Friday, October 28, 2011

Bookshelves!!!

It only took nine months!
(An appropriate time length, we think.)
What a labor of love! :)
Here's a pictorial overview...















And the end result (minus the leaf border above the fireplace and the doors on the two inside lower sections)...
I had soooo much fun putting all the books and things on the shelves. :)
WE LOVE IT!!!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

It was a fabulous New England birthday vacation!

Jeff and I had an absolutely fantastic time in New England last week! The foliage wasn't too far along in Connecticut or the Boston area, but there was some. Later in the week when we drove back home through central and western Massachusetts, we saw much more. And the weather was gorgeous - except for one rainy day (which we spent at the JFK Museum outside Boston). It was great Jeff & Sylvie time. Every day we did something different and just really enjoyed ourselves! The Berkshires were probably my favorite... I think they'll be seeing more of us in the future!

Our first day was spent in Mystic, CT... What a beautiful and peaceful seaside town!

Here's what greeted me on the morning of my birthday! I love love love autumn leaves!

We spent my birthday in Boston... Our first stop: Harvard University.

Where Grandpa & Grandma Enlow were married! I forgot about that when I was there, but I had it somewhere in my mind that it was special in our family for some reason...

The day continued with a walk through Boston Common and Public Garden.

Birthday girl in Public Garden!



In honor of "Make Way for Ducklings"! :)

We enjoyed lunch in the Hub Pub as we walked through Boston on our way to Fanueil Hall & Quincy Market.


After a bit of shopping in Quincy Market, we had dinner at Durgin Park! It was soooo yum, and a delightful atmosphere. :)

My birthday bread pudding! Amazingly good. I left that place STUFFED.

Next day: Concord and Lexington. This shot is in Concord right on the edge of the village green.

What a STUD!!!

Walden Pond


In Sleepy Hollow Cemetery just outside Concord. I didn't realize it was a real place! It was gorgeous. I LOVE cemeteries. They're so peaceful and beautiful and .... sobering.

This shot was looking down the hill, at the edge of the gravesites, into the eerie-looking swamp. Really cool.

We drove by this gorgeous field on our way to Lexington. This was probably the best foliage we saw in eastern Mass... So beautiful, it almost hurts. That's the way it is for me, anyway! Fall foliage is just one of the most beautiful things in the whole wide world to me.

The driveway bordering the field above. Just like a postcard! I love it.

On our way back home, we stopped at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge in the Berkshires. It was GORGEOUS there!!! Stockbridge is such a beautifully quaint little town; and I love Norman Rockwell, so visiting his museum was a treat.

This red building we were walking to, which was across the lawn from the museum, was his studio when he lived in Stockbridge. All the things inside were original - his chair, his pipe, his easels, etc etc... So neat!



We stopped in the Stockbridge General Store for some old-fashioned ice cream! I could just picture Norman stopping in for a cone too, getting ideas for his next painting.

Since Jeff and I are going to an Episcopal church now, this shot is kinda special to me. This beautiful old Episcopal church is on the main street in Stockbridge. (It smelled funny inside, though.)
Sidewalk in Stockbridge. I'm in love!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Halfway to 70?!

Eeeeeeek!!

Next Tuesday I will turn 35. THIRTY FIVE. I'm getting so oooooold.

To celebrate, Jeff and I are planning on a week in New England! I hope it actually happens... Jeff has some things going on at work that might prevent our trip from happening, but he thinks he should be able to get away. I LOVE New England, especially in the fall. There's something about autumn, the changing leaves, the crisp air, that speaks vitality to my soul. It doesn't matter that winter (which I don't love so much) is just around the corner. I love fall for its own sake. It's so refreshing! So going there for my birthday week with Jeff, my lover and my best friend, is going to be just wonderful. :) Even if I am going to come back home as a 35-year-old.

Elisabeth Elliot quote

One of my Facebook friends just posted this and I love it! Just had to share it here:

The will of God is always different from what [you] expect, always bigger, and, ultimately, infinitely more glorious than [your] wildest dreams. -Elisabeth Elliot