I spent Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday with Rob and my parents at the lake. I announced on Saturday night, "I won't be doing anything tomorrow," and that's exactly what I did. Nothing. All day. I didn't even get out of my pajamas.

I also forgot my camera's memory card, so I used my dad's camera to snap some photos of the nothingness in all its glory.

You know there were snacks.

And tea in pretty cups.

And books.

And some quality time with this cute guy.

Hoping you had a relaxing weekend as well. Happy Monday!

For whatever reason, I've always been a person who gets really good at something and then randomly drops it. It's an incredibly frustrating habit. When I was younger, I water-skied and wake-boarded behind my parents' boats and jet-skis like there was nothing to it. I learned tricks and never wiped out. Then, one day, I decided that I was terrified of the lake. I didn't go in again for years.

When I was in college, I was briefly a Spanish major. I had grown up with the language, so I fell into my studies with ease. I was starting to have dreams in Spanish when I dropped the major, not even considering a Spanish minor. One of my classes gave me too much anxiety and I didn't think I'd be able to go back. I've always known that pursing a degree in English was one of the best decisions I've ever made for myself, but I do regret giving up on my Spanish fluency. 

My whole life, I've been a skier. I learned as a little toddler and always felt comfortable with my boots in bindings. I took lessons and mastered my skills. And my family went to ski resorts every winter. Then I turned 17 or 18 and just stopped skiing. I hadn't been on skis in years, until Thursday.

I just got the urge to go. My mom goes twice a week and I knew she'd be there, so I called her up and asked her to bring my stuff. She actually seemed confused, and called me the next day to make sure I was still coming. I met her on the mountain and clipped my boots into my bindings and skied down the mountain.

It was a nice way to start the weekend.

--

It reminded me of a time this summer, when some of Rob's friends came to hang out with us at my parents' house on the lake. They wanted to try wake-boarding, and, as you know, I hadn't been in the water in years. I then accidentally drank half a bottle of wine, gathered some courage, traded my dress for a life jacket (luckily I still had my bikini on underneath) and jumped off the dock with my board. 

Sometimes, you just have to give yourself the benefit of the doubt and then be a little bit braver than you feel.

Looks like it might be time to break out the old Spanish books.

--

This weekend continued with almond flour pancakes stuffed with apples.

And, of course, coffee.

And then we woke up to a beautiful, quiet frost.

Wishing you a warm Monday with plenty of opportunities to tackle your fears.

[Reflection of Downtown Roanoke in my coffee, taken December 2011]

It's almost nine this morning and I am just waking up with a raging caffeine headache. One of the owners of the coffee shop is out of the country for a month, and they need me to close instead of open on Fridays while he's gone. I was looking forward to sleeping in a little bit, but missing my 7:00 tea and 8:30 espresso really is taking its toll on my body. 

You know, withdrawal.

So now I'm sitting with my computer in my favorite chair--it's all asymmetrical and artsy--waiting for espresso to brew on the stove. It looks freezing outside, my head is pounding, Rob is still asleep in our warm bed, there are episodes of LOST to be watched and I also just started a new book that has nothing to do with my thesis but has me hooked and I really just can't put it down. I'd rather not go to work this afternoon. It sort of feels like Saturday.

Rob got home from his trip to Portland yesterday and I felt kind of bad, but immediately went out to go running with Shawna. But we still had all afternoon to hang around, then I made dinner and Shawna came back over and we all watched a movie and polished off a bottle of wine. It feels really nice to get back into running. Yesterday was really warm and it smelled like spring and it made me want to drive to Farmville and visit my professors at Longwood and then walk around Hampden-Sydney. I might actually do that the next time it gets unseasonably warm. Or I can wait for real spring.

It doesn't take a lot to make me miss college.

So that's what you get when I'm home on a weekday morning instead of at the coffee shop. My thoughts, scattered as they may be, as they work their way out of this caffeine-addicted brain.

Have a really happy weekend, friends.