A very LLBean Christmas

It’s Monday and Christmas has come and gone. We had an awesomely busy weekend, family Christmas gatherings from Christmas Eve straight through yesterday. Yesterday we got my mother’s family together at our family restaurant, Kitty’s in North Reading. My great-uncle was the head chef there from the beginning and they still use his recipe for many things, including their amazing pizza.

As far as gifts go, of course being with my family, having my parents up from Florida and my sister having some time off were the best gifts! For the gifts that you have to unwrap though, I got some great stuff from LLBean!!!

One of my aunt’s got me this amazing LLBean back pack. Its smaller than my backpacking pack, and will be perfect for small hikes where I want to pack light. I can’t wait to use it, probably not until this summer though. Winter hikes require the bigger backpack to bring my sleeping bag in case of emergencies.

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My sister gave me the two pack of cotton ragg camp socks . I have these socks in the boot length as well. They are great socks, very soft and comfortable. They are definitely my second favorite socks only to smart wool. The thing that they do have over smart wool though is they come in more classic solid colors.

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I was given two LLBean scarves this Christmas. They have both sold out though on the website!! The one on the left is a wool blend scarf from my parents, and the one on the right is 100% Irish lambswool made by John Hanley of Ireland for LLBean from my sister. They are both awesome scarves, warm and stylish.

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My parents gave me the heritage fair isle mittens and hat set from LLBean. The inside of the mittens is a nice soft fleece, and the hat is also lined with fleece so your forehead doesn’t itch. These are also sold out on the LLBean website!

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Two lovely LLBean sweaters made their way to me this Christmas as well. My fiancé’s parents gave me a black double L cotton cable knit sweater. This is a great staple item in your wardrobe. Crew neck sweaters and button downs are basically my fall to winter uniform. Between my cousins and my other aunt, I got some LLBean gift cards, so I stopped by the LLBean in Burlington yesterday and picked up the cream fisherman sweater from the signature collection. I usually size down for most LLBean tops, but for this sweater, I got my true size. I wanted it to be a little more roomy on me, sort of like a boyfriend sweater.

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Finally, with my gift cards, I was able to almost cover a pair of the LLBean Boots Rubber Mocs. I think I had to chip in like, $24 of my own money. I am in love. They are awesome because they are waterproof, comfortable, and they just slip on!!! So great for New England weather when you have to take your pup out all times of day.

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Some other LLBean gifts in my family were these  moccasins that my sister got and this awesome fleece lined flannel shirt that my fiancé got. Don’t fret about sold out items on LLBean.com. If it doesn’t come up as backordered, then it is just gone for the season and will come out again next year with some new tweaks usually.  I have this week off so I had some day trips planned, but we will see if the weather cooperates. Tomorrow, southern New England will see its first snowflakes!!! I am so excited, but of course the weather will probably keep me from going to see friends in RI……typical New England problems. What were your favorite Christmas gifts!? I hope you all had a lovely Christmas weekend!!

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My Top 10 Christmas Movies!!

I am happily writing this post with a beer watching Lifetime Christmas movies, today was my last day of work this year!! I am drinking the Magic Hat Snow Roller from Vermont….it has a graphic of Jack Frost riding a snow wave, awesome.

No snow here though….Massachusetts has been warm and snow free thus far. Today it was in the 50s…and its supposed to get warmer until Christmas. Jon and I got rid of our premium cable this year to save soooo much money, and so now we don’t get ABC Family or Hallmark, the two big Christmas movie networks. We already had a good collection of movies going, but I added a bunch through Amazon.com, and all the movies still cost less than what we save in one month with the more basic cable #savings !!

Here’s my top 10 list for Christmas movies!!

10. 12 Men of Christmas- ok, this is the only made for TV one. It came out a few years ago, and can be seen on Lifetime. Kristin Chenoweth is so good in it, and its about her making a calendar of the search & rescue men from a town in Montana to raise money. The scenery and the romance between Kristin’s character and Josh Hopkins’s character is pretty good. Oh and Anna Chlumsky is in it, from My Girl? Throwback!

