The Saints Go Marching....

The Kartause kids had their All Saints Day Party Yesterday, and I intruded for the sake of nostalgia. I wanted to put a skirt on my head and pretend I was some obsure holy virgin martyr too: only propriety held me back. I hate being grown-up. I am not even a big kid anymore! The All Saints day party used to be the highlight of my fall as a kid. I remember laboring for weeks and weeks on the perfect saint and costume. Do you girls remember the year we were sick in Oregon and we missed the homeschool party? I was so bummed! And then we had our own party, and Dad even dressed up in a bathrobe and had cornflakes falling from his eyes? I have a picture up in my room of all of us (except dad, who took the picture apparently), in very holy postures, Katherine trying not to laugh and failing and me not even trying. Caitlin and Kika Asci

Francesca (Kika) Asci as St. Elizabeth

A blurry Mrs. Asci doing the Limbo

trick-or-treating in the dorm

My buddy, Aris Kalpagkian, (I think he is dressed as a saint-eating-colloseum-tiger). Aris calls me 'suitcase', with a lisp. I feel privileged - any girl in my position would be.

Paul Hess and Vince dropping the limbo stick

Prof. Healy (Art), having a chat over some cheerios with with one of the Cassidy boys in a markered beard and one of the Asci boys dressed as Pier Giorgio.

Ave's Barbara enjoying two saintly little girls

Elijah, or just Eli. Probably one of the cutest kids on the face of the earth.

And now, more pictures of my Kartause. I know, ya'll are probably getting sick of my same old view out my bedroom window, but it still gets to me every day that I am here, and sometimes I just can't help but grab my camera and immortalize the moment in some way.

Monday morning, I opened my eyes at twenty past six, and thought I woke up in a perfect dream for a moment, then realized that no, this dream was real life. I really do live here! I really am a princess in this castle! I grabbed my camera to capture the moment. It doesn't, but you get the idea. The air itself I swear was a golden pink and is utterly indescribable - a color like the ones Elizabeth's Eger's sister describes, but is rarely if ever seen.

And these while I was reading philosophy in my bedroom, sitting on the windowsill- enjoying the still warm November air, smelling the smoke from the woodstove that heats the water in the building, and just soaking up the sunshine. Ahh, life is good.

The leaves are almost entirely fallen. Book mountain in the background, is nearly barren of the stunning color of three weeks ago.