Surprises

I think it would be fair to say that this last month or so has been somewhat difficult for a variety of reasons, and I've been anxiously awaiting spring to move into a new phase of life. Well, it's currently 40 degrees outside and dumping sheets of rain, but there have been some sweet surprises in the last week to tied me over until I can wear shorts and flip-flops.

After two crazy weeks of mid-terms, French compositions, and cranking out job applications, I decided I needed a night to myself to completely relax and unwind. And what do you know, but I come home to a beautiful bouquet of tulips, the next Harry Potter movie I've been wanting to watch, movie snacks, and a sweet note from my adorable, precious (and yet 0h-so-manly) husband James. Thanks love!

And then, a few days later, we received an incredible package in the mail from the Rienstra family - our St. Patrick's Day package. James looks forward to a St. Patrick's Day package for months before St. Patrick's Day, and it was no less true this year. Check out all these green goods!

James was thrilled with his loot, and he even shared some of his black licorice with me. I was also thrilled with this package - thanks family!

NYC with Stevie...

Several weeks ago now, James and I went up for a day in the city with Steve. Despite frigid temps, we still managed to cover a lot of ground. Steve took us to his favorite cafe in the lower West Side for brunch, Cornelia Street Cafe. After a nice, leisurely breakfast we took off for the Modern of Museum Art (MOMA). Neither James nor I had ever been there before (it's hard to pull yourself away from the MET), so it was fun to see what the MOMA had to offer. We have to admit - not as big of fans of modern art. Some of the pieces are quite incredible. And then you see exhibits full of things like yogurt containers and a deflated soccer ball. And there is supposed to be beauty in the "everydayness" of these things. Maybe it wasn't as thrilling to me because I eat yogurt every day. But c'est la vie!

Not really sure what this was, but there was a huge line of people waiting to get into this thing. We passed over it....

View from the Museum window:

One of VanGogh's lesser known paintings, but I really love the colors and the whimsy of this painting. (you could probably say that about every VanGogh painting, right?)