I love playing with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone and was thrilled when they brought back a lens (Tejas) that I'd been waiting for. These are a trio of photos I took at my parents' house.
My sister in law recommended a great book the other day - Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. I hadn't heard of it but I guess it's really popular with book clubs in the US and it's being made into a movie. It's killing me that I can't just sit down and read the whole thing. I miss being able to take Prego Days like I could when I was pregnant with Emmett. Read, knit and nap the whole day away. He''s napping right now and all I want to do is find out what happens next with Lavinia and Belle rather than tackle the dishes.
Thanks for all of the suggestions regarding the fate of the little green sweater. I'm still deliberating but will let you know the outcome soon, I'm sure!
In the meantime I picked up another sweater that I'd started awhile ago but sent to the naughty corner due to ginormous holes under the arms. This time I was able to pick up the arm stitches with only small holes that were easily closed up so it's finished and blocking on my big pink yoga mat. As overcast as it is here, it might take a week for it to dry....
I have something else fun to talk about, though. A couple of weeks ago I sent out my first two Postcrossing postcards - one to Colorado, USA and another to St. Petersburg, Russia - and yesterday I received my first!
This card came from Germany - isn't it beautiful?
If you haven't heard of Postcrossing this is how it works: you sign up for free on their site and request and address (up to five when you first sign up). They'll send you and address as well as a code that you write on the card. Once your card is received and the code is registered, they send your address to someone and you get a card in return from some mysterious location. I definitely need to start a postcard stash so that I can request more addresses- it was so nice to get a real piece of mail yesterday! Although, we have been getting a little more real mail than usual since my parents have started sending us a baby card a week. It's been really nice since we're so far apart. Granted, reading them makes me a little teary but we have them lined up on the mantel and seeing them everyday makes me really happy.
Speaking of things that make me happy - we went to Fisherton Mill for tea yesterday and managed to glimpse this bit of cuteness on the walk home.
This mother really has her wings full. It was really cute to hear them chirping to one another as they passed under the bridge.
Ack, it's been three weeks since I've updated! Mom and Dad's visit was fantastic. We did a million things yet there were a million more things we didn't get to (just to name a few - Oxford, London and the Isle of Wight) that will just have to wait until the next visit.
Strangely, I didn't take many photos but here are a few from our days out...
This was probably my favorite day - a warm, sunny afternoon in Brighton.
It was even warm enough to have chips and a cold beverage on the beach.
We also spent a cold, rainy day in Bath where we started out at the Fashion Museum where Matt's sister, Ruth, works.
And, of course, the Roman baths. And, yes, that's a duck over there on the right!
Of course, we took a trip to Stonehenge. I'd never been even though it's only about twenty minutes away from Salisbury. I'd had heard you couldn't get close to the stones any more and was expecting them to be so far away you'd need binoculars but was pleased to find that they were only about a hundred yards away or so.
On the windiest day of all we drove to Old Sarum where the remains of the original cathedral stand.
From the top of the fort ruins, even on a cloudy day, the view of the "new" cathedral was beautiful.
We also had lunch out at my mother-in-law's farm where we not only said hello to the alpacas...
...but we also got to see the twin lambs that were born a couple of days earlier!
Actually, when I say "we" I really mean "everyone but me" because while they all went to ooh and ah, I had to hang out on the porch. Why, you ask? Because lambs can potentially carry diseases that could be harmful to pregnant women....
And I'm pregnant! That's right, Matt and I are expecting a little acorn of our own in November! I'd like to talk about it a little bit more but, honestly, that little acorn is getting hungry and if I don't eat something soon, I'll regret it. I've been lucky enough to avoid morning sickness but I do start to feel a little nauseous, cranky and headache-y if I don't have a bite of something every couple of hours. So more on our great news a bit later!
Oh and my cold beverage on the beach in Bristol? My daily diet Coke!
I don't know if there will ever come a time when we drive through the New Forest and I don't feel a child-like thrill to see ponies, horses and cows grazing on the side of the road. I don't mean they're grazing on the side of the road in the way those of us from the states are used to - behind fences - no, these are free to wander and graze. So you'll often see something like this mare and her foal.
I was asking Matt if he ever actually saw pigs in the New Forest or did they hide out a bit deeper, off the road and not ten minutes later we found this trio munching acorns off to the right.
