Christmas in Quebec

Mom, Marc and I spent Christmas in Quebec City and had a wonderful time. We left Maine on Christmas morning and drove through the snowy woods to Canada. We were all pretty excited to use our passports at the border and even asked the Canadian border guard to stamp them as he attempted to hand them back to us without doing so. It is my first ever passport stamp that says "December 25" - pretty exciting! We arrived in Quebec City and checked into our adorable hotel. We really lucked out - it was beautiful and we loved it! Marc and I were roomies (Mom snores a lot!) in a huge room in the basement that was just amazing. It had a sitting room/kitchen, which gave us a place for the three of us to hang out, which worked out perfectly.

We spent the majority of our 48 hours in Quebec walking around and just checking out the city. It is a beautiful place and we loved being reminded of Europe. Marc said it felt like Prague (he and I went there on his first visit to Berlin) and I think he was right - it is amazing to me that there is a place that feels so European only a few hours from Mom's house in Maine! It was just what I needed - I've been missing my life in Europe a lot lately and this little taste of a foreign place was perfect.

While we loved Quebec and were so glad to be there, we seemed to have neglected to remember how cold it would be in Canada, and right on the St. Lawrence river nonetheless, in December. It was FREEZING!!!! Luckily we all brought warm clothes (Marc was very pleased that he was the only one of us to bring long underwear and he reminded us of it all weekend), but it was still VERY cold! Marc is a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold, so he spent most of our time outside walking a few steps in front of Mom and I, muttering "Quebec in December - brilliant idea". Luckily he would get over it the minute we mentioned a restaurant or a bar - give him a beer and that boy is happy.

Overall, it was a great trip and so nice to be with Mom and Marc. It was a perfect family vacation and we had such a good time. We're already planning next year, which Marc insists will be to someplace warm!

December

I spent two weekends in a row in December in Boston and it was great to be in the city!

I spent the first weekend with Karen and Rosemary - we saw The Messiah at Symphony Hall, ate at Wagamama (yay!!!), and ate chocolate chip cookies and drank wine while watching movies at Rosemary's house. It was a great time!

The second weekend was my annual Girls Weekend in Boston with Sarah. We usually stay over by Downtown Crossing, but decided to try Copley Square this year. It was great - our hotel was attached to the mall so we did some Christmas shopping and didn't have to venture out into the cold until dinner.

It was nice to be in Boston during the holidays and it reminded me of how much I love cities!

Giving Thanks

Marc hosted Thanksgiving this year and we had a wonderful day together. Lots of yummy food, good family time, and lovin' on Harry, Marc's awesome dog. It couldn't have been better!

It's not a list of 10, but here are the things I'm thankful for this year:

1. Mom and Marc - we've been through a lot in the past year, but our relationships with each other are stronger because of it and I'm so thankful they are the family I'm stuck with!

2. My friends, near and far - you are amazing and I can't imagine my life without you

3. New beginnings - there are some new, exciting things happening that I'm not quite ready to post about yet, but life is pretty good right now

4. A job that, while challenging and stressful, has moments of absolute joy that keep me going


Happy Season of Thanks to you all!!

Favorite Photo Friday

George's Pond, Franklin, Maine. Oh how I miss summer!

Lisa's Birthday

Lisa turned 33 today and we went out last night to celebrate her birthday in style. It was a great night and a lot of fun was had by all! Below are some pictures from the first half of the night, which was dinner at the Red Blazer. Sarah was smart enough to go home after dinner, but the rest of us walked downtown to the Barley House and continued the fun until last call. We don't have any pictures from that part of the evening, but there are lots of stories...

Lisa's Birthday

Happy Birthday Pizza!!

Fall Morning at Camp

Lisa, Victoria and I went up to camp on Saturday to put away everything in the kitchen and get the dining hall closed up for the winter. It was a beautiful morning at camp and we had to take a walk before we left. I love being at camp when it is quiet and no one else is around (I also love it when campers are there, I promise!). And I'm not usually at camp so late in the fall, so it was neat to see what it looks like without a lot of color and with the trees pretty bare.

