love thursday: tivy fight

Two weekends ago, J and I hopped in the car and headed down to Kerrville. As previously mentioned on this blog, my mom’s parents, her sister and brother-in-law, and their two sons live there, and we like to go visit them every few months. Since it was an autumn Friday night in Texas, however, we drove to San Antonio for that most iconic of celebrations: a high school football game.

We arrived in Schertz, Texas (northeast San Antonio) just before sunset. The teams were getting ready – ours was clad in blue, white and gold.

My cousin Andy, despite having separated one shoulder and broken the other arm earlier this season, was back on the field. And was it exciting! He had three catches, and the Kerrville Tivy Antlers (yes, I know – what a mascot) won 38-34 over the Cibolo Steele Knights. (You can see Andy below, the gold helmet on the field between #32 and #52.)

Man, I love high school football. There’s truly nothing like it. All of us, even my grandparents, spent the entire fourth quarter standing on the bleachers, yelling and clapping and screaming the team slogan, “Tivy Fight Never Dies! Tivy Fight Never Dies!”

Jeremiah (decked out in Tivy blue) won a football when the cheerleaders tossed them into the stands.

And here are Neno and me, just before that evening of raucous cheering. It was chilly, and I drank two cups of hot chocolate from the concession stand, and was glad for my jacket, hat and fingerless gloves. But oh, it was so fun.

We spent the rest of the weekend eating, reading, cooking, talking and eating some more at Neno and Pop’s. It was fabulous. And we’re crossing our fingers for the Antlers to go deep in the playoffs. Tivy Fight Never Dies!

Happy Love Thursday, all. Please visit Karen’s blog for links to more images and stories of love.

from warm to cool

Many of you voiced your opinions when I asked for help choosing paint colors for my office. I chose the colors, sent off the work order, and then waited. And waited. (Our painting department is a one-man team right now, so I had to wait until he called in outside help.)

But last Wednesday, the workers came, and they painted my office in less than a whole workday. And behold, I give you the result:

Three dark gray walls. One purple accent wall. A new lamp. Framed diplomas, photos and art hung on the wall. And finally, a color scheme I love.

Thanks for all your input – you guys are awesome. Now, back to staring dreamily at my new walls…

Libros de octubre

I confess: I didn’t do a whole lot of reading this month. (For me, anyway.) I did a LOT of knitting – four adult hats, two baby hats, a baby bib, miniature hats for Innocent smoothies, and a cowl. (Also three in-progress projects: a scarf and two secret Christmas gifts.) I also did a lot of traveling/hosting people at my house: taking Jeremiah to see U2, hosting my mom and sister for ACU Homecoming, heading down to Kerrville to see the grandparents and the cousins, hosting a girls’ clothes swap on Halloween. And as always, I read lots of blogs, and Real Simple cover to cover…but anyway. Enough justifying. The books.

Casting Off, Nicole R. Dickson
This was an impulse buy at Books-A-Million, and a beautiful story of love, loss and knitting on the Aran Islands. I visited these islands two years ago with my friend Colton, and they are gorgeous and mysterious and full of memory. This story tapped into all of that, plus giving a great deal of fascinating info about the traditional fisherman’s ganseys (sweaters) knitted by the islanders. I hear there’s a sequel in the works; I hope so. Knitting and Ireland, for me, definitely made a magical combination.

A Little Help From My Friends, Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt
I loved the third book in the Miracle Girls series – couldn’t put it down, literally. Zoe, the main character, is a shy, sweet band geek who reminds me of me in some ways, and the book chronicles her junior year and struggles with faith, boys, family and friends. Anne and May write such authentic, funny, endearing stories about high school – I can’t wait for the fourth book.

Aunt Dimity’s Death, Nancy Atherton
Reader Corrie recommended this series to me, so I checked this, the first one, out from the library. Very fun and fluffy – sort of a fairy-tale mystery, mainly set in an English cottage in the Cotswolds. The main character, Lori, can be exasperating, but she’s likable, as are all the minor characters. And the ending was quite satisfying. Atherton has written a dozen of these books, to which I may return when my reading list is a little shorter.

Heaven to Betsy, Maud Hart Lovelace
HarperCollins has reissued the last six books in the Betsy-Tacy series, in three beautiful volumes with lovely covers, the original artwork, and forewords by Laura Lippman, Meg Cabot and Anna Quindlen. They’re gorgeous! I drooled over them for a month, then finally ordered them on Friday. They came on Saturday and I’ve been reading all weekend. I love these sweet, funny, delicious stories about Betsy Ray’s high school years. A reread, and highly recommended.

I hope to have more books for you next month. For now, happy November to you – and I hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

#11 on the list

We have no local yarn shop, as such, in Abilene. Actually, we have no local yarn shops within a 150-mile radius. As an increasingly obsessed knitter, this makes me very sad. (Though Michaels and Hobby Lobby do come through for me sometimes.)

