20k milestone.

I just reached the 20,000 word milestone in my novel. I started with 10,000, so I've only written about that much, but with Candlelight season upon us at Biltmore and everything else I have going on I'm pretty proud of myself. :)
Here's the cover art I've designed for The Chancellor's Daughter.

Hopefully, I'll be able to update again soon.

i think i'll give it a try.

Wish me luck.

autumn whispers his presence here.

I've been meaning to write for about a week now. Everytime I'm on the computer I go to my blog and sigh to myself, knowing I haven't the time to write all that I would want to. I did as much today when I sat down, but I decided that some writing is better than no writing at all--so here we are.
I'm still quite content with my job at Biltmore, and am still getting used to everything my head must contain in order to adequately perform said job, but I still love the fact that I get to work at such a richly historical place. I've been actually working inside the house for the past few days, and I absolutely love being able to do so. I get to go behind ropes and discover faster ways of getting from place to place where guests are not allowed, it's rather exciting.
I've also been quite enjoying the days that I have off. I go to work with Jeremy in the mornings at the Black Mountain Moments, and enjoy a latte made special for me by my husband, and a good read whilst taking in the usually misty mountain mornings. The eminent coming of autumn is most palpable on those mornings, particularly the misty ones that require light jacket and scarf--my long lost loves during the torrid summer. These mornings allow for peace and slowness, something not so readily available at work--except perhaps those early morning walks from my car to Biltmore house, though the times passes too quickly and I am swept away into the bustle of preparing for the day's guests. The slow mornings on the wooden porch next to my love are the days that keep me going through all the cumbersome days to follow--I look forward to my latte, book, and time to think and write that I need so badly to stay sane. I have recently taken my hand to poetry again, and trying forms on for size. I wrote a ballad for the coming autumn that I think I'll share, just to spur on the arrival of my favorite season.


Autumn Abides

Autumn whispers his presence here.
It's the smell on the crisp breeze dancing in my curls dark,
The harvest moon rising vast and bright through the halcyon sky
Hailing the brilliance of autumn before sinking to winter's stark.

The crisp grows chill as necks and arms are covered.
Mountain winds blow from the distant peaks.
Clouds shroud the valley in an otherworldly mist
Sailing deeper into autumn's boreal weeks.

Trees quiver in the chill air.
Leaves sway to autumn's musical shade.
A firelight of colors blaze in the canopy,
A flicker of beautiful death before the colors fade.

Autumn whispers his presence here.
It's the smell on the crisp breeze dancing in my curls dark,
The harvest moon rising vast and bright through the halcyon sky
Hailing the brilliance of autumn before sinking to winter's stark.

Autumn abides in this mountain valley
Colors of vermilion, sweet orange, and gold here dwell.
Regal purples join in the serenade of hues,
All vivid before ghosting to the ground in one final quell.

Evening comes here in sun and season
Deep blue colors the landscape and the mind.
Autumn's twilight arrives as Boreas blows stronger,
But my heart is bound to autumn as fast as any can find.

Autumn whispers his presence here.
It's the smell on the crisp breeze dancing in my curls dark,
The harvest moon rising vast and bright through the halcyon sky
Hailing the brilliance of autumn before sinking to winter's stark.



Breathing in Autumn's arrival,

Caitlin

vanilla black tea. [weekend with my love]

