Honoring Heather

We all have tried-and-true friends who make us proud. For some of these friends, we admire the way they have our backs without question. For others, it's the way they laugh out loud through the most difficult of times. For yet more, it's the way they see the world as a place bursting with interesting people and potential adventures... a world that even when it's crummy, is still a place of hope. My hometown best friend Heather makes me proud for all of these reasons, and always has.

Mutual love of barbecue makes it into the local paper!

Heather liking me even though I refuse to use a hairdryer. Summer of 1996, Outer Banks, NC

[College and Grad School Photos Contained on Dead Laptop and Unavailable... grrrrr]

 Wearing pale pink by force while Heather stuns in classic black. My sister's wedding, 2004 

 Upon realizing that the small stepping stone would not allow both sets of curvy hips to face the camera at once. Ten-year high school reunion, 2006.

Dozens of friends and family celebrated the new year together - as orchestrated by Heather, of course! New Year's Eve '06-'07

 There were better shots, but this one makes me laugh. Paparazzi photo from Vegas, celebrating Heather's 30th

My wedding, 2009

I'm writing about Heather today for a very particular reason. On top of all the reasons why I love Heather's place in my life, here's why I'm proud to be part of hers: On June 1, she's donating her kidney to her cousin Michael.

Last year at the age of 25, Michael was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a type of kidney disease. He's been on dialysis and searching for a new kidney ever since. His immediate family was screened and ruled out as kidney donors, and Heather volunteered her services. After six months of testing, the doctors determined that Heather's kidney was indeed a match for her cousin. Heather being Heather, she said yes immediately.

After the kidney transplant, Michael will need to take expensive anti-rejection medicine the rest of his life. On top of the already steep medical bills that have accumulated as a result of his condition, the financial realities of what's ahead are humbling. Heather being Heather, giving her cousin one of her organs is only the beginning: she's also organizing a fundraiser on his behalf. As you might have gathered already, that's just the kind of person Heather is.

Interested in raising a glass with me in honor of these two courageous individuals, virtually or in person? Heather's got you covered. I'm thrilled to be at this event supporting my girl, and I'd love to see you!

If you're not in the area and would like to support Michael virtually, either through a donation or simply with kind words of support, you can do so at Support Michael Wall. The blog will help us follow the course of the surgery and track Michael's progress over time.

Heather will be on medical leave for a month after the surgery. Plenty of time to plan our fantasy trip to Paris, don't you think, Heather?

To friends, to family, and to doing the right thing: I'm so proud of you, Heather Love.

Mission accomplished

I'm back in DC (take that, ash cloud!) and recovering from a truly amazing trip. In a quick review of the highlight reel, I give you the first song we heard during our trip, in a Prague cab. It's too easy to note how fitting it is, but, well... I'm easy.

Now here's one of the last images from the trip - the two people who brought us to this amazing corner of the world. Everything that happened in between will come, but for now - whew! What a trip.

Quotable: Barbara Kinsgolver

(Auto-published while I'm off galavanting in Europe ... thanks, technology!)

One of my all-time favorite authors. A woman of wisdom, this one.

Quotable: Alice Walker

(Auto-published while I'm off galavanting in Europe ... thanks, technology!)

A poem from our wedding ceremony. So suited to the two of us: independent to a fault, romantic but not naive, and above all, partners.

Quotable: Howard Zinn

(Auto-published while I'm off galavanting in Europe ... thanks, technology!)

Howard Zinn passed away this year. An evening in his honor was one of the first things I did as a DC resident, and with good reason. To know our country's history the way that he did - to know it, with all the hate and underbelly and lies that exist but are so often brushed away - and to still believe in it fervently, to have hope for what's next and to believe that tomorrow will be a better day... that's true inspiration.

Quotable: Molly Ivins

(Auto-published while I'm off galavanting in Europe ... thanks, technology!)

Oh, Molly. Miss Molly. I adore this woman. I read the columns, I have the books, I saw the one-woman show... complete fangirl over here, forever in mourning. I could write at length about the many and varied reasons I love Molly Ivins' work, the thousand and one ways I shouted "YES!" while reading her columns back in the day, the thousand times more I burst out laughing while holding the newspaper. There's all that, and there always will be. But here's succinct Molly, summing up in a quick riff everything I feel about something but always stumble over expressing. Her pieces on Dallas from the late '80s, by the way? Could've been written today.

Quotable: Mark Twain

(Auto-published while I'm off galavanting in Europe ... thanks, technology!)

