Where Are You From?

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Jenn
Old Home

Old Home

New Home

New Home

We’ve just returned from vacation, and I promise to blog about that and post pictures soon. But first I wanted to write for  a minute about  a question that really stumped me on this trip – “Where are you from?”

I’m not sure why it was different this trip, but I found myself answering many different ways. Sometimes I said simply, ” Connecticut.” Sometimes I said, ” Well, we’re from Florida, but we live in Connecticut now.” And once, I even found myself blurting out, “Florida. Wait, No. Connecticut.” – even though we have lived in Connecticut for 7 years!

I really love Connecticut, but for some reason I felt it was important that people know we are from Florida on this trip.  But weird that Florida came out first once (or maybe twice).  Maybe it’s because Ryan was gone for so long before our trip and Connecticut just doesn’t feel as much like home without him.  Maybe it’s because when you’re in such an extreme place as Alaska, it’s just more exciting to tell the natives that you’re from the other extreme – Florida!

Posted in Life, Travel | 2 Comments

Refreshing My Look, Yeah Right.

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Jenn

Anyone who has known me a while knows that I have had the same hair cut since the 7th grade – long and all one length, no color treatment.  I get a trim about 3 times a year, usually for some sort of special event like someone’s wedding, a trip home to Florida, or a vacation.  And almost always at Super Cuts.  I used to get my eyebrows waxed there too, but then someone spilled some wax in my hair, and I stopped going there and moved down the strip mall to the nail place.  Usually about this time of year,  Connecticut gets wicked hot and I start wanting to “cut it all off!” which of course, I never do.  See, my husband says he loves my hair long.  It’s how it looked when we met, and we all know that’s about all that is the same on my body 13.5 years and a lot of gravity later (yes, I am blaming gravity!).  Anyways, it’s not that he doesn’t allow me to cut my hair, it’s just that I like hearing how much he likes my hair.  So, I am doing what I do probably once a year, I am going in for my big haircut.  The problem is, I am low maintenance.  So, I cannot get a hair cut that requires any styling, because I just simply won’t do it.  (This time of the year I usually come to work with soaking wet hair because it’s too hot even to blow dry it).  So, for me, it’s long layers and a little length off.  I always get nervous, and it feels significant, even though everyone teases me, because it always looks exactly the same as before!  Well, at least it makes me feel refreshed, even if I don’t look any different.  So in honor of my upcoming vacation to Canada (meeting up with Ryan after 6 weeks away!) and Alaska, I am getting a bold new look (yeah right) at a real salon.

Here’s my hair before – which looks darker because it’s kind of wet.  Remember, it’s too hot to blow dry it this time of year!

Before

Before

And after an hour and a half of washing, cutting, adding product, blow drying, cutting some more, and a little flat ironing, here is my “new” hair.   I know, you wouldn’t even recognize me walking down the street, would you?  It doesn’t really look different, but it certainly feels refreshed, which is what I was going for.

After

After

After

After

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Almost 30, Well Sort Of.

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Jenn

I’m almost 30.  I guess technically I am closer to 29 than I am to 30.  But it sure feels close.  I think “almost 30” is an interesting age.  It’s an interesting age for reflection, and an interesting age for a little self evaluation, and I don’t mean in the negative sense.  I’m quite happy with where I am.  It just feels like such a weird time in your life.  One of those transition times.  Think back to when you were 10 or even 15.  Think about what 30 meant to you then.  Wow, 30 was so old.  You probably thought you’d be settled in the company you would work for forever and your pension would be piling up.  You probably thought you’d have all the kids you were ever going to have (if that’s what you wanted). You thought you’d feel grown up.  You wouldn’t care what people thought of you anymore.  You’d be who you were, and not who you wanted to be – or at least you would be 99.9% sure about who you were and where you were going.  These days, I look even towards my parents and wonder if they feel like grown ups.  Perhaps when you lose your parents you feel totally grown up.  You are now the oldest generation alive in your family.  Who knows.  I toggle between feeling older than a lot of people, and younger than a lot of people.  I bounce between feeling like I have to act younger to be cool, and like I have to act older to be respected.  Who do I want to be, that young hip individual, or that established intelligent professional? (On a side note, because I say “hip,” that automatically means I am not).  I guess it’s like anything in life, you can’t be all things to all people.  Then why do we keep trying to be that.  Why are we not just ok with being who we are?  For me, maybe it’s because the one person who really sees me as who I am and who I can act 100% myself around isn’t around lately.  Being on your own, even temporarily, with no one else to look at, sure does make you look at yourself a lot more.  And I don’t think that’s a bad thing to do once in a while.  Here’s to 8 more months of being in my 20’s.

