Some thoughts and random ramblings...

Two Friday's ago, I went to post a Five for Friday and just as I had the whole thing written, I lost my browser connection and it all went away. Then last Tuesday, I wrote an entire Ten for Tuesday (feeling bad that I had missed Friday) and I got to the end of that and my whole computer went ka-put. So here I am, trying again. No format this time, just some random thoughts from the past two weeks.

I would be remiss if I didn't start this by paying tribute to my dear great-grandmother, who passed away at the age of 100 on Saturday afternoon. Her passing is bittersweet and while we are all sad, we know she's partying in heaven with her husband and daughter. I'm extraordinarily thankful to have had her in my life for the past 27 years, something most people my age don't get the fortune of having, and will always be honored to carry on her name as my middle name (and probably the middle name of one of my far-off-in-the-future daughter). I'm also very thankful for having been able to celebrate her 100th birthday with her, just over a month ago. She always had wise advice and a witty story ready at any given time. My favorite piece of advice? Not long after I was married, she told me to "be sure and hug my husband goodbye every morning and kiss him goodnight every evening" - advice I always think of often when we head off to work in the morning! You'll be missed Grandma Frances, but we know you're looking down on us, probably with a pot meatballs and homemade tomato sauce bubbling along side :)

We spent Thanksgiving in the Big Apple, with some of my extended family. It was really fun to be in the city during the holidays and to see some family who I haven't seen in 10+ years. I promise a separate blog post full of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons, midnight pretzels and kabobs, Broadway show antics and some hanging around in Chelsea. (One of) the highlights of the trip? Not having to sit in traffic on I-95 or deal with the airport - we took the train! Again, I argue, the greatest form of transportation known to man (with maybe the exception of the blimp... or the Segway). Stress-free, relaxing, quiet and no strip security searches.

Can you believe Christmas is in four weeks? I mean, seriously? What happened to 2009? It really defies logic. However, I'm happy that I can now embrace the Christmas season, since Thanksgiving is over. I don't believe in this whole "start celebrating Christmas before Halloween thing." I even boycotted Starbucks for about a month, due to the early roll out of their holiday cups. But that boycott ended on Friday, I'm happy to report :)

Babies. Lots of them. Everywhere. A coworker of mine gave birth to twins on Friday. One of my cousins gave birth to her second on Sunday. Another cousin is 16 weeks pregnant. Another coworker is due in the spring with twins. Another coworker comes back Wednesday from her maternity leave. Every day, another friend pops up on Facebook announcing the bun in the oven. And yet the only internal clock I hear ticking is the one that tells me it's time to go on another trip :)

My ten year high school reunion has been officially scheduled for July 31, 2010. This makes me feel incredibly old. Who knows if I'll actually go. I think it largely depends on who else goes. So far those expressing excitement about the event in our Facebook group aren't exactly the core group I would drag my husband to Tampa to see. Yet, it might make me feel better about life to go. You know, since 90% of my class is living in a studio apartment, still in Tampa, still trying to get their undergrad degree... I'm just sayin'.

See? I told you it would be random ramblings! Happy last day of November everyone!

28 Places to See Before You Die

This month's issue of Smithsonian magazine arrived in my office this morning and an article featured on the cover caught my eye.

According to Smithsonian, these are the 28 things you should seebefore you die:

For their glimpse into the past

Mesa Verde
Pompeii

Tikal

Petra

For their feats of engineering

Pyramids of Giza

Taj Mahal

Easter Island

The Great Wall of China

For their ability to amaze at different times of the year

Aurora Borealis

Serengeti

Iguazu Falls (Brazil)

Machu Picchu

For their fine works of art and design

The Louvre

Zen Garden of Kyoto

Uffizi Gallery

Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd Wright's house)

Because they are some of nature's most spectacular sites

Yangtze River

Antarctica

Mount Kilimanjaro

Grand Canyon

For their presence of gods

Pagan

Parthenon

Angkor Wat

Ephesus

Because time may soon run out on these sites

Venice, Italy

Amazon Rain Forest

Great Barrier Reed

Galapagos Islands

Many of these places have previously been on my list - Petra, Pyramids of Giza, Taj Mahal, Easter Island, Great Wall, Aurora Borealis, Serengeti, Angkor Wat, Fallingwater, Galapagos Islands, Uffizi Gallery - great excuse to return to Florence!

It surprised me that I've been to two of the places - Pompeii, just recently on our honeymoon, and the Louvre, in 5th grade, which means I didn't really appreciate it.

Other places on my list include the distant (Austrlia and New Zealand), the sacred (Sacre Coeur in Paris, again, I've been but didn't appreciate it), the metropolitan (Seattle, London and Chicago), the beautiful (the Almalfi Coast of Italy) and the random (Buenos Aries). My desire to go to many of these places centers around my interest in photographing them.

What places are on your list?

I'll close with some pictures from Pompeii, in honor of its mention on Smithsonian's list:

A little warmth in the cold weather

I have recently expanded on my love of taking macro photos of flowers. I should seriously quit my job and be a flower photographer for National Geographic. Since it is ridiculously chilly out, I thought I'd share some pictures from a recent trip to the Botanical Garden here in DC to help warm you up. The first two are pictures of the beautiful red and white tulips my Dad sent Brad and I for Christmas :)