Transitions

Santorini, Greece

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been awhile hasn't it?

I suppose I owe you an update.

Corfu Architecture

My last update was supposed to be a little overview of my summer vacation - part two.   Given that we're decorating Christmas trees, wrapping gifts and sending holiday cards at the moment, I feel that the summer vacation ship has long since sailed.  I'll say briefly that I treasure the moments I was able to spend with family new and old.    Memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

It has been a season of transitions of almost every variety.    I'm still in the midst of it all at the moment, but once I get my new rhythm back, I hope to begin posting again on a more regular schedule and share a little more about what I'm up to.     Thanks to all of you who have expressed concern about my disappearance.   I promise I'm still around, just temporarily diverted.

Green Door in Greece

Before life took some turns this fall, John and I spent ten wonderful days cruising in the Mediterranean.    I like to think of it as the calm before the storm.  (Isn't it funny how life is often like this?)

Plaka Street Art, Athens Greece

I've sprinkled some images from this trip throughout this post, many of which are available (shameless plug) at Vita Nostra on etsy.   I'll be back soon to give a more comprehensive update for any of you who many be planning an upcoming trip to the area.

See you soon... meanwhile, enjoy your final preparations before the holidays!  

Cafe in Athens, Greece

What I Did on My Summer Vacation - Part One

My little summer break extended into an unforeseen but welcomed long summer break.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation  

(In the style of a back to school report as I feel like writing in short sentences and showing you lots of pictures.    'Tis the season.)

Part One

First, I took a fun road trip from Wisconsin to Saint Louis.

Roadside oddities made the long drive fun.

The road food was interesting.

We had some of the merely edible variety...

And the.... this is so good I think about it often variety but eating too many of these would make me fat and unhealthy so I will just cherish the memory variety.

(In case you are wondering, that is a bratwurst burger on a pretzel roll with sweet potato fries.)

I went to the zoo and felt sad for this bear.   Despite the fact that he might be smiling.

I visited the town where my dad grew up.

And took bad pictures of cows from the car window.

I saw the only five arch bridge in the United States.    There are two in the entire world.

It was kind of a let down.  (We had more fun building a mock up while sitting in the cafe eating mediocre soup.)

We played hours of roadside bingo.    I did not take any pictures of this, but it was fun.  

In between all of this excitement on the road, we spent a lot of quality time with family old and new.   It was a very special visit.   I loved seeing everyone.  

(Next time, I won't wait so long to go back.)  

A big thank you to everyone who made our visit so special and fun!   Next time you are in North Carolina... I'd love to do the same for you!

I would show you some of the family pictures I took, but that might take away from my fun roadside attractions.    Maybe in part two.  

Do you like road trips?   What's your favorite part?    

The Last Hurrah

Five parties, seven months and more happier moments than I can count later, the wedding season officially draws to a close.

New Hampshire welcomed us with open arms!   (Home truly is where the heart is.)

Here's to celebrating and picking up where we left off!    Time and space occur, but love and friendship remain.  

To great food prepared by great people.   (If you are in New England, check out A Day to Remember... can't recommend highly enough!   They made our day seamless and are true professionals in every sense.)

To new friends who look fabulous in black and white and whom I'd love to drag along with me on my next trip to Italy!

To two of my favorite men.    (that allowed me to pose with them and have given a permanent and unstated consent to have their pictures posted in my blog :)

To family friends who loved my mother dearly and shared this with me in a way that no one else could.   (I didn't capture pictures of all of you, but you know who you are, and thank you... your words and memories mean so much to me.   And for those that are pictured below, if you squint real hard and look to the upper right...)

To early summer outdoor dining with dear friends and neighbors, great food and lots of laughter and celebrating!

To my kitty babies, who still recognize me after all these years and even offered a pose or two. 

To my husband, who indulges my need to take cheesy pictures of myself and loves me anyway. 

Cheers to it all!  A special thanks to our parents for all of your love and support and lots and lots of fun along the way!   We appreciate and cherish each and every moment. 

I couldn't have asked for a better visit to New Hampshire.   It's been a great week, but I'm ready to return to my new home where I know I will be welcomed by another set of open arms that made all of this possible.

