People and Places that Inspire Me

Today is Friday, a miracle of a day, and I am relishing in the time I have to relax and unwind after a busy week.

I want to take this time and share with you all the people and places that inspire me and are miracles in themselves.  May this list bring you inspiration and happiness!

People
Susan Branch: Susan Branch is an artist who publishes beautiful handwritten books filled with scrumptious recipes, advice on love and friendship, and so much more.  She keeps a blog about her daily life in Martha's Vineyard, and her joy for life permeates her writing.  She is just as much in love with England as I am.  Recently, she spent a couple months in England and blogged about her entire experience.  She is even going to be publishing her "English Diary" and all the pages will be beautifully handwritten like her other publications.  She calls her fans her "girlfriends."  For a burst of happiness and souljoy, visit her blog!!

Carolyn Weber: Carolyn Weber is the author of Surprised by Oxford, a memoir of her time as a romantic literature graduate student at the University of Oxford.  My kindred spirit Samara recommended this book to  me as we both studied at Oxford in the Summer of 2011.  The village of miracles and fairytales, I just knew that this memoir was going to be special.  Carolyn converted to Christianity while in Oxford and met her husband there.  She writes about her life and reviews many time honored books like Anne of Green Gables and Persuasion with a Christian angle.  If you have any connection to Oxford or are at all fascinated by the university, I highly recommend her book!

The Lizzie Bennett Diaries: A group of immensely talented actors and actresses have created a modern version of Pride and Prejudice presented in video blog form.  As of now there have been 46 episodes and at this point the Bennetts are getting ready for "Bing Lee's" party.  Go to this YouTube channel, start watching, and laugh merrily!

Places

West Harwich, MA 

Oh, Cape Cod!  I have not been able to return for three years, but prior to that, I came here every summer for 19 years.  This is the view from my grandparent's condo and serves as the background picture for my blog.  We have a private beach and travel to it via a weathered wooden boardwalk bordered by tall shrubs and beach plums.

If you ever go to West Harwich, you must try Bonatt's Bakery and have their melt-aways, a flaky pastry sprinkled with a cinnamon sugar crumble and filled with anything from cream cheese to fruit! Some of my fondest memories come from Cape Cod.

Oxford, England

The Radcliffe Camera: This is part of Oxford's Bodleian Library and where I did the majority of my Jane Austen research.  This photo was taken from the Vaults and Garden Cafe, my favorite cafe in Oxford where I got my Sunday breakfast.

Magdalen Tower:  I lived in Magdalen College and told time by the bells in this 14th century tower.  I bravely climbed to the top, despite my extreme fear of heights.  If ever you step foot in Oxford, you must visit Magdalen.  I experienced the most amazing peace and expanded my intellect more than I could have ever dreamed.

Chatsworth House, Chatsworth, England

 Do you recognize this place?  

 Now do you recognize this place?!

Nestled in the Peak District, Chatsworth House serves as Pemberley in the Kiera Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice.  I talk about this trip extensively in my blog about Oxford.  This was the best day of my life, the most perfect trip.  If you ever visit the Peak District, visit Chatsworth!! Also, if you love nature and walking, consider taking a guided walk with Sally Mosely.  I unfortunately could not arrange a guided walk with her, but she is a local who guides many through the most amazing walking tours of the countryside.

There are so many more people and places that inspire me, but the list I have above shows people and places very dear to me right now.  More inspiration coming soon!  Have a wonderful weekend everyone, keep seeing the miracles and inspiration all around you! 

Memories of September 11th

University has kept me extremely busy...so sorry I have been away for so long!

Today is September 11th, and I'd like to share my memories of that day in 2001 with you all.

First, I need to flashback to when I visited the World Trade Center in 1996.  I was six years old and visiting my aunt and uncle in Manhattan.  We rode the elevator to the very top at rapid speed, my ears popping as we made it to the top floor.  I remember the carpet, the movie theater inside, the machine where you could mold a penny into a design of the towers.  The view was spectacular.

On the morning of September 11th, my Dad left to go on a business trip to San Diego.  He was in a plane during the attack.  The flight attendants thought there was a bomb on his plane, and he called my Mom with a voice, she told me, she would never forget.  His plane emergency landed in St. Louis, and he and his colleagues had to to drive a U-Haul 10 hours home to Columbus.

I was in Mrs. Caplin's 5th grade class.  The school guidance counselor came in and told Mrs. Caplin something in the hallway.  She came back into the classroom looking pale and simply told us that New York had been bombed.  I immediately thought of my uncle who worked in Manhattan, right across from the World Trade Center.  Thankfully, he was on a business trip in Philadelphia that day.

The teachers never told us the specifics of what happened.  It wasn't until I got home that day that I realized what really occurred.  I was petrified as an 11 year old, that such a thing could happen to thousands of people and in a place where I had once stood.  I remember going upstairs to find photos from our World Trade Center visit in 1996, and I found two photos that my sister took from the roof of the tower, overlooking New York City.

Looking back on how I handled 9/11, I realize that I sincerely mourned the loss of those towers and the thousands of victims.  I printed out pictures of the towers and taped them to the walls of my room.  I wrote a poem from the perspective of the towers on the six month anniversary.

I am proud that our country is ingraining this event into our collective memory.  We must never forget the victims that suffered on that day, and pray for peace in our present.