four eyes and hurricanes

“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, 

thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.” 

― John Green

Rain for days calls for four eyes and warm clothes.

Our flight back to Boston was canceled, so we have been stuck in Virginia and quite happily so. 

Back with our Lucy girl and cozied up to the ever glowing fireplaces. 

I have slept harder these past few days than I have slept in the last five months. 

The kind of sleep where your body and the mattress become one 

and you dont even know where you are when you wake.

The constant rain and swirling wind has made for the most delightful naps - 

and while our power is out here, 

the house is hooked up to a generator so we thankfully have electricity. 

Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone effected by the hurricane...

hope everyone is ok and fairing well.

November in the country

“It was November--the month of crimson sunsets, 

parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines. 

Anne roamed through the pineland alleys in the park and, as she said, 

let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul.” 

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

There is nothing quite like November at my parent's house, but this weekend somehow 

seemed better than ever to me. My heart felt lighter and my lungs more full. 

Maybe it had something to do with the home cooked meals and my dad's amazing banana waffle breakfast

or the beautiful crisp air outside and Lucy happily running through the fields.

Or maybe it was taking multiple naps and going through all my old baby clothes with my mom.

Or maybe its just getting away with Mr. D and never checking the time

or how surreal it still feels to fall asleep with him in my bedroom - 

the flickering glow of a fire in the fireplace. 

Or maybe, just maybe, its the little baby bump that is really beginning to slowly but surely grow  

and day dreaming about baby who will one day run through those fields 

and swing on that porch swing.

Whatever it was, I would not have traded this weekend for anything.

Thank you SO much for all the well wishes -

the emails and notes have made our hearts swell. 

We are so happy to be able to finally share our little news with everyone!

old tavern road

"i thank god for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees

& for the blue dreams of sky & for everything which is natural, 

which is infinite, which is yes."
— E.E. Cummings

 There is a row of trees along the road toward the walls of which I once called home.

I've driven by them more times than I can count

and with each passing, I find myself, eyes closed, running beside them with my arm outstretched -

the tips of my fingers brushing against their leaves, rustling them to dance.

 Standing side by side, some more withered than others, 

they fill my lungs with desire and my heart with courage.

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. 

I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues."
— Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

"A Walk in the Woods"... or our small version of it...

"The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing — 

to reach the Mountain, to find the place where all the beauty came from — 

my country, the place where I ought to have been born. 

Do you think it all meant nothing, all the longing? The longing for home? 

For indeed it now feels not like going, but like going back."
— C.S. Lewis

 Husband is from out west. So, he always laughs when I refer to the mountain behind my parents house, 

as well, a 'mountain' [and I guess technically Wildcat Mountain really is just a foothill of the Blue Ridge]

So on Saturday, we decided to drive 40 minutes toward the actual Blue Ridge Mountains. 

And they did not disappoint. 

The temperature up there dropped to the high 60's low 70's and it could not have been more beautiful.

We even stumbled upon a festival right in the middle of the Appalachian Trail!

---------------------

Did you know that the Appalachian Trail spans 14 states 

and that it takes approximately  5 -  7 months to hike the entire 2, 165 miles?

About 1,500 - 2,000 hikers attempt to hike it each year and only 12% succeed. 

It really made me want to go camping and hiking with Mr. D and Lucy girl...

you know, like a three - five day thing...not the whole trail! 

 Saturday was a pretty perfect day spent with some of my very favorite people...
and as we made our way back down the ridge,
I realized that my whole body felt more relaxed
than it had been in a long time.

inflatable lungs and the blue ridge

"I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—

air, mountains, trees, people. 

I thought, "This is what it is to be happy."
— Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar 

 And that is why they call them the Blue Ridge Mountains.

-------------

Just down the road from my parent's house in Virginia horse country, 

Barrel Oak Winery sits nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge.

Flooded with people and their dogs, horses grazing on the hill above, 

a live band and more fresh air than my lungs know what to do with, 

we took in the scenery as every part of my flesh and spirit 

felt incredibly content simply to be.

I am convinced that stress cannot touch you there.

And as the gray clouds broke open above, we rushed to 

help the painter load his artwork into his car.

And as the band grew louder, 

the sound of the rain hitting the stretched canvas and 

the grass below began a collaborative crescendo.

 And my chest felt so full that I could hardly 

breathe with that joy that comes from feeling so alive. Happy.

-----------

We are back in the city now, but a part of me

can still feel the raindrops moistening my skin 

in the foothills of the Blue Ridge.

 

weekend rain.

"For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain."
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 We drove out to the country on Friday night and Saturday

we went to the Tri County Feed store a few minutes from my parents house.

