208)

30.)
some goals remain
uncompleted, unmet
(but not by much!)
others, like this one
the opportunity for
words and creativity--

well, it hasn't always
been easy, but suffice
to say, i am happy, glad,
to have made it.  and

someday, eventually,
i'll find a tangible
time capsule of this
latest series of happenings,
of comings and goings,

illustrious instances.

207)

29.)
at 12:01 a.m., it's
eighty-two degrees
at o'hare, seventy-
seven in lake bluff,
and eighty-five in
lincoln square (hello,

summer.)  it was the kind
of day deserving of a
good ending... a cold
beer and hemingway
opened to page twenty-
five on my lap.  slowly,

i turn over the words.
the cold lager brings
relief from the heat
(a delightful way to

unwind).

206)

28.)
we wait for the hottest
day so far, both anxious

and skeptical, too.  it is
chicagoland, after all,
and the weather can be
pretty unpredictable.  i'll

stock up on water and
make sure i'm prepared
for any outdoor time
i may face.  you see, you're
talking to the girl who

doubted the blizzard of
2011.  i suppose i really
shouldn't take any

chances.

205)

27.)
i've never been more
aware of the fact that
i am growing up... that

the woman i am now,
and the girl i was even
two, three, four years

ago are completely
different.  i am a complex,
constantly evolving

human.  i am happy
with the person i have
become, and excited,

hopeful, for the
next version of myself,
the woman of my future.

204)

26.)
it was the perfect day
for a drive... blue sky
sunshine, just the
slightest of breezes.  i

rolled the window down
and savored the passing
of the miles, from suburbs

to country.  i drove home with
the sunset in my rear view mirror.

202)

the weekend: a respite
from a busy week

at work.  (ah, it is
well deserved: a cold
beer and plans with
friends.)  two days;

endless opportunity.

201)

23.)
i ran out of time for
words,

today.

199)

22.)
the world outside
this kitchen window
is swaying, lost in
constant, gentle
motion.

the world turns
and life goes on,
taking us all along.
we would be wise
to soak it all in, to

enjoy the colors,
lights, and sounds
that surround us, right
here in our little
corner of existing.

198)

21.)
back into the swing
of things--it's the
middle of my work
week and, as usual,
i have too much to do
all at once:

laundry, bills, errands,
squeezed in with a busy
work schedule and sleep...
not to mention everything
else, like losing myself in
a good book, spending
time with my husband, and

enjoying the summer,
sometimes it seems a
bit much but the
moral of the story is
this: be grateful for
all of it, every second.
this is your life to live.

197)

20.)
today is the summer
solstice, although it
seems like we've been
celebrating the sun
and the heat for weeks

already.  the sixth month
is over halfway to the
seventh, and, as usual,

we find ourselves waiting,
wondering where the
next one might take us,
and the one after that,

too.  summer will fly
by before we know it,

as usual.

195)

18.)
sometimes it hits me all
at once and, all over again,

i am overwhelmed with so
much adoration and love.

sometimes, i can't believe
that the boy who stood

there with his arms around
me, there in that clearing,

holding me tightly as i
counted the stars all

those years ago, gave
me a ring and asked

me to be his.  we have
come so far since then;

we have so much further
to go, together.

194)

18.)
monday revealed itself
as a day of chance
meetings, random
happenstances, and
"see ya later"s (never

goodbye).  unexpected
in many ways, but a
clear illustration of
the smallness that
is our world.  every
one in a while,

it's nice to be
reminded of
that.

193)

17.)
at the end of the day
i am tired and worn,
ready for a few moments
of quiet and stillness--i
always seem to find that

here, in the presence
of my other half.  because
of his love, i want for
nothing--i have everything
i could ever need.

192)

16.)
i hadn't been there very
long before out of
nowhere, the sky grew
dark, the wind picked
up, and then it

rained--no, it poured.
fast and furious.  oh,
it was exactly what you
would expect from an
early summer storm,

one that ended and passed
on by just as quickly as it

began.

190)

15.)
and once again i
find myself getting
pulled into an intriguing

alternate universe of
sorts; i find myself
vacillating between
wanting to delve
further into this
world, and at the
very same time,

hesitating, feeling
a longing to draw
it out, to wait a bit
before i descend
again.  either way,

i am inspired,

emboldened.

189)

14.)
i am in from the
summer heat to
relax; a whole day
for myself.  there
is laundry to be
done... rooms to be
cleaned... bills to
be paid... but, i think
that perhaps i'll spend
it reading, or writing, or
getting lost in the woods

(again, but on purpose
this time).  i am the maker
of my destiny--i must make
the most of an open, free,
day.

188)

13.)
a traditional query of
sorts--a fork in the
path; left or right?

with only a moment's
pause, i head left,
southeast, into the
woods.  the breeze is
slight, and a thin layer
of clouds makes this
afternoon periodically
chilly here and there,
yet i have no complaints.

i continue forward,
leaving dusty footprints
on the trail in my wake.

187)

12.)
she pulls up a map and
settles in on the area
directly surrounding

the windy city.  she is
fairly certain she could
trace it out with her eyes

closed, so familiar this
place has become, the
land she now calls her

home.  she is looking
to her bright and captivating
inevitability with a

stirring provocation in
her soul.  she knows
their future home

lies somewhere in those
familiar cities nearby,
somewhere along the

interstates we've come
to know so very well.

186)

11.)
on the horizon, cities
not far from here
twinkle in the june
darkness.  we are here
in celebration, together.

we have been wed
for a year now, but
sometimes it feels
like it has only been
a week, only a few days

since that serendipitous
happenstance.  it has
been a year, but my
love has only grown,
continues to expand and

fill every element of my
being.  it is all at once
overwhelming and true;
it is the best thing i
have ever known.  (my

life, my existence,
entwined with that
of my other half,

wholly and
completely.)

184)

10.)
soon the north shore
will be entering those

hot, hazy days of a
long, midwest summer.  i

have experienced a
few, and find myself

looking forward to
warm breezes and late

lingering twilight.  i am
excited for the prospect

of adventure, of spending
those days exploring our

world, our existence.