Harry Potter and the Skirt from Malawi

On opening weekend, Erin and I went to a ($6!) 11 a.m. HP72 showing (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, not the Hewlett Packard 72 ink cartridges). It was bittersweet. As the title appeared on the screen, I thought "this is it." A decade in our lives is over, but it ended beautifully. Ian hasn't seen it yet, so no spoilers.

After the movie, we headed to Haymarket for some cheap produce. On our way, we ran into the African Festival of Boston in City Hall Plaza. Summer in Boston is full of interesting events. It almost makes you forget how long winter lasts. Almost.

We wandered through the market, but ended up in front of handcrafted textiles. (Not surprising. Erin and I's last husband free afternoon involved fabric and paint.)

Linda, director for MicroLoan Foundation here in the States, talked to us about the organization. The textiles at their booth, crafted in Malawi, came from Desenyo, a company founded with one of their microloans, which support African women in a wide variety of industries. She told me about their new project to bring in a tomato processing plant, ensuring the microloan-funded, tomato-farming women have a dependable market to sell their produce. Then I saw a flash of orange and blue. I peered around the corner — a volunteer was modeling a wrap skirt. I happily traded my birthday money to take it home.

Textiles tucked in our bags, we marched on to Haymarket.

Two hours and $9.50 later, I walked away with a pound of strawberries, two pounds of bananas, a container of blackberries, one pomegranate, two avocados, eight limes, and a bundle of leeks. Erin fared just as well. Of course we had to eat most of that in two days. Haymarket produce shelf life is not long, my friends.

Erin — thanks for a great Saturday!

Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass

For our birthdays, my family gave Ian and I a membership to the Museum of Fine Arts. The museum is huge and amazing, and impossible to squeeze into one day. We're looking forward to wandering through on our own time, without the pressure to squeeze every penny out of a $25 ticket.

Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass is one of the current exhibits (through August 7). I've been a fan since seeing the wheat-inspired orange Chihuly chandelier at K-State's Beach Museum of Art. After constant reminders via T ads, we finally planned our art date after [REUNION] a few Sundays ago.

Of all the modern art galleries we've experienced (only a handful) Chihuly seems the most accessible. People talked, photographed — Chihuly "invites visitors to take pictures for personal, non-commercial use," and examined each piece from every angle. And it was breathtaking.

A shoulder injury 30 years ago left him unable to blow glass, so he hires craftsmen to execute his vision, which he communicates through paintings. Some of these were on display. I was inspired by his process — using tubes of paint as loaded brushes, and how his paintings capture the movement of the glass art it informs.

The exhibit closes soon, but the MFA is raising money to keep the lime green icicle tower in the Shapiro Family Courtyard. I have my fingers crossed for it to stay.

Anna+Ian in the DR: Anna's story

As we've prepared for the DR these past several months, we've reserved time to share our stories. And we thought it only fitting to share our stories with you, our partners in this journey. Ian's story coming soon.

My journey to faith started with my family - my parents served as missionaries until they had me. When I was six, I “prayed the prayer,” and was baptized a few years later. A few years after that, most of my classmates started partying, and in a small town, peer pressure runs high. But God blessed me with an amazing best friend and a supportive and passionate youth group. Together we were okay being different. When I left for college, my faith became my own. I plugged into a new church - not because of family or friends, but because I chose to pursue God. I don’t have a big sexy testimony where God saved me in some dramatic way, but I do know how faithful he was in blessing me with the support and community that allowed me to pursue him. God honored my parents’ faithfulness and prayers.

My journey to Boston started when a nearby town’s show choir toured northwest Kansas high schools. I knew several of the guys thanks to joint youth group mission trips, and they selected me for a serenade. This cute curly-haired boy was the soloist. A year later and my freshman year of college almost behind me, I found out he hadn’t forgotten me, and was coming to K-State in the fall. Three years later, he proposed. We spent eight months in Philly for his internship, then returned to Kansas for his final year of school. He graduated when the economy tanked. Thanks to a classmate he had a lead in Boston, and we felt a growing call to the city. We waited. And waited. It was a big lesson in patience and trust. He eventually got the call, and right before Thanksgiving 2009, we moved to Boston.

