Three Pretty Things : 12/13

Pretty things, pretty things... yes, they happened, but did I pay attention this week?

Not as well as I would've liked. But here are some that I did manage to catch.

My last drive to teach my last class at the community college.

Makeshift menorah when I couldn't find my own. This picture is abnormally clear because I didn't take it: my friend Renee (with whom I celebrated the first night of Hanukkah) snapped this one.

This picture makes me laugh. Laura came to help me pack, because she knows I always end up hyperventilating. This picture was taken the moment after she dumped out an old purse onto my carpet.

"It looks like... turds!" she screeched. "No, wait. These are cookie crumbs. Why do you have cookie crumbs in your purse?"

"Because someone put a cookie in my purse," I responded with an eye roll.

Ah, memories.

Tell me: with the holiday rushing, were you able to notice the pretty things? If so, what were they?

Three Pretty Things : 12/6

You may have noticed that I took yesterday (and a big chunk of today) off from posting. Sorry for the unannounced departure, my friends, I just needed time off from *everything.* It was good to go read books, take a drive with a friend, drink coffee slowly while sitting and talking. Enjoying moments instead of speeding through them.

If you thought your world might end without me (come on, you know the thought crossed your mind), consider following me on Twitter. If you're not already, you missed the Christmas tree in a typewriter picture and are bound to lose out on other great moments, too.

But for now, let's see Three Pretty Things.

Mexican food with friends. Blurry and poorly lit... but our friendship shines gloriously anyway (why, yes, Hallmark, I would be interested in writing for you).

Christmas!

Yes, I'm a lazy photographer who can't focus her iPhone... but my friend gave me a golden Cinderella carriage ornament because I said I admired it. Next time she says she likes my hair I'll have to shave it off and put it in a box for her, because that is the type of deep friendship we share (That sounds much more sarcastic than I mean it, but I don't know how else to state it so it's staying unedited).

What made this week pretty for you?

Three Pretty Things : 11/29

How was your Thanksgiving weekend? I hope it was filled with happiness and memory-making, as mine was.

The entire week leading up to the holiday was one for which I am thankful. So many pretty things... but here are three that made me stop and smile.
It's a family joke that we're related to Sherlock Holmes (we aren't, because he is pretend). Seeing this display at Barnes and Noble made me giggle and made other shoppers step away from me.

My friend Ashley and I wrote a letter to Santa. As she put it in the box, I saw the Believe Meter's hand move to the right!

Okay. I moved it myself. Whatever.

This is a tree from which birds tend to poop on cars, so I try not to park near it. But without leaves (and without birds), it's really rather beautiful.

Tell me in the comments: what made your life pretty this week?

Three Pretty Things : 11/22

My week has had so many lovely moments. It was difficult to choose just three to share with you.

Some things that didn't make it -- not because they weren't great, but more because they didn't photograph well -- were excited text messages from friends who are arriving from California tomorrow (!!), good conversations with great people, cooking breakfast for friends, and an hour of flying with my two favorite pilots.

And I know this week promises more of the same kind of happiness.

For now, though, I'll show you Three Pretty Things from the last seven days.
I'm amazed how a tree, reduced nearly to the appearance of dead wood, can still be so beautiful.

The shape and color of these leaves are delicate and perfect. When I cross them on the brick sidewalk I feel like a bride, before whom the lemony petals have been strewn... that in some way, the ground has been made more beautiful in preparation for my feet.

If you didn't know: I love cemeteries, and this is one of my favorites. I went for a long afternoon drive last week, and stopped here to enjoy the aura of peace in the church graveyard. I left when someone apparently called the church's security team and they came out to give me dirty looks for quietly wandering their open, unlocked cemetery.

Tell me about the highlights of your week. What has made it pretty?

As You Wish

Today has been a productive day so far (it's not quite 3 p.m.), but one of those productive days where you still don't feel like anything got done.

Ever have one of those?

I taught class, sat in on another one, got some feedback from a teaching observation, learned how to mask my site (meaning you can type in "TooPrettyForThis.com" and the URL won't change anymore), graded a stack of speech evaluation sheets, fell asleep at my keyboard...

