History + Instagram = Us

Hello all,

Toby and I both have a healthy (and sometimes unhealthy) interest in history. He, being a history teacher, is all about certain events and time periods and is keenly interested in wartime eras...specifically the Civil War era and events. I, on the other hand, am an English major and my history interests are based on the books I've read and the time periods they came from (such as the Victoria and Edwardian eras...in British history of course).

Well, Toby has been watching a documentary on The Civil War by Ken Burns and has therefore been kind of obsessed with all things 1860s. Some of you may remember this obsession beginning this summer on our road trip to Delaware. So needless to say it has been months of researching Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and the various jackets that they wore (because he LOVES jackets) and boy has it been entertaining. In light of all this, we embarked on a little instagram project: #civilwarportrait.

We basically posted photos of ourselves that we edited to look like old photographs and made up stories about who we were. They were not serious, just kind silly/funny. Whether others laughed or not, we were totally dying making this stuff up. Before anyone gets all bent out of shape, just know that we are not like "yay we loved the horrific war where many died and there were horrible things happeneing". No. We just like the time period and are fascinated by certain individuals. We are an interracial couple so let's not even go there with the race card.

Just had to say that, so you guys know what's up.

Anyways, here are out photos!

In January 1862, Colonel Theodore Manolis led the great charge up old Pike's
Hill, only to fin there was no one there to fight.
"Some said it was God's providence, others said it was just poor map navigation.
Either way, they took the hill and won the day."
--Colonel Theodore Manolis

As the war raged on in the winter of 1862, the wife of Colonel Theodore Manolis
kept the home fires burning and hope alive on the homefront.
"My Dearest Theodore,
although I hear the cannons and shudder at their power, I think to myself,
"well, this washing won't do itself," so I do it. And that gives me hope."
--from the letters of Brooke Manolis

Colonel Manolis and his wife along with his officers and staff of the 25th regiment took this photograph prior to the assault on Old Pike's Hill. All pictured survived.
"Although joined by war and not by blood, we were a family. But when we got to the top o' Old Pike's and realized
we were on the wrong hill, Old Manolis nearly had a mutiny on his hands...which of course was all pretend...in reality
we were happy to still be breathin' the Lord's good air for another day."
--PVT Gabrielle Basa, 25th  Regiment

Haha! And there you have it.

~B~

A year in review: 2012 insta-style

Hello all,

Well, today is the first day of 2013. I don't do resolutions because I think anytime's a good time to make changes in your life, so why wait a whole year? This past year has, well, it has been pretty difficult. I won't lie to ya. With Toby's new job, ministry, me being a student and working part-time it has left us stressed and down at times. Many things have happened with family, friends and just in our own personal lives that have left us speechless. But there have also been AMAZING moments where we were absolutely happy. My point is, every year that comes or goes has it's major ups and major downs...and some years have more of one than the other. But in all of that, we grow in ways we never could if it had all been sunshine and roses ya know?

This year I have had this image of Toby and I being on a ship at sea. I know, it sounds corny but hear me out. In the ship, there is a man at the helm that is taking us deeper into storms and into the wind-tossed sea. He never moves and he never speaks, he just keeps sailing further into the great tempest before us. Toby and I, oddly enough, don't run and hide but we stand on deck and get blasted by the wind and the waves. With each storm, however, we grow less afraid. We know what to expect. We are homesick and ready for the storms to cease, but we know how to weather them.We are sea-worn sailors, weary but capable, and our mysterious helmsman steers on into wild waters that test our courage. There is a poem that many of you may know by Lord Alfred Tennyson called "Ulysses" that I feel describes us. Maybe not in its entirety (because we are not old kings haha) but in how we feel now:

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are---
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Though we may be weary, we will keep pursuing. Though we have been tested, we will not fail. Though our hearts are heavy, they beat on still. This is how we enter the new year. With a warrior's heart and with a hope that whispers of good things to come. I hope all of you, no matter what kind of year it's been, can enter this time with hope and courage, ready to face the world with confidence that only God can give.

 And now, for some pictures :) 12 photos of memories for the last 12 months!

I went back to school in Januray 2012.

My cousin Meredith came and stayed with us and we had a blast! Also, a side note: this amazing coffee shop pictured
above tragically closed down not long after this and I JUST FOUND OUT. A moment of silence please.

I turned 25. Holy crap. (forgive the grainy quality of this one)

We started a family...well...a garden family that you can see here and here.
Don't get too excited yet :)

Visited my family in Dallas, TX.

Visited family in Delaware in the summer and it rocked! (Part 1, 2, and 3)

We got to play at an amazing music festival in North Carolina, on Toby's birthday!

Moved into our new and lovely apartment!

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and created fort bebe!

Went to the set of the hit TV show The Walking Dead that is filmed only an hour from us!

Had Thanksgiving in Texas for the first time in a few years!

And finally, we just got back from Delaware visiting Toby's family! (post to come)

Have a great 2013!

~B~

Crossing The Delaware: Part III

Hello all,

'tis the final chapter of our road trip paradise, and honestly this is my favorite part...THE FAMILY!

We drove up to see Toby's mom's side of the family and boy are they great! Full of life, fun and crazy...so we get along swimmingly. I never had a chance to meet them until now so it was a real treat and I adore them all. It's nice when families can be friends too. We went to see movies, swimming, fishing, thrifting, cruised the Capitol and had a cocktail or two ;) they also held a little reception for Toby and I and also for his cousin Benny and his wife Alyssa. Ashley (another fantastic cousin) made the cakes and Amber (yet another fantastic cousin) picked out our cake topper. As you will see below, it was hilarious and sweet. Anyone who can link childhood wrestling (yes, wrestling) memories with a wedding has my respect. All in all it was wonderful to meet and connect with new family and there are already talks of a wintertime visit! YAY SNOW!