We headed down to Inspiration Point and attempted a few photos - luckily Victoria has long arms! I hadn't been down to Inspiration Point all summer and I had forgotten how peaceful it is. It was good to be at camp and remember that, even in the midst of all the drama that sometimes surrounds our involvement with Wanakee, the physical place can still bring such peace and happiness.

It's True Love...

Please be patient as I endlessly post about Berlin this weekend. It won't last forever, I promise!

Click on the photo to see some of my favorite Berlin photos

Berlin

Berlin

I have spent the last week or so wishing I could be in Berlin this weekend, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of "Die Mauer". The Germans know how to throw a party and I'm sure this is going to be one to remember. Both the New York Times and MSNBC have had some great articles and picture of Berlin. I particularly liked this article and this very cool collection of pictures that shows what certain parts of Berlin looked like 20 years ago and what they look like now. I know it may seem silly to be in love with a place, but I truly, madly, deeply love Berlin.

Favorite Photo Friday

Monday is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I wish I was in Berlin to be a part of the celebration - I can just imagine the festival they are having. I bet there will be a huge party at the Brandenburg Gate - beer tents, music, people, all the good stuff!

Saturday Morning Photo Shoot

Sarah and I spent Saturday morning at a great park in Northwood with her dogs, attempting to get some pictures taken of Sarah and the pups as a Christmas present (surprise) for Reg. I was not the official photographer (her friend Jane takes beautiful pictures), but was along to help manage the dogs. Needless to say, getting 3 dogs to do the same thing at the same time is pretty challenging. Treats helped a little bit, but by the end Annabelle, Bentley, and Jake were bored with the treats and ready to be done posing.

This picture was one of the few times that they were all looking at the camera at the same time, and it was taken at the end of the morning when we were loading up the car! The dogs were pretty exhausted from their morning photo shoot, and Sarah and I were too. I can't wait to see how Jane's pictures came out - I'm sure she got some great ones!

Favorite Photo Friday

Halloween 2004 at The Celtic Cottage in Berlin

New Blog Layout

Okay, I know that the new blog header may be a bit winter-ish for the end of October, but I really like the layout and couldn't find one I liked nearly as much as this one. Plus, as much as I'd like to pretend it isn't so, winter is on its way, so I might as well come to terms with it now. :)

10 Things

I've been missing Berlin, and my international life, a lot lately and have been quite envious of my friends who are still teaching overseas as I hear of their travels and adventures. It probably doesn't help that school is often stressful, so the idea of leaving it all and moving back overseas sounds very appealing right now.

Here is my list of "10 Things I Miss About Berlin":

1. The s-bahn and u-bahn. I LOVED the subway in Berlin and I miss how great it was to put on my iPod, take out a book, and happily ride the train to wherever I was going.

2. Riding my bike around the city. When I first moved to Berlin, everyone raved about riding their bikes and how easy and great it was to get around by bike. It took me a year to join the craze, but when I did, I could finally understand how great it was! Berlin is very flat and there are bikes lanes everywhere. I loved riding at night with my little bike light shining, and ringing the bell on my bike to tell the pedestrians to get out of the way.

3. Christmas. No city does Christmas like Berlin. Christmas markets, lights, food - its all perfect! Every year at the holidays I wish I was back in Berlin to experience Christmas there.

4. Having two of my closest friends live in the same building. Michelle, Karisti and I all lived at Markelstrasse 10, along with 2 other JFKS teachers. We affectionately referred to it as the ATG (American Teacher Ghetto) and it was great to live so close. I was on the first floor of the apartment building, Karisti was on the second, and Michelle was on the third and it often felt like life in a college dorm - running back and forth in our pajamas, watching Sex and the City and eating pizza every Tuesday night, and meeting each other in the morning to take the train to school.

5. Walking from the s-bahn to school and from the s-bahn to my apartment. Yes, it was cold in the winter, but it forced me to actually get a little exercise every day.

6. All the vacations. It seemed like we were always on break from school, or at least always getting ready to go on break. We got both German and American holidays off and it was nice!

7. Eating Indian and Thai food every week. There was an Indian place near my apartment called Nirvana and I stopped there at least once a week to get take-out. It was such good food!