I drove the two hour drive to Townville, South Carolina, on Friday afternoon to retrieve my stone mason husband from the rock pile. When I got there he was up on his scaffolding laying rock about ten or so feet above the ground. He was on a roll so he kept laying for a while, and I went back to the car, rolled down the windows, opened the sunroof, and read The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell for about an hour, basking in the sun and letting the warm breeze play in my hair as it passed through the windows. After a while I walked back behind the house to see how Jeremy was coming. He had already laid another seven or so square feet, including a huge rock that he put on the wall by himself that was probably about 100 pounds. I chided him lovingly for laying that rock by himself, "I'd like to keep you in working order a while longer," I told him playfully. He finished up securing the rock in its place, which required almost a whole bucket of mud, then we went back to the cabin, he showered, we gathered his stuff, and started back home with smiles on our faces, and hands entwined as he drove the two hour trip that always seems shorter when I'm with him, and longer when I'm going to get him.
The weekend was another lazy one, full of movies and a couple meals at Las Cazuelas, but a perfect one because I was with him. I think in the entire weekend we watched seven movies: Tropic Thunder which Jeremy loved and thought I would enjoy more than I did; Crank because Crank 2 is coming out and we both like Jason Statham; Run Fatboy Run with Simon Pegg, another one of our favorites, a hilariously funny and sweet movie--high recommended; Yes Man was a perfectly Jim Carrey movie the way we remember him in The Mask, hilarious; Bedtime Stories was another cute one with Adam Sandler and his typically goofy antics; Doubt was wonderfully filmed and acted, though the closure was nonexistent and the climax was a bit anti-climactic; and finally The Duchess which I had seen before, but wanted to see with Jeremy as well--great costumes, hair, make-up, and Keira Knightley, but an awfully adulterous story--though still worth seeing in my opinion.
We are movie people. And the fact that I get free rentals for working five hours a week at Movie Gallery helps too.
On Saturday we enjoyed the afternoon together with our spaniel, Cael, always at our feet. We grilled out, and I made my delicious honey mustard, avocado, caramelized onion burgers, and also made a bowl of mangoes and pineapple flavored with a honey-lemon glaze and lime zest, as well as grilled asparagus with lemon. Yum. Jeremy helped me prepare everything then when it came time to grill the burgers we both went outside, tied Cael's leash to the house to let him prance around us (though he mostly just ignored me yelling "Cael, don't eat grass!"), and we enjoyed the Spring weather as Jeremy smoked his tobacco pipe and his new Black Currant tobacco, which smells divine. It was a wonderful dinner, as well as wonderfully handsome company.
Another interesting thing we did this weekend was going to look at a couple houses that are on the market. We are thinking about moving out of our current apartment and moving into Black Mountain or Swannanoa, and we decided to look at cheaper houses since it's so frustrating paying rent that goes towards nothing. We'd rather be spending money every month that's actually doing something for us. Anyway, we found this great little house in Swannanoa, and are praying about what God will have us do. Nothing is for sure yet, we are just exploring our options and trying to figure out what happens next. So do pray for us if you think about it.
So all that being said, I had an amazing weekend with my husband and now that he's gone again I miss him already, and hope this week passes by quickly so I can keep myself in his warm embrace for another weekend.
On a closing note, this song has meant a lot to me since Jeremy has been gone as he has: "Set Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright. (I've added a Song of the Week application to my blog, so you can hear the song here this week.) Also, I purchased Snow Patrol's new album A Hundred Million Suns which is quickly becoming another favorite of mine.

Enjoying my tea, but not my husband's absence,

Caitlin

english afternoon tea. [early march]

I realize it has been longer than I usually allow between blog posts, and for that I am sorry. Though I think the only person that has really suffered because of it has been myself, and my own writing. As I take a sip of my English Afternoon Tea in the late evening instead, I try to think what I should write here in this post. I'm torn between having too much to say, and really nothing to say at all. Yes, things have happened, and yes I have been affected by them in both negative and positive ways, but what is really worth taking the time (and the effort--does anyone know how difficult it is to type with an overgrown Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in your lap, who does not want to lay down peacefully, but sit up and look around, so that you have to type around him, and not be able to see the keys at all?--I didn't think so.) I do love my spaniel though--he and his dewy-eyed "I love you" face have been some of my few comforts during the week as Jeremy is away toiling with rock and stone. Yes, Jeremy is still away Monday through Friday down in South Carolina doing stone masonry. I am ever so proud of him, but I must admit that it's hard going to bed each night knowing that not only will I not be able to fall asleep beside him, but I won't be able to wake up next to him either. Though the fact that I miss him is sometime unbearable, I will say that him being away during the week makes the weekends when he comes home all the more wonderful. We both tend to overlook petty things that would have otherwise made us miffed with one another, and just revel in the two short days that we can enjoy each others' company before he rides off into the sunrise again on Monday morning. He is doing well in SC, and though is horridly tired in the evenings after a full day, sunup to sundown, of stone masonry, he soldiers through the week and comes home stronger in body and mind, and ready to be with his wife.
Another interesting and quite exciting piece of information from my last week or so is that I have finally decided that, indeed, I want to continue on and get a Master's Degree, and have also decided that I want to study Irish History in Ireland or Northern Ireland. Once I realized that was what I wanted to do, it was easy to reconcile to because of how obsessed I have been with my Irish heritage and anything Irish for the past 5 or so years. I am really excited about this development and am ready to get things going on it, we must save money and wrap things up where we are first. Plus, Jeremy is going to go to seminary in Scotland before I continue my education in Ireland. So, who knows when God will have us there, but I think we'll be trying to head that direction in the next two or so years.
On a final note, this past week I have been entranced and reveled in the the book The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. I finished it yesterday and it has quickly risen to the top of my favorite books list. Thanks to my lovely friend, Chelsea, for lending me yet another wonderful novel.

