long overdue.

hello dear blogging friends.  obviously, i've been gone for a while.  without a camera or internet.  away from the everyday hustle-bustle.  just back, and ready to get this party started...again.  a few things have progressed since my time away...

*it's spring here.  finally.  the trees are budding and flowers have bloomed.  it also hasn't stopped raining since yesterday.  but i'm okay with that since it's a warm rain.  and warm rain brings thunderstorms.

*triathlon training has officially begun.  it's a bit later than i would have liked- but it started.  and that truly is the very best part.

*there was a loss over the weekend.  a soldier.  it was the worst news ever expected and unfortunately, despite the letters, and packages and random skype messages, it's tragedies like this that remind us we are at war.  and it sucks.  so please, please keep the soldiers both away and here in your thoughts.  we need them to be happy and healthy and safe...for us.  for them.

*a new comforter was purchased.  and ikea special- and i'm in love (for some reason it's not on the website- so hopefully i can reference it soon).

*my car broke down.  hundreds of miles from home.  it's fixed now- but man, it's unbelievable how much i rely on my coche.

*dinner, drinks, lunch, walks.  time spent with friends is so very important.  it keeps me balanced, sane and grounded.  friends are the best medicine.

*currently reading middlesex.  so far, so good.  

gonna party like it's your birthday.

meet madeline, formerly maddie.  she's my little sis & today is her birthday.  madeline, without exaggeration, you are one of the most inspiring people i know & i am so thankful to have you as a sister.  you live a contagious lifestyle of grace, humor and kindness- you're the kind of friend everyone should have.  while i would love to surprise you & be there to ring in another birthday- please know i am thinking of you during this birthday extravaganza.

thank you for being such an amazing little sis.  for always saying yes to long days at the pool and afternoon trips to the beach.  for never turning down an adventure (even if that meant a nighttime hike or homemade rockets) and for letting lindsay & i surprise you with leprechauns.  thank you for showing me the importance of loyalty, for teaching me the art of living genuinely & why we all should be standing up for everything we believe in.  i am so proud of all that you are and can't wait to see all the amazing things you are going to do with your life. 

i love you mad.  so very much.  happy birthday to you. 

"We know one another's faults, virtues, catastrophes, mortification's, triumphs, rivalries, desires, and how long we can each hang by our hands to a bar. We have been banded together under pack codes and tribal laws." ~ Rose Macaulay

san diego in pictures.

happy friday.

what a crazy week this was.  i had a case of mondays everyday & i'm just thankful it's over.  hopefully you have some fun weekend plans lined up.  mine should be a nice mix between play and a lofty to-do list.  either way, it's time out of the office.  nothing like livin' for the weekends!

here are a few things to brighten your weekend and keep you inspired.

a long list of ah-mazing blogs.  i only follow a few of these bloggers, so i guess i have some catching up to do.  how many blogs do you have time to follow?

a sweet diy for the weekend?!  i think yes.  i just love this idea and can't wait to give it a whirl.  what a great way to repurpose an old favorite that's currently living in the goodwill basket.

inspired to take a road trip and think a. and i should get ourselves a scamp.  they did such great job decorating it- i'd want to drive across the country if i had a place as cute as this to rest my head.

enjoy & happy weekending!

adieu.

while i was in california.  actually, only a day after i left home, i received a call from our dog sitter.  atticus, our oldest, furriest dog was having seizures.  this was nothing out of the ordinary since he had anywhere between 2-4 seizures a month.  

the seizures started out of the blue last april.  a. and i were sleeping and woke up to a huge crash and a ton of scratching and panting.  i thought the boys were fighting and a. thought someone was breaking into our home.  when we turned on the lights and found atticus seizing, we were both terrified.  luckily there is an emergency vet clinic only a few miles from our house- so at 4am, we loaded atticus in the truck and took him in.  after a series of very expensive tests, they couldn't find anything wrong with him and sent us home.  the seizures continued, one day a month, and while i hate to admit it, i guess i never wanted to believe they were getting worse.  

we put atticus on phenobarbital and as the seizures got worse, the dosage increased.  however, on all but one day a month, he lived a happy and healthy life.  so when i got the call in california, i didn't think much of it at first.  atticus was having seizures.  a lot of seizures.  and he wasn't coming out of them.  it all happened so quickly.  i literally packed my bags, said good bye to our healthy boys and hopped on a plane.  24 hours later, i was advising our dog sitter to take atticus into the veterinary er.

from there he was placed under 24 hour care and treated like a vip (very important pet).  back in california, we were gearing up for our conference so the day flew by.  by the end of the day friday, i dragged myself to my room and followed up with the vet.  the news was horrible.  throughout the 24 hours, atticus was having seizure after seizure and eventually slipped into a coma.  with that news, i was given two choices.  one, to opt for him to see a neurologist at cornell (this didn't ensure that he would snap out of the coma, or if he did, that he wouldn't suffer from brain damage) or two, plan b.  i'm sure you can guess what that is...

obviously, i was devastated.  i was hundreds of miles from home, in a hotel room and trying to make a life and death decision by myself.  i called a. in afghanistan to tell him what was going on and thankfully he had access to a phone and could chat.  we talked about the options together- which while it didn't make the conversation any easier, it was so comforting to have him on the other end of the phone.  once we decided what we needed to do, i made the call.

needless to say, atticus was the most amazing dog and he brought so much joy into our lives.  he had so much spunk, energy and personality.  sure he would eat dozens of unattended cookies off the counter and bark like a maniac every time the doorbell rang, and went bananas whenever he saw another dog...but he loved life.  and it was obvious.  he was our family mascot- with his bigger-than-life personality and endless vocal storytelling.  he was an awesome road-tripper and mountain bike companion.  he could run or hike for days and drink gallons of water and eat any neighborhood out of house and home.  there was so much to love about him- and he will forever be missed.

{atticus.}