icy winter days

CHRISTMAS HAPPY LIST

| homemade egg nog | 

(see the recipe at the bottom)

| skidding around on icy sidewalks

| youtube Christmas playlists |

| ordering 5 million books off of thriftbooks.com |

(best. website. ever)

| hosting friends over for dinner |

| game nights by the glowing Christmas tree lights |

| packing for a trip to Costa Rica |

(be jealous) 

| skyping my Mother |

| laughing at my own jokes |

| doing crazy college student things |

(mainly 'cause of Charlie)

| bundling up in 4 layers of clothes |

 It's been a cozy winter so far. Cooold -- but lovely. For Advent, the husband and I have been crossing things off of our bucket list. We put up our first Christmas tree together, visited downtown St. Charles, did our Christmas shopping on Amazon and experimented with homemade eggnog.  

Somehow we ended up with (literally) 16 dozen eggs from Charlie's grandparents. Making eggnog was the obvious solution. I love eggnog -- I could live on it. This recipe makes such creamy, rich nog -- infinitely better than the stuff you buy at Wal-Mart. There's something satisfying about slurping on the foam and bragging about your abilities in the kitchen. 

1 dozen eggs

4 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups sugar

nutmeg to taste

~ Separate the yolks and the whites

Cover the whites and put them in the fridge

Whisk the yolks with sugar until it's creamy and banana colored

Beat in the milk and cream

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Beat the whites until it forms stiff peaks

Fold it into the creamy mixture

Serve with nutmeg ~

*recipe is not mine -- it's from the wonderful inter webs*

In case y'all haven't heard. I am headed to Costa Rica in a next week with the Herrick fam. You won't be hearing from me for a while. BUT I will have several thousand pictures to share once we return. There will be a bombardment of jungles, beaches, volcanoes and toucans here on the blog ;) 

Till then -- stay safe m'dears and have a Merry Christmas! Praise the Lord for sending His marvelous Son!! 

living on a prayer

     God is good. Everyday I am overwhelmed with the thought of His hand guiding each individual moment in my life. And my heart is thankful - for this is a season of thanksgiving.
I am thankful for yellow maple leaves on the sidewalk.
Thankful for joyful, beautiful people pouring themselves out for others.
Thankful for the Christian folk music playlists on YouTube.
Thankful for the small opportunities. (Book clubs, dog-walking, photo shoots, small town festivals and worship services.)

     These days I spend lots of hours at my bank job. I can't complain - my coworkers are lovely people who live on chocolate and scentsy hand lotions. They never can remember my name; I've now become "Lauren" and "Lorelai" on a consistent basis. It makes me laugh.
Charlie and I spend most of the days apart -- either working or doing school work -- so our evenings are precious. He will fill a couple of wine glasses with grape juice, (because actual wine is just gross), and I will pop in a movie rental. Or, we'll go for a moonlit walk, talking and trying not to step on the record-sized slugs. How romantic.
     One night, Charlie brought home an abandoned, skinny white cat. We fed her and named her "Todd" even though it's against the apartment policy to keep pets. That was two weeks ago and we still can't find a new home for her. (The humane society is full.)  But hope is not lost. Surely someone wants a bipolar cat with chocolate ice cream mysteriously dried onto her head!
     Otherwise, life is pretty even-keel. I shall let you know if anything pops up in the future dear readers. Until then - love passionately and make beautiful things.

p.s. I am collecting quotes. Please send me your favorite scripture, song lyrics, quip or philosophical thought.

Edouard Lalo + hay bales

     My lil sister is having a solo recital in December, so I took some pictures for promotional flyers. Lemme tell ya. She is one of the best violinists I have ever listened to and that is saying a lot.
Of course there is the never ending, sibling-rivalry "my instrument is better than yours" argument.
Clara: "The violin is portable which is waaay better -- people can appreciate your music wherever you go."
Me: "But violinists rely heavily on piano accompanists soooo.... basically you're lost without me."
Clara: "My violin cost more than both your pianos combined."
Me:  "Can you read the bass clef? No. Didn't think so."

You get the idea.

We had a blast during the photo shoot. Between traipsing about our neighbor's field and climbing on hay bales, it was a full morning. Clara played some folk tunes and Lalo (an odd combination). I fiddled around with camera dials and lighting. My camera is still relatively new to me, so I am learning something about it every day. The result of our shoot? Lots of laughter, dirty bare feet, and 174 pictures.
Soon I will be taking Cabe's senior photos! I am doing what I love best: photographing the people I love best.

the order of camping

Loading the car trunk with necessary items. Like tent poles, cast iron skillets and corn meal muffins. 

Going without shoes all weekend.

The assortment of thermos bottles, bird guides and canned beans scattered on the picnic table.

Spending the evening doing nothing else but journaling by the campfire.

Being able to call the outdoors "home".

Bundling up in leggings + two sweaters + woolen socks.

Bumping around in the dark with nothing more than a headlamp.

Crickets.

Reaching my toes into the cold corners of my sleeping bag - tucking the wool blanket under my chin to keep warm. 

Sun filtering through the you trees and waking me up with its gentle fingers. 

An Instagram worthy view out the tent door. 

Perpetually smelling like campfire smoke and hot chocolate. 

Running out of clean clothes and not giving a darn. 

Finding raccoon tracks on the hood of the car. 

Rolling up the tent for another day of adventures. 

Challenge + Reward. 

dunewood campground

-there is writing at the bottom. you just have to sift through all my pictures first :) - 

campfire beans!! nuthing like it. 

Every morning started out at 45° F and a bitter cold shower. 

     Husband and I went for a 3 day trip to Indiana Dunes State Park. Between skipping along the beach, cooking our own campfire meals and picking raspberries we were able to find some time for journaling. I selected a few excerpts to share with y'all. Hopefully they will give you a glimpse into our little sandy paradise!

