Snowy Days in Boston

"Snowfall (kind of love)"-Ingrid Michaelson

Good song for this kind of weather

Hello lovely readers,

Here in New England we can't say winter really starts till January. I think it is so we can convince ourselves that winter won't last forever. But I think I can say winter has come to Boston. Last Sunday when I checked the weather before going to church I checked the weather on my phone and it said 6 felt like -12. By the time I left church it was 12 and felt like -6. Even though I have lived in Boston for 6 years I still don't know how to dress for that weather (maybe you just can't). Over the week we have had flurries of snow but nothing that stuck. But yesterday we had our first snow. Now it wasn't much but I took some pics of it.

Right now I like the snow, when I was home watching it come down it was nice and quiet. I made myself a cup of hot spice tea and watched a movie. Even when I went outside it seemed like the world was quiet. It was very nice to have an excuse for a quiet day.

Now it wasn't much snow but I took some pics of it on my walk home.  

The Fens under snow

I love seeing paths of people who ventured away from the sidewalk 

I was trying to capture a couple walking through the snow

Icicles from a car. Also the thing I don't like about the snow... when it turns to brown.  

I don't have a great view from my window but here is the park across the street from me. 

The little sparrow on the top of the tree... very brave birds to brave the cold. 

I liked seeing the red berries on this bush. 

The fence of the park...I liked the contrast between the black and white

Winter Break... Part 3

My winter break is about to come to an end. 

Here is a song to end my winter break on.

Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson

I start back to school on Tuesday. It is weird in a good way to be going back to school. I know I have only had a month off but in some ways it feels like it has been longer. I mean I went home for Christmas for a week and got some down time but I also got to see a lot of family. I loved my down time, there was one day I was sitting on the sofa with my lab top in my lap and I was working on my story but I was still in my pajamas and my dad asked me if I was okay. Yeah I was great I wasn't thinking about school or work, I was just having a care free day (it was wonderful). But since coming back to Boston I feel like I have had another month to adjust to real life. 

In the month I have had off I have done...

1. A lot of reading...I finished off North and South (a book it took me all semester to read), A Jane Austen Education and started reading The American Heiress.

2. I have written a lot. I started the winter break with only 9 blog post on my blog Sisters of Pine Haven I am now up to 17 blog post. In other words that comes to 66 pages and 28,000+ words. It is not quite the 50,000 words that people had to write for National Novel Writing Month. I know that was in November but I wanted to see how many words I could write in my month off. Oh well maybe one day I will finish the novel. 

3. I have spent lots of time with my friends. My friend had a great New Years Eve party, where I felt I danced all night. I am not a good dancer but I do love to dance around. One of my best friends and I have hung out a lot rather watching the Golden globes, episodes of Downton Abbey or going to to go see the movie The Artist. 

The movie The Artist owes a blog post of its own it was so good. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did but I loved it a lot. If you don't know anything about it, it is all silent (minus a few parts) and black and white. But the plot takes place during the end of the 1920s when the film industry switches from silent films to talkies. The main guy, George Valentine, is a big silent film star doesn't embrace the idea of talkies. 

Of course when I left the film I wanted to see Singing in the Rain, Jean Dujardin, has a very Gene Kelly way about him. I was so happy when The Artist won so many Golden Globes and I wish the movie well in the Oscars. 

4. I also spent way too much time on social media from Facebook, my blog, to YouTube (mostly looking up Downton Abbey videos), and Pinterest getting lots of great pictures that really helped inspire my story. 

5. Most importantly I have left my full time job in order to be a full time student. It is weird to leave a job I have had for a year and a half. It was not in a career I wanted to pursue long term but I did make it a part of me, I guess that is natural to make something you do every day a part of you. But I didn't realize how much it was a part of me until I left.

Over all it has been a good break...nothing too big but lots of time to relax and great time with friends. I loved having dinner on a random Tuesday night at the Cheese Cake Factory. That is probably my favorite thing about breaks having my nights free to do what I wanted. 

Have a nice weekend. 

