Simple Joys of the Week, January 17th Edition

Anotha' day, anotha' dolla'... er... another SJOTW.

So here we are! Friday the freaking 17th of January--2014!  Someone please hit the pause button, as this life is flying by too quickly.

In order to try and slow things down a bit, lets take a little time today to reflect on the simple things in life, and in particular, on the simple things that brought us joy over the past 7 days or so. 

What made you happy? My sensory pleasures are below...

HEAR: "Sabali" by Amadou & Mariam
One of my amazing students (shout-out to Farah!) introduced me to this duo right before I moved to the Cape, and I've simply fallen in love with their music. Then, I recently found out that they're both blind (yes, both of them!) and I was even more impressed. I've added this song, "Sabali," to my January playlist, and every time that it comes on in class it makes me very happy. Now that I know it was made by "the blind couple from Mali," I like it even more. 

You can listen below:

SEE: My friend Sara!
We had our first Cape Cod guest last weekend and it was ah-mazing! Despite the fact that half of the places that I tried to take Sara were "closed for the season" (bleh), we still had a total blast exploring the Cape, catching up, snuggling on the couch, and eating lots of yummy food (she's pregnant and I'm always hungry, so it worked out well). It was SO wonderful to see a friend from DC (and from my early days at Tranquil Space), and I was honored that she made this visit her last trip post-second bebe. Yay!

TASTE: "Coal-fired pizza" from Ember 
Ever since we moved to the Cape, I've been wanting to try this restaurant down the street from us, called Ember (in Harwich Port). It's literally right down the street, it always has a big fire roaring outside, and it's interesting because it looks like a cross between a place you'd find in a city (like DC, perhaps?) and a typical Cape Cod establishment. Plus, it's always pretty busy, despite it being "off-season" here on the Cape (see above), so I figured it must be good. And it was! Delish! Definitely a new fun neighborhood joint for us to frequent ;) 

SMELL: "Homemade" Brownies baking in the oven...
Okay, so I must admit that the brownies that Sara and I made on Saturday night were not actually homemade, but from a box. However, they were the closest thing to "homemade" brownies that I've had in a long time (we did add some eggs, oil, and water?), and since I put on the oven mitts and pulled them out of the oven, I'm going with it. But here's the thing--box or no box, they were INCREDIBLE. Like, melt-in-your-mouth amazing. Sara's midwives have her on a very strict [healthy] diet, so she has to pick her treats sparingly, and brownies are the treat that she picked while in town. Um, good choice, Sara ;) Ben thought so too, as he wolfed down the "leftovers" on Tuesday night...

TOUCH: Fake Spring weather in January
It felt like Spring this week! Beautiful, sunny (at times), and somewhat warm--it was great! I took advantage of the pretty weather and went on a bunch of long walks with Sayde, and it was superb. We went to the beach, the local marsh (pictured above), a Cranberry Bog, and a trail in the woods (all within 5 mins of our house), and each walk was better than the last. I cannot wait until real spring! [Except for the fact that I've already picked two ticks off of Sayde this week. Yuck.]

Oh my, I experienced so many more simple, sensory joys this past week, but I'll stop there and just let those highlights sink in. 

Here's to a [long] weekend full of life's pleasures--both big and small--and time spent outdoors, with loved ones, and simply relaxing...

Adore you all!