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The Conclusion of Family Week

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Jenn

We rounded out family week nicely with a visit from Ben & Kristen (my cousin and his wife from Florida) and Amy. Ben & Kristen had less than 24 hours to swing through on their way from Boston to New York for a wedding, but we made every hour count. We grilled out on Friday night and went to Pastrami on Wry for breakfast on Saturday, with lots of chatting about dogs in between.  Kristen decided to set her camera to take a family picture of all of us.  For the first picture, Izzie walked right over and stuck her face in the camera.

What is that blinking red light?

What is that blinking red light?

IMG_0380

After Ben & Kristen were off to NY and Amy headed back to Boston, I took my mom to meet Luke. She’s heard so much about him and she loved getting to meet him (I didn’t take any photos so I am posting one from his first birthday).

Obligatory Baby Eating Cake on His First Birthday Picture

Obligatory Baby Eating Cake on His First Birthday Picture

Saturday night I flew solo at Sarah & Brian’s wedding, and had a great time! The ceremony was a wonderful and touching mix of two branches of Christianity and the reception was elegant and fun.

Congrats to the beautiful couple!

Congrats to the beautiful couple!

Posted in Babies, Family, Friends | 1 Comment

From Jasper’s Perspective

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Jenn

Every summer my parents come up from Florida to visit for about 10 days.  I always have some sort of project for my dad.  It’s usually some sort of man-project that Ryan doesn’t want to attempt, or just something he hasn’t had time to complete.  My dad has installed french doors, built us a planter in the front yard, coordinated tree trimming, coordinated a bathroom plumbing overhaul and fixed spigots multiple times.  This year, his job was smaller but equally as important.  Ever since the introduction of Izzie the Dog into our lives, poor little Jasper the Cat has been tormented.  She couldn’t eat in peace, she couldn’t ‘do her business’ in peace.  Jasper’s litter box and food had been kept in the office.  But, once we got Izzie and put her crate in the office, the cat had to be banished to the guestroom.  Since the dog would often eat the cat’s food, the door to the guestroom was often shut, confining the cat to that room.  But, thanks to my dad, we’ve been able to move Jasper’s things to the laundry/boiler room (for you Southerners, the boiler room is the room where the boiler lives, which keeps the house warm in the winter.  And not the Florida winter, the real winter. And if you watched my all time favorite TV show My So-Called Life, you might remember the boiler room.  Nothing that exciting happens in my boiler room.)  And with the installation of Jasper’s very own cat door, Izzie cannot get out into the laundry/boiler room to eat Jasper’s food.  We bought several size doors – it was important to find one that was small enough that Izzie couldn’t fit through, but big enough that Jasper could fit through.  We still have the flap taped up for easy access, but so far, it’s been a successful transition.

And just look what Jasper has to look forward to seeing everyday after she ‘does her business.’

Whatcha Doin' In There?

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Happy 4th of July!

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Jenn

This week has been and will be full of family, and I am loving it! My parents are visiting from Florida!  On Friday, we picked my cousin Amy up in Boston and made our way up to Contoocook, NH to visit my father’s brother Rick and his family (Aunt Ginny, Cousins Will, Jon (home from DC) and Dan plus Dan’s wife Jess and their daughter (my Grand Cousin, or something!), Evelyn.  My camera battery crapped out on me, so I relied on Amy to take pictures for me and she did not disappoint!  We had a weekend full of eating, napping, chatting and eating some more.  It was fantastic!

Picture 5

Aunt Ginny's Jam at the Contoocook Farmers' Market

Aunt Ginny's Jam at the Contoocook Farmers' Market

Evelyn playing in the dirt

Evelyn playing in the dirt

The Cousins (minus 2) Dan, Amy, Me, Jon, Jess, Evelyn and Will

The Cousins (minus 2) Dan, Amy, Me, Jon, Jess, Evelyn and Will

Evelyn and Izzie

Evelyn and Izzie

Izzie stops to smell the flowers

Izzie stops to smell the flowers

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Blogger-rific Week: Friday

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Jenn

Day 5 and final day of Blogger-rific Week, where I profile blogs of people I don’t personally know, but whose blogs and life stories bring me much joy and laughter.

Today’s Blog ‘O the Day:

The Whole Self

Picture 4

URL:

http://thewholeself.blogspot.com/

How I found this blog:

On Stefania‘s Bloglist.  The writer of this blog ALMOST doesn’t meet my criteria for profile, but technically, even though she is friends with a friend of mine, I don’t know her personally.

Subject matter:

A mama, a crafter, a massage therapist, a doula, a food lover, a baby carrier, a womb, a self-confessor, and a little bit of a dirty hippie at heart, she hearts mamas, doulas, massage therapists, touching yarn, talking about poop, photobooths, gardening, yarn, debriefing, kids running wild, bare feet, eating the toes of babes, breastfeeding, long braids and ponytails, pippi longstocking, going to bed ridiculously early, organic living, feeding the masses, and wearing fairy wings.