Stepping foot in that store is like swallowing 

all of Virginia horse country in one gulp - I love it.

Husband got some Lucchese boots which he looks pretty darn good in

and rain coats for the rest of us which was perfect timing because it rained 

most of the weekend... not just rained, but stormed - I loved it.

Yesterday evening, we took Lucy girl for a walk in the rain.

Afterward, we sat on our porch drying off as the day's final beams of sunlight

broke through the clouds casting wonderful shadows and

glistening off raindrops hanging ever so delicately on to

 bright green leaves and fuchsia blossoms.

We are back in the city for the work week - happy to be here and

thankful we are able to enjoy and breathe in the countryside every chance we get.

life like a storm

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." 

— Mae West

This is where we spent the majority of this past week .

A constant reminder of how wondrous creation is...and startling when you realize how close 

the nations capital is from this quiet, bright and beautiful countryside. 

On Friday, Mr. D and I took a late afternoon nap outside on the loggia

and watched as sheets of rain billowed across the mountain and sent waves dancing across the pool.

The thunder rattled in my chest and that sweet unmistakable smell of a hot July thunderstorm

filled my lungs - for some reason reminding me of growing up in the most general sense and

yet somehow managing to encompass every summer of my childhood into that single familiar mist.

We laid together watching the mountain disappear in the thick and heavy downpour

and listened to the rain drops dancing loudly on the pool deck.

Soon the clouds grew lighter and the mountain began to reemerge

and believe me when I say, 

it would have taken your breath away to see how green it all now reappeared.

The middle of summer is definitely here 

and life has never seemed more abundant and clear.

photograph by Mr.D

Lucy in Lavender

"cozy+smell of pancakes-alarm clock=weekend" 

— Amy Krouse Rosenthal 

Working remotely and sitting across from my handsome husband 

makes for a pretty perfect start to the weekend...that and the smell of pancakes in the AM.

We have been staying out in the country ever since Sunday, 

which is heaven for Lucy girl...

Have you ever seen a cuter pup?! [dont mind her shirt...sweet girl still has stitches]

Mr. D and I are pretty smitten with our little shadow.

nothing quite like it.

"He who kisses joy as it flies by will live in eternity's sunrise."

— William Blake

Ever since my dad broke his hip on Sunday,

Mr. D and I have been staying out in the country.

And even after a daily hour and half commute in rush hour, the evening destination is completely worth it.

There is nothing quite as refreshing as breathing in the mountain dipped sky

and watching the hills roll by.

Mr. D took this picture of the sunrise.

As much as I hate waking up so early to face the day, there is nothing quite as full of hope

as those first few early morning hours out in the country -

how faithful the sunrise is...a great reminder from its creator.

Husband and I will be stealing away into the beautiful Virginia countryside again tonight...

anxious for my dad to join us soon.

a few photo album gems

"You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, 

or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear." 

— Oscar Wilde

[my cute mom is in the middle]

When we were at my parents house over the weekend

I found one of my parent's old photo albums and had the best

time looking through the pictures - 

it was fun seeing them when they were young and newly married.

My mom also let me try on and keep some of her favorite clothes from back in the day

and I left with an armful of wonderful clothes ...

she even gave me the outfit she wore on her wedding day!

I'm so glad she held on to all of them and that Im able to hear all of the stories

that they remind her of.

scenes from the first of spring

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.

— Pablo Neruda

We had so much fun on this shoot with Amber and Jon of Live It Out Photography. 

Cory - my very favorite hairdresser in the area - pulled my hair up into a vintage style-do

and we drove around the Virginia countryside in my great-grandmother's green Ford.

Be sure to go here and here for more!

Amazing work Amber!!!

Lucy Girl Goes to the Country.

"After years of having a dog, you know him. 

You know the meaning of his snuffs and grunts and barks. 

Every twitch of the ears is a question or statement, 

every wag of the tail is an exclamation."
— Robert R. McCammon

 

Lucy is headed out to my parents house today. Wish we could take her on the plane with us...

but she will be staying in a doggy dream land 

with fields to run, a pool to swim in and friends to play with. 

We are sure gonna miss our Lucy Girl, though.

love like piano music. but better than that.

"When she started to play, 

Steinway came down personally and rubbed his name off the piano. "
— Bob Hope

 We house-sitted/dog-sitted for my parents this weekend -

which meant we were afforded a heavenly mini-vacation out in the country...

and lots of time to sit and play at their grand piano.

I also fell a little more in love with my husband.

