Merry, merry and happy, happy

Friends, we are leaving tomorrow for a glorious ten days in New England.  We'll be visiting our families in Connecticut, heading to the Berkshires in Massachusetts, skiing in Vermont, checking out Portland, Maine for a couple of nights, and finally (finally!) heading down to Block Island to ring in the new year. Poor New Hampshire -- it's the only state not represented.  Maybe we can arrange something...

I hope it is relaxing and restful and really, really fun.  Wishing you all the happiest of holidays.  See you on January 4!

The fabulous house we'll stay at in Block Island!  Eeks!  So excited.

Comfort and Christmas spirit loving brought you by Garrison Keillor

Going to Bed
by George Bilgere

I check the locks on the front door
     and the side door,
make sure the windows are closed
     and the heat dialed down.
I switch off the computer,
     turn off the living room lights.

I let in the cats.

     Reverently, I unplug the Christmas tree,
leaving Christ and the little animals
     in the dark.

The last thing I do
     is step out to the back yard
for a quick look at the Milky Way.

     The stars are halogen-blue.
The constellations, whose names
     I have long since forgotten,
look down anonymously,
     and the whole galaxy
is cartwheeling in silence through the night.

     Everything seems to be okay.

"Going to Bed" by George Bilgere, from Haywire. Read the Writer's Almanac here.

No big deal

My sister is back from her semester in Italy.  These are a few photos from her "Europe in a Nutshell" album.  She got all the photography genes, clearly. 

The top one is of the pretty Christmas lights in Florence, then Interlaken, Switzerland.  I'll leave you to your own devices to ponder the last two. 

By the way (btw?), if you want to be cool, all the kids are saying NBD. No big deal.  Says my little sister.  Just FYI.  (Oh, I know, I'm so funny -- acronym jokes never get old!)

At the same time, no less

I had tea yesterday afternoon with a sweet friend.  We chatted about all the usual stuff, like holiday plans and parties, the guys in our lives, and work. 

I always find this friend to be so wonderful when it comes to work discussions. (Aside: I've read quite a few articles that say women need certain kinds of friends to fill very specific roles as they get older -- the one good at career advice, the good listener, the tough-love giver, and so on.  Do you think that's true?  I think I do...). 

Anyways!  She is lovely to talk to about work.  I find I'm always thinking about the next step, the next big thing I want to try.  I like to constantly explore new options and do research.  I'm always telling Peter about my (awesome!) ideas to start a little business so that I can work from home (never mind that I have no idea what that little business would be), or leaving our jobs in NYC to travel for a year after our wedding, or buying a house in Portland. 

This friend is so great because she thinks exactly the same way.  It's so comforting to hear that she has these same thoughts and half-baked ideas.  When she says, "I want to run X foundation, and become a professor, and move to North Carolina," I say, "YES!"  Because I don't want those exact things, but I totally understand how she could -- and at the same time, no less.

I think I often baffle Peter with how much my ideas float and scatter about, but I think that's because he takes the things I say so seriously.  Which is lovely in it's own way.  But it's also great to have someone just say, "That is so smart!  You should do that!" and know that they will certainly not hold you to it, or be alarmed in the least if you just ship with your formerly brilliant plan. 

We go together

Photos from 100 Layer Cake and Snippet & Ink

I get this weird feeling whenever I see my name or Peter's attached to someone elses.  Who is this Deirdre character, and what is she doing with Peter?  And Daniel?!  So wrong.  They should get together actually -- Deirdre and Daniel sound like a cute couple.  The Double Ds!  Hmm. 

I have a very similar feeling about my parents, and even my sister's name and mine going together in some kind of cosmic way. 

A few months ago, my mom told me she met with potential clients named Julie and Peter.  I remember asking if they looked like us.  Ahh, no, Julie, they do not.  (Too bad for them!  Ha ha ha.)

P.S. I labelled this New York because New Yorkers are neurotic, and this is perhaps a glaring sign that I am one of them.

Easy stocking ornament

I made this little stocking ornament last night.  I used the pattern for these paper stockings to get the shape right.  Super easy, and really quick.  I think this took about an hour, from tracing the pattern to hanging it on the tree. 

My mom made a bunch of ornaments when she was first married about 30 years ago.  You can see one in the left hand side of the photo -- that plaid little bunny. Her ornaments don't have the stitching on the outside where the the stuffing goes in. How did she do that?!

Total aside: is this not the best photo I have ever taken?  No idea how I did it.  None.

Fair point

Peter and I got into an awesome discussion last week about the music we'll have at the wedding.  A older gentleman from a band in Boston gave me a call, and he sounded nice, so I could have been 100% ready to book him after chatting for 10 minutes.
  

Peter was like, "Umm...do you think maybe we should hear them first?"

Fair point, fiance. Fair point.  I knew there was a reason I was marrying you. 

The truth is, I could be perfectly happy listening to Tony Bennett on repeat throughout our entire reception.  Peter could not.  Our guests are probably happy to hear that. 

We are thinking more about bands and DJs and iPods.  How to decide?  The only thing I know is that I want moments like the ones above.  I love these photos so much.  The first is from Holly Burns' wedding, of her siblings doing a dance routine to "Baby Got Back" (note to siblings: you should all get on this).  The second is Peter and me at a wedding earlier this fall. 

The last one is my favorite.  I love all the photos from this wedding, but this is the best.  Look at the bride's attitude.  And all her cute friends!  So awesome.  And so fun looking.