the happenings

a lot of things fell through the cracks in the tragic summer of 2012, and i have slowly but surely been trying to reassemble the pieces and get back into a normal groove. i am always amazed (in a bad way) at how quickly good habits fall away, and how much work it is to get them back. but, i keep trying anyway.

so, here are a few of the things that are (getting) back on track.

1. piano. i was so sick and then so depressed (and then so in china) that i hadn't touched my keyboard in months. i've really enjoyed dusting it off (literally and figuratively). i feel like piano is one of the few things in life where i can match my effort to an outcome and see a result. that's really satisfying. i am learning christmas music right now, and i just might have a little living room rehearsal of some of the pieces i master. come, won't you? 

2. cooking. i wasn't sure how i was going to feel about "wifely" duties once i was married, given my aversion to traditional gender roles and all, but i actually really enjoy preparing meals for my little family. probably especially because AWD is always so grateful and says everything i make is delicious (it's not). and it's crock pot season again, which makes cooking even easier. last week we made mama bear's mushroom gravy, and we baked up an apple pie to boot.

3. adventuring. we have been having such gorgeous fall weather here, with soft, warm days, i hate the feeling of wasting them. sadly, there are always saturday chores and errands and tasks to be done, it seems, but we did manage a trip up to shenandoah national park, pre-hurricane sandy, to do some leaf peeping. it was lovely, as you can see for yourselves.

my next big goal is to get back on schedule with scripture reading and other matters of spirituality. it seems funny (not in a good way) that those are sometimes the first things to go just at the moment you need them most. but there you have it. i'll keep you posted. it's good to be back.