9.  Charlie Brown Christmas- Who doesn’t love the little Charlie Brown Christmas tree!? All of them singing together….its a good one, often on of the major networks at least once. I got a DVD set though that has the Christmas, Thanksgiving, AND Halloween specials, woo!

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8. The Grinch That Stole Christmas (cartoon version)- I love the cartoon version….I don’t like how the Jim Carrey version kinda makes the Whos look kinda crazy & materialistic with the light competition and the Cheermeister stuff.

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7. Elf- probably the newest on my list. This one typically plays on the cable stations almost on loop, but not having those stations this year means I actually appreciate watching this so much more! A few years ago I answered the phone at school, “Buddy the Elf, whats your favorite color?”….it was not received well as the person on the other line assumed I was a student answering the phone which is not allowed lol.

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6. Santa Claus is Comin to Town- Rankin & Bass animated classics are amazing…this one is narrated by Fred Astaire…if you need more than his amazing voice, it also has some really fun characters like the Winter Warlock and the Berger Meister Meister Berger. It has a really cute story about how Santa Claus came to be!

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This is a 2-DVD set with Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin to Town, and then some lesser known Christmas specials like Little Drummer Boy, Cricket on the Hearth, Flinstones Christmas, and Frosty Returns- awesome set!

5. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer- Another classic, the misfit toys, Hermey and Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman…classic story about never prejudging/excluding someone because you never know when you might need them!

4. Year Without a Santa Claus- The last Rankin & Bass treasure on my list….I love the Snow Miser & Heat Miser!!

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This one also has Rudolph’s Shiny New Year on it!

3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation- no matter how many times I see this movie, I still laugh hysterically at soooo many scenes. This movie was in the running to watch today with my students….I just couldn’t haha.

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2. White Christmas- this one is on Netflix so I don’t own it! The music…the dancing….the costumes…..the scenery…WWII! Where to start!? Vera Ellen has the most amazing legs in Hollywood, and I love Wallace & Davis (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) together. The final scene with the red velvet dresses and the little ballerinas…love.

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It’s an older movie, get it, watch it, love it

1. Muppet Christmas Carol- this one is a family tradition. We watch it every Christmas Eve and then my mom would read Twas the Night Before Christmas and then off to bed we went. It’s the best version of The Christmas Carol in my opinion.

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All of these are on Amazon, some for super cheap, like quite a few of them were just under $10 or just under $5. So worth it to have the movies, no commercials, and I don’t have to miss the cable stations we got rid of to save money. My parents are here for the week, and my sister is coming for the weekend, so I wanted to make sure that I had all of the movies we love on hand, and I was so happy about how affordable it was.

It’s been so warm here in Massachusetts (#greenchristmas), the Christmas movies are definitely helping to get me in the Christmas spirit! What are your favorite Christmas movies??

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Ski Sweater & Christmas Party

Happy Monday!! Mondays usually aren’t the happiest day of the week but since this is only a 3 day work week, and my parents are getting in from Florida today, AND Christmas is this week….well its not that bad of a Monday at all!

This past weekend, my fiance Jon and I hosted a little get together for his friends. We made meatballs set out with rolls and provolone cheese, brussel sprouts roasted with bacon & maple syrup, and then we set out cheese & crackers, chips with a garlic dip, and raw veggies with ranch dressing. One of our friends brought cut up French bread with a mozzarella, tomato, and basil dip. It was so good. To round out our little buffet, Jon and I made chocolate peppermint crunch cookies & peanut butter cookies.

