AfricanKelli

« Home

My Advent blessing today is a bit unconventional, but still in the theme of gratitude. I’m thankful for timing. While it doesn’t always seem like a blessing when things just don’t add up the way the are “supposed to,” they still seem to always work in my favor. Whether it is the end of a job leading me to a much better opportunity, or the end of a relationship paving the way to greener pastures — I have been so very lucky.

It’s hard to remember in the middle of heartbreak, or that sickening punch to the gut when life is bitterly unjust, that eventually you’ll be able to look back and think, “Huh. Thank GOD that didn’t work out the way I wanted at the time. Phew.”

Over dinner with family friends tonight, we each said how exciting the prospect of 2011 looks. Each person at the table, ranging in age from 80-plus to little Emme Lou at not quite 2 years old, had something they were looking forward to. (Granted, I think the little one is just looking forward to more ice cream, but hey! That works.) I’m thankful for how each little bit of life has worked out to put me right here, right now. Ready for a new year, adventure, challenge, and a continuing journey of faith and growth.

~K

Blessing for today: waking each morning with a desire to be better. I’ve read this week that the urge for self-improvement is a traditionally middle class American value. Whatever it may be, I am thankful that I have this insatiable hunger to be a stronger, smarter, more clever, kinder more patient version of myself. There is a lot of room for improvement, and i think the gentle encouragement to get to it already is the holy spirit working within.

~K

My blessing for today is found in nature. My daily morning commute includes a 15 mile drive north on the freeway. At one point each morning, I drive up a small incline. Without intention, I seem to have coordinated the sunrise with my brief view from the top of this little hill. To my right, there is a vast expanse of Native American reservation. Some of the fields hold the gray, dying remnants of a Pima cotton harvest. Others remain fallow. To the immediate north are the McDowell Mountains. To the east, the Superstitions, Four Peaks and Red Mountain. On the other side of the freeway, Camelback and Mummy Mountains look jealously to the east, watching their counterparts once again be showered first in a burst of color. I’ve come to look forward to this vista each morning.The miraculously quick change of color as the sun peeks over the mountains and the sky moves from navy to aqua to tangerine and violet — it is spectacular.

I will greatly miss the mountains and the sunrises when I move from Arizona.

~K

Africankelli Best of 2010 Continued, Arizona Edition:

Best bagel sandwich: western bagel at Back East Bagels in Tempe. They are so good I have to keep this a weekend indulgence, or I’d be wearing stretchy pants to work.

Best place to buy quirky gifts: MADE in downtown Phoenix. Their jewelry and pottery collection — created by local artists — are fantastic.

Best place to buy artsy gifts: Phoenix Art Museum gift shop. (They have a section dedicated to Frida!)

Best place to buy cheap books: Burton Barr Library book shop. Most books are $1-5 and they regularly receive donations from press junkets. Meaning, you can find books new to the market for pennies, and the store supports the library’s outreach.

Best indie fabric store: Three Dudes Quilting. Their selection is plentiful, although they don’t carry Amy Butler.

Best yarn store: Tempe Yarn and Fiber. While I love Jessica Knit’s in Scottsdale, the Tempe store is friendlier. They have community tables and their prices are fair. Since my mom moved and took my knitting help with her, these folks have helped me more than once mid-project.

Best sushi: Sakana in Ahwatukee. (Conveniently next to Three Dudes, for those who want some fabric with their raw fish.)

Best place to have a long lunch and a glass of wine before sneaking back to work: Herb Box.

Best running store: Sole Sports. They are patient, will watch your stride and fit you for shoes that will make any walker or runner much happier. Their prices are competitive and if you bring an old pair of running shoes in to donate to homeless outreach, they take $10 off your total.

Best pool: masters swimmers work out at a handful of pools in the Valley and while I love the SRC at ASU, the parking is a nightmare. Trying to find a spot near the university for a quick swim is nearly impossible. Cactus pool in Scottsdale is older, but they run long-course in the summer and the bulkheads in the winter aren’t terrible. The pool is maintained well and if you don’t want to pay for a masters program (although SwimDevils workout there and their program is excellent), you can pay a drop in fee for a lane during open swim.

Best thrift store: Flo’s on 7th. Sales benefit Florence Crittenton of Arizona. Their selection of glassware, books and fabric is diverse. I can always find a Pyrex dish in a pinch, or a stack of fabric napkins.

Best place to people watch: Chloe’s Corner at Kierland Commons. Grab a drink and a patio seat. Spend time with a girlfriend. Watch the plastic surgery parade go by!

Best hike: Mormon Trail at South Mountain. From the south side of the mountain, there is a 5 mile hilly loop. I’ve got this down to 1 episode of This American Life and .5 episode of The Splendid Table. It is a gorgeous hike and depending on the time of year, could be covered in flowers, baked in the heat or dry and dusty.

~K

There are so many end-of-year lists going around. Time magazine this week (with the rather brilliant Palin cover) listed the best of movies, film, theater, books and music. I had heard of 20% of those included. The New York Times best 100 books of the year list was even worse. I’d heard of 3, read 1. Nothing like the fancy schmancy New Yorkers to keep an Arizona literary ego in check. Plus, they obviously missed out on my favorite book of the year. Ahem.

My quirky foray into this trend — Africankelli Best of 2010:

Best yarn: Spud and Chloe. Fun colors, soft yarn, easy to work with.

Best knitted project: the cowl. Let 2010 reign as the year of the cowl.

Best shoe: I’m in love with Tory Burch flats. I want them in all colors. They are comfortable, wear well and worth the price.

Best band new to me: Vampire Weekend

Best simple pleasure of the year: spending time with so many friends in other states. Shelley and Ale in Seattle, Sue in LA, Finny, Andy and Katy in San Fran, Finny in Idaho, Mike, Bunny, John and Emily in DC, Sheila, Charlie and Julia in Colorado, Zarah in AZ, etc. Loved it!

Best tech purchase of the year: my schmancy fixed lens. I love the bokeh.

Favorite restaurant of the year: Gallo Blanco. I make up excuses to drink margaritas and eat huevos rancheros any time I’m in Central Phoenix.

Favorite book of the year (other than mine): The Help, with Let the Great World Spin and Disappearing Spoon close. Then again, People of the Book was also an excellent read, and The Road was hauntingly good.

Favorite new group of the year: My crazy book club where I’m the only non-librarian. Such smart women who encourage me to think differently.

Favorite website: twitter. I’ve met so many sweet, interesting, rude, funny, and like-minded folk on twitter. I’ve attended dinner parties, happy hours and random tweetups to meet these folk in person. I love Twitter’s ability to build community. I also laugh at Twitter’s ability (blame the technology) to get me in social snafus.

To be continued…

~K