CHARLIE
"My lovely wife sits to my right. We are on the Kemil Beach of Lake Michigan, listening to the brass winds and thudding drums of the surf. Though the seagulls beat us here, and some old folks with old dogs, I think we found a wonderful hideaway up in the north." 

"Sunday night vespers by the campfire. The kidney/pinto beans have been eaten heartily. Today we escapaded to Michigan City, then to Saugatuk and then to Holland ... Tonight's our last night here at Dunewood. So long campground, I'm sure we'll see ya in the future!" 

LAUREL
"Charlie and I are at the beach. Wet feet, sandy butts and windswept hair. Right now it is around 6pm, so the sunlight is golden, the air is still warm and there are people here and there - sprinkled across the shoreline watching the surf like seagulls." 

"Charlie ordered us some coffee and chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. South Haven was such a lovely town - I was ready to buy some real estate and settle down ... Holland Harbor had a bright red lighthouse that was built in 1847 (?) (not too good with dates) ... we walked out onto the pier and watched sailboats for a while. Beautiful, white, poetic triangles skimming the cerulean blue." 

"I have about a million pictures that I want to take home and edit and about a million more yet to take. It is our last night there and we are out of clean clothes. That is all. Goodnight." 

apple-picking + life

APPLE THOUGHTS W/ CHARLIE

1. we all have cores. exercise them
2. don't skip the apples on the ground. that's where I found the best ones.
3. if you go to the orchard with brothers BE ON YOUR GUARD. there might be chewed up apple being spewed at you.
4. an apple a day ain't so bad really.
5. they say money can't buy happiness, but it does buy apples.

> These fall days have been full. Full of happiness and exploration. Full of planning and remembering. There has been a little bit of stress - (where the heck did my insurance card go? how are we going to replace the broken car window?), but obstacles are nothing compared to the daily joy of living and loving. This Thursday I am joining a women's Bible study. The small group meets at Adam Bros Coffee and discusses chapters from the book "Without Rival" by Lisa Bevere. I could not be more exciting about finally venturing into the community and making connections!

> Traveling has been a surfacing passion in our lives. Charlie and I are planning a weekend camping trip to Indiana Dune State Park where we can absorb some fall weather, live out of a tent and do some birding in the marshes. Also, this winter, we are traveling with some family to Costa Rica for two weeks! Charlie is taking a Spanish class this semester and I am relying on my "two years" of Spanish from high school. We are so stoked for some beaches, jungles and city markets.
This evening a new traveling opportunity was presented to us. Two wonderful women sat down with us to tell us about United World Missions and the Avance program in Mexico City. It was a lot of information to take in. I had a hard time containing my excitement, but at the same time I knew that a decision like this would take loads of prayer and thought. Next summer will be a pivotal time for me and Charlie and we want to seize it. We are feeling called to serve in some ministerial capacity somewhere, somehow. God will give us guidance - I am sure of that; we just need to open our hearts to Him.

> Otherwise, our lives have been filled with the ordinary, daily tasks that never end. Laundry, dishes, cooking, homework... They all serve a good purpose no matter how small the chore. And there is joy in good purpose.
Stay tuned for an update on our Indiana Adventures!!

a night in the city

     30 hours. That's all the time we had in St. Louis, but we were so busy exploring that we didn't notice. Charlie and I met his family for a weekend of festivals, restaurants, picnics, climbing trees and drinking lemonade. Here's what we did - (in chronological order):

Strange Folk Festival: 
http://www.strangefolkfestival.com/
I never knew a September afternoon could be so hot! But the festival was worth it, and we stayed hydrated with water and frozen cheesecake. We were surrounded by hipsters, intricate craftsmanship and music. Flowers, carpentry, photography, painting, clothing and jewelry filled the streets of Lafayette Square - it was a haven for art lovers.

Crown Candy Kitchen: 
http://crowncandykitchen.net/
This quaint candy/ice cream shop was opened in 1913 and is still owned by the same family. It was a time portal to the 1950's complete with soda fountain, jukebox and coat racks. My chocolate banana malt was dee-vine! I felt like I should be wearing full skirts and bright red lipstick.

Art in the Park: 
http://www.artintheparkstl.com/
Another festival inundated with arts and craftsmanship. There were also old ladies wearing bulky jewelry, little boys begging for ice cream and pleasant, tall pine trees. It was hard not buying everything in sight - I saved ideas instead - for my future craft projects. The next arts I want to try: screen printing and pottery.

Murmuration Festival: 
http://murmurationfest.com/
This was a "must" on our list because some of us are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. We visited the Tech Shop and took a tour of their expensive equipment including a 60,000 psi water jet, sewing machines, vinyl cutters, metal lathes and other impressive machines that I didn't understand. Vendors were showing off the newest inventions, 3D printers and robots. It was mind-blowing what cool things people come up with!

Hispanic Festival: 
http://www.hispanicfestivalstl.com/
Soulard Park was the perfect green spot for this quaint fiesta. The music was loud, the dancers were having fun and lemonade was only 50 cents. We walked about, talking to some vendors, admiring the bright colors and taking pictures, but only for a short time - the group of us was pretty bushed.

Mission Taco Joint: 
http://missiontacojoint.com/
Our little weekend vacation ended at this cool place. It had a west coast atmosphere with patio lights, bumper stickers and industrial interior decorations. Plus, the tacos were out of this world delicious. I had a South Beach burrito and about 5 baskets of tortilla chips. Someday I'll be going back :)

     The trip was a lovely reprieve from daily life - Charlie and I were so happy to be with family. We love seeing new things and experiencing the big city every now and then! And being with loved ones always brings lifetime memories. But we are glad to be back in our humble apartment where we can be cozy during long autumn nights.