Thanksgiving in the Frigid North

We only spent a couple of days up in Massachusetts for Thanksgiving
But I'm really glad we did.
In spite of the heinous 11 hour drive through heavy traffic and slick icy roads,
We came in near midnight to a gentle snow fall.
And that magical calm remained with us for the duration of our time there.

It was great to see my brother, for one.
We were best friends growing up.
He moved up there over a year ago now, and since then we've all missed him terribly.

For another,
my cousins live on a large strip of land in Western Massachusetts
On which my Aunt Maggie has a huge garden, and raises chickens,
and is essentially an all-around badass
{she once asked for a truckload of manure for her birthday.
How many girls do you know who would do such a thing?}

Peter and I were more than happy to help with chores around the land.
He was quite keen to get on the tractor

And I was happy to feed the chickens and collect their eggs :)

This is me with my cousin Katia.
She is a pretty hilarious and clever girl
Hence the blurry laughing photo :)

In spite of the cold, we spent  a lot of time outdoors
It was just too beautiful outside not to.

Peter and the Michelin man 

Not my boots. 

But I totally wish that they were.

My Uncle is actually Peter's Godfather.

He was kind enough to take us to the log cabin my cousins grew up in.

It's now being used to start and Orthodox Christian Mission

It was such a beautiful, peaceful place,

the perfect little spiritual home in the woods for prayer and reflection.

It was also really sweet to see my uncle, 

A high school football star,

Teach Peter a little about the sport

And of course-

The feast!

It was a lenten Thanksgiving,

Meaning turkey was replaced with fresh baked fish,

Sweet potatoes, and heaps of autumn vegetables

{A few left over from my aunt's last harvest}

Great food,

Good drink,

And the finest company West of Worcester

What more could you want?

Peter and I are both so thankful,

Not only for our weird and wonderful immediate families 

{and they are pretty darn wonderful}

But for the extended relatives who made us feel so welcome and at home this year.

We are very blessed.

Thanksgiving break

Hey Guys!

I guess it's about time I shared photos from over a month ago. Now or never, eh? ;-)

I spent most of the break in Delaware with Peter.
So these are the photos from that part of my trip.

And when I wasn't huddled under bundles of layers trying not to freeze, like this:

Yes. This is what
Florida sunshine
ultimately does to one's
humours.






I had a pretty awesome time!


We found the coolest pub in Lancaster, PA, run by two Irishmen from Cork.
They had Magners, so obviously I was a happy girl :)

 The Lancaster Market was quite impressive.
it was my first exposure to the Amish people and culture,
but had so much more than that to offer
{as evidenced by Peter's falafel and frappe from a Greek kiosque}

 Peter loved this herb and tea market

And the pub {Tellus Three Sixty}
was attached to a cute little shop
{double win!}

We ended the night with this gorgeous sunset.

It could not have been more lovely.

Next up, the Brandywine Museum...

TBT

I'm giving a presentation on the therapeutic riding program I worked at the past two weeks.
Eep! I'm so nervous!
Wish me luck :)

Music Monday

Seeing as this is a sorta kinda Tolkien blog,
and seeing as The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters Friday,
This music monday is going to the genius that is Howard Shore.
This guy really nails it every time,
even if Peter Jackson doesn't {and I really, really, really hope he does!}
From the very first opening sequence of the Fellowship, all the way through to the Grey Havens,
Each piece of the Lord of the Rings (and Hobbit) soundtrack
are perfectly welded to character, plot and mood.

There are so many great ones
The King of the Golden Hall,
The Fellowship's theme {most grandly heard as the intro to Moria}
But I have to say,
This one is probably my favorite.

Have a Great Week, everyone! 

Hope you get to enjoy the second installment of the Hobbit with your friends and loved ones :)

Escape

Ever had one of those weeks you just wanted to run away from?

I have too many of them.

It's my fault, really. I'm too sensitive. Little things don't roll off my shoulder like they ought to. I'm working on that; I'm working on myself in general. And big personality changes take time. 

In the meantime, there's always escape.

Escape from the harsh criticism, the flippant, subtle scorn, the silent rejection of others.

Escape to a warm home, in my childhood bed. 

To loving parents who don't mind if I'm a little soft at the center and rough at the edges.

Escape into the worlds of stories and books. 

source

After all, if a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, do we not consider it his duty to escape? ;-)

source

I wasn't sure for a while there why I was writing a blog.

My life is dull as dirt right now,

And no one I know in real life follow it or even knows it exists. 

But it's weeks like this that I realize I kind of need it every now and again. 

Writing publicly can be painful,

but it is also incredibly cathartic. 

So please, bear with my emo moments. 

I promise they'll blow over shortly :)

TBT

I keep hearing this song in some random commercial,
and it keeps reminding me how good fleetwood mac is
not just in their pre-America blues days,
but during their more pop decades as well
{ok, the 80s were kind of a wash,
but the self titled album + rumours completely make up for it, imho.}

Music Monday!

Well Hello!

and sorry for the absence on TBT! I was having way too much fun (and way too much food) on our cold Thanksgiving up North. Peter and I drove up to see our cousins and my brother, who live in rural Massachusetts. it was our first thanksgiving together, and it was lovely.

Proof of said loveliness:

Top right is my Uncle Mike (Peter's koumbaro) teaching him all about American football!

Me with my awesome brother...before he pinched me 

See how lovely it was?

Anyways, for music monday today I thought I'd throw up some Black Keys for you guys
(or just Peter, more likely.)

The two of us were just talking about how we've yet to go to a really great show together,
or at all, really, in the past few years.
The last great show I saw was Bright Eyes in 2011 in Tally,
and I missed Band of Horses when they rolled through (student tickets are free!!
I am still kicking myself for that.)

And these dudes-
they put on a great show.
I just know they do. You can tell.
Has anyone out there seen them live?

So here ya go, folks,

Happy Monday!