My very favorite quote. To me, it speaks to the wonder of humanity, the interior worlds taking place inside of every single person we pass on the street, and the fact that nothing is ever how it looks. I like people. This is why.

Off to Europe!

Bags are packed, itineraries are printed, I'm pretending to understand how we will exchange currency and plug in our electronics, and we're off! Prague, Vienna, and Ljubljana, you are our oyster!

And to A², the fantastic couple who are the reason for our trip: you are worth every penny spent/hour on the plane/embarrassingly American moment we will undoubtedly have during our travels! We love you to pieces and wouldn't miss your wedding for the world!

I'm loving the idea of being unplugged for the next week and enjoying every second of my sidekick, the sights and sounds, and this great family of his I can now claim as my own. Should my phone allow such things, I might issue a tweet or two to say hi. And never fear: until we return, I have a few fun little things set for auto-post next week.

Have a great week, everyone!

Wall candy

We are finally filling up the remaining empty walls in our apartment. Some of our wall candy is new to us, and some of it is old, but given new life in a different environment. Here's a sneak peek of a few of my favorites, until our place is ready to show off in full.

SBA. My great-grandfather greets us as soon as walk in. In our old apartment he was on a back wall, but candidates always prefer center stage.

PORK! Remember this? Of course I bought it, silly. And it's just as brilliant in person as I'd hoped.

The fair. Nothing like it. Another great blog discovery.

Streetcars. T secretly scooped these for me at a New Orleans gallery after much oohing and aahing on my part. Such a fun Christmas surprise! They're a nod to my professional interests, color palette of choice, and best weekend getaway ever all at once.

The Fam(s). Our childhood photo wall - some real gems on here. In our old place they were hung on a red wall, but this yummy olive green gives them so much warmth.

Campaign rhetoric. This piece moved from standing alone in a hallway to looking over my desk, surrounded by our wedding pomanders. Such a different vibe now... and I love, love, love the way it anchors this room.

Weirdness. I have such a crush on this print! I originally found it via a blog whose bookmark has long since been lost, but it linked to the Flickr account of Imeus Design. This piece was a commission for a wedding invitation suite (can you imagine?!), and I had to have it. It really does make me grin, and sits right over the guest bed across from my desk.

No personality on our walls at all, right?

Empty boxes (for now)

You might think the fact that we've lived in DC for almost three months would preclude us from being able to just now remove four freshly unpacked large moving boxes from our place. You'd be wrong. Our apartment might be small, but it apparently contains a black hole of forgotten items (also known as the bedroom closet). But finally, they're out of here. And just like that, I own skirts again!

Last night was quite the burst of productivity - in addition to the closet project, we also finally decorated three different walls. But somehow we still have so much to do around here - life keeps getting in the way a bit. We are impatiently waiting for our terrible moving experience payout and a tax refund delayed by fraud, after all. And so the mismatched furniture and bedroom wall covered in paint samples and things that "will be" but aren't yet are going to have to keep waiting. I'm fine with that... usually.

There's also another reason I'm reticent to find the perfect pieces for certain spots: we don't want to live here forever. An infectious case of house fever is sweeping 'round our modern urban rental. On Sunday we walked around our neighborhood for hours, popping into open houses and oohing and aahing at various features... and then staving off heart attacks at the prices. But oh, the details!

After our walking tour, a funny thing happened. We drove over to another neighborhood to stroll around and stumble upon some dinner inspiration, and I felt it: that's where we are supposed to live. I'm not going to write about this magic neighborhood for fear of jinxing myself, but there are so many things that got me: patios bustling with eaters and drinkers, quiet tree-lined streets just off the main drag, families and dogs alongside singles and seniors, markets and crafts and things I love. It all clicked for me. So much so that I was immediately beaming, giddy with excitement about finding our new 'hood, inspiring our waitress to comment on our happy vibe, and basically bouncing out of my shoes. And I didn't take photos. That's how you know it was the real deal for me. With this 'hood, we'd move from "super trendy area experiencing prohibitively expensive housing bubble" to "steadily prohibitively expensive area." In other words, we've gotta save our hearts out - but hopefully get a bit more for our money in the long run if we can make it there.

So a goal neighborhood, then. And a year+ timeline to figure out how to get there. No small deal, right? But somehow, in the weird way my head works, knowing where I want to be but not knowing how we'll make it happen feels better than being in a place that isn't 100% right for the long-term and not knowing where we're going next.

That mismatched chair in the living room with a blanket thrown over it, then? Fine by me. For now.