Sunshine

The onset of Spring in Chicago has this incredible effect in improving the morale of the entire city. Maybe it's the way the sunshine glints off of Lake Michigan or the countless perfect picnic places or the fact that for the first time in months stepping outside the door does not mean one will be greeted with vicious wind ripping at frozen snot and eyelash-cicles. (God knows, it's not the Cubs starting another season.) For me, it's all about the sunshine. Sundresses, sunburns, sunglasses. Shadows, sunsets, desperately romantic dusky strolls. It makes me want to be seriously irresponsible. On any given sunny day, I'm about a minute and a half from making a break from whatever it is I'm doing that's more important than being outside and fleeing to the beach or park or just to roam the streets with the sun warming my face. I want to be grilling kebabs and applying sunscreen and sipping sangria without any responsibilities to tend to. I want to ditch work, ditch homework, kiss in very public places, do something a little bit reckless for once. Mmm. I can't wait for Summer.

Thanks Erica

Dear Erica, Thanks for being willing to make the most of our weird mid-week weekend schedule. I'm glad you appreciate the benefits of sunshine, cute animals, and drinking Long Islands at noon. I think this Tuesday day off adventure was the start of a something very very beautiful. And next time, maybe we should go for the whole pint instead of the half. See you in Admissions on Thursday! Love, Ashley

Thanks Taylor

Dear Taylor, I try not to thank people two days in a row, but I think materializing on my doorstep with a tomato and feta pizza and cans of Half Acre Gossamer with lemon knots for dessert definitely merits a thank you note. I could not have been happier that YOU were my pizza guy and that I got to snuggle up with you for the evening an entire day earlier than expected :) You are kind of the most adorable person I know. Love, me

Thanks Taylor

Dear Taylor,

Thanks for wandering into my life and sweeping me off my feet when I could not have been expecting it less, when I was gloomy and frazzled and tired and ready to throw in the towel when it came to the entirety of the male species. Rachel classified you as a genus Knight in Shining Armor, and it seems you have a knack for saving the day, for saving smiles that are threatening to turn, for saving glimpses of calm in a sea of anxiety-riddled activity. I'm over the moon about your seriousness in studying, your smile, your never ending wonderfulness and wonder over the little things in life that make you happy. And your pancakes. Your pancakes and turkey sandwiches and pasta rock pretty hard. I get too busy being excited about the next time I'm going to see you to focus on how much I'm missing seeing you when we're busy. In short, I'm awfully glad I went to Roscoe's and I'm even more glad you made it your mission to convince me you were a gentleman. And don't get me started on the little flutter in my heart or the fireworky breathless moment after a kiss. You could not be more adorable, more magnificent, more welcome. Thanks.

Love, me

Thanks Vanessa

Dear Vanessa,

Even though you are far away, thanks for listening to my triumphs and tribulations, big and small. Thanks for letting me gush about this guy and whine about that thing that happened and work and for listening and caring and loving me with your whole entire heart, while your heart is residing a thousand or so miles away :) I miss you everyday.

Love, me

Reasons I am Seriously Reconsidering my Lifelong Rejection of Southern Belledom

For years, I refused to tell people that I grew up in Alabama. I took voice lessons to rid myself of my accent, Midwesternified everything about my appearance, my life, even took to rooting for Ohio sports teams (Really? Ew.) But recently, as I've come to know myself a little better, I've found that my heart beats as a Southern Belle; some of that gentility instilled by my mother is there. So, why try to fight it anymore? It seems being a Southern Belle has its benefits :)

1. People love a drawl. They will listen to you coo and prattle on about anything when you elongate your ahs and add in extra syllables all over the place. Men get starry-eyed, women just smile more kindly. And people just want to listen to you talk, and I like to talk an awful lot.


2. Beef tips. Sweet potato pie. Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread. Petit Fours. Chocolate chip pound cake. Shrimp and grits. My arsenal of southern comfort food is packed with delights of all varieties. Delicious; the kind of food that wins men and friends from the inside out with the kinds of emotional responses it draws out. Southern belles know how to make food that makes you feel, and if you've ever had my cornbread, you know I understand wholeheartedly this principle.


3. Who doesn't look good in a blonde frosted stacked bob? Ok, ok, not everyone south of the Mason-Dixon really rocks one of these, but many do with grace. And the ones that don't, spend a good deal of time painstakingly perfecting the way they present themselves. Lipstick to the grocery store, gym shoes matched to gym bag. Sundress with no sweat spots in 110 degree heat with 90% humidity. Always ready to impress.


4. Hot rollers. Yankee women do not know their way around a set of hot rollers (unless you had a serious showchoir upbringing) the way that Southern Belles do. And who doesn't like spraying the shaft to achieve bounciness?


5. Kindness. There is something about smiling at everyone and moving slowly that breeds a certain kindness, where hellos greet everyone and people gather on porches for mint juleps (Yes, that really happens, my yankee friends). Maybe it's because the skies are incredibly blue and the people in the South don't know a windchill of negative 27, but there is something that makes them kinder, their lives a little more idyllic.


6. People are constantly pleasantly surprised when intelligence and quick-wittedness accompany Southern-ness. I like surprises; don't you?

So, I think I'm going to embrace this long lineage of Southern heritage and fully take on this role of Southern Belle. I'll make my mother and Scarlette O'Hara proud :)

Reasons I Just Couldn't Be Happier, Simply Couldn't Be Happier

1. THE TEST IS OVER. I have been dreading this test since I applied to the non-thesis based MAE program at DePaul in January of 2009. While I was still working at TBC. Before I was even accepted to the program. Clearly, this dread has blossomed over the past few months as I prepared to take it and has been a break-into-hives-have-bad-dreams-occupy-your-every-thought-don't-want-to-eat-manic-can't-sleep-horrible kind of stress. But I took it Saturday, and I honestly feel pretty good about it. I'd even venture to say it went pretty well. Now. Let's just hope the review committee agrees...


2. I went out without a jacket today. Glorious. Hello, April warmth.


3. I met this guy. He's pretty cool and went so far out of his way to make sure that they superterriblenogoodverybad week leading up to my test was bearable with dinners and Disney movies and pep talks all week. Because he's pretty rad like that. I think maybe I'll see about keeping him around because, honestly, I'm a little over the moon about the whole thing (If you met him, you'd be like...Duh. Of course you are.)


4. For Christmas, Brian promised to take me to High Tea at The Peninsula. We finally were able to make out schedules line up tonight and go and it was just so wonderful. Vanilla bean black tea. Tiny sandwiches. Scones. Hazelnut and chocolate pralines. A view of a garden, feeling so fancy, looking so fine. Having careful heart to hearts as we stir honey in with tiny spoons. Perfect fanciful Brian/Ashley time.


5. I saw Belle this week. She is growing up so beautifully and I love to see the very kind little person she's becoming and hope that in some very tiny way, I had a hand in that.


6. I have many new Spring dresses, Spring shoes, Spring bags. Bring on the warm. Bring on the pretty.


7. So many people made it a point to wish me luck on the test, check in to see how it went, even follow up with flowers. It is so wonderful to have people that love you and support you to the degree that the people in my life do. I couldn't ask for anyone better to materialize.


8. DID I MENTION I AM ALMOST DONE WITH GRAD SCHOOL???


9. Blackberry Cheesecake Cupcake and a Jumbo Dog with ketchup, brown mustard, and relish. Win.