On Sunday, when it rains

To sleep late on Sunday, cozy in bed and lulled by the cloudy skies and the soft pitter patter of rain hitting the balcony, is perhaps one of life's greatest pleasures.  It's been one of those days so far, the kind for mushroom omelets, flickering candles and one too many cups of coffee.  

We've had an icky August--it has rained or been cold just about every day this month--but today I won't complain.  Sometimes a Sunday wrapped in blankets listening to drip, drop, drip, drop is just what the soul needs.  

Dresden

There may be nothing better than a weekend spent with good friends in a new city.  I was lucky enough to have just such a weekend last weekend in Dresden.  A stately and vibrant city, Dresden is the kind of place where street artists meet 19th century cafes, colorful riverboats meet opera.  

We reveled in a long lunch and lots of delicious food, a slow walk through the city and a bit of an afternoon nap in a comfortable hotel room.  We ate delicious Thai and had a great experience at Good Friends restaurant and we enjoyed the Stadtfest that was happening while we were there.  Mostly we talked, laughed, enjoyed the sun and the wonderful and impressive atmosphere of the city.  

Dresden is a stunning city with a very sophisticated yet approachable feeling and I would highly recommend checking it out if you are in Germany.  Don't miss the Cathedral, which is one of the most airy and uplifting I have ever seen.  Also, the Dresdener Zwinger is one of the most beautiful palace grounds I have ever seen!  

It's hump day here and I have been thinking about this last weekend ever since Monday came along. Now that we're heading towards the weekend, I am dreaming of planning another similar weekend soon!  Until then I'll just keep looking at the pictures...

The longest days of summer

Lake days are my favorite days of all--they are summer at it's most pure.  They are made for cherry juice dripping down your chin and water-logged prune toes.  They're the one time of year where it is okay to do just about everything in your bathing suit and accomplish nothing in a day but read 100 pages in your book. There's nothing like them and now that I have been back from our family home in Michigan for two weeks, my heart is aching to be back there, for I never want those days of summer to end.  

Food on Friday: 2 recipes with za'atar chicken and veggies

Nothing says summer more than beautiful, colorful salads and fresh wraps.  Add in some Middle Eastern spices and you have the perfect light weeknight dinner and lunch for the next day.

48 hours in Barcelona

Back from hiatus (the last 7 months)

Top to bottom, left to right: Valentine's Day flowers on a lovely day I never got to say thank you for; a coffee and a cake at the most adorable cafe; a gate in my new neighborhood; a weekend getaway; this morning with my best friend at Christmastime; spring in Germany; a day trip with a good friend who moved away; the sun setting in Paris; packing my bags for that trip; and meeting my mom there; my man JJ at Christmas; early summer in Nürnberg; a corner of my new home; the Eiffel Tower and me; fresh mushrooms from the farmer's market; Fränkisches Bierfest and some delicious red beer; World Cup public viewing; Beer festival; another bier festival ;-) and my mom and aunts visiting Germany! 

I have started this post and ended it almost a million times, not really sure where to start, what to say, what to share and what not to.  I have been putting it off, but I feel like every day my desire to write and share grows stronger and stronger.  So much has changed in the last 7 months and in my struggle to process it all, I have started to miss having this space.

I wish I could say that all of the changes were positive, but that's just not the case.  They were at first; I stopped writing at first because I was just enjoying things so much that I didn't really want to spend the time on my computer.  But then, as quickly as that started, it was gone.  I found love again and then I lost it....again.  And for all the ways that I know I am partially to blame for that, this time around has been the most devastating, heartwrenching experience. The previous heartbreak compounds this one and it's all been almost too difficult to bear.

In the last few weeks, I have slowly started to come out of the heavy fog of it.  I am starting to see things more clearly and understand not only some of the mistakes I made, but also the changes I need to make in my life and the person I want to be in the future.  My heart still hurts, but in a way this has been good for me, a wake up call of sorts.  Perhaps, at some point soon, I will share a little more.

In the meantime, I have compiled some pictures which represent moments that I have been particularly thankful for in the last 7 months.  These are the little glimmers of light in the dark and I feel blessed to have had these lovely moments.

Oh, and I moved, yet again.  I love my new place and am so, so, so glad I have it!  Here is a sneak peak, with more photos to come soon!