Children Tend to Be Sticky

This morning, my niece came over and we baked cookies.  And by "baked cookies," I mean that I baked cookies and she ended up sticky-fingered and watching Spongebob reruns in the living room... Being home is good for me. :)

"Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky." ~Fran Lebowitz

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

It's been a shamefully long time since I have blogged.  I'm not sure exactly why that is, either, because my life has been busy (but life is always busy) and I've had a lot of work to do (but I always have a lot of work to do).  I think that, maybe, I just haven't had much to say.  I've been a little sad.  Not over anything specific -- rather, it's been like a little shadow of discouragement has been trailing me.  And I just haven't felt like I had anything blog-worthy to say.  Quite a feat, actually, when this blog is mostly little nonsensical things anyway :)

Today is the first day of my Christmas break.  My grades were due yesterday and now -- I can breathe a little.  Hopefully, as I recharge and refresh, I will want to talk.

"Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not having at other times."  ~Kate L. Bosher

Sister B Gets Married! (part one)

Thursday Night: The Families Meet :)

College Girls Camping Trip

What I like about camping is you can get really dirty.  Either you're all by yourself, so no one else sees you, or everyone you're with is just as dirty as you are, so nobody cares.  

~Anonymous former Boy Scout

For the past few years, some of my best college girl friends and I have gone camping in the fall.  We love cooking over an open fire, watching the leaves fall and laughing and reminiscing about how time flies  -- somehow, years have passed but we still look the same ;)  Haha :)

Here are some of the pics from this year's camping trip:

But the place which you have selected for your camp, though never so rough and grim, begins at once to have its attractions, and becomes a very centre of civilization to you: "Home is home, be it never so homely.  ~Henry David Thoreau

 Our campsite -- beside a creek and under the falling leaves :)

 Enjoying smores -- we used regular marshmallows AND (as evidenced by the foreground) toasted-coconut marshmallows.  I am a BIG fan of the coconut addition.  Yummm.

The girls decided my smore looked the best, so we took a picture.  Apologies for the no-makeup look :P

Proving that it "wasn't that cold" by losing the sweatshirt, haha -- oh, and please note the incredible, magical and creepy-looking plastic tarp we used to cover the tent Friday night!!  It was a steady, rainy, dreary, wet Friday night, and Sarah's innate genius had prompted her to pack a huge roll of plastic (just in case, she said). We were soooo thankful for that tarp!!

The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another.  
It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness.  ~Henry David Thoreau

We sissy camp by choosing a campground with close bathrooms BUT we are camping cooking purists -- we cook over a fire all weekend long.  Delicious!

It always rains on tents.  Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.  ~Dave Barry

Sarah's rain boots.  Which were the Best Idea Ever and which have inspired ME to buy some rain boots for next year.  Sarah was full of genius ideas :)

Usually, Sarah and Jennifer attempt a brave and courageous trek across the creek in their bare feet, so as to prove their hardy pioneer qualities.  Usually, I cheer them on from the safety of my thick socks and practical distance from the coooold creek water.  But this year, it was so cold that even THEY didn't attempt a crossing.  This is Jennifer coming (quickly) back from a little water test.  Nope.  Not getting in THAT.

Jennifer couldn't find a pet-sitter in time, so her little basset hound Taylor came with us -- he enjoyed chasing rustling leaves and stealing hot dogs.  He is a seriously gifted thief.  

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"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."  ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Gettin' My Bridesmaid On

I took a ton of fun pictures from sister B's wedding weekend -- but I've lost my camera cord thingie somewhere in my small apartment and haven't been able to upload yet.  Here are a couple of pics from my phone, though...

 One of the best parts of the wedding was being able to see some of our Boston cousins.  This is my beautiful cousin M :)

One of my dearest friends from college -- she met B when my little sister was only 8 years old :)  It was, she said, "surreal" to see B in a wedding dress.  Life moves quickly, doesn't it?

Like I said, I'm sure I'll have tons more posted soon -- but where oh where is that pesky camera cord?!  Haha