In other news,

I...

had 25 people over for Jessica's last dinner.

played mom all weekend with Ashley and the Scott children

got nostalgic with high school friends

cozy'ed up the lily

Christmas crafted over mimosas with friends

wore some tacky sweaters 

learned to knit 

ate way too many christmas cookies at our school's "cookie blizzard"

played with Jessica when she came back to Chi for a weekend 

got classy

partied with really awesome people

addressed, stamped, sealed some NYE invites

watched as the world did not end
from the 27th floor of the wit hotel

got classy again.

watched Daniel teach Mikey how to tie a bow tie 

witnessed Adam's epic baptism in Lake Michigan on Dec 22nd

then went to brunch

survived a snowstorm doing some winter running

did a new project for a new year in the lily with my dear roomie

Life sure happens fast. Wow.

- 2 0 1 3 -

Ever since viewing The Great Gatsby trailer (original release date scheduled for Christmas), Ashley and I have been dreaming up the possibility of a 20's themed party. Not the kind with flappers and costumes, or fake rhinestones and plastic hats... the kind of party where you immediately feel like you've entered into the time era that makes you wonder if Gatsby might really be there.

So when some of my best college roommates / friends Jenny, Andrew, & Larry officially purchased their tickets for a Chicago style New Year's reunion... Ash and I knew it was our golden opportunity for putting our ideas into play... to ring in 2013 with the jazz & class we had dreamt of for so long. We busily went to work on invites (the design and brilliance of Miss Peters), addressed, and wax-sealed them off... made lists and grocery runs and pinterest boards... clipped pages of Design Sponge, devoted hours to DIY projects, and texted each other tirelessly with new ideas.

"Gatsby believed in the green light,
the organic future that year by year receeds before us,
it eluded us then, but that's no matter.
Tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms farther..."

Invites off to the USPS!

In an attempt to create a speakeasy lounge out of our dining room, we knew the only way to go is gold walls... so we made a last minute run to Home Depot and came out with gallons of olive green paint & metallic gold. Our ideals were quickly dismissed with the onset of logic reminding us to be semi-future minded. (Because let's be honest, we really wouldn't have the energy or time to "paint it back" as we hoped.) So, olive green is the new gold. And DIY gold wallpaper in the living room is the new lounge.

The yellow we have lived with for too long...

You know it's a real party when walls are being painted for it.

From all corners of the house you can hear the slow hums and whistles of Auld Lang Syne lyrics... (often mixed with bridges of Les Miserables tunes... because after seeing that movie, who can help it?!) as we steadily work on readying our home for our 50+ guests. As we painted, we recounted what a lovely year 2012 has been... favorite memories, quotes, ideas... as well as resolutions for 2013. What a perfect way to ring in the new year. It's been a lot of work so far - with more to come - but I wouldn't have it any other way. My friends arrive tomorrow and really, that is the best part.

New Years Reunion for 2012.
Excited to welcome in 2013 with these best friends again.

Merry Lily Christmas

The holidays are here... 

so we put on Christmas sweaters, drank hot chocolate, and exchanged gifts.

Thankful for these dear ones.

Winter : The Reading Season

"Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. They are full of all the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. And quality of attention: we many notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift. My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I'm grateful for it the way I'm grateful for the ocean. Aren't you? I ask."
:: Anne Lamott "Bird by Bird" [p.15]

Reading is magical, isn't it? I love to escape into imaginative worlds so easily created with words strung together on a page. As a child, it felt like I could devote endless hours of time to reading as if only a minute had passed. And now in my adult life, my love for reading is so easily overpowered by the pressing needs of life... it's a discipline to quiet my distracted mind and stop for a moment with a book. But now it's winter... and these brisk and snowy months offer a lovely chunk of time to read... an excuse to cozy up and spend those after-work hours with a book. For as much as I love summer, I know I need winter. I need it to slow down and let my mind and soul rest. I am thankful that winter gives us Chicagoans a break... a valid excuse to go to bed early, to watch snow fall, drink hot chocolate, stay indoors, and be less active. Winter is the perfect time to stack some good reads by my bedside and overcome the guilty complex of just "doing nothing" for a season.

