Tip-to-Tip Time Change Fun Run

I am as stubborn as a mule. A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to run from the top of Manhattan to the bottom, but I was busy and then the weather was cold. I couldn't get the goal out of my mind though, so this morning I woke up and said: "today's the day".

I was mad at myself for not letting this unnecessary objective go. I set out on the D train, transfered to the A and transfered again to the 1 - putting myself down the whole way. I haven't done any training, what if I get an injury... I need to be on the 4 by 10 a.m. to get back in time for church at 11, what if I run too slow and am late... why not wait until spring? I got off the 1 train at 215th and was even more bitter as I realized that train goes all the way up to 242 - is that where the river cuts through? Was I going to have to run 30 blocks up just to get to my starting place?

All of a sudden I saw a bridge (the 1 train track into the Bronx)! I walked a little further and saw Spuyten Duyvil Creek and immediately a wave of inspiration came over me. I felt great, the sun was out (thank you fall back time change) and my 2011 Tip to Tip starting line was in sight.

Starting line smile:

The 1 train track above the Creek:

I began running and immediately saw Broadway. I was On Broadway for almost the entire run. Broadway is the oldest north-south (i.e. Uptown-Downtown) thoroughfare in the city. It was originally a Native American trail.

Passing by the Cloisters park:

Doesn't this train station look Soviet?

American Geographic Society:

I had so much energy - I think it was the perfect weather...

Sunday mornings are quiet in Manhattan, but people were friendly. I had two girls shout "You Go!" from their car window and one man tell me "Good morning beautiful" as I passed by. I liked pretending they were marathon fans cheering me on.

There are so many fun sculptures throughout the city:

How many people do you think live in this apartment building? What is their income?

The middle of this picture shows how close I ran to Fort Tryon Park. The water was just a few blocks away:

Barnard College - just down the street from Columbia:

I started missing the banana I forgot on the kitchen counter on my way out:

A little street art underfoot:

What can I say? It's who I am:

Our trees are starting to change:

I just kept jogging along, feeling great and thinking well La Di Da, this is a beautiful morning!

Every once in awhile I would see something that reminded me of those I love.

Although they might be ostrich statues, they looked like flamingos to me. Hi Mom!

There I was, about 6 miles in and enjoying the beauty of the Upper West side:

I do love NYC:

Around 80th Street I realized I was making great time - I was confident I would make it back in time for church:

How many people do you think live here? What is their income?

There it was! 72nd Street and my beloved Trader Joe's!

There's so many fun sculptures around these parts:

An NYPD officer getting his morning paper and coffee:

So much to see:

I couldn't help but think he was inviting me to sit (which sounded nice), but I had places to be:

Here in Columbus Circle everyone was getting ready for the ING New York City Marathon. What an event!

I was livin' the dream:

In a word, I felt divine as I entered Times Square!

Remembering Aunt Carol:

Feeling fine in front of the New Year's Eve ball:

Here it is:

With an empire state of mind I headed to Herald Square:

The Macy's holiday decorations are going up now:

I head down into Chelsea and the city gets funky again:

The buildings are a more reasonable height.

By the way, 16 Handles is the best frozen yogurt out there. I would have made a stop if it weren't so early...

This is it! The playground of the Americas:

I made a note to come back to David Burke Kitchen sometime. SOHO has some of the tastiest restaurants:

A quiet morning on Canal Street:

And on to Tribeca. I have to admit I got turned around a bit in this part of town (adding miles, and time to the overall Tip to Tip trip). I was missing the Uptown grid organization of streets:

I knew when I saw the new World Trade Center building I was on the right track (and close!):

So many people - so little space:

I had to get going. We had a church service to get to!

It's hard to get around the financial district these days - what with construction and...

Occupiers...

The sign I read on my jog by said: "Don't be That Guy":

And then all of a sudden I looked up and saw the address of the building on my right: 61 Broadway! I started somewhere in the 5000s!

When I saw this familiar WTC wreckage memorial I knew I was only steps away:

And then there I was. The Statue of Liberty ferry building...

And that beautiful blue water!

14.04 miles. | 116 photos | 2 hours 24 Minutes

I told Freddy Harrington, a talented ukulele player originally from Trinidad and Tobago, about my island run after he asked me if I was on my way to the marathon and he serenaded me with a song about health, beautiful weather and the city.

Here's a clip of his work from YouTube:

Then he took a picture of Dominic and I:

Dominic (the best husband in the world) and I boarded the subway for home:

And we even made it in time for church!

