Sorry, I haven't had a chance to write a proper recap yet, but our NYC pictures are up here!

back from the big apple

We’re back from New York, and it was divine! As soon as we upload our pictures, I’ll post a few and share some fun tidbits. It was an amazing vacation, and our concert in Carnegie Hall is a memory I will never forget. Right now I’m adjusting to the fact that I most decidedly do NOT live in a big city (sniff). And to add insult to injury, the SATC movie premiere and after-party are taking place right this minute mere blocks from where we were, just yesterday! Boo hoo. How I would have loved to catch a glimpse of the pink carpet...

thrilled!

I'm not trying to start a debate here (though I'm up for it if you are), but I am absolutely ecstatic about this.

And to the spokesperson from Concerned Women for America, who had this to say:

We know that it's in the best interest of children to be raised with a mother and a father. To use children as guinea pigs in radical San Francisco-style social experimentation is deplorable.

Whoever you are, I invite you to come spend one day in my office with me. Hell, it won't take a full day. Maybe two hours, tops. And after you've seen what a damn mess a mother and father can make of a child's life, I dare you to say that a loving same-sex couple cannot offer a better home. Anyone who is capable, nurturing, and mature can be a good parent. Gender has absolutely zero to do with it.

raindrops on roses & whiskers on kittens

Leia and I had a moment last night. We've been on the outs lately, mainly due to her recent pooping problem. We got a new kind of litter recently, and she really doesn't like it. (It's noisier/crunchier than the old kind, and we think she doesn't like not being able to sneak in and out of her litter box as usual. She prefers stealth.) Therefore, she's gone on strike and has pooped twice on the laundry room rug. Our kitties normally have impeccable bathroom manners, so this is very unusual and VERY ANNOYING. (And, obviously, we'll be getting more of the old litter soon.)

Last night, though, I was awakened by a loud clap of thunder, and then Leia came tumbling onto our bed and immediately snuggled up to me. It was just like that scene in The Sound of Music when all the kids come running into Maria's room because they're scared of the thunderstorm. She climbed onto my chest and I stroked her until she fell asleep. We stayed like that for an hour, maybe two (unfortunately, I couldn't get back to sleep, but that is another story). Maybe I should have sung "Raindrops on Roses" to her... but I didn't want to wake Seth up.

happy (belated) mother's day!

I hope all of you had a wonderful day yesterday. I am well aware that this holiday is a painful day for many—whether because of family strife, loss of one’s mother or child, fertility challenges, or something else. It is a difficult day for my own mother, who has lost two children, and a difficult day for many I know who want children desperately, who have lost their own mothers, or both. Certainly there is much good reason to praise the moms of the world, but society seems bent on ignoring the rest of us for whom the day might be more painful than not (as I learned yesterday at church, brunch, & Costco in turn).

Still, to closely paraphrase the words of a friend of mine, I believe that all of us women are ‘mothers’ that need to be celebrated. Just as a mother would wrap her arms around her child when they need it, I am trying to wrap my own ‘arms’ around a friend, loved one, husband. Just as a mother teaches and shapes her child’s mind, I strive to find something to contribute to everyone who asks for it. So, to all the amazing women in my life (mom or not!)… Happy Mother’s Day!

input wanted!

As you may know, Seth & I are going to New York City in 12 days! We are VERYVERYVERY excited about this. Not only will we be spending 5 days in the Big Apple together, we will also be making our Carnegie Hall debut singing Faure's Requiem. I think I may be a teensy bit more excited about this than Seth, considering he may very well sing at Carnegie again and I will most certainly not. At any rate, we are really looking forward to our trip! We've both been to NYC before and have done all the really touristy things, so this trip will be more of a walking-around-and-eating-lots-of-food-
and-maybe-going-to-a-museum-or-two kind of excursion.

And that's where you come in! What are some of your must-visit places in NYC -- attractions, restaurants, shops? Here's a partial list of some things we've heard we have to try. Any other ideas?

