tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73423787885131682992024-03-13T08:16:52.886-04:00♥ Promise to Write ♥A writer on a regimen.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-81832270676727257342022-08-08T13:22:00.001-04:002022-08-08T13:22:08.316-04:00 Ten years later, she returns. Promising to write....Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-77379752015040672762012-04-05T19:38:00.001-04:002012-04-05T19:38:30.821-04:00hello helloHave you seen this quote before? I love it:<br />
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<i>On some hill of despair, the bonfire you kindle can light the great sky--though it's true, of course, to make it burn you have to throw yourself in.</i> --Galway Kinnell<br />
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It reminds me of my favorite Hemingway quote, about how writing is easy, all you have to do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed....<br />
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I just thought I'd check in and share a few good books. A good one can carry you through a lot.<br />
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Here are three of the best I've read so far this year:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heft-A-Novel-Liz-Moore/dp/0393081508/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333668659&sr=1-1">Heft</a> by Liz Moore<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Novel-P-S-Jennifer-Haigh/dp/0060755814/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333668743&sr=1-1">Faith</a> by Jennifer Haigh<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fault-Stars-John-Green/dp/0525478817/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333668865&sr=1-1">The Fault in Our Stars</a> by John Green<br />
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I also would like to own this magnet. It's me in a nutshell.<br />
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See you soon.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-57527976245005216462011-11-27T15:29:00.001-05:002011-11-27T15:33:49.558-05:00Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A happy Thanksgiving.<br />
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Soon Christmas will be here.<br />
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<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-90913668492081983762011-11-11T12:53:00.001-05:002011-11-11T13:22:13.934-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh the colors of fall. I have to admit my dreams have turned to turkey and mashed potatoes.<br />
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This year I've come to truly love three things that I used to hate: sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and sushi. I didn't understand why one would choose the sweet potatoes when one could have the regular potatoes, tomatoes only excited my gag reflex, and sushi I was too closed-minded to even try.<br />
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But <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9EKqQWPjyo">things have changed</a>! <br />
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Sweet potatoes diced up with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and oregano is my new go-to.<br />
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And roasted tomatoes basically taste like fresh ketchup. Fancy! <br />
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Here's a tasty <a href="http://annies-eats.net/2011/11/02/black-beans-with-roasted-tomatoes-and-feta/">recipe</a> to put them in. And while we're at it, a perfect crisp-fall-day <a href="http://annies-eats.net/2011/02/15/tortellini-soup/">soup recipe</a> from the same blog.<br />
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(As for sushi, I leave that to the pros, but who knows, once Thanksgiving is over and those dreams have come true, my new dream might be sushi chef!) <br />
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But my favorite fall concoction is the <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-apple-yogurt-cake-with-a-cinnamonsugar-streak-141995">Apple Yogurt cake</a>. It's best as a coffee cake, a morning cake, the thing you eat while you're still shivering from the cold night. <br />
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And it has these craters in it--these beautiful sparkling brown craters of cinnamon and brown sugar, and a tiny bit of butter. Those craters make life okay again. <br />
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So in this the season when things fall apart so they can rest awhile and then get bountifully back together again, strike a match to a candle and heat up the oven for a little light, a little warmth.<br />
<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-2543008084071608482011-10-24T15:11:00.002-04:002011-10-24T15:11:51.853-04:00Scrabble!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Still fun.<br />