A Fairly Full Week

On Monday Dominic hosted an IPED table at a grad school fair in San Fransisco and on Wednesday and Friday I held corporate tables at our client's health fairs in Manhattan. It was a fair-full week!

Health fairs are fun for people like Dominic and I. You get a great opportunity to talk about something you care about in front of an attentive audience (if you have freebies to distribute that is). For someone who works from home, having the chance to meet and chat with hundreds of people in a few hours is stimulating.

I love my job and I love the population health industry. If people are going to spend between 40-50 hours at work each week it's my pleasure to build a culture of healthy living in workplaces. Typically, health fairs include your standard big businesses and local athletic clubs, but Friday was different. My table happened to be right next to that of a woman named Jamie Smith-Helper who was handing out fresh tea and selling essential oils. She took a second to give me some information on their uses and benefits. I think my AeroGarden may be calling...

Jamie had a tea made from fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano and thyme. I had never considered making tea from herbs, but everyone who tried it at her booth really seemed to enjoy it. She was explaining what each herb's internal and external therapeutic uses were. For example, parsley contains vitamins A & C, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. A handout she gave me adds: "Diuretic - stimulates kidney function and acts as a liver tonic. High chlorophyll content aids in digestion and sweetens breath." When sipped in this fresh-herb tea, parsley can sooth coughs and address indigestion. Not bad for a plate decoration I usually throw out! I was entertained all day by her conversations. Did you know oregano has anti-fungal, antiseptic and antioxidant properties? She recommends adding fresh or dry oregano to face steam for acne.

Someday I dream of having a full herb garden. Perhaps when I do I'll try Jamie's Rosemary Infused Olive Oil recipe once I can grow my own:

1 cup dried rosemary leaves

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

1 quart sized Mason jar

Opaque bottle for storage (re-use the olive oil bottle)

Medium sauce pan 1/2 full with water

Use dried rosemary for this recipe as any water in the plant material may spoil the oil. Place pan of water on stove to boil. Add rosemary leaves to a clean jar followed by the olive oil, cap jar. Reduce heat on pot of water to low simmer and place jar into pot, allow oil to warm for 2-4 hours (longer is better, all day is fine), taking care not to let the water evaporate. Once the oil is removed from heat, allow the herbs to steep for 24 hours before straining. Pour oil into an opaque bottle for storage. "Rosemary oil makes an excellent moisturizer for body and scalp massage and may also be used to impart a strong rosemary flavor to food."

Beauty Around Town

This is a Chrysanthemum

Believe it or not, 320 kiku flowers (as you can see) have been grown from a single stem. You can train them!

Learn more about ozukuri displays by calling (718) 362-9561 and press 146#.

Mother Kathy, Sister Rose and the Whole Act

Earlier this month Mom & Dad drove out to New York for a weekend get-a-way. We did a little hiking in Vermont and enjoyed the just-changing colors through Massachusetts.

Lovely colors, loving parents

When we got back into the city, the men went to bond while Mom and I went to Broadway. We had been waiting months to see the divine Sister Act. The songs were new, but the show was all glitz and glamour. Just like us.

Just a week later I was looking forward to leaving the city behind for a weekend in Milwaukee. It was there that Dominic and I were honored to spend a Friday afternoon with a real Sister. One who is dear to the entire family and whom I've owed a visit to for quite some time.

We hustled to make it for lunch - and boy were we thankful we did! Trays in hand, we walked down the line ordering everything from fish (it was a Friday after all) to turtle cake. The convent sure knows how to serve up a hearty meal! Little did we know we would get to meet our Sister Rose's dear sisters in person. We had a very nice visit over lunch.

Did you know the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity have a healthcare ministry? I could certainly use more of their compassion and creativity in my work. The ministry has existed for more than 100 years and manages change, ensures stewardship of resources, and integrates mission and values. It sure would be nice to have a their mission in the healthcare industry I'm familiar with...

The Franciscan sisters do more than healthcare. As parochial and secondary teachers they instruct on the college level, direct spiritually, administrate parishes and outreach in communities. Our Sister served for many years as a music teacher. My does she have a gift for the piano! Although they couldn't make it personally, my parents dedicated a Big Piano song to her while in NYC:

After lunch Sister Rose gave us a tour of the convent:

Starting with the Packer room (above). This room is our second favorite room after the chapel where Sister Rose's electronic organ is located.