However, on our way down to visit my grandparents this past weekend, we stopped at Stonehill Spinning in Fredericksburg. (We went by on Memorial Day, but it was closed.) J graciously let me browse for 15 or 20 minutes. And oh my goodness, it was WONDERFUL.

It’s such a cute, rustic little place, and they offer knitting, spinning and rug hooking classes. They had Rowan and Brown Sheep and Cascade and Manos del Uruguay yarns, and more. They even had some locally spun yarn, and a rack of knitting books. There were handmade samples everywhere, and afternoon light drifting through the windows. It was lovely.

Here I am outside the shop, with my beautiful skein of Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend yarn. (Which will be made into a soft, lovely cowl for me, as soon as I can get to it.)

Advice to self-doubting artists

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

~Martha Graham, quoted in Agnes de Mille’s Dance to the Paper (quoted in turn in Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom)

fall habits

Inspired by Rachel’s recent post about her fall habits (and Emily’s similar post – scroll down after enjoying the gorgeous photos), I’ve been thinking about the autumn habits I’m falling into (sometimes intentionally creating). I came up with two lists: habits I currently have, and habits I’d like to pick up. Here they are:

Fall habits I have:

~Switching from lighter, summery fruit teas to darker, black spiced blends (that seem to stay hot longer). I bring a cup of tea to work every day of the year, but I’m enjoying the warmth more now that I really need it.

~Making soup – for lunch and dinner – often. (My grandpa gave me his chili recipe this weekend. Yum.)

~Wearing scarves, hats, knee socks, boots, tights and fingerless gloves. (Not all together, yet. But oh, I love pulling out the cold-weather accessories.)

~Lighting fall candles – heavenly. We have a little candelabra in our (fake) fireplace that twinkles merrily.

~Starting to think about Christmas.

~Remembering autumn in Oxford, Ireland, Paris and Austria, two years ago. (See recent photo posts.)

Fall habits I’d like to have:

~Having mulling spices and apple juice on hand at all times, to make cider. (I bought some spices last night. Now for the apple juice…)

~Taking walks in the brisk afternoon air.

~Waking up early enough to not feel rushed, and not be late to work. (This is a hard one…but it’s so nice when I do manage it.)

~Spending less time (and money) browsing online and more time writing. (This is a year-round habit I’d like to have.)

What are your fall habits – or the ones you’d like to have?

love thursday: it does matter

One afternoon this week, I spent a long while chatting online with two old friends. I’ve known Jon since fifth grade and Adam since seventh, which means we’ve known one another for more of our lives than we haven’t. Whenever I chat with Adam we inevitably begin reminiscing about high school, and the other day we were talking about sophomore year. His little sister, Grace, is now a sophomore (though in my head, she should still be about seven), and we both paused to reflect on, and be amazed by, the fact that our sophomore year was ten years ago.

Ten years seems like such a long time when you view it as a chunk – and for me, at age 26, it’s more than a third of my life. Ten years ago, I had just gotten my driver’s license; I was in high school marching band and loving it; I had long hair and bangs and a pink-painted bedroom; I had a crush on a senior baritone player but he hadn’t noticed me (yet). I had a brand-new letter jacket and drove a little indigo Kia Sephia; I spent my days going to English and chemistry and world history and algebra classes. I was anticipating going to London for the first time. And I’m sure I heard at least once from my mom and other adults, “This [situation or relationship or event] won’t matter to you in ten years.”

Now, I am married with two advanced degrees (and lots of foreign travel) under my belt. I have short hair and a writing career and a much more developed fashion sense. I don’t talk to a lot of my high school friends much any more, and I have vastly different views on life and faith and many things. However, I don’t believe that those old memories and relationships don’t matter. (Some of the smaller things, it’s true, have fallen by the wayside – and the arguments that once seemed capable of ending friendships have passed into oblivion.) But I firmly believe that the other stuff – the stuff that was important to begin with – still is.

What is that stuff? There’s a lot of it – perhaps too much to contain in a list. But it’s the drives in Adam’s white truck and Jon’s green Grand Am, and the hard-fought football games, and dancing with my flute friends while the drum line played cadences in the stands. It’s the nights of teetering in high heels at formal dances, partying the night away and snapping photos with my best friends. It’s the band trips and endless relationship drama and the Bible studies on Tuesday nights. It’s the birthday parties, the long talks at the coffee shop, the stupid things we did and the crazy things we said and the way my tightly knit posse of friends fiercely loved each other. It’s all the big exciting events, and the normal days in between, walking from class to class down the long color-coded halls of Midland High.

As we talked this week, Adam admitted, “I can’t ever tell Grace that this stuff won’t matter to her in ten years.” And I said. “You’re right. It still does matter. It matters a lot.”

