silver surprise party

mama and daddy turn twenty-five

height ain't nothin' but a number

disgruntled baby

happy baby (because of my cupcake)

to another twenty-five years!

a few of my favorite things: Người Đẹp, fire, and cake

our house

christmas morning on santa's lap

teeny friends at birch aquarium

kimee in a shark's mouth

bread pudding baked for the family, eaten solely by yours truly

daddy found the slide projector! visions from our family vacation to puerto rico (not pictured: sierra, due to nonexistence at the time)

my room with a view

balboa international market produce(s)

kimee captured the beloved rainfall quite elegantly

mama and i planted a flower bed in the front yard! i love home depot.

mama's planted and thriving beets

There is a magic in that little world, home; it is a mystic circle that

surrounds comforts and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limits.

-Robert Southey

"The time has come," the Walrus said

Your girl is coming home.

For providing me with the enlightenment of a world unknown

and the ignition to find more magic,

thank you, thank you, thank you.

home away from home

carlyn's apartment

pumpkin pie filling from scratch

manther and her milking boots

carlyn did mama johnston proud

candied yams, willa's specialty

thanksgiving will always be my favorite holiday

our international guests' first thanksgiving

playtime

booptime

courtesy of s. ram

denis and eugen, carlyn's sweet roommates: keep her safe, you two

the rhine

our last stop

pointing to her small town of vallendar

her small town of vallendar

in cologne to visit laura

american invasion

our wonderful hostess...who loves california

lovers' locks on the bridge

our first christmas market, painfully charming

alluring

who can resist

never gets old

miss you already

Vallendar, Germany had a substantial population increase when Willa, Samantha, and I visited our sweet Carlyn to celebrate my most beloved holiday, Thanksgiving. With thoughts of things-missed-from-home becoming more vivid with the arrival of the holiday season, I found my girls' enthusiasm to create an entirely homemade feast fit for royalty incredibly reassuring. And quite the feast it was. Phenomenal, really. For the rest of the weekend, Carlyn herded her little flock around the quaint town and eventually to the big city setting of Cologne wherein our hearts sang as we sipped spiced wine, nibbled on market savories and sweets, and took in the twinkling sights like one big multiracial, jet-setting family. We really could have been together anywhere in the entire world and still have been just as elated. And that is something for which I will be eternally grateful.

in spirit

ageless

You are a beautiful, hilarious, and kindhearted girl, my SiLala. Being your sister goes beyond any measure of happiness, and I wish you endless giggles in your fifteenth year.

I love you forever.