I Wish You A Very Merry Christmas Season and A Happy New Year!

I adore Christmas cards. The tradition of sending and receiving. Reading enclosed sentiments, personal notes and newsy letters. Looking at photographs and paying attention to all that has changed. Wondering how yet another year has passed so quickly. 

Sweet and sappy or simple and to the point. Handwritten, handmade and hand-signed or created, addressed and signed in printer's ink. Pictures of friends, families, pets and favorite adventures. They all carry more meaning than the card stock conveys. I have favorites I can remember from years ago. I love the way they help us all keep in touch; how taking the time to send a card reminds someone that they remain in your thoughts.....and vise-versa.

My friends, however, may not receive that message this year.....as it is well past Christmas and not-a-single hard-copy card, photo or piece of news has been stamped and mailed from this address. (I think for only the second year I can remember.) I'm still hoping to get something put together for New Year's.....but have a feeling that I won't. Just in case....see below.

I took particular joy in re-reading the cards and notes we received this year, then stringing their wishes together like a colorful paper chain for my own holiday message. I know it's almost too late, and that I've played around with tense and possibly taken a few other liberties with their text, but the wishes are heartfelt and come from a very sincere place. Cheers!

~~~~~

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Winter Wishes. Seasons Greetings. 

Joyful Greetings!!

Here's hoping that the season came softly and gently......bringing you a feeling of wonder. That it brought a flurry of fun! That you were at the top of Santa's list!

I hope you found nice surprises waiting for you everywhere. That you Celebrated with the Merriest of Friends! That your days were Filled With Love and Happiness. Warmth and Joy. May they continue to be Merry and Bright (as bright as the star on the top of the tree)......and filled with Joy and Peace.

Cherish the Season.Wishing you laughter and memories that shine brightly all year.

From Our Home To Yours......Our Family To Yours: Wishing you Special Joys, Warmest Thoughts and the Very Best. May the New Year bring you continued Health and Joy! 

Best Wishes for 2013.

Peace. 

Joy.

With Love. 

Warmly, Margaret

(PS. Let it Snow!)

Contact Sheet

Above is a contact sheet of images from a calendar I recently put together for 2013. A gift I enjoy making for friends and family. It is my way of keeping in touch, of remaining in contact (if you will), with them throughout the next twelve months. I try to use photos shot during the year in which I will give it......with the exception of those taken in December. I've made an executive decision that due to time constraints, December's can be drawn from the last month of the previous year.

I enjoy the hours of perusing computer files and blog posts. Of sifting through and remembering. Of eliminating, narrowing choices and then narrowing them some more. Of figuring out the one photo that......at least to me......best represents each month. I enlist Marc's help, see what he has to say about all of it (because he is totally willing and I respect his opinion), but make the final cut myself. 

As I do this I am looking for the best possible combination of subject, color, tone and feel. It's like putting a puzzle together. Each image is sized to 3 1/2 x 5" and printed on heavy 5 x 7" cardstock (the month underneath) so I want an image that can be viewed easily from across the room. I want the viewer to know what they're looking at from a few feet away, so the simpler the better. 

The whole process is fun and rewarding and something I love to do. It encourages me to slow down during a busy season. Allows me to take pause and feel thankful for some of the beauty I've come across during the year and for those I want to share it with. I know it might sound silly......but if I can actually match a photo to the month in which it was shot, I somehow feel as if I've scored a point in this game!

I have to say, putting 2013's calendar together has been a welcome distraction from the construction that is still (!) going on downstairs at my house. Call me naive, but I didn't think it would take as long, cost as much or be as noisy and dusty as it has been. No complaints here. I know that by changing these few elements, for the first time we are making our home into 'our home'. Can't wait.

Hope your Holiday season is going well! Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

Warmly, 

Margaret

(PS. This post wasn't meant to be a shameless attempt at self-promotion.......but yes.....I am willing to print a copy for you. $20 plus shipping. Look for a link to my Estsy shop within a couple of days or send me an email at thisfriendlyvillage@gmail.com.)

 

A Few Things:

Evening light on a vineyard in Sonoma Valley. The wild mustard is in bloom.

A few tidbits from a busy week:

*I learned how to make rack of lamb. Lamb is something I love to order in restaurants, but for some reason have never made at home until recently. I checked out several ways to cook it, thinking it must be complicated because it tastes so good....until I found this recipe from the New York Times. Simple. It's what we're having tonight.

*I watched two movies this week that I'll recommend: Midnight In Paris and The Big Year. Both are fun, entertaining and have beautiful scenery. They had great messages and stories that made me think. (Anyone who knows me knows that I don't watch dark, violent or super-suspenseful movies.) Each of them are about pursuing something you love and finding balance in your life while you do it. I'll say no more.......

*A group of friends and I are working our way up to walking 13 miles......a half marathon. Yesterday we walked over five miles in a freezing snowstorm, then sipped coffee afterwards, dripping-wet and cold, at a nearby Starbucks. We stuck it out and didn't call our morning walk off due to the frigid weather (I really wanted to.....). I was proud of us (me)!

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

Warmly, Margaret

Their Turf

We've spent some pretty special weekends during the past six years with each of our boys on their college campuses. They've taken a bit of planning on our parts, what with arranging time off work and travel plans. The older boys started college when Joey was a high school freshman, so during those years we needed to line up places for him to stay, and rides to and from football practices and games before he could drive. There were hotel  and dinner reservations to make, football or concert tickets to secure, activities to think about and weather to plan for.  I often cooked or baked something to bring along so they each could enjoy a taste of home. We otherwise loaded the car with seasonal items such as coats, hats, gloves and boots; things they may have overlooked as they packed up during a warm week in August.

These weekends took some planning on the boys parts as well. For as excited as we were to go see them, they seemed appreciative and genuinely happy when we showed up. It was obvious that they put some thought into what we would do. They showed us around campus and around town. We were introduced to their friends, their friends parents and their professors. To good music and cool cafes. They showed us the best places to get hot dogs, sub sandwiches, burritos, steaks, burgers, pancakes, pizza, cups of coffee or great beer. We saw where they lived, studied, hiked and played. We were able to experience snapshots of their college town and campus life.

Looking back, it's been fun to see that traditions have formed surrounding these weekends. We have almost always done certain things or eaten at certain places from year to year. There are requisite parental runs to Costco, Walmart and Target. Trips to the mall or REI. Marc and I have both found things around their towns or on their campuses that we enjoy doing while the boys are in class, taking a nap or otherwise engaged.

I had kind of a lump in my throat during the last weekend I spent with Patrick before he graduated. At his school they have separate Mom and Dad Weekend's, so Marc and I were each able to have a couple days of good one-on-one time with him each year. At the University of Montana, where both Peter and Joey attend(ed), it's a Family Weekend. Last weekend was Joey's second. Just a couple more to go and I will have a lump in my throat about that campus, too. Peter was such a great sport. Although he still lives in Missoula, he kept reminding us that it was Joey's turn, allowing and encouraging his brother to make the plans and call the shots.

What a great opportunity for parents to see the adults that their children are becoming. We've returned home each time feeling so proud. I'm hoping they want to continue with some kind of similar weekend tradition, even after graduation.

On the website Make It Missoula I wrote about......you guessed it.....Family Weekend this week. To look at some photos and take a quick read, click here: GRIZ Family Weekend


Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Warmly,

Margaret

Perfect

I love to be outside almost any time of the year. Although it's quite a bit more challenging during some months and seasons than others......right now where I live......it's pretty close to perfect. We typically have long, sunny stretches of days during late summer and early fall. Evening rolls around a little earlier and the sun comes up a bit later. Comfortable nights are followed by cool mornings. Early cups of coffee in the back yard often involve a blanket. Neighborhood kids take advantage of every last minute. Dinner is set on the patio for the last few balmy evenings. Our daily walk is finished near dark.

The crown jewels of this season are wild, late summer blackberries. Right now they are ripe and beautiful and sweet, and I'm not sure I can get enough. I always feel a bit anxious when I know the berries have turned their darkest purple......as if they might be gone before I can get to them. And some years they are.

This morning a friend and I met up for a walk on a lake trail carrying bowls and a pitcher to see what we could gather. We came back with enough for a pie or a cobbler, and possibly both. Some to snack on or to top off oatmeal, yogurt or granola for breakfast. I might have to collect a few more in order make the ice cream or sorbet I'm thinking sounds pretty good. 

Mom Nature knows how to make us appreciate what is free for the taking. You don't have to travel far (blackberries grow aggressively in most areas of the Pacific Northwest) but these wild bushes are full of sharp thorns and the fattest, juiciest berries are usually too high and out of reach. You need to be well covered with the right clothing and often be tough and creative. We stuck our arms through a scratchy mess in order to get to many of the low ones, and wished that we had brought along a stick to pull down packed upper branches. My fingers are stained, I have red marks on my hands.......but the result is pure deep-purple bliss.

Wishing you a wonderful late summer weekend!

Warmly, Margaret

One Week.....

Hey Friends,

Guess what I haven't done yet on this blog. Taken a week off!  So......that's what I'll be doing, with not much new for today (Friday) or next Tuesday. I'll be back the following Friday, August 25th. Everyone deserves a little time off, eh?

In the mean time, I invite you to introduce yourself either by leaving a comment or sending an email to thisfriendlyvillage@gmail.com  After nearly 8 months, you know quite a few things about me and I'd like to know a little something about you, too. So far I've made it a point to share snippets of what I think is important, some of what I value, so let me know: What is important to you? What kinds of things do you value? I'd also love a couple of good book suggestions as fall is rolling into view and reading on the couch by a fire sounds kind of good for some reason!

Feel free to let me know what you'd like to hear more about (or less about!) or if there are any particular posts or photographs that have made a difference. If you haven't read them all, I would just love it if you did!

I'll pass along a link to my August 18th contribution on the website www.makeitmissoula.com. In it I share ten things I love about that city and talk a bit about each. Since there is so much I enjoy when we're there, I hesitated calling it my top ten....Let's just say it's a list of some of my current favorites, with more to come!

Here is the link: http://www.makeitmissoula.com/2011/08/my-top-10-things-about-missoula/

Cheers! And have a great week. I plan to......

XO, Margaret

Again.....Commitment

We were so fortunate this past weekend to have been invited to celebrate with my friends for their 25th wedding anniversary. Fortunate that it provided us with a fun weekend away. Fortunate because we were able to partake of their gracious hospitality. That they are our friends and have been for so many years. 

There were many highlights to the evening, not the least of which was how thoughtfully it was put together. Drinks on the patio that took advantage of a serene and beautiful view. Dinner in their orchard that stretched into sunset. It was festive, casual, fun.  

I came away with a renewed appreciation for staying in touch; remaining in touch. An appreciation for those I've met but a handful of times who have enriched the layers of my life. The entire evening was warm and meaningful, but perhaps the best moments were when my friend held the microphone for her 94 year old mother as she read a couple of handwritten pages she had prepared on the topic of marriage. She spoke slowly and clearly so that we all might hear and understand her, pausing occasionally to look up at her daughter, her son-in-law and their guests. Her words were wise as she spoke of what marriage and other relationships take to survive. They were fair, not sugar-coated and real. She encouraged those listening to understand that difficulties are part of the process and that each relationship will encounter its own unique set. She also stressed that many times, most times, the difficulties are not insurmountable. I hope I've done her words justice. 

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Margaret

Markers

Within the past couple of years I've been a part of an 85th and a 90th birthday party and have attended celebrations honoring a few other ages as well. I've been to both high school and college graduations. Planned gatherings celebrating our children and attended ones that celebrated their friends. Been a part of events centered around family, good friendships, a Football Championship, the birth of a baby.

Sometimes I've been a part of the planning and sometimes lucky enough to simply show up. I've put cards in the mail, wrapped gifts, made food, set tables, arranged flowers and cleaned up. Bought new clothes, found accessories and fixed my hair. Charged my camera battery and checked for space on the memory card. I've met new friends and reminisced with old. Realized how past events helped my current life to fall into place. I've stayed up too late. Fallen into bed. Put my feet up. Been too excitied to sleep.

In my last post I shared a picture of a sign that has  an arrow pointing to the 'M' trail, a short trail we like to hike. It is steep and has several sharp turns. How easy or difficult it is depends solely on the shape I'm in and my attitude at the moment. The view from the top is beautiful and changes with the seasons, so climbing that hill is always worth the time. I love the sign at the bottom and am almost always moved to take a picture of it. It reminds this 'M' to pay attention......to life, to relationships, to putting time in, to what might be around the corner. There have been many signs I've paid attention to and some I haven't. Sometimes I've asked for a sign, sometimes they've been right in front of me and sometimes, in retrospect, I've understood that one had been there all along. I've had a few 'aha' moments along the way.

Marc and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this fall with the trip of a lifetime.  We're making plans to attended an anniversary dinner for good friends next month. Last weekend we went to a wedding reception for a couple who obviously and unabashedly showed their love for one another. This week I'm starting a sweater for a new baby.

I love these markers; what they signify and what they celebrate. I feel strongly about honoring both the people and events that shape our lives. They help me remember to pay attention to where I've been and the choices I've made. To recognize the important people folding in and out of my life. They are fun and perspective and reality and sweetness. They recognize hard work. They wrap me in warm appreciation and knowledge. They nudge me toward an intentional future.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with something to celebrate.

Warmly,
Margaret

Helping Out

What does this weekend hold? Rising early to help out at a high school football event. Even though I no longer have a child that plays or even one still in high school, I'll be at my assigned table by 7:30. Thank goodness for the husband who will tap my shoulder, the coffee maker that wakes me, and the friend who most likely will send me a text to be sure I'm on my way. I'll arrive coffee cup in hand.......It's a great thing to do.

I'm looking forward to sharing time at the coaches check-in table with friends. After our shift we'll stay a little longer to watch and encourage. I'm hoping to take a few pictures and catch up with people I haven't seen in awhile. Of course we'll reminisce. Not so much about winning or losing or championship seasons, but about the kids. Where they were then; where they are now. We'll chat about the  strength of the program and how coaches, parents and volunteers were truly supportive. How fortunate it is that those involved were, and still are, able to grasp the 'big picture'. It made all the difference.

We'll remember lessons learned and friendships made amidst hard work. The postures of determination, intensity, satisfaction, loyalty, pride and fun. We will feel fortunate to have witnessed a group that gave their all to something they loved because they wanted to...... not because someone told them to. We'll mention how our kids learned that trust, taking chances, believing in yourself and your teammates lead to rewards unexpected. That they now know how to try hard and dig deep, and then find the place within that allows them to dig deeper yet. How they respect and encourage each other......still. How they can come back together a year or two later as naturally as brothers.

I'm not a fan of over scheduling kids or putting pressure on them to do something they either do not want or are not equipped to do. I am however, appreciative of those who create a positive environment for any safe activity a child or young adult authentically desires to participate in.

I hope my boys remember all the adults that generously donated time, resources and enthusiasm to their youth activities of choice. That they thank them by giving back many times over in the same way. That these experiences travel with them far into adulthood and make a real difference. That the positive and helpful lessons embedded into their character are silently passed on, modeled and incorporated into whatever else they do; however else they spend time.

Another class has moved on. Another group of excited new ones will begin to take their place. I'm predicting that in a couple of years, kids, parents, coaches and volunteers will still be looking back and commenting on what a great experience it was for all involved. Still coming back to help out.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend....however you spend it. :)

Margaret

Connect/Reconnect

This weekend I was able to reconnect with a group of women I went to college with.  I keep in touch with three or four of them regularly. There are a few with whom the connection is made only during the holiday season or when I unexpectedly run into them out and about. There are those that, since our paths just don’t seem to cross, only a planned gathering such as this brings us together.  

When it’s time, about every year or two, word ripples out. Each of us keeps in touch with a slightly different combination of those who we all know, and so the natural planners or the keepers of the email list send out an invite along with the request to ‘pass it on’. I love that I’m not quite sure just who will show up. That there are both women I know will be there and those I hope will be. That there are ones I didn't expect to see and have wondered about. That occasionally, unexpected bonds are strengthened; deeper connections forged.

I wonder if any of us could have foreseen regular gatherings like this so many years ago. If there was a  passing thought way back when that spending four years in the same space would have us continuing to meet up this many years later. We’re not all the same age and each one of us moved in and out of that time differently. The paths our lives have taken are unique, collectively however, we have a piece of shared history. Something in common. Experiences that anchor.

The evening was warm and vibrant and noisy: Laughter and the inevitable retelling of old tales co-mingled with the significant stuff of thirty-five years of living. There were surprise endings to some of the stories, but nothing new involving the intelligence, grace, humor and strength of each individual. I could have told you that way back when.

Pics from my weekend....Chelan Winterfest

Our friends invited us to spend time with them in Chelan for Winterfest. What a great reason to spend a couple of days there. It's fun, quaint, colorful, charming and old fashioned. On a walk around town we saw hot dog vendors, ice sculptures and fires in fire bowls. There was music, an ice bar, a skating rink and a torchlight parade. It reminded me a little bit......and in a a very good way because it's one of my favorite movies......of some of the wintry town scenes from the movie Groundhog Day. 

What truly made the weekend, however, was the group of people I was with. The kind I know I both can and should be nothing but myself around. No rigid schedules. It was OK to get up 'whenever', stay in pj's as long as possible or make yourself at home in the kitchen. Play a game, stay up late, go here or there.......or not. We could gush with pride about our own kids, but just as easily about each others. Everyone participated with meals, clean up and helping each other out. I've got to hand it to our hosts. They had twelve people in their home of all different ages and stages and everything went smoothly. I know there was a lot of planning and work ahead of time for them, and what a gift to us all that they made it seem so easy and effortless. But most of all....those people can make me laugh until I cry.

So besides spending the weekend with a group of wonderful friends and family (...and thankfully those who don't mind that I carry a camera wherever I go).....here are some of the things that I liked best about the past couple of days:

 There was snow on the ground in Chelan. Pretty to look at. Enough on the back porch to keep beer cold.

Sharing morning coffee with my friends Amy and Mary who are simply beautiful, inside and out. And yes...we did get matching jammies! 

Lots of down time for watching football...or doing...whatever

Love this town. The main street was closed to cars for the weekend so people could wander and look at ice sculptures....

 And watch the artists carving...

.....or toss a keg. 

Seriously the best hot dog I've ever eaten. Cooked on a street corner by Sam and topped with cabbage-apple sauerkraut and mustard. OMG....it's rare that I indulge in one but this was great!

Couldn't pass up checking out the snowmobile races. Then at the end of the day we stopped in at our friends favorite winery.

I couldn't resist the endless rows of red-brown grapevines in the vineyards. They were so stark against the snow and sort of hypnotizing as they rolled along with the hills. I know they are beautiful green in the summer and heavy with fruit later on, but during the winter against the backdrop of the glass lake....I'm pretty sure that's when they are the most impressive.

 

After a dinner of seriously awesome Cincinnati chili, we went back to town to watch brave souls hit the water for a polar bear swim and then go stand by an enormous bonfire on the beach. It was raining pretty hard so I wasn't taking any pics. The fireworks show was spectacular. Several times we started clapping after assuming that long bursts of noise and color were the 'grand finale'.....only to have the show continue for many more minutes. I had a coat with a hood on, but rain managed to run down my neck and back and somehow up my sleeves. It was beautiful, colorful, and noisy. The crowd was thinner than last year due to the rain, but happy. It almost felt like we were treated to a private showing.

 
Morning light
on the hills. Thanks Clark and Mary!

Have a great week all!

Warmly, Margaret