12.31.2013

Best of 2013: Year In Review

2013 will be remembered for:
  • a snowstorm so big that b & i skiied from our apartment to the state house lawn, and then on to the bar
  • a sunset ski proposal at sparrow farm
  • wedding planning
  • skiing up and down hills and over fields
  • an evolving circle of vermont friends
  • a spring meeting in boston including my first red sox game
  • exploring seattle, san fran & the california coast- a delightful and overdue visit to my friend lex paired with interesting work site visits
  • an indiana engagement party
  • holidays, family gatherings, and sweet summer visits to the cape
  • a new orange bike, and mastering clipless petals
  • dinners on the porch
  • the births of a new generation: welcome tanner, henry, owen, teo & eamon!
  • the most memorable & incredible wedding to b, surrounded by our dearest community
  • a peaceful minimoon to lake champlain, and a fall getaway to portsmouth
  • meeting teo at the hospital, and watching him grow each week while witnessing his parents growing into their new roles
  • the passing of fred, loyal companion to gran
  • a best friend returning [at least temporarily] to central vermont- heaven!
  • quiet holidays enjoyed with my parents, b & lu
Best Books I read in 2013:
  • The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
  • Wild by Cheryl Strayed
  • Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
  • Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Best Movies I saw in 2013:
  • Skyfall
  • Orange Is The New Black (tv series)
  • The Way Way Back
  • The Spectacular Now
Best Music I was introduced to in 2013:
  • Della Mae
  • Family of the Year
  • Passenger
And looking ahead to 2014:
  • hopefully much more snow.
  • being a better blogger.
  • work trip to atlanta.
  • a honeymoon!
  • visits with friends.
  • new music & fun shows.
  • continuing to broaden our circle of friends in vermont.
  • a wedding in steamboat?
(see: 2012201120102009)

12.30.2013

"Strange-- how love always leaves a trail." 
- Ann Voskamp

12.25.2013

a christmas exhortation by roger greeley.

That there may be love (I will be loving)
That there may be peace (I will be peaceful)
That there may be joy (I will be joyful)
That there may be warmth (I will be warm)
That there may be kindness (I will be kind)
That there may be friendship (I will be a friend)
When the candle is spent, and the yule log ash; and wreath removed
and the tree stand put away,
I shall keep alive, in my life, love-peace-joy
and kindness-friendship-and warmth. (at least I hope that I do,
for if I don't, the season passed me by 
without my even knowing it.)

12.15.2013

sunday snow day.

after an earlyish morning walk in 8+ inches of snow: circled up in my long undies on the futon with a snoring pup's head resting on my knee. christmas tree twinkling, balsam fir candle burning, hot coffee, the perfect chocolate croissant, gregory alan isakov singing, a good book [and 22 grant applications] to read.

12.14.2013

gratitude for work holiday parties and fun coworkers. for down comforters on chilly mornings, and for down jackets and hand knit hats & gloves on frigid days. for the artisans of vermont and craft fairs. and for one-on-one girl time with my bff. for fresh (hard to breathe) cold air, leftover quiche, and for dinner parties with lots of friends. xo

12.11.2013

recipes.

on sunday i finally made the butternut squash mac & cheese. SO good. i recommend this one big time- sweet, savory, light[er than if all cheese], and gooey. will definitely make again.

monday, i actually don't remember eating dinner. oh! i had a fried egg & toast after a work event. (see- it's not a gourmet show over here every night)

last night, i made spaghetti squash (roasted in the oven) with a sauce of tomato, sausage, mushroom & onion. served with roasted cauliflower and parm.

tonight i made an awesome carmelized apple & blue cheese pizza. with the addition of bacon and carmelized onion, because bacon makes everything better.

this week we'll also have quiche (a variation on this roasted sweet potato recipe)- i'm going for sweet potato, onion, bacon & goat cheese.

finally, i'm going to make this coconut lime chicken soup, though i'm concerned about the lack of 'thai seasoning'-- couldn't find it at the store. help, what should i use instead?

all around- yum.

oh christmas tree.

on saturday we headed out to get our christmas tree. this was our third time going to this fabulous tree farm with jenna & al. it's rather impressive to think about the past three years.
year one: 4 different last names.
year two: three different last names.
year three: two last names and one baby. 

yowza!

grateful for friends who feel like family, for pups wrestling in the snow, for cute babes in funny hats, for a sweet smelling tree, and for some good old holiday cheer.



12.03.2013

what the heart cannot forget by joyce sutphen

everything remembers something. the rock, its fiery bed,
cooling and fissuring into cracked pieces, the rub
of watery fingers along its edge.

the cloud remembers being elephant, camel, giraffe,
remembers being a veil over the face of the sun,
gathering itself for the fall. 

the turtle remembers the sea, sliding over and under
its belly, remembers legs like wings, escaping down
the sand under the beaks of savage birds.

the tree remembers the story of each ring, the years
of drought, the floods, the way things came
walking slowly towards its long ago.

and the skin remembers its scars, and the bone aches
where it was broken. the feet remember the dance,
and the arms remember lifting the child.

the heart remembers everything it loved and gave away,
everything it lost and found again, and everyone
it loved, the heart cannot forget. 

12.02.2013

recipes.

a few delicious new recipes i've enjoyed recently:

pumpkin cheesecake (i skipped the bourbon, and the special top layer).

easy shrimp scampi.

pasta fagioli soup (served with my favorite cooking light biscuits!).

later this week we'll be trying:

BLT chopped salad.

butternut squash mac & cheese.