Anteancorr

and twenty-six

2012-01-31T10:30:00.000-05:00

Since moving into our wonderful apartment, I've been trying to figure out ways to make it really feel like ours: a place where we can relax, eat well, sleep well and have room to keep up our hobbies. Of course, hanging some pictures and displaying our cameras helped out quite a bit, but I'm constantly looking for cute apartment ideas to add to our place. The one stop shop for this perusal is Apartment Therapy. They have so many great ideas, projects and tips to make your little place a little bit better.

Here are a few great tricks I came across today:

Great clean and fresh bedroom inspiration. (via)

Turning the mattress. So easy to forget. (via)

Some helpful quotes to make living in tight spaces a little easier. (via)

and twenty-five

2012-01-23T16:27:00.002-05:00

This past week has been quite exciting for our baby:

We found out we're having a boy! I can't stop thinking about how sweet it is going to be to begin our family with a little mister to pave the way. My pinterest is going to be overflowing with baby boys now, by the way:)
I felt him kick! It seems like he can't sit still. Even for such a tiny baby, its incredible how much I can feel already. No pain at all, but just little bumps every now and again. It kind of feels like a muscle spasm to me.
We had a couple of sonograms so we got to see our baby boy a bunch! My mom works for a pregnancy clinic and they needed to practice their sonogram skills so of course I jumped on that opportunity. He was moving all over the place, but we could see him so well. A 4-D sonogram is incredible. Its amazing that this little baby looks like what we see right in front of us. No fuzzy profiles to mess with. My mom says that she's seen that the image on the 4-D is often what the baby ends up looking like when they are born. Same little button nose or pouchy lips.

Bebe Trovato

Excited

and twenty-four

2012-01-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

My appetite has been quite insatiable lately, but I've found a couple of little snacks that make me feel so much better, and that I know are yummy for my little baby.

Frozen grapes!

Pop a bag of grapes in the freezer for an hour or two and you have a delicious little icy snack.

Pretzel Crisps!

Got some of these from Trader Joes and just can't stop. So great for beating that morning sickness.

Saltines and Nutella!

While Nutella is really high in sugar and fat, a little bit can go a long way to spruce up the boring but necessary saltine crackers. It's a nice little energy booster.

P.S. My husband has just started developing his own film and its turning out so cool! Love this picture especially.

Horace's Flickr

and twenty-three

2011-12-13T12:13:00.000-05:00

We're having a baby!

We could not be more excited about adding to our family and we can't believe that God has blessed us so much in just the first 6 months of marriage. This is what we both have wanted and a huge part of our desire to get married. We wanted to start a family as soon as possible because what isn't gained by having more people in your life? Neither of us ever had a strong calling for a job or mission or anything like that, but we are sure that this is our calling: to raise a family that fears God and loves his creation. We are so excited to begin our life's work:)

In other news... we got our Christmas tree this weekend! It looks so cute and adorable in our living room, although it is completely bare at this point with one little present sitting under its branches.

I did not see this working...

Cutting off the bottom to make our first year Christmas ornament

The man himself

I'll have to put a picture of it all cute and done up once we have some things to adorn it with:)

Merry Christmas!

and twenty-two

2011-11-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Lauren and David Lauren {via}

Now that is a wedding photo. I love how this looks like a picture from the 1800s and how he is a dead ringer for Oscar Wilde. So timeless. Check out more photos from their wedding here.

and twenty-one

2011-10-27T11:09:00.000-04:00

I have an incredibly unsatisfied sweet tooth these days and seeing pictures like these are not helping:


Chocolate Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars	{via}

Pumpkin Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and Salted Caramel {via}

Don't these look incredible? Salted caramel and salted chocolate are two of my favorite things in life. Perhaps I'll just make this sauce and put it on everything...

Lovely Salted Caramel Sauce {via}

and twenty

2011-10-21T16:08:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow

We haven't been in quite a while, so I'm really excited that we're finally taking the boat out. Hopefully, we'll have good winds and a sunny sky. Preferably very sunny, so we don't freeze.

and nineteen

2011-10-19T13:01:00.002-04:00

I love boots and am so happy that it is finally chilly enough to wear them. There is nothing like being able to tromp around in the leaves after months of clicky high heels and flimsy sandals. My favorite boots are a pair of Bass Chukka style boots that after months of wearing are now affectionately splattered with white paint, stained with beer, and wear melted soles after setting them on a hot rock near a fire for a little too long. I've spoken about my love for Bass brand before, but seriously, nothing comes close. But here are some that might be nice for the day that your Bass boots go missing:

Report Belzer - I love how high these go! The color is great too.

Steve Madden Fargoo- These look nice and sturdy (and on sale!)

Bass Amiya Whisky- The little sock can be worn up or down. Presh.

L.L.Bean Rubber Moc- They're just classic and everyone should have a pair.

Do you have a special pair of boots? What style is your favorite?

and eighteen

2011-10-14T11:02:00.002-04:00

New season, new photos! Check out our etsy (horaceandmae.etsy.com) for some nice Autumnal prints.

Enter the promo code ILOVEFALL2011 for 10% off your next purchase.

and seventeen

2011-10-07T15:33:00.000-04:00

It seems that all of my friends are getting snatched up by some wonderful men in the next few months, so I thought I would share my favorite bookmarks from my days of scouring the web for bridal inspiration. Get ready for some super kewl photos and ideas.

1) Ruffled Blog

The perfect mix of DIY and and real weddings on this site.

Love this Missouri Farm Wedding

2) The Wedding Chicks

So many great downloads and and fabulous deals here.

Their downloadable Invitation Suites (among other free! products) are all so precious!

3) Once Wed

How could I not help but looking at their new posts EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Used wedding dresses. Yes ma'am.

4) Satomi Kawakita Jewelry

Gorgeous wedding bands.

5) ETSY

For everyone needing a unique gift for all these lovely weddings:)

Whale Tea Towel

Cannot wait to see all these lovely people tie the knot in their own charming way<3

and sixteen

2011-10-03T10:58:00.004-04:00

Horace and I are proud to announce the grand opening of our very own Etsy shop!

Go to our store and enter this promo to receive FREE SHIPPING! Promo code: GRANDOPENING2011

Right now, my sister Ashley is hosting a giveaway on her blog for ONE FREE 8x10 PRINT! You can also get a 20% coupon for our shop by visiting her blog.

Take a look at our store and then click here and leave a comment at the bottom to enter. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Thursday.

Keep an eye on my blog as I will be doing discounts and promos every now and then:)

horaceandmae.etsy.com

antkowiaks.blogspot.com

and fifteen

2011-09-22T13:19:00.001-04:00

My husband has been interested in photography for quite a while now, but just recently he told me that it's really the camera that he finds interesting and not the actual photos. I love trying out different cameras, especially ones that are old and could have been used by my great- grandparents, but for me its really about the picture.

My Zenit TTL is my baby. I lost it a few weeks back and felt absolutely no desire to shoot. The zeal was lost. The Pentax just didn't cut it. I needed my baby. Fortunately, I found it under the front seat of a car that would two weeks later be totaled in an accident (everyone's ok:). In order to not belittle the magnanimity of the accident and my brother's poor neck, I digress. I bought my Zenit from a Goodwill Store in the panhandle of Idaho back in the cold winter of 2008 for twenty dollars. It came with an Exactar lens and there was an extra lens sitting next to it for an extra fifteen bucks. Why did I not pick it up? I still ponder this question.

My would-be husband took notice and started on his own little camera collection. It took a couple months into our courtship for me to find out he had a full-fledged museum of antique cameras. He has taken some incredible photos with these old, smelly, rusted cameras, but he gets the most joy out of pressing the shutter release. We took some photos of the cameras and have them displayed on his Flickr. Check out his finely curated museum here.

By Horace

All of this to say: We love cameras. We love film. We love each other.

and fourteen

2011-09-20T10:40:00.001-04:00

I love watching the Fashion Week photos roll in but as they do I find it funny how fashion is an outlet for ideals, even those that a lot of people don't want to see. Of course, one of the most commonly berated ideals of the fashion world is the lack of specific gender identities. It seems that women tend to look like men, men tend to look like women and often, you can't even tell if the model is a girl or boy. This common sight makes it even more refreshing when you see designers who care about celebrating the female form and highlighting a masculine sensibility. I love seeing clothes that just look good on a woman or make a man look really sharp. Here are my favorites "Just Plain Swell" looks from Fashion Week.


Anna Sui- Not a big fan of the sock, but I love the girly-vintage style.

Yeohlee

While we're at it, here is my favorite shoe designer: G.H. Bass & Co.

and thirteen

2011-08-30T13:39:00.004-04:00

Excited about sailing tonight.

and twelve

2011-08-03T15:56:00.004-04:00

Mmmmm was it good:)

and eleven

2011-06-09T00:02:00.001-04:00

The next time I post on here, I'll be a married woman. 'Nuff said.

and ten

2011-05-10T15:40:00.001-04:00

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

Horace will be a college graduate in two days.
He and I will be a husband and wife in thirty-two days.
Moving back to MD in eight days.
Having Mom check out a place for us to live in three days.
Ashley and Brandon will be homeowners in twenty days, with a new baby boy due in about sixty days.
Cousin Alex will be an Indonesian teacher in forty days.

"Incredible things are happening in the world."

Lately, I've been interested in how to outfit a teeny apartment:


Apartment Therapy

Freshome

Tom Delevan

and nine

2011-04-22T19:03:00.001-04:00

I am loving circular artwork today.

Han Lei

Cut/Copy

Aldari

Mark Weaver

and eight

2011-04-05T20:34:00.000-04:00

Portland:

drove through the Columbia River Gorge to get there. Stopped at Multnomah Falls.

I particularly like the careful parent guarding his children next to us.

Stayed with this lovely lady once we got there.
Walked along the waterfront and searched out Voodoo Doughnuts. The around the block line was crazy so we went to Stumptown Coffee instead.

Went to church at RCC and had a big ol' fellowship dinner afterward with some really friendly people.
Explored Powell's Books and then got some savory sandwiches at Kenny and Zuke's. I had a great big hot dog and some perfect french fries.
Went to Stumptown again, this time at the Ace Hotel, which has a pretty photo booth.

Found our way to the Wonder Ballroom and watched Ben Kweller open up for Pete Yorn. Great concert and really nice venue.

It was so nice to get away for a couple days and see a new place and some fun times.

Rain Love

2011-03-29T16:22:00.003-04:00

A little playlist for this rainy Tuesday.

Enjoy!

and seven

2011-03-22T17:03:00.002-04:00

I got our wedding invitations in the mail and have been chugging along on the addressing. I LOVE how they turned out and I hope everyone else does too:) Here's a little spoiler:

and six

2011-02-28T14:56:00.003-05:00

I'm slowly but surely making progress on our wedding invitations! Trying to find the perfect font is difficult, but then again it is just font and there is such a small difference between Engravers and Copperplate Gothic. Just pick one Jen! Ahhhh. Ok.

Anyways, weekends are spent playing cribbage and drinking wine with friends and trudging through the snow that seems like endless piles of sugar spilled on the ground.

Nevertheless, I cannot wait for this.

and to be able to wear this.

and drink this.

Oh, and to say these.

