Let It Snow | Poor Cape Cod

 

I have so many snow pics from this trip, but unfortunately my "Real" photos are going to be stuck on my camera till we get home, since my computer decided it also needed an [indefinite] vacation. May it rest in peace.

So here's a brief snow update and random smattering of photos from my iPad. 

1. I did not pack enough snow cloths and definitely packed too many girly boots and not enough practical ones ;-)

2. It's hard to take artistic snow photos when you are too much of a pansy to really go any further into the snow than the front porch.

3. Being snowed in and eating comfort food is not helping my battle against the vacation muffin top ;-)

4. I haven't seen this much snow since I was a kid. Some of the banks are halfway up people's houses!

5. The kids are in heaven.

6. I did go out and play with them a few times, and I definitely counted "helping dig a snow fort in a snow bank" as exercise on more than one occassion.

7. The pellet stove and Sam Adams are extra comforting after playing in the snow.

8. I remember Cape Cod being much sunnier than this. But it's also been super fun to be snowed in with three generations of our family, including five kids under the age of 6, enjoying the warmth of the new living room addition.

 

These pictures are all a week or so old... Cass & Mike and the kids are home and Grandma and Grandpa flew back earlier this week. But as we hunker down for some more snow-ice-rain-junk tonight and tomorrow, here are some shot of last week's Aiduk/Logue/Williams reunion! 

 

 

 

Stay warm everyone!

 

 

A Giveaway for Coffee Lovers Everywhere

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I hope you're having a blast with your loved ones. We sure are. We're currently preparing to get snowed in under another Cape Cod storm, but Tan is watching the kids for us to get out for awhile! (Wish her luck, cause it's only noon and we've already sugared them up significantly!)
 

Sorry for my absence lately, but being with family means less time for photography and blogging. But it means more time making memories... leisurely mornings drinking coffee, big dinners around tables full of your favorite faces...

And time for multiple trips to your favorite coffee shop. 

And a chance for you to win some freebies from MY favorite coffee shop!

Who wants a mug and a pound of coffee?

Soul Full Cup coffee shop in Corning, NY has generously donated two bundles for me to give away! I've been holding onto two pounds of coffee and two beautiful orange mugs to give to y'all and now I'm finally forcing my butt to sit in front of the computer long enough to launch it!

My Dad basically forced me to love coffee because he wanted his kids to drink it with him... it's such a comforting social drink.

So the smell of coffee, bacon, and eggs in the morning will forever remind me of my Dad.

And Soul Full Cup will also remind me of him, as that's where he introduced me to caramel lattes. Many a father-daughter date was had at Soul Full over the years I lived in Corning.

I remember studying there through my time at Corning Community College. And meeting up with friends. Going on dates with My Love. Sipping lattes and reading good books.

There are other great coffee shops in Corning that have a piece of my heart. But Soul Full will always be my favorite. I use my orange coffee mug on an almost daily basis.

So I want to give you a chance to enjoy the bright colors and amazing flavors of Soul Full!

Enter below to win!

I'll be randomly drawing two lucky winners on Wednesday night (EST) to be the happy recipients of a pound of coffee and an orange Soul Full mug!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Soul Full Cup is has a fabulous selection of coffee available on their website if you don't happen to be in the Corning area. Check them out here!

 

Amazon suggestions {affiliate links}

French Press

Single serve French Press

Coffee grinder

Happy Birthday to Our Favorite Mr. Aiduk!

So today is J's birthday (Happy Birthday My Love!) and we are currently making our way to Niagra Falls to see Grandma Linza and then trying to beat the snow back to Cape Cod. So the poor thing isn't getting the usual birthday pampering. Just lots of "are we there yet?"s from Lily and Sam.

But they already gave him the cutest birthday present ever so we'll forgive them... 

We were walking into the dance studio a few weeks back and Lily shouts "OH MOMMY! We should get an eagle for Daddy for his birthday!"

I was like "Oh?"

And she's like, "YES! Eagles are his FAVORITE!" 

This was news to me (and isn't technically true) but I stopped myself before I just shrugged her off with a "No sweetie" and hustled her up the stairs for ballet.

We were early for once so I actually had time to think this through ;-)

Why not? Why not let them get J a dorky "trophy" for his birthday? Sure, we aren't really knicknack people and sure they aren't the cheapest gift ever. But she came up with it herself!

So we went in to check out the prices and we settled on this sort of bedazzled gold eagle. Lily told Sam that "Daddy would like this one best, because it's beautiful!" so they finally agreed. I asked them what they wanted engraved on it and they really wanted the entire Happy Birthday Song but we settled for a shorthand version.

Kids are cute. And it's nice to see them growing up and having generous and creative ideas for blessing others!

Happy Birthday Jesse! 

Corning Adventures | Ice Skating, Reminiscing, and Growing Up

It's been so fun being with my family in Corning this week. It's hard to stay on top of photos and blogging when I don't want to miss a moment of the memories!