Jon and I like good beers, and so do his friends, so we made that an integral part of the party. Everyone had to bring a beer to share, so either a six pack or one of the bigger 22 oz bottles, and everyone brought a beer for a yankee swap. So we all got to try some fun beers and then everyone got to take a cool beer home with them too. It was a really fun twist on the traditional Yankee swap, and worked with this particular group of friends because they all love trying different beers. My personal favorites to try were the Magic Hat Winter Mingle stout with vanilla from their Winter Wonderland variety pack & the Yard Sale lager from Uinta Brewing Company out in Utah that has a skier on the can with all their equipment scattered around them (been there, done that).

For the party, I threw on my leggings (back is still ouchie from falling off the pony) and my LLBean boot socks with my LLBean quilted scuff slippers, my Old Navy chambray dress shirt that’s long enough in the back to make wearing the leggings acceptable, and a great vintage Ralph Lauren handknit cardigan with snowflakes and little downhill skiers. I think I got it from Ebay for $35.00. There are soooo many awesome sweaters on Ebay and Etsy for great prices. Ralph Lauren, LLBean, and Woolrich are some good brands to look for.

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Peanut butter cookies and chocolate peppermint crunch cookies (favorite)

FullSizeRender (2) I have been struggling a little bit with my hair because we are pretty sure I tore my rotator cuff falling off Dutch (horse friend). It hurts to raise my right arm, so blowdrying has been tough!!! Mizpah is in the second pic, she loves a good party. She loves to cuddle with different people on the couch, clean up dropped food on the floor, and sing (bark) at everyone when they come in the door. We have to watch her though, she has a thing for boozy egg nog this year. Mizpah’s only 5, not old enough to drink haha.

I am loving everyone’s Christmas/Hannukah blog posts. I am kinda happy that most bloggers are done with gift guides, because I love the holiday party/traditions posts more. Yesterday we did the Patriots game over a friend’s house, and then Jon and I went to see the new Star Wars movie….it was amazing, totally geeking out and can’t wait to see it again! I would definitely recommend seeing it if you are a Star Wars fan, but honestly it was a great action movie as a standalone movie too. Ok, stay tuned for more holiday posts this week, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

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Favorite Christmas Tree Ornaments

I am going to keep my writing brief because I definitely fell off my horse tonight into the wall of the indoor. We had just done a jump perfectly after many tries and he bucked while I was leaning forward and off I went. I’m sore, but ok. Got back on for a little while so no one starts to think that bucking me off is a good way to end a ride, but I will be rocking some IB profen, a heating pad, and lots of hot cocoa tonight to recover. I have a red line on my back from where I made contact with the bottom of the wall….I will be fine haha.

This post is about some of my favorite ornaments. I hope that you enjoy them!!

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An older ornament from my parents, the swan boats in the common
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Santa in his workshop, one of my favorites from my childhood
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One of my favorites from my Breyer’s ornament collection
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My Barbie ballerina for Nutcracker season
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Another great one from my Breyer’s collection, how many little girls have asked for a pony for Christmas? 🙂
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This one is a gift from my mom, love it
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Rowing on the Charles in Cambridge ornament, perfect for a tree belonging to two rowers!
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I have the whole set of Rudolph characters, the Bumble, Hermey, Yukon, Rudolph, and Santa.

I hope everyone’s holiday preparations are going well. I had a big food shopping trip tonight for the weekend into next week….it was painful and slow moving. Of course I ran into a student while I was limping through the supermarket still covered in dirt haha, oh well. Happy Friday everyone, one week til Christmas!!

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A Book Review on Jane Austen’s Birthday

Today is Jane Austen’s birthday!!! Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors.  Jane, Emily, Charlotte, and Louisa….they are the OGs of my bookshelves. My favorite Jane Austen novels are Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility in that order. Emma is the best in my opinion, Mr. Knightley definitely > Mr. Darcy. Here’s my review of “How to start a fire”!

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I just finished “How to start a fire” by Lisa Lutz last night. Usually, if I get through a book, it means I liked it….but this was another tough one for me. I started this book, had to table it, and then picked back up again. Not easy with a book that chronicles the lives of 3 college friends in that style that jumps around between events of different years. I had to really focus to keep what was going on from basically 1998 to 2013 in the book. I have read a few books now where the chapters jump back and forth between the past and present and it can be tough to follow.

