Christmas Eve

what an exciting evening, eh?!

Amy and I continued our tradition of hosting the family for Christmas Eve.

The menu was spinach, pomegranate, apple salad,

crusty garlic bread,

Amy's homemade lasagna (veggie and regular),

and peppermint stick and mint chip ice cream for dessert.

sisters are BEST

I've been soaking in sister time these past few days in Michigan. On Tuesday, Amy, Betsy, and I had lunch together at Grand Traverse Pie Co. Then, we went to grocery shopping at Kroger and Jack's Fruit & Meat Market.

(ha. we are obviously grown up... how boring to go grocery shopping for a date!)

Sisters

Susanna and Sharon

M is for the Mitten!

(I can't wait to head to Michigan for a few days of Christmas holiday)

wedding/la boda

It was a pleasure to celebrate Josiah and Ana's wedding after church Sunday afternoon. Josiah is an amazing musician, and the ceremony was full of Spanish and English songs.

proper

Last month we finally hung curtains in the dining and sitting rooms.

six years

Six years ago today I turned 23 years old and graduated from Saginaw Valley State University.

I could have never guessed what the next six years would hold...

I spent a year recovering from a serious auto accident, 

nearly two years working an office job in Michigan (Amy and I purchased a house during that period), 

two years living in Zambia southern Africa, 

and now I've just completed a year working as a global accountant in Pennsylvania.

Six years ago I had no idea what God had for me "next" after graduation.

(and, I'm glad I didn't know)

It's a beautiful thing the way time clarifies God's plans and etches deeper the reminders 

of His loving care over my life. 

I have experienced God's faithfulness is rich ways over the past six years-- and I know He won't fail my expectations of His tender leadership throughout the upcoming six years... whatever they hold.

Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, 

but the Lord determines His steps.

(my favorite graduation verse)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

the tree is much prettier in real life :)

Sara, Sharon, and I went Christmas tree hunting Monday evening.

We chose the last $25 tree at the lot :)

On Tuesday evening we wrapped the tree with two strands of lights, and hung little snowflakes, bells, and bulbs. I forgot how much I enjoy fresh evergreen scent.

The Study

{the banana leaf scenes in their new home}

home

I am so thankful I was able to spend Thanksgiving at home.

ancient mansion

photo credit: Fort Hunter website

Earlier in November I had the privilege of touring the Fort Hunter Mansion on the shores of the Susquehanna River on the edge of Harrisburg. If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend a visit to the Fort Hunter grounds-- if for nothing else than just just to soak in the beautiful view looking out over the river.

tea with the nieces!

Last week while Naomi was visiting, we hosted our first proper tea here in Pennsylvania.

Our nieces (and their mommy) came to visit-- one as an Indian, and the other as a princess...
and their mommy just as... mommy :) 

We had a yummy, fun party.

Heather's Birthday

she's not actually 117 years old... we didn't have a "2" ;)

We celebrated Heather's birthday with tikka chicken, naan, and pumpkin birthday cake. 

yumm.mo.

waaay down south

Last weekend I landed in Miami Beach for work [yes, you read that correctly].

I was busy with meetings, but managed a quick stop at the beach Sunday morning.

Boy was it fun to be in 80+ weather for a couple days in November... my toes were happy :)

Figgy Fave

Remember how I used to periodically share about some of my favorite Zambian treats?

Well...

Here's one of my (current) favorite American treats:

Nature's Bakery fig bars (so far I've tried original, blueberry, apricot, and raspberry-- all are yummy!)

Reason's to love Nature's Bakery fig bars:

• they're made with natural ingredients like stone-ground wheat, real figs (wonder of wonders!), and cane sugar (as opposed to high fructose corn syrup)
• they're affordable (six packages in each box-- less than $3 for a box at Walmart)
• there are two treats in each wrapper!
• plus... whole wheat paired with dried figs yields a fabulous texture/flavor combo
• oh- and- extra bonus: the packaging is fun :)

(we didn't have figs in Zambia, and at one point I realized I had forgotten about fig bars! gasp! A perk of life in the States is once again enjoying figs.)

ps- The opinions shared in this post are 100% my own; I was not compensated for (nor -sadly- did I receive free fig bars as a result of...) reviewing Nature's Bakery fig bars ;)

One Year

Today marks one year since I started working as a staff accountant with the Brethren in Christ Church in the U.S. at their Grantham office. I expected the year to pass quickly as I knew it would be full of so many adjustments. Indeed, the past twelve months of work did not feel long.

Autumn

thanks to Amy for this picture--
though the view looks quite similar to the leaves outside my bedroom window

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor,

summer an oil paintingand autumn a mosaic of them all.

~ Stanley Horowitz 


{my favorite Autumn quote}

6 mile AT hike-- take #6 or #7

If I believed in bad luck, I'd say I've had quite a case of it when planning hiking excursions here in Pennsylvania. One of my workmates is convinced that if I am invited on a hike the chances of bad weather on the hike day are greatly increased...

A friend from Mexico is visiting in Pennsylvania for a couple months and invited two of my coworkers, Sara, and I for a six-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail back in September. Our scheduled hike day dawned and we were in the middle of a major rain storm (edge of a hurricane), so we had to cancel our plans.

We kept trying to reschedule, but our calendars were not meshing well...

Finally, Vicky's "take #6 or #7" date suggestion was a winner for four of the five of us.



We couldn't have had a more perfect day for the hike. The air was crisp (60ish), but it wasn't cold while hiking. The trees were all turning colors, and the late afternoon sunlight shimmered through the clouds and woods.

When we arrived in Boiling Springs (a charming little town with an adorable tiny lake surrounded by buildings from the 1800's), the sun was setting, and the red maples around the lake painted brilliant hues on the water. It was the kind of beauty that etches peace into the soul.

Our hike was ultimate refreshment after a brain-frying work week.

sister time

picture from Amy's camera

Last weekend Amy, Libby, and I rendezvoused in Canada to be together. Though it took me seven hours to drive north through Pennsylvania and New York and on up along the Niagara river, it was still 250 miles closer for us to meet in Canada than for me to drive home to Michigan.

It was a splendid weekend-- we slept at a lovely bed and breakfast (where the hosts served delicious three-course breakfasts!), talked and talked and talked, toured the area, and just had a grand time being sisters.

Two of my weekend highlights were our visit to the historic McFarland House for afternoon tea, and a brief stop at Lakeside Pottery (gorgeous, local pottery).

After our trip to Canada last April, we started dreaming up another trip in October-- this time at Niagara on the Lake. Our October trip was also a little celebration of Amy's completion of her master's classes (whoot whoot whooooooot!!!), and her new job :).

On Sunday morning, we joined the local Anglican congregation for their morning worship service. The building and grounds were so idyllic.

All too soon it was time to say good-bye. After our picnic lunch in the car (it was cold), we hugged our see-you-laters and started off for Michigan and Pennsylvania.

a few more pictures from our afternoon tea:

the McFarland House

"Cream Tea"-- a massive scone served with cream, jam, and a pot of tea

in the conservatory (tea room)

the trees were stunning!