buried treasure.

{wow, earthquake in chile.

those poor people.

staggering/upsetting photographs here . . . really don't want to re-post.

reminds me of my friends still working in haiti.

prayers for all in both countries.}

~~~

i discovered my senior prom dress in a closet yesterday.

as a girl who always enjoys a game of dress-up and being without anything better to do,

i seized the opportunity to try it on again.

{surprise! it's actually too big now. weird.}

the dress brought back memories of being 17, pairing it with flip-flops and a ridiculously awkward date.

{but how ridiculously awkward was i??? very . . . still am.}

i should probably give it away . . .

it's still so pretty and will probably make another girl very happy.

what did you do with your prom dress?

~~~

yes, i've also switched around my layout again.

i get antsy with these things . . .

winter is lovely

it's 8:59 am on saturday and i've already played outside.

i awoke to the most beautiful scene.

our rain storm friday

{with a mix of snow . . . the sky clearly couldn't make up its mind}

turned into a snow over night.

i just had to get out a stomp around.

mornings like this remind me of God's wonderful artistry.

suddenly,

being forced to find solitary things to do {still car-less} is really a gift

rather than a curse.

besides,

i'm really very alone.

friends are coming to find me later.

i am so blessed they love me.

~~~

happy weekend!

adventures of abby's scary night with no power.

we lost power at 11:30 pm last night.

and when i woke up this morning at 5 o'clock

it was still out.

thank goodness for candles!

{yup, you've all been exposed to my 5-in-the-morning face. apologies.}

since my car is still in the garage,

bestest drove us to work

{and surprised me with a happy present . . . my fave hair product!

i know; we're such girls}.

i got to take pictures from the passenger seat

of just some of the craziness that knocked out power for thousands of homes in nh.

i told bestest that between the power outage and my vehicle-less state,

i felt very much close to the dark ages and she should watch out for me roasting meat on a spit while wearing a bonnet . . .

luckily,

the power is back on

{wish my car was fairing as well}.

~~~

power outages can be fun

{when i was a kid, my sister and i used to read hamlet aloud in funny voices to keep ourselves entertained.} . . .

last night i was bored and a little silly,

so i snapped a bunch of photos in the candle-lit bathroom.

i must admit, though, i actually got scared last night!

all by myself while the apartment shook in dark, dark storm . . .

definitely don't want to repeat that one!

cars are really only a source of trouble.

today,

i really wish i lived in a place where i didn't have to drive to work.

you ask, why?

because my car is in the shop.

again.

thank goodness for the amazing miss amanda,

who is carting my sorry self to and from work today

{thank you, Lord, for generous friends who just happen to

work in the same town}.

i'm crossing my fingers and saying a prayer that repair costs aren't ridiculous . . .

ugh.

wouldn't it be grand to ride a bicycle to work every day?

or to rely on public transportation?

sigh.

{via audrey hepburn complex}

i think i would like it to be summer now.

in fact,

i knooooooow i would like it to be summer now.

so what if we're in the middle of

the winter olympics?

i'm ready to smell coppertone and feel sand between my toes.

i'm ready to cuddle into a sweatshirt on my beach chair in

the early morning with a cup of coffee to watch surfers

carve up our {little} nh waves.

i'm ready for the amazing beach hair that only a refreshing swim in the ocean can deliver.

i'm ready for summer!!!!!

~~~

part of my summer obsession is definitely

roxy gear . . .

i think i've been wearing their clothes for the better part of my teens and adult-so-far years.

their ad campaigns alone transport you to somewhere warmer . . .

if you're cold like me,

perhaps these will take you on a mini-vacation.

say you're ready too.

~~~

please continue to pray for our friends in haiti.

they're safe and settled now,

which is when the real work begins.

pray for their safety,

the welfare of the people they're helping,

and that God moves in a powerful way in the country.

prayers and love for melissa

melissa,

a dear friend from pulse,

is on an airplane right now that is headed to haiti.

our girl will be working with a mission team at a medical clinic

for the next week.

{miss katie, melissa, bestest, me & jill at catalyst conference last fall} please keep her in your prayers. we love her so much for her obedience and faith {not to mention that she is quite literally one of the funniest and kindest women i know} . . . can't wait to hug her and hear all about her journeys when she returns safe and sound!

a winter post for peter

i have an australian friend who always asks me about new hampshire snow.

{he also sends me fabulous music tips . . .

his taste is really stellar.}

our last couple email exchanges occured while we had no snow, and i promised the next time we had some,

i would post some pictures.

~~~

tuesday

{from the uhaul during work}

wednesday morning

{from my car}

wednesday afternoon

{super quick jump out of my car to snap a few photos . . .

snow already dirty.

sad.}

hope you enjoy, peter!

we danced thursday night away

well, at least we tried.

bestest and i went to see the editors at the house of blues last night.

music = really terrific.

crowd = meh.

they left something to be desired.

maybe it was the fact that it was

mostly guys there

{bestest and i determined that the editors are possibly

the best "boy break-up music" . . . as opposed to girls who do shameful things like pump alanis and tori amos until our ears bleed.}

trying to look cool just standing there with their hands in their pockets and bobbing their heads.

about halfway through the set,

bestest and i finally found "our people" in the front,

fist pumping to every bitter-heart lyric.

downside to thursday night shows?

extreme old woman fatigue the following day.

if it is possible to be hungover without an ounce of alcohol in one's system,

i seem to have found a way to do it.

completely worth it,

regardless of all rambling, tripping and inability to spell my name correctly today.

i do have a few years until retirement,

after all.