Perhaps another reason why I struggled was I didn’t really relate to any of the main characters. The three girls, George, Kate, and Anna would probably not have been girls I would have befriended. I thought more than once in the book that the reason why they stayed friends was because they really didn’t make any new friends and only had each other. I suppose I appreciate George’s love for nature, and the way that camping calms & centers her. I love how Kate is kinda sheltered but has this inner strength and can be content with what she has at that moment, not always wanting more. Anna was probably the most dramatic, tumultuous character. You don’t really learn her or Kate full story until the last 100 pages or so. I have a few women in my life that remind me of Anna. One has made her way out of the woods, and one is still a little lost.

J. Courtney Sullivan wrote a book called “Commencement” that was again about a group of friends from college and how their lives intertwined afterwards. I might like Commencement better than How to start a fire. It has been so warm in Massachusetts. Yesterday, the pup and I went for a walk in the woods sans jacket! Looks like we might have a green Christmas up here!

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We all took Monday off from exercise after the hike on Sunday, so girlfriend was pretty amped up to run around yesterday. It was hard to get her to stay still for a picture hahaha. As usual, my book was from the library. Not sure what I will read next, but utilizing the library saves me a lot of money on books. Save the pennies my friends.

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Creating a wish list for your boyfriend/fiance’s family…

My parents retired to beautiful sunny Florida a couple years ago, and last year was their first year ever not being in Massachusetts for Christmas. Last year my sister went down to FL mid-December because she is a nurse and worked right through the holidays, and I went down for a few days right after Christmas. My fiance’s family truly took me in last year for Christmas. His parents got me a stocking and stuffed it with candy, travel size toiletries, handwarmers, and chapstick. They got me some really nice gifts including a jewelry box decopaged with a picture of my dog, Mizpah, on it. They even got Mizpah a toy and a bone. The sadness I felt over not being with my family for Christmas morning was greatly offset by the warmth from my fiance’s family. I am so lucky to be marrying into this family.

Yesterday….my fiance asked me to come up with some gift ideas to pass along to his mother…..this is a gift guide often looked over….

I had a few criteria:

  • Affordable, like under $40
  • From a well known retailer- your own mom might go to any lengths to get you the perfect gift, your boyfriend/fiance’s mom? keep it simple, don’t send her to an Etsy shop that she’s never heard of.
  • Hassle-free/free shipping- free and easy shipping is always a plus
  • Commonality- something that she feels comfortable buying, not too intimate, something that she would buy for a friend in her life

OK, here’s what I came up with!

  1. A basic cotton cable knit sweater from LL Bean, on sale for $39.99. I had to toss my black crew neck sweater this year, so this would be an awesome replacement. These sweaters are a wardrobe staple and my fiance’s parents love LLBean too! IMG_2314
  2. A nice Kate Spade mug with the words “One Smart Cookie” on it from Macy’s, $15. Some of the other little sayings might be weird for her to buy, but I am a smart cookie! This is a mug I would feel comfortable drinking from in front of my students 😉IMG_2315
  3. Smartwool socks!!! I am a Smartwool sock addict, they are my favorite. I sent along these from REI because I know my fiance put some stuff from REI on his list….trying to make it easy on my future inlaws 🙂 The socks run ~$15, especially for the 2014 closeout ones! I live in the nice warm medium cushion socks all winter. IMG_2316
  4. Books!! Books are a great gift. I am asking for Not Without Peril by Nicholas Howe from Barnes & Noble for $15.21. I have read a borrowed copy from a friend but would like my own. It’s an amazing book filled with the history and mishaps in the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of NH.IMG_2320 (1)
  5. Timex Weekender watch in plaid from Kohls, $34.42. I wrote about the Timex Weekender here and I love the plaid pattern strap. IMG_2319

Its so nice when the important people in your life ask for gift ideas. It shows that while they know you, they are interested in what you want/need right now. They want to get you something you will like!  Tis better to give than to receive for sure, but coming up with suitable gift ideas in the gifter’s price range can really make your family/close friends lives easier. I make different wish lists for my parents, my aunt & cousins, my sister, and for my future inlaws. It takes time, but really helps alleviate the mall wandering and shopping anxiety for the people you love most.  Its the thought that counts of course, but its a great feeling to be done with your Christmas shopping and be confident that everything you got for your people will be loved.

