Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas card this year includes another Carol, "Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming." Have a peaceful day, and Happy New Year!





















at this time of year
we gather words like tinsel and bows
and carefully hang them
on the blank spaces of greeting cards

we want to share
our cranberry garlands
the smell of chili on the stove
the shouts of neighbors beneath our window

we want to wrap the whole year
like a package
and slip it under your tree

we want you to laugh
at all our blunders
to sing along with the pub band
to walk home under the stars, in the swirling snow

we want our joy to appear as clearly as
breath exhaled in the cold, crisp air

nutivity set!

We have already been blessed today with great gifts, and Christmas isn't even here yet!

Our friend Cristen sent this beautiful nativity set made from nuts/seeds - WOW. What a gift. We don't have a nativity set and this one's a major keeper! Thanks Cristen, this is amazing! Thanks for such a great reminder of the true meaning of our celebration.

We had a yummy dinner with cranberry chicken and quinoa and sparkling wine and attended Christmas Eve service with glow sticks as candles during Silent Night. Can't wait for what tomorrow brings!

national isaacson's Christmas vacation

We got what we wished for (and more): a wintry Christmas (stuck) in New York! Tim and I planned to celebrate Christmas a little early in New York for our last East Coast winter and we saw all the Christmas sights:

Macy's was a first stop. Tim even wrote a letter to Santa. (He wants N to get better). Good thing we went on Saturday because on Sunday Macy's caught on fire and had to evacuate the mass of shoppers. There were at 15 firetrucks surrounding the world's largest Macy's store and it was MADNESS trying to get past.

Then we hit Rockefeller Center for the first (of many) visits. Conveniently located next door is Anthropologie, so we had to spend some time there. Their window display made it into our collection of favorites (see slideshow).

Finally we wandered to Broadway to catch our Mary Poppins matinee. We were caught up in the magic. It was supercalifragilisticexpialidotious!

When we got out, it was snowing! We checked in to our secret Republican women's club banquet hall hotel across from Rock Center! The room was nice but drafty. Some snow accumulated INSIDE our window. We stayed on the Lincoln floor. We tried crashing the three weddings that were going on, but kept blowing our entrance. "Oh, this isn't the pool, honey...."

Sunday we awoke to clear skies and a beautiful white blanket covering the city. We actually ventured off the island of Manhattan into Brooklyn. The neighborhood around Carroll Street was sooo cute. We attended St Paul's Episcopal Church where Sufjan goes in hopes of finding him (and of course in honoring Christ in a worship service!!). It was VERY liturgical and fun to be in Brooklyn with a few faithful families on a snowy, sunny Sunday morning before Christmas.

We wandered through Soho for lunch and window shopping (boo compared to other areas) and then up to Central Park for the real highlight of the day. Windows with cool Alice in Wonderland themes, FAO Schwartz chaos, and a sunny park stroll for with local sledding frenzy. We wrapped up our walk at an artists market with hot cider and fresh, 'local' gingerbread cookies.

We grabbed some food to go on our way down to the bus station for our 5:30 evening departure. Weather report was good all day and roads were clear....right? Wrong. ALL BUS SERVICES CANCELLED until Monday. Huh? We didn't have internet access the whole time and didn't think to check since the forecast was so much better. Plus it had stopped snowing in Boston that afternoon....

So Tim kept his cool and we called a friend to have him check my email to confirm that yes, our bus had been canceled with no rescheduling. We checked Penn station for train service to Boston, which was running, but running at $220 a person!!!! Yikes!! So we walked up to Port Authority to buy the next Greyhound tickets out of town, which were for Monday morning. What to do in the meantime? We didn't know any friends in NY but we did know that secretive Republican women's club from the night before. They don't advertise on the internet and even with 20 dinky rooms they had room for us. Downtown Manhattan on the night after the storm, all transportation cancelled and everyone in the city looking for lodging. They had rooms! God knew our need. On our way back, we stopped once more in Times Square to soak it all in...pretty cool but also kind of ridiculous and materialistic. We are so thankful we have each other!

We dined in style with cold Chipotle burritos and water in our room, watching remnants of Pixar movies and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and reminisced over a classic Manhattan at a nearby bar. It could definitely have been worse. I even made it to my Monday night final (which means 3 weeks off of school, and only 2 more classes to go until I graduate!!!).

