Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Free: I adore Ikea, only at 10am at the beginning of the week. Other than that I hate the place, carts everywhere, people sitting on the stuff I want to look at, too many people crowded in one aisle deciding on Birch or White, ugh the place is insane!! But on a Monday morning at 10am shopping for a lamp shade, mirror, and new duvet, I am one of maybe 15 people in the whole place and I am free to dream and sit and touch and decide without hoards of tasteless, tactless shoppers ruining my Scandinavian experience! Yesterday was particularly glorious because I walked in to see this:
As most people have a 9-5 and do not have the luxury of shopping at Ikea and eating their free breakfast, I was joined by a slew of senior citizens and public workers who knew about this free breakfast and seem to rather enjoy making it their weekly ritual. Maybe I should too.....or not because driving 30 min for a free $3 breakfast just doesn't seem to make complete sense.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Text: it has become a wonderful method of keeping "close" to those I care about being as family is in Utah and I am well, not. A quick text from Dad, "just thinking about my Hunka Munk, I love you" quick question from Hannah, "which shoes look better?", little blip from Nick and Audrey, "hey MK wish you were here in Paris with us". The notes are quick and simple but they keep us connected and I love it.

Last night I was texting with someone not in Utah but still far away, and it went something like this:

Me: "Just got home from a little drive, and now I am sprucing up for the week"
Man: "How was the drive"
Me: "Lovely"
Man: "Send me a good straight-on picture of yoursef"

aww he wants to see my face {blush} that is so sweet!!

Me: "Sure but why?"
Man: "Just do it, I'll show you"

Me: " Voila not sure how "good" that is sans makeup with bed head but it is straight on"
Man:"Looks great!"

great? wow this one is really pushing it....but I will take flattery.
But it wasn't flattery, "great" was referring not to the picture I sent but to the one he sent back:


Man: "Want a cheeseburger?"
Me: "I hate you"

Text: it has become a wonderful method of keeping......guh never mind sometimes keeping close is not in your best interest!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Betty Crocker: step aside, that is all I have to say. Oh and you Martha Stewart, and all your mignons, ya you can just step off too! Because yesterday I turned this into this:
while capturing this:
yep that's right its a squirrel/rat hybrid sniffin my cakes. Eat that National Geographic.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Girl: some days I am not quite sure I make a good one of these. I snort when I laugh I don't giggle, I love chicken wings and nachos and will order them over a salad any day, I haven't mastered the smokey eye but I can change my own oil among other things (changed the fuel filter this morning), I can't flirt worth beans but I am genius at intimidating people-unintentionally-. I have a hard time getting myself to cry, and I hate The Notebook. However in my holster I do: bake, have semi long hair, and like wearing heels so I suppose I am not a lost cause yet

Friday, January 27, 2012

"I Love You": I am always amazed at how simple words can have such an affect. 3 Audible syllables. If you listen around you, you will hear it daily, if you look you will see it. Mugs in the office, t-shirts on babies, bumper stickers, billboards, tattoos. The power lies not so much in the words themselves but in the unspoken emotions holding them up. "I love you" in and of itself is terrifying to say to another. It opens you, it makes you vulnerable, it qualifies the mysterious unsaid and makes it real. "I love you" can bring consolation, quiet anger, instill peace. It soothes, it makes you tingly, goosebumpy, and brings a smile even from hundreds of miles away. 3 little words that hold such power when they are sincere and honest and raw. When said without sincerity they sadly maintain equal force, while they are the same 3 words, the outcome is frighteningly different. "I love you" without the heart involved is cold, shattering, empty, and alone. But one mustn't bother with that. Love is too great a thing to be thrown around by insincerity and flippant speech. 3 audible syllables, 3 simple words, what a stunningly beautiful part of everyday life. gbm

Thursday, January 26, 2012

seen it about 26.5 times and every time is like the first. Hilarious! I now look at all the things I have in my life that have birds on them, and I kinda cringe. Enjoy

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

ABC: every month the leaders of the Church I belong to, put out a message. They are always wonderful but this particular months sat so happy on my soul. I think it is applicable to everyone of every faith. Thomas S. Monson, the current Prophet, outlined the ABC's to help us gain an abundant life:

A attitude We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we cultivate a positive attitude.

B believe Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities.