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

Farmers Market Frittata

I'm feeling like my last post was all doom and gloom.   I didn't intend for that, but it really was an altering experience.   I was talking to John about it after he read my post and he said it was a good thing I closed my eyes when I did.   We were truly lucky.

Despite the storm and the disappointment that my family wasn't able to make it in due to weather related travel disruptions, Easter weekend turned itself around.    We had a great visit with family, ending with a  fabulous Easter brunch filled with gorgeous fruits, eggs, pastries and ham.    I wish I had hauled out the camera so I could show you a picture of the beautiful table, but I was preoccupied with eating it all.   So good!

The day ended with an Easter egg hunt for all the little ones.    We had some tears, white clothes and knees turned muddy, kite flying and tons of nostalgic cuteness.   I can remember my own days of Easter egg hunts in the yard on Easter morning.    I'm pretty sure my brother and I fought over an egg or two.    Kids are funny (and cute).

In keeping with the Easter/spring theme, I thought I'd share a quick and easy recipe that is perfect for a Sunday morning at home.     I used a bunch of ingredients we had left over from this weeks CSA box, but you could easily substitute your own "end of week" vegetables in this very adaptable recipe.

Farmers Market Frittata (serves 2)


Ingredients


2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup red onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 cups baby spinach, rough chopped
4 large eggs
3/4 shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons skim or reduced fat milk
1/2 teaspoon dill
salt and pepper
1 small tomato, diced

Preparation


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crack four eggs into medium size bowl.   Whisk until blended.   Add 1/4 cup shredded cheese, dill and two tablespoons milk.    Stir and set aside.

Heat medium sized skillet over medium/low heat.    Add and melt butter in skillet.    Add red onions and saute for 3 - 4 minutes until slightly softened.    Add garlic and saute 1 minute until fragrant.    Add sliced mushrooms to vegetable mixture and saute 3 - 4 additional minutes.   Add spinach and saute until wilted, about another minute.   Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour egg mixture over vegetables in skillet and swirl pan until fully coated and even.   Cook for 4 - 5 minutes over medium low heat on stove until eggs are mostly set.    Remove from heat and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Place skillet in oven for another 5 minutes until ready (cheese is melted and slight browning).    Remove from skillet and serve with fresh diced tomato.

**********************

On another note, I'm beginning to grow a small addiction to eggs lately.    I'm thoroughly excited that I just received my first batch of farm fresh eggs in the box this week.   They look like regular eggs, except for being a nice mixture of brown and white.   I can't wait to see how they taste!   I read an article on the plane this weekend about urban chicken coops.   I'm not ready to go that far yet, but this might be a nice alternative.

Calm Before the Storm

I had been watching the weather forecasts all week.   Storm predictions scattered across the midwest did not look promising and I could almost guarantee that my dad and girlfriend, coming from up north, were going to make it into Saint Louis before we did for the Easter weekend with family.   They were, in fact, scheduled to land roughly four hours before we were.

Our flight was looking good for an on time arrival until the last ten minutes before touch down.   The captain came on to announce that due to storms in the area we needed to make a wide swing and approach from the west to avoid the bulk of it.

From one side of the plane, dark skies and lightening, from the other, this gorgeous pink glow.

We landed and called my dad to make sure he had arrived.    He hadn't.

He was stuck in Chicago and his flight was cancelled due to severe weather.

Minutes later we were on the phone with John's dad waiting outside the terminal to be picked up for the ride back home.    This is when the sirens started.

John says they call this area Tornado Alley.

I always sit in the front seat of the car, with John's dad driving.   When he pulled up, I told John, "I am going to sit in the back seat, for safety reasons."

Being the planner that I am, I added "So, what is our plan if we get hit by this storm?"

Within seconds, the wind struck from one side of the car and the hail began.   John calmly instructed the driver (his dad) to pull over, stop the car, get out and get into the ditch.    But... it was too late.

The wind was violent.  Coming from every direction.  As we sat in this little metal box in the middle of the road, the sky took over.    We grew quiet and knew we weren't going anywhere unless the storm took us.   We were going to ride this out.

