the innate sense of purpose and direction in my life is this: to love others and help them become whomever it is they are to become. to nurture and inspire the loving creative nature of people-whomever i encounter-so that they, in turn, might some day do the same for others, regardless of their chosen profession or path in life.
eventually i want to make a career out of offering art experiences, crafty adventures, creative fellowship, and the like to those who are lacking such outlets in their lives.

Friday, February 22, 2008

portrait of a sick day

so after getting back from visiting with my family, a nasty sickness bug has taken up residence in my chest and sinuses and i find myself stranded on my couch. i've set up my medicine and entertainment supplies on my coffee table as i rarely have the energy to move.

as much as anyone loves to stay home from work on a day that they are feeling under the weather, it's hella boring staying in my apartment on the couch all day. i think the thing that makes it unbearable the most is not having the energy to do ANYTHING. i had to give myself a pep talk just to get up to go to the bathroom!

i remember being sick when i was a kid--i got strep throat a lot when i was young--i would lay on the couch trying to remember what it felt like to be normal and not sick. i remember thinking that i would give ANYTHING to feel normal again.

that's how i feel today. here's to hoping tomorrow is better...

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Home, sweet home

standing in front of a sink full of dirty dishes and steamy hot dish water, i stare lazily out the dark rain spotted windows in front of me. my hands automatically scrub and wipe, rinse and put aside the dishes that are a product of the fantastically large meal that i cooked and just finished eating with my family; dad, sisters, brother, and nephews. i'm visiting at my parents house in Indiana for the weekend because the residential school where i work is on a long weekend break. mom's not here because she's doing some traveling nursing and is currently stationed in Norwalk, CT, but we all got to talk to her on the phone earlier, so it feels like she was here, at least for a little while.
as i scrub chocolate off mixing bowls and cheese sauce off the large stock pot that, about an hour ago, held 2 lbs. of my fantastic home-made macaroni and cheese, i am composing this post in my head...

i find that i often become "chef sarah" when i'm home; my passion for cooking large semi-elaborate meals re-emerges because i actually have people to cook for. today, for a Sunday afternoon family dinner, my nephew, Michael, requested macaroni and cheese (home-made of course!) so macaroni and cheese it was...and for dessert, the flourless chocolate cake that i saw on the food network the other day, mmm, yummy! of course i can't leave the serious meat eaters without a meat option, so i also made some applewood smoked turkey tenderloins that i found in the freezer...they were actually pretty good.

i've come to love weekends like this. sometimes it's hard to leave my space and my day-to-day routine behind, but as soon as i walk through the door of my Indiana home and am greeted by Sid and Nilly (our dogs, a black Labradoodle and a yellow Lab), or my 21 yr. old "little" brother who, in a silly semi-lispy voice, greets me, "hi sissy," i'm right as rain again...because i'm home.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

a serious case of the blahs

what the hell's the deal with all of this crappy weather? seriously! the chicagoland area has been in a depressing cycle of knee deep snow, a bit of warm weather to melt the snow into ocean sized puddles...freezing temps, MORE freakin' snow, warm temps PLUS RAIN to melt the snow AGAIN and add to the already GIGANTIC puddles, another temp drop and MORE effing snow!!! i'm about ready to sell my new car on the black market for a one-way ticket to somewhere sunny and warm. GEEZ!

...i think i could handle a crappy job in a restaurant or a small grocery store somewhere as long as i could go to the beach every evening and on weekends...

seriously though, if i don't see the sun soon...if i have to live through another crappy, damp, cold, GREY day, i just might melt into a lethargic gooey mess.

not even going to the gym seems to help. i've been to the gym twice in the past 4 days and i still feel like someone drove a Mac truck over my mood. UGH. i've even tried "eating a cookie." sorry al and katie...i'm not sure i believe your theory. though, maybe you have a point in it being an everyday experience...maybe i should give it a chance.

here's to hoping

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Howl's Moving Castle

I just finished watching the movie "Howl's Moving Castle" by Hayao Miyazaki. It's a wonderful film, equally as wonderful (if not a little bit more) as his 2001 film "Spirited Away."

I'm a sucker for movies and stories that transport the watcher/reader into fantastical worlds of magical adventures. But this movie does that without you even realizing it, I loved it! Rent or borrow it soon and let me know what you think.