A few months ago, Chris informed me that he wanted our baby to be born in Texas. I, in turn, informed him that that would involve a 9 months pregnant woman flying 2,000 miles then flying back with a week old infant… No. My dad came up with an answer.He requested that a new state…
If you don’t know my husband, this will tell you a little about him.The ultrasound tech asked, “And what does that look like right there?”With little hesitation and no reserve, Chris answered, “Bawls!”“Well, yes. The appropriate term is ‘testicles,’ but yes” replied the tech. In other words, it’s a boy! Chris’ facebook profile status reads,…
Stayed up until 3am with dear friends in Connecticut then rose at 6am to get to church in New Jersey on time. There, we found that 10 men planned to help move us from Staten Island to our new apt in NJ! And they did it in 4 hours flat and in only one trip…
Many pursue wealth & ownership, dream jobs & experiences. But no one grieves over losing money in the stock market or missing a job promotion. No one’s heart aches over a low score on a standardized test or a canceled plane ticket. The only thing that matters is people. And love. This is evidence of…
It looks like a doll house- with carpentry like lace lining its dormers and gables, diamond-pained glass, and stout chimney- sitting in the grass where an 8 year old Alice Austen set it on a trip to seashore in 1874. Her little fingers wrapped leafy vines around its porch supports then showered the whole thing…
Also listen to the linked conversation between a survivor and the director of Houston Rescue and Restore as they explain the framework of the domestic commercial sex trade. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=133439415 This music video also is worth watching. “Fragile” by Lamont Hiebert. It’s not your fault. PinterestFacebookTwitterEmail
When my name is typed into corrective text messaging, a phone’s first guess is “Heavier,” not Heather. For once that is applicable. My belly seems to grow in spurts. At the mo 4 mark, I suddenly doubled in belly-size then seemed to stay stagnant for a while. Then this past week, I had another growth…
“Yes sir, yes sir, 8 bags full!” Remember the unsheared sheep at the orchard last week? Well, I called to inquire about the price of their wool and they offered 3 bags for free! So, my fellow historic village tour guide, Aileen, and I visited Terhune on sheep shearing day (I had never seen sheep…
I wrote of my visit to Princeton and its local orchard last fall, but O, let me talk now of spring! Finally, after a long snowy winter, the foliage is again thick enough to cause me to miss turns as I zigzagged through rural New Jersey. I was welcomed into Terhune Orchard by innumerable dandelion…
I told my prenatal doctor yesterday that I cannot physically eat the recommended 2500 calories a day- or at least I cannot eat that much in healthy foods. So she prescribed whole milk and a scoop of ice cream per day. How often do you hear news like that from your doctor? PinterestFacebookTwitterEmail
We’re moving to New Jersey next month- meaning I will have moved every summer since 2008. 2011: From NYC to NJ2010: From Maine to NYC2009: From Dallas to Maine2008: From College Station to Dallas 2004: From Houston to Texas A&M Univ. in College Station.Before that, my family lived in Abilene Texas, West Virginia, and in…
Do you remember December car rides after dinner to view Christmas lights? After work today, when I drove around Tottenville looking at blossoming trees I was reminded of those memories. Some branches are smothered already in cotton-white or baby pink blooms- fullness like saturation- while other branches are still scarcely covered. They pop open one…
You seem to have forgotten spring. Your temperature has jumped from 52 to 88 and has put color in my cheeks. The outdoors even smell like summer, but the backdrop of brown trees looks odd behind skateboarding teens in sleeveless ts. Thank you for your consideration. I will try not to complain when it is…
Laura Joost: How are you and Linus doing? Me: We’re quite well! Chris teases me about my “little belly” growing, but he really thinks I’m cute. Side effects of pregnancy are quite random. Ex: I have never dropped so many things in my life. Nor spilled so many liquids (mostly from missing when pouring. I’ve…
You can’t fall upward. You can’t slip uphill. In order to move anywhere but down and back, you have to work at it. Right? PinterestFacebookTwitterEmail