After our tour of the convent and Sister Rose's office we got to sit in our own private visiting room and... visit. It was so nice to relax and catch up. These two had only ever met via Skype so this was a special opportunity for them to get to know one another better.

Thank you for everything Sisters! We had a ball seeing and meeting each of you!

Homecoming!

One wouldn’t accuse Sarah and I of being overly ‘invested’ in campus life, since I began at Fordham. We take advantage of the gym and the beautiful grounds to run through in the morning, but - save for the occasional visiting dignitary, interesting lecture, or free meal - we tend to be disconnected from activities on campus. So as we approach the end of our time here, we figured that homecoming would be a good chance to check out some sports.

Coming from Columbus, I was assuming that Sarah would be underwhelmed by the football culture surrounding Fordham. She probably (and correctly) was. Regarding scale, of course, Fordham can’t compare to Columbus*, but the Fordham alumni association did a nice job of rolling out the red carpet for all the returning alumni… and some graduate student hangers-on. The free food and booze was flowing and the atmosphere was upbeat and fun in the tent before the game. I was surprised at the number of blazers and ties that were on display though. (These east-coasters will get dressed up for anything…even a football game.)

The game did not disappoint either. We brought in Columbia (figuring we could definitely beat this ivy-league push-over), but they put up a fight. The game was decided by a 99-yard interception return for a Fordham touchdown on a Columbia attempt to score on a fourth and one at the goal line. In the end Fordham smashed the mighty __________of Columbia (who knows what that school’s mascot is anyhow?)

We had two new students from South Africa who had never been to an American Football game before, so I spent the majority of the time explaining all the rules and nuances of the game. Growing up in America, I had never really thought about it, but football is really quite complicated. I dare the reader to think for a second where exactly they would begin if they were asked, “how does this game work?” It’s quite a task, but as they began to understand the basic structure and rules of the game it was really fun to start explain the nuances and strategy of things. Football is a neat sport. We’ll see if we’re back for Homecoming next year as Alumni.

*Note that both Fordham’s coaching staff and players adhere to the Jesuit tradition of not selling awards or signatures for tattoos. So that’s kind of a difference too, I suppose.

A Friday Funny

Happy Friday everyone!

In July we were introduced to a fun little game called planking. It's been around for awhile, but we're not very good at staying on top of what all the hip kids are talking about (des

pite nearly living and working daily on a college campus).

Planking:

Well folks, yet again we're out of date. Now, we should be batmanning:

Time to start conditioning our feet muscles.

Thank you France

Where do you get this view of lower Manhattan? I'll give you two hints...

Here's her right arm...

Here's her left arm...

Here's her nose...

You're right! Lady Liberty herself. Today Dominic and I climbed the 357 steps up into her crown and learn about this generous gift from the people of France.

While the artist Bartholdi worked with a man named Viollet-le-Duc to design her head and arm, he began collaborating with Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel in 1880. Eiffel opted not to use a completely rigid structure so that the statue could move with the winds of New York Harbor and as the metal expanded on hot summer days. His design was also an example of curtain wall construction where the exterior is not load bearing but supported by an interior framework. Does this framework look familiar to any Paris tower you've seen?

We climbed that spiral staircase in the center to get up here and peer out of her crown's windows...

It was a somber day in NYC today. Rather than comment on the emotions we felt and the stories we heard I'll leave you with a dedication to those fire fighters and police offers who lost their lives:

And an image of the building progress of one of the WTC buildings from the harbor:

Borough Updates

Back from it's summer hiatus, the Bedford Mosholu Community Association is in action once again! Each month a group of invested citizens (including yours truly) meets to discuss our neighborhood and its issues. We started the 2011 season with a bang last night.

Right off the bat we were re-introduced to our dedicated executive leadership by President Barbara. I'm not sure how long Barbara has been managing this group, but I'm going to guess somewhere between 40 and 55 years. She conveniently lives upstairs from our meeting room and we see her around town at cultural events every once in awhile. Her sister also attends. Together, they remind me of Aunt Mary and Aunt Dee. My favorite leader is Grace, the treasurer. She's got spunk and math skills that would make a calculus professor weep. She informed us that we have an organizational balance of $1,925.22 for our monthly postcards, stationary, rent, Verizon phone bill and electricity expenses. Not bad.

