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.

saturday morning tunes

an old friend in wilmington introduced me to ryan adams. he gave me the album, gold. i fell instantly - for his lyrics, his voice (ryan's - not my friend's...). another old friend taught me to appreciate vinyl albums. he taught me that all good music should be listened to on vinyl and most importantly, that the package that albums came in told a story that was just as amazing as the songs. "cd's," he said, "just aren't the same. look at this art!" he then shoved a led zeppelin album into my hands.

i opened up the ryan adams cardinology album that e got me for christmas for the first time this morning. i literally gasped as i pulled a translucent red record out of the grey and white packaging. i called eric's name - then remembered he was sleeping...

then i instantly remembered these two friends previously mentioned. i looked over the cover. so drab, busy with confusing lines that mimic images of fire and fear. on the back, a dark city with people hovered, afraid of a massive cloud rising up...everyone except a couple kissing in the back with a simple tiny heart floating above their heads. these album-cover-lovers have figured it out. in their dark, scary world, they managed to find each other. out of the darkness they are a light.

well done ryan.

check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FubAy_BE6Ug