i find myself thinking of this line and wanting to tell my friends, my family, pretty much everyone, to please come to boston for the springtime.

see for yourself below.

if you like fish & grits

or, in my case, shrimp & grits. which is exactly what i plan to be getting at this spot when i'm brunching in charleston, sc one week from today. but let's not get ahead of ourselves...

heading to nc on tuesday to finalize wedding plans and soak up some sun on the very sand we'll be getting hitched on in five (count 'em, five) weeks. then down to charleston, sc for a ladies weekend. looking forward to saying "ta-ta" to my bachelorette life, speakeasy style.

running on empty

a little more than a month of no writing and those who know me well would think that i might have some built up emotional tension in my brain. however, the truth is, i've been running my own 26.2 mile(stones). between website updates, media calls, event show-flows and taking in all the general excitement of the marathon, my down time, if you can call it that, has been filled with finalizing details for bridesmaid dresses, invites, portraits, bridal showers and the big b-party. as i walked home last night in the later hours of the evening - but early enough to still have a bit of light (i've been waking up before the sun and going to bed way after the sun sets for about a week...) i looked up and my eyes were greeted with green.

somewhere, in between the cold january nights, thigh-deep in snow, with doubts of actually making it through the winter, and that very second, it had become spring. not just spring - but late april. and i couldn't help but realize - as i often do - that this was just the way it was going to be now. life was just going to move fast. and immediately i was thankful for my ability to always immerse myself to the extreme in every moment.

it's still cold here. and rainy right now. but the common areas are green, beautiful trees are beginning to bloom and bright flowers are rising up from the ground - sure signs that spring is here and reminding me that all things, in time, do pass. that includes winter.

that includes loneliness. and, that includes life.