We learned that over the summer the construction company finished the exterior of the 'intermodal transportation facility' (aka parking garage) down the street and they're working to get the electricity and plumbing finished by the expected deadline this February. Barbara said she'd believe it when she sees it. In addition to general updates, we learned that the association is working to get some historic signage posted on Perry Avenue, trying to determine who is responsible for flooding issues at a common intersection, and asking for support to keep our post offices open. All this while inviting volunteers to help out with a "It's My Park" Day on October 15.

All of these announcements are terribly exciting and make me very proud to be a resident here, but I just about lost it when our special guest stood up to speak. Would you believe State Senator Gustavo Rivera came to our little gathering? Well he did and it was inspiring.

Senator Rivera had me at his first announcement: An initiative called Bronx CAN. Before answering all of our questions and addressing our concerns one-by-one, he took a few minutes to reminded us of his administration's health priority for our borough. After making sure that we were all aware that Bronx County is the most unhealthy in NY state, he shared his own experience with weight management and encouraged each of us to use the resources we have (no matter how minimal) to take care of our health. He said that each month the office will be launching different priorities to direct constituents to resources. July was Green Market promotion, August was public activity and exercise, September is access to healthcare and October will address health in our schools.

The Association was most interested in hearing Senator Rivera's position on three issues:

1. Redistricting
2. Park land (near the 'intermodal transportation facility)
3. Post office closings

Redistricting is a new concept to me, but an issue with deep-seeded political implications. According to Barbara our lines expired with the 2010 census and we are trying to urge state government to hire an independent commission to draw the new districts. While an independent commission is unlikely, Senator Rivera explained that if the Governor vetos the lines twice the task defaults to a judge called a 'Special Master' (I wish I had that title). The Special Master will draw new lines based on population data, legal restrictions and public opinion so we were all urged to go to a hearing to put our thoughts on the record and 'make our voices heard'. The sad thing for me is that even after the Special Master finishes his work, law suits can be brought against the lines. Hopefully everything will be worked out by the 2020 census.

There was a new guy sitting next to me last night who was silent until this point. He must have been inspired by the hearing process because all of a sudden out of no where he went off on a polite but lengthy rant about how he's a school social worker who is frustrated by violence and gangs in the Bronx and he just wants the community to work together for something good. He referred to himself as a 'young cat' who was angered by the sense of individualism people have here.

Much to Senator Rivera's credit, he waited for the new guy to finish then dropped into 'young cat' colloquial speech to build up his constituent on the idea of community. He reminded the cat that his attendance at this meeting was exactly what builds community. I have to hand it to our elected official, even I was inspired to volunteer for It's My Park day after that.

Senator Rivera left on a high note with an encouragement to all of us to visit his office in the Bronx. I just might. We were all feeling good until a debate broke out about the police report. I suppose this is what democracy means.

As I walked home talking about pooper-scooper practices with my neighbor Bri and her dog Princess and I felt great that I could be a part of this place. God bless the Bronx.

Back to School | Making the Grade

As Dominic headed off to his first day of school yesterday I took my worms on a field trip to the Botanical Garden in my GNAUSA cart. The Bronx Green-Up* was hosting a booth at the farmer's market and after a year of watching those little worms consume all our compostables I was wondering how their ecosystem was holding up.

I rolled up to the table and a Master Composter named Junior was delighted to use a plastic fork to poke through my container. As he pushed aside the remains of our produce he commented on how he likes to look at people's composts because it shows what kind of diet they have. I wondered what he thought of my avocado peel (the worms have been working on that for months) but I didn't ask. I was curious about fruit flies though, which I have seen come by from time to time. He gave me this tip: lay a full newspaper on top of the soil. The grown flies will not be able to escape to reproduce and it doesn't hurt the worms one bit.

As it turns out, soil containers (the kind I started) aren't the Green-Up's ideal. They much prefer newspaper. To make a newspaper compost you would place your worms in half of the container, add your food scraps and then plop some moist newspaper strips (about 1 in wide) on top. The worms work through everything creating compost itself - which is better than my soil/compost mixture. Purer would probably be the appropriate term. You just push that aside as it develops and continue adding your food products to the side with the worms. I would use compost if I had a garden, but for now my plants are perfectly content in their potting soil.

Despite my set up, Junior was complimentary. He said I had a good number of mites. This is a good thing since apparently they help the worms break down the food (worms don't have teeth after all). He also noted that there is no foul odor coming from the bin and that the moisture seemed to be balanced. I was shocked by his approval. I thought for sure I had killed off every last worm. I'll admit that I accidentally forgot them on the fire escape during one of those early-summer heat episodes we had, they must just be far more resilient than I originally anticipated.

