Am I Silly

Because I think this looks good?

I need to re-read Lewis' book, though, as I'm curious how much this will deviate from his original story.

I Love...

Seeing my friends pop up in unexpected places!

The beautiful Susan V.

Pale Pressed Flower

Oh Joy!!

This beauty came in the mail today:

I haven't counted it yet, but I think all the pattern pieces are present (unlike this playsuit pattern I bought off of eBay a while back).  I've been wanting to make a playsuit for a while.  I have the cutest picture of my grandma wearing one, and I want to make one similar to it.

My Golden Grams, on right-- isn't she stunning?

It's fall here now, with winter well on its way, so I may put the pattern aside for the time being, but it is going on my to do list!

XOXO,

Grey Days

I am sick. And it's raining outside. And my taxes are due.

When it rains, it pours, it seems.

I am so over this weather, and sadly, it's only just begun. I remember now why I resolved to follow the sun last year (bouncing back and forth over the equator in search of eternal summer). Perhaps this year I should follow the cue of the bear, and hunker down in hibernation for a few months? If I must endure these cold, rainy, grey days, then this is what I'd like to be wearing:

All pictures from The Edge of Love

Mmmm, floral skirts, Wellies, over-the-knee wool socks, chunky cardigans...  Yes, please.


XOXO,

P.S. This is my current fashion lust:

Aran sweater by Alexa Chung for Madewell

The First Day of Fall

Photo from my senior class (H.S.) trip to Washington, D.C.  Yes, I am wearing overalls, but you'll have to forgive me as that was the nineties and they were definitely in style then (circa fall 1996).

Delicious autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird
I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

~George Eliot

On the occasion of the first day of autumn.  Sadly, that means there are only 89 days until winter officially begins, 93 days until Christmas, and 100 days until the new year.  I'm keeping count...

XOXO,

This is Dedicated to the Ones I Love...

Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours.

~Ludwig van Beethoven

Chris and me at Young Life's Lake Champion in August 1998.

Back in the summer of 1998, I volunteered at a Christian camp in a little town called Glen Spey in New York.  Those of you in Young Life circles may recognize the name of the camp as Lake Champion.  It was an idyllic summer, my first away from home, and I passed my days sleeping in the dorm, answering phones in the office, and mingling with other like-minded folks.  I had just turned nineteen and I had my whole life before me.

I met some truly wonderful folks that summer, bonding with the other college and high school-aged staff who had given up a month of their summer to facilitate the running of this camp so that teenagers could come and hear about who Jesus is.  Of course, we all promised to write and stay in touch, but without social media sites such as Facebook, that proved harder than we thought it would be.  Over the years, I lost touch with every single person that I lived and worked with that summer.

Except one.  I remember the first time I ever talked to Chris-- he was sitting on a bench by the rock-climbing wall.  It was my first day of camp, and I walked over and introduced myself.  As our conversation progressed, I asked him how he had become a Christian, to which he replied, "I'm not."  I was duly shocked, as it was a requirement to work at the camp.  I resolved to pray for him, and over the month, we became friends although I was grouped in with the college-age workers and he was still in high school.

On the last day of camp, I hugged him tightly and said goodbye.  He was heading back to California and I thought I would never see him again.

Years passed; I finished college and moved to New York City.  I had initially kept in touch with Chris, but, in time, that had died down.  Then, one day, I asked the girls in my Bible study to write down their summer addresses for me, and I noticed that one girl lived in the same town as my former friend, Chris.  Of course, I had to ask her if she knew him, and in the craziest coincidence, it turned out that she has dated his younger brother!

Photos taken in the photo booth at Lakeside Lounge.  On the left (circa July 2007) are me, Chris, and his friend, Colin.  We had a hilarious time that night!  The photos on the right are from September 11, 2010.

Chris and I have been in touch since then, although long periods of time go by between emails.  Three times he has been on the east coast, and each time, we make a point to meet up.  He was in New York two weeks ago (en route to South Africa, where he was going to volunteer at an orphanage), and we spent a wonderful day catching up.  Old friends are truly a blessing, and I am so thankful that God has put Chris in my life.

This post is dedicated to all of my friends scattered across the four corners of the earth.  I sincerely hope that we shall meet again.  "Never shall I forget the days I spent with you.  Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours."

XOXO,

Amusing Signs

One of the bloggers that I regularly read, The Sentence Sleuth, finds sentences in newspapers, books, signs, and the web, and then analyzes them for grammatical errors.  She is remarkably adept at it, and if I had those skills, I would would march around correcting other people's sentences as well (any other Eats, Shoots & Leaves fans out there?).

Alas, I am not a future copywriter, but I still take pictures of signs that I find hilarious.  Take this one for instance:

Sign inside the Ladies' restroom Grand Central Station in New York City

Okay, maybe it's not that funny?  I spotted it in the bathroom in Grand Central Station in New York City and I had to chuckle to myself.  What are these women doing in the bathroom of a grimy train station that their time needs to be limited to under five(!) minutes?  I am not a girly-girl, so I cannot fathom why there was a need to post such a sign.

This sign cracks me up, too:

Sign inside Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

It was taken in the Grand Mosque (aka Sheikh Zayed Mosque) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which just happens to be the eighth largest mosque in the world (and home to the world's largest handmade carpet and largest chandelier). Now here's my question: who are these people who decided it would be a good idea to wash their dishes in the sink at the mosque? (Of course, if you have spent any time in the U.A.E., you'll have a good guess who this message is intended for.)  So, there you go-- next time you are in a mosque, leave your dirty dishes at home!

For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of me in front of the silly sign.  I assure you I did no washing of dishes in the sink that day, but I am definitely breaking a rule in this picture.  Can you guess what it is?

See that little tuft of hair peeking out of my shayla(head covering)?  That's a definite no-no.  Also a no-no?  Male/female contact of any kind.  The racy photo below of me and my friend, Phil, got us officially kicked out of the mosque (although we were on our way out, anyway).

With our bodies close together, and his arm touching my waist (the way most Westerners pose for pictures), we were told we were being "indecent."  That was probably the highlight of my day, however, as now I can tell the story of how I was kicked out of a mosque for "being indecent".

XOXO,