Archive | Virginia

a few photos from Thanksgiving

December 6, 2011 at 11:33 am

Here’s a fun batch to begin with!

Before Lena’s Uncle Jonathan proposed to Lena’s soon-to-be Aunt Erika (!!!), he practiced his proposal for Lena. She loved it all, including trying on the diamond ring.

I took some photos of my first completed order for Making Room {Handmade}, a pair of knitted fingerless gloves that my mother-in-law requested for a co-worker.

Lena’s pulling herself up on everything these days. She loved climbing up onto the hearth this Thanksgiving… under careful supervision!

Meanwhile, Jonathan proposed and Erika accepted! Their faces hurt from smiling, but they tried to smile a little more for a loooot of photos at the Garber household. Elliott popped the cork off a bottle of champagne and we toasted to their lives together. Congrats, you two!

They had to smile for many, many photos that evening.

That Thanksgiving weekend Jess had an inflamed tibia after running a half marathon. She tried to stay off it… sometimes more successfully than others…

Thanksgiving Day came at last! The table was set…

… and the guests arrived, all admiring of little Lena.

And we feasted!

The aftermath:

And the parking lot outside the house:

An after-dinner walk to work off some of those calories. Lena is already an avid frisbee “player,” and her daddy rejoices!

More to come soon!

1 :: in family, holidays, home sweet home, knitting business, Virginia

headed back to Italy

November 28, 2011 at 5:18 am

Unbelievably, our time in the States has come to a close. Tomorrow morning we fly back to Sicily! I am both thrilled and miserable, realizing that all these happy days (especially those filled with family) are over. Now we’re moving back to a new community, a new home, a new culture, a new life.

This past week has been wonderful and filled with family. So many gatherings around dinner tables, so many games, so much conversation, so many snuggles of a beloved granddaughter/niece/daughter. The big news around here is that the Garber family gained a sister this week… Jonathan proposed to Erika! And tonight our little Lena was baptized at our church on Capitol Hill, a big celebration which many of our dear friends and all of our family attended. There are so many photos to share! But I’ll leave you with one of the best photos from the weekend: an aunt and her niece, both in cozy onesies. Quite indicative of the coziness of our Thanksgiving week.

Internet will be spotty the next few days as we travel and then set up house. I’ll share as I can. Hopefully (… fingers crossed!) I’ll be getting a new iPhone with video capabilities, so we’ll see if that leads to even more fun updates from across the pond. Sicily, we’re coming home!

11 :: in family, friends, holidays, home sweet home, Italy, Sicily, travel, Virginia

headed back to Italy

November 28, 2011 at 4:18 am

5 :: in family, friends, holidays, home sweet home, Italy, Sicily, travel, Virginia

the mountain house!

October 14, 2011 at 5:29 pm

When you go to the same university as your spouse, you are guaranteed to share a love of many things. Elliott and I both attended the University of Virginia, and we hold dear reading in the Gardens, hiking in the Blue Ridge mountains, worshiping at RUF and Trinity, living on 14th Street our fourth year, studying in the stacks of Alderman, and even nervously streaking the Lawn.

The joy sharing life like this is that you often get to know the same people through connections like your university. When Elliott and I began to date and compare lists of friends, we discovered we had some in common. It’s not often that we get to spend a lot of time with these friends anymore, especially now that we’re in Italy/Texas.

However, this weekend we felt lucky to have a chance to relax and enjoy the friendship of some fellow UVA friends in the beautiful Blue Ridge.

We drove down to Charlottesville on Sunday afternoon, arriving just in time to watch the sunset from the ridge. From that lovely spot we caught up over meals, hikes, and dirty dishes. On Sunday night we roasted s’mores over the first fire of the fall.

Mari and John practiced holding a baby for when they have one of their own.

Lena and I discovered the flowers outside the house before we headed off on a hike up to Humpback Rock.

I haven’t been up here in four years when I climbed it with a group of 4th year girlfriends. So much has changed since then in my life! Much as I loved that hike four years ago, and much as I loved life at UVA, I’d never go back. I love these two people too much!