* West Village (Magnolia Bakery cupcakes, Amy's Bread, Rocco's for black & white cookies and cannoli)
* Carnegie Deli?
* Cafe Europa?
* Le Pain Quotidien
* A fancy restaurant one night -- maybe Gramercy Tavern or one of Mario Batali's restaurants (Babbo, Otto, Lupa) or Artisanal, which I hear has a cheese list to die for)?
* Gray's Papaya hot dogs (because Fools Rush In is one of my favorite movies)
* Sarabeth's for brunch?
* The Boathouse over the rowboat pond in Central Park -- I'm told that getting a glass of wine & a cheese plate there is a wonderful way to relax in Central Park

(Um... does it seem like maybe all we're going to be doing is eating? A friend of mine also told me about a fabulous handbag consignment shop, and we plan to spend some time at the Met or MoMA, too. And we're hoping to see either Wicked or Avenue Q on Broadway... in between dinner and our midnight snack, of course.)

new piano, part II

Seth, after playing a bunch of songs on the piano: Huh. Who'd have ever thought that practicing, like, works?

all in a day's work

Here's how Seth & I spent our Sunday. (Well, first there was church, followed by lunch at the Flying Star with Michael & Justine, dear friends of ours from Minnesota who are now in grad school at Michigan State. They were passing through en route to the Grand Canyon and it was mighty fabulous to see them again!)

Anyway, we must have been inspired by being around Pianist Extraordinaire Justine again, because when we got home we decided to tackle our new piano. Recall that it used to look like this:

You can see that the wood grain is kind of nice, but, hopefully, you can also see that a lot of the wood is sort of banged up and, well, it just needed some TLC. After a few many hours with the power sander, stripper, and some high-gloss oil-based paint, it now looks like this:

(We also decided to paint over the manufacturer's name because, well, we had never heard of it before... and yes, we considered lettering 'Steinway' on it with a gold Sharpie, but that just didn't seem classy.)

The finishing touches: the stool I've used for cello playing since about 3rd grade, and a bunch of framed photos of us and various musicians in our lives -- some of our teachers & conductors, my brother, and an empty frame waiting to be filled with a picture of the two of us at Carnegie Hall in just two weeks! (Yes, I had that many empty picture frames lying around... it's very sad. I know.)

We are very proud of our project. Hey, it's definitely not the most spectacular instrument I've ever played on, but you get what you pay for (it was free) and there are worse ways to spend an afternoon. And it's getting a lot of use already -- as I write this, Seth is playing/singing tunes from Les Miserables and an old John Denver anthology (why do we have one of those?!*). I predict it will fill our home with wonderful music for years to come.

* ETA: Seth has just informed me that my mom gave us the John Denver anthology. Oh dear.

I'm going to end my posting frenzy today with a few product recommendations! If you are my husband, mother, father, or a former roommate of mine, you already know that I am something of a marketer's dream. They could wrap cat poop in a pretty package with a classy font and write it up in In Style Magazine as the latest must-have and I'd probably buy it. (Yes, I realize that this conflicts with my beliefs about consumerism and stewardship and yes, I'm working on it.)

Anyway, here are a few things I've been loving lately:

• Neutrogena Rainbath Shower & Shave Body Wash: 2-in-1 body wash and shaving gel! It lathers up well, it has a "marine scent" (read: summer), it saves time. What more could you want?

• Method Home Le Scrub Bathroom Cleaner: I am a huge fan of Method products in general (it's rare that my love of buying yummy-smelling potions in cute bottles is also good for the planet). Anything that makes cleaning the sinks and tubs pleasant is a plus in my book.

• Trader Joe's Chile Lime Chicken Burgers: Great on buns or chopped up over salad greens. Come to think of it, I love most things from Trader Joe's...

One more picture, because I think this is one of the most adorable shots in the history of photography. I think they should put a "Kitty Tongue Pink" in the Crayola box...

a couple of amusing pictures

So check out what Seth did to our garage in his spare time...



To get the logo so precise, he made it into a transparency and borrowed an overhead projector from our neighbor (a 7th grade teacher). Oh my.

And thanks to our church choir director who was looking for a new home for an old piano at church, here is our new (to us) piano! It needs refinishing, but that didn't stop a certain little boy from thinking he would make some music...

welcome to our new home!

Welcome to Team Hartwell! The title of our new blog is probably self-evident, but I'll add a little story to up the cuteness factor. As most of you know, we met at music camp (yes, we tell everyone we met at band camp) where we quickly learned we'd be working together as the Dean and Associate Dean of Students. From day 1, we worked beautifully as a team. Every time we discussed how to approach something (a student discipline issue, how many sundae toppings to buy for the ice cream social), we'd often end our conversations with "Go team!" When we got engaged (a scant 6 months later), we started calling ourselves Team Hartwell. I guess the rest is history?

I told Seth I thought it would make a great name for our new blog. His response: "We'll get t-shirts."

We thought a blog about our family -- currently consisting of the two of us plus our adored kitties, Luke & Leia -- would be a fun way for our family and friends far and wide to keep in touch. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into our lives!