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<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-78380497416676903032011-10-20T12:47:00.005-04:002011-10-20T13:18:05.807-04:00ScenesThis is our first full autumn in Colorado, and I have to say it has made my love for this magical state grow deeper. After living in Virginia where fall doesn't come till November 15th, I've really enjoyed the wild and unpredictable temperature swings here (snow one Saturday, 80s the next), and the leaves that while not as wildly colorful as back East, are striking in the brilliant and constant Colorado sunshine.<br />
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I know people really go on and on about the beauty and majesty of Colorado, but it's really true...as my mom says, there's something about the mountains and the vistas and the peaks that reminds you of how truly tiny you are in the scheme of things. <br />
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This past week loved ones from the northeast came to visit and we traveled all around seeing beautiful scenes in every direction.<br />
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We also partook of the unbelievably tasty beers of Colorado (the Napa of beer!).<br />
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Echo Lake, snow & 46 degrees:<br />
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{Odell Brewing and Equinox Brewing in favorite city Fort Collins} </div>
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<i>favorite at Odell's--Isolation Ale</i></div>
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{Equinox}</div>
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<i>favorite, Autumnal Alt </i></div>
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{Great Divide in Denver}<br />
<i>favorite, Hibernation Ale</i><br />
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It feels like it's really fall (not just me pushing the seasons), so I give you permission to make <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-apple-yogurt-cake-with-a-cinnamonsugar-streak-141995">this apple yogurt cake</a> (I did last night) and buy a Yankee candle that smells like your mom's pumpkin pie (I did that too). <br />
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Under the October twilight the water mirrors a still sky...<span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><br />
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Hope you have a little time to take notice. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Yeats</span>Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-47111385649734354102011-10-05T16:45:00.002-04:002011-10-05T16:48:59.013-04:00Can't beat the harvestI may have jumped the gun on the fallishness, as the last week or so in Colorado has been kind of warm...actually really warm. But I can ignore it. I can still wear a sweater when it's 87...mmm no. But this weekend is supposed to be cooler and I just turned on my pilot light in the fireplace--exciting moments in life! And we've been doing fallish things anyway....<br />
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First of all. The Buffalo Bills. Corey's favorite team on Earth roared in with three wins right off the bat and despite the loss last week, we still have hope (dangerous but essential for Bills' fans).<br />
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We think that hanging the jersey on the mantel helps their performance immeasurably. (Don't worry, I take it down during the week.)</div>
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Shallots also go in the soup. My favorite foodie Anthony Bourdain says that shallots elevate the home kitchen to a restaurant kitchen! So when I burn toast I go find a shallot and wave it around in the kitchen to destroy the evil spirits.</div>
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I've also been making my dad's famous "Junk Salad." This is when you take all the leftover vegetables (celery, red and green pepper, onion, tomato) in your refrigerator, chop them up, sprinkle them with dried herbs, some Parmesan cheese, and douse them in balsamic vinaigrette and it makes your day seem not so bad anymore because you're eating your veggies and they're oh so good.</div>
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And the best part of fall so far is my mom sent me Pryde's coffee, just to tide me over...</div>
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Pretty nice.</div>
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Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-40922663609225467132011-09-20T19:12:00.001-04:002011-09-20T19:12:49.741-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fall candles are outta the box...<br />
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<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-21928317780432058162011-09-13T01:09:00.001-04:002011-09-13T01:10:04.932-04:00What I'd tell you?<br />
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It's here.<br />
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So far there's been casserole making and baking...<br />
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And fresh feta and honey on bread in the mornings...<br />
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Fall is fun.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-77096779351964967352011-09-07T16:15:00.001-04:002011-09-07T16:20:19.039-04:00<br />
