life is good and simple

hello world. life in west virginia is full of happiness. 

the haunted house was extremely exhausting, but also a huge success. after wrapping it up and making it through the following weekend i decided to take off to boston the next weekend. eric, my friend from depaul, moved there late this summer and we've been talking of a visit. we had a really chill weekend of local dive bars and delicious FOOD. i loved getting to spend time with him and explore boston from a local's perspective. i drove back to alderson last monday and have had a really busy week.

on tuesday, the crew (including children) went on an ADVENTURE to blacksburg, virginia. brian spoke at virginia tech and we spent the day with catherine!! 
wednesday and friday were full of standardized patient-ing(sp) and i worked around the house on thursday. this weekend was a bit chaotic, with a board meeting and a ground breaking ceremony for (eventual) new staff housing... i'm pooped. 

i definitely feel settled. october flew by and now it's already the middle of november. i've been going on runs, attending weekly yoga at the community center, and balancing sp gigs with house responsibilities. we now constantly have a fire roaring and my winter coat has been dug out. guests have called during their drive north and notified us of their decision to turn around because of 'weather' (even though we assured them there was no reason to worry about the flurries). some of my favorite guests only have two more visits before they pick up their wife/mom. and the ladies that volunteer with us every thursday only have two weeks before they stop coming for the winter. my time here is zooming past and i cannot believe that i originally only planned to stay only until december. 

sunday in yoga, our instructor talked about preparing ourselves for the dark and cold of winter. that people are finishing their harvest, packing and preserving for what lies ahead. she mentioned that this is the time to let go of whatever you don't need. don't bring unnecessary thoughts or aches into the next season. 
i hope that the drastic change of winter jolts me awake, freezes me into some understanding of this place in relation to the rest of my life and that i can start thinking of what comes next for lil ole me!!!!

miss and love. xoxo

what is life

HELLO to the WoRLdWiDeWeB!!!!

most of you know what i've been up to because i saw your pretty faces a week ago in illinois. but it has been a fast and settling month. october 1st seems like last week and now it is already halloween! 

the week or so that i've been back has been packed: yoga, apple cider, movie night, hiking, cleaning, haunted house meetings, sorting, and planning, running, guests in and out, and so much more. its getting cold here and the pretty leaves are making their beds on the ground :(( which only means a dark and damp winter is just around the corner. i'm layering up, drinking lots of hot chocolate, and watching too many sports that i don't really care about. 

this month i feel like i've been settled and comfortable. my short, but sweet trip to the midwest was reassuring. although leaving and adjusting to alderson again was challenging, now that i am into the swing of things again, i think i am more satisfied here.



as i exited union station in chicago, feelings of unfamiliarity and uneasiness surprised me . in four short months the details of my city that i was recently confidently proclaiming have escaped me. i hate that i couldn't remember if monroe was north of jackson, that i stuttered when telling allie's cross-streets to the cabdriver, and that i confused clark for broadway... but i love that kids in alderson call me by name and that guests know im insecure when left to serve a meal without kathleen. as difficult as missing people and places in the midwest is, i really loved telling people about the hospitality house. walking you through my experiences helped me confirm why it is important that im here and explore what im learning from alderson. 

ive been thinking about all of the relational elements of my life. i feel like there are several compartments that are related but so distant from each other: home or school, lincoln park or freeburg, suburbs or uptown, san francisco or denver.. i stay in touch with people around the world, hearing about their jobs and school, their city transportation and new bike, their plans and fears. there are these little pockets all over that have something or someone i love. 

and now alderson, west virginia is quickly becoming a place that means friends and security and home. its another place that i'll most likely drive 10 hours to visit and be disappointed when im disoriented by the once familiar street names. 


miss and love xoxo


(photos of mom and i on the road to illinois and hiking with the crew last week)
*not explained in this post is kayla, a new volunteer at the house.

da crib

my room is where i am able to escape the chaos of a house full of 30 strangers or snuggle up for a day if the house is empty. i've been working slowly to make it my own with the few things i brought along... and am feeling pretty settled in. 




the door in the photos leads to my bathroom. the door that enters my room opens into the office. on most days, i set my alarm and get out of bed on my own; however, some days, after hitting snooze a few times, brian's voice on the phone or greeting guests draws me out of bed..  reminding me of the place that i'm living and what the day holds. 


the chalkboard wall art has been completed by paige, audie, and rosie, quoting dave matthews band with original illustrations. my clothes, shoes, and storage all fit in the closets and my books and scrabble game sit right on top. i make most of my calls from the chair and after long days and hard runs i stretch out my yoga mat right in front of it.  

it's hilariously ironic that now that i am living without anyone to share a bed with within 500 miles, i have returned to a double bed. i have trained myself to sleep right in the middle, using all six pillows. regardless, get your visiting asses out here and share my bed! 


it's getting colder here and crunchy leaves are hitting the ground. driving today, i kept my windows closed and noticed the 1/3 red, 1/3 yellow, 1/3 green trees. it was a hard weekend for no particular reason and i'm very glad it's a new week. i officially start my other job tomorrow as a standardized patient at the osteopathic medical school in lewisburg. my first act is for the ob lab, meaning i get to have lots of babies tomorrow. i'll be sure to report on the experience soon. new experiences just don't stop showing up around here. 



miss and love. 

just a few pretty things for the weekend

life is good here..getting colder, but we still have flowers so im happy.

today i remembered to make time to pick flowers! and these are my results. i'm trying to create more ,, but its a hard transition. i've started to feel flat when i am not confident cooking a dinner and i don't know the words to my favorite song. i'm really good at consuming: i pick up any food that is in front of me, know exactly what times to turn on my predictable and funny television, nod along to other peoples ideas, have an endless list of books, flip through folk songs and rap songs, etc. and i love this. i love taking this all in and learning from these weird and often contradictory outlets, but i want to more consciously consume and teach myself to create. so i'm trying to cook and make things with pencils and crayons. i'm writing blog posts and letters to friends around the country. ...and i'm picking flowers. 



in the end, i am starting to direct more energy towards putting things into my environment, rather than just sucking up what is around me. 
miss and love. xoxo

it has been a week

HELLO. 

it has been nearly a week, but one morning last week i rolled out of bed and while i struggled to keep my electrical toothbrush in my mouth, all i could think about was being with mom. i miss her, like, everyday, but rarely do i wake up dreaming about being in the same room as her...it was a little bizarre, but i didn't think much of it.

so i fumble into the kitchen and start a new pot of coffee while attempting to maintain conversation with a chatty guest. before the coffee was even ready, a new guest, a very energetic 30 year old woman, came practically running in looking for some coffee. after not much more than a "good morning" from me, she was eager to reveal that she was headed to pick up her mom! nearly bursting into tears of mixed emotions, i listened to her talk about how her dad, who had practically "lost it" without her mom, was upstairs, already dressed and waiting to go. her emotion and eagerness to take mom home (which really just means to a halfway house closer to home) was so real. it was awesome. 





so i was feeling a little jealous that twenty minutes later she'd be hugging her mom, but also feeling pretty *blessed* that i get to try new things and travel the world with my mom, AND have more than 300 minutes a month to call and talk about nothing really important (i average 20 minutes a day, usually saying "soo, that's all really....what are you doing tomorrow?.. and the next day?"

anyway, the universe really got itself together that morning and things just made sense. 




on another note, if you haven't all donated all of your money to the alderson hospitality house, you should consider giving some money to the link below. i don't really know the guy that well, but he went to depaul and runs marathons. he is running chicago for an organization called "back on my feet." you can read about it on his donation page, but it's a non profit that helps people that are homeless through running and resources. paige volunteered (ran) with them some this spring and really liked it...i wanted to, but group runs are at like 5 am and i wasn't about to get up that early. 

of course, if you would rather send your donations here, you can help pay for my growing donut obsession. !  
miss and love. xoxox


here is the link to donate $$ (type it into a new page, or email me and i will send it to you so that you can copy and paste): 

http://www.active.com/donate/BoMF2014CHIMarathon/CHIMarathon2014CDeKn

long time coming :

change. it seems that everything around me is changing. !!!!! 

a quick run down of the more concrete things that have occurred: i ran the house for a weekend by myself. i cleaned bathrooms, made beds, and planted hazelnut seeds. i listened to people fret over money, and car trouble, and loved ones' well-being. catherine went back to school. i decided to stay until next spring or summer. my girls from chicago visited: paige moved home for a month before she moves to thailand for six months. audie and rosie are moving out of their apartments and to their parents' houses. i've been hiking, and running, and reading, and cleaning. i made friends that go to bars and rock climb and play instruments and go to medical school. i have an interview for a super flexible part time job in lewisburg, which brian works at now. i mailed handmade cards, received packages, and ordered books. i've been swimming in the river, getting excited for autumn, and scared for winter. overall, im so amazed at how much i love being here. most days, im so happy and grateful for the things i get to experience and people that surround me. 

because i have spent the week reading on the porch and eating amish baked goods i had planned to wake up by 7:30 today and work through the morning. when i rolled over to see 8:50 on my alarm clock, i slightly panicked. however, i soon remembered where i live and where i work. there is a real sense of calmness, perspective, and security here. waking up late doesn't ruin a schedule, but has allowed my body what it needs. the work always gets done and more importantly, the people always feel loved. 

miss and love you all. 

facelift

                           

here are some photos of the things that dad donated! flowers, hanging plant holders, and tube lights for the entry arch. 

i was so excited to get everything up today. the ladies that volunteer from the prison helped me decide everything and do it. having their advice and assistance made it all that much better.                                                                                            

i really love the changes and think it adds a lot to the front of the house! 

not pictured are two other plants that are on the top terrace of the front garden area. there are a lot of weeds and other greens, but i'm so happy that now there is a little color too. 

thanks dad!!! xoxox 

family day

this past weekend was family day at the camp, which means we had a full house. there were people everywhere, calls to cancel, and hopeful drop-ins looking for beds. although the weekend was crowded and at times overwhelming, the guests were super helpful and grateful. several of them had never stayed with us before...delighted to find what a clean, accommodating place the hospitality house is. 

on saturday, i got to pick up my own family member to join the fun! dad planned his trip just a few weeks ago. as we arrived to alderson on saturday evening, the house was in full swing: packed with guests, food on the stove, and beds to be made. after a quick pitstop in my room to drop his bag, i put dad straight to work. we made beds, emptied trash, and cleaned toilets while introducing him to several guests that were also awaiting his arrival. 

dad got to eat dinner and visit with guests all saturday night. he chatted with families from rural north carolina, siblings from cleveland visiting their mom, and lots of others. 

we spent most of sunday being handy around the house. some of this was simply making beds and sweeping floors, but i found a few other projects for dad to help with: hanging pictures, fixing ceiling tiles, and repairing lightbulbs. once again, house dinner on sunday night. 

although monday is normally the major cleaning and rehab day, we hit the road! after a drive literally over the mountain on dirt roads during which we saw a bear, we made it to sandstone/new river gorge bridge national park. we spent most of the morning just driving around, letting me get acquainted with the area. eventually, we made our way up to fayetteville, where the new river gorge bridge is.  we got lunch at a little restaurant that had been recommended by a guest and then went out for a hike! it was awesome. we had views of the river, mountains, and bridge. (there were all kinds of places for rock climbing... i gotta find somebody to take me!!) after being attacked by mosquitos and gnats, we were exhausted. 

tuesday, we had a good combination of productive house work, relaxing exploration, and good food. on our trip in to lewisburg, dad purchased some tube lights and lots of flowers for the front of the house!!! i am super excited to get everything up and will post pictures sometime this weekend or next week of the facelift. 

