Boston College

well, friends. here we are in boston, ma visiting the esteemed jesuit university, boston college.



i don't know if all my many, many readers (ha!) know that chris is considering getting his PHD and that the place we're most seriously considering is boston college. there are so many factors contributing to the decision to come to boston it's overwhelming. we love most parts of our life in camden and if we leave there's a good possibility we'll never find the wonderful things we have there anywhere else, ever again. but this would be the time for chris to get his doctorate if he wants to teach and this is one of the best programs out there, having most of the things chris would want in his study.

anyway, so far the campus is beautiful and the weather is cold. we will explore this area today and tomorrow our wonderful friends will be meeting us in the city and we'll explore boston - and figure out if we can even afford to live here.

any boston "musts"? places we have to go, food we have to eat?

51 gone

on the sunday before the beginning of advent season we remember those who have been murdered in camden city and camden county since the last november. last year there were 46 (if i remember correctly) people murdered. this year there have been 51 men, women and children murdered in camden city and 7 murdered in the county. this is the highest number in the last several years. at this point, camden is back at the top having been named the #2 most dangerous city in the nation.

we pray for those who have died, for those who have been left behind and for our city, that we would stop this madness.


yesterday, the first sunday of advent, our church celebrated and blessed the pregnant women among us. i love that this celebration follows the remembrance of those murdered. i think it's hopeful and beautiful. unfortunately, i've been sick but i heard the mother's were lovely... one, more notably so, cheryl - our community-mate! we're very excited!

a post to update you.

i'm having a hard time updating this thing recently. i blame it on the cooler weather, the overcast and rainy days, the need to curl up on my couch with my pooch. but i am back, for now, although still on the couch, under a blanket with victor.

speaking of victor, he's trouble. we love him but recently we discovered he has a side that we previously had not encountered. this week, on a nice fall afternoon outing, he killed an innocent squirrel. oh, it was the whole nine yards. blood. more blood than i care to rehash. yes, there are many a squirrel in my neighborhood and yes, they reek havoc so i am not sad to see one go but victor just seems to be different now.....


(his face has been blurred for his protection)













(chris had a great time on photo shop working on this photo of our newly hardened criminal but i'm a little creeped out by it.)


in other news, we had our dear friends darin, meeghan, guinn, and justice (our god son) visiting this last week. it was wonderful and crazy having a hyper 3 year old and a senile 87 year old here making us laugh and keeping us busy. i'll say it again, i wish i could have everyone i care about in the same place. why are we all so far away from each other?

i leave you with some pictures of the adorable justice. he is a handful but i just love how loving he is. he loves to share with you and take care of you. he's so good to "ninny" (guinn).

(by the way, i love picnik.com for photo editing - i really like the 1960's photo wash)

political musings

chris and i just re-watched the 2004 documentary The Take. it tells the story of the factory takeover movement in argentina. (factories that were shut down by "the bosses" because of the massive amount of debts they racked up due, in part, to the salaries and excesses of those in charge. the workers took them over and kept them running, illegally, because they depended on their jobs and felt that these factories belonged to the people). it's a great film that has sparked lots of thought in me. we first saw it a few years ago at a christian anarchy conference and were troubled, as people with pacifist leanings, by the idea of violence (against law enforcement) and coercion. yet i was still deeply drawn in by people doing it themselves - not waiting for their city, state or national officials to do something but caring for each other, sharing power, and producing on their own terms. this time around watching the film sparked some new thoughts in me. i still find so much truth, hope and love (all of those!) in their stories and want to keep learning more about this movement. but i wondered if taking over factories, even for fair wages, was still playing the game of those in charge. producing things to be shipped somewhere else, like growing corn, none of which will be eaten by anyone within 300 miles of it, instead of creating things to be used locally. made by us for us. and yes, without large numbers of employees and a few bosses. i know these questions are easy for me to ask on my couch (on my laptop no less!), but i wonder about it in my own life too.

i wonder about it in this election. it's an election that has pulled me in and kept me interested and yet, i have to ask: am i playing the game of a system i struggle to find hope in? am i looking for a savior inside the united states of america? ok, so i know it's more nuanced than that and i also know i do hope that one of these men wins out over the other. but i want to remember that "our dreams don't fit on your ballots", as they say in latin america. and as a christian my dreams are so full and so alive they make a ballot seem like not much more than a piece of paper.

cleaning and baking

i just deep cleaned and re-organized most of my kitchen (and dog proofed it - victor will eat any food he can get his paws on!) which makes me feel relaxed and happy. i don't know if you do this too but after i've cleaned a room really well i can't keep myself from walking back through every 20 minutes or so - just to feel a project done.

to celebrate my cleaning victory i decided to bake banana walnut muffins. they are delicious! you should try the recipe - it's definitely one of those that, as long as you have overripe banana's on hand, you probably have all the ingredients lying around. very yummy.

beautiful prize...

for one lucky winner. go visit here to see it and spend some time reading about this family's experiences with homeschooling. very inspiring!

Happy Birthday Chris!!!

i wanted to write a little tribute for my husband on his birthday. he is 27 today and deserves as wonderful a day as possible. he works so hard in school and at home, he's always thinking and writing and doing and even helping me (he doesn't even have to be asked to do the dishes!). i'm proud to know him and thankful to spend my life with him. i hope he feels loved and appreciated today.

traveling man.

not sure what he's doing here....

looking good

captivating audiences everywhere

amish