What do you think? Share your comments!

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Authenticity on social media

About a year ago I was banned from a blog that I used to really enjoy. About two weeks ago, all of a sudden posts from the new version of this blog started popping up on my feed, so voila, I am unblocked.

I had been banned with many others when people started questioning some things about the author and her husband. Things like their names, whether one of them had changed their last name and then posted on the genealogy of the changed name, and a book on Amazon authored by the blogger’s husband that appeared to have reviews written by the husband.

These things could have all been explained, people change their names, genealogy is something that you can be interested in no matter who raised you, and there could have been a perfectly good explanation for the reviews.  Someone commented on another blog that we were coming to the anniversary of this event and it got me thinking about all of this again.

I don’t think that we have to put everything out there in our blogging/instagram persona…..but if you build a loyal readership & following and they find out something that you have deliberately left out of your social media life, you better believe people will want an explanation. You can choose to admit things, talk to your readers, or you can do what this particular blog did and ban everyone that read the discussion unfolding on other websites like GOMI (and another blog that I won’t disclose to protect them).  The blog now is really just images, they disabled the comment ability. I know that because I can see it again now.

I have an amazing relationship with my fiancé, I am so happy and healthy with him in my life, but I am divorced and have an ex-husband. I was previously married for 2 years in my mid-twenties (I will be 32 in January), and it just didn’t work out. If my blog was all about my happy marriage and then my readers found out I had been divorced, and instead of just explaining a little bit, I banned everyone that asked about it…that would kinda be like what happened with this blog.

In any case, it was a big lesson/learning experience for me and should be something that we all keep in mind as we gain followers blogging or instagramming. We can and should all have our private lives BUT if your loyal followers find out something about you that directly contradicts who you present to the world, then you have to explain and draw those people back in OR probably just shut it down. The available version of the blog that I used to enjoy is really just a shell of its former self. I might not even continue to follow it. I get authors deleting rude/hurtful comments, but that particular blog used to always have a lot of sometimes interesting conversation.

Speaking of GOMI…..I used to have some insta rage over some accounts that are just so perfect, so put together. I was jealous. I actually posted twice on GOMI for one particular blog when I was not happy with myself. I felt so bad- I didn’t know her and her friends, I just know what I saw on instagram and her blog and thought that gave me the right to judge her. I actually emailed her to apologize and will never post on GOMI again. I actually go out of my way to really support everyone that I come in social media contact with now because of some of the things on GOMI. Going on GOMI is a bit of a gut check if you have never checked it out. There is so much rage out there against some bloggers. Why not just stop reading their blog? How can you hate someone so much that you don’t actually know in real life? By posting on GOMI, I betrayed who I want to be.

Ok, thats all from me today. Just uhhhh lets be nice to each other, don’t talk trash about each other on GOMI, celebrate each other instead of putting each other down BUT if you have a dirty secret that you are hiding and we all find out, either explain or shut it down…your explanation could just be that its painful to talk about, maybe someday. Please don’t just block your entire readership k? End rant.

c/o Mon

 

Holiday Weekend Finds

I hiked on Black Friday…..but I did purchase a few things over the weekend 🙂 I got something from Lilly Pulitzer for my mom and got some free gifts for purchasing over the weekend…might just give her the free gifts too though because it’s all nice and wrapped up right now in tissue paper. I don’t want to disrupt by messing with the free gifts. Not going to put what I got her on here just in case she looks, but lets just say, my Floridian mama has fabulous taste in Lilly- she likes Elsa tops and the tshirt dresses!