"Everyone in me is a bird, I am beating all my wings" — Sylvia Plath

"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance"
— E.E. Cummings

 The theme on Saturday has a lot to do with birds. For many reasons. 

And in anticipation, the birds have joined in getting ready for the party by making

the most perfect nests I have ever seen 

with the most beautiful blue eggs inside of them. 

My mom sent me these pictures of not one, but TWO perfect nests in her garden in the country.

Even as the world seems to be bursting at its seams,

birds continue singing and creation once again has me still.

the light of letters

"The art of art, the glory of expression and 

the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity." 

— Walt Whitman

There was a point in the day on Saturday, 

after wondrous gray clouds passed by revealing a bright blue sky -

the cement of the pool deck was warm against my bare feet 

 and a breeze carrying the tune of a legion of birds moved across the field - 

and I felt both infinitely small and incredibly alive in a world far too beautiful 

and intricate for mere happenstance.

As words failed to form sentences, their simple existence

put me at ease and sent my heart soaring.

-----------------------

I love all the diverse people I met today -

for all their uniqueness and talented minds.

Headed to see Low tonight at the Black Cat 

with my most favorite person of all. 

startling joy.

"Faith is what makes life bearable,
with all its tragedies and ambiguities
and sudden, startling joys."
— Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water

This was the last weekend before family and friends start arriving ...

and we worked so hard getting everything ready but still had time to relax and
enjoy our time home in the country.

Mr. D, Lucy girl and I even got an Easter basket full of sweets
and lots of wonderful treasures from my mom and dad

before we indulged in our family Easter morning breakfast tradition of bunny buns!

I have never felt more loved and thankful than I did this Easter.
A startling and most hopeful joy.

God is good. So good.

Easter people

"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. 

We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song."
— Pope John Paul II

 This is my first Easter with husband. And I am looking forward to every bit of this weekend. 

Time with family preparing for the arrival of more family...

Jelly beans, old movies, camera play, bunny-buns on Easter morning, 

paper-mache birds and May celebration planning,

brunch and some time by the pool. 

Cant wait to see Lucy girl go for her first swim! 

Above all, 

thankful for family and the reason why we are celebrating in the first place.

Hope everyone has a very happy and joyful Easter! 

a captured weekend with new friends.

"We meet no ordinary people in our lives."
— C.S. Lewis

 Yesterday. 

A drive to the country with brilliant new friends.

Friends with phenomenal camera skills who we were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with.

My great-grandmother's 1950s ford. 

My mom's art studio in an old train station.

A rust chair in the middle of a field.

And an old rock barn.

I can NOT wait to see how it all turned out. 

But mostly I'm thankful for found friends in the District.

My hair was up for most of the day...and this is what it looked like when I finally took it down..

yikes!

May Merriment!

"The night you gave me my birthday party...
you were a young Lieutenant and I was a fragrant phantom,
wasn't I? And it was a radiant night, a night of soft conspiracy
and the trees agreed that it was all going to be for the best."
— Zelda Fitzgerald

 I am really excited about our celebration in May.

Our wedding was perfect, unique and very much just about us...that was the focus and the whole point of it. 

It wasnt clouded over with expectations or some grand carried-away plan. 

It was completely us...so sacred and dear to me.

[that story - the preparations and details - soon to come]

Our May celebration is setting up to be just as unique and lovely...except the focus

this time is on family and friends and an opportunity for us to celebrate our union with them. 

I can't wait to see the dance floor set up in this very field.

Husband and I drove out to the country on Saturday to finish prepping the invitations with my parents. 

We decided to design and do them ourselves  -

I have never stamped so much in my life and I am actually quite proud of our hard work.

They are in the mail today! 

a reason to be thankful and glad ...

"You're beautiful and sad," I said finally, not looking at him when I did. "Just like your eyes. You're like a song that I heard when I was a little kid but forgot I knew until I heard it again." For a long moment there was only the whirring sound of the tires on the road, and then Sam said softly, "Thank you."  — Maggie Stiefvater, Shiver

 ...for a weekend in the country with family. Beautiful Saturday brunch with many friends dear. Delicious lemon muffins. Late night family walks through our darling neighborhood that I continue to love a little more every day. Lunch downtown with husband. Invitation making and a found love for stamps. Lots of popcorn and M&Ms. Kissing in the aisles at Michael's (in order to make it a bearable errand for Mr. D). A hard Sunday afternoon cry and a refreshing walk afterward in the cold night air with encouraging words from husband weaving in and out of 

the tree-lined streets and nestled houses.

And when all was said and done, I actually woke up ready and thankful to head to work..

and even more excited about going home after.

photo one of the potomac river early morning