2011-02-25T16:04:00.000-05:00

Loving this movie.

and five

2011-02-25T01:31:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day was so much fun! My Fiance sneaked into my apartment during church and hid a rose and a map in my cupboard with a note that told me to pick a direction. We met up in the morning and headed south, through the fields and open sky of Idaho and somehow made it all the way to Oregon, a State that I had yet to step foot in. On the way down, we pulled over to take a picture in a field and found a really cool farm on the opposite side of the road, where we decided to take some engagement pictures. We set my camera on a timer and took picture after fabulous picture. We got back to town and went to dinner and then had some wine at a really neat overlook of our town, where one wonders just how we don't know everyone in that lives in it. It was such a lovely day:)

And now I'm sitting here at a coffee shop sharing some wine with him, which reminds me that my roommate and I are trying to fill a 15ish foot shelf with wine bottles before the end of May. So far, we have about a fifth of the shelf lined with bottles. It is such a blessing having her share my room with me and it has made this time in Moscow so sweet having a girlfriend to hang around.

Life is so sweet right now and I know it will only get sweeter.

and four

2011-02-09T14:51:00.000-05:00

J. Crew

Steven Alan

Lands End

Inspired

and three

2011-02-01T00:14:00.003-05:00

Missing my sweet big sister...

and imagining her growing baby belly!

and two

2011-01-19T17:37:00.004-05:00

I'm in Moscow again and it feels so nice to be back! Seeing all of my friends again makes me realize just how much I missed them and the sweet times we had just hanging around this town. Right now, I'm sitting with Becca at Bucer's and it is just so right:)

My apartment is small, but actually bigger than I expected it to be, with high ceilings and a huge window overlooking a square and some good ol' western silos. Whodathunk I would love waking up next to silos?

In other news... Kenny and I are engaged! Yes, I know I mentioned this in the last post, but it was an edit and I figured I needed to do a post about it.

My ring is perfect! (Sorry about the phone picture) I absolutely love it and couldn't have picked a better one myself:)

We were planning on going to New York, but we got a huge snowstorm the night before and our bus trip was canceled. Kenny decided to take me to Baltimore for the day instead, but first he wanted to go to Annapolis for some breakfast. We took our crepes over to St. Johns campus and ate them in a freezing cold sentimental spot, which of course got my head started thinking. As we headed out of Annapolis, he told me he forgot something and we had to go back downtown. We walked out to the spot on the dock where we first said "I love you" and he gave me this beautiful little speech and then asked me to marry him. The dock was all sunny and covered in snow so when he pulled out my ring, it nearly blinded me! It was SO incredibly sparkling and beautiful.

We spent the rest of the day in Baltimore, at the Walters, the Aquarium, Lexington Market and a great restaurant Cinghiale. It was such an amazingly perfect day:)

Enjoying Berger Cookies from Lexington Market

The cutest fish at the Aquarium! He keep on following my camera.

We got this amazing three course meal and a really nice wine for dinner.

Now for all the fast and furious wedding planning!

and one

2011-01-10T14:07:00.004-05:00

I have a Fiance. And he has one too.

What a way to start the new year.

Oh, this looks like heaven. (via What Katie Ate)

One Hundred

2010-12-31T14:43:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

Here are my favorite songs of 2010:

Ninety - Nine

2010-12-02T12:08:00.000-05:00

Long - Distance is not fun. Everybody knows that and a lot of people have had to make it work. But I've found, especially lately, that being apart is what you make it. It can be sad and pitiful or it can be a fun time to be creative. I'm not saying that I would ever choose to be apart, but there are ways to make the best of a tough situation. All that to say...

We went on a McDonalds Skype date last night! Now that they have wifi, skyping was easy-peasy. And of course you're all wondering what I ordered... quarter pounder, no cheese. Quality.

It was so much fun getting to enjoy the same thing together for a little while:)

Ninety-Eight

2010-11-27T20:10:00.001-05:00

My Saturday in Pictures.

Dropped off my parents at one of these:

Wrote a nice one of these:

Had some of this for dinner:

Joy of Cooking Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Spent a large part of my evening watching this:

A rather slow day, much needed after working hard this week. Just a few more weeks till Christmas!

Ninety - Seven

2010-11-16T23:05:00.004-05:00

I've started my Christmas shopping, or at least looking, and I have to decided to be a little more conscious of what I am supporting with my purchases. I was looking at my dresser drawers the other day and realized that most of the clothing that I own was made in China, Japan or Vietnam. And this is of course because most of the time I don't want to spend a lot of money on clothing and therefore I get the stuff that is cheap to make. I totally understand overseas production, but I think it would be great if we made a little more effort to support local or at least national brands and products. That being said, America's specialty is denim. OK. How can I work this into my holiday gift list? Yeah, so this might take a little more searching...

Here are a couple of ideas, produced right here in the U.S. of A. They may be a little more pricey than what you're looking to buy, but at least it might give you some ideas (and maybe you could just splurge on one person and make stuff for the rest :).

Etsy is a great way to find local, handmade gifts. You can even look for sellers by location, like this Baltimore shop Astridanaturals. Etsy tends to be nice and affordable, too.

Mast Brothers chocolate looks so good and I'm dying to try it. Made right in Brooklyn, NY.

The Mast Brothers from The Scout on Vimeo.

Archival Clothing is all about US production and for the quality of materials they are using, they're prices aren't outrageous. Check out all their stripes too. Gotta love em. They also have a great blog.

Field Notes looks to be the next Moleskine.

Perhaps the more I come across, the more I'll post. Enjoy for now!

Ninety - Six

2010-11-04T22:49:00.001-04:00

Remember this?

I watched the Voyage of the Dawn Treader today with my cousins and it was such a blast, especially after having finished the book this morning. I am so happy I'm finally reading them and I am just loving everything about these books. My favorite so far has to be The Horse and His Boy. I just adored the scenery and pace of that book. Hopefully, I'll be starting The Silver Chair tomorrow. If your just catching on, yes, I have never read all of the books. Here's to timeless classics.

Also, I heard a song on my favorite radio station the other day and had to look it up later on. I found a great album from 2007 from John Doe called A Year in the Wilderness. I highly recommend it for your fall playlist (you can find it on Grooveshark :).

Ninety - Five

2010-10-18T23:16:00.000-04:00

IDAHO

Beer in a field with the girlfriend picnic table, walks together in the fall, Becca's bed at night, church in the morning, bread in the afternoon, sushi and potato salad in the rain, tri-colored pasta and sparkling cider, stars on top of the world, chinese food on the Lewiston grade, "get the hell outta there!", 5 hour walk at sunrise, tonight you belong to me, dinner with friends, The Fall (and beer and doughnuts) with more friends, a bike ride down alleyways, coffee and cards with Becca, a drive to Spokane and a broken down car upon arrival, Sandpoint and Italian food and family of friends, CANADA, hot springs and caves, lakes and rivers and mountains and leaves and towns and toys and photos, a long drive back with carrot cake, the farmers market and friends, bbq kabobs in the silo barn, chocolate lavender ice cream and a drive to Cordelia, a drive back to Spokane and a missed flight, a few calls and a free flight the next day, a couple more hours with my best friend.

and this doesn't even mention the best times - just being there.

Here are a couple of pictures, which i started taking about half way through the trip and on my camera phone. Better pictures to come soon:)

On a ferry in Canadia.

This was the view from the front of our hotel in Canada.

Slacklining.

I LIKE PAINTED BUILDING SIGNS IN COOL FONTS.

and cool wall paintings.

Nelson sufficiently captain morgan'd

Nelson

skipping some rocks and taking them home.

The Farmer's Market in Moscow.

taste of liberty

Becca the best barista.

Hello friends.

My boyfriend's tight whip.

ugh I miss the roads.

I guessed 246 lbs.

and would you look at that...I never thought I would end up with an Italian model.

Such a fun, long, lovely trip.

Ninety-Four

2010-10-03T22:13:00.000-04:00

This phrase has been going around our house a lot lately. I believe it was actually used, as a serious comment, in a serious conversation the other day...

Ninety-Three

2010-09-28T18:43:00.000-04:00

Since I have a day off during the week, I try to take full advantage of the chance to do some things I've been wanting to do. So, a couple weeks ago, my sister, her daughter and I went to Georgetown in DC for the day and window shopped and ate lunch and went to the park by the river. I need a little practice with my Pentax, but I got a couple photo evidentials:

This past Thursday, I decided to bake bread for my boyfriend in Idaho. I spent all day making it with as much love as I could, and then I realized that there was no way I could ship it to him before it got stale and moldy. So much sadness ensued. But I split the loves up between our neighbors and ate a ton of it myself. And I made a plan with my boyfriend to make some bread with him while I visit in October:)

I looked through Joy of Cooking and read all the techniques and everything to know about baking bread and then I found a GREAT RECIPE online that you can find here.

My sister and her daughter again joined me for the day and this time she took the pictures.

Mixing

and kneading

and rising

and lunch!

and rising in the pans

and they're in the oven

and they're ready to eat!

Yay!

Needless to say, it was a lovely day.

Ninety-Two

2010-09-18T12:52:00.002-04:00

I swear.

I'm pretty sure this is the third time I've said this, but its for real this time guys. I'm seriously going to do it now. My blog is revamped, perhaps a little fresher? Leave me a comment if you would like to appear under my links list. I will think about our relationship and then proceed to place you in the appropriate category:)

My Part:

I will now be posting more photos here, since my Flickr is full:(
I will be forgoing the numbered posts, once I read 100 of course, which, by the way, must be a special post of some sort.
I will post whatever I want, whenever I want. No schedule, no genres, no rules, no nothin. You can't tell me what to do. Imma do what I want.
But please...if I start to get boring, send me a raspberry.

Your part:

Leave me comments. Everyone wishes people would comment more, but no one wants this. So, please...please comment. "cool" "wow" "sweet" "omg, you're the most amazing chef I have ever seen in my entire life. please come to my house and let me pay you to cook some egg drop soup for me." Any of these comments are happily received.

That being said, here's to new blogs, old blogs, green blogs and blue blogs.
Cheers,
J

Ninety-One

2010-09-15T23:44:00.000-04:00

Much about Music Update

Between NPR and Paste Magazine (which recently stopped its print publication), all my music needs are pretty much covered. Here's what I have found as of late (with links!):

Sweet story about the stranger that launched Jimi Hendrix into our culture. Listen while you read.
The political theme gets old, but I can't get enough of John Legend. Put The Roots in there and you've got yourself a good time.
Jack White stop being so kickin cool.
Ok, so she's a little dramatic, a little over the top, a tiny bit diva, a pinch too enthusiastic, but her voice...uhh her voice. It kills. Jessye Norman is a favorite forever and she just came out with an album covering the American Songbook. Check out my pretty much favorite song ever here.
Fun band from Seattle: The Head and the Heart.

Love this photography blog.

till next time,

Ninety

2010-09-03T23:51:00.000-04:00

"When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time; but when things once start going right they often go on getting better and better."

~ C. S. Lewis

Eighty Nine

2010-07-02T08:45:00.001-04:00

photo by Kenny

Why I'm Happy:

French press coffee in my hand (made by Mom)
I'm sitting on my front porch in 65 degree weather. It reminds me of Moscow:)
I love HKTIII.
The 4th of July is coming up and this weekend I'll be working and then going on the water for fireworks.
Scanning through my bookmarked blogs inspires me to keep mine up better and to make it oh so pretty.
Birds are everywhere. I think its just awesome that we can see birds all the time and they are the coolest animal! Think about it...yep.
My new job! I'm still working for the Hat store but I'm doing administrative work in the office. The cool thing is that I'll be working in a different part of the business every day, so I'll get a wide scope of the company. (plus, I get a desk and a chair!)
Life is so beautiful. Every aspect of it can take your breath away.

