Check It Out

Some links I've come across worth sharing:

• HandPicked Nation  Great site for the self sustaining household.
• The Happy Movie  Turns out making money, work, etc only contributes 10% towards our total happiness...
• Airplane Hangar Wedding  Beautiful theme, shades and tones.
• MW Works architecture+design  Fabulously clean west coast design.
• The Queen of Versailles  A "shake your head" kinda documentary.
• La Belle au Bois Dormant  (Sleeping Beauty) Subtitles are available.  Documentary where the behind the scenes practices of the main dance sequences make me ache just watching it.  Hard and intricate choreography.  Fantastic insight to the amount of work, pain and strength involved. 

It has been an extra busy past couple of weeks.  People we know as well as ones we are related to were in the hospital for last minute surgery, chemo, falling off horses, dying (died), experiencing total vehicle brake failure.  Emotional Upheaval! 

At home, we've been fighting head colds, nothing serious a la above, just irritating.  Otherwise just the usual.  D's been busy experiencing weird interview techniques with other departments and getting psyched up with road bike races he wants to do this summer.

My ballet teacher decided on the day I didn't get around to stretching prior to my class (of course) to see just how far she could push my leg towards my face.  Nasty business it was.  I'm pretty sure my face turned an amazingly non flattering shade of puce.  And I am not jumping high enough either during the Grand Allegro. 

Took more than 2+ days to be able to walk easily again.  And recently it seems like my bow hand, has developed a mind of its own and is suddenly moving around all over the place.  Not desirable when you are trying to play anything, especially Minuets.  There are days where everything sounds off a hair no matter what I do.  So frustrating!

Piano is starting to feel really really easy compared to violin.  I don't ever remember having to practice as long or as hard as a novice pianist.  It's almost worst knowing what the piece is supposed to sound like and not being able to reproduce it.  And apparently I tend to stop breathing when I'm getting ready to play...

D reminds me that I do bring this on myself.  Occasionally a few choice words do manage to slip out of my mouth...not at him, rather towards myself in frustration.  I am human after all...

I have to remind myself that learning and growth is not always easy or pain free or else we'd all be excellent at everything without having to work at it.  He doesn't know how to deal with the "artistic me" and has requested a manual.  Wait til painting classes start is what I'm thinking...

Well, the BIG trip of the year is now upon us.  Yes, it comes pretty close on the heels of Prague but timing is of the essence with this one. 

I'm going to act all mysterious and everything and not say where we are going.  There are some potentially tricky logistics involved so I'll just wait until we return to put it all together.  Back in a couple weeks.  Stay well, everyone.