The car wouldn't move.   Despite acceleration.   Everything went dark, like someone turned off the lights in the sky.  Debris hurtling by.  A container the size of a large household appliance was flying directly at us, almost in slow motion.  Everything was moving and yet time stood still.

I took off my heels, zipped up my purse, put my sweater over my head, closed my eyes and crouched down in between the seats in the back of the car and prayed.     I did not see what happened next.

And then it was over.    The winds calmed, the lights came back on and the car started to inch forward.   In front of us, cars that were not there before, were backing up down the road.   The road was full of things that should not be there.

We called home.   The news said that there was a tornado that touched down at the airport.

I don't know what spared us, but I do know that we were incredibly lucky.    I never (ever) want to experience a storm like this again.  I pray for all of those that have been impacted by the violent weather  over the past couple of weeks.    It gives new meaning to life and reminds us of how fragile it all is.  

Incredibly, and perhaps ironically, I managed to be out of town on the day the tornado came through downtown Raleigh, only to fly directly into another one the following weekend.    I think maybe someone really wanted to teach us a lesson.

Life is truly a gift.

I hope everyone had a safe, healthy and happy Easter weekend with family and friends.     We're back home now in very sunny and warm North Carolina and looking forward to a much less tumultuous week ahead.

A Walk with my Brother

It is not often that I get to spend an entire afternoon with my brother.    It is actually pretty rare that I even get a few hours.   The man works more than almost anyone I know, with the exception of my husband.    Oh, and maybe my dad.     And probably me too, when I was working full time.

I feel lucky that I am able to visit him here in New York.    Besides the free place to stay, its been lots of fun watching him move around the city and grow up a bit in the process.    So yesterday, as the sun cleared away all the cloudy skies and warmed the spring air, he had a few hours break from his work and suggested we go for a walk through Central Park, one of my favorite spots in New York, actually in anywhere.

We walked the length of the park, talking and catching up on all the usual topics.   I tried to sprinkle in little bits of older sisterly advice in the process.     I figure someones got to do it.  

It was a nice visit that brought back lots of good and some sad memories from the past several years.   Even the sad memories are good though.  

We ended up in his old neighborhood in the upper west side. Walking for hours can make you a little thirsty!  

This is my (currently) single brother.    He may kill me for this post and make me take it down immediately, but I think he secretly wants to be famous, so here he is.   (He's a good guy.)

After a totally (un)healthy and salt laden dinner of chips, salsa and guacamole, we caught a cab back and dropped my brother back at his office and me back at his place.     I settled into the futon for yet another documentary.   Food, Inc.   Profoundly disturbing and reinforcing.     Kept me up for hours.  

Today, after a quick and wonderful visit, I'm heading back to North Carolina.   I miss home, my husband and my cat.   I said my version of prayers for those impacted by the tornadoes this weekend.  I'll have to do my own little damage patrol downtown tomorrow to make sure my place is still in tact.

Happy Monday.  

Live From New York

It's Sunday morning.  

In New York for the weekend visiting with my dad and brother.   It is good to be back.  

After arriving on Friday and settling into my brother's place, we made a trip out to Brooklyn to try The Dressler for dinner.   Had a wonderful time, would definitely recommend.   Fabulous atmosphere, great food, better company.

Coming from North Carolina, I was not prepared for the semi frigid temps this weekend.   I got out for a good long walk with my dad yesterday morning before the storms blew through the city last night.    We did our usual marathon walk, which typically starts with some version of caffeinated beverage and the New York Times.  My dad also started with a green tea cookie, which was surprisingly good, but who eats cookies for breakfast?  

Post coffee, we headed north and kept walking until the rain was too heavy to continue.   We stopped in the New York Public Library for my dad to look up a book for some work research, poked into Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building, even Macy's.    Good stops for a cold and dreary day.  

Before heading back home we ducked out of the rain for a bit for some hummus.   Yum.  

The rain and wind came through in full force once we got back to my brother's place.  We decided to cancel our dinner reservations, order take out and spend the night inside watching a documentary marathon on netflix.   I wasn't feeling super great anyway, so it was just a good quiet time home with the fam.  (I consider the documentary watching an upgrade from previous marathons at my brothers house, which typically consisted of things like The Hills and Jersey Shore.  I guess we really are getting old.)

