When all else fails…

…we go to the library.

Started out this day sleeping in a little. (I love that my job is a week off/week on schedule.) Then I started thinking about what cool things I could do with no money. Not a whole lot, huh? I lied in bed seeing that the sun was shining in through my window, so I decided it’d be good to do something outside. I’ve been pining for Spring like something terrible, so any chance to get outside delights me. I got up, found some trails off the Blue Ridge Parkway (not too far from where we live) online, had a quick breakfast and started getting ready for the hike. I packed a lunch, and we were out the door.

Turns out, the parkway is still closed in some sections from the winter weather. And the barricade a few miles into the parkway blocked us from getting to the overlook we were heading to to go explore. So we decided to turn back and just pull over at one of the other overlooks, have our lunch, and be on our way. Unfortunately, as my husband looked in the back seat, we discovered our cooler was not there. And the image of it sitting all alone on the counter in the quiet kitchen popped in my head. No wait, it wouldn’t be all alone. My cat Phoenix would probably be sitting on the counter next to it trying to find away inside.

So there we were, bummed our hike didn’t happen, bummed we didn’t have any lunch. We stopped off at Wal-mart to return a DVD to the Redbox, and ironically, it was turned off and not in operation! What else could go wrong?

Nothing seems to go wrong at our trusty local library that we’ve come to love so much. (No internet at home.) It’s just the right place to go where you don’t have to spend money, you can be entertained with wifi, and there are two sweet cats that live here and will occasionally come jump on your lap and snuggle with you. That works for now.

photo I took with my mobile from the parkway today

David with one of the library cats from the other day

Speaking of the weather

The rain has really been nice lately. Some heavy rain yesterday. I was beginning to think that autumn was arriving a bit early since I kept seeing several leaves turn colors. But since the rain, everything is looking quite green again. It almost seems like Spring.

Don’t miss a single butterfly

I found this awesome AT&T ad yesterday:

So, you may remember me saying that Nastia Liukin is my favorite gymnast. Well, that’s her in the video. I love it when I see any of the gymnasts on advertisments from companies they’re endorsed by. It just gets me even more excited.

Tonight, well, early Thursday morning, I’m going to do something a little stupid. NBC is streaming the podium training (which just means a mock competition with no judges or scores) live at 1:30am. I’m probably going to stay up and watch it. It’s not that stupid considering I’ve not gone back to work yet. And even I had, I’ve got my vitamins and energy drinks. :)

So, speaking of butterflies, earlier, my cat, Tuxedo, sat in front of me and the computer on my dining room table facing the big window. I watched him move his head following a couple butterflies that seemed to want to fly into the window. There was even a humming bird out there – that really got his attention. I tried to grab the camera, but when I stood up, he jumped off. Too bad, because it would have been a cute photo. I’ll try to get one sometime.

Now this is what I call a good hike…

A 5.7 grade to be exact. ;) Today, I went real rock climbing for the first time. I’ve been to our local rock gym before and climbed walls at festivals and events before, but this was the real deal. The particular part of the rock we climbed today was called “Short Man’s Sorrow” – if you’re the one to make the first ascent on a rock, you get to name it. So all these routes have really cool catchy names.

David and I have a few friends who are seriously into rock-climbing so they took us out today and gave us a great chance to figure out if we really like it or not. So, I can now officially say that I love climbing huge, intimidating rock faces. The last time I was at the rock gym, I left defeated. I couldn’t quite make it to the top of this one wall. Today, out in the heart of Pisgah, on one of the most beautiful days of the season, I climbed higher and overcame.

I almost got hung up in this one spot. I felt the frustration and fatigue starting to settle in just like it did that day at the rock gym. I felt the almost certain plunge of my tears out of their secret place. (Because, as I realized today, rock-climbing is so much more mental than it is physical.) I paused for a moment and took a deep breath. I heard the encouraging words from my friends and husband below me. I lifted my foot once more. I pressed into that cold and solid rock, and I trusted myself. I trusted that my mind could tell my foot to stay where it should and to tell my muscle to pull me up. Only a few minutes after that, I reached the top. My goal achieved, I repelled down the rock face as confidently as if it were natural to walk down backward and parallel to a rock.

We had a blast out on the mountain today. David has quite a natural ability, and he definitely impressed me. To be honest, I just couldn’t get over how hot his calve muscles were as he climbed. :) And I look forward to doing more rock-climbing this year. It’s now another word I can use to describe me.

Christie Drozdowski: rock climber.

Earth Musings

Have you ever taken comfort in one of those terrific storms when thunder cracks hard and loud and lightening seems just feet away? I don’t know why it is, but my soul feels at rest and at peace in the midst of a storm like that. It must be something to do with my seeing it as refreshment and a good clean for the earth. Something inside says, “Oh, yes, this is well-needed,” and I am grateful that God created such a way to help the earth grow.

There is a certain excitement in the air during a storm as well. It’s quite literally electric, but I think I mean a general sense of movement and noise – it’s not very chaotic to me but rather orchestrated and musical and poetic. Whatever it is that makes me like it so, I have found that enjoyment every afternoon for the past several days, and I wouldn’t mind if these afternoon showers kept their regular visits up – at least for a while, because I can’t say that I’d want the sun to go on too long of a vacation, especially that glorious morning sun.

The warmth of the morning sunshine pouring through the windows makes waking and living much happier. There’s a readiness that the sun provides, a gentle voice calling, “Time for activity!” I am not always so willing to obey, but when I do, I have seen, at times, morning miracles, one being that moment in time when it seems the earth itself is awakened, and if you blink just once, you have missed it.

Grey & Green

It’s been cold and rainy all day.

This morning I sat at my desk at work; the window is to my left, and I literally watched the fog descend outside. I thought Spring was nearing (and it is) but Grey days like today make Green ones seem far off.

Everyone always talks about napping on rainy days, or reading a book, or watching movies. People rarely feel motivated, and there’s a general sense of ‘blah’-ness, if you will. It’s rather interesting how weather can affect our moods. Cold night storms remind me of the night I was proposed to. The storm was thrilling, as we stood on top of the Eiffel Tower, and the sharp wind beating at my face was refreshing. I still fill a sudden burst of life when a cold wind rustles through my winter coat.

But today, the wind is not energetic or stirring. Just rain and drear. A perpetual leak from the big tap.

Though I’m not complaining. I have not forgotten what happens after the rain.