now, it is back to work for me!! dad and i got a lot of projects done around the house, but skipped some of the regular cleaning. brian and kathleen are gone this week, and catherine just left for a conference as well....leaving me to head up the house alone. so far everything is going well, but i don't have any guests yet! i'll be picking up the first group tomorrow from the airport and holding down the fort until the weekend. that means cooking by myself. please send me all of your julia child and ina garten vibes, i'm a little nervous! 

miss and love you all. think about you all the time. xoxoxo

vacation

after a 16 hour amtrak ride, i arrived to an oddly rainy and chilled chicago. my time there was so well spent; lunch with audie, coffee with eric, music in millennium with friends, and thai food. after our trip to mexico, i got to spend another two days in chicago, which were also great. i passed out souvenirs, went to six flags, and layed around the beach. although my vacation was really supposed to be mexico, im so glad that i got to spend time in chicago too, with more people that i love. 

wednesday at 3:15 am, allie and i had to rise and shine. after some struggles, we made it to a cab and settled in for our day of travel. surprisingly, we arrived in puerto vallarta without any trouble. we spent the afternoon holding ourselves back from any real fun, waiting for emma to show up.

our resort was perfect. a few restaurants, an adult only pool, and easy beach access. although we spent most of our time lounging by the pool, we also took advantage of activities. emma and i attempted to surf, which was so difficult that she almost drowned. we all three took a ride on the catamaran, which included jumping off for a swim and a near capsized boat. 

my favorite day was spent in puerto vallarta. we wandered to the main road and waited for the public bus to slow in front of us. after a brief ride through the mountains and a bus switch in front of wal-mart, we hopped out and explored the beach and cobblestone of the old town. eventually, we found a little street taco cart and sat down for quesadillas and cokes. despite the rerouted ride home, 40 minutes extra into mountain towns because of confusion over which bus, everyone held it together. 

of course, there was some partying and lots of new friends made. every afternoon we 

met new people as the sun settled in the western sky and laughed ourselves to dinner. we drank lots of 'mango vallartas', got our hair braided, made friends with workers in every department, and ate like queens.

 most often, the time the three of us spend together is surrounded with friends, family, and schedules. while all of the people and activities that keep us so busy are blessings,  it was so nice to just relax, catch up, and enjoy each other without many distractions and interruptions.  

i only have a few pictures before i dropped my camera and it stopped working....but allie took more. i'll try to post or send some when she uploads them. 

now i'm back in west virginia, adjusting again. i received a warm welcome home yesterday from brian and the boys, and stepped right back into the routine of the house. 

i'll try to post something about life here soon. 

miss and love. 

xxoxoox

july 10, already

time is going by so quickly. i cannot believe it has been almost a month since graduation or that it is already time for my trip back to chicago and to mexico. everyone told me that the time would fly and i would be headed back in just a few weeks, but i didn't believe it. 

of course, i've been busy making beds, sweeping floors, and chopping vegetables, but it doesn't feel like that. i've also spent a lot of time watching world cup or tour de france coverage, going on short runs through town, reading books on the porch, and talking with guests about their lives at home. i've seen two women surrender after staying a night with us and listened to brian talk them through this intimidating transition. i've been on an herb tour in the garden, helped trellis tomatoes, performed terrible parallel parking on a hill, baked a cake with four 10 year olds, and much, much more. 

anyway, everyday i'm learning how to do something new or how to do something better. it doesn't feel like work, which i guess, means that i like it...!! 

i'm excited to see chicago and everyone there. the trip to mexico seems like a dream. sitting in this simple life, i cannot imagine that in less than a week i will be sipping a piña colada on the beach. but i am very much looking forward to a relaxing and outrageous trip with my sistas. 

hope everyone else's summers are going well and that you all get to decide what you want to do today. 

xoxoxoxo

UPDATE

HELLO PEOPLE! 
i'm officially in alderson, wv. 

after a near perfect few days in southern illinois (family, baths, food, swimming), mom and i hit the road. we left late sunday afternoon and drove to lexington, kentucky, where we ate cracker barrel and stayed in a hotel across the street from the hustler hollywood "adult shop". it was lovely. on monday we made our way to pipestem state park, just an hour's drive from alderson. we hiked, ate, sat on the balcony, and had a great last night. then on tuesday we drove in to alderson and found the house! after some good meals and blueberry picking, mom left me alone in west virginia!!!