Enjoy the pictures and talk to you soon,

Brooke

P.S. We actually DID cross the Delaware while we were fishing! So cool. And also, sorry about the photos being super out of sequence. I added them via iPod so it screwed it up somehow. until we get set up in the new apartment (yay) it will be less than perfect. Oh well.

Uncle Pete's fishing boat!

The breakfast Toby made for me one morning :)

mmm, summer days at Aunt Beth's pool. Miss it already!

Herr's chips! He is a happy man.

The little town of Middletown, DE.

Queen Anne's Lace. One of my favorite blooms, even if it is a weed. Beauty in simplicity, I say.

This little creature befriended me (Chase, by name) and was always by
my side. I miss his sweet little face.

The biggest fish of the day!

Toby making breakfast.

Ok, so I was OBSESSED with this movie all throughout my childhood
and could quote every line. When I saw this movie score record at Goodwill
I flipped out! I wish I had a record player!

This is us on the way home when we stopped at the battle site at Fredericksburg, VA.

Toby kneeling by the original wall built during the Civil War.

WE'RE ON A BOAT! lol

L to R: Toby, Amber, Me, Ashley, Bud aka the 4 horsemen...even though there is five of us lol. All we are missing is our beloved SARAH, Toby's amazing sister. (Check her out on instagram: nalismo)

Another from Fredericksburg.

The participants: Uncle Pete, Toby, Bud, and Me. Poor Bud only caught this poor little
fellow, which sucks, because he is an excellent fisherman. But it was HILARIOUS. I caught the most
and Toby caught the biggest. Pete gave moral support as the most seasoned of the bunch :)

The cloud factory on the river! JK, its just a nuclear plant, but we decided that it was a cloud factory.

THE CAKE! Ok, so the family gave us a belated reception and the
amazing cousins made the cake. Toby and them LOVED the wrestler Sting
back in the day so he and another fabulous wrestling lady adorned our cake.
It was super funny and sweet...in a childhood memories way.

Crossing The Delaware: Part II

*This post was written while in Delaware but I forgot to post it. More later!

Hello all,

First off, let me just say that this trip has been amazing and so refreshing! I have gotten to meet family from Toby's side and they are crazy and fabulous. I love them all so much! I will post about our time with them later, but now onto part II of our trip!

On Thursday we traversed from Middletown, DE to the great Washington D.C. for a day trip with Uncle Charlie and his son...who is also Charlie (but affectionately referred to as Bubba or Bub). We walked all over the city as the sun brutally melted our flesh...but boy, did we have a good time anyway! We went to the Capitol and took a tour which was so neat. There is just so much history there! Toby was like a little boy in a toy store, running around with his camera snapping shots and shooting videos and imagining Abraham Lincoln giving his presidential speech. It melted my heart a little.

We also went to The Museum of American History and The Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian. That totally blew our minds. We could have stayed in each place for a week. We saw lots of cool things!

Forgive the photo overload, guys. I went picture crazy, and this isn't even all of them! I hope you enjoy them!

Brooke

Abraham Lincoln's hat that he wore the night he was assassinated.

Dorothy's slippers from the movie!

Our nation's capitol...e pluribus unum.

One more.

Touring the capitol with the fam.

An actual part of the Berlin Wall inside the Smithsonian. Amazing.

The boys in front of "the castle" part of the smithsonian. Silly Toby.

KERMIT!!!!

Cool pic.

Museum of Natural History! NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM! lol

The Rotunda. The tour guide KEPT saying this word and I kinda wanted to punch her in the
face. We're in the rotunda. I get it.

Haha. So many emotions.

Sweet, history loving Toby taping and narrating to his heart's content.

More taping.

Crossing the Delaware: Part I

Hello all,

Our first stop in our adventure was the Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia. Toby is a U.S. History teacher so war sites are something that come with the territory. Neither of us had ever been to a Civil War battlesite, and as we were driving through Virginia we decided to give it a go.

It's crazy how places like that take on an attitude of their own...almost like the earth itself remembers the brutality that took place there. I know it may sound silly, but there really is a deeply sad feeling around these kinds of places. It's odd to see such a peaceful, serene landscape and know that it was once filled with the final pangs of death and sacrifice. It was a moment of pause by no mistake.

As a history teacher, Toby was an excellent tour guide as we traveled the grounds. The infamous "crater" is found here and that is what we were so eager to see. This failed union attack resulted in a brutal Confederate victory, even though the Union did eventually take Petersburg.

I'm doing these entries on the road so that the memory stays fresh...this also means that they may not be perfect entries because I am not on my home computer (often times it's via my iPod) so the pics may be a littla out of sequence, bla bla. I have said it before though, this blog is for preserving memories and for enjoyment and update purposes, so my heart will not be broken if I have a less than perfect post, I hope you understand :) Enjoy these pictures and see you on the next part of the trip!
See y'all soon,

~B~


Sad and beautiful tree next to the crater.



I love this shot.



The crater itself! STILL THERE!



The road to the crater. That's a fun trek in 90 degree weather.



More of the crater.





My hot husband standing in front of the "earthworks" built in part by the Confederate soldiers and then by the Union soldiers, after they defeated the South.



Makeupless and loving vacation! This is soon after I was suddenly stricken with heat sickness and had to run to the bathroom, haha. Whoops.

 More later!

~B~