I loved their snorty sounds and the way their giant ears covered their eyes.
The New Forest was created by William I in 1079 as a hunting ground for deer. The commoners have since then had rights to, amongst other things, turn livestock out in to the forest. I can't say that I understand it much past that but I did read an interesting article the other day in Country Living, I think, about how they round up the hundreds of horses in the fall for health checks and branding. That must be something to see.
Parts of the forest landscape are hard to describe. They're unlike anything I've seen in the states. The best description I could come up with was what would be created if the Great Smokey Mountains and the desert decided to get together and have a baby. Lush and green but strangely dry looking at the same time. Impossible to describe.
This is a view from Ashley's Walk and is the first bit of the New Forest that I really ever saw back when I visited in November of last year. I remember that it was amazingly windy and that I snapped a few photos of a shaggy cow not too far off the path. A horse ambled by us at one point, too. I was also probably insanely nervous because I think it was only my second day with Matt. It was really nice to walk on that same path today, less than a year later, as a married couple. The weather was perfect when I took these photos but there were no cattle or horses along the path - just a few grazing off in the distance.
We did see a tiny herd of cattle as we were pulling in the car park, though.
We were also lucky enough to spot a deer grazing beneath a tree on our way back up the path. She let us get fairly close before bounding off in to the brush.
Another breathtaking view....
And another...
And one more...
Seriously, I don't know if I could ever come here without my camera.
I felt a little overwhelmed yesterday for the first time. I really thought I would stay in "oh, I'm on vacation" mode for at least a week but, no, I woke up grumpy and a little...off. Thank goodness for understanding husbands and happy pills. I had actually forgotten to take mine for a couple of days which, I'm sure, didn't really help with the feeling of being overwhelmed.
Some Sunday I'll take a photo of the Sunday papers here because the papers in the States just do not compare. We picked up three yesterday and spent the morning relaxing in bed - my favorite way to spend a Sunday. My original idea was to walk over to Starbucks by myself to meet the knitting group but I'd yet to go in to town alone and my mood wasn't exactly ideal for meeting new people so Matt and I walked over just so that I could say hi and meet everyone. And by everyone I mean lots of people - for you Daytonians, it reminded me a lot of the early, crowded Brown Street days but with more seating. Anyway, it was nice to finally put faces to Ravelry names and I really, really can't wait for the next meet up.
After Starbucks we drove out to Matt's favorite walk, Pepperbox Hill. It was a little gloomy yesterday but I snapped a few photos as we walked up the ridiculously steep hill, around and back down again.
The cathedral, which is right across the street from our flat - I can see the spire from the window here on the third floor - is near the center there, a bit to the left.
This is the path back down Pepperbox Hill and the road that leads back to Salisbury.
There's a folly here as well but we saved that for another visit.
So I mentioned that my original plan yesterday was to go in to town by myself but, when you get right down to it, I chickened out, right? Well, I walked to the grocery alone today! I have to admit, I took the long way at first to avoid crossing the road and then only crossed the road when the signal said it was okay or if someone else was crossing because I still can't get used to looking in a new direction and I'm sometimes not even sure where a car might be coming from. Silly, I know. I'm a bit paranoid, too, and felt like everyone could peg me as a non-native - especially the check out lady at Tesco who took a good long look at me more than once which made me feel like I was doing something wrong. Even though the language is the same, things here really are very different. And, of course, I completely forgot the diet Coke I walked there for but I did get the makings for salsa and veggie burgers for lunch tomorrow so it wasn't a complete failure.
Anyway, lots to do. One more box and the kitchen is completely unpacked!
Obviously I've been missing quite a bit these days. You know, like my husband. This morning, though, I realized how much I miss my Canon Rebel camera. Since I wouldn't really have room to put it in my carry on and didn't want to pack it, I had Matt take it when he went home at the end of June. Of course, I was hoping that I would be reunited with my husband and my camera just two weeks later but, well...it didn't really work out that way.
While walking Buddy this morning I noticed this beautiful dew dotted spider web. I managed to maneuver him away from it and into the backyard where I hooked him to his ground stake before running into the house for a camera. Now I'm not knocking my little digital Casio - it fits in my pocket perfectly and is always there in a pinch but I know the Canon would have really done this photo justice. Due to the sun and not getting to hold the camera right up to my eye, I wasn't entirely sure I was even getting the web let alone getting a good photo...so I took a bunch and this one turned out decent at least.