My Picks:

Movie: Valentine's Day- Super cute. Super weird to watch in the middle of summer. Although it was set in LA.

Music: Justin Townes Earle Midnight at the Movies- This is good ol' country music; not the kind you'll hear on the radio. I saw him in April and it felt like he stepped out of the 1950s and onto the stage.

For the Boys: A lovely contest for you all.

For the girls: Oh how cool.

Eighty Eight

2010-06-15T15:01:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was the best. Kenny and I went kayaking up the Severn through little creeks and streams and ate some lunch on a grassy spot in the shade. we went to work. the both of us in Annapolis, on opposite sides of the drawbridge. He made a pizza and we ate it on the St. John's lawn and his sister and friend ran into us and joined.

The next day we went to Philadelphia and explored the Magic Gardens and then searched around for those awesome murals that you see all over the web. And we did indeed find them. As we headed to the Rotunda to watch Joe Pug do his awesome thing, we thought for sure it was going to be a big ol' show. It was in the rotunda, so it had to be huge. We walk inside and the whole concert is basically in the foyer of the building. About 100 people were there and we opted to sit towards the back by the breezy window. The concert was perfect and Joe Pug is unlike any performer I've seen. We talked to him after the show and he loved that we saw him in Pullman at the Birds on a Wire folk fest.

On Sunday, we went to church (so good to be back at CREC) and then went sailing in his cousins two person Sunfish. At one point, Kenny got the sail almost parallel with the water so that we were standing straight up balancing it and then got it back to cruising! It was my first time sailing and it was perfect.

We finished the best weekend with a boat cruise with his family and watched the sun set and the moon appear.

My sisters house is coming along so nicely! Its wonderful to have them so close and I know it will be such a blessing to have my best friend around next year:)

Eighty Seven

2010-05-27T00:15:00.000-04:00

Summer is now

and forever.

Eighty Six

2010-05-12T02:21:00.001-04:00

Summer is a day away.

My Picks:

Music: THIS. On Itunes now.

Movie: how's about some more 'Modern Family.' That show kicks me in the gut.

For the Boys: Timelines. The dragon one is amazing.

For the Girls: Flowery shoe laces for summer! The light floral are my favorite.

In other news, I'm graduating from College in two days. Maryland is home. Moscow is fun. Opportunities abound. God will provide.

I've loved this poem for so long:

Double or Quits

Only when we are under different skies

The truth strikes home of what love has become:

A compact it takes time to realise

Is better far, being less burdensome,

Than that first tempest by which we were torn.

Tonight you’re there, where both of us now live,

And I am here, where both of us were born,

But there is no division we need give

A thought to, beyond localised regret:

For we will be together again soon,

And both see the one sunrise and sunset

And the face saved and the face lost by the moon –

The clouds permitting, which they seldom do

In England, but at least I’ll be with you.

I’ll be with you from now on to the end

If you say so. Should you choose otherwise

Then I will be a jealous loving friend

To wish you well yet prove it never dies,

Desire. Your beauty still bewilders me

Though half a century has passed. I still

Stand breathless at the grace of what I see:

More so than ever, now the dead leaves fill

The garden. A long distance will soon come.

Today, no. Nor tomorrow. But it must

Open the door into Elysium

For one of us, and me the first, I trust.

May we stay joined, as these two sonnets are –

That meet, and are apart, but just so far.

~Clive James

Eighty Five

2010-04-11T17:03:00.000-04:00

Watching rain fall makes me see how similar we are to water (it's what we're made of anyhow). A thousand drops hit in the minute that I watch, splashing into each other and the ground. Some never meet, some collide. Life is cement. You fell from a cloud.

Eighty Four

2010-04-04T21:28:00.000-04:00

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orcahrd white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

To which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends he will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill.

~Robert Frost

Eighty Three

2010-03-31T02:08:00.001-04:00

God give us problems not to see us suffer, but to see us triumph.

Let's do this.

My Picks:

Music: My Morning Jacket- Way behind on this band.

Movie: How about freaks and geeks. I'm almost finished with the season and it makes me terribly sad. And I want to say "please come back!" but i know it just can never be the same.

For the Boys: Oh Boy. I think maybe, just maybe someone could pull these off.

For the Girls: The last picture just feels so good.

A poem:

Welcome warmly accepted.

Heat surges, waits, wafts,

hits the floor and floods.

Rain makes steam outside the theater.

3:15

4:30

Tea to follow. Dinner. Music.

Madness. Midnight. Morning.

Time beats backwards now.

Time will pull on tonight.

No one moves.

Eighty Two

2010-03-20T16:07:00.000-04:00

One more term, one more term, one more term...

New books, new people, new job... I can totally make it.

The sun shines almost every day now. Even when there are clouds, its not so bad.

On those few cloudy days, watch this and your day will be filled with sunshine:)

My Picks:

Music: The Morning Benders- Great sound. A louder Last Shadow Puppets.

Movie: Ok, so this spring break was anime-fest for me. weird, i know. But I'm addicted to Miyazaki! My favorite so far was Howl's Moving Castle. The animation was amazing and the story is unlike anything I've ever heard. So original.

For the Boys: These need to come back.

For the Girls: Yummy. check out that price tag:)

Eighty One.1

2010-03-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

ugh fine... I admit it...no no no ... I am unabashedly prep. When I feel like it:)

Also, updated links on the right -->

Also, also, quote for the week:

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”

cliche? yes. made up? probably. awesome? you bet.

Finals are silly. But life is what gets ya.

Eighty One

2010-03-06T14:47:00.001-05:00

This summer is going to be good. Last summer was a dud, so I'm gonna make up for it so soon.

Here are my plans:

learn to clean fish
finish fixing bike with Dad
read 'The Chronicles of Narnia'
Geo-cache
paint with paint
berger cookies in Lexington Market
movie in Fells Point
Bengies Drive-in Theater
sail boat

The list keeps growing, but it's looking good so far:)

'Jen's Ridiculous Resume' update: +Chinese Restaurant Waitress

My Picks:

Movie: substitute TV: Twin Peaks- funny, freaky, amazing, wonderful.

Music: Joanna Newsom- I tried listening to her years ago and hated her voice. After trying again, it just keeps getting better. Her voice is really obnoxious, but I keep finding myself craving her songs. my favorite so far is "This side of the Blue." Cool Factor: she plays the Celtic harp.

For the Girls: Yeah, you'll like this.

For the Boys: If you really want to...

have a haiku:

Summer comes faster

than we ever think it can;

Keep it together.

Eighty

2010-02-17T18:03:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful weekend:)

Emmaline Lynn was born on Saturday and, I have to say, it was probably the most amazing, surreal, sci-fi, scary movie event I have ever seen. It was incredible. She's gorgeous and I, me, Jennifer, the baby-phobic, the "spit-up-makes-me-spit-up" girl that I've always been, loves to hold her. I've never been one to understand why certain girls run up to new moms and ask to hold their babies. it happens. But I get it with Emma.

After getting maybe 5 hours of sleep between friday and sunday, this weekend was kind of a blur. But I remember a baby, some olympics, a concert, a movie, a valentine, a lunch, a mid-term and chocolate.

Lots and lots of chocolate. Lent is here. Bye bye wonderful friend. I'll see you in April.

Seventy Nine

2010-02-05T23:18:00.000-05:00

We burn. We scorch. We get dry and lifeless.

We fall between the cracks in the rubble and trash.

We sit

and rot

and wait.

Flowers are sprouting over there. They're blooming. They're thriving.

We're Thirsting.

Rain comes and doesn't wash everything away, like we're told.

The dirt is still there. It splashes and nearly drowns us,

Threatening to leave our last vision muddy.

But we soak up what we can.

And then comes the sun.

We're still caked in dirt, but it begins to be forgotten.

It is lost in our color;

The color the sun gave us.

Seventy Eight

2010-01-23T13:47:00.000-05:00

Edit: Recording was fun. More about that later.

OOOOhhhhhhohoooh! RECORDING! YAY!

I will edit this later.

For now, have some fun:)

Email me your pictures: jmae.dwyer@gmail.com

Seventy Six

2009-12-08T00:51:00.000-05:00

You know how you have all those "Top 5" lists in your head of things like movies, music, Chuck E Cheese locations? Anyways, I have a running music top five and I find that the need has come for me to write it down, at least for now. I might as well do some other lists. So, here is my tentative brain in type:

Top 5 Albums:

Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Cease to Begin- Band of Horses
For Emma, Forever Ago- Bon Iver
IV- Led Zeppelin
A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar- Dashboard Confessional*

*Disclaimer- I'm not saying anything about the actual musical quality of the aforementioned albums. My criteria is simply what albums I can listen to and love every single song.

Top 5 Movies:

Hannah and Her Sisters
The Darjeeling Limited
This is Spinal Tap
Waiting for Guffman
The Princess Bride*

*Disclaimer- I'm finding it hard to say that I like Hannah and Her Sisters more than This is Spinal Tap especially since if they met at a party, they would probably find a way to terriblyinsult the other. What I'm saying is, the previous list is not in numerical or genretical? (i'm going with it) order. Thus, eliminating any offense from the the Princess Bride.

Top 5 Things:

Fur Slippers
Fur Coats
Fur Hats
Fur Purses
Fur Mufflers*

*Disclaimer- There need be no disclaimer for this delicious gift from on high.**

**Disclaimer- ok, so not my top 5 things ever but at least one of them would be on that list.

Top 5 Places:

Grandad's Pier
Our Roof
The Dock in Annapolis
Old Pullman Highway
The Outer Banks. uuuuuggghhhh. I want to go to there. Right Now.

Best anything EVER:

Not mine to tell.*

*Disclaimer- I really shouldn't have put "Disclaimer" after every star. You probably got the idea. ha. whatwhat.

No Picks. Because I gave you a ton. But here's a poem:

Wanderer Moon

smiling a

faintly ironical smile

at this

brilliant, dew-moistened

summer morning, -

a detached

sleepily indifferent

smile, a

wanderer's smile, -

if I should

buy a shirt

your color and

put on a necktie

sky-blue

where would they carry me?

~"Summer Song"

William Carlos Williams

Have a lovely week:)

Seventy Five

2009-11-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

Once again, I'm not mentioning the fact that an inappropriate amount of time has passed since I last posted. Sorry Ma...:)

My brother and I kinda went vinyl crazy this week and bought about 7 or so records from "Highway 61 Revisited" to "War" to "Hold Time." This only makes me more excited for Christmas break, sitting on the oil stained garage floor, watching that one wave on the spinning disc that keeps making its way around and around, again and

again. Leonard Cohen sang us to sleep that one October break. Maybe this time we can give the honor to Mr. Dylan.

I think its funny how people, in particular musical artists, seem to go against everything they represent. Who would have thought that Bob Dylan would put out a purely commercial Christmas album? Seriously?!?! Bob Dylan!?!?! I guess I have to give him some credit for waiting this long before he danced with the Man. Another group that surprised me was this new band "Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros." They were all scheduled to play for the Moscow/Pullman crowd, but decided three weeks before the show that too many of them had colds. Their whole shtick is this free-spirited, "we're all extremely hippy and want to go live on the road and make music and love all day and jump for joy and sing and grow beards." And of course I'm thinking, "You all were born to come to Moscow!" But no, they canceled. And we must deal. Really, I'm not bitter.

I still like their music, so here it is.

