weekend in review

-saw Babies in theater. yep, babies are cute.
-discovered Gourmet Dumpling House, the best thing ever to happen to Boston's Chinatown. can I live on dumplings?
-finished Harry Potter Six. and cried. I know that's nerdy, but it was so sad!
-tried to live off of chocolate chip cookies. success?
-visited the beautiful Boston 1st ward. the church is true.
-wandered Forest Hills cemetery. found out that ee cummings and Anne Sexton are both buried there. sat on lawn sculpture and contemplated death and trees.
-bust out my mad crochet skills. happy birthday grandma, taika and mary elizabeth!
-SLEPT. and slept and slept and slept. this morning it was still hard to get up.

sibs

This last less than a year I've had the delight of hosting all three of my siblings in my lovely home of Boston, MA.
(the last of which, Jeff, left this morning..sniff sniff...)

thank you to them for ditching their lives (including a then fiancee, a wife, and a total of nine kids), flying across the US, and bringing me some fabulous times.  It makes me feel loved and reminds me how much I dang-the-heck-shout-it-from-the-rooftops love you too.

xo

the earth and me

oh baby I love the earth.

I love the way she smells (most of the time)
I love her kiss on my skin when she's sunny
I love the drama of her rain when she's stormy
I love the power in the churning of her oceans
and I love the fatness of her hills

I love the vegetables and fruits that are born out of her
they delight my body
I love the animals that live in and on her
they delight my soul

Today I decided I loved the earth enough to beat the bus home with my own two feet
then the earth loved me right back up and gave my new garden a sprinkle

I think we have a good thing going.

happy earth day.

I enjoyed this woman's blog post about the occasion, so I pass it on to you. enjoy.

the other week it rained..

and rained

and rained

and rained.

 

four days straight. of the serious stuff.


the good news was..

at our house

 

there's always something nice to do

I'd like to spend more time

frosting cupcakes, visiting with my plants, talking to my elders
                    playing with kids, trying on fancy perfumes.

making rhythm, writing lyrics in spiral bound notebooks.
 wearing sandals

rushing air through my lungs, running hard.

                wearing light cotton. dancing down sidewalks. writing love notes.
teasing squirrels

welcome spring

team kick butt

what would you do...?

if preserved under the passenger seat in your zipcar (rent by the hour cars for us city folk) you found a forgotten, unopened block of organic cheddar?

REMATCH

Spring is springing and the ice is gone. the time has come once again to face some old foes...

1) Team Beck vs The Cayonlands Half Marathon
location: Moab, Utah
last ran it: 2008
chip time 02:07:49, pace: 00:09:45


handicap: been living at Boston sea-level's non-altitude for the past 2 years
secret weapon: running with both my brothers this time (vs alone). not to mention Mom, Nicole and Ashley who will be pulling for team Beck on the 5 mile course
REMATCH: Saturday, March 20th, 2010=SUCCESS :)

2) Team SweetFeet vs The Big Lake Half Marathon
location: Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
last ran it: 2007
chip time 1:59:44, pace 9:08

handicap: last time I came into this race with a solid year of training, this time around my life is fuller, but the training is also patchier
secret weapon: running with two of my favorite people--leslie, best friend of wonder and jeff, brother of steel
REMATCH: Saturday, May 8th, 2010

WISH ME LUCK.

haiku for a rainy wednesday

oh to be curled up
on the slumbering belly
of a totoro

the HAVES and the HAVE-NOTs

yeah the T is now like a comfy old shoe. it's cheap, pretty decent as far as getting around the city and you don't have to park it. however, there are some things in life that really just want a car. things that normal (car owning) folks take for granted--day trips, temple trips, over ambitious grocery shopping trips, not taking 45+ mins to get home from pretty much anywhere (despite the fact I rarely travel outside a 5 mile radius), going to Target.

when you are one of the have-nots, every event outside of the city is a distant, foggy dream. and every offered ride home is a beacon from heaven.


them:

me:

RELIEF

What is our money
our blessings
for?

if not to help these?

There have been hundreds of thousands killed, injured and orphaned after the earthquake two weeks ago.

I've been a supporter of Partners In Health ever since I learned about their awesome work in public health and their philosophy of preferential treatment for the poor. They have been working in Haiti since their inception in 1987 and have had success that other health bigwigs told them was impossible.
I have no doubt they will make good use of our money to care for those affected by the earthquake.



And in case you want some other options or just want to spread your love around, American Red Cross and UNICEF children's fund for Haiti are two other great places to make your donation, as well as the LDS humanitarian fund (designate: Haiti).

love you-e

the opposite of love is indifference




And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Matt 26:40

welcome 2010!

you're looking good

For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1Cor13:12














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giveaway update--summer bummer

Pe-pum-can Pie!

This Thanksgiving, with a little inspiration from some online pie bloggers, I decided to try my own fantastical variation on a pumpkin pie. I've always been a sucker for the candy sweetness of pecan pie, but when I went to the books I found that pumpkin pecan pies leave out the sweet gooey goodness. So, I decided to right this wrong with the......

PE-PUM-CAN PIE!!!!!!

First, I created a simple whole wheat crust (we are on a whole wheat jive at our house lately and have gone about a month without buying any white flour)
Next, I made a half recipe of pumpkin pie filling and cooked it in the crust for about 30 minutes (just until firm)
Finally, I carefully added a half recipe of pecan pie (with all the nuts) to the top and baked it until set

The result...
see for yourself!

The pe-pum-can pie (which is really fun to say outloud, just please take a second and try it), was a heavenly mix of sugary carmelized goodness and the classic Thanksgiving pumpkin. Yes!!

on a side note: the whole wheat crust was really great. the whole wheat adds a nutty crunch that really went well with the caramelized top layer!!

It was fun trying out this month's pie challenge; if anyone else is interested, check it out here:

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

happy birthday little one

Thank you Tanya Pountney

for the good times at the Copley Square Westin. you wonderful you.

Thank you Katie Barratta

for the food storage inspiration. you rockstar.