Labor Day weekend found us at an Oktoberfest in the mountains and let's just say the promise of thick fall beers and crisp air made me not really that sad that this marks the end of summer. <br />
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And so we say goodbye to a pear in the afternoon to cool off, a Scotch whisky for Corey while he grills me amazing foods, flowers to beat the band, and the other million easy breezy little moments that make up a summer. </div>
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Next time you see me there may be pumpkins.<br />
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<br />Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-69488956275336394382011-07-31T15:08:00.000-04:002011-07-31T15:08:29.282-04:00Sometimes I go hiking to remember that the world is vast, the movements of the universe are strange and unpredictable, cruel and beautiful, and that when it comes down to it we're just like the butterfly on the log--dreamlike, always moving, even if it's just our beating heart.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--aS2Gqp2vak/TjWmHkGKxKI/AAAAAAAABfM/oeonAEFfDU4/s1600/IMG_5929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--aS2Gqp2vak/TjWmHkGKxKI/AAAAAAAABfM/oeonAEFfDU4/s400/IMG_5929.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9RAd1G5Gq48/TjWmV6J32GI/AAAAAAAABfQ/s-Rc9yY1c0s/s1600/IMG_5914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9RAd1G5Gq48/TjWmV6J32GI/AAAAAAAABfQ/s-Rc9yY1c0s/s400/IMG_5914.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-85699754346192800282011-07-05T12:44:00.000-04:002011-07-05T12:44:57.482-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--7dyfTsIdBg/ThM9bxM38-I/AAAAAAAABfA/SLo3Uo0robA/s1600/IMG_5818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--7dyfTsIdBg/ThM9bxM38-I/AAAAAAAABfA/SLo3Uo0robA/s400/IMG_5818.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>This Fourth of July weekend we went to Crazy Mountain Brewery, a little hole in the wall that I thought for sure wouldn't be that good...<br />
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...but we didn't try a beer we didn't like and they had the most beautiful big-headed pup running around their little establishment as the taps flowed and people ran in and out for more and more of their tasty concoctions. <br />
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I took many photos this weekend thinking I'd do a montage, but this one just said it all for me for some reason. Fourth of July is one of those holidays that I think is so much better when you're a kid--the fireworks still amaze, the heat isn't that big of a problem, you're happy at some festival getting your face painted with American flags and eating hot dogs with the ketchup dripping...<br />
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So I could relate to the wistful gaze of this animal, like he was remembering something.<br />
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Hope it was a happy weekend in the sun for all of you!<br />
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</a></div>Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-85661553632073966882011-06-25T17:19:00.000-04:002011-06-25T17:19:18.424-04:00SaturdayMountain Saturdays are the very best...except now I have this problem where every time I go to a Farmer's Market I want to change my life and become a farmer, selling my goods each weekend. Seems like it would be a simple way to live.<br />
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Alas, societal norms beckon so I have to live out that particular life in my daydreams.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-86Nem3i3OGQ/TgZPbJux3_I/AAAAAAAABeQ/KuFQIEMt3b4/s1600/IMG_5755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-86Nem3i3OGQ/TgZPbJux3_I/AAAAAAAABeQ/KuFQIEMt3b4/s400/IMG_5755.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> { blooms }</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PVrNsJvYIVk/TgZPgwyQbgI/AAAAAAAABeU/8WHyexAWKmY/s1600/IMG_5764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PVrNsJvYIVk/TgZPgwyQbgI/AAAAAAAABeU/8WHyexAWKmY/s400/IMG_5764.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> { if you aren't eating radishes, you're nuts! }</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. --R.W. EmersonAlisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-77329136303069813122011-06-23T15:33:00.000-04:002011-06-23T15:33:47.645-04:00That's just the way it is<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Since we live in Colorado now, it's no big thing to make margaritas and Mexican food on a Wednesday night while staring at a mountain. It's just the culture we exist within now, we have no control over it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zF7OCHpMk5Q/TgOT_GqpekI/AAAAAAAABeM/T9sKgZ2QVbg/s1600/IMG_5752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zF7OCHpMk5Q/TgOT_GqpekI/AAAAAAAABeM/T9sKgZ2QVbg/s400/IMG_5752.