how to be a true oregonian and carpe the heck out of that diem

For those of you who don't know what "carpe diem" means, like I didn't until a week ago, it means to seize the day.

I went out for a little weekend day-seizing outside by myself as it poured down rain today. I mean, it was pouring. I just went out and stood in the driveway, t-shirt, soccer shorts, bare feet, hair down, the whole deal. I guess I was feeling adventurous or something.

Derek and Lauren and Kurt from the upstairs window yelled down to me and asked me what the heck I was doing. I yelled back that I was enjoying the rain, and pretty soon Derek and Lauren were out there with me. We soaked ourselves until we were shivering. Derek and I jumped in puddles, and Lauren and I took turns flipping our sopping wet hair Little Mermaid style.

I got changed into some warm sweatpants and put my hair into my first attempt at a Suzy-Botsford-messy-bun and cuddled up with a blanket.

I can't think of a better way I could've spent the first day of fall.

 

I was thinking the other day, how sad it is that we say we love the sunshine, but when it's sunny, we complain that it's too hot or too bright, or it's been hot and bright for too long. Then when it rains, we complain that it's too dull and how much we wish the sun would come out.

 

How hard is it to just be grateful for what we have?

 

I wonder how many people who have posted this quote on Pinterest have actually stood outside in the pouring rain and loved it.

 

so much loves for autumn

Today just feels like a fall day.

I. LOVE. IT.
 

my autumn-y things:

crunchy leaves

warm fireplaces

hot chocolate
cold weather

fuzzy socks
ugg boots
meteor showers

pumpkin bread

umbrellas

foggy sunrises

crisp air

colorful leaves

campfires
making wishes

blustery days
leafy park benches

fresh starts
thanksgiving

potato soup

fleecey blankets
bonfires
movie nights

lots of picture-taking

cuddling up with a book
yummy smelling candles

dandelion wishes

pumpkin patches

sunsets

breathtaking scenery

scarves and hats

beaten pathways

writing stories

long walks
 

 

 

crazy-amazing words of awesome

my collection of cool words I've found over the years...
 

serendipity- (n.) finding something nice while looking for something else

ethereal- (adj.) delicate and light, almost perfect

adamantine- (adj.) unbreakable

soliloquy- (n.) speaking your thoughts out loud

petrichor- (n.) the smell of earth after rain

zephyr- (n.) a gentle breeze

eloquent- (adj.) fluent and persuasive in speaking or writing
inglenook- (n.) a cozy spot by the fireplace

loquacious- (adj.) very talkative

frisson- (n.) a sudden feeling of thrill
eunoia- (n.) beautiful thinking; a well mind
sphallolalia- (n.) flirtatious talk that leads nowhere
logastellus- (n.) a person whose love of words is greater than their knowledge of them
brontide- (n.) the low, distant rumble of thunder
cynosure- (n.) the focal point of admiration
matutine- (adj.) just before the dawn
quaquaversal- (adj.) moving or happening in every direction all at once
hoppípolla- (phr.) jumping into puddles
culcaccino- (n.) the ring left on the table by a cold glass
alexithymia- (n.) difficulty describing feelings to other people
novaturient- (adj.) desiring or seeking a powerful change in your life
phosphenes- (pl. n.) the stars and colors you see when you rub your eyes
eccedentesiast- (n.) a person who fakes a smile
grit- (n.) firmness in mind or spirit

evanescent- (adj.) passing out of sight, memory, or existence

queue- (n.) a line of people waiting

peripeteia- (n.) a sudden turn of events in a book

groak- (v.) to stare longingly at someone who is eating in hopes that they will ask you to join them

vespertine- (adj.) alive in the evening

ameliorate- (v.) to turn something bad into something better

mistpouffer- (n.) the mysterious sound over the ocean in quiet, foggy weather

clinomania- (n.) a strong desire to stay in bed

pareidolia- (n.) the instinct to find pictures in things like stars or clouds

eternitarian- (n.) someone who believes in the eternity of the soul

 

BONUS BONUS BONUS, words in different languages...

meraki- GREEK (adj.) putting your whole soul, creativity, and love into your work

retrouvailles- FRENCH (n.) the happiness of meeting again after along separation

esprit de l'escalier- FRENCH (phr.) when you think of a witty remark right after the perfect opportunity to say it
saudade- PORTUGUESE (n.) the feeling of longing for someone you love that you have lost

carpe diem- LATIN (phr.) sieze the day
yuputka- ULWA (n.) the sensation of something crawling on your skin
iktsuarpok- INUIT (n.) when you're waiting for someone to show up at your house so you keep looking out the window to see if they're there yet

yoko meshi- JAPANESE (phr.) the stress of speaking a foreign language

pana po'o- HAWAIIAN (phr.) scratching your head to remember something you forgot

taarradhin- ARABIC (n.) an "everybody wins" solution to a problem
duende- SPANISH (adj.) describing intense passion and energy in an artistic performance

 

things I will someday day make up my own words for...

 

- telling people you're tired when you're actually just sad or thinking about something

- waking up on Monday morning

- when you accidentally rhyme

- the smell of old books

- the smell of new books

- when you're talking to someone and their spit accidentally lands on your face

- when you start to tell a story and then realize no one is listening

- when you say something funny and then someone else says it louder and gets the credit

- when you awkwardly make eye contact with the same person multiple times in a row
- that amazing feeling after you finish a huge project
- the face someone makes right before they sneeze

- listening to a song that describes your situation exactly

 

Anyone else have favorite words?

 

kid snippets: back to school

Hey, everybody! School just started again! Here's a video.