Our journey to [REUNION] started with two friends who lived in Boston: a high school youth group friend going to seminary, and Ian’s friend at the office. Both went to [REUNION], originally without knowing the other one did. We figured it was a good place to begin our church hunt. On our first Sunday, we had a quick conversation with Hank about the huge need in Boston, and we met the Naumans - architects. It felt like home. We started getting plugged in, and the rest is history.

My journey to my job started with a plan to hunt once we arrived in Boston (I’m an English major with passions but no career aspirations). A few months later and still no job, we were nearing the end of our emergency fund. Ian had to work over a weekend, so I joined him at the office instead of moping with another season of Alias. Ian read an email from HR - the office needed a temp during the receptionist’s maternity leave. I applied and interviewed. They turned me down as a temp, but offered me a full-time administrative assistant position. God provided, with perfect timing, a job that more than fills that gap in our finances. And I love it - I organize for other people, and am part of the office social media and web site efforts. Plus the regular hours leave me plenty of time for blogging.

Our trip to the DR started with a desire to serve God together. I’ve experienced the joy of serving others through several mission trips - house building in Mexico, outreach in inner city Chicago, school improvements on a Navajo Indian reservation, and relief efforts in Pascagoula, Mississippi a year after Katrina. Ian and I also knew that while we both were pursuing God, we were still learning how to do that together after serving apart, in different communities, for so long. On our first Sunday at [REUNION], we heard about the DR trip, but weren’t ready to commit. Over the next year we learned more about the Vargas family and their partnership with [REUNION]. We heard the stories and saw glimpses of the community through photos and video. We realized we each could use our own talents and gifts to meet different needs. But we’ll be serving one community together.

the day barbeque came to Boston

A few weeks ago we joined John and Erin at the Phantom Gourmet BBQ Beach Party. Because excellent barbecue is hard to come by here in Boston.



Erin was smart and purchased cheap tickets in advance, but Ian and I were stuck buying tickets at the gate ($10 per person just to get in = ouch). As we waited in line, a guy walking past handed us a ticket for two. He'd apparently bought a pack and had extras ($0 per person just to get in = amazing).



We met John and Erin inside, assessed the options, then formulated a plan of attack.



We each took an assignment. Erin: Aussie ribs + shrimp. Anna: Texas brisket. Ian: pulled pork. John: sausage.



We reconvened in the beer garden to snag a table (only later did we find the non-beer garden seating), which was a little too close to the speakers blasting Savage Garden. But chatting took a back burner to the food. Notable was how much I enjoyed the "shrimp from the barbie" since I'm not a big shrimp fan. Good call Erin!



Stuffed with meat and sauce, we headed away from the music to the plaza with a perfect view of backstage.



We marveled at the piles of meat and contemplated what to do with the rest of the day: stay all afternoon for barbecue round 2 at dinnertime, or wander around the North End. Since the only entertainment seemed to be a midsized Ferris wheel, we opted for the latter.

We first headed to the Harbor Islands Pavilion, where Erin and I had fun in the gift shop with the scallop puppets while John and Ian talked shop.



Hanover Street was our next destination, and we arrived at Modern Pastry (our first visit) just in time to see a gigantic wedding cake go out the door. After waiting in a ubiquitous North End pastry line, we ordered cannoli and cupcakes.The cannoli are a bit smaller than Mike's, making them a more manageable one-person dessert, and John was impressed with the red velvet cupcake.



We indulged as Erin got her bargain face on at Haymarket ($23 for around 20 pounds of produce). Thanks to Boston Organics, Ian and I had a stocked fridge, but we did pick up 3 pounds of tomatoes for $2. Haymarket can be a bit overwhelming for an mildly obsessive–compulsive introvert like myself, but they offer great deals, especially at the end of the day. (Tip: bring cash in small bills.)

