The weekend that was.

This weekend was spent dressing up for the second annual St. Valentine's Day Massacre Party and wandering around Philly like it's my second home. It was so nice to drive this time around rather than spending the last few hours anxious about catching a bus or a plane. I'm already daydreaming about upcoming trips to DC and Chicago, though I am looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. Novel.

Today feels like early spring--it's overcast and the cool moisture in the air makes me want to lie on a blanket in front of the library and read. Alas, yesterday's jury duty means today's work day starts out a little hectic, so I'm off! Enjoy the Tappan Zee Bridge, brunch time, Krispy Kreme spotting, and Mike's and my 20's get-ups.

My Day in Instagrams: Working From Home Edition

I head south of the Mason-Dixon tomorrow for the holidays, so today is spent antsy to be done with work and waiting. So excited for the days to come, for the kind of relaxation that can only happen when you are home in the company of those that share your DNA, for better or worse. I'm excited for Mike to meet my family, to have so many aspects of my personality explained, amplified. And I'm excited for my family to meet the man that has made this past year so different than all the others that came before. I'm ready, again, for the two lives I've lived to come together, if only for a while, as one, for better or worse.

This is what an antsy day of working from home looks like.

 A little midafternoon snack of cider donuts from Randall's Farm in Ludlow and hot coffee.

 Patiently waiting for water to boil. 

 My life these days. 

 Leftovers from a dinner party. 

 The late afternoon sun. 

The teapot and stove are still clean! A Christmas miracle!

Follow me on Instagram at myarbrough. 

Moving pictures

I cannot get enough of this song lately.

I finally uploaded some photos I took a couple weekends ago when I wandered around Northampton. I'm still editing and going through them, but I took some series to make gifs out of. I didn't realize how easy it was! Sorry if the ant one is gross, but I like the wind in the abandoned tissue and tracing his little path.

Today is overcast, and I'm working from Jenna's house again. Fingers crossed that today is the day my apartment is reconnected to the land of the Internet. After I deal with that, I'm heading to Ludlow for my last scheduled weekend there until Mike is a Cantabrigian. During the day, we'll be manning our booth at a neighborhood tag sale, and by night we'll be at the Big E, where I plan to try for the first (and last) time, a burger on a glazed donut. Wish my arteries good luck!

Last night was the first writer's group meeting in a while. We have a new member, and he is amazing. It was just what I needed to set a fire under my toosh to get writing and submit for next week. I've been thriving on deadlines lately.

Some countdowns that I've begun:

• Two days until my first Big E experience
• Seven days until I head to NOLA
• Fourteen days until I'm a quarter of a century old
• Fourteen days until Medieval Manor!
• Fifteen days until my surprise birthday weekend with Mike
• Thirty-seven days until I visit Georgia and see my mom

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

Hurricane Irene in Instagrams.

Our original, pre-Irene plan for this weekend was to have a tag sale in Ludlow. We'd spent all month sorting through our stuff and picking what we could part with, assembling boxes and tubs for the tag sale. Then Irene happened, and we went ahead anyway. Mike came out the big seller with his $1 worth of rubber duckies (four of them, if you were wondering). I spent most of the morning making/eating waffles and embroidering this laser cat for my dear friend Nabi.

Friday night we braced for the storm, buying organic basil and cilantro plants for our windowsill, peanut butter, and tuna. Unfortunately the water aisle at Big Y left us a little parched. Saturday night we killed zombies until about two in the morning, and it didn't rain one bit. Sunday we woke up to this:

Alas, Ludlow was spared again, and this was all of the damage to speak of. I've heard there were some trees down in my neighborhood and my office is closed today because of a power outage and a tree down. These are the days I hate the ability to work from home. Hope everyone else fared as well as we did. 

Reminiscent photo dump.

1. Almost a month ago, Mike and I headed out on the open road to Bangor, Maine, where a free hotel room (courtesy of his dad's travel points) awaited us. It's kind of a small town, but Acadia National Park is only about an hour's drive away. We spent some time there, some time in town at the State Fair, and some time along the trip up and back.
2. The walk around Acadia was beautiful. We took one of the trails that wrapped around the reservoir, then veered off and up to Bubbles, one of the lookout points.
3. It was almost a straight shot up stone steps to the top of Bubbles, but the view was worth it. We took a lot of breaks photo opps.
4. We swam in Echo Lake, which is much warmer than the ocean swimming options. We played football and generally avoided the large, loud family that camped near us in the sand.
5, 6, & 7. Friday night we headed to the Bangor State Fair for fresh lemonade, french fries, soft serve, a sea lion show, and a lumberjack show. We wandered in the cool night, people-watching and holding hands.
8. We made a point to stop along the way to Bangor including Portsmouth, NH, and Portland, ME. In Portland, we ran into some friends from Cambridge who were there for a Beirut concert. We stumbled on a Taste of the World event, where vendors representing countries from all around the world served food and sold handmade goods. There was live music, a nice breeze, and a big lawn where we could relax and enjoy the smells and the people.
9 & 10. Mike and I celebrated (too soon, it turns out) reaching the top of Bubbles in Acadia. We still had a little ways to go, but our muscles were pretty strong at this point and so, we documented.
11. We stopped for lunch on the way back on Monday, and this awesome sign was standing proudly outside. Too bad they didn't spring for a copy editor.

This was by far one of my favorite weekends/trips of this summer.

Postal Service.

I've been listening to Postal Service a lot lately. The Postal Service Pandora station accompanied me last week while I drove to work from my dogsitting gig, and it's been in my ear all morning. I had a great weekend, despite my intense Six Flags hangover after Saturday. I just need to accept that rollercoasters aren't my thing. After two rides, my head hurt and I had the beginning wisps of a nausea that still threatens me even today. Other than that, mini-golfing on Friday and all kinds of delicious ice cream and veggie pizza and Twin Peaks made it a good weekend despite the rain. I went to Joann's Fabrics yesterday and got supplies for Christmas gifts and a skirt that I want to try and make. More updates on that later, for now I'm working, jamming out, and reminiscing via Instagram.

The moon was incredible during our mini golf game. Too bad my camera couldn't quite capture it. 

Sunrise, sunset.

These aren't the best of the batch, but I do love them. The creeping ivy, the bright sunshine outlining objects out of the frame, the distinct rays of sunlight and puppy feet, and the colorful bunting at the church next door. There are so many rich colors in this not-even-quarter-of-a-mile walk around the block, and I've been enjoying seeing them with the early morning rays and the last rays of the day. 

Reflections in the glass, shadows on the wall.

Some more photos from our walk on Monday night. I couldn't believe the beautiful shadows. Mike was patient, walking Sheba ahead of me while I snapped away. It's amazing to me how many new things you notice each time you walk past the same thing. Here's to keeping an eye that can spot the many changes happening all around. 

Jamaica'n me crazy.

Sunday night, after my many naps, Mike and I ventured into Jamaica Plain for some dinner. If you ever see the Purple Cactus: You must go. And order the portabella and spinach quesadilla. You will never regret it. 

Scenes from a dogsitter.

These were all taken while on a walk with Mike and Sheba Monday night. On my drive home the skies opened up and I watched, sitting at a five minute red light, as puddles formed and lawns were watered. I thought of Cyndi, of that never-dying urge to run outside when it's pouring, of my lapsed hobby of sitting on a porch during a rainstorm. After the brief downpour, the skies opened up again and we had the most beautiful sunset, complete with thick and lively shadows and cool reflections off the puddles. I couldn't get enough of the rich colors.