everything is so very different from home and chicago, but i like it. 

first of all, i have down time...without anything that i have to do. i'm sure that part of this is owed to being done with school, but it is also because of where i am. the people around me prioritize what they actually find important. coming out of school, where so much was decided for me or demanded from me, it's really exciting to be making such simple decisions about my time. 

next, i don't think anyone sleeps. everyone is always busy; running from meeting to meeting, sweeping up the floor before picking herbs from the garden, or getting dinner on the table while taking phone calls. so far i've really just been going through the motions, trying to figure out the routines and where i'll fit in this organized whirlwind. it is a bit intimidating because there is so much happening, but i'm figuring it out.

a quick introduction to the people that might be mentioned: brian and kathleen - they are the directors of the hospitality house. they are married and live just off the house grounds, about a quarter of a block away. they are super full of love and eager to do just about everything, including teach me A LOT. catherine - she is a volunteer/worker for the summer. she is about to be a senior at virginia tech and spent last summer here as well. she focuses mostly on gardening and agriculture and lives in the house with me. She also is very willing to lead me through the routines!!

wednesday night, i stayed in the house with my first guest! the prison camp had an immediate release, someone that cannot legally stay another night because their sentence has changed or they are overdue. this individual's sentence was cut in half and she had already served past that time. she was headed home on thursday morning, but needed a place to stay wednesday night. it was awesome to help welcome her and talk with her about self-confidence of young girls, making the gym a priority, and horoscopes (some of my favorite topics!!). 

thursday night and friday night we had families and individuals as guests. the highlight was friday night dinner. not only was the food incredibly delicious (pasta, homemade bread, spiced up green beans, and blueberry cobbler), but the community felt like a family. the meal was loud and interactive. while most of these people don't know each other well, and i certainly don't know them at all, you would never have guessed that by watching at dinner. 

overall, i'm doing well. working to find my place here, a tad intimidated by all the changes, and missing everyone back home, but still happy to be here and excited for everything ahead. 
XOXOXO

Graduate.

OFFICIALLY GRADUMAWATED!!!!

Of course, all my buddies graduated too....even Dom, who is too busy to make it back to Chicago to walk.

On Saturday night, Audie, Rosie and Paige's families joined our crazy fam for dinner at one of our favorite week night hangouts, Derby. After four years of the four of us sharing everything and visiting each other's families, they finally got to meet, which in my opinion really made the weekend so much more special and exciting.  

The ceremony for LA&S on Sunday morning was expected to last all day, but fortunately only took a little over two hours. Anyway, I was super glad to walk out of there with a fake diploma and start focusing on the next adventure......

ALDERSON, WEst Virginia >>>>  http://www.aldersonhospitalityhouse.org/

This little town will be quite a change of pace and while I'm very nervous and frightened about the changes that this move implies, I know that where I am headed is going to be an incredible experience. 

I'll be joining the couple that run the Alderson Hospitality House, Brian and Kathleen, and their two young sons. From what I have read, seen, and heard, they run the place with an incredibly welcoming and loving approach. I'll be helping maintain the grounds, gardening, cooking, making reservations, and CREATING COMMUNITY! 

They have a "WISH LIST" under the giving and support tab on the website. If you want to drop anything off before I leave, I'd be so happy to take a little part of home with me to donate! I leave CHICAGO on Thursday, 19 and leave FREEBURG on Sunday, 22. Just let mom or I know!!!

I cannot believe how perfect this opportunity seems for my both my skills and interests. Like I've said, I'm extremely emotional about leaving my best friends and family and the best city ever, but I am confident that Alderson is where I should be headed right now. 

I plan to keep the masses up to date on my experiences and discoveries through this blog, but I want to hear from all of you too. Please send me emails, calls, and real mail so I know what you are doing and how life is for you. 

THANKS!! XOXOXOX