I did some other online shopping for family and did grab a couple little items for myself….

  1. This lovely bracelet from Kiel James Patrick- Anchor Bracelet. KJP was 25% off this past weekend, love it. This bracelet will go with a lot of my clothing as it has the lighter leather AND darker leather. Can’t wait to see it. IMG_2270
  2. This beautiful scarf from Equestrianista- Tartan Plaid Infinity Scarf. Equestrianista also did a sale this past weekend and I have been eyeing this scarf! I love the mixed plaid patterns and the color scheme will hopefully compliment my red hair!Tartan_Plaid_Infinity_Scarf_grande
  3. These flats from Talbots- Georgina Suede Embroidered Flats. I love these because smoking slippers are so expensive at some places but these were 40% off!! I got the car/indigo flats that have a super cute scene with the woodie/tree on top driving on a white path. Only snag here, even though its in the name of the flats, I was looking at all the different ones and it kinda didn’t register that they were suede. Some of their other Georgina flats are in wool….which is more what I would want. Suede is not so great for Massachusetts. These might go back, we shall see. Sorry the image isn’t great- got it from the website! IMG_2271

There were some great sales this past weekend. Lilly girls are all really waiting for their big sale in January, but the gifts can be fun. Honestly it can be hard with all these deals to corral the spending, but we are saving for our wedding and a house in the very near future. It was interesting that these sales really started last week like before Thursday and some have continued through tonight! The emails from some companies were pretty much daily. Did anyone else feel like it was a little much this year? I don’t know.

Anyways, I hope you all got some deals this past weekend through yesterday…or today…speaking of today…..today was Giving Tuesday! My cousin was recently diagnosed with DCIS (type of breast cancer), and has undergone a lumpectomy and has been traveling from where she lives out in Wyoming to Sloane Kettering Memorial in NY for treatment. Her sister set up a Go Fund Me for her to help with expenses and so that will be my donation for Giving Tuesday. Their mom, one of my mom’s first cousins, died from breast cancer when she was just 44, so her daughters are not messing around with treatment, thank god. She is doing well but has a long road ahead!

Anyone find anything good over the long weekend in the midst of these sales? Hear about any good Giving Tuesday stories? Share in comments!

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Thanksgiving Traditions

Every year since we all turned 21 except last year, two of my best friends from my hometown and myself have gone out the night before Thanksgiving. Last year there was a snow storm the night before Thanksgiving. Yep, turkey trot 5K in the snow, that’s happened a few years. There were a few particularly rowdy Thanksgiving eves where I just couldn’t the next morning, but most years, I do a road race on Thanksgiving morning. Oh and then there was that year that I really shouldn’t have run, but I did anyway, and I tripped and wiped out and like, 10 people came over to help me…..

I am so fortunate that every year of my life, I have had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, sometimes two depending on family and boyfriends!! Every year that I have been a teacher, we get an email the Monday before Thanksgiving reminding all of us that for our students, the holidays is often sad and very hard on them. They will not all have a warm and fuzzy Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. For some students at our school, the breakfast/lunch program are their only guaranteed meals. We as teachers excitedly ask our students what they are up to for the holidays, and while many return our enthusiasm with plans at their aunts, or grandparents, or even neighbors, a few always pointedly look away, not wanting to meet our expectant gaze. It’s always a good time to remember that even without the turkey, all the food, the decorations, spending time with friends and family is a thank worthy & thankful occasion. If my Thanksgiving meal was mac and cheese with old Pabst Blue Ribbon pounders, as long as my friends and family could come, we would all still laugh and love and enjoy our mac and cheese.

It’s easy at this time of year when the internet and your social media are showering you with the top 10 Thanksgiving apps, NYC chefs top Thanksgiving desserts, decorate for Thanksgiving like a pro, 5 tips for setting your Thanksgiving table, and so on to forget what we are all getting together for.

