Springtime
Well it is finally springtime in Durham. One week its a late start due to icy roads and the next its 70 degrees and gorgeous. We are currently experiencing the popcorn-tree stage and the daffodils are out and the birds... oh the birds. I've been thinking lately of a poem I memorized in 2nd grade. One Friday a month we had a thing called "Poetry parents and punch party" where we'd recite poems we had memorized and our parents would come and watch and we'd all have some juice. I don't remember many of them, but this one has stuck with me through all the years for some unknown reason:
Little bird outside my window
I can hear you in my room.
As you daily serenade me
And eradicate the gloom.
Your chirping is the sweetest
That my ears have ever heard
It awakens me each morning--
ZIP YOUR BEAK UP LITTLE BIRD
Our apartment backs up to a wooded lot, which is beautiful, but also full of small woodland creatures, big fat squirrels, and birds who have been been waking me up earlier and earlier in the morning. 4 AM is about the time I usually get awoken by them and sometimes am able to get back to sleep. Matt somehow sleeps through the chirps, but I'm never able to escape it. It SUCKS.
ANYWAY, other than that spring has been wonderful. Here are a few things we have been up to:
Our own little Hayley bug, Katie & a new foreign exchange student from Russia named Ilya, came to visit us for Pi-day weekend from New Jersey. It was a tricky weekend deciding what the HECK to do in the rainy weather, but we managed and had a lot of fun in the meanwhile. We made our first trip to Duke since we've been here to see the gardens and the chapel. We will definitely have to go again in sunny weather, but it was beautiful regardless. I made a reese's pie with nutter butter crust, which was a little TOO rich and delicious (still worth it), and Matthew made his famous... Marie Calendar's apple pie in the oven. Bravo.
It was so fun to have all of them. We seriously love visitors. Best quote from their visit:
Katie & Hayley were teasing Ilya about something...
Elise: Ilya, you are such a good sport.
Ilya: I am... tennis?
One of our new favorite places: The Pit. SO GOOD. We took the wee high schoolers there when they came to visit
Duke Gardens on a rainy day
This little cottage is a BATHROOM. CUTEST BATHROOM I'VE EVER SEEN.
Katie wanted to throw a little danger and risk into our trip and decided to pet this giant goose... while still keeping her fingers. Which she did!
Beautiful duke tower. Reminds me of hogwarts :)
Trying out the swords in a weird shop
Reese's Pie
Little bird outside my window
I can hear you in my room.
As you daily serenade me
And eradicate the gloom.
Your chirping is the sweetest
That my ears have ever heard
It awakens me each morning--
ZIP YOUR BEAK UP LITTLE BIRD
Our apartment backs up to a wooded lot, which is beautiful, but also full of small woodland creatures, big fat squirrels, and birds who have been been waking me up earlier and earlier in the morning. 4 AM is about the time I usually get awoken by them and sometimes am able to get back to sleep. Matt somehow sleeps through the chirps, but I'm never able to escape it. It SUCKS.
ANYWAY, other than that spring has been wonderful. Here are a few things we have been up to:
Our own little Hayley bug, Katie & a new foreign exchange student from Russia named Ilya, came to visit us for Pi-day weekend from New Jersey. It was a tricky weekend deciding what the HECK to do in the rainy weather, but we managed and had a lot of fun in the meanwhile. We made our first trip to Duke since we've been here to see the gardens and the chapel. We will definitely have to go again in sunny weather, but it was beautiful regardless. I made a reese's pie with nutter butter crust, which was a little TOO rich and delicious (still worth it), and Matthew made his famous... Marie Calendar's apple pie in the oven. Bravo.
It was so fun to have all of them. We seriously love visitors. Best quote from their visit:
Katie & Hayley were teasing Ilya about something...
Elise: Ilya, you are such a good sport.
Ilya: I am... tennis?
One of our new favorite places: The Pit. SO GOOD. We took the wee high schoolers there when they came to visit
Duke Gardens on a rainy day
This little cottage is a BATHROOM. CUTEST BATHROOM I'VE EVER SEEN.
Katie wanted to throw a little danger and risk into our trip and decided to pet this giant goose... while still keeping her fingers. Which she did!
Beautiful duke tower. Reminds me of hogwarts :)
Trying out the swords in a weird shop
Reese's Pie
Also MARCH MADNESS! It has been CRAZY living in the Duke area this time of year. Sorry to all the Duke haters, but I was definitely pulling for Duke this year. When like 80% of your ward is Duke students... it tends to rub off on you. We had lots of fun watching games with friends and competing in the Humor U ESPN Bracket. Speaking of which...
2ND PLACE!! WHOOP WHOOP!! Most importantly, I BEAT MATTHEW!! May NEVER happen again but the first time my husband and I are in a bracket together and I totally kicked his butt!! Maybe not kicked his butt but I beat him. BAM.
Also, our friends Isaiah & Marie from our ward have the CUTEST little girl, who is our very favorite Duke fan. We and Matthew have a lot of fun playing with little Annabelle.
Heading out to Pittsburg next week to see my Rachie come home from her mission! Only a few more days!!
Duke looks cool. But still BOO DUKE! And that pie looks good! And I want that bathroom! And I got second place in my bracket too! haha totally lucky. And I like that poem especially because you used to make bird noises with your bird book in your room when we lived in Wyview and me and Rach and Chels thought they were actual birds haha
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