Tips and Tricks to City Living

For those of you who wonder what it's been like to live in three cities over the past ten years - I had to share this article from the New York Times' Christoph Niemann last week.

"All New Yorkers develop tricks that allow them to stay ahead of the pack in daily life. These are generally tightly guarded secrets, but now that I don’t live in New York, I have generously decided to share some of mine. What follows are a few handy charts that will, I hope, help readers to improve their lives."

I especially like the second one.

Apple-alooza

I am trying to get as much out of my first fall in New England - it's GORgeous! So, this weekend, I hit the road to pick apples with our church at Red Apple Farm about 60 miles west of Boston.

You could pick apples, pumpkins, corn, and potatoes - and they had a hay ride around the farm, homemade BBQ, farm animals, walking trails, and every kind of apple-y food you can imagine I had the mulled cider and a hot apple cider donut. Yummm!

Here are a few pictures from this beautiful road trip. Makes you kind of want to come visit us now, doesn't it? =)

























These apples are known as "Arkansas Black." The skins are such a deep shade of reddish purple; they almost look like plums clustered together.





Check out that tree behind my right shoulder - it's almost the same hot pink color as my sweater! Awesome.

New England in the Fall...

Means a fall retreat with our new church! Because what better way to enjoy God's art in New England by spending a weekend surrounded by vibrant colors with that trees-on-fire kind of look? It was some serious R&R (with a great game of Capture the Flag that's left me sore for the past 48 hours!)



Friday night, we headed out on the Mass Turnpike to a campground about an hour west of the city. Three hours later (thanks to holiday weekend traffic, several wrong turns, and an URGENT need for our car to stop at Boston Market on the way there), we finally arrived.



Brian and I thought it would be fun to set up our tent (everyone else was in cabins) and "rough it" for the night. What a great test for a couple - how quickly can you put up a tent - in the dark? And can you do it without arguing? I'd say we did pretty well for our second time camping together: 20 minutes to set up camp, 0 arguments. Go team!



What a peaceful weekend.



Tomorrow - off to Chicago for three days of a "work retreat." Is that an oxymoron?

Back in the Big Apple

I'm back for a whirlwind two-day trip in NYC to do some work. Heading back to Boston tomorrow in the morning. It's been great to catch up with work friends/church friends/random friends - but next time, I'll stay longer and see more of you! I promise.

I have to say - it's great to be back. I love our new home in Boston, but there is always something special about NYC. I think I'll still miss parts of it 20 years from now.

Things that I love about NYC in the fall:
- pumpkin lattes
- crisp leaves in Central Park
- cool air and rosy cheeks
- the sunrises (I saw the most beautiful sunrise today!)

And what's a trip to NYC without great food? Places I've been so far: Calle Ocho, Agave, La Pearl Noir, and Antique Cafe.

What a great trip.

Best of Boston....Food

One of my favorite subjects - food - and my favorite food blogs - Serious Eats - came together this morning with a great post on the "Serious Eats City Guide: Boston."

What more could a girl want to start the weekend???

Now all I need to do is find people to come taste test every.single.restaurant.

Yummmm!

Cape to the Cod

Check it off my Boston list!

For this year's Day of Prayer with World Vision (October 1), I drove two hours to Cape Cod to spend the day with the World Vision - New England team praying for World Vision - US, World Vision International, and our donors around the world.

It was beautiful, peaceful, refreshing, and encouraging.

Here's my favorite quote from that day:

"Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. That the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle." - Phillips Brooks (US Episcopal bishop, 1835-1893)

Am I More Like O'Biden or McPalin?

Lately, like most of the country, this year's presidential election has prompted me to take a good, hard look at my own politics and where I stand on some really important issues.

When I found this test online, I took it (mostly out of curiousity) to see what it would say about my politics. Maybe a well-programmed computer could finally figure out what I've been struggling to understand about myself all summer!

What it found was pretty surprising to me - but I'm hoping it helps me to sort through all of these thoughts in my head. Are you brave enough to take it? Go for it. And then post it on your blog, too!

You are a Social Liberal (65% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (28% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid.com: Free Online Dating Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test