The richest weekend doesn't require much "labor"...

Lazy Saturday morning. 

Mander and single serving vanilla cake eaten with our fingers. 9.99 wine at the QFC in "Korea town". "Oh, Oh, Oh!" 4 best friends celebrating friendship, laughing mercilessly at clogged toilets, celebrating with family, mojito's and fake spilled wine glasses, mustache's and love at the Almero's beautiful home. FLIP CUP! "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", Usher. Bal-Mar bar-tender and bar-keep friends. Active rainy Sunday. 

3 incredible waterfalls. Snoqualmie Falls. Twin Falls (rain). Gloomy gray and beautiful, treacherous for dogs, Franklin Falls (down pour). The Cure, REM, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Journey, Coldplay. 

Life is a smorgasborg of wonderfullness! 

March

I can't believe it's March already. I just returned, what seems just a few days ago from Montana, to surprise my mom for her 62nd birthday! Montana was so much fun! I surprised my mom the day before her birthday, with a basket of flowers that told her I was coming the next day. Then I drove from sunny, green Seattle to dry, brown Missoula...but one good thing is that the sunshine followed me. I just couldn't get it to follow me back! Hmmm.

I was able to spend great time with LeeAnn Pohlman, Kylie Barnes and dear sweet smiling Cora (her gorgeous daughter) and then had girls night with Jess and Rach. These women, and a couple others that I didn't have time to see, bring life to Missoula for me. Not to mention my dear parents. It's always so good to go home...but so sweet to return to Seattle. I wish I could bring them home with me.   :)

But now I'm back in my beloved Seattle and it's spring here!!! Everything is always green to a certain extent but now everything is vibrant green! And pink. And white. And red. The trees are in full bloom with every color of flower and new green buds that are starting to unfurl into vibrant leaves. The "easter egg" tree behind my apartment is full of pink easter-egg shaped, and sized, flowers. It greets me every morning as I wake up. I will say, my heart is full of life and green things...new beginnings and buds of life for the future. I can feel the winter melting away, the smell of spring and the warmth of the sun kiss my face and my heart. I caught myself giggling relentlessly last night and couldn't stop laughing at a random act of silliness.

Today was such a fabulous day. I slept in, had a great 6 mile walk around Green Lake in the wonderful sunshine, a veggie lunch and then I went and hit tennis balls to practice my serve and then had a much needed massage. And now, blogging. I think I'll hop in the shower and hit the hay! C'est La Vie!

Milestones and stilettos...

I am officially, legally, back to Emily Jackson as of December 29th. It has been a bittersweet process but precious to be able to find myself again and remember how full life can be. I will also, officially, and legally be 30 years old this Friday! :) A lot of people keep asking me how I feel about this birthday coming up. They say, "Oh, I dreaded my 30th!"

My early 20's were like that feeling I had in highschool, maybe it was junior high, but anyways, the feeling you get when you put on your first pair of high heels. It doesn't feel right. You feel like you're not old enough or sophisticated enough to rock 'em with confidence. But you do, because you want to and it's exciting to feel like a woman, or at least try and act like one. I tried to act like a woman in my 20's. I did the college thing, I partied, I started a career, I got married, I acted out of my insecurities and selfishness, I got divorced.

Let's just say that over the last year or so, I have been able to rock a pair of stilettos with confidence and beauty (at least I hope so)! :) But I feel like a woman inside, whether I'm wearing heels or not. Don't get me wrong, I loved my 20's, but it's the 20's that are gonna make the 30's even better. I learned so much about being a woman, and not just pretending to be a woman, or slipping on a sexy pair of heels, but really what it means to be a woman of integrity, of love, of commitment, of value, of self-worth, of intrigue, of varied interests and goals...no matter what pair of shoes I slip into that morning.

So, in response to the inevitable question, "Emily, how do you feel about turning 30?" I'm so excited! and I'm excited for 31, 32, 33... I'm excited for the rest of my life! It really is true, life has always been, and will always be SWEET, no matter what age I am.

A New Year, A New Life but really, just back to ME!

I'm sitting here after a long day of errands, my bi-annual doctor appointment, education for work and my first tennis practice with a women's tennis team. I'm exhausted. My house is a disaster, I don't have a husband or children and I can't even keep it clean. How do my mommy and wifey friends do it? You girls are amazing. Seriously.

I had a good day though. Actually, it's been a good but weird month. I've been sad but incredibly happy at the same time. Maybe the Seattle winter plays a bigger part on my mood than I realize. Sad for me=no change in personality, just more sleep! I don't know how to describe it...I guess I'm mourning loss and looking forward to living life to the fullest. I'm remembering the passions I used to have in life and tackling them with a vengence. :) I've been skiing, singing harmonies with my buds Josh, Jon and Bryant on the way to ski slopes, hanging with great girl friends Sara, Bre and Amanda (who, by the way are adventurous, successful, driven, independent, travelers, lovers of life, their families and their men), getting back into cooking and baking, walking around Green Lake, making travel plans and finding ways to surf again in the spring. West coast Washington, here I come, in my wet suit!!! Brrrr! I'm finally settling down into daily life here in Seattle, but I guess the word "settle" isn't really the right way to describe it. I'm getting busy! I just joined a women's tennis team and had my first practice with them tonight. It was fun. I think I will learn consistency from a bunch of "seasoned" players. :) I can't wait to play in some tournaments this spring and summer.

I'm living my daily life at work, with friends, out on dates, even at the grocery store with a sense of renewed passion, but also more hesitancy and maturity. I haven't been quick to jump into a relationship again. I have been learning that only I am responsible for my joy, for my fun, for my life. I am trying now to have a good balance of relying on myself for these things but not becoming so independent that I don't remember to rely on my closest family and friends for some things so that they are still a part of my life.