Old Home

So, I grew up in Hong Kong. We moved there when I was 9 and for the first few years we lived there I was pretty indifferent. Then I became somewhat bitter--thought I was missing out on something by not growing up in the States or something like that. Something completely ridiculous. Then the last year or so, I absolutely loved Hong Kong. Loved every street, every bus ride, every time I rode MTR, walking everywhere in a huge crowd of people, towering skyscrapers, a 28th floor apartment with my bedroom overlooking the sea. It really was home. It really was a huge part of me. It still is, but its been so long since I've been back that sometimes it feels more like a dream than 7 years of my growing up. (and I have dreams about being back there at least once a week)

I saw this video floating around on my HK friend's facebook pages and once I finally had a moment to watch it I fell in love with the city all over again. I love Nashville, I do...and Hong Kong and Nashville could be a little more opposite than they already are. But not by much. How strange to know that the only two places I consider home could be so different. Like, so different. 

[ Homeland ] - with my DIY motion-dolly from Asa Li on Vimeo.

This video is so breathtaking. I need to watch it at least once a week to remember my old home well, and not the weird way I dream of it. 

Let's Pretend...

Right now I am home, cozied up on the couch pretending that it is much colder than 64 degrees outside. Pretending that the gusty wind is actually really chilly and the drizzles of rain are, in fact, flurries of snow. Listening to Dean Martin sing Silver Bells on Pandora and having my plethora of apple spice candles lit around me helps a lot with this game of pretend. Now Nat is helping with Joy to the World. 

There is a disaster of a kitchen just two rooms over, but I am ignoring it for now. I have a (nine days early!) birthday package sitting on my coffee table and I am trying to ignore it. I have a huge Goodwill drop off, and tons of movies and books to trade. But its just too cold to go out right now (remember?) 

Obviously I am all for bringing on the holidays a teensy but earlier than some would like. I am okay with that. I just need to stock up on candles. Or maybe I'll just start to mull spices. Thats something, right? At least it looks cold outside. I haven't totally lost my mind. 

I think the farm adventure this weekend allowed me to check off the "fall" season. Not that its not my absolute favorite. But really...its only my fave because it leads up to the holidays. So lets lead a little faster, shall we? Here's to our lovely fall evening out in the middle of nowhere. It was absolutely perfect.

All but the last were taken with my iPhone. Why did I even ask for a camera last birthday? I always forget it. But I love this last photo taken by someone else that night. With a real camera. 

Already Forgetting

Last night as Miles and I were eating dinner, I realized that we had forgotten our four month anniversary (November 2). Yeah, okay, its not that big of a deal. We both forgot, so that worked out well. But how are we already failing at remembering anniversaries? I can't tell if I'm really upset that we forgot, or if I just feel like I should be. I'm going to say...just feel like I should be. Everything is so wonderful, its not like we forgot because we don't remember that time we got married only four months ago...we're just busy looking forward to weekends and evenings together, talking about house buying (yeah, I know last week I said that wasn't happening soon...but it might if we find something good), watching terrible, awful movies from redbox, failing at dinner-making and not making messes in the kitchen, and having husbands be employee of the month and winning a new Les Paul. Our loves are wonderful, we are in love, I'm okay with forgetting a teensy anniversary. 

The rest of November is going to be so fabulous. I am off next week, glory hallelujer! A whole week to myself to clean and actually have time to cook and bake and organize and read without baby interruptions. That being said, I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss the nanny babe like crazy come Monday afternoon. Then my birthday is coming up, and a week later my brother and sister are flying down from Chicago. We get to spend the whole day in Nashy hanging out, being awesome siblings, and then when Miles gets off work we're piling into the car and headed to our aunt's house for Thanksgiving weekend. I l-o-v-e thanksgiving weekend with my aunt and her family. And this year is going to be the best yet with both of my siblings and my lovely new husband. My cousins have already talked about watching Elf after our thanksgiving feast. Bring it on.

We're headed down to a friend's farm tomorrow afternoon and evening and I got a little too excited when I saw "s'mores items" on the list of things people could offer to bring. I offered. duh. I can't wait to be outside in the beautiful weather tomorrow even though I'm not 100% sure what the hang times will look like or consist of since we're tagging along with a few new friends and a lot of people we don't know. And I'm sure we won't have a giant bonfire. But there will be s'mores. There will be s'mores...

found on pintrest, here

Sense of Humor

I have a terribly stunted sense of humor. I laugh the hardest when I am around 5 year old boys (wait...and Miles...hmmmm). 

Someone posted this comic strip by a 6 year-old today and it came up on my newsfeed. So perfect.

via

The holding hands is genius. 

Also, when I draw, this is what it looks like. My sense of humor isn't the only thing that didn't progress as I grew older. 

Bored or Boring?

I can't tell if I am just generally bored during the days, or if I have, sadly, become boring...I think its a little bit of both? I have nothing in my life to plan right now. For a little while, I really struggled with that. I had planned our wedding for 15 months, planned my monthly/weekly/semesterly schedule for four years. Juggled multiple jobs, projects, papers, being with Miles, having friends to see, staying up late...And now I watch a baby almost ten hours a day, five days a week. Most of my friends have either moved or have schedules so different from my own that I haven't seen them since either graduation or the wedding. 

I can think about grad school, think about my next job, think about buying a house, think about having babies--but none of that is going to happen any time soon, so theres not much to be done about it. I'm really trying to focus on living in the present. Loving these first few years of being Miles' wife. I've heard from so many (ahem, older) couples that their happiest memories were from when they were poor newlyweds, trying to figure out how to be married, how to be adults...So I don't want to miss these days! I don't want to dream of our future and miss out on how we get there. But I feel like there could be a fine line between being content and being complacent. 

Reel it in, reel it in. I'll admit it, I love Coldplay. People hate on them. Yes, they're so huge, Miles sticks his nose up at them because they don't have guitar solos. But I can't always listen to rock n roll. And I can't help it if this would be my go-to music for any sort of existential experience. It just is, alright? And this song from their new album is so beautiful I could cry. And I feel like its just pour moi.

Slow it down, Bethany. (my mind, not my actions...as discussed throughout this entire post)

Also, that video box just seems so tiny...