sweet, simple things

"i am beginning to learn
that it is the sweet, simple things of life
which are the real ones after all"

-laura ingalls wilder

over thanksgiving my mom, brother, and i visited the apple farm from our childhood.
we picked apples, browsed the country store, & treated ourselves to delicious cider donuts.

then we went for a long fall drive by our old high school
and through the back roads where our friends used to live.
we shared stories as different landmarks sparked memories from years ago.
as the scenery flew by, it made me realize how fast time had flown by.

it was a sweet, simple thing - those few hours we spent together.
remembering the past...and enjoying the present with each other.

i'm a few months behind on processing my photos,
but i'm working on getting them posted on here in the next few weeks :)

hope your 2013 is off to a great start!

beach memories

“our memories of the ocean will linger on,
long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”
-anonymous 
 
this is LONG overdue, but here are some of my photos from my north carolina trip this summer...
[which i promised to post back in july, whoops ;)]

you are my little piece of heaven, NC.

see you next year :)

[photos on flickr: rocks, sea suds, feet, waves crashing, seagull, view]

goodbye joe

it's been an emotional week at penn state.

we've lost our beloved leader of 61 years, our joepa.

but yesterday's procession was incredibly touching and comforting

as thousands of our penn state family lined the roads to "guide joe home."

 the buses honor joe while people start to line up on curtin & allen

 the crowds wrap all the way past the library & continue 3 miles around campus

 the crowds patiently wait 2 hours in the cold

 the procession begins - we are...penn state

...and we say goodbye, as joe takes his final lap around campus.

also here's a beautiful video of the past week:
http://www.youtube.com/user/gopennstatefootball?feature=watch

...while students sing the alma mater,
it shows the memorial at the statue,
the candlelight vigil at old main with over 10,000 people,
and the stadium which will stay lit until friday...

the two little boys at the statue are actually my friends
julie and dan's kids, liam & owen. so sweet.

simon's evergreen

[see larger image on flickr]

simon pearce is an irishman who started a beautiful hand-blown glass and pottery store with workshop & restaurant locations in a few places in the US. one of those places was my hometown. sadly, they just announced that they’re closing this location :(

so i thought i’d do a little tribute to one of my favorite places with this photo of my favorite simon pearce piece, the evergreen…a special gift from my mom :)

i had great memories there:
...special lunches with my mom
...delicious birthday celebrations
...shopping & lunch trips with dear friends
...toasts to friendships, weddings, and babies

i’m going to miss that delicious vermont cheddar cheese soup, the irish brown bread, the warm, fluffy scones…and of course, sipping champagne out of their gorgeous hand-blown flutes…

slainte simon pearce, thanks for the memories…

inspirational signage

[see larger image on flickr]

now, this is one of the many reasons why i love penn state [i think i'm up to #439,827?].  while walking on campus i came across this enhanced stop sign.

it's a simple message:  don't stop believin'

it might just be a reference to the journey song...but given the number of undergrad spirit-groups on campus that day, i'm thinking it was also a tribute to THON...either way, i love it.

for those of you who aren't familiar with THON (short for the penn state dance marathon), it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world that raises money every year for pediatric cancer through the four diamonds fund at penn state's children's hospital.  every february a few hundred brave students volunteer to "dance" for 48-hours straight.  it's an incredible event with dancing, bands, celebrity appearances, and, most importantly, the kids and their families.  the event is so moving and full of energy, love, and generosity.

so far, THON has raised over $69 million "for the kids" [incredible].  i used to raise money for the cause as an undergrad and have continued to donate as an alumni.  i'm excited to be back on campus and witnessing first hand all of the excitement and preparations for the 2011 event.

watch THON's "don't stop believing" sing-a-long here :)  if you're a penn stater, it'll bring back great memories!

mosaic nostalgia

over the weekend i was sitting at my desk doing some work when i heard a very familiar sound from my childhood...the sound of loud, rushing hot air at very close intervals.

i looked outside and couldn't believe it...a hot air balloon was literally RIGHT outside my window!  i waved to the people [not that they would ever see me inside my room] but more out of habit from when i was little.

back when we were kids and heard or saw a hot air balloon, we'd all rush outside to look in awe at the colorful facade, wondering who the people were and where they were heading [and if they were going to make it over our tall neighborhood trees!].  once a balloon landed in our neighborhood, another time the people came so low that they threw candy to us.  so i quickly grabbed my camera to capture the mosaic-patterned nostalgia of my childhood memories.

it must be some experience, to peacefully float above neighborhoods, towns, and cities.  to do nothing but look down at the miniature world below and enjoy the beautiful scenery.  i'll have to try it sometime...[and i will bring candy for those little kids who run outside and wave at me :)]

also, fun fact: did you know that wikipedia says that the hot air balloon was created on my birthday!  no wonder i love them so much :)

loyal ex

although i've left my job at j&j, i'm still quite the loyal ex-employee.  i get so excited when i see their products.  all over campus there are purell dispensers, and each time i see one, i smile [and in this case, i took a picture :)].

i even cheer on my roommates when i see that they use clean&clear, aveeno, or neutrogena bath products.  and i still get excited and point at the tv when one of the product commericals come on.

but i'm not the only crazy one.  just today one of our IT tech guys was helping me set up the fancy projectors for a presentation and i mentioned i had worked at j&j...guess what he said?  "i wear acuvue contacts!  that's j&j right?"  beautiful.

so i guess it's true...you can take the girl out of j&j, but you can't take the j&j out of the girl...