1 year old today

You guys, it's my birthday.

Seeing as I spoke about my actual birthday last week and had a little mini celebration for my 100th post a while ago it seems a little overdone to make a big deal out of the fact that I started Lanlettie one year ago today.

Never mind that, I still feel the need to just mention this occasion for your general amusement.

This is not my first blog you know. I blogged in Vietnam and in South Africa. So Lanlettie was born out of my unexplainable need to blog and need for a geographical-less blog name.  (so now I don't have to start a whole new blog just because I'm moving somewhere new)
((not that I'm moving somewhere new anytime soon))
(((daydreaming about moving somewhere new... like Europe or Peru or California...)))
((((not that I'm unhappy with Spokane, I'm really loving it here now that the seasons are changing))))
(((((Goeie genade girl, stop with the brackets!!)))))

Anyway...
To celebrate this momentous birthday I've decided to share some recent iphone capturings.

 I like to play with vsco cam, overgram, pic stich and afterlight/afterglow if you were wondering.

As always thanks for reading! xoxo

28

My birthday was last week.

from our down town walk about this weekend. Spokane.

I thought about making a list of 28 things I want to do before I turn 29, or 30 (faints... 30!)

But it just didn't feel right, well not on here anyway. Besides I got to number 13 and felt exhausted and decided to take a nap instead. (old age is no joke guys)

I then considered sharing 28 things I've come to learn  over the past near three decades.

But realized that wise is she who knows that she knows nothing (think that's from Sophie's world no?) Felt pretty smart for a while but it would also just be weird.

Instead let me just share 28 very random facts about myself, things I'm grateful for and anything I can think of really... 28 is a lot of 'somethings'.

1) I day dream about traveling, anywhere, all the time.

2) My favorite brunch meal these days is 'easy over' eggs on whole wheat toast.

3) I think heavy thunder storms are the best.

4) I'm making chicken tikka masala tonight.

5) Being married is my favorite thing in the world, ever.

6) These days I walk a lot, also, I took the bus for the first time this weekend.

7) I love the smell of spices, sometimes I just open the Garam Masala bottle for fun.

8) I'm devising a secret plan to get Ben to agree to us buying a DSLR camera.

9) I've been singing 'Dis heerlike lente' all day. Because it's Spring people!

10) I'm so thankful that the days are longer it's ridiculous.

11) Belle is my favorite Disney Princess.

12) Learning a lot about Artisan Distilling and Aprons these days.

13) I don't sleep well.

14) I'm a fan of road trips

15) This is the longest I've gone with out flying anywhere in a few years

16) Think we're going to Mexico this June.

17) Ben says my running posture has improved

18) I'm sure that coconut oil can cure, ease, fix, prevent just about anything.

19) I hate the word 'foodie' but I love food

20) I used to be able to bake French Macarons

21) ... now I'm thinking about baking french macarons...

22) I want to decorate my house with white and plants and bold patterned rugs.

23) Ephesians 3: 14-21 is my favorite passage at the moment. I read it over and over.

24) I'm obsessive about being on time.

25) I'm really bad at folding laundry and I don't see this improving anytime soon.

26) Healthy eating and recipes and ingredients occupy my mind a lot.

27) I'm a bad speler.

28) Life is hard and beautiful and a gift. I know this.

I'm 24, in Paris, about to decide that it's time for me to move to Hanoi. This was just the other day I'm sure

Turns out i AM irish after all,

oh no, not really.

I'm as pure Afrikaans made as they get a.k.a  a real European cocktail.

but,

here in the USA everybody seems to find their long lost Irish roots on St. Paddy's day. I guess not only in the USA...but I went to the parade and drank green beer, so that counts right?

My first parade! I was excited.  Strangely not my first green beer.

The parade started off pretty much what you'd expect from any St. Paddy's day parade:

 (and I've come to expect so much after all these parade-less years)

In South Africa we have guys selling flags and such at traffic lights before anything eventful, everybody knows this. Here they have carts and this lovely man.

There were bagpipes, obviously

Irish people in green cars

Lord of the Dance back-up dancers with long red hair

Irish balloons, obviously

more Irish people

more bagpipes.... obviously

and Irishness

and green everything, because you know! Ireland! 

Then things started to get weird:

...

that's right

beauty queens,not that it's weird, just, you know! Ireland!

then these guys showed up, as they would

1st WEEKEND OF OCTOBER! DON'T FORGET!

this one goes out to my little sister, also, it's a dinosaur, a green dinosaur!

my lady considering some sushi...

hugs not drugs, right on kiddo

i... i got nothing.

rugby! but just not

still... i got nothing.

You guys, it was fun.

One of those, 'happy to be here in the strange land of the US with their strange ways' days.

I know, I know, it really isn't all that strange is it?

fresh air and all that it brings

What used to feel like the average chilly winter day in July back home is suddenly feeling like the beautiful promise of spring. Never did I imagine that I'd think a 10C/48F cloudless day a perfectly agreeable combination to justify the urgency of being outdoors. 

Times and things and perception on weather change, isn't it grand?

Mid March is basically here and this gorgeous weekend past had me reflecting on 'surviving' my first 'real' winter among all this newness. It's strangely making me feel sentimental about the snow and the intense appreciation of a few distant sun rays among cloudy and short and freezing days.

We celebrated this weekend by driving a mere 15-20 minutes from our apartment and here we are around hills and trees and old snow and sunshine. Along with a few other cabin-escaping North-Westerns, accompanied by the optimistic melody of snow melting ever where.

The North West courtship continues...