Thankfully, there are some artists that are all that they seem and more. Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) had a wife and kids before he got into the music industry, if you can even say he's a part of it. He moved to Texas because his wife is a midwife and it's only legal in some states. He didnt' move for the music scene; he moved for his family. He admits to writing about the same three things over and over, but it's these three things that make life: Love, God and Death. It's refreshing to see someone so unpretentious and willing to just live and make his music because he can and because he's good at it; not because it can make him money or because he can be "that indie guy with the beard." Thanks for being the man. And yet so not the Man. and still, not giving a crap about the Man. lol that one's for Gregg.

My Picks:

Music: Favorite new band: Jookabox.

Movie: "Everyone Says I Love You"

For the Girls: Love this Blog

For the Boys: Does anyone else see a Steven Spielberg, a Woody Guthrie and a possible Conan O'Brien in this? Great guy blog.

This a an amazing song. I especially like Neko Case's version.

In the wintertime keep your feet warm
But keep your clothes on and don't forget me
Keep the memories
But keep your powder dry too

In the summer by the poolside
While the fireflies are all around you
I'll miss you when i'm lonely
i'll miss the alimony too

don't forget me, don't forget me
Make it easy, only just for a little while
You know I'll think about you
Let me know you'll think about me too

And when we're older and full of cancer
It doesn't matter now, come on get happy
'cause nothing lasts forever
But I will always love you

don't forget me, please don't forget me
Make it easy, only just for a little while
You know I'll think about you
Let me know you'll think about me too

Our family finally has a good Christmas Photo!!

Seventy Four

2009-09-19T01:58:00.000-04:00

Short post because I have as short an attention span as you do.

A few thoughts:

Most bad decisions in teenagers lives could have been solved by them asking not whether this particular thing is right or wrong, but rather if is it wise or unwise. I know this could have helped me and still helps to explain a lot of life in general. Bam.
The Noisettes are kickin.
Mexican Food with friends is uplifting...and delicious. ugh mole enchiladas...omg so great.
Homework happens all week long. The Office happens once a week. Nuff said.

A few pictures:

A few lines:

With You

Softly and tenderly
Brightly and darkly
Little by little
Lightly and sparkly

Natal directly
Bitter and sweetly
Dew on the grassy
Shallow and deeply

Laughing and elsewhere
Reckless and frugal
Solomon's lady
Lovely and brutal

Sycamore shivers
There on the ceiling
Ingress and egress
Dying and healing

This is the rhythm
Of loving you lately
Sad angle of mouth so happy
The whole world is reeling

~Linford Detweiler

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Honey I'm pleading
let's put away the sticks and stones
be human beings
I have the sense to be afraid to be a fool"

~As Tall As Lions

I think you know my picks.~J

Seventy Three

2009-08-12T20:26:00.000-04:00

Sum sum summertime. It's bad that those words remind me of Latin...

Summer was lovely. It came and went in a flash; a lightening storm in fact. There's nothing like waking up to your little cousins crawling on your bed, mom making some french press coffee and your windows hosting some morning birds. It came with a flash. And then I did nothing for a month. I was lazy, lathargic and lame. It was summer. I got a job and felt better. I went to New York and Pittsburgh and Havre de grace and Bethany Beach. There were doughnuts and carnivals, crabs and piers, fires and beers. I met some Irish, French, more French and a Texan. We made music and non-music. We talked. I wished for nothing more. We ate Annapolis, Baltimore, DC, the Chesapeake. We ate them whole. It ended with a flash. And now its just another summer.

Seventy Two

2009-06-30T22:59:00.000-04:00

My list of jobs keeps getting more and more ridiculous. This past week I got a job working Hats in the Belfry in downtown Annapolis! The store has been there for 30 years and it has the best atmosphere. I was training last night with a girl who has worked there for three years and she said that one of the best things about working there is that people come in happy. They walk in and see walls of hats and it just tweaks their face to the perfect smirk. You don't get treated like a waiter or even a department store servant. The store has 4 other girls right now, so it's a pretty close group that I'm excited to join. Just the short time that I've spent there so far has been a great fun time. I can't wait to work there some more and really get to know the place. Did I mention that I get to wear any hat that I want all day? And that I get an awesome discount? Oh boy, I'm excited. And Annapolis. mmmmmmm. I'm so glad I was patient with finding a job, becuase I've really been blessed with this one. I've already been told that I'll be able to work on breaks and next summer. Patience is always always always worth it.

So, here's my roster of jobs:

Church Pianist
Ebayer
Restaurant Pianist
Newspaper Reporter
Hat seller

I'm pretty sure I won't ever have a normal job and I'm totally happy with that. Normal is overrated:P

My Picks:

Movie: Valkyrie- such a beautiful movie

Music: Pedro the Lion- I like "It's hard to find a friend." Thanks for reminding me Kenny

For the Girls: well...since i'm in the business now lol This is my favorite hat designer. And I love the Zhara.

For the Boys: This company does themes every year or so on their hats and this year's theme was ancient Babylon. How cool is that? Ice cold. I love this one. And it looks better on your head lol

Orpheus Alone

Mark Strand

It was an adventure much could be made of: a walk

On the shores of the darkest known river,

Among the hooded, shoving crowds, by steaming rocks

And rows of ruined huts half buried in the muck;

Then to the great court with its marble yard

Whose emptiness gave him the creeps, and to sit there

In the sunken silence of the place and speak

Of what he had lost, what he still possessed of his loss,

And, then, pulling out all the stops, describing her eyes,

Her forehead where the golden light of evening spread,

The curve of her neck, the slope of her shoulders, everything

Down to her thighs and calves, letting the words come,

As if lifted from sleep, to drift upstream,

Against the water's will, where all the condemned

And pointless labor, stunned by his voice's cadence,

Would come to a halt, and even the crazed, disheveled

Furies, for the first time, would weep, and the soot-filled

Air would clear just enough for her, the lost bride,

To step through the image of herself and be seen in the light.

As everyone knows, this was the first great poem,

Which was followed by days of sitting around

In the houses of friends, with his head back, his eyes

Closed, trying to will her return, but finding

Only himself, again and again, trapped

In the chill of his loss, and, finally,

Without a word, taking off to wander the hills

Outside of town, where he stayed until he had shaken

The image of love and put in its place the world

As he wished it would be, urging its shape and measure

Into speech of such newness that the world was swayed,

And trees suddenly appeared in the bare place

Where he spoke and lifted their limbs and swept

The tender grass with the gowns of their shade,

And stones, weightless for once, came and set themselves there,

And small animals lay in the miraculous fields of grain

And aisles of corn, and slept. The voice of light

Had come forth from the body of fire, and each thing

Rose from its depths and shone as it never had.

And that was the second great poem,

Which no one recalls anymore. The third and greatest

Came into the world as the world, out of the unsayable,

Invisible source of all longing to be; it came

As things come that will perish, to be seen or heard

Awhile, like the coating of frost or the movement

Of wind, and then no more; it came in the middle of sleep

Like a door to the infinite, and, circled by flame,

Came again at the moment of waking, and, sometimes,

Remote and small, it came as a vision with trees

By a weaving stream, brushing the bank

With their violet shade, with somebody’s limbs

Scattered among the matted, mildewed leaves nearby,

With his severed head rolling under the waves,

Breaking the shifting columns of light into a swirl

Of slivers and flecks; it came in a language

Untouched by pity, in lines, lavish and dark,

Where death is reborn and sent into the world as a gift,

So the future, with no voice of its own, nor hope

Of ever becoming more than it will be, might mourn.

I happen to think the title would be an awesome band name.

Seventy One

2009-06-16T12:22:00.000-04:00

New York June 2009

New York is one place that my Mom and I love to visit and have done so qutie a few times. One time involved a "Couch" bag, as opposed to a "Coach" bag, Ashely on her back with her feet in the air at 42nd and Broadway, and a very long story that began with, "to make the long story short..." But this time, we decided to stay in the Upper West side rather than the Time Square area and we wanted to spend time in different areas than we had. Before we planned the trip I found out that one of my favorite musicians (from Moscow!) was playing a free show in Central Park. So, we planned our time around that and ended up having the perfect vacation.

On Thursday, we walked around a bit and then decided on seeing the Off-Broadway showThe Fantastiks. And if you can believe it, it was fantastik:) The theater only held about 120 people so we were a little nervous, but it turned out to be one of the best shows either of us had ever seen.

On one of our first trips to New York, we decided to try Bobby Flay's restaurant Mesa Grill and found it to be amazing. So, on Friday we made that our big meal and then headed down to the Staten Island Ferry and took the hour-long (free) trip from Manhatten to Staten island and back. The concert was later that evening so we decided to take our time and walk through central park over to the field. When we got there, the line was already a mile long, so we hopped in and hoped that we'd get in. Once we were inside, it was just perfect. Every one fit and comfortably. We found a spot on the ground and chilled until the show started a couple minutes later. The coolest thing was that most people on our side were sitting down and it was like one huge picnic. Nobody stood up until the encore, so it was the most relaxing concert i've been to. Josh Ritter was backed up by the New York Pops and was joined by violinist Hilary Hahn, The Frames' Glen Hansard and the Poet Mark Strand. It was such a beautiful night. And of course we had to get dessert later, so we went to the famed Serendipity Cafe, which was delicious. We even saw someone who ordered the "Golden Opulence" or something like that. It costs $1,000 and actually has gold that you can eat inside the ice cream. crazycrazycrazy. The dude looked like a wannabe rock star, who ended up not becoming a rock star and got a girl half his age and decided that it would be just as good to act like a rock star than actually be one.

Of course we had our share of idiot moments: Me trying to escape the roatating door too quickly and running into the glass, Mom tripping every three feet, mom plucking the ear phone out of my ear, Mom's approval of Fedora's restuarant declining the further away from it we moved, etc. It was such a wonderful trip:)

OMG! IT'S JOSH RITTER!!!!! He even gave a shout out to Idaho. and I screamed. alot. and he told me to keep the faith. lol

Josh and the Band and the Pops.

Oh yes. The cafe was in the movie "Serendipity" and was just as cute.

How did we eat it all? Don't ask. Well ok. Becuase we rock thats how.

See all the Tiffany lamps?

Mom insists on getting pictures of me, by myself, awkwardly poseing in odd places. This is Mesa Grilllllll.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Oh, look. It's just Jen looking through a box of stuff.

This place was pretty cool. It was a thrift store that was not crazy over priced. I got a cute little birdy/seagull mug and a purty belt.

This was from the ferry. I think we all know what this is, but if you're an immigrant reading my blog, you especially should know what this is. Or rather you should feel extra guilty for not knowing. Cuz I know you don't know. Anyways, it the Statue of freedom. given to us by William Shakespeare. in the 1300s.

My Picks:

Music: JOSH RITTER- Golden Age of Radio. It's pretty mellow, but perfect for summer:)

Movie: Pride and Prejudice- I just watched the new one again and I forgot how beautiful that movie is. So great and the music is perfect.

For the Girls: This takes a lot of effort. Pretty cool.

For the Boys: My brother insists.