 I really couldn't have said it better than Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird... a book that's piqued my literary spirit. Some other books that have caught my attention lately include: Epilogue (Anne Roiphe), Spiritual Formation (Henri Nouwen), Stumbling on Happiness (Daniel Gilbert), Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chobsky), and The Hemingway Reader - short stories and other excerpts.

Winter is here no matter what... time to embrace it and recognize the beauty in it.

That Girl Jess

Jessica: Day 1. Chicago doorstep.

When people ask me how I know my roommate Jessica, it's hard to give a straight answer. The conversation usually goes: "Well... she's a friend of a friend of a friend...on Facebook. Nope we didn't know each other before she moved in. I guess we had one skype conversation. Oh, well we also followed each other on Instagram. Does that count? ....I guess we just knew it was meant to be."

Craigslist bike adventure.

Chalktionary. King Kong. Flustered Jessica.

City celebrations. Guthrie's.

Jessica showed up on our doorstep after 18 hours on the road from Orlando, where she spent 3 months loving on girls, building community, and digging deeper into what the Lord had for her. On our first Welcome to the Neighborhood tour in June, Jessica shivered in the 60 degree temps and gave a startled, wide-eyed stare at the El train traveling overhead. She asked: "Where is the Lincoln Park?" and mimicked a midwestern accent (later we told her it's Minnesota). Six months ago, this San Diego lady was just a beginner in the grand city of Chicago.

Crew.

Midwest roadtrips.

lakeside with roomies.

But within only a few weeks, she was hosting friends from out-of-town, taking the train to work, and shedding off those layers of winter clothes in June. She caught the vision for our summer movie nights, invested in a craigs-listed bike, compiled a film from our camping trip, joined a gospel community at Missio Dei, found her own way to the lake, grabbed Potbelly on-the-go, planned brunches with friends, and hosted Family Dinners. So, it only made sense to us when she told us in July that she would be here longer than she intended. After all, the summer can be pretty convincing in Chicago.

Epic day. So epic.

Family Dinners. High/Lows and Ramdoms.

To be honest, I can't imagine what this season would've looked like without Jessica. She embraces everything with full speed, she lives passionately, she dedicates her life to loving people, she pursues God with her whole heart... She has a witty sense of humor, an uncanny eye for design, creativity and drive oozing from her, and a soul that cares more for others than for herself. Every day, the three of us somehow found ourselves gathered around the kitchen bar or the bathroom... and it's those moments I will miss. In so many ways, she helped link our Chicago community together and was the one that sealed friendships in this city.

Movie nights. So many.

Cookie sandwiches.

Lily.

With her upcoming leave date of Dec 1, we've been marathon-ing our before-Jessica-leaves-us bucket list. It's hard to put into words how much we will miss this dearheart. To us, she has become family... and although the Lily has seen a few roomie transitions, we can all acknowledge that once again, lily life won't be the same without a piece of our family. Once a lily, always a lily. (Cheesy?? Deal with it.) We love her and are sad to see her go.

Playing with film around the city.

Seasonal love before she's out.

Life will not be the same without you! Love you Jess.

“…the only proper thing,

but the thing which is unconditionally and inescapably demanded,

is that [we] should be thankful. 

How can anything more or different be asked of man?… “ 

:: Karl Barth

Thankful.

< 35mm film >

This Year

When people find out I'm a teacher, I'm often met with the questions: How has your year been? How are the kids?

While last year I would've responded that I love it, it's great, my class is sweet... It's only in hindsight that I can acknowledge in honesty how difficult last year really was for me. As a first year Kindergarten teacher, I was just beginning to learn the in's and out's... the tricks of the trade... the stuff that I jealously look to in teachers that have taught for 15+ years and wonder why I can't be more like them.

I now realize - in my wiser year 2 - that it's only with trial-and-error that you survive the first few years of teaching and hone the craft. Like anything else, it takes time to develop "the best ways of doing things" and giving yourself some grace to go about the motions as you grow as a professional.

This year has brought its load of challenges, but in it I am able to see the beauty with my class of eighteen wonderful little souls. They adore school, they love God, and they respect the boundaries I have established. What a blessing this year has been - doing Kindergarten for Round Two WITH an assistant is helpful, too. 

... and of course, Miss Goldstein in gear on the playground. This is teacher life.