C courage Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

An abundant life is something I think we all desire on some level, for me I am silly, I just want 14 acres by a lake and a bakery with a few kids (husband too, hope you read between the lines), 2 dogs, and good relationships with family and friends. I think these are worthy goals and completely attainable. For some abundance is material, for others it is more figurative seeking abundance in happiness and friendships, whatever it may be I think dreams are meant to be made into reality and these ABC's would help anyone do so.


Sunday, January 22, 2012


Unexpected: Nick he is nuts. He is 3 years younger me and I love him dearly. He breaks bones, he plays too hard, he has a mohawk, he is known as the destroyer around our house because regardless of the room he walks into something gets destroyed, he draws skulls, he chews on Q-Tips, one time he swallowed so much dentil floss we thought he had worms! See, crazy! and he has the funniest sense of humor. With him you expect crazy, this however was unexpected.....he and the love of his life, Audrey, (and the love of ours because she puts up with crazy!) just got home from 4 months in France. Provo was a sad awakening when Paris had been the order of the day for so long. Nick wanted Audrey to wake up with wonder, so on the morning of our late family Christmas last week he brought her Paris in the snow, and she awoke once again to La Tour Eiffel. This sense of unexpected romance should be a standard for us all...merci bien mon frere.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Final: today in pressed black pants and french twisted hair, I appeared before the judge and raised my right hand, swore to tell the truth and she asked:

"Were you married May 23, 2009"
"Yes"
"Do you reside in DC"
"Yes"
"Is the provided agreement a true representation of how properties are to be divided"
"Yes"
"We are restoring your name to Monica Kate Moore
M-O-O-R-E, is this correct"
"Yes"
"Let it be recorded on January 20th 2012 that I Justice Rankin.......

everything blurs and I am not sure how to feel, I am handed my original marriage certificate and the next case is called. The room widens, almost spins. Do I celebrate? Do I buy myself something pretty? Do I phone a friend? It's over and I don't know how to feel, I brewed some tea and went for a long drive. Today I did something hard, I cried with a dear friend then took a deep breath and said goodbye to past as I moved on.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Nothing: nothing prepares you for marriage, nothing prepares you for the day you realize your marriage is over, nothing prepares you for the chill you feel while talking to lawyers and filling out paper after paper in court offices, and nothing prepares you for the the phone call you get from him the day before your divorce becomes final wanting to verify that you will be in court the next day and that all is in order because he has gone ring shopping and wants to propose to the woman he's loved for 17 years.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Good: I don't always do what is right, I don't always act as I should, I don't always say what is proper, but this in the mail sure felt good.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012


Five.2: I love five for the reasons previously mentioned and for these... on Tuesdays I have the glorious privilege of volunteering in Roxanne's kindergarten class from 8:45-12:00 . Today was only my second Tuesday on the "job" and it did not disappoint. Jackson threw up on my shoes, and John -a curly haired angel with too many wiggles so he gets in a lot of trouble- came up to me and asked, "Ms Monica can you help me?" "Well sure dude what's up?" "I need you to pull my tooth it's bugging me." "Okay let's give it a try." and a few seconds later I had successfully pulled John's first tooth:
I adore littles, this is not new information. What is new is what I see in watching them. The lame Hallmark quips about children always infuriate me, they are so dumb! But so true. As a big person I focus so much on what is "important" but in it's simplest form all we need is a little help with the tricky things and love even when we don't ask. A wiggly little was content and quite for the rest of the day because he had help with something tricky. I wonder how many of my wiggles could be quickly quieted were I brave enough to ask....

Monday, January 16, 2012

Moore Girls: we are a passionate bunch of feisty, loving, loyal women. 5 of us were born this way, the "newest" addition -Audrey far right- is quickly learning the feisty part :) We embarrass ourselves in public, we are guilty of loud laughter, we live life to it's fullest, we get under each other's skin like no outsider ever could, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Someone who I thought was close once had the audacity to ask me how I could stand my family, it was at that moment in shock and horror I realized from the outside, like many, we are judged and misunderstood, but once on the inside...you never want to leave this party!
primping....and then....
voila, perfect