Seventy

2009-05-28T12:42:00.000-04:00

On our roadtrip home, Rachel and I listened to the book Into the Wild by John Krakauer. The book tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a.k.a. Alexander Supertramp, and his journies across America and into the Alaskan wilderness. Krakauer is a news journalist so the book is very simple and biographical, which I really enjoyed. You find out right off the bat that McCandless dies while on his Alaskan adventure, so this kind of shapes your view of his journies throughout the story. I won't explain the whole story to you because I do recommend that you read the book, but I will tell you that the most moving part of his whole story is his redemption. While affecting many lives during his journey, McCandless never seemed to allow for real intimacy with his relationships; his ideals and grand plans blinded him from seeing the importance of these relationships. In the end he seemed to have had a realization that would have changed his whole life. His last journal entry said, "Happiness is only real when shared." No matter how much beauty there is in the world, how many real experiences, how close you can become with nature, there is no way to find happiness outside of realtionships. Of course, our happiness comes from our relationship with God, but from this relationship streams our relation to our neighbors. For McCandless, he saw the beauty of God's creation, but only truly found his happiness in the glory of God's most delicate creation, His people. Nature is easy to deal with, easy to interact with. But a human, a person, a friends is the "most complicated thing on earth." This is where God's glory shines. The fact that you can find people with whom you can relate and have that inexplicable connection shows the true glory of God. How is it that two people can see glimpses of themselves in each other? How is it that people can find so much joy just being around each other? How is it that people can never have met you and immediately feel like your brother? Here we see his power, His majesty, His love. He loves us so much that he gave us His Son to die, so that we can die for each other, so that we can live among each other. Live among His beauty, die for His people. This is happiness.

My Picks:

Music: Iron & Wine- Around the Well- My favorite song is "God made the Automobile."

For the Girls: Awesome book by one of my favorite bloggers.

For the Boys: Well, I was saddened to find out that Manchester lost to Barcelona 0-2, but then i remebered that NOBODY LIKES SOCCER ANYMORE, so just ignore all that I just said:) Instead, i'll leave you with a quote I liked from Bob Dylan's autobiography: " My destiny was shining silver in the sun. Life had lost its toxic effect."

I'm in a band this summer and its going to be awesome. I'll put some music up here once we get some recorded:)

And I will never stop loving this poem.

Dancing Toward Bethlehem

If there is only enough time in the final
minutes of the twentieth century for one last dance
I would like to be dancing it slowly with you,

say, in the ballroom of a seaside hotel.
My palm would press into the small of your back
as the past hundred years collapsed into a pile
of mirrors or buttons or frivolous shoes,

just as the floor of the nineteenth century gave way
and disappeared in a red cloud of brick dust.
There will be no time to order another drink
or worry about what was never said,

not with the orchestra sliding into the sea
and all our attention devoted to humming
whatever it was they were playing.

~Billy Collins

In honor of Easter time

2009-05-09T21:56:00.000-04:00

Now that we're older, we have to take our own Easter picture. Good thing we dressed up.

Sixty Nine

2009-05-05T01:43:00.000-04:00

Okay okay. I'll post...but only because you begged me:)

I've been thinking about something that is really out of the ordinary, but it's something that is pretty interesting to me.

It's an understatement to say that gangs are a big problem in America today, but its true. They're everywhere: in every state, in every city, even in our own neighborhoods. My dad has gotten to speak to police officers who are working against the huge problem in Baltimore City, and it is much closer to home than we would ever think. The scary about many of these gangs is that the initaitions involve not just shooting a police officer or taking out a member of a rival gang; many times they involve random people. For the Crips, one of the primary gangs throughout America with a strong representation in Baltimore, they supposedly have to 'slash' some random person wearing the color red, which is obviously the color of their rival gang. I know hardly any of the logistics of gang related violence in Baltimore, but this PDF is definately interesting.

I know one of the biggest problems with the whole gang issue is that even when criminals are caught, they can conduct their dealings from within jail. This brings me to my next point: Why hasn't this helped the cause of the death penalty? I know this is just one small factor in the whole debate, but honestly, I cannot imagine that it would not solve this problem, among all the other problems we have with criminals in America. By getting rid of the gang members, we get rid of the gangs. I know its more complicated than that, but then again, I think simple solutions are usually the best.

So, now for something lighter:)

Ashley and I spent some time together in Pullman yesterday and had a wonderful time hanging at a really great coffee shop (open till 2 AM all finals week!). On our way back we went for a drive and I finally found the place I've been looking for! Sometimes it just feels great to get in the car and drive out towards the mountain or the fieds or the other fields and just take it all in. The other day, I got myself, my jeep, a salted french loaf and some butter and headed out on some windy road towards Moscow Mountain. I kept on coming over hills hopeing for a great 'take your breath away' moment,but it never happened.

But yesterday, we drove out a different way. We fell upon the most beautiful road and the perfect place to watch the sun set over miles of golden fields. I've never seen anything like it in my life. But, since we were a little too early and Ash had to get her hubersband dinner, we missed the sun set. Hopefully, before I leave for home in a few short weeks, I'll get to go back out there and get my breath taken away.

Photos by Ashley

My Picks:

Movie: Gosh, I haven't seen a movie since Ash and Bran took me to see Fast and the Frickinridiculous with them. The Office has been amazing lately:

Michael: "I'm not a man to be truffled with."

Music: Coconut Records- Davy. Great Album. I love Saint Jerome and Drummer.

For the Girls: The new Anthropologie catalogue is so great.

For the Boys: This story about 'hunkering down' made me laugh so hard. I had no idea that could be a fad.

Sixty Eight

2009-04-15T00:49:00.000-04:00

Oh boy. Here goes a 10 minute post.

I was just listening to a Postal Service song and I'm pretty sure it's a Whitney Houston cover'take a look at me now'? Its just ridiculous.
The Shakespear Retold BBC series is awesome. Rachel and I were both sick today so part of our mending included watching Macbeth while eating a lucious salad, salted French bread from the Coop, and some Layer Cake Shiraz (on recommendation from Ray's mom). For sick college students, we live pretty well.
On Monday night, Steve, Kenny, Matt, Ty, and I went to some of the empty silos in town and sang and played guitar. That should definitly be in one of those 'do 100 things before you kick the bucket' books. I'll never forget that.
Gosh it feels good to really communicate. It's funny how you get in this rut of just making small talk and keeping things polite and cordial, but when you actually talk, it's just such a release. It's good to know what's going on, and even when you don't know exactly what's going on, its a good time to excercise trust.
Yeah the 10 minute thing didn't work.
I'm really excited to be singing with Steve H. and his band this summer. We're hopefully going to play at some places around home and maybe do some recordings. The music is a really great mix of rock, pop, folky stuff.
This summer is going to be good. "The Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him." ~ Psalm 32:10.

My Picks:

Music: Damien Jurado- And now that I'm in your shadow

Movie: Shakespeare Retold Macbeth

For the Girls: So cute and simple

For the Boys: This is probably the best music video ever.

Sixty Seven

2009-04-04T01:51:00.000-04:00

I've been informed that I haven't posted since March. It is April. I'm sorry.

I guess my heads been a mess lately and i need to do some cleaning. And now that I have felt what 60 degreed feels like, I think I can call it 'Spring Cleaning.' Anyways, the term is a few weeks from the end and I think we can make it. My mom always encouraged me with Phillipians 4:6-7 and it has really given me a good focus lately:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I love that God's peace surpasses all comprehension. It wouldn't be half as refreshing if we knew how to control it. All we can do is ask in thanksgiving and it's freely given. I think this is another place where Scripture tells us to do something, becuase our natural inclination is to not do it. Here, of course, tells us that we are anxious and that it is hard for us to humble ourselves before the Lord and just ask Him for the desires of our hearts. Our Rhetoric teacher was talking about the narrative of history and how as Christians we have the ability to believe in things like actual Giants and Dragons and unicorns. It sounds ridiculous, but what's to say that Scripture is speaking purely figuratively in these particular places? Why can't the laviathon have been a huge fire breathing dragon, just as Scripture says it was? Of course, many suggest figurative interpretation, but there is no reason to believe that a dragon like this never existed. To take it further back to Phillipians, whose to say that your most ridiculous requests are too great to be heard? We can practically beleve in anything as Christians. We have boundless hope. Ask and the peace of the Lord will flood your eyes. Even if it doesn't turn out the way you had wished at the time, God is so great that he turns your heart to His desire, so that his will is what you desire. Ask your crazy questions. Pray for your far fetched wishes. There is nothing like the peace of the Lord. It can't be comprehended.

My Picks:

Music: Tom Waits Closing Time- Thanks to Brother. And Vetiver, thanks to Stereopathic, whom everyone should listen to Wednesday nights at 8:30 Iderho time.

Movie: Duck Soup- Marx Brothers.

For the Girls: So Sweet

For the Boys: A little late for April Fools but this is awesome. An April Fools from 1957.

Sixty Six.1

2009-03-24T23:53:00.000-04:00

We had a great lecture today in Rhetoric as we start our term on Delivery. Basically, Mr. W was describing how everything that 'is' is a visible word. God speaks everything into existence, so anything that happens is from his mouth. The greatest volcanic eruption to the tiniest snowflake on your eyelash is spoken. It is spoken into existence as a part of His narrative, of which you are a part. He explained how it's funny to watch Michael Scott on The Office, but once you have your own Michael Scott, we have the tendency to grip and complain. However, we should laugh. We should laugh at the fact that our part of His narrative has a ridiculously obnoxious guy in it. Seeing our lives as part of a story enables us to choose what kind of character we ourselves will be in the story. Will we choose to be the hero? Or will our actions show us that we are truely the snotty cousin? Everyone has hardships, but all of these are simple a line on the page. We work through them, rejoicing in the fact that it's not the end of the story. His story is eternal. And we get to be a part of the eternal epic. Let the poem shape you.

Sixty Six

2009-03-24T02:47:00.001-04:00

I was scared to post becuase this is number sixty six. Only one six away from you know what.

I wasn't scared. I just forgot. I'm sorry...

My momma likes to read my po'try, so I made this blog for her. We're doing poetry this term in Rhetoric, and I thought that would be a fun way to keep track of it. Be warned. Most of it will suck. Some hopefully will be decent. And maybe, just maybe, one will shine like the morning star...oh boy, I'm off to a grrrreat start. By the way, I have never actually seen the morning star and therefore find it hard to believe that it exists. But thats beside the point.

My Picks:

Music: Amos Lee- His first album is amazing. "All My Friends" is one of the most understatedly beuatiful melodies i've heard in a while.

Movie: Slumdog Millionaire - Awesome. nuff said.

For the girls: Oh I would live here forever.

For the Boys: WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR HOOD! Man U has lost its second game in two weeks. Please clap your hands to make them come back.

Sixty Five

2009-03-09T18:14:00.000-04:00

Hello Monday, my old friend. Sorry I've haven't seen you in a really long time, I've just been ridiuculously busy, which is a lame excuse I know, but it's still an excuse. Anyways, my days have been filled with school, music, reading, eating, baking, etc. I've been reading a great Billy Collins collection called Sailing Alone Around the Room and have just fallen in love with his writing. I made a delicious choclate cake yesterday, one of those flourless-ish, really dense cakes, while we watched "Breakfast at Tiffany's". And later of course we had some friends over to help us eat it and drink. But let me tell you, Monday, today is the beginning of finals week and actually I'm ok with that. I started my week off by listening to a good thesis presentation, setting things straight with a friend, and finishing my math final. It's always good when you finally get things straight. Honesty is the only way to let someone know exactly where you stand and hopefully, they will see that they can be honest with me as well. As much as I love the weekend, you always seem to cushion the blow of the rest of the week ahead. Thanks for being my friend, even though I hated you when I was younger, even though I ignored your hello, even though I tried to avoid you every Sunday night. I'm glad we made up.

I was in Jeremiah Grauke's EP release concert this Saturday night and it went really great. There were over 100 people there and everyone realy seemed to have enjoyed themselves. This is the song "Salem Stomps" and I'm singing backup. Yes, I was wearing a black turtle neck so it does look like I am just a floating head. I have the amazing power to get the EP for anyone who wants it so give me a shout and I will have one in your hands before you can say "duh huippy birtday." and i know every one of you reading that last bit just took a second to go, "wait, what do I have to say? duh hipey wha?? ooooooooooooo!!!! the little mouse from Cinderella! Great cinematical reference, Jen!"

