I’ve been a little busy…

I just wanted to show you a few of the things that Geoff and I did this weekend.

Taping…

painting,

touching up…

taping some more,

and nailing. Among other things.

However, I’m happy to say that after three days of hard work we have two of our three rooms painted! My goal was always to get the master bedroom, guest bedroom and office painted before moving in, and we have done more than half of that!

I needed a painting and touch-up break, so we are spending tonight packing and relaxing before heading out to the house to paint the office tomorrow. The Comcast man is coming to install our cable and internet, so I will touch up the guest room and when Geoff gets there we will start on the office! The office is simple…all one color and nothing complicated so I’m confident it won’t take long.

My dad arrives on Friday, and moving day is Saturday! Our first night in the new house will be Saturday night as long as everything goes as planned!

Opening a new door

When we got married almost 8 months ago, I had no idea this is where we would be heading into September.

I had no idea that we would be looking at paint chips, washers and dryers and buying things like hoses. I had no idea I would be visiting Home Depot several times a week. Prior to yesterday. Prior to receiving the keys to our brand new (to us) home.

I had no idea how excited I could get about big kitchens, Pergo floors, large decks and recently tiled countetops.

And I’m sure the excitement is just beginning.

Ours. It’s all ours, and I love it to pieces already*.

*And by “ours” I clearly mean the bank’s. Because we own the doorknob at this point. And maybe that bush in the front yard.

Your beliefs

I believe in God and Jesus. I believe that you need to repent of your sins, accept Jesus into your heart in order to go to Heaven and spend eternity with Him.

But my beliefs go deeper than that. I believe that we are called to love everyone, no matter who they are and no matter what they have done, or believe themselves. I think we are called to be more than just weekly church-goers who hang out with church friends and no one else. This doesn’t mean that I do this all the time, it just means I strive towards it. Whatever I do, I try to do it to the glory of God, and for his pleasure.

Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

A moment

I was 8, maybe 9, on the verge of being too old for a babysitter. It was a rare Saturday night when my parents went out and we had a babysitter. Her name was Sarah, and she was amazing. She had long red hair that she let me brush, and she didn’t treat me like a kid, which was important to me, at the time.

I don’t remember what we played that night, or what we ate. Growing up, we didn’t have cable so it must have been hard to be a babysitter in our house…there wasn’t a lot to do. On this particular night, however, we were able to enjoy ourselves.

It was late fall or early winter, and in New England, about time for the first snowfall. Snow in Massachusetts isn’t unusual, but the first snow has always brought a sense of excitement to me. On this particular night we happened to look out and see that it was snowing, the first snowfall of the year. We begged, and Sarah let us stand on the front steps (in boots, but no jackets) in the snow. We stood there, the three of us, in the snow, just watching it come down. It was quiet and peaceful and cold, but we didn’t mind. After about 5 minutes we headed back inside and went to bed. But for a few minutes we were allowed to do something absurd, something our parents wouldn’t have let us do.

After that, whenever we needed a babysitter we always asked for Sarah, “the one who let us stand in the snow”.

Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

What you did today

This is, again, a day late because I wanted to finish off the day before I wrote about what we did!

Geoff and I accidentally turned the alarm off, which meant that we missed church. Instead of going to the late service, we decided to sleep in, which, I must say, was wonderful! Afterwards we both got up and showered, had our coffee and breakfast, and I headed out to Petco to volunteer for Purrfect Pals. There were no adoptions and very little cleaning, so I enjoyed the kittens for a couple hours!

After that I headed home, had some lunch, and watched Geoff putting a casserole together for dinner. We decided to see a movie (we had a coupon!) so we went to see The Switch. After that we put dinner in the oven, watched a little Harry Potter, I blogged, ate dinner, and decided that we wanted something sweet for dessert. So we headed back out to Baskin Robbins and got sundaes…with another coupon! After that we headed up to bed, watched an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I read, and fell asleep! And that was my day.

Don’t miss today’s post on my best friend!




Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Your best friend

We met in second grade. I don’t remember, but apparently I was wearing a dress with “poofy” sleeves and my mom had pinned my mittens to my coat, something I thought was “babyish”. She was new in town, and I, being who I am, was willing to make friends with anyone new. Kristin and I were fast friends, but we haven’t always been best friends.
In 5th grade I met another girl, who became my best friend through middle school. I ran with a different crowd between school and church youth group, and Kristin and I may never have talked again if it wasn’t for Girl Scouts. We continued to see each other regularly because of Girl Scouts, and I’m grateful for that.
When I was a junior in high school I switched from playing the clarinet to the tenor saxophone in band. At that time we had sectionals on Friday afternoons with the low brass section…Kristin’s section. Something happened on those Friday afternoons. We found each other again, somehow, amidst our other friends and different sections. Kristin and I started to visit Marshalls together, and Walmart, and, later, Bagel World, a wonderful bagel sandwich shop that opened up in our town.
By the time we went to college, me in Pennsylvania and her in New Hampshire, we were best friends once again. We saw each other regularly at every break and when I graduated and moved back home we saw each other every weekend.
Kristin is funny and amazingly strong, despite what she’s been through in her life. She is one of the few people in this world that I feel like “gets” me, one of the few people with whom I can laugh for hours about nothing. We always look like we are having more fun than is reasonable, and I love that about us. I just love us, and I miss her every day. Kristin will never leave New England, but despite being on opposite coasts I’m sure our friendship will remain strong.

Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

The series that spanned generations

It’s a Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family. I love Harry Potter weekends because it means that no matter what time it is, there is something on for me to watch, and I can always watch Harry Potter. For some reason I love watching movies on TV because I feel like I’m connected with everyone else who happens to be watching right now.
Anyway, Harry Potter got me thinking. They have been advertising it as “the series that defined a generation”, and I tend to disagree. I think it’s more like the series that spanned generations. I was a senior in high school before I started reading Harry Potter, and at that time there were only 3 books. It was my sister, in 6th grade at the time (though she’d already been reading the books for 2 years) who introduced me to Harry Potter. Back then, it was different. Harry Potter was just starting to pick up speed, and it would, of course, only grow bigger as the books continued.

For my sister, Harry Potter was her childhood. For many who started reading the books in late elementary school, early middle school, Harry Potter defined their childhood. They came of age alongside Harry, entering puberty and learning about themselves as they followed Harry.
For me, it was a little different. Harry Potter transported me into a world that was unusual, magical, different, and yet still part of our world. I loved that, and though Harry was just a child, and I practically an adult, the books gave me a reason to be a kid again, if only for 400 or 500 pages.

Harry Potter changed my life. It brought me closer to my sister, it brought me to my husband, and through it I met several good friends. For about 5 years I lived and breathed Harry Potter, reading and rereading the books until the last one came out. Even now, in anticipation of the first part of the last movie coming out in November, I’m already rereading them from the beginning, despite the fact that I can practically quote much of the first three books.

And yet, it’s over. The Harry Potter fad, which overtook generations, kids from ages 6 to 60 (my own grandmother read Harry Potter) is done. Sure, there are the movies, but even those are almost over. There are the occasional ABC Family Harry Potter weekends, and I’m sure, someday, JK Rowling with come out with another book, possibly another series. But, generally speaking, the lovers of Harry Potter have moved on. There is always another awesome book or series to read.

This week I was asked to come up with a list of books for middle school kids for a fellow teacher of my mother-in-law. As I was thinking about the list, browsing my bookcase, my eyes fell on my series of Harry Potter books. And I remembered, all of a sudden, almost, that they probably haven’t read Harry Potter yet. I put it on the list, and was happy to know that more kids, another generation, will read Harry Potter. Some kids won’t like it, some will love the books, read them once, and move on. But maybe, just maybe, there will be someone out there like me, who will devour the books and fall in love with the world like I did.
I know Harry Potter is never going to die. I just want to make sure that people don’t forget about it.

What you ate today

This is a silly one, but I like it. I weighed in at Weight Watchers on Thursday night, so Friday (day 4) was a strictly on plan day. When I got up I had a bowl of oatmeal and canned pears (for some reason I LOVE canned pears). Lunch was salad and skillet macaroni and cheese leftovers. Around 3 I got hungry again so I had a Weight Watchers smoothie with milk. Dinner was chicken parmesan and a WW spinach recipe. Later I had an iced tea and a bowl of 97% fat free popcorn.

Don’t miss my definition of love, below this!  




Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Your definition of love

Love…is indescribable. There is no way to explain the depth of my feelings for the people I love, nor to explain the different types of love I feel for them. I will try, though.

Love is sometimes physical attraction, like in the case of my husband. It means I hurt when they hurt, I worry when they worry. When my sister calls me in tears, I always end up crying as well, not because I’m upset about whatever it upsetting her, but because she herself is upset.

In the same way, I feel happiness when the people I love do. Love means that I rejoice with them as hard as I cry at their sadness. Love means I would do anything for the ones I love. Anything.

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know your name is safe in their mouth.”

Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail

Your parents

My mom is always right. I don’t normally see that until after the fact, but it’s true. We fight when we are together in the same house, but the day I move out I miss her. We go from talking daily to weekly, depending on our moods and our schedules. She can come across strong, and takes some getting used to, but she’s my mom, and I love her. Growing up she was my Girl Scout leader, and though I didn’t appreciate it at the time, I am so glad that we had those years together. She’ll be out to visit me in October and I can’t wait!

My dad loves to talk. He’s an engineer, and a typical one in every way. He loves explaining things, and he is the one I call when I need something to be explained, whether it is a broken camera or how to select a song on a record. We share a common fascination with license plates, and even though I can rarely get off the phone in less than 15 minutes with him, I do love our conversations. He’s coming out to visit at the beginning of September!

Day 04 – What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 – Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail