Parchment Paths

I cannot believe how quickly this month has passed! Christmas is only a few weeks away but I'm doing my best not to feel frazzled. I've always felt that the best way to not only survive the holidays but to enjoy them as well is to take things slow and simple. If attending numerous events, hosting huge parties, and buying tons of gifts stresses you out, DON'T DO IT! Celebrate how you see fit and you'll have a wonderful time. Today I did some Christmas shopping with my good friend Michelle. We also took some time to get yummy coffee as well and it was a great time. It reminded me that Christmas is about sharing Christ's love with others, that presents are a token of love, not love itself. If you stress yourself out over giving gifts, can you really say the gifts were given out of love?

Things are looking quite Christmasy at my house! I even decorated my own room with some Ren Faire and NYC themed items!  I spent the day getting the tree from a local tree farm, wrapping gifts, and reading Agatha Christie. It's been a lovely, restful day.

No matter how far the world gets from the truth of Christmas that truth will live on as long as there are a few who believe. 

What makes a wedding memorable? The bride's dress, the number of attendants, the flowers, the food and music at the reception? Technically, I suppose that these all contribute, but I really have to say that the spirit, the attitude behind the days event's must be the determining factor. I have been to weddings where everything seemed tilted towards the bride alone; I've also been to weddings where everything was so generic that I could not get a sense of the couple at all. Recently, I was an attendant in my best friend Mary's wedding and the whole affair just breathed of her and her now husband's love for each other. It was elegant and yet had their quirky touches all over, but not in a way that was kitche for the more traditionally minded guests. Instead of a unity candle, they ignited a unity volcono, we left the service to the Dr. Who theme song and the cake topper was Superman and Lois Lane. It was completly and totlay Mary and Chris, yet not in way to eclude t

Friday night my friends and I celebrated my good friend Mary's bacherette outing at La Tolteca, a Mexican restaurant in local Wilkes-Barre Pa. I had never been there but my friend Mary is quite fond of it, actually she gets out right giddy about it, calling the white chip sauce as addicting as crack.  She was right (not like I have actual experience with additive substances), but it was amazing! Creamy and rich, with a definite yogurt base. Yummy! I ordered a enormous chicken burrito and was barely able to finnish, It was very good, white meat, rich sauce, soft shell, and I'm not even a big fan of Mexican food!

Had a lovely time with some my best friends to celebrate my friend's Mary's fast approaching wedding.

I work for a large retail chain and was asked yesterday to help assemble and decorate two Christmas trees for the store. I love Christmas but my first thought was, "Already?" I haven't even hosted my annual Halloween party yet! Fall is short enough and we jump through it to get to winter, Halloween is rushed through and poor Thanksgiving is nearly forgotten.  How on earth can we fully enjoy each holiday if we are constantly looking ahead to the holiday after? I know this topic is not by any means a new one, but really, can we please celebrate one holiday at a time, please?

A few days ago my father and I took my niece and nephew to a playground. It was one of the largest I'd ever been to so the little guys certainly were enthralled by it's bright colors, slides, swings, and climbing apparatus. While there I noticed something about the parents of other children. They didn't seem to want to talk to anyone other then their kids or other adults they knew. One little boy was wearing Bobba Fet shoes and I commented to his dad how awesome they were. He ignored me. Why the rudeness? Is it paranoia? It's not as though I spoke to the child. I've noticed this behavior before with some parents. What's up with it? It was still a wonderful time though. We will have to return.

My school reunion was this past weekend. Aside from the extremely chilly weather it was a beautiful day, grey sky, bright leaves, perfectly autumn. The reunion itself went very well, good conversations. I just wished I would have worn a sweater as it was very, very cold! Rickets Glenn is a lovley state park!

This Saturday I got to go to one of my most favorite places in probably the whole world, the PA Renaissance Faire. I just love the sights , sounds, and scents of the place, the colures, the bagpipes and violins, cheers of the joust. the roasted meat and incence. Such a wonderful place to go and have a wonderful time!

I came across this delightful doll at a local antique mall and flea market. I'm not one to be afraid of dolls so I was drawn to her gorgeous dress. Of course once I picked her up, her eerie blue, blinking eyes unsettled me a bit, as did her askew wig. If I was filming a horror movie she would certainly be one of the props and yet there is something so pretty about her too. Perhaps it's the faded beauty that is so eerie, a reminder that no matter how lovey something is, it will fade in all but memory.

  I suppose the title is a bit unnecessary; clearly it's the first post, but that's what I came up. Here on this blog I hope to document my life, taken from the past and interwoven with myth, fantasy and dreams for the future. What's ahead only God know, but I have some hopes. I have my one ideas as well, ideas on fashion, travel, a woman's place in the world. I hope any reader who finds this is inspired to live as God plans, not as others tell them.