My Picks

Music: Southeast Engines- I just heard them on the radio and they're awesome. And on Daytrotter. Seriously, if you haven't gotten addicted to daytrotter yet, I could use you as my accountablity partner, becuase I have way too much already and i can't seem to stop.

Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany's

For the Girls: Obviously, I'm crazy about the style from that movie. So simple and classic.

For the Boys: This is just awesome to me.

A sentence starts out like a lone traveler
heading into a blizzard at midnight,
tilting into the wind, one arm shielding his face,
the tails of his thin coat flapping behind him.

There are easier ways of making sense,
the connoisseurship of gesture, for example.
You hold a girl's face in your hands like a vase.
You lift a gun from the glove compartment
and toss it out the window into the desert heat.
These cool moments are blazing with silence.

The full moon makes sense. When a cloud crosses it
it becomes as eloquent as a bicycle leaning
outside a drugstore or a dog who sleeps all afternoon
in a corner of the couch.

Bare branches in winter are a form of writing.
The unclothed body is autobiography.
Every lake is a vowel, every island a noun.

But the traveler persists in his misery,
struggling all night through the deepening snow,
leaving a faint alphabet of bootprints
on the white hills and the white floors of valleys,
a message for field mice and passing crows.

At dawn he will spot the vine of smoke
rising from your chimney, and when he stands
before you shivering, draped in sparkling frost,
a smile will appear in the beard of icicles,
and the man will express a complete thought.

Winter Syntax Billy Collins

Sixty Four

2009-03-04T23:14:00.000-05:00

I came up with a my own recipe!!!!

Pan fry( ashley thinks this is funny, i don't know why:) a chicken breast

Take off of the pan and put in a littlebit of chicken broth.

add some mustard and honey. and some cream.

and salt and pepper.

and olive oil. at the beginning. before you put the chicken in.

put the chicken back in and let it soak up the sa

uce.

take out of the pan. put on plate. cut with fork and possibly knife. like so.

I think I sprained a rib from laughing with Ash about this recipe.

By the way, it is called "chicken with salt and pepper and honey and mustard and chicken broth and cream. oh and olive oil."

Sixty Three

2009-02-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

Oh boy, it's been a while:)

My brother was out here for just about a week and I don't know any time that's gone by quicker. On Wednesday, we got in the car and drove Northwest, I suppose, and ended up in a town called Elk River, near the Elk River...it was pretty rainy, but nothing beats being in the mountains hearing on the rain and the sound of snow melting down in a stream.

I've had some great nights this week and managed to marginally keep up with schoolwork, even though it is getting pretty close to Finals week.

This term has been awesome:

My Latin vocabulary and ability to string together snarky sentences has increased, albeit only slightly. And I'm way too used to saying "ita" outside of class. People think I'm a Latin dork. And I'm ok with that:)
The other day in Math, our teacher showed us this great drawing of Kepler's view of the Solar System:
We decided that the Instrument that most fits my voice is the oboe. I don't know how I feel about that.
In Lordship, we've been reading Pastor Wilson's books and they've just been a great reminder of God's faithfulness and blessings when we follow His law. It's great to have parents who remind you of who you are and where you're going.

My Picks:

Movie: Once

Music: A.A. Bondy- here's some free music

For the Girls: Check out Old Navy's big sale. Jeans for $19.

For the Boys: I'm still trying to figure this out, but McSweeney's is a literary journal and their website has some pretty cool stuff.

Sixty Two

2009-02-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

On Valentines Day, You have to make a choice: either gripe and complain about how it's such a commercial holiday, really only meant to make single people gorge themselves on chocolate in hopes that this will eventually turn their luck around, OR rejoice in the blessings of good friends, good food, awesome chocolate coupled with self-discipline, and people who truly love you beyond superficial flowers and love notes. We single people are so quick to look at 'love' and say, "Lame." The thing about love is that it is the end and beginning of everything in existence and beyond. The universe was created in love. Christ died out of love. We live to love. Our lives eventually boil down to how we view our relationships with other people, whether this be your family, friends, strangers, or soul mates. Everyone appreciates flowers and love notes. But, I think we would appreciate these alot more if they did not appear on Valentines Day. We've all heard this before, but love shouldn't just show one day out of the year, just towards the love of your life: "Love never fails." Chesterton said, "Christianity is centrifugal: it breaks out." The same is true for love; with a godly view of our relationships, we have to make sure that no one hates Valentines Day.
Maybe I should have written this last week, but its out there now:) I had a lovely Valentines Day and I hope you did too. Sorry for stealing the idea, but here you go:

For Valentines:

All who have good parents, wives, husbands, or children, may be sure that at some times… they are loved not because they are lovable but because Love Himself is in those who love them.
~C.S. Lewis The Four Loves

We express the wish that you were here and hide the wish that we were where you are.
~Billy Collins American Sonnet

I hate your pancakes, but I love you.
~Zelig

Ask me no more where those stars 'light
That downwards fall in still of night;
For in your eyes they sit, and there
Fixed become as in their sphere...
~Thomas Carew

Love is allegiance, action, and affection.
~John Frame

Love is friendship set on fire.
~Jeremy Taylor

But, of course, ceasing to be 'in love' need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense- love as distinct from 'being in love'- is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God.
~ C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
~Colossians 3:14

My Picks:
Music: Devotchka- New World
Movie: I'm substituting TV in here. The Office is continually getting better. These last couple of episodes are hilarious. "And we're off! Like a herd of turtles."
For the Girls: Best mascara ever.
For the Boys: Finally! Man U is at the top.

My New Quote Blog

Awesome Dinner by Ty

Off to West of Paris

Sixty One

2009-02-09T02:48:00.000-05:00

Meet Benedict.
He is our Celestial Goldfish.

Gaze upon the awesomeness of his eyes.

I was trying to think of something to write about and I realized that I have had really lame posts lately, so i'm trying to figure out a way to make my blog more interesting.
First, I'm adding a "For Whoever" section.
Second, I'm am going to try to have something that I have created on here as well, such as a poem, lyrics, crafty thing, or photo. I've have had a huge lapse in creativity lately, so hopefully that will help me, if only a little.
Lastly, I can't think of any other things to do to make this more exciting, so any suggestions would be great. I'll do anything. Almost.

My Picks:
Music: My Chemical Romance "Teenagers". Wow. Pretty old song, definitely worth listening to again. It sounds a lot like a Fratellis song.
Movie: The Royal Tenenbaums
For the Girls: I love this blog. Also, these photos are beautiful and for sale. I love the "Twinkle" one so much.
For the Boys: I think this site is a good alternative to not being able to afford the magazine. But being able to afford the magazine would rock. I wish I was Bearded.
For those who have a strong attachment to anything their Grandma taped for them as children: I remember watching this at Granny's in the blue room (blue walls, carpet, and bedspread) and absolutely loving the scene with champagne.

Here's my little poem for this week. I try to hard. But that ok because that's exactly what I"m trying to do:)

I sit
Staring at a scrawny tree
held up by a bamboo shoot
Yearning to become a part.
The tree reaches its arms
towards a shelf of magazines.
'Run away from the light,
Lest ye become what ye crave.'

Too skinny and decorative are you
To have a chance to be ripped apart.
Too young and green are you
To be rideculed for your years.
Too far from the window are you
To be corrupted by the view.

But I,
Thin and pretty
A baby and naive
Sheltered from outside,
Will be pulled, sneered and spun into the dirt.

But through eyes one sees the world outside.
Leaves cannot see His light.
They feel it, yes, but only as such.
The difference between thee and me?
I, a soul, and thee, a tree.

There you have it. I like the idea, but I think I need to read more poetry in order to make any honest attempt at a good poem of my own:)

Sixty

2009-01-31T22:21:00.000-05:00

Late nights, new music, good drinks and swell friends make the moon shine a bit brighter.

There's this guy. I can't stop thinking about him. He makes my heart still beat. He lived in Moscow, so we have that in common. He says things in a way that I've never been able to imitate and never will. I'm pretty sure he made a deal with the Forms. I envy his ability to speak so plainly, yet so perfectly. His name is Josh Ritter. He rocks my world.*

My Picks:
Movie: Rocknrolla- pretty good new Guy Ritchie movie. It was not as good as Snatch but it was worth a watch.
Music: Josh Ritter- Hello Starling
For the Girls: My mom and I totally saw her in Central Park with her family.
For the Boys: Please buy me a house in Santorini. Live on the edge. I think it's a great idea.

What's up with all these "look at my fat belly and be inspired to lose 25 pounds" ads? Gross. Groooooosssss.

*This paragraph might sound somewhat creepy, but I really think this guy is just about the best songwriter of our time. "I'd rather be the one who loves than to be loved and never even know." Perfect.

Fifty Nine

2009-01-26T01:27:00.000-05:00

I watched the Inaugural Address. I have to say that I really don't fear Barack Obama. I really don't think he's got the guts to turn our nation into China, nor the ability to actually change our nation into anything that couldn't be undone relatively quickly. What scares me are his followers. He has become a messiah, based purely off of the color of his skin. Would Oprah have cried if HIlary Clinton had won? I doubt it. Even though she would have been making history as the first woman President, Hilary would not have had a religion built around her name. But Obama, making history as the first Black President, has millions of men, women, and children screaming his name because he is making history. The problem is not Obama but the wake he will leave behind him.
It made me laugh that he felt the need to say the word "humble" over and over. "Let me remind you all. That I am. Humble." hehe.

He's a great speaker and I do understand how he is the symbol of Equality for Americans. I can't imagine viewing someone of a different skin color as any less of an image bearer than I. God has blessed America in so many ways that us Conservatives seem to look over. I was telling my brother that the bad things of this world look so bad becuase they are abnormal; they stick out to us. THis means that the good things that happen are the norm. It is so easy for us to fall into this pessimistic view of the world and our nation and forget that we live in a place where we can talk about Christ, where we don't have to worry about bombs in the distance getting closer. Our streets are paved with gold compared to the rest of the world, and yet we are so quick to say it's all going to pot. My mom and I wonder why we were born in the country, state, house, decade we were born in. I can't imagine being born anywhere other than to my family in MD in 1989. I could have been born into a muslim family in Iraq just in time for the war. As bad as things look for us, we have to remeber that the bad things are abnormal. Let's dwell on the good and trust in God's sovereign power, as He is the one who administers Obama's power, whether Obama likes it or not.

Kind of just rambling. But it felt good:)

My Picks
Music: Say Hi - "Spiders"
Movie: Coffee and Cigarettes- It's slow but entertaining.
For the Girls: I love this stuff
For the Boys: Awesome

These make me laugh.

Awkward Stance

We're so artsy

Butter. On a Plate.
Yup.

Fifty Eight

2009-01-20T02:17:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to find a minute to write about something of substance, but I just can't seem to find one. The trip back was great, I've already read a whole book since I got back and I'm trying to make this 9 to 5 school thing work, but it's all good. I'm thinking I might change my posting day to saturday, when i actually might have some time to post. We'll see. Thank God for good friends, warm boots and Reeses.

I love this picture taken by Ty, of Anastasia and I in Baltimore.