Still sipping,

Caitlin

apfel schorle. [travel day.]

Today Jeremy and I traveled back from a three and a half day vacation from our vacation to visit my sister-in-law Meghan and her two lovely dachshunds, Lola and Bella. She lives in the Altstadt in Heidelberg, a short walk from the main street, and right across the river from the fortress on the hill--which is also visible from the living room window. So, this being a rather exhausting traveling day on numerous trains with the temperature outside never rising above zero, and the fact that I'm in a rather climactic part of Foxmask--the prospect of curling up with my book next to my space heater of a husband sounds better than discussing the last 10 days in full right now. I hope to follow this post up with a more substantial one tomorrow. Just look at it as something to look forward to. Here's a photo to tide you over, taken from the lower courtyard of the Heidelberg castle.

chai tea. [in Deutschland]

I really did mean to write a short "I'm going to Germany!" post before I left, on the request of the pixie, but I ran out of time. But now all you lovely readers are just yearning to hear of my travels. Well, yearn no more.
Firstly, let me say that Jeremy and I are safely in Germany, at my parent's lovely house in Velburg, set up on a hill which overlooks the enchanting village that stretches into a gorgeous landscape of rolling hills and fir forests.
Though everything in Germany has been gorgeous so far, everything dusted with a layer of fine snow, the trip here went far less beautifully. It started out well enough, with a drive from Asheville to Charlotte with Rachel in Baquito (Rachel, I apologize for murdering the spelling of your car's name.) Even getting through security at the airport and waiting for our flight went smoothly, as I wrote in my journal, pretending to pen brilliant things. Once we were on the plane, it was a different story completely. Jeremy and I were unfortunately separated by an aisle, he has an aisle seat next to a British man by the window, and I has an aisle seat next to an Indian father traveling with his wife and daughter. That was upsetting, but what made it even worse was that we were some of the last people to board the plane, and so my carry on bag was in the overhead compartment about three rows behind me. This turned out to be a problem when I went to get out my book and ipod from my backpack; I tried to get everything out without taking my entire bag out of the compartment which would then cause other people's precariously placed bags to come tumbling out, and also risk my huge water bottle to come crashing down upon the lady below me. As it happened, while I was trying to find Wolfskin at the bottom of my bag, a jacket that belonged to the lady below me fell out and into the aisle, not on to anyone, mind you. The lady gave a huge huffy sigh, and looked up at me and said all snarky, "Why don't you just take your bag back to your seat, instead of just digging through it above my head?" At which point I said, taken aback, "I trying to avoid anything large from falling out on to you." She snapped back, "Yeah, well that's what I'm worried about." She was so rude, and I was so stressed already because I wasn't sitting next to my husband, that I just grabbed my ipod--no book because the only one I could frustratingly manage to find was Foxmask, and I tore back to my seat fighting back tears which came in full force as soon as I sat down in my seat--too far away from Jeremy for my liking. I refused to go back there, so Jeremy went and got my book for me later in the flight, flashing her a sarcastic smile as he rummaged above her head. I love my husband.
We also had to sit about an hour and a half in the plane because we were too heavy to take off on the runway we had been originally assigned, and to wait for a longer runway would have been a two and a half hour wait--so they unloaded some of our cargo. Jeremy and I were secretly hoping they would unload the drunkenly loud girl from Chicago that had been annoying our eardrums for hours at that point, but alas, no luck. Anyway, once in the air the flight went really well, even though the Indian man next to me was blaring his music that entire flight that all sounded remarkably like "The Nipple Song" (look it up on youtube, I promise it's not scandalous.)
Now that we're here, and have now taken a nap because we just couldn't help it, I feel better because the flight is behind me-- I am going to request that someone switch seats with either Jeremy or me so we can sit together on the flight back. My parents house is wonderful; I'm so happy for them. Kitty is fat and lazy, and makes me miss Cael because he's so much more friendly than Kitty.
So, within the next couple days I post again with some photos, and more stories--hopefully not so traumatic.

