Family Dinner

The more genuine and deep our community becomes, the more everything else between us recedes. 

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dinner for twelve in our tiny apartment. 

This is the first time we've hosted so many and guess what--it worked!

We Have a House Guest

This is Shamus. 

He's hanging out with us while his owner is traveling for a few weeks and I'm loving every moment. Growing up my family had cats, my favorite one still lives with my dad in northern California. Cats are good to play with, to read with, to cuddle with, to keep you company. I know not everyone shares my sentiment--James doesn't even--but for the next few weeks we get this little pal. I'm excited.

Fall Again

Raindrops gather on the window next to me as I write this. Autumn has begun to turn cold and grey; tonight I pulled out our sweaters and scarves to better combat this fact. The tea shelf is stocked, the extra blanket has been added to the bed, and summer is quickly making its way to the basement. 

The autumn has also inspired my cooking. Tonight I made a roasted delicata squash dish, coconut curry lentil soup earlier in the week, and apples in couscous with salmon on Sunday. We've been enjoying hot soup, or spicy curry dishes the most. This weather craves the spices. A coworker of mine has requested pulled-pork sandwiches, so those will happen soon as well. 

This month we're gathering weekly with friends from church to enjoy dinner together. It is an intentional time of cooking, talking, eating, and spending time that we wouldn't normally. There is something about sharing a meal, and stories, that brings people together like nothing else. I'm excited for the chance to open our home again and host a meal here. My heart swells when people are in my kitchen, or cozy on my couch with dessert. 

Feathered Friends

Over the summer James brought home this bird-feeder for us. He also took these photos. It is one of my favorite things, to sit with my coffee in the morning and watch them right out our window. They pick on each other and constantly dive off the feeder to who-knows-where with seeds in their mouths. Silly things can eat through a whole feeder in one morning. These birds are the perfect kind of pets for James. He could not feed them and they figure out something else and they're outside so he doesn't have to clean up after them. But these tiny brown ones are so cute and fun to watch. Now that it is getting colder in the mornings--it was down below 30 today--we'll have to make sure we remember them. I'm sure breakfast on a chilly morning is much appreciated.

Around the House

Photos of our home. As per your requests. I think the last time I posted pictures of our house we had just moved in. Here's us a little more settled. 

 

Trust me, it isn't usually this clean. And would you look at the red tree out our window? Fall is here. I've been baking some, and we had Sam stay with us one night this week. We also had a lovely dinner with some family from San Antonio on Sunday. This week our work schedules are doing that thing again where we only see each other in the evening. Our evenings have been spent reading or watching movies on the new couch. 

Come visit!

In Which We Get Our First Couch

James and I have been looking and looking, and looking and searching, googling, craigslisting, and looking and looking...

For a couch--

For months. 

The problem with our apartment is the 31'' door frames. In the early 1900s, when this house was built, furniture could fit through those door frames. Not so today. With all the searching we did, we found plenty of couches we actually liked, they just wouldn't fit into our living room. You can't pretend you have more space than you actually do. 

In the end we opted for the couch in a box from Ikea. Honestly, it is pretty perfect. For one, it fits. It also looks great in our place. More than anything, I am excited to share it with friends. We can invite people over and have a nice place to hang out, and this also doubles our guest sleeping space. You could put two (or three) kiddos on this couch, and sleep on the queen air mattress if you wanted to. 

Hint, hint. 

We spent the evening putting it together and made a date night of it, complete with a delicious pizza homemade by me. We acquired three refrigerator-sized boxes in the process and I definitely took the opportunity to play in them. James fell asleep on the couch last night after we got it all assembled. Just to make sure right?

Our house feels like home. 

There and Back Again

My travel buddy. 

We went to San Antonio this weekend. Thursday morning we woke up and caught two busses into the airport. I have to admit, I was a grumpy one. But this guy got us on the plane successfully. Once in Houston we rented a car and drove to San Antonio. 

In San Antonio we spent the weekend with family. Such a sweet time to encourage one another, play together, and hear about the changes in each of their lives. So much laughter. 

From SA we took two busses to the airport, one Greyhound and one city bus, definitely a different experience. We flew home to Boston and our friend Tim drove us home from there. There were many moments of adventure along the way, but we made it together. He's my favorite. 