8. Beer gardens. Summer in Berlin is not complete without spending lots of time at a beer garden. Sitting outside in the beautiful weather, drinking beer - it doesn't get any better than that.

9. The independence I felt in the city. It is such a safe city and I loved feeling like I could go anywhere and do anything I wanted.

10. All the beauty that is Berlin - the Brandenburg Gate, the Teirgarten, the Reichstag, Unter den Linden, the Berliner Dome, Friederichstrasse - I could go on and on.

I spent every day of my two years in Berlin thinking how lucky I was to live there. I truly miss it every day and would go back tomorrow if I could.

Favorite Photo Friday, or Saturday

My childhood best friend Amanda and I, circa 1982 or so, sitting on Whale Rock at Wanakee.

I love this photo for many reasons: it brings back great childhood memories, it reminds me of how long my connection to Wanakee has been, and any pictures of Amanda and I as little kids just make me happy. Amanda and I were inseparable throughout our childhoods and essentially every memory I have of my life from age 5-15 involves her. In the time since then our friendship has had its ups and downs as we've grown and changed, but we've reconnected in the last few years and its really nice. I'm grateful for our shared childhood memories, but also thankful that we can accept each other as the women we've become now and have a friendship as adults.

10 Things

It was a crazy week and I've been having a hard time coming up with a "10 Things" list this week, so I thought I would just skip it. Then my friend Terie made a comment about missing the list this week, so I couldn't just not do it. So, for Terie, and the rest of you who enjoy the "10 Things" list, here is what I came up with for this week...

10 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Be a book editor. I always thought this is a job I would be really good at, plus I would get to read books all day long. Sounds like a dream job to me!!

2. Knit well. Now that the weather is cold and dreary, all I want to do is curl up under a quilt, drink tea, and knit. However, I haven't knitted in years and I wasn't particularly good at it back then. I'm inspired to try again and would really like to try knitting myself a sweater. It might be a bit ambitious, but I want to make something I'll use and love.

3. Keep my mouth shut. I have a bad habit of saying things I shouldn't, or things I wish I could take back and think over a bit more before I say them. I have to be very, very careful about what I say these days - the new job is pretty intense and I feel like I am constantly under a microscope. Anything I say could be used against me and I need to be careful... not nice to think about, but it's true.

4. Be better about exercising. I know it would help with my stress level and just make me feel better in general, but I HATE to go to the gym. My fully packed gym bag has been sitting in my car for the past month, at least, and I look at it every day when I get in the car at the end of school, but I never manage to actually make it to the gym. I would rather do just about anything than go to the gym. Good thing I only paid $100 for the year for a membership - I'll be lucky if I go 10 times this year. I need to find some other type of exercise, because the gym just isn't going to happen and I need to stop feeling guilty about it. Maybe a yoga class... it would help with the stress too.

5. Work only 4 days a week. Wouldn't that be nice? I would happily have the school year extended if it meant that every weekend was 3 days long. Yes, 4 day weeks always seem busier, but I love having 3 days off - one day to recover from the week, one day to get ready for the next week, and a day in between to actually enjoy myself and do something fun.

6. Play the guitar. I love watching people play - they make it look so effortless. One of my favorite things at Wanakee is to watch and listen to Sue play the guitar and sing. I'd love to be able to play all the camp songs and actually play a portable instrument. Someday I'll take lessons...

7. Travel more often. My passport is gathering dust and it makes me very sad. I haven't been anywhere that requires a passport since I returned from Peru a year and a half ago (!!!!!!) and I'm itching to go somewhere, anywhere.

8. Cook and bake. I don't have a single domestic bone in my body (with the exception of my newfound love of crafting - who knows where that came from!) and I'm okay with that, but more and more lately I've been wishing I knew how to cook and bake. My issue is I have no patience for it and I don't really find the process of cooking and baking particularly enjoyable. But I love the outcome and always appreciate homecooked meals. As the weather has gotten colder, I feel a stronger pull to actually cook. We'll see if it really happens...