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-36953398881089549722011-05-11T15:00:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:29:24.556-04:00Graduation weekend 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Sunday afternoon the man becomes...well, the man just continues to be a man in a bad job market, but anyway, we've decided to ignore those earthly worries for one weekend only and celebrate the end of law school!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been grand Williamsburg, Virginia--I'll carry the colonial spirit, or at the very least, the reenactment of that spirit, wherever I go. It was this time of year three years ago when Corey and I (then just engaged) traveled here to see if William & Mary Law was the one. The weather was perfect (as it is today), the town was peaceful (we didn't go into the Colonial Foundation section), the dean at the law school talked about the Buffalo Bills with Corey, and the rest is history. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This Sunday around 2 we'll be gathered by the lake cheering as Corey walks across the stage. From tortured writer who went to peace rallies in Boston, MA, to small town newspaper reporter, and now to esquire, cute husband has come a long way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To say I'm proud is an understatement--I've been the one true witness to everything he's had to do these last three years, and I can tell you it's not for the faint of heart. And despite the fact that legal work is hard to come by these days, I remind myself as often as I can that it's not just about getting a job, it's about doing good work, helping the world in some meaningful way, no matter how small, and I have not a single doubt that Corey will be doing that soon, and in spades.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To relax a little as we wind down here and prepare for loved ones to arrive for the big weekend ahead, I've been setting up photo shoots in my dining room where the light is good around 3pm...and today it was lemons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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Thanks for reading about our journey thus far, and I hope you'll come along with me to the next thing.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-78855674043476479752011-03-20T01:50:00.001-04:002011-03-24T14:04:59.501-04:00Supermoon over Williamsburg + other weekender scenes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-emoaFkp1xIA/TYWTcHcgMcI/AAAAAAAABdg/1Zm8qeu3g-g/s1600/IMG_5581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-emoaFkp1xIA/TYWTcHcgMcI/AAAAAAAABdg/1Zm8qeu3g-g/s400/IMG_5581.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-emoaFkp1xIA/TYWTcHcgMcI/AAAAAAAABdg/1Zm8qeu3g-g/s1600/IMG_5581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xme2QO4GOa0/TYWTfm1iRuI/AAAAAAAABdk/LM7ddoh-spE/s1600/IMG_5575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xme2QO4GOa0/TYWTfm1iRuI/AAAAAAAABdk/LM7ddoh-spE/s400/IMG_5575.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-roDpyLc_GI0/TYWThQpvUHI/AAAAAAAABdo/g1FUh7EWplM/s1600/IMG_5591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-roDpyLc_GI0/TYWThQpvUHI/AAAAAAAABdo/g1FUh7EWplM/s400/IMG_5591.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>Of course Williamsburg's temps are in the 80s so everyone is happily grilling, sunbathing, and jogging long distances in short shorts. Holy moly I don't belong here!<br />
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Hope the weekend is happy for you so far.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-88659435934810183962011-03-17T10:31:00.000-04:002011-03-17T10:31:38.685-04:00In lieu of wearing green, I ate out of a green bowl this morning. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cZhmEGJIjAc/TYIa9lCn6RI/AAAAAAAABdc/IlVQ5nbC3HQ/s1600/IMG_5571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cZhmEGJIjAc/TYIa9lCn6RI/AAAAAAAABdc/IlVQ5nbC3HQ/s400/IMG_5571.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Please do not pinch me.<br />
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Happy St. Patrick's Day!Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-45434931393484007782011-03-16T02:37:00.001-04:002011-03-16T02:45:13.479-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I've been away from the blog for a little while, mostly for lack of inspiration...sometimes in the post-Christmas winter months I get the major blues. So here's what I've been doing in snapshots.<br />
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Drinking coffee in the morning, as always.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aJlr69pW8w8/TYBV4yb5hjI/AAAAAAAABdE/Ag95NoSlS6w/s1600/IMG_5484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aJlr69pW8w8/TYBV4yb5hjI/AAAAAAAABdE/Ag95NoSlS6w/s400/IMG_5484.JPG" width="400" /> </a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w6YutXORNT8/TYBZNLZ2PwI/AAAAAAAABdY/3nIltqUL280/s1600/IMG_5478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w6YutXORNT8/TYBZNLZ2PwI/AAAAAAAABdY/3nIltqUL280/s400/IMG_5478.