missing the northeast...

I was able to talk to a friend of mine from New Haven, CT. It was really nice to hear her voice. They were having a game night. And I'm missing it. I'm missing New Haven. I'm missing my NH friends. These are 2 of my favorite places to walk around and take pictures in New Haven. I used a little photoshop, obviously :-)

winter wonderland...

at the start of things...

pretty much the scariest snowman ever...

frozen gnome-sicles...

i was not happy that i had to work...

for those of you who are curious...

here's some pictures of Woodland. it's only 1 of 2 locations, but it's the one that i worked at most often...

our pretty alleyway...

obviously...

here's my corner: i sat here when i wasn't making drinks...

here's some 'artwork' i did around the shop...

Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Gnomes...

So, instead of riding my bike downtown today, i walked to the bank. I thought it might be nice to take some pictures so i brought my camera. Unfortunately, the battery was almost out. But before it ran out, i came across a little brownstone that had about 8 gnomes on their front stairs...

and 2 blocks later, i came across another 1. scary...

who takes pics of fall and listens to Queen...

i do! er... i did...

I'm in a love/hate relationship...

... with the wind.

As long as i can remember, i've loved bad weather. Go ahead, ask my mom. Rain, lightning, thunder, and wind! I love windy days; especially in the fall. The orange, red, and yellow leaves swirling though the air. Big gusts that almost blow your scarfs off... there's nothing better. :-) Unless....... you're riding a bike. Don't get me wrong, i generally love riding my bike. But try riding directly into a 30 mph gust of wind, uphill. yeah, uphill. Not fun. The last 2 days it's been awfully windy around here and i'm not enjoying it so much, bike-wise that is...

read my lips: n-o....

So, i live with a great family, The Harke's. (plus The Clark's) The Harke's has 3 awesome kids, Olivia (5), Silas (3), and Cora (almost 1). Tonight, I witnessed Cora's first 'argument' with her mom. Cora, as most kids, loves to get into everything! One of her favorites is the kids plastic plates and bowls. Ricci (her mom) doesn't mind her doing it but she does leave quite the mess. So tonight, after Cora tore through all the plastic ware and got bored, Ricci cleaned up. Then Cora made her way back and noticed that the floor looked too bare and decided to get the plates again. As she reach for the basket, Ricci said, "Cora! No!" Cora looked right up at Ricci, screeched, and started pulling out the plates. Once again, Ricci told Cora to stop and she (Cora) did the same thing: screeched and grabbed another plate. It was such a defiant little screech for a 1 year old. She can't even talk and she already knows how to say no.

rainy days and… monday

It has been pouring for most of the day. And I’ve been out in it. I ran a few errands and a saw a movie with a friend. I’ve changed my pants twice today because they keep dragging in the rain. Oh well. What can I do? I already packed my galoshes. Actually, I’ve packed most everything. It’s hard though. Somebody is moving into my room after me, but I’m still here till Monday. So, I can’t pack all of my winter clothes yet. And I’m still using my bed. Anyhoo, I have to finish soon; did I mention I was leaving on Monday?!?

everyone knows it's windy...

today is my favorite kind of day!

it's cloudy

it's windy

it's rainy

we are getting the 'left overs' of hurricane Noel. it's gorgeous! i know. i'm weird. but i like bad weather. not to much rain that you can't walk without an umbrella. but so windy that if you do have an umbrella, you have to hold on for dear life. it's so perfectly cloudy that you just want to sleep-in forever. unfortunately, i couldn't. i had to get up and head downtown. but i got to be in this beautiful weather.

refreshing...

So, this past Monday, i walked up to our (YWAM's) offices, as usual. I unlocked the doors, as usual. I walked up the stairs, as usual. But when i reached the top, there was something, somewhat unusual. People! Well, different people. You see, the summer is when our staff takes time off; to visit family, raise funds, etc. So for the past 2 to 3 weeks, it had just been me and my friends (and co-workers) Kathy and Christine (her husband has a "regular" job so i would only see him randomly). Anyhoo, everyone is starting to get back from their time off and now the office is slowly starting to fill up! It's just really nice to have my New Haven family back!

isn't she a beaut?

it's it lovely? that's my new bike. i had been wanting one for a month or so, but i didn't have the funds. well, i was talking about it with my good friend, Rachel (Hans as of last saturday) and she wanted to pay me for singing at her wedding reception. it was my pleasure to sing at the reception and i told her not to worry about it. but she insisted and asked if she could buy me a bike for payment. i believe my exact words were, "heck yeah!" so that night we got on the internet and ordered my bike. it was waiting for me when i got back from texas! it just makes going back and forth to the office a lot easier and faster.

i like my new bike!!