christy is my lifelong friend. we were college roommates. the gift of her friendship over the years and the adventures we’ve had have provided countless moments of inspiration - for creative endeavors and other things. she’s just that good. thanks christy. you mean the world to me. and, for the latest inspiration, a beautiful weekend together in Washington DC, doing exactly what we do best, tour and dink around.

sad. time cut short. but, voice is important. back soon, Quito. que se cuiden.

aprendí algo nuevo - en Quito, they say a change of place is “un cambio de aire.”

chévere. “Chula Vida” means something like YOLO.

La vida es chula, no la desperdicies enfadándote por cosas que no tienen remedio. Life is neat. Don't throw it away getting angry about hopeless things.

me siento lleno de bendiciones. de mis hijas, de viaje, de trabajo, de palabras, de tiempo, de amigos, de amor de my familia y otros. en este momento queria tomar la oportunidad de realizar y expresar gratitud por todo lo que tengo, por este momento.

i love my running girls. thank you for all the miles, laurie and michelle. for the friendship and conversations, year over year. couldn’t make it through without you. wouldn’t want to. (love.)

this week our eldest started a new journey, a journey he was meant to take. from huaihua china to washington DC, he will make the world a better place at a time when the world needs it.

i got a new tshirt from laurie and lydia. mine says”unprecedented.” the others tshirts said, “i am not a cat.” “i’m wearing pants.” “challenging times” and “asynchronous day.” the shirt is black and gold and glittery.

funny! this milestone snuck up on me. about a three days ago i realized…girl! you could do 2020 in 2020. so there, 2020. thanks miles for the breath, air, joy, ideas, clarity….

every year, my running girls and i recite and celebrate mcsweeney’s article, “It’s Decorative Gourd Season.” (that @!#@ is so seasonal. you’re either ready to reap this freaky harvest or you’re not!)

took a short break to make these silly gifts for their upcoming birthdays. it’s true. cross stitch makes the gifts even more campy. someone’s got to appreciate this old, useless talent of mine. my running girls will. :-)

My Mom went to Morocco and brought back fabulous threads. I also had a piece of coral-colored wool from a trip to Santa Fe that I'd been waiting to use.

So, here's my latest project. It's just designs on wool. When I'm done with the pattern, I might overlay a design on top. Maybe leaves or something. We'll see how it looks as things move along.

I don't know what I'll do with the other threads from Morocco. They are like silk, but my mom doesn't think they are. They are wrapped around bamboo sticks and they are shiny. They fray.