When I talk to old friends and we reminisce; when I go home for Christmas and get to hug them; when I find old mementoes or photos or just randomly run into an old memory, I am reminded: it does matter. Those days and events and people helped make me who I am, and they are still part of me.

That said, the last 10 years have been the scariest, most exciting, most adventurous years of my life. I’m a long way at 26 from where – and who – I was at 16. (That’s as it should be.) But talking to old friends pulls me back to who I used to be. And it reminds me that it did – and does – all matter.

I am deeply thankful for the friends who have hung in there with me for the last decade or more, who know my past and present selves and love them both. Here’s to you guys. (And to those who are sticking with me on the journey now.)

Happy Love Thursday. Visit Karen’s blog for more images and stories of love – and a lovely meditation on the meaning of life.

what i’m loving about fall

(More fall foliage for you from St John’s College in Oxford. The leaves here are not quite that vibrant, but hey, a girl can dream.)

Autumn is finally here for sure, and I’m loving:

~Cool wood floors under bare feet…and cozy slippers for when the floors get a little too chilly. (My slippers were a Christmas gift from J last year…they are red, with sheep on them.) We have wood floors in 4 rooms in our house, and I love them.

~The feeling of clearing out (I’ve been doing a little “fall cleaning” in the home office), making room for new things to happen. (At least four boxes eliminated, and several more sorted/consolidated so far.)

~Anticipation of travel. (Kerrville soon. Highland family retreat at HEB camp in a few weeks. And a trip to Neosho for Thanksgiving – long overdue for both J and me. I haven’t been up there in five years.)

~Knitting (of course). Christmas gifts, cozy scarves, baby hats and a soft green cowl for me (if I can ever get to it).

~Hot apple cider, mulled on the stove or in a Crock-Pot with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. It was quite a hit at Lifeteam recently.

~Candles in fall scents and shades…Creamy Nutmeg, Leaves and Cinnamon Stick. The house still smelled like Creamy Nutmeg when I woke up this morning.

~Crisp starry nights…I usually step out on the front porch before going to bed, and though we live right in the middle of town, the stars still wink down from the indigo sky. Beautiful.

~Football. High school, college, pro…it’s all great. (Though I hope ACU can pull it together, after our Homecoming loss this past weekend.)

~Anticipation of the holidays…I looove Christmas and Thanksgiving, and they’re coming.

~Candy corn. I only like it in October, and then I’ve had my fill for the year. But it’s a Proustian return to childhood Halloweens…and I love the bright cheerful colors.

What are you loving about fall?

love thursday: beautiful day

Since he was in high school, my husband has deeply loved the music of U2. Whenever we go on road trips, it’s sure to be part of the mix, and it frequently crops up at other times, too. A couple of years ago, for his birthday, I bought him the book U2 By U2, a huge compendium of stories, interviews and photos with Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton. And, on Monday night, in Dallas, I got to help him fulfill a long-held dream: seeing them in concert.

This was my graduation gift to Jeremiah, and even though it meant getting back to Abilene at 3 a.m., it was TOTALLY worth it. He sang along to nearly every song and just grinned the whole way through. I also love U2 – though mine is a more recent fondness – so I sang my heart out to “Beautiful Day” and “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “One” and “Where The Streets Have No Name” (which Bono began by singing “Amazing Grace”). We spotted our friends the Becks, who miraculously were sitting just six sections over from us, and got to chat with them before the concert. (And Jana, bless her, provided me with earplugs.)

Here we are outside “the spaceship,” aka the new Cowboys Stadium:

And here’s the crazy gigantic stage – what Bono called “the spaceship” that travels with them. “You guys [Texans] are space cowboys,” he teased.

We jammed along to “Vertigo” and “With or Without You,” and I very nearly lost it during “Sunday Bloody Sunday” when the screen filled with images of Iran. What a fantastic night. Thanks to U2 for a completely amazing show – and for making my Jeremiah very, very happy.

Happy Love Thursday, everyone. See links to more images and stories of love at Karen’s blog.

Letters, gypsies and tea bags

I know it’s not Halloween yet, but this past weekend, I had a chance to dress up anyway. The Honors College at ACU threw a masquerade party, and because my sweet Bethany works there, J and I were invited. I’ve been known to construct elaborate costumes in the past, but this year I wanted something quick, easy, simple and immediately recognizable. So I was especially proud of the finished result, below:

Yes. We are Scrabble tiles.

(And we’re bundled up because it’s FREEZING. I had on four layers under my “tile” and I was STILL cold.)

Here’s a back view:

Here we are with Bethany the gypsy (she must have been even colder than we were):

And here is Kelsey, who was my personal fave for Most Clever Costume of the night:

Isn’t she the cutest little teabag you’ve ever seen?

I’m still not sure if we’re dressing up for actual Halloween – but I am so proud of these costumes that we just might reuse them if we do. Anyone else dressing up this year?