My Picks:
Music: The Postal Service- this was my aeroplane music. And it was the perfect companion to Twilight, which was my last guilty read before I hit the ol' Great Books course again.
Movie: Arrested Development again. Season 2 Finale.
For the Girls: TOAST sale!!
For the Boys: It's sad to think that we have to pick between the Cardinals and the Steelers, but I'm gonna have to go East coast. So, I can't believe I'm saying this, but...GO STEELERS!!! and you should too:)

Fifty Seven

2009-01-12T23:24:00.000-05:00

It's hard getting ready to leave home again to head back to school. I've had such a wonderful, relaxing time being home with my family and I just don't want to leave the huge dinners, long talks and good company behind. Seeing as to how I'm not coming home for spring break, I won't be home until May. Being in January, that seems like an age and a half. But I know that once I get back to school and into work again, the time will fly by and I'll be home again for the summer. It's funny how when you want time to go slowly, it speeds right on by. When you want it to speed on by, it drags along like cake batter. It totally depends on you, though, and not on what you are doing in order to make time pass. A cigarette can seem to last for hours if you sit and watch the smoke flow into the clouds; but you can blow through a pack in a matter of minutes when your mind is clicking through the facets of the conversation you just had that brought you to tears. Reading a book in the doctor's office makes the clock tick faster, but reading on your front lawn in the springtime seems like an eternity. It's nice when you can capture time and make it your own; when you stop and savor, enjoy. Life should be like that. We should take the time to stare at the smoke, knowing that soon it will be finished. But boy, was it great while it burned:)

My Picks:
Music: Ryan Adams- Love is Hell- I'm liking it. Thanks Anastasia:)
Movie: I honestly haven't watched any movies worth recommending lately, but I really want to watch The Count of Monte Cristo. I think I will.
For the Girls: I just got this funnnnn shirt and I found the best deal of my life shopping with Anna. Ralph Lauren. Linen Pants. My exact size. New with tags. $129. I paid one dollar and six cents. Oh yeah.
For the Boys: I think more people should pop their pea coat collar. Say that ten times fast. And then do it. It looks good.

“Promise me you'll never forget me because if I thought you would I'd never leave.” ~Winnie the Pooh

Fifty Six

2009-01-05T19:44:00.000-05:00

My friends make me laugh:)

A couple minutes before 2009

I love the color of this sky

Turned out pretty cool

It's Stephen!

Kenny in the Sky

I'm pretty sure he was grabbing the rope from the picture...maybe

It seems the Economic misery struck Santa pretty hard too. This is his annual gift of pajamas at our front door. In a bag.

Happy Flippin Holiday's

Oh, Back in the Burn. This made my day.

Mia.

Who Knew?

The Family.

That was Fun.

One of my greatest thanksgivings is that my best friends are right in my family. I've been so blessed to have a Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister that happen to be my best friends. It always seems like the coolest thing to gather up your friends and hang out all the time and i can actually say that it is. It is amazing to come home to MD to people I can just sit and talk with for hours. It's great to share my secrets with someone and just laugh at the silly things we've done while we were apart. And then to be able to live with family at school is something I will remeber for the rest of my life. In this day and age, it seems "lame" to hang out with your family, like you actually liked them or something:) I would have the world throw one earth sized tomato at me if it meant I could chill with my family. I love 'em dearly.

My Picks:
Music: The Decemberist's- I love the song "California One."
Movie: I'm Not There
For the Girls: Anthropologie Dress
For the Boys: Coolest Adventure Ever. For $9,000. But it's still awesome.

Sentimental.
I've been feeling that way lately.

We're Growing Up and Growing Close.
Becoming Friends again is good.

With the Moon in mind, we see God.

Fifty Five.2

2008-12-31T18:29:00.000-05:00

I realized that I've been writing for over a year now and have found that it is most enjoyable to look back and read some of my older posts (I especially like the Ireland journal in the twenties:). It's funny to look back and see just the amount of "things" that you've done. This year has been rather monumental for my family and I. You know how sometimes you feel like you're in a movie? I have had way too many scenes just this past year. The director seems to like some drama, a little romance, and lots of comedy. The nice thing about this movie is that it lasts a lot longer than 2 hours. I got to savor the drama, swoon in the romance and laugh until my toes hurt during the comedy. And of course, I've had some wonderful co-stars:) It was a good year.

My Picks:
Music: Frightened Rabbit
Movie: I'm gonna put TV in here this week: Arrested Development- "Justice is Blind"
For the Girls: Here's to you DIY'ers. Go have some fun
For the Boys: It's New Years. Make a resolution. I swear to _______. Do it. Be bold. Just do it. Now.

Fifty Five

2008-12-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

This weekend was great: smoked a pipe, drank some wine, ate crabs... maybe that's why I'm sick:) It was great getting to see the family and just having everyone around. There's nothing better than lots of family on Christmas. I'll post again tomorrow fo sho.

It's really funny hearing Bob Dylan sing a piano ballad, but this one makes me happy:

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

There are a couple new photos I added to my Flickr box at the bottom:)

Fifty Four

2008-12-22T16:03:00.000-05:00

Praise God we all got home safe and sound:) Yesterday was crazy, but my flights were short and smooth. My bag is a little delayed but it should be here tonight; I just really don't want a "Meet the Parents" situation.

It feels great to be home! Not much has changed, except for the fact that we have a fake Christmas tree, which really looks beautiful, and my dog has made friends with everyone. Everything is else is pretty much the same. Except me. I'm eight weeks different.

I have tons of things I want to write down and with these new moleskins Ash gave me, I decided to start on the plane. After writing a declamation about fishing, I realized that beacuase I have so many great memories from fishing that I will soon forget, I ought to write them down. They may seem simple to you, but I can picture every moment and I hope you can at least get the idea. So here's the first one:

Fish Tales

Grandad's house was always the best place to get that perfect summer memory, only found amongst family, pausing for a few moments from the hot tempest of the everyday. It's funny how growing up, your family consists of mom, dad, brother, sister, until one day when you realize that your friend could be your brother, your classmate could be your cousin. Anna is my sister and this I found this one day spent on the Cornfield Creek dock. With the burn of Old Bay still tingling on our hands from that afternoon's crabs, Anna and I spotted a fish in the shallows and made a plan: "Go grab that 5 gallon bucket," I said, "and I'll get the rope. We will get that monster of a fish!" The 4 inch long sunfish floated on unaware of the danger soaring a foot above it's head. I dropped the bucket into the water, waiting for it to rest on the bottom, and the fish to graciously swim into the middle. But alas, the shallows were in fact, shallow; Too shallow for little bucket. "Turn it sideways and scoop it up," she tells me. I turn the bucket sideways, hoping our little target won't notice our sly tactics. Forty-five minutes of swooping our weapon back and forth over the peaceful home of our fish lead me to believe that the only kind of person that would join me in this battle of pea-size brain to pea-size brain would be someone related to me. "We must be related," I thought. At the forty-sixth minute however, either my amazing speed or the fish's understanding that if he just let me catch him, he would probably be freed, lead our little man right into my bucket. Before we tossed him back into the creek in a glorious "Free Willy" moment, Anna and I paraded around the battlegrounds declaring that, "Yes, we did catch a fish with a bucket."

My Picks:
Music: Whitley- Found him on Daytrotter. He's mellow, but sweet.
Movie: I'm Reed Fish
For the Girls: We all should have these. Nice for summer, but these are awesome for really cold days.
For the Boys: Gregg's pick.

Fifty Three

2008-12-16T23:31:00.000-05:00

It finally snowed! I think we got about 6", but just the chill is bad enough. I had to walk 2 minutes to my car coming home today and I definately felt some inside-the-nose freezage. I think Bucer's said it was 5 degrees. It's cold.
So the last couple nights people have been at our house and boy has it been fun. On Sunday night, I walked upstairs to Kenny and Ty attempting to not be distracted by the pig-faced goblin behind the roaring fire in the living room. Then I walked down to our kitchen to find Caleb doing some Irish jig while he played the violin for Rachel and Kate. It was pretty picturesque.
Last night, we had Kate, Tianna, Caleb, Jeremiah, Kenny, and Sampson over for a study break of coffee and pie which ended with us all in the living room, singing from the cantus with Caleb on violin, Rachel on Viola and Jeremiah on guitar. And then Jeremiah gave us our own little concert of some of his songs until about midnight. It was epic.
Finals week...not so bad:)

This time next week I'll be home sweet home.

My Picks
Music: I'm just going to put one song up here- "Silly Love Songs" -Wings. Oh, It's too high Paul:)
Movie: 12 Monkeys- I thought it was fun. And Bruce Willis rocks.
For the Girls: Awesome photo- ordering website.
For the Boys: This made me laugh.

I thought this was cute:

Its funny how the city mirrors the sky,

Where the street lamps and the stars collide.

Staionary speck of dust are all

they seem to you and yours.

But to me and mine they are

The points by which we sail,

The Books by which we kiss,

The soul of our illumined homes.

The stars in all their glory be,

Only part of what you are to me.

Fifty Two

2008-12-09T01:50:00.000-05:00

It's better to dwell on the positive, so I'm going to glance over the fact that I had an amazingly bad day today, and skip to the fact that I had an amazingly, unforgettably good weekend. My computer crashed last night, so I can't post any pictures. Instead, here is a song that I love:

Hand me down the picture
Of you leaving unsaid
I know how simple it gets
But say by chance I need you
Will you always be there
And I will lie with you neath the beeches
On the strand again
I'm learning to hand it over
To whatever Lord there be
And in the same old colours
I'll be dressed for thee
But it's not about that though is it?
It's about you and me
I hung your feet
That famous painting above my bed
And you told me a story
About some guy who kept his head
He drowned neath the Southport
Near the pier where we stand

And I will lie with you neath the beeches
On the strand again

My Picks:
Music: The Frames- Here Come the Night- They did a radio recording a few years back. I can't find a copy of the cd anywhere (Christmas wish:), but some of the songs are on imeem.com.
Movie: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It's winter, 'nuff said.
For the Girls: Heels are great for climbing ladders. Remember that.
For the Boys: Sucks to be Him.

Fifty One

2008-12-02T21:32:00.000-05:00

I've been crazy busy...well not really. I was at Bucer's last night and forgot to post, so sorry:)
Rachel and I finally went to CRF last night at the U of I and it couldn't have been any better timing for me. I've been working hard but have had a pretty distracted mind, and the talk was just what I needed to hear to get my focus back on track. After Bucer's last night, I went for a drive in the rain, mostly because by the time I got home my car had warmed up and I really didn't want to get out. So, I circled around Moscow (yes, it's small enough to circle around), heard this really weird barbershop quartet singing the song "Christianity is Stupid, Communism is Good" and then just sat in my car for a while, listening to the rain and watching the steam slide off my hood. I realized, as I have many times before, that I work best when I have a particular goal in mind; I can see the end and the means to that end, and I make a plan to get there. Even though I have two years planned for NSA, I feel like I need to figure out what I want to work towards for after school. In high school, it was helpful to know that college came next. In college, "the real world" is not a very tangible goal. At the same time, I know that a temptation of mine is to become anxious about not knowing how something will work out, so I want to exercise trust, while figuring out a direction. I'm just now starting to look for opportunities, whether that be more school, more time out of school, traveling, etc. So, keep your ears out for any kind of opportunity. I really need a dead rabbit to chase:)

My Picks:
Movie-Thank you for Smoking- I think this is the third time i've put this up here, but it's one of my favorites.
Music: David Gray
For the Girls: Cute Earmuffs because its almost time for SNOW and CHRISTMAS!!
For the Boys: I'm surprised this man has not been made a deity.