God has truly blessed us, even in storms and uncertainty He provides and delights us with the greatest gifts. This season we are so thankful for the gift of His Son in this world.

"Anything can happen if you let it!"

cooooooookies and games

On Sunday we busted out Zooloretto and some powdered icing to frost cookies with our friends Megan and Eamonn.

Trying to be creative....

Ugly Christmas sweater dude

"Santa"

hotlips and eyeballs

and.....? (guesses, anyone?)

Ended up a little weird and shiny! oh well, they didn't last long. Happy baking!

FINALLY, WINTER!

Well the snow has arrived, at least a couple of inches are expected by morning. It was a perfect night to go get a Christmas tree (we took the bus to a parking lot), decorate it and string cranberries, and take a jaunt in the nighttime falling snow afterward.

(what a nice looking tree skirt!)

Tomorrow our friend dances in a Christmas church production, Dinah joins us for Messiah at the BSO, and our square celebrates its tree lighting. More in the daylight!

Thankful

We have so much to be thankful for this year. A full year in Boston together; living so close to our jobs and school and not needing a car; favor in our jobs; a great church and small group; fun friends near and far; good health; families that love Jesus - even this gerbera daisy plant that Tim gave me in May that I think I've killed 3 times at least, and just decided to bloom fully this week!

We decided to host Thanksgiving in Boston this year for friends who had no place to go and to celebrate Dinah's joining us in New England for a year! We ate and drank and were merry with games and conversation and warmth (literally, it was about 500 degrees in the apartment).

Dinah, Shiela, Tim, Paul, Amy, Kathryn, Abby

We drank water with cranberry ice cubes and made a pumpkin pie all from scratch.

We also contributed a smaller turkey than the last time,when we hosted the Isaacson's in Tacoma. It still needed more time but was good in the end.Everyone else brought a great spread!

Before we had the meal we headed to the Gobble Gobble Gobble 4 mi Turkey Trot. Kathryn and I raced it and placed 460th and 560th, respectively (with about a minute difference). I decorated my Boston AIDS run t-shirt with a turkey on the front and rear - Love, Hope, Courage, Gobble Gobble! I also tripped a guy in the first minute - out of my way old man! jk. I'm not an expert racer at all - there are a river of people to navigate through! Tim and Dinah cheered us on.
Then Kathryn invited us to this awesome cabin in the Dartmouth woods (New Hampshire) for Friday night. Her friend Greg was already there, and the five us did a repeat of Thursday: food, drinks, games, sleep. It was very relaxing and fun to get away.

There was a cool huge loft above.

The wood burning stove kept us nice and toasty and it rained the entire time (where is the SNOW this late November up north??).

We hiked anyway to the brook, which had some really cool natural deep pools to swim in if it had been warmer!

We pulled and boiled water from the well - Dinah was a bit disgusted at first:)

And we used the outhouse. This was after one of the boys finished.
(Just kidding, we had to put some of the embers outside and pour water on them before we left, so we chose the rock and dirt-lined pit in the outhouse).

We passed through North Woodstock on the way home.

Another adventure to be thankful for! God continues to bless us and we praise Him for His goodness, faithfulness and provision. Thanks for being a part of our lives!

birthday update

Wow, thanks for all the birthday love (especially from my superman husband)!

I started celebrating early on Saturday by finally making this raspberry buttermilk cake Steph (look!) sent to me from a new favorite website, Smitten Kitchen. Preeeeettty.

Didn't taste too bad either.

Then after a long year's wait to try a pub that was recommended at my LAST birthday party for its fat pretzels and beer cheese, I gathered friends at Deep Ellum for a Sunday night celebration.

I quite enjoyed the random mix of fun fellowship (and my milk chocolate stout). And what a cool Swiss winter hat, straight from Geneva from Steve and Seoyeon! Good pick guys!

Now all we need is SNOW!

U.N. Annouces 2009 Woman of the Year

VIENNA, AU - In a brilliant move, demonstrating a renewed international consensus on the true nature of womanhood, the UN announced that Abigail O. Isaacson would be named the 2009 Woman of the Year. While shocking to some, this relatively unknown woman is being heralded as one of the finest examples of intelligence, compassion, beauty and decisive action.

