Valentines Day Surprises
Because, why not, I'm awake, wandering my house sorting out more things that are mine or Earl's. Valentines is usually a holiday I really adore for family, friends, and that special someone, if I have one. But this year has been so crazy since the first week of February I've done pretty much nearly, absolutely nothing but hold on as the bombs dropped. No cards for my family. No nothing. Well, except for making Rachel's Valentines Day swap package, as it was 3/4ths done before everything exploded.
While hers did arrive much earlier in the week, it stayed in my house, tightly swaddled in its box for days, waiting for this morning. Which means the bigger surprise showed up yesterday. Middle of my work day I got an email from our downtown law firm branch of a UPS box for me, that had to be delivered from there to our side of town. Which utterly baffled me --because who actually knows where I work?
It turns out the answer, unsurprisingly, was Laura. Who has be the unwavering person present through all the crazy of this last two weeks, and who, too, is having to deal with the crazy unfun of the suddenly canceled Rodeo week (and in general who always is the last two years). And she sent me this gorgeous little pink rose bush as something to make me smile. Which it did.....and I planned to leave it on my work desk. But then my coworker was allergic.
So it is now at home on my kitchen sink window, as seen --
Close-up on the window
With my cactus, my orchid (from Rachel :D?), my aloe, and the garlic holder
A little further back, with a little more contrast & glare
Following this I spent a lot of Thursday night (like I spent most of earlier the week) debating opening Rachel's box early. Because of how epically bad this week has (/weeks have) been. Which I didn't. But I almost did. And I almost opened it at direct midnight. But I waited for this morning and slept the sleep of the just, woke up, grab a cup of pomegranate arils, and finally got to open it in the very, barely light-awake even, crack of dawn.
It was gorgeous works, and I love it all. The bottom piece especially, because I felt this rush of gratitude and kismet. Because my carry-around BOS I write my notes in (short hands for rituals/classes/meditations/etc), and have been since my early twenties, is about to end/run out of pages. And it was bought and gifted to me on a birthday. And every time I have tried to walk through book stores to pick a new one it's just felt so confusingly wrong.
But I tore the paper....and my heart just lept, and I knew in one second what it was.
My first view of the pieces having pulled them out
The Bottom of the folded cloth reading "You lift up my heart"
The while thing with a million, bazillion hearts
It's so gorgeous, I don't know where it goes yet, but I love it so.
My unwrapped main pieces -- two colorful pens, a heart plate, and book
Close-ups of my gorgeous, gorgeous book
The 'old-looking' hook clasps on the side, making it look all gothic & locked up
(also, that gorgeous patterning on the pages pushed all together!)
...And yet so easy to open!
Rachel, thank you so so so so so much. I cannot stop petting on and loving my pieces. They are amazing and I'm so glad I jumped up and in and took the chance to swap with you, again! (Be prepared to be possibly mentioned forever and day forward, once this book ends up everywhere with me recording classes, rituals, notes, needed and taken everywhere. <3! )
My last thing wasn't so much a surprise as it was a well-timed glory. My subscription I keep rambling about in passing but never remembering to put a post up for is Escapes. I stopped several of my tiny subscriptions, but this is my only expensive one and it's the one I love second best (behind Ipsy; tied with Ipsy). It usually has a travel theme/place every month, but today's box was a special Valentines One-Off Extra Order Special Box focused just on "Chocolate From Around The World."
And it arrived an hour or two before I got off work today so --
The write-up list which looks so amazing
My Valentines Special "Chocolates of the World" haul
[This entry was originally posted at http://wanderlustlover.dreamwidth.org/2275241.html. Comment on either at your leisure.]
While hers did arrive much earlier in the week, it stayed in my house, tightly swaddled in its box for days, waiting for this morning. Which means the bigger surprise showed up yesterday. Middle of my work day I got an email from our downtown law firm branch of a UPS box for me, that had to be delivered from there to our side of town. Which utterly baffled me --because who actually knows where I work?
It turns out the answer, unsurprisingly, was Laura. Who has be the unwavering person present through all the crazy of this last two weeks, and who, too, is having to deal with the crazy unfun of the suddenly canceled Rodeo week (and in general who always is the last two years). And she sent me this gorgeous little pink rose bush as something to make me smile. Which it did.....and I planned to leave it on my work desk. But then my coworker was allergic.
So it is now at home on my kitchen sink window, as seen --
Close-up on the window
With my cactus, my orchid (from Rachel :D?), my aloe, and the garlic holder
A little further back, with a little more contrast & glare
Following this I spent a lot of Thursday night (like I spent most of earlier the week) debating opening Rachel's box early. Because of how epically bad this week has (/weeks have) been. Which I didn't. But I almost did. And I almost opened it at direct midnight. But I waited for this morning and slept the sleep of the just, woke up, grab a cup of pomegranate arils, and finally got to open it in the very, barely light-awake even, crack of dawn.
It was gorgeous works, and I love it all. The bottom piece especially, because I felt this rush of gratitude and kismet. Because my carry-around BOS I write my notes in (short hands for rituals/classes/meditations/etc), and have been since my early twenties, is about to end/run out of pages. And it was bought and gifted to me on a birthday. And every time I have tried to walk through book stores to pick a new one it's just felt so confusingly wrong.
But I tore the paper....and my heart just lept, and I knew in one second what it was.
My first view of the pieces having pulled them out
The Bottom of the folded cloth reading "You lift up my heart"
The while thing with a million, bazillion hearts
It's so gorgeous, I don't know where it goes yet, but I love it so.
My unwrapped main pieces -- two colorful pens, a heart plate, and book
Close-ups of my gorgeous, gorgeous book
The 'old-looking' hook clasps on the side, making it look all gothic & locked up
(also, that gorgeous patterning on the pages pushed all together!)
...And yet so easy to open!
Rachel, thank you so so so so so much. I cannot stop petting on and loving my pieces. They are amazing and I'm so glad I jumped up and in and took the chance to swap with you, again! (Be prepared to be possibly mentioned forever and day forward, once this book ends up everywhere with me recording classes, rituals, notes, needed and taken everywhere. <3! )
My last thing wasn't so much a surprise as it was a well-timed glory. My subscription I keep rambling about in passing but never remembering to put a post up for is Escapes. I stopped several of my tiny subscriptions, but this is my only expensive one and it's the one I love second best (behind Ipsy; tied with Ipsy). It usually has a travel theme/place every month, but today's box was a special Valentines One-Off Extra Order Special Box focused just on "Chocolate From Around The World."
And it arrived an hour or two before I got off work today so --
The write-up list which looks so amazing
My Valentines Special "Chocolates of the World" haul
[This entry was originally posted at http://wanderlustlover.dreamwidth.org/2275241.html. Comment on either at your leisure.]