9. Be a great letter writer like my mom. My mom is amazing about sending cards and letters to friends and family, as well as people in her church. She is very thoughtful and enjoys sitting at her desk writing to people. I love getting cards from her and I know other people appreciate it too. I think email and Facebook have made me pretty lazy when it comes to writing letters, but I'd love to get in the habit of it and be more like Mom. Nothing is better than opening the mailbox and finding an actual letter in the midst of all the bills and other random stuff.

10. Be a better photographer. I love looking at things and I often see things I would love to capture in a picture, but when I take the actual photo, it doesn't turn out how I want. I've never taken a photography class, but I think it would be really interesting. I've always just had a point-and-shoot camera, so I don't really have very many options, but I love well-taken photographs and would rather look at photos in a museum than paintings.

Favorite Photo Friday

I love this picture of my great friends from Berlin - Rosemary, Karen and Karisti. And I love that our friendships have lasted through the years since we left Berlin. Karen is coming up to visit me this weekend and I'm really looking forward to seeing her.

Apple Picking

I went apple picking with Stacey, Fred, and the girls this afternoon and had a wonderful time! Stacey found this great orchard in Brentwood that is organic and has trees that are nearly 80 years old. The apples don't look as nice as the ones at other orchards, since they don't do any spraying, but they taste amazing!! We picked a bunch of Cortlands and I'm looking forward to eating them all week.

It was so nice to spend time with one of my favorite families. Christel is adorable and hilarious and I just love being with her. She thought the apples today were the best she has ever tasted and raved about them the whole time we were there. Faith turns 1 tomorrow and is a beautiful, happy baby. She was loving the apples too!

It was a perfect afternoon!

Favorite Phot Friday, Part II

Marc and I are visiting our Mimi and Papa this afternoon and we haven't seen them in ages, so I thought a little photo tribute to them was called for. Mimi and Papa are my mom's parents and they are just about the cutest grandparents ever. Marc and I have been very lucky to have them incredibly involved in our lives and they are just wonderful. I hate to see them getting older (this picture was taken almost 10 years ago - they are in their early 80s now), but I'm very thankful for the time I have to spend with them. And I was impressed that Marc was the one who called me a few weeks ago and said we should go visit them. It will be great to see them this afternoon - a perfect way to spend a day off from school!

Favorite Photo Friday

I've been missing Berlin a lot lately, so this seemed like an appropriate photo for this week. It is an amazing city and I was so lucky to live there. I'd do anything to be able to live there again. Hopefully someday...

10 Things

I had to proctor junior testing today and I had some time to kill, so I'm not waiting until Thursday to post my "10 Things". Enjoy the list!

10 Things That I'm Doing On My Long Weekend

We have Friday and Monday off this weekend, so here's what I have planned, or am at least hoping to do:

1. Sleep in! I've been waking up at 5:30 and instantly starting to stress about school, so hopefully a few days off will give my brain a chance to rest.

2. See my grandparents - Marc and I are going to visit Mimi and Papa on Friday afternoon.

3. Hang out with Harry, Marc's dog.

4. Take my marching band to the Salem Band Show - we've been preparing for this all season and I'm really hoping they will pull off a good performance.

5. Go apple picking with Stacey, Fred, Christel, and Faith. I haven't been apple picking yet this season and it was easy to convince Stacey that Christel needed to go apple picking with her godmother.

6. Watch Grey's Anatomy - I got the first 2 seasons on DVD and it is fun to watch them again and be reminded of watching them for the first time with Reada in Lima. We used to get together every Thursday night and eat pizza and watch episodes of Grey's that Ben had downloaded for us. Good times!

7. Work on my mom's quilt. I started it months ago and it still isn't done. I've made lots of other quilts since then, but this one is still sitting there in pieces. It is queen-sized and I think I am daunted by the size of it and how much it is going to take to put it all together. But I'm determined to get it done by Christmas so it is time to get a move on.

8. Make something in the crockpot. I'm not sure what, but I love my new crockpot and rice cooker and it is nice to have food for the week.

9. Clean my apartment - I've been practically living at school lately so it could use some attention.

10. Sleep! Did I mention that one already?? :)