I got up the nerve to ask - I was just dying to know from the compost master - if I was being graded on my bin how would I do? Imagine my delight when he gave me an A! How's that for lifelong learning. I'm a real urban composter!

As if the day could get any better, I left the worms with Junior and finished up my grocery shopping and found out it was the Green Market's 75th anniversary. I got a brand new reusable bag for spending $10!

Here's a picture of Dominic on first day of class. Happy Back to School season everyone!

*The Bronx Green-Up is a community outreach program that sends great teachers like Junior to the Garden to provide horticultural advice, technical assistance and training to community gardeners, school groups and other community organizations.

It Must Be Love

Last night we cheered Venus and Roger to victory with our close friends, Nathan, Jamie, Susan Sarandon, Tony Bennett and Dr. Ruth. Oh New York.

The U.S. Open gave us a hearty dose of nationalism. We had a great time studying the game of the world's great professionals - all the while taking in the expensive tastes of tennis fans. Coming from Buckeye nation is sure was a switch to walk to the concession stand and find frozen cosmos, or to the jersey shop and find Ralph Lauren.

That's Roger Federer in black at the bottom

That's Venus Williams warming up in white towards the top of the court.

That's the American flag

All's Quiet on the Eastern Front

Irene came late last night and left this in our neighborhood:

Clearly we're doing just fine here. Equipped with three gallons of store-bought water, batteries, candles, a cooler and two bags of ice, it seems we'll be set for a week full of cool hydration and romantic dinners by candle-light.

Thank you all for your prayers this weekend. We're safe and sound.

Irene-aggedon

Hello readership. I didn’t realize this tropical storm was a big deal until I turned on the television today and saw that the news is reporting that this hurricane Irene is apparently shutting down NYC. I’m not quite sure how to react as the news headlines for our ‘earthquake’ last week were written with similar verve.

Sarah and I are steeled for a weekend inside, fully prepared with water, food and board games. The area where we live in the Bronx is on a hill, so we’re in good shape.

MoMA Visit

After weeks of Saturdays spent baking on the beaches of New York we decided to switch things up this weekend and visit the Museum of Modern Art. Dominic was expecting some eccentric exhibits, but was surprised to find famous and current artwork drawing our attention. We spent the entire day wandering about.

It's the real deal people.

Dominic's favorite. We have the home made quilt to prove it (thank you Peg!).

There's an exhibition running now through November 7th called Talk to Me. If I were still a regular at the Social Media Club Seattle events I would totally cite my new-found knowledge of the communication between people and objects at our next mixer. I could have spent hours here.

Here's an introduction to the concept that we design based on meaning and no longer on function: "All objects contain information that goes well beyond their immediate use or appearance. In some cases, objects exist to provide us with access to complex systems and networks, behaving as gateways and interpreters. Whether openly and actively, or in subtle, subliminal ways, things talk to us, and designers help us develop and improvise the dialogue."

There were displays that you would expect: computers, video games, devices, etc... But what was neat about the exhibition was the fact that it also introduced us to projects in development today.

We learned, for example, about a way designers Emily Read and Chen Hsu are delivering vital information to the urban homeless. By reviving the centuries-old language of hobo code the homeless use a set of basic symbols to communicate everything from safe locations and free food to shelter and guard dogs all with a stick of sidewalk chalk. The code is published in each issue of The Pavement, a London-based magazine for the homeless. I'm not sure where they get the chalk.

Of course I got stuck for quite a while staring at this piece called "Sidetrack".

Four artists from the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design got together to create this turntable made from printer parts. The image shows how work-at-home professionals have trouble separating their home and work lives, and in particular how we spend most of our time at our desks and not in other parts of our homes. They reached this conclusion by putting sensors throughout the home that were connected to the rotating table. As the participant moved from room to room the table plotted the pattern, uncovering what the designers called 'pockets of time' devoted to various tasks. As it turns out, distractions were encouraged as healthy breaks (same goes for offices if you ask me). With each day recorded on a separate paper disk, professionals could start to learn from their own patterns.

Full disclosure: except for an early-morning jog to the recreation center, a mid-day walk to the park two blocks from our home, two trips to the kitchen and two more to the bathroom, I have stayed put in my corner office for approximately 10 hours now. Is that sad? What would my Sidetrack paper disk show?

We expended so much energy learning at the MoMA it was impossible to make it home without street-food sustenance for the ride:

Little makes Dominic happier than Halal Food.