Why I love this blog:

Oh my goodness, if the description she wrote above isn’t enough, I just love this blog.  Her posts are usually short, simple and sweet updates of what’s going on in her household. She could easily bitch and moan about how hard life is with 3 kids, but that’s just not her style.  She always has some sort of fun new activity to keep the kids entertained.  Her creations are amazing.  Her spirit is uplifting and inspiring.  When I have multiple new posts to read in my Google Reader, I always save The Whole Self for last, because it makes me feel soothed, like a nice warm cup of tea.

Your Call to Action:

Leave me a comment and tell which blog you liked the best for the week (leave it on that actual post if you are fancy like that!).

Also, leave me a comment to recommend a blog that you read that you think I would like!

Posted in Blogging | 2 Comments

Blogger-rific Week: Thursday

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Jenn

Day 4 of Blogger-rific Week, where I profile blogs of people I don’t personally know, but whose blogs and life stories bring me much joy and laughter.

Today’s Blog ‘O the Day:

Dooce

Picture 2

URL:

http://www.dooce.com/

How I found this blog:

I found the link through a CNN.com link to an Oprah.com article about her most recent book: It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather Armstrong

Subject matter:

A recovering Mormon tells hilarious and honest stories about her family – her husband, two daughters and two dogs.

Why I love this blog:

Just read her “About This Site.”  The woman is freakin’ hilarious!  There is a section called the Daily Chuck, which has the greatest photos of one of her dogs. Her photos are all beautiful, especially those of her children!  Heather is the ultimate no nonsense writer and a prime example of how blogging can be a career choice.  I read somewhere that she makes enough money to support her family from the advertising on her blog – and she’s earned it – her site is wonderful!  She’s not bashful about sharing the real ups and downs of life.  I hope you’ll check her out.

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Blogger-rific Week: Wednesday

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Jenn

Day 3 of Blogger-rific Week, where I profile blogs of people I don’t personally know, but whose blogs and life stories bring me much joy and laughter.

Today’s Blog ‘O the Day:

Archives of Our Lives

Picture 4

URL:

http://www.archiveslives.com/

How I found this blog:

I found this blog when Katie guest blogged over at Archives, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Subject matter:

Camille is a girl born and raised in Arizona married to Poor Kyle, living in Canada and archiving their lives on her blog.

Why I love this blog:

Like Katie, she’s just hilarious and honest.  She spells her words the Canadian way, eh, such as “realised” and”practise.”  She calls her husband not by his name, Kyle, but Poor Kyle.  She posts pictures of him without his teeth. Currently she’s conducting a No ‘Poo Experiement, wherein she no longer uses shampoo or conditioner, ever (in her words).  She always comes up with great, unique things to write about and always includes pictures.

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Blogger-rific Week: Tuesday

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Jenn

Day 2 of Blogger-rific Week, where I profile blogs of people I don’t personally know, but whose blogs and life stories bring me much joy and laughter.

Today’s Blog ‘O the Day:

101 Cookbooks

Picture 2

URL:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/

How I found this blog:

I was originally turned onto this blog by Caitlin during my brief stint (30-day self-challenge) as vegetarian and devoted yogi (which I wrote about here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and finally here).

Subject matter:

(In her own words) 101 Cookbooks started in early 2003 when I looked up at my huge cookbook collection one afternoon and realized that instead of exploring the different books in my collection – I was cooking the same recipes over and over. I seemed to buy a new cookbook every time I stepped out the front door – always with good intentions. I would regularly go through my collection of books and magazines and carefully tag each recipe that piqued my interest. I ended up with shelves full of books brimming with Post-it notes and drawers full of recipes clipped from my favorite magazines – neatly organized by course, flavor, region, or ingredient.

I made a resolution (although it turns out that I wasn’t very good at keeping it). I would stop buying cookbooks, or at least scale back, and start trying new recipes. In the process I hoped to learn new techniques, explore unfamiliar ingredients, discover/keep track of new recipes, document my successes and failures, and hopefully inspire other cooks to do the same.

The site has evolved a bit since the early days. Now I choose and write about the recipes that intersect my life, my travels, and my everyday interests – often they are from my cookbook collection, sometimes not – they might come from a friend or family member, or I might write about a recipe I created myself. I focus primarily on natural, whole foods and ingredients. (Stolen from her Facebook page)

Why I love this blog:

It’s a blog about food! While not all her recipes are vegetarian, I found this website a great resource during my self-challenge.  From the links above, you can see some of the things that I made and my reviews of them – all were spectacular and pretty easy to make.  Her pictures are gorgeous, and they make me want to buy unique, neat plates and serving dishes.  This site is a great resource if you are looking to try something new and healthy!

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