Prost,

Caitlin

ichor red tea. [all hallows' eve]

I just wanted to wish my lovely readers a very terrifying All Hallows' Eve, and a happy Reformation Day while I'm at it.







"On mounting a rising ground, which brought the figure of his fellow-traveller in relief against the sky, gigantic in height, and muffled in a cloak, Ichabod was horror-struck on perceiving that he was headless!--but his horror was still more increased on observing that the head, which should have rested on his shoulders, was carried before him on the pommel of his saddle!"
--The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving

black currant black tea. [harvest time]

This morning heralds the end of my Fall Break, which is rather unfortunate--but it also ushers in the latter half of the semester, which means I'm only about six weeks away from graduation. As much as I do not want to go to class this morning, I must think of what is to come, and why I must go. This has perhaps been one of the best ones I have ever experienced. I read the entirety of Son of the Shadows, and loved every page of it; and I also began Child of the Prophecy, which is the next of the trilogy.
Yesterday was perhaps the best day though. Jeremy and I went to church at iSight, which was quite fulfilling, then came home and made and had lunch with Laurel, Jeremy's sister. After Laurel left we went out to find pumpkin carving tools, candy corn, and some pumpkin ale. Jeremy brought home three perfect pumpkins the other day, and we spent all day together yesterday carving pumpkins, toasting pumpkin seeds, listeing to Irish music, and eating candy corn. It was so great to spend a day with Jeremy, laughing, and joking around, and just being together having fun. I love carving pumpkins, and he surprised me the other day when he brought them home, like they were flowers. I was so excited. It was just such a pleasant time with him. We each carved one of our own, then I traced one, and he carved it while I made dinner. Can you guess which one's which?
We then watched The Village, which isn't terrifying, but it's as scary as I tend to venture to see. I love that movie, it's so thrilling--but I realized the real reason why I love it is because of the relationship between Ivy and Lucius. It's beautiful. There is this one scene where their town is being invaded by dangerous mythical creatures who have not breached their borders in many years, while everyone is terrified, running inside to their safe places beneath the floor boards, Ivy, who is blind but also one of the more capable people in the village, is standing on the front porch with her hand out, waiting for Lucius. She knows he will come for her, she has a faith in him that is so pure and so sure that she risks her life as one of the creatures is coming for her, but before it gets there, another hand firmly grasps hers and leads her inside. Lucius had come, just as she knew he would. It it's just such a beautiful picture of the kind of trust two such people should have in each other, they are not engaged yet as of that scene, but they do become so later. It really is the ultimate image of a blind faith, as cliche as that might be.
Spending time with Jeremy yesterday was so enjoyable, and reading books with such strong, faith-filled love, and seeing The Village last night really made me appreciate him all the more. We are so wonderful for each other, and it's beautiful to see our relationship strengthen, and our lives grow intwined with each other, creating not just two people perfect for each other, but eventually, one heart beating in a steady, never-ending cadence of devotion.

Not caring how sappy this post seems,

Caitlin

black currant black tea.

I sit down this evening, hot tea in hand, perfectly sweetened with honey and a bit of milk, and face a night by myself. Jeremy has gone camping with his good friend, Billy May, for the night, so it's just Cael and I. It makes a bit nervous because I haven't spent a night by myself since before I was married, but at the same time, it'll be nice to have some time to myself to read, write, or whatever. Overall, I look forward to my solitary evening, but am not looking forward to a night in a bed by myself.

I have now finished, (as of yesterday morning), Daughter of the Forest, and have already been loaned a copy of the next book Son of the Shadows. I have begun the second book, but am trying to hold off until Fall Break to continue reading because I have midterms to study for next week, and need the extra time I would be reading to study.

