"I wanna wash my hands, my hair, my face in snow"

And that was very easy to do this weekend, as we had the Blizzard of '09! 6-10 inches all over the tri-state area. It's gorgeous and we had a ball playing in it!

Enjoy some images from a very white weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Sparky, it's just not Christmas without you...

I have watched this movie twice so far this holiday season. I am not much for watching one movie multiple times, but this is such a masterpiece of a film that I never, ever tire of it! The movie is full of subtle humor and brilliant dialogue, not to mention such unique characters! In the spirit of Christmas, and my love for this movie, I thought I'd share my favorite quote with you (pardon the language, but it's part of what makes it so funny!):

"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no! We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here! We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny [expletive] Kaye! And when Santa squeezes his fat white a$$ down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of a$$holes this side of the nuthouse!"

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friends, family, jolly a-holes, and readers of this blog!

Great quote, had to share.

“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” ~midcentury theologian Reinhold Niebuhr

Thoughts? Specifically in light of the current US mission in the Middle East?

Open House

This past Saturday, we had the pleasure of hosting a Christmas Open House with our upstairs neighbors/friends G&L. It was a lovelier time than we could've planned for! Dozens of cookies were baked, and 6 lbs. of Swedish meatballs were rolled!
Many Redeemer folks came out, as well as a good portion of our apartment building, and even some old college friends! Here's some pictures of the food and Christmas decor (as usual, I forgot to get my camera out and get action shots):

 

 

 

Mulled wine ingredients...

 

Turned out very strong (and very tasty!)

The cookie spread:

Thank you, Williams Sonoma!

Hangin' Hammy

We hope everyone's holiday season is in full-swing and full of joy!

Who could ask for more?

A beautiful story was shared in our small group last night that I simply had to re-tell on here.

One of the wives in our group has a grandfather who is experiencing aggressive dementia. His wife of 50+ years has been put through the ringer, caring for him and managing her own health. A remarkable moment occurred between the two shortly before Thanksgiving. The grandfather was staying at the hospital overnight and his wife was getting ready to leave for the night. She said to him, "If you don't need anything else, I'm going to head home." In an increasingly rare moment of clarity, he placed his hand over hers and looked staright into her eyes and said, "We've had a good life." At that moment, his wife knew she would be able to let him go with peace in her heart as his mental state decreased over the next few weeks.

What more could any of us possibly want than this, at the end of our time on this Earth? To reach our 80s and feel absolute confidence that we had in fact lived a good life. Rich and blessed and long...what more could we ask for out of a life?

God bless you, Jack, and may He bring you home to Himself soon...

What a Turkey (Day)!

The Franks and Watts (T's side of the family) clan piled onto planes and arrived in NYC on Wens. A whirlwind of parade-attending, wine-consuming, shopping, and of course, eating followed...Our Thanksgiving was a geographically mixed one, made up of Tawian, Boston, Connecticut, and Atlanta natives! I especially enjoyed the comparison to a certain Ms. Martha Stewart - I like to think I made her proud with my cooking, hosting, and table setting this weekend!

Up at 5am for the Macy's Parade!

Franks cafe open for business

 

Ready for 9 Thanksgiving guests

This was unintentional, I swear!

So happy to be together!

Cafe Henri - a hit with every woman I know!

Like father like son...

NY Public Library - Main reading room

Ice skating in Bryant Park

 

Thank you, family, for making the long trip to spend your holiday weekend with us! It was certainly one to remember, ranking right up there with my Thanksgiving spent on a houseboat (more on that another time!)...we love you!

*And an extra special thank you to G&L for being so generous with your home (and TV for the Alabama Auburn game)!

A post that may only interest my brother-in-law...

Lately I have been exploring a heightened interest in Christian church history. This is a subject which, until recently, has bored me to tears (I repent, I repent!). My recent quest for knowledge began with a curiosity of the specific differences between the various denominations (another topic for another time, perhaps?). T, who is really well-versed in such things (if you've ever met his father, you know it's in his blood), gave me a couple of books that I wasn't even aware we owned! In these books, I read huge words that I have never seen before in my life, and most of which I still don't understand. But one in particular stuck with me.

Now, I know nothing of the modern Moravian church, but in my recent reading I've learned that their history is rich and important! For instance, "The Moravian missionaries were the first large scale Protestant missionary movement...They were also the first to send lay people (rather than clergy) as missionaries, the first Protestant denomination to minister to slaves, and the first Protestant presence in many countries." This is big stuff, from only one obscure denomination! What more is there to discover!

This is just one of many jewels I'm learning as I try to actually understand where it is this Faith that I build my life around (or aspire to) comes from!

~C

Friday night on the town

Here's some shots from last Friday - we made an evening of it and had a lovely dinner, then saw Tracy Morgan at Carnegie Hall. We were in the cheap seats, but it was a great time in a beautiful venue!

Ready to go out

T and his best bud

4th level balcony at Carnegie

Opening act leaving, Tracy taking the spotlight

Tracy doin' his thang

And a good time was had by all.

Oh, now I remember...

T & I are going to hear Tracy Morgan (of 30 Rock and SNL) do stand-up at Carnegie Hall tonight. We've been so excited about this since I bought the tickets back in August! You see, it's easy to forget exactly what is so wonderful and romantic and glamorous about living in New York when you're poor. From the hurried crush of people everywhere you go, to the inability to afford eating out more than once every couple of weeks, to the exorbitant price of kitchen staples such as cereal ($6) and canned soup ($3), being poor in New York flat-out stinks a lot of the time. No doubt about it, this city was made for, and run by, the wealthy and elite.

However, then I reflect back on special things we've been able to do here that we could never have done living anywhere else. Whether it's my nightly run along the East River where I ponder the significance of the color of the lights on the Empire State building (it's been blue and white for the Yankees this week), to Saturday afternoon treks through Central Park - home of countless engagements, tourist photos and movie shoots, to cheap world-class jazz in the East Village, live performances by beloved entertainers, and even to hearing Tim Keller preach in-person every Sunday; New York offers what no other place really can (at least for me).

So, even if we have to scrimp and save for special nights like tonight, it reminds me of why it's all worthwhile. God bless you, NYC.

Dylan on a Wednesday

If Dogs Run Free 

Bob Dylan

If dogs run free, then why not we
Across the swooping plain?
My ears hear a symphony
Of two mules, trains and rain.
The best is always yet to come,
That's what they explain to me.
Just do your thing, you'll be king,
If dogs run free.

If dogs run free, why not me
Across the swamp of time?
My mind weaves a symphony
And tapestry of rhyme.
Oh, winds which rush my tale to thee
So it may flow and be,
To each his own, it's all unknown,
If dogs run free.

If dogs run free, then what must be,
Must be, and that is all.
True love can make a blade of grass
Stand up straight and tall.
In harmony with the cosmic sea,
True love needs no company,
It can cure the soul, it can make it whole,
If dogs run free.



Amen.