Someday:

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Essentials:

we fill up our lives with so many technologies (mind you I own an ipad, a smart phone, a laptop, a car, and chargers out the wazoo for all of them) I do love them, but I am not so sure how "essential" they are. Today while gazing at this:

I thought about what I couldn't live without, my essentials if you will..... and I came up with this:

• a good book
• a blank book and a pen
• a good meal
• a good laugh
• an adventure
• a down comforter
• someone to share in the memories

Sense: before this past weekend I though all senses were equal....well they are NOT! Now before I go on I should explain that I feel supremely blessed to have my sight, my hearing, 4 working limbs, a great family. This experience only furthered my appreciation for what I actually have. ...When people asked me before which sense I though I could do without I wouldn't really pay much attention, I would just respond. Well on day 5 of not being able to smell or taste due to a bitch of a cold (yep swore again, nope it's not a typo), I have decided I cannot do without smell/taste. Oh and here is where I get bent...there are really only 4 sense areas: sight, touch, sound, smell/taste. So why always say 5 senses it is more like 4.5. If you can't smell you can't taste, which begs the if you can't taste, can you smell?? Anyone? Well back to my point, after 5 days of not wanting to eat anything because it all tasted the same I have realized my taste/smell is dear to me and a sense that I would greatly mourn if I was without it. So hearing, I choose to loose you if I have to pick a sense.

Layers: Happy Valentine's Day! Oh what a glorious day! Pink and love and roses everywhere, uh I just love it. Dinner reservations, candle light, silly proposals, heart overloads, gushy poetry, Micheal Buble, it is all so great! If I have learned anything about love in the last little bit, it is this: love has layers. Some layers are perfect, pressed, camera ready. Some layers are rough around the edges, a little worn out. Some are bright and complex others are beautiful in their simplicity. Some have been visited so many times they are the go-to layers like a favorite pair of jeans or an old t-shirt, they are oldies but goodies while some layers have yet to be discovered. That is wonderful thing about love, it is never just one thing, one emotion, one word, one date, one look...it is magnificent compilation of every success and failure, everything that we are, have been, and will be all rolled into one smart little word. Love is limitless and unlike neurological tissue or neurons, it has endless potential for rejuvenation, endless layers that when put together make our story. Seeing as this has been my train of thought for a little while....it became my most recent "visual aid"/ valentines for my family:

Comfort Food: needed a little comfort food, had this on hand:

5 eggs

2.5 c. milk

2 leaks

3 sausages

1c manchego/parmesan cheese shredded

stale baguette

salt

pepper

oregano

an oven at 350 for about 35 min

so I turned it into this...

{yes there are way too many pictures for a single, not really healthy meal, but it was really good and I was in a take tons of pictures of dumb stuff mood}

Hint: yes consider yourself so fortunate because I am going to share some really great hints with you....

Hint #1: if you are sick and your throat is itchy, eat Barbara's Shredded Oats cereal but only chew each bite once or twice and as you swallow the demi-masticated bites they will scratch that itch. {Careful because in so doing you could also choke on improperly chewed food, not saying I did}

Hint #2: if you are sick and you left your down comforter in Cleveland and you can't seem to fall asleep because your blankets aren't heavy enough, use your table cloth collection as bedding :) table cloths have a nice weight. I chose to put the polka-dot one on top to make things cheery.

You are welcome

Let go 2.0:Yesterday I was sitting in a movie with a dear friend, which movie ? (I value my reputation much too much to ever divulge that I was seeing a chick flick that rhymes with, The Cow). As a sat, a scene or two came across the screen and pulled on areas that are or were, unbenounced to me, still in remission. Funny how silly situations cause you to reflect, and look like a fool in doing so. I love the process of this life, as much as we try, we can't skip over steps, or rush the final product, we cannot completely control the rate of progression. I believe there are rules of the universe that cause us to be patient, that cause us to let go. Yesterday, looking like a complete fool as I was holding back tears in a scene that made everyone else in the theater smile (yes the lady next to me was staring like, "what is your issue?? Prozac much?"), I felt another layer heal shut as I allowed myself to feel enough to let go.