Sunday, January 15, 2012



History: a part of all of us, an unavoidable truth with varying perspectives on what really happened. Directly connecting with it is a rare and precious gift that gives priceless insight. Lillian my "25" year old Grandmother, is part of my history and while in Utah we connected over acrylics and horse hair.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Origins: children inevitably ask, "where do babies come from?" well folks to answer your question.....I came from these 2 fine people: (it becomes great at about 1:02)

-
-Teresa, 4 yr old Bella, and Gary @ the South Towne Auto Show trying out the Jeep Rubicon Terrain Course-

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Touchdown: most of you hear that and think Tebow, football, wings at a shady neighborhood hot spot, I on the other think of this.....and touching down in my hometown is a wonderful feeling.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Happiness: is flying home for "Christmas". Yes this year Hannah (little sister) was in Germany, Nick (brother) + Wife Audrey were in Paris -yes I was wildly jealous but am slowly recovering-, Jen and Beth (older sisters) were rock climbing, and there was no chance in hell - yep it's my blog sometimes I swear, adjust- I was going to spend my first Christmas as a divorced girl at home alone with my parents, I went to Cleveland instead, it was a good choice. That being said, we are having Christmas this weekend. Yay.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012





Newsstand: I purposely choose the longest line in the food store so I can browse through this crucial piece of $11.95 literature

Monday, January 9, 2012

Thou Shalt Not Covet: but I really really want to!
until I saw the price

luck·y

[luhk-ee] adjective, luck·i·er,luck·i·est.
1. having or marked by good luck; fortunate: That was my luckyday.
2. happening fortunately: a lucky accident.
3. bringing or foretelling good luck, or supposed to do so: alucky penny.

And that is exactly how I felt after eating there -Lucky's Cafe-. They say Cleveland rocks, i've mentioned it in previous posts, but have you ever been there? ya on first glance it is a bit scary. However as with most cities, if you look hard enough you will find the treasures.
Luckily -yes I am going to use versions of this word as much as I can in this post- I was lucky enough to have an insider who introduced me to this:
the best mac n' cheese I have ever had. I am a lover of many things but I constantly crave: chicken wings, nachos, and mac n' cheese. This was by far the best I have ever had. All other mac n' cheese now has a new standard to attempt to attain. Good luck. Their secret was brie, it gave it an amazing creamy texture and a richness that is unparalleled. Our server said their rueben was the best he'd had...
I disagree. The rueben is my favorite sandwich and Founding Farmers has the best, but Lucky's yours was pretty good. Best homemade thousand dressing i've tasted but overall not enough kick in the saurkraut, and not enough rye in the bread.

Sunday, January 8, 2012





Home: this year I didn't make it home for Christmas, however my dear friend Johnson brought me a little reminder....home is where the heart is. {oh come on! cheesy I know but look how darling this cookie is! you would have said the same thing, don't judge}
Instructions: went to Hershey, PA for a little weekend trip right before Christmas, I had to there is a place called Candy Lane! My favorite thing at Hershey Park was this sign, describing how to prepare for a ride...that's what I am talking about.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

"Daisy, daisy give me your answer do.
I'm half crazy all for the love of you...
and you'll look sweet
upon the seat of my....jetta?"

As a child I always pictured a kid with a flower daisy
on his bike seat whenever I heard that song.
Never did it occur to my little mind
that it was a girl named, Daisy.
So as you can imagine on my trip back from
Christmasing in Cleveland this year,
{the orchid was a little, "welcome to the land of perogies and the Browns", gift}
that song rang through my head every
time I looked at the seat next to me.
{for a non homo sapien, an orchid makes a lovely traveling companion}

Friday, January 6, 2012

Possessions: as winter is making pathetic attempts to come to DC, I watch the squirrels trying to stow away as much as they can in their precious caches. Today before the sun was up, I went and visited mine. It was the Friday evening when I put the lock on my cache, and it took me over a month to go back. I had been wearing the same 5 outfits for over a month, a black cotton dress, jeans, a stripe shirt, a charcoal v-neck, a black shirt, a hoodie. I would have stayed away longer but the jeans ripped. I sat and looked at the lock on the unit for a good 5 min through tear stained eyes before I opened it that first time. My entire life, stuffed into a 10x15 room. It was incredible how emotionally charged that incident was, I couldn't breath. It was difficult looking at the physical evidence of the drastic change I had made. I would be antsy and anxious every time I headed up after that, however this morning at 6:30am things were different. As I looked at the possessions I had acquired throughout the years, boxes and boxes, all my things taped and labeled, there was no emotional reaction (nor has there been for some time now), I was at peace with what had happened, content with where my life was going. It is true that I long for the day when I will have all my things in one place with a large and spacious kitchen where all my dishes can finally breath, but today is not that day. I can't even remember what is in some of those those boxes. I moved from 2200 sq. ft to 220 sq. ft 7 months ago and I am realizing more and more which "things" really matter in my life, which possessions to keep close.

