merry christmas from the family

this year's family christmas vacation included:

12 pounds of turkey

11 bottles of vino

10 types of dessert

9 sweet potatoes

8 rounds of game time

7 human beings

6 rowdy dogs

(+ 1 reclusive cat)

5 harry potter movies

4 inches (leftover) snow

3 christmas eve servies

2 grocery trips

and a partridge in our pear tree

"For to us a Child is born, 

to us a Son is given ...

and His Name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isa. 9:6

my favorite things

I got tagged, so here's my (belated*) list:

1. family time

2. movie dates with sis

(and all our other hang-out times, too)

3. niece

4. friends

friends at midtown = even better

5. FRIENDS

I mean, what's not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good! 

6. sunshine

7. sleeping in

8. books

9. stationery:
i buy way more than i use, but i'm trying to be better about that

10. photographs:
seeing them, taking them, creating them, having them ...

and now i'm tagging
peace, love, hotty toddy
three ices

*in case you're wondering, my unofficial life motto may or may not be better late than never ... 

what can brown do for you?

honestly, i think ups is wonderful.  but here's a message i've never gotten before: 

Tracking Detail
Your package has experienced an exception. Status:                                       Exception See description below Rescheduled Delivery Date:      12/21/2009  Date                       Description 12/18/2009              PKG DELAY-ADD'L SECURITY CHECK BY GOV'T                                OR OTHER AGENCY- BEYOND UPS CONTROL

i really want to know what went wrong.  

moonlight and mistletoe

last night, c and i ordered in pizza and watched made-for-tv hallmark movies, including Moonlight and Mistletoe.  the main characters were desperate to save their home, aka Santaville, where its Christmas all year long.  obvi, the movie made a lasting impression. 

10:06 AM

c: i bought our tickets for Santaville, we're leaving in 2 hours. Make sure to bring $8,000 to buy a hand craftsman nutcracker. Oh and also make sure your breath is fresh, you never know if you might get a kiss in the moonlight under the mistletoe ; )

me: i. can't. wait.  can we please ride in a one-horse open sleigh out to the covered bridge?  and we don't want to miss the tree lighting ceremony!

happy birthday to d

i've been thinking about you all thursday
(even if i wasn't around my computer enough to prove it).

i hope your bday was
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

don't forget to enjoy your cake-

i have some especially for YOU

enjoy!

oh, snap

i just discovered this on the lamp in my room.  not at my parents' house.  i am not even kidding.

apparently, it migrated. it had better be the only one.

weekend update: attack of the stink bugs

to fully understand this story, i'll give you some background history: it starts in high school.

junior or senior year, i started noticing a odd rash on my hands-  little bumps, like bites, maybe, or a weird allergic reaction to i had no idea what.  the bumps wouldn't last long, but they never fully went away; they'd disappear only to be replaced in new places, changing patterns every day.  i couldn't figure it out.

at the same time, i'd notice little bugs- tiny, flat, and brown- crawling on my bed.  not a lot, just a few every day or every couple of days.  i think i showed them to my mom one time, but neither of us recognized them for what they were.

then, it happened.  i woke up in the middle of the night.  something was crawling on me.  i turned on the light and stifled a scream.  the bugs were EVERYWHERE.  i slept in the hall that night.

until this point, i believed bed bugs to be a mythical creature than could be warded off with a shoe.

boy was i wrong.

i finally convinced my parents something terrible was happening.  (since bed bugs only come out at night, this took a few days to prove.)  one new mattress and an exterminator later, the bugs were finally gone.

fast forward to a few years ago:  my parents' house was invaded by a plague of stink bugs.  because i wasn't home at the time, i thought it was really funny.  now, as they linger, i find them extremely annoying.

saturday, i took a quick trip back home.  as i was turning back my covers that night, i realized that my bed was once again overrun- by stink bugs.  i lost it: i screamed bloody murder.  at which point i had to explain to my parents that i was okay but there was "an unholy number" of stink bugs on my bed.  and on my window shade.  i had a mild panic attack when two fell out of the blinds.  one by one, two by two, i flushed them down the toilet.  it's the only way to get rid of them.  and the whole time, i was re-living that night i woke up to find myself and my bed CRAWLING.  i thought i was going to faint.

thankfully, the trip was bookended by much pleasanter experiences.  i loved being with hsBFF and her new baby.  then, advent in rivermont and decorating the tree with hot chocolate and christmas carols.  as i said before, i always need a little christmas, and i can't wait to be home again for the real thing.

(hopefully, with no more bugs.)

need a little christmas

decorating for christmas is non-negotiable in my book.  after all, it is the most wonderful time of the year. so last week, i decked the halls.  or at least, our tree outside.  not much, but enough to bring in a little merry cheer; enough to tide me over till i'm home.  and since i'm in winston, i got us a moravian star as well.  the plan was to wrap the tree in lights, then plug the star into the lights, hanging it from the tree for that final touch.  it was going to be great.  here's the hitch:  the star doesn't plug into the lights; the outlet doesn't match.  and i couldn't find the adapter i needed (believe me, i tried).  so now our star is lighting the inside of our home, rather unconventionally, but who doesn't need a little extra light?

if you give a mouse a cookie

last night, i brush my teeth, turn off the light, hop in bed.

that's when i realize, i haven't taken my malaria pill for the week.  (this would be the med that helps me not get malaria, as i recently vacationed in a third world country.)

and since i don't want to get malaria, i get out of bed, take the pill with some water from the bathroom sink, get back in bed.

and then i start worrying about taking the pill on an empty stomach (mom); plus, it feels like it's sticking in my throat.