I can't wait to take walks and lots of pictures again. With my husband by my side.
A few minutes before the ceremony, Ginny and I topped off our champagne glasses and retired to the living room so that the guests wouldn't see us. I did feel a little flutter of nervousness, a little stage fright, while waiting and it was probably the longest ten minutes of my life. Eventually, my brother, Andy, came in and told us that every one was there and seated.
Showtime.
Photo by Richard Stanley (my father-in-law)
Our officiant, Neil, was fantastic. We finally met with him a few days before the ceremony and were instantly put at ease. He was exactly what we were looking for. Due to the fact that there was only one line he legally had to say, we had free reign with the ceremony, too. We used a lot of traditional pieces but we also wrote our own vows and added a blessing that I had found in one of the many wedding books I'd looked through a million times.
Before the wedding he and his wife presented us with a nice copy of the ceremony along with the meaning behind the red oak we were going to be married under which was a very nice touch.
We came out from the front of the house to "Feels Like Home" by Randy Newman....
Photos by Punch Pink
By the way, that's totally a Vera Bradley tie my dad is rocking right there.
Photos by Punch Pink
We had a backdrop of ribbons tied in the tree - another detail I loved.
Photo by Punch Pink
We had discussed during rehearsal when I should take my bouquet back from Ginny. I decided to go ahead and take it before the kiss and promised I would have it in my left hand when the big moment came. But did I? Nope. Right up in front of our faces it went. After the kiss I actually looked at Lisa who was photographing us from the aisle and mouthed, "Sorry." We did it again and she got another photo but I actually prefer this one - I like that the kiss was our moment and no one could see.
Photo by Dad
Believe it or not, even though Mom and I spent a lot of time putting the birdseed packets together, I completely forgot about it and was surprised when we were pelted - up close, no less - as we walked back up the aisle to "All I Want Is You" by Barry Louis Polisar from the Juno soundtrack.
Photo by Mary Back (my great-aunt)
After the ceremony Matt and I took a walk around the block to have a few moments alone to take it all in. Neil and his wife, Deann, passed by as they were leaving and called us Mr. and Mrs. Stanley for the first time. Deann also told us that a pair of mourning doves sat nearby throughout the ceremony and that this signifies good luck.
A little bit of luck is a nice thing to have when starting out as husband and wife. Luck and love - and we'll never run short on love.
Mom and Dad have always had the stars and stripes flying out front but, a few days before the wedding, Dad added the British flag as well. His toast - which was wonderful - touched on the fact that not only was this wedding a union of two people and two families but also two countries and this pair of flags represented that beautifully. As far as I know, they have no intention of taking it down - I really wonder what the neighbors think!
The wedding party - Matt's brother, Giles, myself, Matt and Ginny.
Not only did Ginny (along with Lisa a.k.a. Punch Pink, my photographer) bring me a Madame Peanutbutterfly from Boston Stoker (where we knit on Sunday nights) but she also did a beautiful job with my make up. Note the champagne glass....
photo by Punch Pink
These are a few of my favorite posed shots, all by Punch Pink, that were taken before the ceremony. She did a fantastic job and I can't wait to see how she does with her next wedding. ;)
I loved my bouquet. I used Simply Floral in Kettering (Ohio) which is co-owned by my friend, Tori, whom I've known since I worked at the Fraze Pavilion (an outdoor theater) in college. I didn't have many fresh flowers - boutonnieres, corsages, our two bouquets and an arrangement for our table - but they were all beautiful. All of the parents' flowers were a lighter shade of orange to set them apart and the mother's corsages with the addition of tiny white wax flowers were my favorite.
Tori tied an acorn charm made by lillyella to my bouquet. I also wore one around my neck on a chain I borrowed from Mom.
photo by me
Seeing as how there are several photos in this post already and I haven't even gotten to the ceremony yet, I think I'll divvy the day up in to different posts. I just have so many favorite photos and favorite things. Of course, seeing as how it was my wedding day, I guess that makes complete sense!
I'm an American still adjusting to life in England after living here for several years. I'm a stay home mom to the most amazing little boy. I knit. I crochet. I read. I collect/hoard tea pots, hippos and stickers. I love to bake and take photos and recently I've even been learning to draw.
