Inspiration

This weekend has been unusual, since I've been without my kids for the most-part. I am more than willing to admit its been nice to sing off-key in the van and drink my coffee uninterrupted. On Friday, I actually went out to dinner with my husband. Its been awhile since we've been able to talk for more than 30 seconds without getting interrupted, and it was just lovely. Its nice to remember that I married him because I enjoy his wit, and there are other things in the world for us to discuss besides Emily's latest tooth. We even went for a twilight walk around the lagoon, the first place on campus that Ryan ever took me. We walked, holding hands, and watched the college-aged couples feed the geese. They were promptly chased, dare I say attacked, by the birds when the bread ran out. We laughed; the girls used it as an excuse to be nudge a little closer to their dates in order to be "saved". Young love is sweet.

I spent yesterday at an art fair in Evanston looking for inspiration as I toy with the idea of becoming a jewelry artist. I find it ironic that my favorite pieces were not jewelry, but fabulous oil paintings inspired by the likes of Monet and Turner. I can honestly say the only other place where I've seen such skilled brushwork is the Art Institute of Chicago. I'm saving my pennies to purchase an original, prices starting at $650, a steal in my opinion. Did I mention this guy lives less than a mile from me?***

Its also ironic that the "inspiring" part of the day happened after the two hour drive back to DeKalb. I burned up every last ounce of energy on my trip, and was too tired to put Nora to bed. We opted instead to watch a thunderstorm roll in. We have a great little stoop that leads up to the front door, and the roof overhangs it enough to provide protection from the rain. We watched as the sky grew dark, and counted the "fire-fighter flies" until the rain started. The storm did come, although it wasn't as threatening as predicted. Indeed, it was odd to watch as the whole world took on an orange hue. There was lightening and thunder, but very little rain. The top of the sky was orange, the bottom was gray, and the two halves were linked by a giant rainbow. We sat out there together, as quiet as this family can be, until the sunset.

***You can check out Gerard Erley's art at his website www.gerarderley.com The images online are somewhat different from what he had at the show; the works in Evanston were more ethereal in my opinion.