A Decision Made

Now that I have made my decision to return to Virginia this fall I am noticing all the aspects of Chicago that I will miss. This is a city that is full of surprises, and it would take much longer than a year for me to experience this place in full! But sometimes timing does not work out the way you hope that it will, and the truth is that it is past time for me to get serious about my purpose. Luckily, I think I have found a sense of purpose that a degree in landscape architecture will help me to fulfill. Unfortunately, that means saying goodbye (but not yet!) to wonderful people and places that have made this past year so special. 

These gardens at the Art institute downtown are a beautiful place to relax, a place of peace in the middle of the city.

A harbinger of Spring no matter what city! Sequoia loves flowers too:-)

Learning a few skills at work--I am not so terrible at catching tiny fish.

A lovely corner at home in my kitchen.

Baseball, the American pastime! The boys on the train on our way to see the White Sox play the Orioles at Sox stadium! According to every Chicagoan I have met, summer in this city is magical and I think the games will be an excellent way to experience a little bit of that.

Easter on Parade

I just returned from a last minute, 72-hour whirlwind trip to Richmond, Virginia for a family Easter extravaganza--and now I am paying for it with a bad head cold and lots of quality time with my favorite pillow. But I am not sorry, because the short time I had there was fabulous. Witnessed the first-ever Easter egg hunt of my stylish nephew, played a little croquet with a talented group of friends, and strolled along Monument Avenue with hundreds of Richmonders dressed in their Easter best. These are good people, and this is a good place.

Straight Shooting

This month I am faced with the most excellent dilemma of choosing between two great graduate programs that have accepted me.  Of course, I am very grateful to have this decision to make, but that doesn't make it any easier to do! Whatever the case, at this time next year I will be combining two of the things I love the most -conservation and design- as I study my way to becoming a landscape architect.
As I was practicing some archery at work last week (got to impress those kiddies at summer camp), I was tempted to paste the names of the schools up on the targets and just shoot blindly. Everyone is always talking about following your instincts, right?