Happy Anniversary!

To the most awesome pair (now a little group of three) EVER!  So many changes so quickly!  Happy one year wedding anniversary to Trish and Justin!!!  love you both so much.

Carolyn is Married :)

Carolyn is married!  Hooray!  She and Brandon tied the knot this past weekend.  The whole celebration was wonderful, and happiness radiated out of them so strongly that guests were able to soak it up like rays of sun.  Very joyous :)  Don't they look amazing in this photo?  I'm excited to see more pictures eventually.  The many hours they put into planning everything, from the basics to creative, small details, helped their guests feel an extremely warm welcome, and were worthwhile.  But, what I loved most about the day was that their commitment to each other took center stage, and all those plans served to highlight it.  It was incredible to see how fully they grasped the vows they were making to each other...there was a very tangible feeling in the air.  It made me think, "Now that's what it means to get married!"  They are off now continuing their celebration in Belize on a two week honeymoon!  Cheers to them!

ps:  This picture was shot by a friend of Carolyn's sister named Bridget Schams, who has a lovely eye for photography :)

They did it!

 Trish and J tied the knot this past weekend!  Hooray!  The wedding was incredible.  I love these two individually, and I love them as one.  Many others feel the same way because their wedding was a huge showing of support, friendship, and love.  It was a testament to the spirit of generosity.  Does that sound over the top?  It's true!  There was a tangible feeling in the air that infected everyone; it made me feel very real and alive.  And it kind of felt like time was moving in another dimension, because by the time the weekend was over I felt like I had been there for a month, and it was a little surreal to get on a plane and head straight back to school.  I wanted to know more about everyone I met there, hear their stories and just spend time being with them.  I'm going to share more details about the weekend, but I want to wait until I have a chance to look through more pictures.  Gosh, Trish is so beautiful I can hardly stand it.  I believe so strongly in this relationship - Congratulations to my cousin and cousin-in-law!

One Week!

One week, one week!  One week until Trish and J tie the knot!  I love these two so much and can't wait to go to Massachusetts next weekend to celebrate with them!  I get to see my mom and sister, too, which I'm so happy about.  After the wedding the couple is flying to Thailand for their honeymoon, then shortly after that going to live in Egypt for a few months for some work that Justin is doing.  What an adventure!  "We'll be busier with life-living than bees with their honey-making," Trish told me once right before I moved to Worcester.  Well we were, and we are, and now they will be :)  Hurrah for them!

A "Hooray!" Day

There are a couple things that call for an extra-satisfying, celebratory breakfast today (Mom's homemade quiche and toast with goat cheese and jam, yum).  The first is that this beautiful woman had her birthday yesterday!  We did the best we could with texts, phone calls, and online chats, and we will celebrate together in person next week when I go out to Massachusetts for a few days during my vacation, which includes her wedding shower, because yes!  there is a wedding happening in September!  So, another birthday wish and xoxo to Trish this morning, and sips from the twin mug made in her honor :) The other thing is that I finally found a place to live in Lexington, where I'm starting grad school in just a few weeks, and I think I'm going to love it.  It's a garage converted into an apartment, encompasses two floors, and was built by a Swedish psychology professor.  It's all wood paneling, and as far as I can tell, will feel like living in a log cabin.  There is also a little pool in the backyard.  Woohoo!  Looking for an apartment is always stressful, and it's such a relief when something is settled.  I move and start and school in 3 weeks, eek.  Feeling nervous and excited.


ps:  By the way, do you ever get tired of looking at tiny apartments when you're trying to find a new place?  I scrolled through a million crappy craigslist ads and almost didn't even respond to the one I ended up taking because it didn't give much information.  The whole process made me keep thinking of this Tom Robbins quote:  "Priscilla lived in a studio apartment.  It was called a 'studio' apartment because art is supposed to be glamorous and landlords have a vested interest in making us believe that artists prefer to sleep in their workrooms.  Real artists almost never live in studio apartments.  There isn't enough space, and the light is all wrong.  Clerks live in studio apartments.  File clerks, shop clerks, law clerks, community college students, elderly widows, and unmarried waitresses."  Ha!  And graduate students.