Yoga: Suspended in the Air

All it takes is one Groupon and all of a sudden I have found myself suspended in midair at AntiGravity Aerial Yoga classes this summer. That's right, AntiGravity. You may recall the last time I attempted to fly through the air with the greatest of ease... fortunately this practice is closer to the ground and involves less swinging.

I recommend this practice if you: a) love trying new things, b) want to improve your flexibility, and c) Aren't afraid of hanging upside down like a bat. Really, that's all you need!

According to the website, "AntiGravity is an acrobatic performance company whose daily workout utilizes the AntiGravity Hammock" (when you're in it it looks like a cocoon). "The technique was originally created for athletes and gymnasts and has since been modified and perfected for the everyday athlete" (thank goodness - Cirque du Soleil is intimidating!). It incorporates dance, Pilates and calisthenics and with a promise of 'realigning you from the compression of gravity' it sounded like a great antidote to my desk posture.

I took my classes with Ariel. She was soothing and inspiring. Afterward - smiling - I approached her to learn more about her path to this new exercise. She told me that one day, two years ago she woke up feeling terrible. Her weight had gotten out of control and it was hot (sounds like it must have been summer in the city). She started going to Om Factory and one day when she got locked out of the regular class she was directed to AntiGravity - she's never looked back. She talks about how great she's feeling and (in my opinion) she looks fantastic.

Starting class in a nice little pouch

Simple stretches

Creative inversions - it's not has hard as it looks.

More difficult stretches - this felt very good!

Then right back to end in the cocoon. I could sleep here all night!

Who knows, if these classes keep up I might be installing a t-bar hammock in my living room...

Monkey See Monkey Do

I learned how to build a terrarium online at a website called MonkeySee. Over the course of five 3-minute videos I was able to pick up how to construct the ecosystem by choosing the right container, building the foundation, and adding and arranging the plants. I took another 8 minutes or so to learn how I should care for the little thing and, voila a new hobby!

I'm not sure what has always drawn me to moss. I think when we were little I found some growing under our swing set slide and assumed it would be the perfect mattress for a little creature or imaginary friends (the St. Patrick's Day leprechauns). Ever since it has been one of the best parts of hiking for me. I pet it, I poke it, I put my face on it (I know, gross). I just can't help but admire nature's cushion. It's like hair for rocks and trees!

Moss is the best part about the terrarium, but not what Kacy Paid,

my MonkeySee instructor, focused on at all. I'd almost rather not have a single plant and just a jar full of moss, but then again I'm not sure if that defines terrarium or not. Fortunately, I don't get a grade for this new craft.

Dominic was very supportive and went to a plant shop in Brooklyn to get me a starter kit. Apparently the best terrariums include a piece of fancy equipment calle

d horticultural fabric. I think panty hose would work ok too...

At the end of July we went downtown to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market to search for a creative container. It didn't take long before I had a pear-shaped jar in hand. Although it's not a closed container, we thought it would make the perfect vessel for a first-attempt. I was surprised at how excited Dominic was about this scavenger hunt. He stood patiently while I inspected old mason jars and gum-ball machines. Quite the husband, he didn't even bat an eye when I strayed from our goal and started perusing the vintage jewelry and antique furniture booths.

The pear container.

The building process - that mini cactus on the left didn't make it in.

NYC has all kinds of resources for indoor gardening and tiny living - two integral parts of building a terrarium. We even came across a hydroponics store not far from the market where I picked up an Urban Garden magazine. I needed to review an article in the February/March 2011 edition on 'The World of Worms'. Mine aren't looking too good...

Don't tell Lynch, but last weekend I built a New Hampshire terrarium from the soil of this beautiful state. I couldn't help myself. The moss is extra charming up there!

Our Year Two

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green." Jeremiah 17:7-8.

By faith, patience, compassion and love Dominic and I are celebrating our two year anniversary today. I feel like the most blessed woman on earth! During our wedding, someone mentioned that their wish for our marriage would be that our love would deepen day by day. This wish has come true! We couldn't be happier.

To our family and friends - thank you for being a part of our special day two years ago. More importantly, thank you for your ongoing support.

After work on Friday night we drove across to New Hampshire to stay near Keene at our friend's cabin. When they extended the invitation they mentioned that their 'tiny home' would be the perfect antidote to the city. How true this was!

Picking mountain blueberries

Walking out to Willard Pond

Dinner on the deck overlooking the mountains