Full of barbecue and mascarpone and laden with corn and fresh herbs, we hiked back to the green line and headed home. Thanks to John and Erin for the invite to a great day downtown!

July 4, 2011

Boston's summer is short. In fact, I wouldn't even say it started until a couple weeks ago. You can tell because it's humid now. Snow followed by cold dampness, followed by a hot sticky mess. But then Boston celebrates the Fourth of July (possibly my favorite holiday thanks to a July 2 birthday). And the weather doesn't matter anymore.



After a late lunch with some friends, we headed to the [REUNION] tarp on the Esplanade. Sarah, a July 5 birthday and Independence Day fan, and her husband Paul set up at 5:30 a.m. to reserve a space larger than most downtown apartments. This space is on the lagoon directly in front of the barge. The one with the fireworks.



We played cards and chatted with friends until the 1812 Overture — the non-televised fireworks teaser. This year I felt a little like I was watching Britain's Parliament explode. Thirty minutes later, the pyrotechnics began in earnest, choreographed to music. My favorite pairing was the Tinkerbell-esque green lights that danced to Owl City's Firefly.








And then it was over. I can't wait until next year.

Click here to see all of our photos from the Fourth.

(P.S. one of our photos was included in The Pioneer Woman's "YOUR Fireworks Shots!" post!)

happy 4th!

We'll be on the Esplanade tonight, watching the fireworks (on CBS at 10pm EST). Hope your holiday is full of friends, family, fun, and fireworks!

Anna+Ian in the DR: fundraising & Pastor Luis

With the trip just under a month away, we're fully funded! Once we finalized the team's airfare, our cost came out to $1700 each. Thank you SO MUCH for your support. Partners, you'll be receiving your postcards in the mail soon.

Thursday, a small group of us Skyped with Pastor Luis — [REUNION] does this on a semi-regular basis but it was the first time schedules allowed Ian and I to make it.

Even in a grainy image with choppy audio and a language barrier, his joy shined through. He was so happy to see us — to meet Ian and I, to catch up with others. We asked if they are still selling ice cream as a side business. He laughed and said no, their two sons were eating too much of their profit margin. We also joked about him joining one of our GO contacts in a marathon. He said he'd have to stop eating before he could even start walking, and we teased the new truck is making him lazy. It's amazing to see this partnership, this friendship, to fulfill God's mission. He and his family work tirelessly, and it's a blessing to be able to encourage him. I imagine this is, in some small way, how the churches supporting Paul felt.

We asked if there was anything he needed that we could bring with us, and he suggested a simple digital camera. If you have one you don't use let us know!

Please continue to pray for the trip, our team's health and safety, our impact in the DR, and for the Vargas family's ongoing ministry. And you can still donate medical supplies and warm weather clothes.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact either of us, and/or leave a comment below. You can also learn more and see photos and videos from past trips at www.reunioninthedr.com. We'll keep you up-to-date here on the blog via our A+I in the DR page (linked in the menu above).

Thanks so much for your generosity toward God's work in La Mosca!

(read the previous DR post here.)

thankful list | June

01. fruit
02. the library
03. chocolate mint
04. walks on the Greenway with Ian
05. knowing when, and when not, to freak out about tornado watches/warnings
06. pretty flowers making their way to our apartment after a fancy work party
07. finding my makes-me-cry-it's-so-good burger
08. the 16 days Ian and I are the same age
09. getting to know my dad in grad school
10. finishing the month with real summer weather after a cold and rainy start
11. celebrating our engagement anniversary with a Pomplamoose show
12. a week with family
13. our proximity to the ocean
14. the color green

continuing a writing habit

Today I'm guest-posting for my inspiring novelist friend Katharine while she and her husband Marc take their five kids on a cross-country adventure via minivan.

Katharine squeezes writing into her homeschooling schedule — note the five kids — in 10-minute increments. Keeping with the spirit of 10 Minute Writer, I’m sharing my story of how I’ve integrated my passion for writing with my own life. Head over to 10MinuteWriter.com to read the rest.