Here are the current rankings:TOP Boy names:JamesonWilliam (but I’m hesitant bc I don’t like Bill, Billy, or Willy. I like Will alot, but “Will Hunt” could be the end of a sentence. Is that bad?)Also:David (Davey)JoshuaAustinSamuelDanielNoahNathaniel (no one will bother to say such a long name, so it will be shortened. I love the name…
I jumped out of bed quickly because I poured my bedside glass of water on myself. Smart. After changing shirts and switching to the dryer side of the bed to cozy back in for my morning reading, Linus (My family jokingly named the baby Linus and now Chris has joined in. He comes home from…
Something urgent has come up with regards to NYS funding to assist youth who are homeless (and thus at huge risk of trafficking). New York Governor Cuomo threatens to cut 100% of NYS funding to organizations helping homeless children and youth, as well as organizations working with Domestic Child Trafficking victims. Please check out this…
You make anew the earth. You renew the life of me and You make a new life within me!If you can’t read the small print, it just says the week #. Ex: “March 26: 12 weeks” PinterestFacebookTwitterEmail
Chris and I explored Princeton University together on Sunday to discover that spring has come to New Jersey. Some trees are already blossoming in white and red and daffodils spring up on the roadsides. BUT it snowed last night. Even today clumped snow, tiny hail stones, and fat rain drops fell fast and hard all…
The Denver Post published this picture the week we were in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. As we rode up and up the lift, the balloon appeared to go down and down on the horizon. The mountain is huge, the ski routes many, and the powder ideally powdery. Snowboarding with my siblings, cousin, and boyfriend-in-law was great…
I have learned that trusting God does not always involve my discernment. I have many a time prayed, “God, I trust you with this situation. Now, please help me to discern Your will.” Then I proceed to worry for months about whether or not I’d discerned correctly. Don’t get me wrong, I think that is…
“We rob our children if we merely seek to have them meet our expectations. We need to be on God’s agenda for our kids lives so they can experience the abundant life God intends for them.” -Henry Blackaby in Bible study, Experiencing God God, I want to be on your agenda for our child’s life. I…
Heather’s Text to Paige Marcella Rieck Hill:Hey Paige, guess what I am. It’s a sort of state of being or a condition if you will. an unplanned and unanticipated but never the less (after a bit of adjusting) welcomed one. The condition itself is temporary, but the effects are pretty darn permanent. Paige’s Response:You have…
double click the image to make it big and pixilated. http://www.youtube.com/get_playerhttp://www.youtube.com/get_playerhttp://www.youtube.com/get_playerhttp://www.youtube.com/get_playerhttp://www.youtube.com/get_player And scroll down to the next two posts for pictures. PinterestFacebookTwitterEmail
Ice cream in Savannah because it was Blue Bell. Even though it was cold, we were so excited about seeing Blue Bell ice cream (which you can’t find up north) that we ate it anyway. The trolley goes back and forth down River Street in Savannah. The driver has a seat on both ends of…
We woke up many January mornings to a multi-inch coats of fluffiness. The winter has been fun (and for NYC, expensive), but I am ready for the spring! PinterestFacebookTwitterEmail
Well, I came back to a 65-degree-New York (I could literally watch the snow melt) and mouse poop. Yes, almost every drawer in my kitchen was decorated with unbecoming polka dots. I sneared at them then vacuumed them up, washed every dish and utensil (twice), and double-cleaned the drawers and cabinets with antibacterial spray. THEN…
BED: BREAKFAST: AND THE PARLOR: of Park Avenue Manor, my and Chris’ uncle’s spectacular Bed & Breakfast Inn in Savannah, Georgia. If you are ever vacationing in Savannah (which I highly recommend), stay with Glenn and Maurice. When we weren’t lounging in the parlor or eating at awesome restaurants with Glenn and Mo, Chris and…
Yesterday, I toured 18th and 19th century mansions in downtown Charleston. Then today, I toured Middleton Place, an 18th century rice plantation. The gardens are extensive and the farm is still working. I followed two peacocks to the farm grounds where I saw oxen, goats, woolly sheep, guinea hens, ducks, chickens, Belgium horses and cows….