my first thanksgiving with trenton was well spent, although i longed for the good company of family members scattered around the country. we ate far too much in far too little time, napped for several glorious hours, and filled our refrigerator with left-overs to keep the holiday spirit alive all weekend long. i am happy, and overwhelmingly grateful for the innumerable blessings that saturate my life--our lives. thank you, thank you, thank you.

i spent five hours today constructing an analytical essay that examines how edgar allen poe accomplishes the dark, eerie atmosphere present in many of his short stories. i probably read 'the fall of the house of usher' six times over the course of this process, and now find myself suffering from a similar 'acuteness of the senses' that plagues the story's central madman, roderick usher. i find often that as i become consumed in literature, i begin to project the primary character's emotions, thoughts, and even physical conditions onto my own personal existence. this is both wonderful and wildly dangerous, particularly when the character buries his sister alive and is ultimately swallowed by his own house.  

flowers, scarves, babies, mountains, lingerie, leaves, cake, a hungry bride and a lot of love!

three weeks ago, we flew across the sea to celebrate the marriage of my sister lindsay to john garlock. besides the flu that plagued us all (including the newlyweds) just a few short hours after the wedding bells chimed, the weekend was a warm autumn glimpse of heaven, with so much happiness and good food i thought both my heart and belly might burst.