Reflections on 2006

Check out Mason Jenning's Boneclouds album. Each song highlights a different element of this past year for me. Rather than read here, go and listen to the album in its entirety. You will then understand what I've been thinking, feeling, perceiving (and so on) this past year.

Also, I've been reading some of the old high school standards . . .To Kill a Mockingbird and Crime and Punishment. This is something I highly suggest to anyone. I've even revisited the children's classic The Velveteen Rabbit, thanks to my friend in Ireland/Haiti (I think he has found out that the way to this woman's heart is through books), and each are profound in a new way this go-around; a more lasting way. Dostoevsky's Sonia will linger with me, as will Harper Lee's Atticus. The Horse who advises the Rabbit will stay in my mind as well, reminding me that love hurts sometimes but that it is better to be real--even if it means getting a little banged up. (Or slept on so that you can't breathe, or having your whiskers torn out!) And I think of Porfiry in Crime and Punishment and his urging Raskolnikov to not be "over-wise, but to fling yourself straight into life; without deliberation." Each character--Horse, Sonia, Atticus--fleshes out genuine, agape love. Maybe they'll help me love with kindness in 2007.

This is Too Much

A phobia to pickles?!

The pulpit in July?

Bizarre morning, but one of those God-is-in-this mornings . . . . All said and done, I might be preaching for 3 weeks in July.

Am I still wondering what happened? Yes.

A Fresh Kill

NYC!

Nicole and I on top of our bus

Times Square by day

Broadway

Nicole and I entertaining ourselves while waiting for the tour bus

Times Square by night

Lights!

Me, the double decker bus . . . .

Fells Point, MD

Fells Point--one of the streets in the oldest part of Baltimore, MD

Me in front of the Whistling Oyster

One of the most haunted buildings in Fells Point

East Coast Synopsis

Places:

• Hershey and Bethlehem, PA; Washington DC; Baltimore, MD; Princeton, NJ; New York, NY; New Haven and somewhere near Hartford, CT.

People:

• Larry, Debbie, Meredith . . .uncle, aunt, cousin. Treasure hunting in thrift shops with Debbie; running down streets with Larry to catch Meredith marching in her school's color guard. Exploring Baltimore's Inner Harbor and taking the "Ghost Tour" in Fells Point on Halloween. Chocolate World!
  

• Grandma Charlotte, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Doug, and my cousin Andrew. Grandma drilling me about the guy I was meeting in DC. Lisa showing me Bethlehem and making coffee a priority. Doug offering to take a day off work to showcase NYC. Andrew telling me about his band and texting his friends regularly. Me eating tasty salmon.

• My Irish friend living in Haiti. Meeting at the Jefferson Memorial (in response to the question: "Which president did you enjoy learning more about in school--Lincoln or Jefferson?"). A red bag full of goodies, one of them being the complete tales and poems of Edgar Allen Poe. Many cab rides and monuments, the Capitol, protesters and the White House, holding hands and reading the newspaper in silence together.

• Mozella. One of my favorite humans on the planet. Kind, funny, the best hot chocolate maker out there. One of those people you want to be like someday. Also dealt with me on the phone in my effort to get out of DC . . .getting pulled over in DC, me crying and blocking traffic. I hate DC cops. Mozella, however, I adore.

• Stina. Miss PhD Princeton. Being with her as she accepted the job at Bethel, remembering our old roommate days in the place in downtown Minneapolis. Our TA life coupled with squirrels needing to be led out of our house with grapes, lettuce, and whatever else we thought might work, getting Dima together, exploring Christianity and womanhood, boys/men, and figuring out our vocations together. And still doing that with a lot of laughter, challenging conversations, and most importantly, grace.

• Tim & Nicole (or as her mom and I like to refer to her: "Nicoley"). Wandering around Yale's campus and falling in love with the place. Parallel parking 2-3 different times and holding up a city bus. Fearing I might have hit the tree. Really tasty beer and, believe it or not, mashed potato pizza. Taking the train into NYC with Nicole, double decker buses, Times Square, posing for pictures . . .laughing a lot, wondering about the future together, attempts made to figure out our families . . . . Tim making me one of the best music mixes out there, appropriately titled "East Coast Extravaganza." Mason Jennings, the Decemberists, and so many others--one can't go wrong. Being with two people I value deeply.
  

• Sabrina, Maya, and little Thatcher. Witnessing a good mom in action. Holding Thatcher often, even managing to get him to stop crying when Sib left to get something with Maya (I'm better with dogs than babies). Wendy's! Frosties, french fries, and Maya running up and down the bench. Maya moving the "Caution, Wet Floor" cones all over the place while screaming on occasion. Admiring Sabrina's stamina. Not wanting kids any time soon. Wishing I lived closer to be an auntie. . .enjoyed being referred to as "Auntie Kristy." Stimulating conversation with a kindred spirit.
  

A very brief rundown of my 2 week stint out east . . . . Overall, splendid. Much needed in every way.

Snowy Friday

It was a day for the mukluks! December has arrived and this snow-loving woman is happy.
:)