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Packing for trips, trips, trips.... Blacksburg, Virginia, Washington D.C., the wilds of Colorado. <a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Dl9rVYdk-aU/TYBVzKBlClI/AAAAAAAABdA/tBLHEyiBheQ/s1600/IMG_5341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FZKW5nC4LD8/TYBWB9V13iI/AAAAAAAABdM/ZfNl8a2rQnk/s1600/IMG_5408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FZKW5nC4LD8/TYBWB9V13iI/AAAAAAAABdM/ZfNl8a2rQnk/s400/IMG_5408.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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It's amazing how monuments can make you swoon.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Watching my father cook Persian food...and trying so very desperately to learn how to do it myself.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OjPeTcA8tuA/TYBU3NU9RhI/AAAAAAAABc0/1g1-WCMTjyA/s1600/IMG_5538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OjPeTcA8tuA/TYBU3NU9RhI/AAAAAAAABc0/1g1-WCMTjyA/s400/IMG_5538.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eUCVzh7VeGs/TYBU_ZHJMZI/AAAAAAAABc4/7CNC1m4MtMU/s1600/IMG_5500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eUCVzh7VeGs/TYBU_ZHJMZI/AAAAAAAABc4/7CNC1m4MtMU/s400/IMG_5500.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
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Drinking Chocolate Ale with my little brother. Brewed at our favorite local Kansas City brewery, Boulevard, and made with chocolate from our famous local Chocolatier, Christopher Elbow, this special ale was sold out in Kansas City within minutes, but smart little Alex had a hunch it was available at a certain liquor store in Colorado, so he drove there, and bought out their supply.<br />
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I don't drink martinis, but I love the way the olives look on the camera. So I've been taking a lot of shots of martinis.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B4SBY1h8sXc/TYBZDWfGIuI/AAAAAAAABdU/OHNge-qpinE/s1600/IMG_5341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B4SBY1h8sXc/TYBZDWfGIuI/AAAAAAAABdU/OHNge-qpinE/s400/IMG_5341.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Singing songs...with Corey on guitar.</div><br />
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The days pass, so many moments to capture, so many tiny little things I want to remind myself not to forget.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-76357823733069764092011-01-29T15:50:00.004-05:002011-01-29T16:24:21.957-05:00Hello from deep within a SaturdayOh the plight of a law school wife.<br />
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Sometimes you lose out to the work at hand. You try makeup + drying your hair for once, 2 varieties of baked goods within the same 24-hour period, and the piece d'resistance, sweetly offering up a <i>Lord of the Rings</i> marathon night, to no avail. Like today, a perfectly beautiful January Saturday in Virginia and cute husband has taken off for Washington D.C. to learn about election law...<br />
But, the man IS published, so can I really complain?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNUEIy1y9hQ/TUR6IPWjjfI/AAAAAAAABcQ/tv4drXZCJAw/s1600/IMG_5296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNUEIy1y9hQ/TUR6IPWjjfI/AAAAAAAABcQ/tv4drXZCJAw/s400/IMG_5296.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
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Oh you know you just want to read it so bad!<br />
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Okay, yes, I've been trying to find a way to brag about this for about 3 weeks now, so sue me....(But remember my husband will be a lawyer in 8 months, so double-check that subpoena!)<br />
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More real than the plight of a law school wife is the plight of an army wife, and I just read an excellent collection of short stories that floored me. It's called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Know-When-Men-Gone/dp/0399157204/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296333580&sr=1-1">You Know When the Men Are Gone</a> by Siobhan Fallon and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's well-written and meaty--a bit more realistic than the Lifetime show <i>Army Wives</i>, which makes life on a military base seem vaguely glamorous--and I read it in about 2 days, you could probably read it faster.<br />
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And now I will return to watching<i> The Office</i> on DVD and drinking coffee. Saturday chores can wait till, let's say, Wednesday. Life is hard.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-10215690360685401922011-01-13T23:24:00.003-05:002011-01-14T02:33:31.199-05:00Stay warmT.S. Eliot said April was the cruelest month, and I trust his literary genius, but holy moly January should be considered a close and terrible second. Those 31 days just kind of stretch out like the Iditarod, don't they?<br />
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<i>This</i> is the bleak midwinter, but we can't even play the beautiful Christmas song by the same name because the most wonderful season has left us, and left us in tatters...<br />