Minute Math

Some days I wish I could go back in time to my second grade classroom. I would find my second grade self, with pigtail braids and gapped front teeth, and I would tap her on the shoulder. She would look up at me from a thirty-problem multiplication worksheet, frustrated. Wordlessly I'd take her pencil, smile reassuringly, and I would write:

Dear Mrs. Sharp, principal, and board;

I will tolerate this no longer. Not only am I failing to learn anything as you force me to complete this ridiculous sheet of problems, but you are giving me a math anxiety from which I am likely to suffer the duration of my years as a student, and quite possibly the rest of my life. As the rest of my classmates succumb to this torture, I will sit here in quiet defiance, and refuse to participate.

I dare you to stop me.


Your diligent future English major,
Ashley


My shy, second grade self would stare wide eyed in fear. But maybe I would have the ability to sit here tonight and confidently say, I did well in math. Maybe I would have learned how to multiply square roots, or gotten higher than a 140 on my GRE Analytics test (the scale is from 130-170). Or maybe when my boss asks me to use an algebra formula to place a new pastry order, my stomach wouldn't knot up.

Eh, I rather edit books anyway.

Leaves Are Changing

From the middle of the study in our house, I can see out six different windows. The trees out all of them tell me its fall. The air in the morning is crisp and my kettle whistles away at me often these days.

There is a stack of books and a pile of assignments on my table due each week. Lately the days blend together and suddenly its Tuesday class again. I've promised myself that this week all my assignments will be done on time. Usually that isn't a problem, but for some reason this semester with extra hours spent at work, and a little traveling, I'm struggling a bit. But only a bit.

In my Editing course we're working with writers from another class, helping them and editing their papers through the semester. I'm enjoying it greatly so far. The grammar lessons are good for me and they go well with the Copyediting course I am also loving.

Dig in, work hard, that's what I have to do this week.

Thank goodness for coffee.

This Bunch

I spent time getting to know my  family last weekend. What an incredibly unique, creative, silly, and wonderful bunch. 

The eldest, so engaging when she tells a story--full of life and passionate about what is right and true. The second, an artist. She is courageous, caring, and gentle. My husband falls third, in him I'm beginning to see a tender strength. He works hard, cares deeply for each sibling, and has a tendency to sing silliness to make them laugh. The pianist, quite possibly the funniest of the bunch, values good conversation, relationships, and striving for the best in all circumstances. Also, he adores his wife. Next is the littlest sister, who finds beauty in everything, no matter how small. She values people for who they really are and has a quiet way of anticipating needs of those around her. Finally, the kid brother, who is growing into an incredibly smart man. He has a contagious smile, loyal to the end, and it seems that everything he touches turns to gold. 

In each of them I see pieces of their dad. 

My wedding photos reveal they each have his smile. 

I'm proud to call them mine. 

Another Perfect Day

Breakfast, books, wandering, pouring rain, coffee shops, a new dress, good conversation, and a dinner with naan and curry. 

Be still my heart. 

In a Flower Field: A Beautiful Day

Coffee, a picnic lunch, sunshine, a swim at Walden Pond, ice cream, fields of flowers, calls to California, and a great night sleep.

First Day at Emerson...Again!

It's official, with the sunlight making its way into our living room this morning, the air is still brisk and school has begun. Fall is here.

The signs are everywhere, and I'm slowly resigning myself to the change of season. I enjoyed summer so thoroughly, and the warmth finally healed me of the long dark winter. New Englanders have this attitude though, that fall is really just the beginning of winter. I resist that.

My first class, called The Editor/Writer Relationship, went well. I'm also taking a Copyediting course, the two pair well together I think. I'm slowly easing out of work life and back into school life.
September is packed with events at work, assignments for school, and a whole group of visitors who will start to arrive this week.

I love visitors.

First Day of School

James begins teaching Math and Bible today at New Covenant School in Arlington, MA. I am so proud of him. He has worked hard in the last few years and today he begins the dream job, using his degree, all of his experience, and the passions God has given him. This is no small thing. I can hardly wait to see what this year holds.

Arizona in Color

          

     

  

Our trip to Arizona was incredible.

When I married James, I married into a tradition of traveling to Phoenix to visit his best friend, often as a surprise. Last time I arranged a trip for AJ to San Antonio and hid him in the bathroom closet. James returned home and went right in there to use it. You can imagine the yell. 

This time when we got to the house AJ was taking a shower, and James went in to hand him a towel. They giggled a lot. 

There was a lot of laughter while we were there. We mostly hung out inside, as Phoenix in the summer is about 110 degrees hot. But we played a lot, ate delicious food, drank gallons of iced coffee, did crafts, swam in the pool, and had a lot of good time together. 

Can't wait to go back.

Vacation Starts Now

I'm currently in a packed car headed to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. 