Jane Austen and Faith

In my last post, A Jane Austen Heroine, I wrote that... I am ready to say I want to be a Jane Austen heroine, I know a lot of girls say that and they mean they want to have a Jane Austen love story... well that might be true but I want to be is an Austen heroine who spends some of her life living in an ideal world with big dreams but then learns through mistakes and errors the life she really wants.

Well last night I was praying I realized I am a Jane Austen heroine and I have a perfect Jane Austen hero... God. I know, I know it sounds corny but hear me out. The number one thing I like about Jane Austen novels is all her heroines are flawed... they all mess up.

I mostly like Emma she is a hopeless romantic, she speaks without thinking and meddles in other people's business but Mr. Knightly loves her anyway. He sees passed all her flaws and loves her. God is like that he loves me when I am mean, inconsiderate, and when I judge too quickly. He wants me to admit my mistakes, learn from them, grow in Him and change my ways. But no matter what God loves us. To me that makes him the greatest Hero. I have to thank Him for seeing beyond all my flaws and not only loving me in spite of them but saving me from my flaws so I can have a beautiful future.

God is better then Mr. Knightly, Colonel Brandon and Mr. Darcy combined. 

Secrets Revealed

The days following the ball there was a shift in the household. People came to Danford Hall to call on the family and when Kathryn made her calls she invited Emmy to come with her not Julia. Emmy found most of the visits to be mind dulling and repetitive. She heard the same news, the same gossip or reports from each of the women they called on. The only calls Emmy found interesting were the ones Kathryn did for the church, it was these calls Kathryn and Emmy would visit the poor or the invalid. Here Emmy felt useful and the conversation were not mindlessly repetitive. But nothing replaced the pleasure Emmy gained from her quiet times in the woods.

            Emmy had tried to be more lady like but the woods still called to her so she would slip out before the house rose and then be back at breakfast with every hair in the right place and dressed without a spot of dirt. She thought no one was the wiser but little did she know one morning Caleb James woke up from the restless night and watched Emmy creep out into the woods. 

            "Hello Miss Emmy," Caleb called up to Emmy who was sitting on the lowest branch of the tree she always hid in.

            ”How did you know I was here?"

            "I saw you sneak out yesterday and today I followed you."

            "Oh Mr. James please don't tell the household."

            "Why not?"

            "I would be mortified if they found out."

            "Mortified?"

            "Yes so you must not tell them."

            "Why don't you come down so we can go for a walk or at least not yell and perhaps wake the house."

            "All right I'll come down."

            When Emmy was down from the tree Caleb asked. "Now what were you doing in that tree? and why can't I tell anyone?"

            "I am sorry Mr. James I guess I still have childish ways in me."

            "You need not apologize to me. I think that is endearing."

            "Thank you Mr. James but I don't think your sister or my sister would agree."

            "Why do you say that?"

            "Both of them want me to grow up or at last act more grown up.  I think they would see it as childish to climb trees or wade in creeks and get all muddy."

            "Well then Miss. Emmy it will be our little secret."

            "Thank you."

            "Now Miss Emmy, we should probably get back before anyone notices. I would hate to ruin your reputation by having you seen a lone with a man."

            "But we have walked alone before."

            "You had not been presented yet, now you have countless men seeking after your hand."

            "You are kind Mr. James but I doubt I will have countless men seeking after my hand."

            "You had a line of men wanting to dance with you."

            "Yes but that was one night, I can hardly believe any of them will turn into a suitor."

            "Why?"

            Emmy couldn't tell him they were penniless so thought of something quick. "Mother, would not allow me to anyone till Laurel was married or at least engaged."

            "That is very traditional."

            "My mother is very traditional. We had all hoped she would be engaged soon but we have heard nothing from Mr. Foster since he left," she didn't mean to say the name but it slipped."

            "Mr. Foster?"

            "Oh Mr. James, you cannot tell anyone I said the name. Laurel would slaughter me for speaking about it."

            "Two secrets in one day," Caleb smiled. "But Mr. Foster? A Mr. Ethan Foster?"

            "Yes. Do you know him?"

            "By name only. But I cannot believe he would propose to your sister."

            "Why not?" Emmy said in an angry huff.

            "Well the Mr. Foster I know, and it could be a different Mr. Foster is already engaged."

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