so, i get back out of bed, head for the kitchen, get a glass of water.

and i see my blueberries, sitting in the colander by the sink.

so i put them in the refrigerator.

and THAT's when i find my roommate's leftover-from-dinner pan of delicious brownies.

total. life. score.

i even brushed my teeth a second time before heading back to bed. 

thanksgiving? unbelizeable.

yes, thanksgiving was two weeks ago.

yes, i have been fairly slacking in the blog department.

but now i'm back, and don't you want to hear about my thanksgiving?

i thought so.

i like to think of it as the "extended family's great escape 2k9", aka BELIZE.

activities included snorkeling in the sea, zip-lining in the jungle, and tubing through the mayan caves.

skies may have been cloudy, but it was warm, and it was the beach.

yes, there was turkey- and lobster.

and we all enjoyed the view.

i've got mail

Pride and Prejudice [Special Edition] - Disc 1

Hello, We've shipped Pride and Prejudice [Special Edition] - Disc 1 to you. You can expect to receive it on or around Friday, November 27, 2009. Your friends at BLOCKBUSTER Online®

jane

recently, my sister and i have been watching our way through the novel-to-movie adaptations of jane austen's classics.

i've been inspired to pick up the originals, starting with mansfield park, "a subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, [and] one of jane austen's most profound works," and following that with northanger abbey, which "with its broad comedy and irrepresisible heroine, is the most youthful and optimistic of jane austen's works."

i highly recommend both.

*quotes taken from the back covers of featured penguin classics

never say never again

i've always thought of myself as the kind of person who "doesn't win things."  (maybe that's because i'm also the kind of person who doesn't enter contests.)
that status has officially changed.

thank you, instyle.  this calls for a manicure!

what not to wear

i think it's safe to say that my outfit from yesterday takes "casual friday" to a whole new level.  fleece + nike shorts + duck shoes?  sometimes it pays to have my job.

btw, the weather was 60 degrees and sunny.

i'm sure you were wondering.

tales from the brooklyn flea

weekend update: new york edition*

*yes, this is a bit belated, but it's been a busy week.  whatever. 

so, to recap last weekend's adventures in nyc- where do i begin? 

friday

5:00 land at jfk

5:30 hop in cab

cab driver: where to?

me: manhattan- w 12th, between 8th and greenwich

cab driver: WHERE? 

6:30 arrive at friend's apartment

we enjoy a low-key night, dinner followed by dessert at sweet revenge.  mmm, cupcakes. 

saturday

we prepared to start the day off right with brunch, but ... 

10:30 slam back of head into friend's dresser.  oops. 

it hurt like crazy, but i tell her (and myself) i feel fine.  

11:15 sit down at restaurant.  immediately, i do not feel fine. 

i try to keep from freaking out while we webmd "concussion." 

11:45 rush through brunch and back up to the apartment.  

i feel like i'm going to faint.  i have no idea what to do. 

12:15 roommate + her bf come back to apartment. 

we tell them my story.  bf checks my pupils to see if they dilate.

he tells me i'm fine.  i feel a huge wave of relief.  

saturday afternoon we walk along the highline before heading uptown to the moma,

then catch some football at brother jimmy's bbq. 

we round out the evening with a night at the new york comdey festival, 

followed by thai room service. 

i am continually thankful i don't have a concussion. 

sunday

11:00 we i sleep in (just a little bit) but rise and shine in time for ...

the brooklyn flea!  (i am SO excited.)

we meet up with another friend to trek across the brooklyn bridge, 

enjoy delicous pizza made hot right on the spot, 

and browse the wares, old and new. 

we each take home a treasure. 

perfect. 

sunday afternoon we relax, then i experience my first 

pinkberry on the way to church.  delicous. 

monday

6:30 sadly, i'm up at the crack of dawn to fly back to good ol' winston salem. 

thanks, friend, for a delightful trip! 

along the manhattan high line

my favorite movie star

(he lives across the pond)

love

fewer than 24 hours till i'm in this city, with this girl i love.

i. can't. wait.

where did it go?

it's been almost a week since hallowe'en.

the leaves have changed, the time has changed.

october is gone, and thanksgiving is weeks away.

all of a sudden, fall has flown by.

here's where it's gone:

time with family

time with friends

time with jane austen

leaves leaves leaves

don't you just love reynolda road in the fall?

crazy street

our next door neighbor does not want people parking in front of her house.  she emphasized her point by edging her front yard with cinder blocks.  they actually come in handy when giving directions- it's hard to miss "the yard with the cinder blocks".

yesterday, however, she upped her game:

that's right, from now on, directions to my house will feature the phrase, "the yard with the NO PARKING sign."

geaux tigers

salem lake

i have recently "discovered" salem lake.  i had heard about it before but had never been.  now, i love it.  past downtown and across business 40, it lies off the beaten path for most, yet it is a mecca for hikers, bikers, rowers, and ducks alike.  it is particularly beautiful now, as the vibrant fall foliage is in full flame.

these heavens truly declare the glory of God.

psalm 19:1

for wiley

hi from bear, mickey, and tiger - we miss you across the pond!

rain

[driving in the car with my twelve-year-old.]

her: you see that man running in the rain? 
me: yes, i did see that man running in the rain.
her: ugh.

flower power

i am very excited about these blooming at the edge of our carport.

plus, their appearance had nothing to do with us, so it made for a sweet surprise.

the day may be gray and dreary outside, but look what's blooming inside!

what we did

highlights from the weekend include

dressing up

finding friends

cheering for arnold palmer as he opens the gate

taking lots and LOTS of pictures