This year I am thankful for my amazing fiancé Jon, my happy and healthy parents, my sister Brenda, and my four pawed best friend Mizpah. I am also thankful for my great friend group from home, college, work, and the barn and of course all the talented & patient horses in my life. I am thankful to be a woman in America, able to write here and feel safe thanks to our service men and women.

I hope you all have lovely Thanksgivings, and enjoy your traditions whatever they might be. Who’s going to #optoutside on Friday with me and the employees at REI!? Haven’t heard of the #optoutside campaign? Check out my post on it here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

c/o Mon

Presenting in my grad class

There are only two weeks left this semester at Umass Lowell. Then I will have a break where my weeknights are returned back to me before my last semester begins in January. I am certified to teach both biology & biotechnology in the commonwealth, and while I got my Master’s in Education back in 2009, I just can’t stay out of school! I started my Master’s in Science for Biological Sciences back in 2012 and have just been plugging away. I love the courses, I have loved all my professors in many different ways, and I will be sad to see it end in May. I’m getting a non thesis master’s, just coursework. It’s sort of a neutered degree, I know, but I am not getting it to do research! I enjoy taking classes, and saw I could get a degree from it, and figured why not? I’m a huge nerd, I love reading journal articles, I love googling all the words I don’t know, jumping around latin roots and comparing graphs…..judging images of fluorescence and bands in Western blots…..oh no, I’m losing you huh?

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My favorite building at Umass Lowell, the old alumni memorial hall

Anyway, this week was my turn to present in my class. It was a little nerve-racking because this is only grade in the class really. I guess he is going to count our attendance & class participation, but most of the grade is on this presentation. My paper was fabulous. An amazing new gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Did you know that the reason why its so hard to just come up with a gene therapy already is because the dysfunctional protein, dystrophin, is one of the largest proteins in the body so it has tons of opportunities for mutations!? Fascinating.

Powerpoint was done three weeks ago. Over the weeks I edited, added, deleted, and nurtured my little powerpoint like it was a finicky plant. I secured one of those little remotes with the USB thing that lets you click through your slides without having to walk over to the computer and has a laser pointer so you don’t have to stand IN the projector light to point at stuff on the screen all the while being covered in your own powerpoint. Then came the outfit. I like the dress nicer than usual for a presentation. Whatever I normally wear, I like to go a step up. Not everyone in my class feels this way. I think its nice to get up in front of your classmates and professor and acknowledge in your appearance that you are honored to present for them.

I wore an old tartan skirt from J. Crew Factory, navy tights, my cognac Seychelles riding boots that I got from Rue La La last year, light blue knockoff Ralph Lauren oxford when I lived in Thailand that I got for 199 baht (5 bucks folks haha), Daniel Wellington watch, KJP bracelet, AND a navy wool cardigan from Polo Ralph Lauren, vintage, that I got for $27.99.

The cardigan is comfortable, so warm, and I am just a little in love with it? Hunting for vintage Ralph Lauren is a fun little hobby of mine- I try to find sweaters from the past for under $40. Etsy & Ebay are the best places online to look, and then of course upscale consignment shops.

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My coteacher took this pic in my lovely classroom 🙂

I love putting together an outfit for something specific that makes me feel confident for that occasion without breaking the bank. Finding this cardigan came from a search for a navy blazer, and I think I lucked out because the cardigan is a little more casual and I will be able to wear it more I think. I like to imagine that the woman who owned this cardigan before me was a fabulous professor with a closet full of wool and tweed who gave away all her winter clothes when she bought a small horse farm on her last sabbatical someplace warm like Brazil, fell in love, and decided to stay.

I have today off which is so nice before Thanksgiving. I have some errands to run and then obviously a trail run this afternoon with the sweetest spotted pup who is currently curled up in the sun next to me. Happy Wednesday! I hope many of you are off and heading to see family and friends or at least you are getting out early today!!!

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