~~~

oh,

and . . .

i hope you have many splendid delights

or

perhaps nothing but rest and relaxation

planned for the next two days.

happy weekend!

this is why my best friend puts me to shame.

i mean,

come

on.

she did this while completing an insanely busy week.

and somehow found a way to transport it,

unblemished and unharmed,

to my house for our

olympic opening ceremonies party.

{i had this amazing nylon shorts and over-the-knee tube socks costume planned out . . .

which gave way to reality when i realized how long it was going to take me to

fry falafel for 10 people . . .

but yes, i did fry falafel with my own spicy yogurt sauce.

too bad my kitchen still smells like it!}

i'm sure she baked the whole thing while wearing 5-inch heels and not a hair out of place.

with perfectly applied lipgloss.

probably didn't spill a drop of batter either.

i'm convinced that someday i will meet the perfect man.

and then he will meet the perfect woman-

my best friend.

{just kidding about that one . . . lucky for us, the men we're attracted to are NOTHING alike.

besides,

it would be my greatest joy to see her with 'the perfect man.'

should anyone out there be good enough for her . . . }

in any case,

isn't she amazing?

television confession

despite my best efforts to avoid mtv totally and completely,

i am really enjoying

the buried life

{and usually watch it while in bed, half ready to fall into a coma}.

it could be the "live everyday like it's your last" philosophy or the fact that four guys are trying to make a difference in the lives of people they meet {probably the latter}.

so far,

it makes me really

happy.

what would happen if everyone helped one person make a dream reality?

j. austen would be proud.

a couple weeks ago,

our dear friend melissa had a birthday.

we decided to throw her a jane austen themed tea party.

i didn't have a chance to grab too many photos before

the party really got going,

but meg and i had a blast putting together little finishing touches

to make melissa feel loved and special.

i must say,

i have a group of amazingly talented friends . . .

they always make things look so beautiful!

we love you,

melissa!

here come the jitters.

with every holiday comes a little

sweetness . . .

thanks to my coworkers,

i'm going to by hyper for weeks.

three cheers for love

whoever does not love does not know God,

because God is love.

1 john 4:8

happy valentine's day!

{via le love}

let the games begin!

a few of us are getting together for a night of

international foods and to watch the olympic opening ceremonies

tomorrow night.

{yes, i threw together another invite.

i couldn't help myself.}

it is so much more fun to send something like this than to just shoot off an email.

i am praying that my friends come over

decked out in 80's workout gear,

but somehow i feel like it will just be bestest and me who

go overboard

{ahem- as always}.

i don't generally enjoy sports. especially on tv.

i usually find events boring after a little while . . . sitting around for an entire game

is like keeping a toddler still for an hour. it just can't happen.

{superbowl = terrible.} the olympics are something different.

i can pick and choose what events i want to watch

{figure skating, snowboarding, skiing and interesting things like luge and bobsledding}

and the events are short so i'm not dying after a few minutes of scary players knocking the wind out of one another

{though there is little of that during the winter olympics}.

are you excited too???

snowmageddon

this snowstorm is all over the news this morning.

mom and i have been watching robin roberts on abc

{she is so like-able, right?}

report on the crazy amounts of snow the rest of the country is shovelling.

mom commented that,

for us,

3 feet of snow would be a burden but wouldn't shut down half the state

as it has so many other places in the country.

we rather rugged here in nh.

{last night i picked up some refugee peeps are the airport.

it was an eventful night:

2 year old who had never ridden in a booster seat before = temper tantrum

and motion-sick 11 year old with a bag in front of him for the whole car ride.

i thought it was a crazy night until it occurred to me that their connection in chicago actually made it OUT of the city . . .

storm AND earthquake considered!}

~~~

happy wednesday!

mustache obsession

ever since my 2009 trip to india,

my girl friends and i have pretty much been obsessed with mustaches.

{us faking 'staches at the bay of bengal.}

i even made mustache coffee cozies a little while ago for bestest and myself.

{mine has since gone missing and i must make another. sigh.}

today while catching up on some of my fave blogs, i found this tshirt . . . love.

and of course,

these fabulous hats found by india gal pal, sara.

and then there is

THE MUSTACHE BLOG.

amazing.

i suppose that's enough 'stache to keep me happy until i can get around to

making another cozy.

why mustaches are so fantastic, i will never quite know.

{via le blog de betty & a fun twitpic and the mustache blog}

things i like this morning {and it's FRIDAY!}

1. kathryn storke's {from snippet and ink} free downloadable playlist

courtesy of the flash dance.

2. the taste of animal crackers.

no, not the cookie kind.

animal crackers that are closer to an actual cracker.

yes, i know they are still full of sugar and preservatives.

i don't care.

they're amazing with coffee.

3. browsing my fave blogs and checking google analytics.

and playing on twitter.

and facebook.

youtube if i can fit it in.

don't pretend you don't do it too.

4. the feeling of my covers juuuuuust before i am completely awake.

best time of day ever.

~~~

event tonight at the gallery where my dear miss amanda works.

probably will grab dinner with some fellow pulse-peeps.

they're a silly bunch {as am i}

so it should be a fun friday evening.

some fun plans for this saturday too . . .

will be sure to share when i'm not so groggy.

happy weekend!

{via the girl who takes pictures for ban.do}

thank you

everyone who has been so amazing and supportive during the last few months.

i know i've been a pain to be around,

and i'm sorry.

i am so blessed to have such amazing friends and family.

all who

1. said i look like my mom {such a huge complement}

and 2. wished her a happy birthday.

i think it pleased her a lot . . . she felt loved. temper trap,

for making every drive to work so enjoyable in the morning.

especially when it's sunny out.

gym membership,

because you are not expensive and make me feel less guilty for not using you

at all over the last few weeks.

i will be over soon.

bestest,

for just being you.

God,

for each and every day you give me

and for the opportunity to know and serve you.

{via from me to you}