Yes, I'm bored by my litany of tasks, too.

So for the next few days, I'm going to ask you questions about what you like best about this site. Since I like writing and seeing my words all over the internet no matter the subject, I figured I could maybe give you more of what you already enjoy.

Here's my first question for all of you.

Thanks for answering!

Now tell me in the comments: what about today (Friday at last!) or your weekend plans is getting you excited about life? For me, it's lazer tag tomorrow!

Three Pretty Things : 11/15

Wow, what a week. I know I'm not alone when I say that it seemed like it took forever... and not because I was so busy making great memories.

But the truth is, I DID make some great memories (Friday the 13th party!), I ate some great food (uh, did you see all the chocolate I made?), and I saw some really pretty things. Here are this week's Three Pretty Things.
It looks like either the moon or Epcot, but in reality it's a building on one of the college campuses where I teach.

I love autumn colors, and I also love the organic, lacy web created by those bare tree branches.

The photo seemed to be of better quality when I saw it on my iPhone screen, but seeing the city spangled out in multi-colored crystal lights... I couldn't help but include this picture.

Tomorrow we can go back to talking about slight self-improvements, but today I just want to focus on appreciating a beautiful life (and 76 degree weather).

As you think back over your week, tell me: what made it pretty?

Three Pretty Things : 11/8

I can't believe it's already Sunday again! There were a lot of great moments in a week that flew by, but I think what I noticed most were sunsets. Sunrises are now too early for me to care about, but the afternoons provide me with a moment to appreciate lush sky colors.

So here are my Three Pretty Things from the past week.
This moment was courtesy of a movie night with two great friends. Thank you, Zombieland, for making it all possible!

This is a quotation from Victor Frankl's book, "Man's Search for Meaning." Although my own daily struggles are nothing compared to his, I wanted to be able to see his philosophy of survival every morning.
This was on my way to teaching my night class... No more Blue Ridge mountain views to guide me to my destination, but the scenery is still stunning.

What made your week prettier?

Three Pretty Things : 11/1

I have a confession.

Only one of these things is pretty in the traditional sense. The other two just delight me. I thought maybe I could get away with it for two reasons: first, because usually beauty causes delight... so I'd be accomplishing the same goal by a different route. The second reason I thought I could get away with it was because... well, let's face it. This is my site.

So here are Three (Kind Of) Pretty Things.

Still taken aback by the beauty of some of these college campuses. It's like I'm walking on a movie set, because it really is that perfect of an environment.

So this was when I was trying to snap a shot of my costume to TwitPic last night... didn't realize till later I appear to be giving myself the finger. I'm five years old, yes, and that makes me snicker.

This one is delightful, too, because not only is that expression priceless, but I can finally see a concrete benefit to all those years of art lessons and my degree in graphic design. A fake mermaid tattoo. Yay!

BONUS Pretty Thing! Sure, call me a liar, but I figured any of you who are students or are visiting family/friends/vacation spots for the holidays might be able to relate to the beauty of this text message.

What made your week prettier? Tell me in the comments!

Three Pretty Things : 10/25

This has been an amazing week in so many ways. If you've been reading along with me, you know why.

But in addition to the big crazy moments have been a few that stopped me in my tracks, struck by the beauty of life. So often I'm tired or busy or uncaffeinated and I miss them. Luckily, a few made their way onto my iPhone this week, and I get to share them with you.

Here are Three Pretty Things.

Sunrise from my apartment building as I left for work.
One thing I love about the east coast is the vibrantly-hued leaves. They don't come in as many colors back home.
In no way does this picture do the Blue Ridge Mountains justice, but it's what I see when I drive to my Thursday night class every week.

What moments this week made you just drop everything to soak it in?

Three Pretty Things : 10/18

Midterm grading is kicking my butt, but I have been so fortunate this week. I have people in my life who truly care about me, who drop everything to make my life beautiful. These people are the ones I think about when I think of the highlights of the last seven days.

