pictures of people looking at pictures.

 

      Art brings people together. Hipsters, old couples, young families, art experts; all of them were congregated in the echoing halls of Nelson-Atkins Art Museum yesterday.
We were there because it was Dad's birthday and the art museum was his present. While my family meandered through the galleries, I was busy with an impromptu photography project: taking pictures of people appreciating art -- (without them knowing it.) The way my project started was an accident really:) There was this cute couple walking around hand in hand, so I quickly snapped their picture and turned around as casually as possible. They didn't even notice me. *Insert chuckle and congratulatory pat on the back*. Maybe it was the fun of being sneaky, or maybe it was all the adorable couples walking around, but my collection of people grew.
      For 5 hours we wandered about the art museum. Names like Monet, Remington, Van Gogh, and Caravaggio jumped out at me from placards, and the paintings blended together in a pleasing palette of colors. Feelings such as peace, amazement, and inspiration overwhelmed me -- I love art museums! Put me in a place like that and I'll be happy for a looong time.

the hipster life.

  

 

     This girl.
Is pretty fantastic. She is always cheerful and full of laughter -- a light to brighten your day.
When she asked me to take some of her senior photos, I was ecstatic! Not only is Catherine GORGEOUS! but we have such larks together. Like planning trips to England, or traipsing about downtown like a pair of hipsters :)
Our afternoon consisted of exploring sketchy alleyways, stopping by Lakota Coffee (their coffee is drool-worthy), and exploring muddy pathways.
It was fun dahling. Let's do it again shall we?

adventuring

People often say that Life never slows down, or that Life is an adventure.
What is adventure?
Being where you have never been before.
Finding excitement in familiar places.
Seizing opportunities.
Relishing each of Life's moments (even if not every moment is exciting or pleasant.)

Take last night for example:
After a cozy evening with some lovely people (playing games / making jewelry / watching Great Expectations), an unforeseen mishap took place.
--Laurel drove into a field and spun out in the mud. Her little silver car just couldn't handle it.
In my defense, it was dark out, I was tired, and my brain wasn't fully functioning. Somehow I was able to pull a 180°, only to end up 30 feet farther out and backed up against a shed.
Thank goodness for friends! M-- left her warm living room to help me. We. Tried. Literally. Everything. Cat litter, boards, pushing and shoving, rocking the car -- we even tried strapping boards to the tire with rope like we had seen in a video.
Together I'm sure we made an amusing sight: two 18 year old girls using an assortment of knives, rope, and flashlights, standing ankle deep in muddy ground. But we were laughing! We laughed and we admired the starry sky! It was an adventure instead of a crises. Even when I started stressing out, M-- reminded me that everything would work out fine.
Eventually Mom came to save us; I got home safely and M-- made herself some tea. Whew.

You'd think that I have learned to embrace the unexpected with calmness and optimism by now. I guess not. This morning the water heater broke. STRESS OUT. I was forced to wash my hair in the sink and boil water to wash dishes.
Life is an adventure -- but only if you choose it to be. It is always helpful to remember the verse in Romans: God works all things together for good. It is ALSO helpful to have carpet squares, a patient mother and good friends.
Thanks M-- :) I owe you chocolate.

meet mosi

          Take a moment to appreciate this little fur ball of cuteness. This is Mosi: she loves eggnog, crumpled up paper, and attacking your feet. She is the most adorable, cuddly, and mischievous kitten you may ever be acquainted with, so protect your feet and check under the furniture.
          Mosi showed up on my doorstep about a month ago. (Actually, she was curled up in Retta's dog house waiting to be picked up and loved on.) I carried her into the house and the following conversation ensued....
Mom: Oh my.
Me: Yes. It is cute isn't it.
Mom: .........
Mom: Bring it in and feed it.
           Ever since then, life has seldom been dull. Retta is thrilled to have a playmate, except for the times Mosi grapples her butt like a cougar and bites it. The two will chase each other around the basement, tearing up the carpet and generally creating a ruckus. After an especially rousing chase, there is the routine "drinking-out-of-the-Christmas-tree-stand" and "fighting-over-Laurel's-bed."

  
          Sometimes, I pretend that having such rambunctious companions is annoying. After all, they both beg for milk out of my cereal bowl, terrorize the parakeets and constantly demand attention. But in all honesty, Mosi and Retta keep my life in a wonderful state of happy and unexpected.
Every evening when I come home from work, they pile onto the couch with me and sleep peacefully, offering what animals give the best: companionship.
I'm looking forward to many adventures with my pets. Hopefully neither one of them kills the other first.

womanhood and book thieves

           A candle is lit in each window, there is a furry kitten in my lap and hot cocoa at my elbow. Everything in this picturesque scene is perfect --- except the dismal lack of snow. (All of my friends left for Florida this Christmas, but they didn't have to. There is tropical, 65 degree warmth here in Missouri.)
These days my life has consisted of the following:
Reading.
Two weeks ago my friend lent me the "Book Thief" by Markus Zusak..... and oh how INTERESTING it is! Every evening I curl up in bed with the thick black volume to absorb more of the captivating story. Mosi joins me -- licking me on the nose and begging for eggnog. 
The book started out like this:

"DEATH AND CHOCOLATE

First the colors. Then the humans. That's usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try.

***HERE IS A SMALL FACT ***

You are going to die...."

 

Clearly you can see the book is lovely. Clearly.

I won't give away any of the plotline because you simply have to read it for yourself. But I will say this: the words are full of life and vibrancy, the descriptions are startlingly accurate, and each chapter leaves me breathless. Now go. Read it. Learn about the girl with no words, and the basement dwelling Jew.

          Perhaps it is habit or perhaps it is my short-attention span, but I can never read one book at a time. My second project is "Winsome Womanhood: Familiar Talks on Life and Conduct" by Margaret Sangster. It was published in 1900, so I had a difficult time finding a copy to purchase. Thank goodness for the interwebs!! By stumbling upon Forgotten Books, I found a paper back version and promptly whipped out the credit card.

In her forward, M. Sangster says: 

 

I have called the book "Winsome Womanhood" because it is my firm belief

that we are strongest as we are gentlest,

that the "loving are the daring," and that the ideal Christian

woman should be especially serene, tender, and full of charm.

....With Martha, she may be enterprising, busy, and efficient, but with Mary also,

she shall find time to sit at the Master's feet."

 

Criminy! there is so much wisdom in this book! Each page brings insight and inspiration to my mind: in order to fathom the depths of its words, I read each chapter multiple times through. 

True, "WW" may have been written 115 years ago, but the life principles of a godly woman are equally relevant today. The biblically founded teachings are giving me renewed determination to lead my life with calmness, joy, integrity and a loyalty to God.

          Soooo.

Now it's your turn!! Please tell me what you have been reading and don't hesitate to give me suggestions. I am not a picky reader. I am a voracious reader and books are completed faster than they are accumulated.

     P.S. Isn't that blue china mug absolutely dahling?!