Fifty

2008-11-28T14:29:00.000-05:00

Today I woke up and decided that I want to be sentimental, so i started to write my post and realized that I was pretty much copying something a friend wrote, so I decided to save that one for new years (since it was sentimental, and who doesn't like sentimental on new years?) My roomate and I stayed in town for Thanksgiving so we went to Seattle with my sister and our friend Kate. The drive through Washington is absolutely beautiful; I've never seen mountains like these:
We got to Seattle and saw THE SPACE NEEDLE!

For the next two days we shopped and explored the city. We ate at a fabulous restaurant called Canlis and had such a wonderful time. We were definitly the youngest diners by about 30 years, so they were happy to see us:)

My favorite part of the trip was the Market. My dad and I have a shared love of markets and the amazing ambiance that comes with being surrounded by sumptuous food, dirty floors and the possibilty of your toes being the underfoot of a stampede of rodents. There is nothing quite like it:) This market, however, was extremely clean and extremely overloaded with seafood, fruit, chilis, flowers, wreaths, photographs and pepper jam. I could have spent all day in there. Oh, and the whole market overlooks the bay, so while you're buying your $44.99 PER POUND Lobster Tail, you can look off into the bay and watch the ferry boats bring their next load of lucky cars across the water.
We also got some delicious Starbucks coffee at the original Starbucks. It honestly wasn't much inside, but I kind of wish more of them were like the original: all woods floors, a couple shelves, a simple bar and some benches.

A friend from school, who lives in Seattle, met up with us a got us tickets on a tour around the bay. Even though it was rainy, the ride was beautiful.

Everyone loved the city and our trip couldn't have been better.

My Picks:
Movie- Twilight- It was such a chick flick, but it was really enjoyable.
Music- Grand Archives- So good. Thanks Kenny!
For the Girls: I love this blog and so will you.
For the Boys: Get ya jerseys hea!

Three more weeks and then I go Home!!

Forty Nine

2008-11-17T18:49:00.000-05:00

Wow. That was a rough week. For those of you who heard I needed a hug and proceeded thus, thanks:)

This time next week, I will be in Seattle! I've obviosly never been, seeing as to how Moscow is the furthest West I've ever trekked. I'm super excited and I hear it's my kind of city;I hope I don't like it too much:)

Our kitchen is finally coming together little by little. Here's a handy dandy tip:) we took pages from this really pretty catalog, framed them and put in our kitchen and bathroom. They add just a little bit of coziness that was much needed. Salval and goodwill are our friends. I'll put some pics up soon.

I finally got to play soccer yesterday and am now feeling the aweful pain of not playing for two years and not running for much too long( I honestly can't remember how long). And I finally got to see Hot Rod, thanks to Kenny and his roomies, and can't wait to watch it with my Bro.

Here's a great poem.

My Picks:
Movie: Quantum of Solace- Not much story, but it was really enjoyable. And I happen to be related to a Bond Girl Look-a-like:)
Music: The Magic Numbers- I heard them on pandora and fell in love with them! My favorite song is called "Goodnight." Definitly worth checking out.
For the Girls: VS Love Spell Body Splash is the bomb
For the Boys: Whatever happened to Axe? It was the thing in Highschool and kind of faded away. It was kind of discusting, especially with names like "snake-peel." Anyways, Diesel should be your fuel for life. Haha. that was lame. And I didn't put the link there so you could buy it. That would be weird. But rather just to show you how cool the labeling is. I am the dumb american when it comes to perfume marketing.

Forty Eight

2008-11-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

This is super cute. It brings back fond memories of my Grandma's house:)

I'm 19. That's weird. Here are 19 things that I know are true:

The sky is blue
so are you
my knees are big
my kitchen is cozy
it smells like bacon (all the time:)
Vogue is da bomb
peanut butter tastes good with just about anything
John Legend is here to stay
I have cute friends
Music is the best connection
Food is the second best
This is where I want to be
This is exciting
Philippians 4:4-9 is a sanity saver
I miss my zebra blanket (among other things)
There is something to the idea that you only notice excellence once it's gone. My dad made this amazing cream of crab soup a couple years back. For some reason we didn't realize it at the time, but it was the best cream of crab soup the world ever had the chance to know.
I don't like liking a person. ha
MD > ID
19 of anything is really hard to think of. That's a lame way to end: I can't wait for Christmas.

My Picks:
Movie: Zelig- Its a "focumentary" as Ash calls it. It's a documentary of a fictional guy played by Woody Allen, who is a human chameleon.
Music: The Frames Burn the Maps
For the Girls: This looks too good.
For the Boys: Seriously? Would you ever pay that much for jeans? Calvin Klein sales are the way to go for cheap(er) nice jeans. And they look good too:)

Forty Seven

2008-11-03T23:43:00.000-05:00

I'm having a crazy week. School is pretty tough, but good. Prayer for my family is needed right now. Lots of stuff is going on that I wish I could be home for. But alas, I am where God wants me to be.

I've lately been listening music that strikes me as particularly autumnal. Here's a few:
Don't let me lonely tonight-James Taylor
The Meeting Place- The Last Shadow Puppets
Blue In Green- Miles Davis
D'Artagnan's Theme- Citizen Cope
City Love- John Mayer
Ordinary People- John Legend

John Legend's new CD came out this week and it's on it's way! I hear it's fabulous:)

My Picks:
Movie: Wristcutters- It is as morbid as it sounds, but is surprisingly redeeming. And cute.
Music: John Legend Evolver
For the Girls: I love this. And so does Ash.
For the Boys: You should get this one so we can match:)

I discovered that I was born on the same day as Johanna, The Insane, Queen of Castilie as well as Maria Schriver, Ethan Hawke and John Phillip Sousa.

Forty Six

2008-10-27T21:32:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures from the past few days:

Bucer's

How I do:)

My Sister on The Love Seat

Our Pumpkins

East City Park Leaves

I watched Manhattan again over the weekend and found some of these quotes:

"I think people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics."

"You know what you are? You're God's answer to Job, y'know? You would have ended all argument between them. I mean, He would have pointed to you and said, y'know, "I do a lot of terrible things, but I can still make one of these." You know? And then Job would have said, "Eh. Yeah, well, you win."

"Why is life worth living? It's a very good question. Um... Well, There are certain things I guess that make it worthwhile. uh... Like what... okay... um... For me, uh... ooh... I would say... what, Groucho Marx, to name one thing... uh... um... and Wilie Mays... and um... the 2nd movement of the Jupiter Symphony... and um... Louis Armstrong, recording of Potato Head Blues... um... Swedish movies, naturally... Sentimental Education by Flaubert... uh... Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra... um... those incredible Apples and Pears by Cezanne... uh... the crabs at Sam Wo's... uh... Tracy's face..."

My Picks:
Movie: Manhattan
Music: Jamie Cullum- Catching Tales
For the Girls: Super cute site, courtesy of Rachel
For the Boys: Poor Man U is falling behind... I am sad. But! You can watch some old matches on here and get your self caught up:)

Forty Five

2008-10-21T00:04:00.000-04:00

That was fun

I'm back at school and already have about 130 pages to read for tomorrow... but, thankfully, I feel no pain:) It feels really good to be back at school after break and back to a schedule of things that have to be done. My break was wonderful and warm; I couldn't have asked for a better vacation.

Here is a list of a couple of popular modern musicians/bands that I think we'll remember in 20 years:

John Mayer
Maroon 5
Ben Harper
Coldplay
Dashboard Confessional
Dave Matthews Band
The Frames
JET
John Legend
No Doubt

There is something about these musicians that feels bigger and more epic than bands like The Shins or The Postal Service. I'm not saying that I don't ever feel in the right mood to listen to The Shins or The Postal Service, but that's just it: you have to be in the right mood to listen to those two bands(and others). But the bands I listed are pretty much universally relateable in any mood. And they constanly make unique, genuinely good music.
Here are some that I can only hope will be in our heads in 20 years:

Sondre Lerche
Celine Dion ( I'm sorry, but she is my guilty, guilty pleasure:)
Arctic Monkeys
Allison Krauss
Damien Rice
Jewel
Jamie Cullum
The Killers
MUSE
Radiohead

That's just a few, but hopefully they will remain relatively entertaining.

Oh, Click "Follow this blog" for me; I like to see who is on the same wavelength as me:)

My Picks:
Music: See above ha
Movie: Only You- super cute romantic comedy in Italy. Annabanana- you better watch it; I don't think there is a movie out there that isn't more you than this one lol
For the Girls: Ahhhhhh somebody keep me away
For the Boys: I think you might enjoy this.

Forty Four

2008-10-15T17:53:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the late post:)

I'm trying to get as much as I can out of my break in MD. I have had fellowship dinner with my church (which involved lots of crabs), I had a tea party with my cousins, I saw a couple of friends for Anastasia's Birthday, I went downtown to hang with the girls, I went bowling with my mom and granny (Gran kicked our butts, well mostly mine, my mom did good:) and i drove to school to pick up my bro in 78 degree bliss with all the windows down. Having not been in school for a year, it took some hard work to do well at NSA, so this break feels amazing. Just being home with my family is a great feeling.

I read a book last summer called The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway. It was a beautiful story set in Pamplona, Spain folowing a group of Parisian Americans on vacation in Spain for the bullfights. I loved the book ( I was already a Hemingway fan) and became intrigued by the whole bullfighting scene. I got another book by Hemingway called Death in the Afternoon that is basically an explanation of bullfighting. I know there is the whole question of animal cruelty involved, but I haven't quite thought it all the way through. So far, I'm still intrigued by the beauty of the sport and I can't wait to read the rest of his book.

Here are some pictures from home:

My Travel Buddies

My Girls

My Lilly

My Sign

My Picks:
Music: Jeremiah Grauke's album is way fun. I really like the song "ask me why"
Movie: Transformers I liked it alot
For the Boys: Thanks to Mrs. Meyer for this link. It sums up everything. Learn it. Live it:)
For the Girls: AnnaBanana works at Madewell and is tempting me to spend all of my little moneys there. I could easily accomplish that task, especially with outfits like this one.

Here's Fitzy!

Forty Three. One

2008-10-07T15:31:00.001-04:00

I picked up this baby at Salvation Army for $5. It made me happy. And it's a real Dooney & Bourke.

Forty Three

2008-10-06T12:29:00.001-04:00

Pater noster, qui es in caelis,
sanctificetur Nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et dimitte nobis debita nostra
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,

sed libera nos a malo.

This is harder than I thought it would be

I know it's lame, but I'm omitting the "my picks" this week to save up for next week when I'm home, awake, and healthy. Cheers

Forty Two.One

2008-10-02T14:05:00.000-04:00

It must be good when in the middle of Finals I find myself thinking, "I love this stuff!" Whether that thought is subconsciously directed at the coffee I'm drinking or to the actual stuff I'm learning, I'm not quite sure. But I can tell you that I am definitely loving life.

Forty Two

2008-09-29T12:06:00.000-04:00

This is how we do

Lunch and Shopping in Spokane

Moscow Farmer's Market

We helped man a table at the market for the Students for the Relief of the Oppressed

West of Paris Chef Francis Foucachon making some crepes

The Gallery

My Best Friend...not

Keeping Idaho glamorous Party

My Picks:
Movie: IRON MAN- I just saw it for the first time and it rocked.
Music: Sondre Lerche- On daytrotter.com you can get all these free downloads of sessions musicians did for the site. Sondre Lerche has a get set, including the song "say it all" which sounds exactly like my bro...crazy
For the Girls: Report shoes
For the Boys: I think this is a nice summary