unseasonably warm, fun, spontaneous, bountiful, life-giving, learning, beautiful, heartfelt, adventurous...
these words best describe november so far.

these days have been so full of life that i scarcely know where to begin. moments tumble one after the other   , bursting at the seems with love and joy and newness. i'm continuing to learn and grow and be challenged and changed and stretched. God is so faithful, my friends. so faithful and good. 

here's a random collection of photos and thoughts of what i've been up to these days. 

1. Last week a friend called and surprised me with a really cheap ticket to see the one and only Sufjan Stevens at the Orpheum in Boston! The concert was magical...such a piece of art. There are no words to accurately describe it. Music will always blow my mind and touch my heart in a way that nothing else quite can. I am so thankful for music and the ability to hear, to listen, and enjoy sounds put together in all kinds of ways. (If you are even remotely a fan of Sufjan Stevens, PLEASE go see him in concert. I guarantee it will be worth it...but just as a warning: you might not be able to talk afterwards (because you are awe-struck), you might not be able to stop laughing and smiling, you might want to hug everyone you meet, you might want to dance and sing and shout, you might not be able to fall asleep for hours - (but if you have a test to study for the next day then that just works out, haha) but go. it'll be so so worth it.) 

please pardon the blurry photos. it's impossible to capture such brilliance.

especially from a balcony. :) 

2. This past weekend we had an RA staff retreat. It was glorious. We spent Friday night at Joqui's house, one of the RAs in Chase (our sister dorm) and it was lovely. Her mom made us the most wonderful food; her family is so hospitable and kind. They cared so deeply for us. On Saturday we walked to a park that overlooked the river/Boston. I spent the majority of the time climbing trees. : ) On Saturday night we drove to Cape Cod and had a rather silly adventure trying to find the house we were staying in. Turns out the guy whose house we were staying in gave us the wrong address so we spent about 10 minutes searching around the wrong house for the so called 'hidden key" -- fortunately the man who opened the door to find about 14 people standing in his year wasn't too peeved. bahahahaha! The rest of the weekend consisted of more good food, really funny games, and a whole lot of rest. It was such a refreshing time to be together and not have an agenda to follow. I am increasingly thankful for all of these dear people who I get to serve alongside this year. 

the tree that pleased us for quite some time.

it was a bit difficult to climb, but SO entirely worth it. that person with the white shirt on is me :) and that spot was by far the best tree seat i've ever found. i'm considering just having a house full of trees when i grow up, who needs furniture? (haha, don't worry mom i'm kidding...)

this branch was like a small trampoline.

so naturally we had all kinds of jumping contests on it.

:)

3. On Wednesday night we had a "pre-thanksgiving floor feast" and my oh my what a feast it was. Genny and I had all kinds of random vegetables from long hill (the garden that we volunteer with) and so we threw them together with much success! Genny made delicious potato, squash, leek soup and I made biscuits, swiss chard, and apple crisp. We also had some carrots and pomegranate and stuffed acorn squash and of course tea and hot chocolate :) Mmmmm. More wonderful than the food however, was the beautiful fellowship and atmosphere of love and encouragement. I am so eternally thankful for each of the girls on this floor. They never cease to amaze me and God's hand so perfectly placed each of them here; it's incredible. My heart wants to burst with joy and love. 

(this floor eats cheese like it's going out of style.)

So that's a snippet of what I've been up to recently. And to end, here's a sample of what's been on my mind. You should go look up C.S. Lewis' "The Weight of Glory" and read it all. Ok? Ok. But for now.. here's this: 

"The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor's glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you say it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. . . There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, art, civilization- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit-immortal horrors or ever-lasting splendors...Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat- the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden."

C.S. Lewis


(a few final photos of other random activities: a hoe down and apple cider pressing! these are for you, mom. since you miss "seeing" me. :) )