Tomorrow I meet with my Snippets again, and look forward to it. I haven't written too much this week, but did overcome the obstacle of writing my hero's character analysis. I have learned much by sitting down and answering questions in his voice, and I am excited about what else I'll found out about his character. I'll probably try to write a bit tonight, so I can bring in some new stuff to read to Chelsea and Laura tomorrow morning. Well, I'm about to finish my tea, make myself dinner, then bathe Cael (wish me luck).

Until tomorrow,

Caitlin

cranberry apple zinger tea.

I write late today because of a couple reasons. Firstly, I worked tonight at Cheshire Fitness Club, I man the front desk--greeting the members, and membership management type of position. Secondly, I am so enraptured by the book I'm reading: Daughter of the Forest. I have been reading in every second of spare time I can find.
I love finding a book that so captures my attention that I can scarce put it down. They have been few and far between the last couple years. Not to say I haven't read books that I haven't enjoyed; I have, especially those I must read for my Bible classes. But to find a book that so pulls you into its story that you find yourself doing things that are part of its plot--that is special. Like with my book, the protagonist, Sorcha, cannot speak for the majority of the book, for if she does, hers tasks will be for nothing, and she will lose her brothers forever. I find myself, while reading, hesitating to answer Jeremy's questions for a moment, or pausing before I speak to Cael, my puppy.
To find a fantastical world in which you become an inhabitant, even if just for a moment, being able to escape the toils of everyday and immerse yourself in a good book is something that is so necessary sometimes. I thank God for the ability to plunge into a good book, and be swept away with its adventure, love, danger, and happily ever after.
Now excuse me, as I get back to being silent with Sorcha.

Until I steep next,

Caitlin

madagascar vanilla red tea

Jeremy just went out on a run, and I figured now would be the best time today to sit down with my cup o' tea and write. One of my dearest friends has recently spurred me on to read Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, she said it would be right down my alley. She was right. I have scarcely been able to tear myself away to go to class. (Don't worry, Mom. I did.) The story is so engrossing, and I relate to the protagonist, Sorcha, so well. The fact that it's set in ancient Ireland helps too.
Sorcha is the youngest of six older brothers, before she was born she was thought to be a seventh son or a seventh son, but she turned out to be a girl. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father turned into a shell of a man at her mother's death. Sorcha's older brothers raised her, and thus the seven of them have a incredibly strong bond between them. I'm to the point in the story where an evil woman has bewitched her father into marrying her, and has turned Sorcha's brothers into swans. Sorcha must complete a seemingly impossible task, taking her perhaps years, to break the enchantment. She suffers night and day for the brothers she loves so much, and is never allowed to utter a single word to anyone, especially about her story.
I'm not even halfway through it, but I'm loving it. The connection and love she shares with her brothers really tugs at my own heart. I have three older brothers, the youngest and only daughter of my parents. Luckily, no such tragedy has befallen my family as it did Sorcha's, but I cannot get over her relationship with her brothers. They love her so much, and hate that they are the cause of her sufferings, but Sorcha is glad to be helping her brothers. Yes, she suffers, but it's for the people she loves best. I would do almost anything for my brothers, and I know that they love me as much as I them, and it's neat to put myself and my brothers into this story. Stephen would be Liam, our fearless leader, stoically sensitive in his own way, but has an authority no one questions, and a love obvious through all he says. Drew would be Conor, wise and mature beyond his years. Learned in many ways, skilled in many arts, and also a leader in his own rite. Jake would be Padriac, the most sensitive and kind of all the brothers, cherishing all living things, and skilled with his hands. I would be Sorcha, though she more skilled than I in her way, we do both love our brothers well, and that is the biggest similarity I see between us. Family comes first, and I do wish that my brothers were all nearer to me, I miss being able to gather together as a whole family. I am thankful I have my Jacob close to me though, for he has been gone for a long time. Drew is not so far that I couldn't see him if I needed to, but Stephen is halfway across the world from me, and I miss his immensely. I pray for his, and all my brothers, safety everyday in the hope that in the coming future we might be able to be all together again, relishing in each others company and good humor.

Continuing to sip my rooibos tea,

Caitlin