On the agenda for the next week there is reading, hiking, star gazing, campfires, good meals, kayaking, swimming and sleeping in a cabin. It's so green at Cragged, the camp where we're spending the weekend. After that we're flying away to spend the rest of the week with some good friends, in a warm place. But that's as specific as I can be because some of them don't know we're coming. I love surprises. 

Please don't be disappointed if we fail to show up on your doorstep Tuesday. One hint, it's not California. 

Yesterday at work I finally began to feel how weary I really am in my shoes there. Our last vacation was in April, and since then I've accomplished a lot at work. This will be a much needed break, and with any luck I'll return rejuvenated for the business of the fall season. 

Until then I'm going to revel in summer.

Gardening in My Window

Last fall we visited the botanical gardens in Wellesley, and since then I have vowed to create my own.

In my living room.

The succulent bottom left is a California native. The ivy bottom right was a clipping from another plant, and has gone crazy this summer.

I love plants, and I love when they grow. The windows in our house face to the southwest and they fill with glowy light in the afternoons. My plants can not get enough of this light. I went yesterday to Home Depot, and today to a local greenhouse to pick up these lovely succulents and ferns. They make me happy.

I repotted them on our dining room table, and pretty much made a huge mess but it was worth it. I'm trying to make the most of what is left of the summer, because fall means winter is around the corner. So we went swimming in Walden Pond a few nights ago, we eat outside whenever possible, and today we're going to see a baseball game with some friends.


Summer has given me extra time to spend with friends this year. I love the freedom to pop over to Chris and Cecilia's or have guests for dinner. It overwhelms me while I'm doing school. Our house is a bit quiet now that the Moore's have their own place. It was lovely to have them stay off and on this summer, and their adorable new house was well worth the wait I think.

My goal for August is to enjoy each moment of the remaining month and make the most of every day.

I Pick Favorites

She looks at me, takes my hand and says, you are so dear. 

One of my favorite regulars at work is a woman who comes in to get a morning bun (read flakey, swirled cinnamon bun with no frosting) and I have quickly learned she wants the biggest one in the case. She deserves it too.

She's 92 years old, and proud of it.

Born in 1921, she doesn't look a day over 75. She's sweet, full of encouragement, and I get the biggest smile on my face when she walks in. She always wants to know how my day is going, and I'm honest with her. Her usual reply is, I don't understand why people are grumpy, what do they have to worry about? There's no time to be grumpy, and I would know, I'm 92! She smiles at me, winks, and assures me she'll be in tomorrow.

July

There is a lotta fun going on around here...

Blessing of the Fleet

James and I got to go hang out on the Hudson's Eclipse again yesterday afternoon. I picked him up at South Station in Boston, and we drove out to where the boat is moored. Their yacht club held a Blessing of the Fleet, and we paraded the boat through the docks as it was blessed by a priest. Though we didn't put any sails up, it was still fun to hang out, sit in the sun, eat good food, and swim.

I'm looking forward to the next few days off from work, mostly because James has them off as well. I think we'll have a little stay-cation.

And yes, he did jump.

Summer Sailing

We might sail a lot this summer. 

James finished up his regular school year at Cotting this week, and I am in the process of finishing up my summer school class at Emerson. We are in full summer weather here, and so far enjoying it! Last Sunday we went out on the harbor for a bit with some Sunday School kids and their parents. James ended the day by jumping off the first and second spreaders on the mast, a good 20 and 30 feet up, into the water. The kids loved it and promptly jumped off the side of the boat after him. Apparently its not too cold. 

James went off to New York to visit Mikey and Kristin for a few days, and while he's gone I've been doing homework, working, cleaning, and visiting with friends. 

Summer officially starts Tuesday.

Saturday

A beautiful day full of goodness. Work Saturday morning was awesome, and I so appreciate my coworkers. Delicious iced coffee accompanied me over to the Hampson's, where I spent an hour with the kitcats we're loving on this week. Pippin was especially happy to see me. I went home and made dinner for James, and just before we ate, our friend Tim wandered in. We're now over at his house, watching the Bruins play for the Stanly Cup. There's a fire on outside and and I'm looking forward to sleeping well tonight, with the windows open so the summer breeze can float in.

Sailing on Sunday

We had a busy, adventurous weekend. Sunday was the first sailing we've done this summer and we took out the small boats with the Hudson kids. I kinda can't wait until I can do it by myself. Maybe I can pick it up before the end of the summer. We may even do an overnight. 

This week is full of work and school. Only two more weeks left of my Electronic Publishing class and though I'm really enjoying it, I am looking forward to having extra time to spend with friends and projects.