freitag favorites + hello february

Wow, it’s February already! I must be losing track of time as I prepare for total absorption into the Olympics now that the Super Bowl is over. Yes, this week started out with the latest night I’ve had in probably more than a decade. I do not remember the last time I stayed up until almost 4 am (perhaps in high school?) but it was worth it.

Despite missing nachos and Super Bowl commercials,  some snacking, foot massages from Martin, and Bruno Mars at halftime, helped me keep my eyes open until the end of the third quarter. I loved seeing Martin’s excitement and touchdown dances and I was glad to have the Seahawks win, but I would have been enjoyed a bit more of a challenge from the Broncos. Thankfully, I got to sleep in on Monday morning and then we watched the rest of the game. It was nice to have a chill day. I didn’t accomplish much, but I managed to survive without a nap and work on Martin’s book a bit so that was something.

On Tuesday, I got a long-awaited haircut and am now lighter and breezy with about 5 fewer inches of hair. (Pictures to come later.) Let’s just say it is easier to straighten my hair or wear it naturally wavy.

Now, I’m off to focus my excitement on the Olympics Opening Ceremony. I have not been as excited as I usually am about the Olympics, but I’m starting feel it now.  So, I hope you have a wonderful (perhaps snowbound) weekend and I leave you with a few favorites from this week:

• watercolors // You know I love instagram, but I’ve found a new app to love that partners well with instagram: waterlogue. It takes your photos and turns them into watercolor-like images which can be created with a variety of filters (like the images above and below). I’m interested to see how these would look printed on a textured paper.
• storycorps // The animated StoryCorps short “Marking the Distance” tells the humorous and touching story a woman suffering from short-term memory loss after brain surgery.
• granola bars // I think it is time for me to try another granola bar recipe and this no bake recipe from David Lebovitz sounds interesting.
• chai oatmeal // I love a good chai latte so chai baked oatmeal sounds like a great breakfast addition.
• LA food // And finally, we are planning a trip to the US in March to Portland (me), Phoenix (Martin), and LA/Loma Linda (both of us) for Martin’s spring training camp and my Grandpa Bill’s 90th birthday. During our trip we may just have to make a detour to try some of the spots featured in this WSJ article.