dear rory gilmore #3

do you ever wonder what happened to your favorite characters later in life?

where are they now, what are they doing, did they fail/succed as an adult, are they still friends with the other characters, did that long lost relationship ever come to fruition?

recently, my book worm cousin, emilee, informed me that one of my favorite book series had a '10 years later' installment released last year.

 

the sisterhood of the travling pants series became a favorite of mine one summer probably 6 years ago.

 

if you have seen the movies, i must say that having read the books, the movies do not do the sisterhood justice.

 

each book was a book that i could not put down. and ended wanting more. and thankfully at that time there were 4 books in the series.

 

finishing each book in record time, i wished i hadn't read them as fast so that i could spend more time absorbing the characters and their stories.

 

but then i came to the end of the 4th book.

 

i wanted to know where their lives went, what they became, did they stay united without the pants?

 

now don't get me wrong, i love using my imagination to develop the future lives of my favorite characters, but when the author lets us in to know what happens in the imaginary world inside their mind, that is a delight.

 

if you are a fan of the sisterhood, i recommend the 5th installment. but be forewarned, there are some twists and turns that made me want to throw the book away without finishing it. but as any good book should, it kept me wanting more, and i just had to know what came of my old friends lena, tibby, carmen, and bridget.

 

a list of thankful

1. family (especially the ones that are also my friends)

2. friends (especially the ones that are like family)

3. laughter

4. books, used, new, old, re-read, half read

5. a washer and dryer in my house

6. a job where fun is a value

7. Jesus, God's word, the Spirit, something to have faith in

8. a community of people in my life that let me be me

9. dancing, all sorts

10. my new roommate, Lindsey

11. my car that is still going strong after 6 yrs and 100,000 miles

12. music and how it can change a mood and be what you need in that moment

13. travel and new things and places

14. food (and that i have always had what i need)

15. weight watchers, and that i have lost 13 lbs and am forming better habits

16. the US postal service through which i recieve letters and packages and things that brighten my day and through which i can brighten someone else's day

17. living in the foothills of the blue ridge mountains

18. crocheting, and Chelsea for teaching me back in college

19. movies, tv shows on the internet, people that can tell a good story through film

20. comfy cozy blankets and clothes

21. chocolate and its many forms

22. clean water and its many uses

23. playing games, all sorts

24. religious freedom

25. good conversation

26. a good long walk with a friend (or alone)

27. health and wellness

28. all the experiences and people that have shaped me and continue to shape me in these 28 years of life i have been given

ohio in the fall

now, don't get me wrong. i live in the foothills of the mountains, fall here is wonderfully beautiful.

but.

there is just something a little more attractive to me about my part of ohio in the fall. the air is just the right amount of crisp. there is often a smell of burning leaves filling the air. the sunset on the silhouetted almost naked trees.

hay rides, festivals, sweaters, beggar's night, bonfires.

maybe that's it. ohio actually has fall. once it's october you can generally count on it being sweater/sweatshirt weather. here it is a little more hit or miss. one day it's nice and fall like, the next it's warm enough for a t-shirt and shorts.

and this year i made it to ohio in just the right crispness of fall. it has been a few years for this.

and not only was it the right crispness, it was the perfect company for the weekend as well.

for the wickfam reunion we took advantage of the wonderful fall weather with a hayride pulled by grandpa buck's (now my dad's) tractor through a neighbors freshly harvested field and returned to enjoy an evening around a bonfire with hot dogs, s'mores, hot chocolate, and shenanigans.

i love all the season, but i think fall might be my favorite. however, once it is spring, i might write that it is my favorite. either way, the changing seasons have always been a favorite part of life and creation to me. and i am so glad that i got to spend a small piece of my fall in ohio with fantastic weather and even more fantastic people.

and just like that...

after 4 months of anticipation, really years since we all always wanted it to happen, but 4 actual months with a plan in place, it is over. just like that.

 

the 12 cousins and grandma pat

 

the time together flew by. as in lightning speed flew by. as in i wish we were all still together. so much so that we have been 'joking' about forming our own self sufficient compound. (im not joking,  im in if it could ever be possible)

 

it was fun and wonderful and exhausting. i fell asleep at the airport, on the airplane, and at about 7pm the day i came back. i had no idea i was that tired.

 

and i would do it again this weekend if it were an option.

 

 

this picture. i love.

 

i love it because after it were taken i said out loud to myself, 'i really need to stop making cheese faces and just smile like a normal human being.' to which emilee turned to me and said, 'no way, i was just thinking the same thing!' to which brooke, alex, eric, and jen responded the same. so apparently, for a wickline, i was making a normal face : )

there are many more pictures to share and stories to tell, and i will sort through them in the next few weeks and share a few with you.

but for now, i just want to say that i am so thankful for the time i got to spend with my wonderful, loud, funny, crazy, obnoxious, loving, fantastic family.

here's hoping we can do it again someday!