mountaincountrycity girl.

I was born and raised in Kansas. Not on a farm, but in several different towns, ranging from the college town where I was born to the Kansas City suburb to the central-state county seat to the town of 3,000 where my dad grew up. Each has a distinctive vibe and offers a different view of a state most people associate with Dorothy, a church full of bigoted jerkwads that I refuse to even mention by name, and tornadoes. I was never much of a country girl, save for a few rides on horses here and there. Really, I've always been more of a city girl who knows how to camp. Though I do enjoy cowboy boots and I have been run over by a four-wheeler, so I have a little country girl cred.

When I was 4 years old, my grandparents took me to Colorado for a road trip. I vaguely remember being overwhelmed by the looming Rockies. It was several years before I went back, but I remained awed and drawn in by the mountains. I saw the ocean for the first time a few years later, and that image of an expanse of water as far as my eyes could see remained with me as well. When I was 12, I went to Chicago. I ate it up, loving the architecture and the buzz and the lakefront. It was so exciting and busy, and my pre-teen self said "self, you will live in this city some day." I knew I was made for Chicago, and vice versa.

I lived there for longer than I lived anywhere else: Eight years. People ask me where I'm from, and I tell them Chicago more than half the time. It's not that I don't love Kansas in its own way, but Chicago became such a part of my identity. It's MY city, and I am a part of it as well. If Chicago had mountains, or an ocean (the lake SO does not count), I can't imagine we would have left it.

My theory used to be that I was half city mouse and half country mouse, still appreciating a sweeping field of wheat and in love with the idea of having goats some day. About a month ago, I realized that I'm about two-thirds city mouse and one-third mountain mouse. That ratio can change from day to day, but I really do need those mountains in my life right now, even if Portland might be a little too friendly for me. I had better not lose my edge with all this niceness around me!

two lips.

Just this week, I noticed the leaves were budding on the trees. The cherry blossoms and daffodils have been in bloom for a while now, but I'm ready for the spring green of new foliage.

I bought some local tulips on sale at the store the other day, and they are the brightest, girliest pink I've ever seen in a flower. Love them. I put them in my (only) vase and set them on the table where I have my favorite Heath Ceramics bowl. If you haven't checked out Heath, do it now! They are an awesome mid-century ceramics company. I went to the factory when I was in Sausalito, California, a few years ago. Fabulous place, amazing wares. I love the pale green on this piece.

Now we just need the sun to show up, right Portland??

A rainbow of reading

You know, I spend a lot of time thinking about home design and furniture. I love blogs like Apartment Therapy, stores like Room & Board, and even paint samples on Farrow & Ball. Current obsessions include antlers, crystals, copper accents, stacks of books, and wool everything. I make little notes on things I like, and mull over when I will have the farm table I've wanted for years. And when it all boils down to it, I don't much care for how my home looks.

I don't think it's that I don't have a sense of style, or an idea of what I want. It's really just that we are currently renting and I don't want to commit to a look/design/serious item that isn't going to "go" with my eventual own home. We have lots of odds and ends of furniture, and some of it fits, but some of it is just being put to use at the moment. And I think that is OK. We are lucky to have what we do, especially a couple pieces of nice furniture and several lovely rugs, and I think people who come visit us are comfortable in our home.

The one thing I do love about our house right now is my bookshelf. After living in 750 square feet with another person for several years, and having my books collect dust in storage, I love having a bookshelf in the middle of the living room. Granted it's a cheapo Ikea bookshelf, but it fits the bill for now. On a whim, I decided to color-coordinate our favorite books, and I'm digging the look. Three cheers for obsessing!