Christmas at the Pierce House

Our first Christmas as a married couple.

Yaay!

I've been putting up little decorations here and there, mostly with ribbon and pinecones. Tonight our friends the Harveys let us borrow their amazing Subaru to run and get a tree! I've never bought a Christmas tree before, and this was actually the first time I can ever remember picking one out.

You see, the Wells family lives in the forest.

When I was a tiny girl my dad used to ride his snowmobile out into the woods, cut a tree down with a chainsaw, and drag it back to our house. Lately he goes out to our backyard, or an empty lot somewhere within 5 miles of our home, chops one down and falls it onto the bed of his truck. He gets white fir trees. They're always tall.

We decorated the tree as a family. Most of our ornaments are my mom's from when she was young, handcrafted ornaments from our elementary school days, or gifts given to us over the years. Each has a memory and each year we talk about them, rediscovering our favorite ones. James and I will be here this year, in Boston, to celebrate our first Christmas as a new family. We've begun talking about different Christmas traditions and thinking about which we'd like to begin, and continue, for us.

So far we have five ornaments, plus some little red and gold balls I picked up. James is now dozing on the couch and our living room smells of pine and cinnamon.

A Magical Season

The seasons bring a texture to life that I've missed. This morning I boarded the inbound train as it began to snow. There is something romantic about the train making its way along the track, pushing through the snow, harboring me inside as I watch the flurries blow past my window.

Very J. K. Rowling-esque.

Last night James and I went out for dinner after my meeting in the city. He met me at the bus stop, we crossed the street and walked into Sabatino's; a little italian place in Waltham. The four employees there all looked up when we opened the door. We sat down next to the window and the waitress brought us menus with hot ciabata rolls.

We had the place to ourselves.

We ordered two huge bowls of pasta and they came out steaming, full of fresh mushrooms, squash, oysters and shrimp. We couldn't finish. The cook came out and asked us how everything was, told us that James had ordered a dish that they had just made for the first time, for him. What a fantastic way to spend a Monday evening, cozy while its cold outside.

Tonight I walked slowly through the Common, watched the snow fall and the city lights glitter in time with the twinkle lights strung in the trees.

California native at heart, but this urban Boston is growing on me.

Exploring Boston and Friendship

Last weekend my dear friend Jessi (Jessica, Jessi, Jess, Duke) was here for a visit and it was absolutely lovely to have her. We spent time cooking, wandering, book shopping, exploring, walking, talking, laughing, and walking. The weekend was full of good conversations and little adventures. We went to Cambridge, walked the Freedom Trail, and traveled to the North End with James and our friend Tim on Sunday.

We laughed.

I took Jessi to the grocery store at 7:30 in the morning and she loved it. We took the T from Harvard to Central Square and then decided to wander down another road, only to find ourselves back in Harvard! She got inspired by the city and our little urban life and refreshed me in the process. We found an epic honey shop and now I think we need to become honey connoisseurs. She was patient to ride the bus with me, and happy to spend time in our cozy apartment. She even did the dishes.

My dear I hope to see you soon. Please come stay any time.
Our doors are always open.


(Sidenote: I can't find my camera charger, so I can't load pictures from it. I'll post more later.)

Inclement Weather

As I sit here in our little apartment I'm trying to figure out what to write about tonight. Upon review of the last 10 days it seems that each day has held an adventure of its own.

1. The car accident: James was on his way home from work and an elderly gentleman pulled out in front of him, the right front of our car looks terrible.

2. Two days after said car accident: A moving truck sideswipes our car while it is parked outside our house. Thankfully the man driving the truck stopped to leave his information. Now both doors of our car are incapable of opening.

3. The day before Hurricane Sandy: We acquire a rental car. It is a Dodge minivan and I feel like I'm driving a hallway. The news begins to allude to how bad the storm will be and we make plans to hunker down for the day.

4. Hurricane Sandy: James and I were given a day off and we spent it at home with homework, puzzles and apple crumble. We drove the red car to the shop, knowing that if we kept it here, a tree would fall on it. On the way home we stopped for apple-cider donuts and scones. There was some rain, lots of wind, and not much else.

5. Monday: I went down to the basement to put in a load of laundry and see a steady stream of water coming from the water heater. Great. I quickly researched how to turn the heater off and the next day a new one was installed. Yaay!

 6. Tuesday: James tells our landlord that our fridge was leaking AGAIN and he ordered us a new one. It was installed Thursday and its great! We also voted Tuesday, at the school on our street. It was the first time I'd voted, as four years ago I was living in England. I felt blessed to participate in something fought for by so many men and women. I also turned in another ten page paper that day.

7. Wednesday: Obama begins his second term of presidency. Regardless of how you or I voted, I believe we are blessed to live in a country that considers each person's opinion valuable. We are blessed  with the ability to agree to disagree and that freedom is not something I consider lightly.

7a. It SNOWED on Wednesday! James and I experienced our first Noreaster and James got to drive in the snow for the first time. He did great!

8. This post is much more of an update on our lives than anything else. The car business is still outstanding and we are praying for some resolve tomorrow. Our little family is going through a lot of transition these days and we are thankful for the family and community that surround us. We are eagerly anticipating some visitors these next two weeks and until then, school and work will keep us busy.

Niahmaya Lily

I'm in love.

Gradschool

I was returned a paper today from a professor who I enjoy completely. In the margins he told me that my writing is excellent, and he also ripped it apart.

All at once.

I think this has something to do with two factors. The first, during the last year or so of my undergraduate degree professors learned that my papers were usually A quality. The classes are small and one comes to know their students well. I noticed sometime after I studied abroad professors stopped reading my papers closely. They did not comment on grammar or word choice, sometimes not even content.

I would simply get, "A."

The other factor that weighs into my lack of correct comma placement and at times poor word choice is that these last few months have seen the first papers I have written in the larger part of two years. My sentences don't flow out as smoothly and even my typing skills are not what they used to be. I remember the last morning of my undergraduate career I woke up and wrote a 10 page paper in my pajamas, due that same afternoon.

Can you guess the grade I received?

So I'm beginning to realize that I need to refresh my grammar memory, turn on the technical language. This dedicated professor has offered to meet with me and help me get started, and recommended practice. Can I consider this practice? I am blessed by his offer and plan to drop by his office soon. However I also have another paper due on Tuesday, and I'm now second guessing every line I write.