This morning, another coffee stop and dropped my dad off.     Beautiful outside.   It has warmed up, the sun is out and the flowers are in full bloom.   Today is looking much more promising.

Wishing you a great rest of your weekend wherever you may be!

Our Home and Garden Tour in Charleston

The rest of our lovely spring afternoon in Charleston was just as wonderful as the first part.    We did not get tickets to the Home and Garden tour for this visit as we decided to do our own.   The flowers were out in full force, adding color and lightness at every corner. 

I have fallen a little bit in love with this black and cream house with contrasting grey wall.   I love how the budding tree adds a little bit of an Asian feel to this historic property.    The subtle pops of yellow and green are so fresh against the stone background.

John and I were planning to avoid lunch as we had a big breakfast and were anticipating my birthday dinner at FIG later that night.    But, all that walking and the promise of she crab soup led us to 82 Queen for some time off our feet.    I had been here several years earlier with my mother and as we had done at the time, John and I sat in the gorgeous little spring garden in the back at our own little private table for two.   I love their sweet butterfly chairs and twinkling lights.   We could have sat here all afternoon and the she crab soup was every bit as wonderful as I remembered!

After our rest, we wandered around Charleston some more, heading back to our inn to get ready for dinner.     We were sidetracked every few minutes by a stop in one of the little shops.    Love this antique shop with the dogs in the window!    We made it back just in time as the skies grew increasingly darker as we walked.      As we stepped inside, the rain started pouring.    

Is it spring yet where you are?   Are you enjoying the weather?    We're looking at temperatures heading into the 80s again later this week... can't wait!

My Baby Is All Grown Up

Subtitled:    I Can't Believe My Blog Is One Year Old!

With additional Subtitles of:     What a Difference a Year Makes; Birthday Weekend in Charleston; Look How Far We've Come and Did I Mention Vita Nostra is Celebrating its First Birthday!

A year ago today I was fumbling around with my suitcase, trying to squeeze two months worth of stuff I didn't need into something sized appropriately for dragging around Europe.    As I waved goodbye to my home and new fiance for the final time, I admit, I shed a few tears.   Anticipation and a little fear of what was to come.   Okay, if I'm honest, a lot of fear.

So I did what I always do when I get a little anxious, I form grand ideas.    I dove in and created my blog that first night as I sat all by my lonesome in my little hotel room sipping from a plastic cup of boxed wine and eating a mini frozen pizza from yet another cardboard box.    Like most of my crazy ideas, I had no idea what I was doing, but I like a good challenge and knew that I would learn along the way.   My primary motivation for starting Vita Nostra was to document my solo journey overseas and capture some memories along the way.    I had no idea I'd love it so much and that I'd still be doing this a year later.

A year has passed and much has changed.   I've grown as a person, my blog has evolved significantly from those early days of rambling thoughts, I've met lots of great new friends, experienced a life changing trip on my own and got married along the way.    It has been a good year.    I appreciate all of you who have read my blog and journeyed with me, commenting and providing support along the way.   It is the reason I continue this.

It is fitting that on this anniversary of my blogs first birthday, I share some more images from my birthday weekend in Charleston.    It was almost a perfect day.   The warnings of rain and corresponding doom and gloom were replaced with bright spring air, sunny skies and fluffy clouds.    After a grand breakfast at the dining table with our fellow guests and innkeepers, John and I grabbed our cameras and set out to explore.  

We spent the morning on a tour of the city, stopping along the way to admire the charming architecture, newly blooming flowers and all the little details that make Charleston so unique.   Like Paris, I found myself wishing I had more time to explore every nook and cranny.    (But I suppose that is what return visits are for!)

The best kind of day, we walked for hours and hours, stopping in little art galleries, breathing in the fresh spring air, tripping over cobblestones and dreaming of a life of constant travel.    Perhaps, some day?

 
Thanks for celebrating with me!  I have an equal sense of anticipation as I delve into year two and can't wait to see what the future holds.   For my fellow bloggers who've been at this for some time, any advice to share for someone entering their second year?

PS - Coming up next, another flavor of birthday celebration!