ski bums

my family went skiing the week before christmas and it was great to be back on the slopes!  the frosty air was energizing, the mountain was challenging, and the hot chocolate was yummy.

i created a little photo storyboard that takes you through our daily ski bum rituals:

view...the conditions and pretty landscape
prepare...with lots of warm clothes!
follow...the snowy path through the trees
conquer...the steep mountain
refuel...in the warm lodge with the most delicious hot chocolate. ever.

it was a great week :)

be merry

[see larger image on flickr]

 "may your days be merry and bright"
-bing crosby

i love christmas.  it's filled with rosy cheeks, hot cocoa, christmas carols, twinkling lights, the excitement and wonder of santa claus, the sound of ripping paper, neighbors reuniting, fresh baked cookies, church bells ringing, and lots of laughter and love...

it's a time to be generous.
a time to spend with family and friends.
a time to be thankful for that baby in a manager and all that we are blessed with.

and it's a time to be merry...hope yours was very merry!

word cloud

word clouds are super popular right now, especially with visualizing data sets and online content trends.  these clouds grab the words or terms used in a text document or site and determine the frequency of use...the larger the size of the word/term, the more it's been used in the document or site.

so, i found the site wordle, which has a really simple interface for creating these images, and i decided to do a word cloud of my blog to see what my posts are mostly about.

i'm happy to see that love, music, listen, see, trip, flickr, and freezing [i do love my winter!] are all trends.  and i apparently have to stop using the word "really" :)

estonian mittens

today is freezing. below freezing actually.  it's about 26 degrees with crazy horizontal winds and constant flurries.  now, i love the cold. i love the snow [really really love it].  but the wind?  i could do without that.

so this morning i was in search of a warm scarf and gloves to trek across campus to class...and then a huge smile spread across my face.  i saw my hand-made mittens that i got on my trip to estonia this summer!

aren't they beeeautiful??  red and white. snowflakes and polar bears. made of warm wool.  the perfect winter gloves.

so now i'm all set...because the cold, snowy winds ain't got nothing on my estonian mittens :)

be musical

[see larger image on flickr]

"music expresses that which cannot be put into words
and which cannot remain silent"
- victor hugo

although i love listening to all kinds of music, there's something magical about playing instrumental music. to watch your fingers dance over shiny, ivory keys creating a wordless poem that speaks to your mind, your heart, and your soul. it paints emotion and memories on a canvas of silence connecting all of those who are listening.

i played the piano over thanksgiving after not playing for awhile, and, although my fingers didn't quite "dance" [it was more like a clumsy stumble at times], it still evokes the same sense of serenity and happiness every time i sit down to play.  so it's something i've promised myself that i'll continue to do...to be musical :)

some of my favorites:
cinematic orchestra - arrival of the birds [listen]
alan silvestri - amas veritas [listen]
craig armstrong - glasgow love theme [listen]

birthday promises

[see larger image on flickr]

my wonderful mom just let me know that she got my birthday present yesterday...

...tickets to see promises, promises on broadway!! [kristin chenoweth and sean hayes live. should be ammmazing.]

i'm soooo excited to see the show, the tree, the shoppers bustling about...and the city dressed in its christmas best :)

because there's really nothing quite like new york at christmas...

[listen]

festive fall trip

a few weeks ago i went on a nice, relaxing trip to upstate new york. it was full of fun fall activities...

playing keno and gossiping with locals at the three bear inn.
visiting the ithaca farmer's market.
admiring artisan jewelry & pottery...and the beautiful lake-front view.
tasting delicious wine and nibbling on cookies.
laughing at stories from "the limerick king."
picking apples and sipping cider.

it was a trip with my family and dear friend.
it was a weekend filled with some of the best ingredients of life:
...wine, cookies, laughter, & love :)

[see flickr here and here for photos from hollenbeck's cider mill]