Thursday, January 5, 2012








Mmmmm Late night snack:...my sentiments exactly.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Faux Pas: I have recently heard, "any one would be lucky to have you, you are amazing"-or variations of it-quite frequently. While this statement is meant as a soother, it is blatantly false and I don't like it. You know when you are at the grocery store and you buy really plump chicken breast only to realize while cooking them, that they looked so great because they were injected with water?! It is the same idea, displaying a product to be more than it really is. Anyone would not be lucky to have me, a select few is more like it. FYI this is not me being depressed! Mine is a personality of simple beginnings, vicious speed, dreams beyond capacity, and endless hope. This "type" that I am, works well with some however, it hasn't worked with a few more than some. This is wherein the faux pas lies, in any relationship be it business, friend, or passionate, we cannot expect to work with everything that life has to offer. This is where life gets its charm. We must be honest with who and what we are and not get bogged down when we are "rejected" or "neglected" because, it may simply be that our "types" didn't mesh. It says nothing of who you are but everything about what doesn't work so that next time you can avoid the time taken in investing in something that will have the same outcome regardless of how hard you try. Figure out what/who will work with you and go for that. Don't waste time on telling yourself that you are amazing and anyone, any company, any person/place/animal/thing would be lucky to have you, it's a lie. You are amazing, that much is true, but you are also unique and as such will only "fit" in certain places, that is what gives you and me our charm. Don't spread yourself thin and try to be everyone, keep yourself close and develop wonder so you can be exquisit for something/someone.
Monica:yes my name, very good. Stopped at a light the other day, I glanced a bit closer to a church I pass almost daily here in DC and I saw this...so I did a quick google search -yes while in the car stopped at the light not driving- and I found that Saint Monica is the patron saint of Married Woman, hmmm interesting. I feel it is noteworthy to also include that along with that, she the patron saint of alcoholics.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Deutschland: so many lovely happy things about that place: pretzels, bratwurst, sauerkraut, Neuschwanstein Castle, and these darlings....pictured above are my 3 favorite Kinders: Kinder Riegel, Kinder Bueno, and my newest find Kinder Happy Hippo. Thank you World Market for introducing me to the Hippos.
*Deutschland is easier to navigate on the google earth app for the iPhone than France*

Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year's Eve: every since I can remember we have had a cereal tradition in my family. Growing up with 4 siblings was a riot, and it was expensive. My parents worked hard and didn't come from trust funds or win the lotto so things like bagged cereal and powered milk were "normal". Boxed cereal was a luxury, one that we knew would come without fail every 31st of December. My mother would take the 5 of us to the grocery store on or just before New Year's Eve, and let each of us pick our own box of cereal! Boxed! With milk from a gallon! We would then eat it as much of it as we wanted while watching our favorite, "Some Like it Hot" just before we banged on pots and pans to ring in the New Year. For the past few years this tradition has slipped through the cracks but, happily this year I had assistance in once again finding the nostalgia in eating as much Trix as I wanted on New Year's Eve. Some Like it Hot and the pots and pans will come next year I am sure.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012: *yes I think it is a rule of the universe that if you blog you must blog about the new year or close of the old one. If you don't I am pretty sure the blog gods make it so that: your computer crashes or your photos never upload or your cell phone charger magically disappears, I don't want that so here is my offering*....

Dear 2012,

It's about time you showed up! I am ready to have my world rocked (and when I say that I mean in a good way), I hope you came prepared.

regards,
MK

**********


Dear 2011,

I am really glad you are gone. I don't know whether to blow you a kiss at your departure because you brought so many great things, or flip you off while speaking every known profanity because you brought a load of unexpected nasty stuff. I suppose it doesn't matter much because you are gone.

regards,
MK