But here was a big highlight of the week - Getting to go ice skating and having the rink all to ourselves in the beginning! 

I've been skating at the Nasser Civic Center since I was a teen. I was joking that I remember the days when our flare jeans went over the skates and now all the cool kids wear skinny jeans tucked into the skates. That's the best "old lady" story I can come up with ;-)

It was a crystal clear and bitterly cold morning but we had such a blast. I was freezing and wiping up a lot of kid noses, but it was worth it to see the proud smiles on my girlies' faces!

Lily went from hand-holding, to chair-pushing, to triple axels and sit spins! It was a pretty awesome memory. 

Home Sweet Home Blog Circle, January | Otterberg Cistercian Monastery

I am super pumped about this year's blog circle with the gals I met in Amsterdam in 2013. 

Home Sweet Home! 

We decided to give you all 12 unique looks at the areas we live in... I can't wait to see (and show you!) what life is like through the eyes of all these talented photographers!

Welcome to the "Home Sweet Home" blog circle series of 2015.

Please follow this link to continue the circle around the world, starting with Anna Franken in The Netherlands!

I'm particularly excited about the topic because ever since J signed up for our second tour here in Germany, I've been wanting to go around our village with fresh eyes and photograph all the things I love love love about where we live. 

I thought it would be appropriate to start with the village church. Since it's one of my favorite things about Otterberg. 

First of all, in the interest of full disclosure, this photo is from the Spring of last year. I didn't want you to think that January in Germany = green leaves. Cause it definitely does NOT. 

But this is my favorite photo of the front of the church. (The lack of cars parked out front helps) 

Anyways this is the Otterberg Cistercian Monastery. 

Also known as the "Abbey Church." It's the second tallest church in our state in Germany.

When I first stood inside this church, it took my breath away. Now, it instantly calms me. 

I've seen a lot of beautiful cathedrals in my time in Europe. But this is my favorite "big church." I love that it was constructed with a simplistic beauty. Less frills but still absolutely awe-inspiring!

For some perspective for my American friends... this church was finished being built 500 years before our country was even founded. 

I like to just go inside by myself and sit. And think. You can almost feel the rich history in the air. It's usually very quiet and I always leave with a sense of peace. I've gone there to journal and pray when I was feeling troubled. And J and I went to a professional performance of Handel's Messiah once! 

There's a local jeweler in my village who has hand-crafted a necklace of this rose window. Which My Love bought me a few years back. It's my favorite piece of jewelry. 

If you live in the area, you should definitely consider checking it out... they're limited edition! At the time we found them two years ago he had only made ten and we purchased the third one. Seriously if you want to order one, contact me at jessica.anne.aiduk@gmail.com! They are absolutely simplistically beautiful and super unique!

I was contacted by someone a couple years back who had found some of my pictures of this church online... they were really thankful to have a visual of the church where their great-great-great-grandparents were married right before they immigrated to Pennsylvania! 

Other fun facts... The Straus brothers were born in Otterberg. Isidor and Nathan would eventually acquire ownership of the Macy's department store. Isidor served as a Congressional Representative. He and his wife Ida died on board the Titanic. Their other brother Oscar Straus served under President Theodore Roosevelt as the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. 

There's also this plaque in the church. Julia helped me translate it... it reads, 

"In honoring memory of

Friederike Bauer born in Otterberg on 11. April 1811 died in New York on 3. March 1893

Katharina Bauer born in Otterberg on 2. November 1814 died in New York on 27. May 1880

After being baptized and having their first communion in this house of God, they carried His Holy Spirit to a faraway country and because of their noble life changes they left a priceless heritage to their heritors.

Hung up in faithful memory and deepest respect as a fulfilment of the longest desire by the sons and nephew

Leopold Schepp"

I think it's super unfair that my girls are growing up thinking it's normal to call a church like this "our church." They've crawled around on it since they were babies, and now they think it's "theirs!" 

Which is cute. 

But seriously. This church has generations and generations of history. And my kids think it's theirs ;-) 

It doesn't really matter where I walk in my village - to my hairdresser Nina, to the Kindergarten to get the girls, to our favorite bakery, to any of the restaurants in town - you can't help but see this church. It's presence is everywhere. 

It's been watching over this village for almost eight centuries! 

The bells ring for weddings, funerals, special occasions, etc. But every single day they ring at dawn and dusk. 

6am and 6pm, without fail.

There's a comforting rhythm to this church. A rhythm to match the rhythm of the centuries that it's watched over. Every day, twice a day. Remember. Remember who you are. Remember where you came from. Remember your faith. Remember community. 

This church is so big that it makes me feel small. And yet it's a comforting feeling. 

It's a beautiful reminder of history, human achievement, and personal faith through the centuries. 

Thanks for taking the time to check out the first installment of my "home sweet home!" Be sure to tune in to the rest of the gals for their stories and photos from around the world! 

Start here with Anna Franken!