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I don't know what to say about the events in Arizona, as it has been greatly on my mind--when there's tragedy you feel like everything's been said, there's nothing to add, other than your thoughts and your prayers, and those always seem woefully inadequate. Over the years I've come to imagine that in dark days like these there's a big pile of thoughts and prayers somewhere that keeps getting bigger still and stronger and more solid, until it's an everlasting entity all its own that can really make things better in a way. So each day of worry and anxiety I feel about the whole thing I take a moment to add one more ounce of thought to the pile.<br />
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I have fallen in love with my Kindle! This definitely detracts from my literary street cred, but I don't care! It's just so cool!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNUEIy1y9hQ/TS_Myr71LHI/AAAAAAAABb8/MQEn--su1xM/s1600/IMG_5245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNUEIy1y9hQ/TS_Myr71LHI/AAAAAAAABb8/MQEn--su1xM/s400/IMG_5245.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
But of course I am still an avid collector of the paper book and that will never change. Here's my stack...<br />
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And so Christmas fades away...<br />
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...but it is still just January, so we can keep lighting candles.<br />
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Cheerier post soon.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-69738495567651456082010-12-31T19:28:00.002-05:002010-12-31T19:28:54.801-05:00All that's left of this year is the peel...<br />
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Happy New Year!!!!!!Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-20295405003724934682010-12-29T16:14:00.001-05:002010-12-29T16:34:46.485-05:00I think this mug I got in New York at the best little store near where my cute in-laws live is supposed to imply just a simple, "Hey, have your morning coffee, look out the window, relax a bit." But I'm taking it to a whole new level--the mug speaks to me during these hectic holiday times, he says, "Take a breath. It's okay. Take a coffee break. Take some photos. Read a book (on your new Kindle!). Plop those worries down and don't pick them up till next week."<br />
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Big snow came to the mountains today. My brother has been monitoring the storm system on his computer quite obsessively.<br />
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Oh winter!<br />
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Darling, the snow is falling...falling like forgiveness from the sky. --Over the RhineAlisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-62830331057820201582010-12-24T20:29:00.000-05:002010-12-24T20:29:37.364-05:00Christmas is my favorite day of the year. We all agree to hope for peace and we go nuts (sometimes to a fault) trying to make one another happy.<br />
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If only we could freeze the moment.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Merry Christmas to all. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
Alison</div>Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-72138660973975695672010-12-03T21:19:00.003-05:002010-12-04T14:12:31.510-05:00Cold outside, warm inside, candles burning, Christmas tree bright. Life can seem like a tragic novel, but certain nights are from a storybook...<br />
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Hope you've got the same feeling wherever you are.Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342378788513168299.post-44354316997150694882010-11-29T12:50:00.004-05:002010-11-29T12:58:54.684-05:00It's the holiday season!And I think you know how I feel about that...ecstatic! ebullient! jaunty and jolly! I can hardly concentrate on the details of daily life, knowing that Christmas music, Christmas movies, Christmas shopping, and Christmas baking are now socially acceptable!<br />
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Thanksgiving with cute husband turned out to be a very happy day--we cooked a whole meal by ourselves and I have to say we had a real sense of triumph at the end of the day knowing we could pull it off in such a tiny kitchen and with such meager major-meal-making experience. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But. The very best part of Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving morning when I awoke and what to my wondering eyes should appear as I walked oh so nervously into my kitchen dreading the drudgery ahead...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's our elf Rufus. He brought me 2 varieties of sea salt dark chocolate and a copy of Disney's A Christmas Carol. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>And now the season is in full swing...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNUEIy1y9hQ/TPPmIR4xzZI/AAAAAAAABac/ySd25ASKcvo/s1600/IMG_4789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNUEIy1y9hQ/TPPmIR4xzZI/AAAAAAAABac/ySd25ASKcvo/s320/IMG_4789.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Alisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116744193158053142noreply@blogger.com2