children in the morning

this weekend i got to:
spend time with my perfect niece,

go on a fantastic date with my husband {airport observation deck and photo booth; ten pm reservations for mussels and wine}
organize my apartment a little,
taste thom's sunday evening cooking experiment {oh boy!}
see the city 30 floors up
watch this movie {soooo delightful and fun!} with my best girl {while we ate pizza and pot stickers and avocado salad}
and go for a couple melty walks in my wellies!


"I remember the heat, mostly, pressing down on my shoulder blades where the straps of my enormous travel backpack cut in. The slap of fish hitting the dock and the smell of salt, sweat. An enormous pirate ship loomed at the dock, a long and extremely narrow plank bridged the gap between where we stood and the unknown. We watched a very pregnant woman trot across the plank with ease. Two tiny boys who didn’t even seem old enough to walk, toddled over, one pushing at the other’s waist. The bloody carcass of a cow lumbered by, and onto the plank, its filleted stomach flapping open to reveal two pairs of black legs. When my three girlfriends and I had first planned our boat trip down the Amazon River between Manaus and Belem in Brazil, I had pictured myself in the quaint comfort of a private cabin, probably with a porthole. I saw us donning wide-brimmed straw hats and perhaps taking up the ukulele. Learning Portugese from handsome sailors and sipping scotch from the captain’s flask. So I am a dreamer.

The first challenge was, like Wendy and the lost boys, to walk the plank. Only hopefully not end up drowned in the oily water below. The weight of my pack nearly sent me over the edge as I stepped onto the bleached wood and I cursed myself for being such a tourist. How would my clothes save me now? The locals pushed by, confused by my hesitation..."

-hilarybergen