The Three Pretty Things are just that -- pretty. They enhance my life, certainly. But you may notice a theme: they reflect experiences with people who matter to me.
This picture was actually taken more than a week ago by Hunter Cox, but I first saw it this week. If you can't tell, I'm the lucky duck getting a piggy back ride. In a metro station. Soon to be up an escalator.

Homecoming weekend just ended, and I attended this party. Fugitive dogs, wrecked golfcart, and watching a young man light a cigarette in a bonfire on a windy night... a good time was had by all.

Not only is the view here beautiful, but it's where I was when I tearfully texted a friend that yes, I would love it if she rearranged her entire day to have coffee with me. I spent a few minutes with Frederick Buechner, too, who managed to calm my spirit and dry my eyes before I left.

Tell me: what has made your week pretty?

Three Pretty Things : 10/4

It has been a long week.

And while a lot of things went right in the last seven days, a lot of things went wrong, too. I'm glad I began this Sunday project, because in the name of continuity I was forced to review my week and search for the good moments. They were there, hidden perhaps in the shadow of dead cars and frustrating circumstances, but I found them.

That's a copper dome that I see twice every week, shining in the morning sun.

I see this majestic building twice a week, too. I can't believe I get to work on such beautiful campuses.

This image might not seem "pretty" to you, but it is to me. The night my car died, my friend Trevor played Scrabble with me from 3,000 miles away. He did not let me win.

Tell me: what tiny pretty moments have you enjoyed this week?

Sunshine And Twitter

When I sat down this morning to begin my work, I saw I'd gotten some response to yesterday's Three Pretty Things post. A few people commented on the blog itself, but two others mentioned it on Twitter.


One person who Tweeted about the post admitted that he'd like to begin looking for the pretty things in life, too (but he was looking for a more macho term to describe it). The second person asked what pretty things I'd seen today.

I'll be honest: I'm glad many of you enjoy the Three Pretty Things, but I don't consider those posts my best work. So I was stumped why you connected with it.

Awhile later, I was talking to my friend Laura and asked what she thought I should blog about today. She suggested the sunshine, since the weather's been so dreary and cold lately. Laura didn't know it, but she sparked a lightbulb moment for me.

We all want sunshine in our lives, don't we? We want beauty and happiness and meaning, and a sense that even tiny moments in time can have resounding impact on the world around us. We search for it, try to create it, and delight when others reveal it.

It's exciting to realize that we aren't on this treasure hunt alone. Other people want to search out what is good, and -- better yet! -- their finding it only makes it more likely that we can, too. There isn't only one treasure chest or pot of gold, waiting to be seized by the first comer. Against all expectation, sharing means there's more of a prize to go around, not less.

Is this what draws you, in some sense, to Three Pretty Things? I think it might be. I'm giving you a peek at the moments when I paused to appreciate life. Maybe, is this what makes you want to stop and inhale the rich aroma of your coffee before you take a sip? Is this what makes you close your eyes and turn your face into the warmth of the sunlight?

If that's true for you, find a way to share beauty today and tell me about it in the comments. That way we can all be closer to gaining some pretty prize.

Three Pretty Things : 9/27

This week, I made a point of looking for beautiful moments. What became clear is that those moments aren't always things you can photograph.

Sometimes, I couldn't photograph the moment because other drivers wouldn't appreciate me stopping in the middle of the street, leaning out my window to get a perfect shot of the orange burning sun setting the horizon afire. Other times, though, it was because one can't capture in a lens the emotion that gets packed into an instant. And emotion is what paints broad strokes of beauty across the memory.

Here are the Three Pretty Things I was able to snap.


Coffee shop, from the loft.


A little friend.


Patio downtown.

What were some of the good things in your week?

Three Pretty Things : 9/20

Sundays are the days that I try to keep slow. I want to soak in the last restful bits of the weekend, breathe more deeply, and attempt to balance myself in preparation for the work week ahead.

I thought a nice way to do that here would be to share with you some beautiful moments. All the photos are mine (unless credited), and after today will always be taken during the previous week. I'm excited, because this commitment will force me to keep my eyes searching for what's lovely.

So here are Three Pretty Things.




I'd love for you to participate, too. Share your best moments from the week in the comments section below.