Hi there!  I was just looking through photos from last year, pre-Seattle through today.  The Seattle ones made me nostalgic, not to be there for any clinical purposes of course, but to be there for the enjoyment of the city itself.  Don’t you think I should write a travel guide for Seattle?  I feel like I’m its biggest fan…if you can say a city has fans.

I was looking through the photos to find some good flower ones because I’m going to Mrs. Dowdy’s house tomorrow to paint!  Now, I took art classes many, many years ago, so I’m not expecting a masterpiece, but it will be fun to learn how to work with the paints again.  And I know the company will be wonderful as well! 

So guess what?  I’m looking forward to sleeping tonight because the past two nights, I had good dreams.  I can’t remember much about them, but I woke up happy and ready to start my days.  What a difference!!!  I wonder if it has to do with the fact that I’m reading more and more each night of my Maeve BInchy book, and like all her books, it’s full of interesting characters and lots of detailed descriptions about the Irish towns where the stories take place.  I guess it doesn’t matter why I’m having good dreams as long as I’m having them, right?

It’s been a relaxing weekend…you know, the kind where you sit down for hours to savor your coffee and devour whatever reading is in front of you—magazines, the newspaper, a book.  It feels as though life is as it should be, dogs resting on your feet, Dad grinding up the coffee, good music on the stereo.   OK, that’s specifically my life, but you know what I mean!  We also enjoyed a deeelicious steak dinner with Rachel and Jason last night, then we played a little bit of “Bananagrams”…if you haven’t played that game, you need to!!  Tiso’s aunt sent it to me in Seattle, and we really enjoyed it.  Speaking of gifts I received while out there, the Thiels also sent me some delicious chocolates made by another neighbor’s son.  Look below for a picture of them!  My mom went out yesterday and surprised us with some…what a treat!  These (http://artisanconfections.com/) are the best chocolates I’ve ever eaten!  Gobind, you know what I’m talking about!!  You had the pleasure of enjoying some out in Seattle!  It’s a good thing I did some exercises for my knee today and spent lots of time playing with the dogs in the yard, because I certainly enjoyed my fair share!

I’m looking forward to the upcoming week:  I’ll get my bike back, I visit with the transplant nurse practitioner Tuesday, tomorrow I paint, I get to play in the yard with my neighbors’ dogs as well as my own, I may go out and see a movie…it’s a full week!  Also, I’ll probably finish one book and start another!  Don’t you love that?  I have many, many books I look forward to reading, and it feels good to have the energy and focus to read them (I took so many to Seattle and barely read anything!!).  I’m also looking forward to the coming months because I get to go to Cape Cod for a wedding in July, and then we head out to Seattle in October.  It’s fun to think about these travels, especially since I’m still relatively isolated here at home.  I don’t think I’ll ever take for granted the luxury of going out into public.

OK, let’s end this with some entertainment.  My mom forwarded this along to me…it’s hilarious; you have to check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJm4MqhWLcA.  Also, my dad and I are currently watching a show about the world’s deserts, and I wanted to share this clip with you:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0qDq6DqgoA…It’s very educational, but most importantly, it’s entertaining.  Doesn’t it look like they choreographed a dance?  Note:  you must watch it all the way through in order to see the best part.  Another question:  why is the male always prettier than the female?  Aren’t those colors beautiful?

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, just as I did!

Lots of love,

Julie