Institution: depending on your current train of thought this could be anything from a padded room with straight jackets, to a bank or even Yale. My current and most often state of thought on this word is in reference to places that give cities their identities. Today for the first time since moving here almost 5 years ago, I visited a DC institution with my dear friends Johnson {aka Laura St. Jean}, and Ruth...Ted's Bulletin. Shame on me for taking 5 years.

you can substitute a homemade pop-tart for toast? Yes please!!

they have a, "Walk of Shame" meal? Fantastic

My order consisted of: grits and cheese, biscuits and gravy, croissant (fail), blueberry pop-tart {thank you charming host for suggesting this...and for being charming}, hashbrowns, and fresh squeezed OJ and I realize if I eat like this all the time I will look like this, but come on, this once, at an institution, totally necessary.

Ruth's face says it all, pure bliss even before the first bite, Johnson was appropriately searching for a camera to capture the euphoria.

Just a little treat for your pre-Valentine's Friday: raspberry macarons

LOVE: yes another love post, now just swallow that vomit that just happened, this is not gushy! With my all time favorite pink holiday coming up next week, I thought I might give you insight into some of the things I: do, secretly do, and or love: drinking milk from the gallon, stripes :), Katherine Heigl movies, peeing in the shower, speeding, road trips, movie popcorn, pink grapefruit flavored anything, 5" heels, cheese curds, the smell of laundry detergent, eating Stouffer's Mac n' cheese, fancy pajamas, wedding magazines-got my first one at 12 and have had a subscription ever since, even when I was married....and no that did no contribute to my divorce!-, MAC lipgloss, turtle necks, funions, running at midnight when it's cold, butt warmers in cars, peonies, really nice pens, sleeping under the stars, pearls, pistachio anything, beach glass, children's books, waterfalls, and last but not least....and this is no secret....I love my down comforter. {It's on vacation right now and I miss it terribly}

Food Makes Me Sad: today I am borrowing the "food makes me sad face" that I was introduced to over Christmas. Ruth and I headed to Crumbs for a late night cupcake and it started out like every other great bakery experience....wait? I don't have many of those so I guess it started out like all the other sugary tragedies that find themselves in my life all too often. Crumbs looked great, the service was shoty at best, no smiles, mumbled descriptions, cupcakes tossed across the counter and plastic was snatched and swiped and then we signed. I had high hopes, but the first bite dashed all! Crisco: I could taste the shortening in the frosting, chocolate: in color yes but I couldn't detect the flavor :(. I had 2 bites and I was done, today....food made me sad. Crumbs you owe me $4.12

Anthropologie: one of, if not my, favorite stores. Here in DC there are 2 that are close to me but both have limited parking and odd layouts so I don't often go. However, there is a GIANT {comparatively speaking} one in Cleveland, and seeing I am frequenting that lovely city for a lovely reason (wink wink), I now get to frequent GIANT Anthropologie. Here are a few of the pretties I happened upon during my last visit.

{if you can't live without them either, just click the name of each and the link will take you to the item on Anthro's site and they will ship it to you :) but beware if you get the mushroom plates before I do, we are no longer friends x0x0 }

Social Stationary

text and tweets and emails and gchats are all well and good but nothing compares to a handwritten note on lovely stationary

Pink Opaque Taper, Lime Jacquard Tablecloth, Keel's Simple Diary

The tapers are simply charming, very shabby-chic meets goth but lovely nonetheless. Jacquard speaks for itself....practically perfect in every way and how can you not adore lime? And as for the Keel's diary, as a lover of all things paper this was dead tree bliss for me. A simple way to record blips from each day. No fuss, no hassle, 20 seconds maybe per entry I highly recommend it. I used mine for the first time tonight! see below

Esperanza Quilt

Just enough flower and fluff to say, "a woman sleeps here..." however the fabric, color, and negative space convey, "but she's cool"

Champignons Plate, Tree Monogram, French Cade Candle

Oh mushroom plate at $24 bucks a pop I fear you are a sale only item for me however, ever since I saw you 3 years ago, ours has been a very lustful, covetous relationship. Monograms are timeless and lovely but a monogram with an elegant rustic twist is my cup of tea. Voluspa makes an amazing candle and this French Cade flavor is so dreamy, it smells like a man about 4 hours after the cologne was sprayed on, it has an intoxicating subtle hint of Sexy Man {not sure if I am ready for this yet quite yet }

Fancy q-tip holder

swoon, I want one in every size for everything I should use cause I am a "lady". But let's face it, the only thing I really use in the bathroom are q-tips and floss, cotton balls would look charming but I never use those things so I suppose I only need one.

Voila, Keel's Simple Diary chez moi {@my place} my first entry was tonight and I am already very content with my new $15 companion. Who says money can't buy happiness??