32. (or, ways the universe smiled upon me since i last blew out candles.)

i do like a good list. always have. lately i've been inspired by this site, (which reminds me of a book i had in college called "a writer's book of days") and also this one, to make more lists. i think they're a nice thing to have, just in case you forget stuff. or have a lot of children, which makes you forget stuff. and also? i'm 32 today. so, the way i see it, i had better start writing this stuff down now. because, you know, when else?

and another thing is, i'm trained as a writer. i mean, i went to school for this stuff. and lately, well, i feel a little rusty. so maybe lists will inspire topics, and topics will lead to shhhh.....writing.

i'm not making any hard and fast promises, but i think you'll start to see more lists around here. hooray.

this was a year in which i know that i was extraordinarily blessed. my thirty second year sent me to san diego and yosemite and portland and paris and hawaii. my thirty second year was full of tight hugs around my neck and sweet baby thighs, of first steps and lost teeth and swinging on swings. it was a year of loving and being loved more deeply than i knew i could. i know it. and just so you all know, narrowing the list of times the universe smiled upon me down to 32? nearly impossible.

and without further ado:

32. (or, ways the universe smiled upon me since last I blew out candles.)

1. my two best guys (over the age of 8) built me a space of my own, in which I can sew and think and create to my hearts content.


2. i found myself with a wealth of new vegetables and new eating experiences, thanks to my first journey into community supported agriculture.


3. i realized my middle is happiest in a costume


4. i celebrated the first really warm day of spring with sunlight, a magazine, a homemade quilt, and perfect baby toes.


5. i discovered secret nappers on a rainy saturday


6. we explored disneyland with 1 nana, 1 papa, 4 parents and 6 cousins ages almost 1 to 7 years old. got out purchasing only 1 bottled water, 6 ice cream cones, and two star wars blasters.

7. i gave a baby her very first french fry


8. the boys learned to play marbles (again). thank you, papa!


9. i photographed 5 boys, 1 baby girl, and 6 fake mustaches. laughed hysterically.


10. we planted waaaaaay too many tomatoes


11. i finally got decent portraits of each of my babies


12. for the birthday of my sweet friend, i baked a very, very pretty cake. and it tasted UH-mazing.


13. i held my breath as my oldest pitched a little league inning


14. our whole family fell in love with a pair of robins as they built a nest, laid their eggs, fed their babies, and let them fly. all in two months time.


15. i climbed the eiffel tower. explored the louvre. rowed a boat on the grand canal at the palace of versailles.


16. i discovered (and made about 40 batches of) my new favorite salad

17. i met a friend i knew as a baby and now love as an adult. the kind you can’t believe you haven’t known forever. the kind who will never, ever be far from your heart again.

18. i sewed (and actually subsequently WORE) my first skirt.


19. the mister and i had a water balloon fight. beat the snot out of those pesky kids.


20. i ate my fill of cherries off the tree


21. i spent a long overdue afternoon with my oldest friend, and kissed the heck out of her new baby. watched our girls laugh on a blanket in matching homemade dresses.


22. i watched my last baby take her first steps.

23.i hiked to two waterfalls. waded in one. swam in the other.


24. i shared an ice cream cone to celebrate the first day of second grade.


25. i helped a friend who had watched her house go up in flames move into the home her heart had been searching for. i sat at a beautiful supper outside, breathed the sweet air around us and felt overwhelmed by the good.


26. i sewed a pincushion


27. i began photographing myself for a change, and actually liked a few self-portraits.


28. did flowers for a wedding. Mostly from my garden.

29. to the immense amusement of my mister and my boys, i surfed with the girls.


30. with fear and trepidation, hope and anticipation, i watched two people I hold close to my heart fall in love. with each other.

31. put pigtails in my baby girl’s shiny red hair


32. learned that saying goodbye is always hard, but sometimes nearly unbearable. but hello...hello feels so good after such a big goodbye.