Tim and Abigail Isaacson greeted by officials from the U.N.

Abigail will soon complete her Master's Degree of Public Health at Boston University Medical Campus. She had already demonstrated promise in her undergraduate work on Political Economy at the University of Puget Sound, and her work serving those affected by HIV/AIDS in Tacoma, WA. Many in public health are eager to see how she will dynamically impact this field. Her work on nutrion and infectous disease is hailed as "exemplary". Head researchers are even rumored to be working a potential clone of her to increase her overall impact.

News of her victory reached her on her birthday in Boston. She accepted humbly, and said very little when greeted by officials from the UN. Her grateful silence demonstrated a poised elegance, a confident beauty. All that could be asked for from the 2009 Woman of the Year.

President Obama comforts his wife after the announcement.

President Obama commented that he had orginally hoped his wife Michelle would take home the award, "After all, it would have looked great next to my Nobel Peace Prize." He agreed that Ms. Isaacson was very deserving. He sent his congratulations and encouraged women around the globe to follow her example. "Here is true heroism - her daily service, her moment by moment decisions to positively impact those around her. This is what America needs. Not flashy superstars. Compassionate, hardworking people that are aware of their own neighborhoods."

Husband Tim Isaacson fumbled for words when asked for a comment. "I mean, yeah - she's the best. My best friend, the most beautiful woman I know. Woah. She deserves it. Booyah."

Husband Tim Isaacson is tickled with the news. "She's the best. She deserves it."

A small reception will be held for Abigail O. Isaacson at Deep Ellum, in Boston, MA. The event is sure to attract the best of Boston.

(Eortologio)

I guess yesterday was our landlord Maria's Name Day. I came in to get the mail today and after a minute she handed me this plate of a giant carrot cake and said essentially, Happy Name Day to Me Yesterday! Yikes, that flower is pure hot pink sugarness.
In Greece and Crete it's a custom to specially celebrate your (holy) name day instead of your birthday. According to the Orthodox Church, every day of the year has been dedicated to the memory of a Saint or a martyr from the Holy Bible and Holy Tradition. This day carries the name of the Saint and it's called "nameday." If someone is named after a Saint, then there is a big celebration on his/her name day. In Greece, namedays are usually more important than birthdays. Gifts are given, festive meals and desserts are prepared, and special preparations are made for an open house.

I'm not sure if she was celebrating Maria, which isn't her real name, or Zafiroula, which doesn't sound like a saint to me, or something else. But hey, carrot cake isn't bad. Happy Name Day to Maria!

stripes

Tim and I were separated for Halloween so our plan to dress as John and Abigail Adams kind of died. Instead we randomly both picked something quick and easy that involved stripes - red duct tape for him, and a yellow crayola marker for me (plus Joanie's nifty knitted hat). Presenting, Waldo and "A-bee."

Getting the shirt on and off wasn't as easy as it looks. I think Tim could fit his whole body through a tennis racquet frame like those contortionists do.

My wings were made from hangers and garbage bags. Only one kid commented, asking "are you a butterfly??" Come ON, kid.

and Jack, our pumpkin. We carved him before realizing we had no candles or tealights for a couple of days. Finally when I brought one home and lifted the top to put it in, about 30 fruit flies flew out. SICK. But a good trap for them, so the next day they did the same thing and then we quickly threw a garbage bag over the top and threw it away. We haven't seen any since!

I followed some of our international friends and their kids around for trick-or-treating and was pretty impressed. Tomas was an Icelandic superhero and was sooooo excited about the candy. He danced from apt to apt and went backwards to get more. He would bring other kids to the ones they missed.

His dad Gunnar is a Dr. at BMC and our friend Olof is my running partner (when we go!).

The french girls, Luisa, Mathilde, and Adele. They were very sweeeeet (haha) and sugared up!The coolest house had wine for adults and carved awesome pumpkin-scenes like these.
This one's plastic pipe was connected to the top of the stair railing and candy came sliding down out of it.

Overall a very fun event, and extremely mild (it was 70 during the day). A great night to be out collecting chocolate if you ask me! Unfortunately it was only for the kids so when I wanted some I had to ask them.

Onto November.