getting accustomed tuite

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[ashleytuite-blog]

giveaway winner

how fun to hear from each of you! maybe i should do giveaways more often so i can get lots of fun comment emails popping into my inbox?

thank you for reaching out and sharing your thoughts. i loved your comments about life around the table. it is such a sweet way to share life with one another.

so, i have randomly selected a winner with my mad excel skills and sweet jenn downs is the lucky winner!! (so fun to hear from you, jenn!). 

the rest of you: go get bread and wine! and, enjoy shaua's super simple dark chocolate mousse recipe below.

simplest dark chocolate mousse (adapted from Bon Appetit)

ingredients:

2 cups (1 pint) chilled heavy cream, divided 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) dark chocolate chips 3/4 cup honey

instructions:

stir 3/4 cup cream, chocolate and honey in saucepan over low heat until smooth. cool for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

in a separate bowl, beat 3/4 cup cream to soft peaks. fold cream into chocolate mixture in 2 additions.

divide mousse among 6 glasses or ramekins. refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

whisk the remaining 1/2 cup cream to firm peaks. spoon a little bit of cream on top of each mousse. top with a couple berries, or just serve the fruit alongside.

serves 6. 

[ashleytuite-blog]

the table

we've had three sets of guests around our table this week in the midst of two full work weeks, cherry blossoms blooming all over this town, my baby brother's wedding approaching in a short seven days, and other life busy-ness. you may think i've lost my mind, but i think the book bread & wine: a love letter to life around the table is getting to me.

one of my favorite authors, shauna niequist, released her latest gem this week and you need to go get it.

image from shauna's instagram

among the many things i love about shauna, my most favorite is her ability to write as if she and i were sitting on a porch chatting over a glass of crisp white wine on a warm spring day or a frothy cappuccino in a cafe in the middle of winter or on a couch in my sweatpants and blankets with diet cokes in hand. i feel like we're friends. and, i bet a lot of other people do as well.

want to know why?

her books are raw and honest, casual yet profound. she engages your story while sharing hers. she talks about creativity and hope while acknowledging her struggles, really universal struggles. she's funny and makes me laugh out loud. she's also accurate and relevant in her insights on our culture, faith, food and family, dreams and secrets. she was born a writer and is, in a word, inspired.

bread and wine is about taking time to slow down and invite people in. it's about the joy in both botching a recipe and sharing it with friends and the joy in getting one just right and sharing it with friends. she talks about how food affects us in a multitude of ways but, even more, about how the experience of sharing it changes us. 

what people are craving isn't perfection. people aren't longing to be impressed; they're longing to feel like they're home. if you create a space full of love and character and creativity and soul, they'll take off their shoes and curl up with gratitude and rest, no matter how small, no matter how undone, no matter how odd....it isn't about the perfection, and it isn't about the performance. you'll miss the richest moments in life- the sacred moments when we feel God's grace and presence through the actual faces and hands of the people we love - if you're too scared or too ashamed to open the door. 

so, this week, we listened to shauna and tried. our house was filled with conversations about tiger woods and jesus and beets and dates and zebras and weird things and honest things. about anxiety, about working, about tiredness, about peace. our lives were rich and robust because of the experience of sharing bread and wine with our friends. oh, and shauna's chocolate mousse too!

rush out and grab a copy. it will make you laugh and cook. and, hopefully inspire you to share your life with those you love around the table.

since it's your lucky day and because i feel like shauna and i are friends, i will be giving away a copy of bread and wine. if you comment on this post, consider yourself entered. i'll let you know who wins in the next few days.

[ashleytuite-blog]

dellarobia teaches me about transitions

it's been awhile. i've missed this space and the opportunity to reflect, share, dream, write. i want to promise i'll get better, but i'm not sure that i will. perhaps once i learn the rhythms of this new season? we shall see. but for now, i want to share what dellarobia taught me.

dellarobia is a small town, west virginia girl. she grew up in a world where many options were not offered to her. she was smart and driven, but knew there weren't great expectations on what she would do with her life. so, she resigned herself to it. she lived on a plot of land her inlaws lent her family (herself, her high school "sweetheart" and her two kids), she had one friend, she made tuna casserole. she lived the simplest of lives. 

at least until the day everything changed.

to make a long story short, the world's population of monarch butterflies landed in her backyard one night and she discovered it. both a miracle and a scientific mystery, the butterflies drew the attention of the town, then the media, and eventually a scientist who had studied these creatures his entire life. the scientist set up camp outside of her house with his team, offered her a job, and gave her something to dream about, hope for. 

dellarobia is the protaginist of this book: 

her transition and transformation captivated me. and, in some weird ways, i related to the transitions she was going through.

"the idea of that mountain dragged down, and  a certain world with it, was becoming unthinkable to dellarobia. her life was unfolding into something larger by the day, like one of those rectangular gas-station maps that open out to the size of a windshield. she was involved in a way, with those scientists." 

dellarobia and i are two completely different people. her choices were different than mine. her outlook on life is not like mine. her marriage, her goals, her family, her world. but, her transition seemed universal.

don't we all go through those situations where we are changed? those times where we just know we can't really go back to exactly how we were before?

perhaps it's when you meet that special someone. perhaps it's when you experience the loss of someone close. perhaps it's when you take the first [fill-n-the-blank] class. perhaps it's when you go to nicaragua for the first time. perhaps it's when you move to new york city or drive a car or buy the skinny jeans that just seem to change your life. 

i've had many of these moments in my life already. but the most recent, and maybe the most profound, was moving to copenhagen for a year with my best friend. it changed me. i can feel it in my bones. i learned a lot about myself. i grew. my heart and my mind and my passions were expanded. i cried lots of real tears and burst with deep laughter frequently. renewed, refreshed, and full of the best perspective i had been able to muster in years.

so, when we moved back to our apartment and i was unpacking our boxes and putting the plates in the exact same spot they were in before we left, i felt weird. am i going back to the me that felt a lot more stressed out and stretched thin? do i have to squeeze back into the person i was before i left? it felt like i needed to in a lot of moments. felt like the "mountain [was being] dragged down" and i had to adjust.

it's only when i found myself frustrated with dellarobia's defeated attitude and willingness to think about just shrinking back into her old self that i realized what she taught me: 

transitions show you how you've changed and how God is shaping you for your good. like my girl dellarobia, transitions make you nervous. particularly when you've had a season that's expanded and changed you. but, the truth is, on the other side of transition, you're able to look back, at times in wonder, on the ways you've grown. that's a good feeling.  

now that we've been back for three months, i feel fully acclimated to dc life. i am soaking in the monuments and the friendships, our families and our church. i can get through the grocery store just as fast as always and don't feel like saying "tak" every time i say "thank you". i am loving the long walks on the capital crescent trail, late nights at  martins, baked and wired cookies, my job and the ability to work. i am back to normal and it feels right.

putting the plates back in their assigned seats made me feel like i had to forget this past year and just return to life pre-copenhagen. but, it couldn't be more different. i am seeing dc with rejuvenated eyes and it looks pretty darn good.

[ashleytuite-blog]

culture shock is for real

before we moved back, i was told re-entry culture shock is more pronounced than the culture shock you experience when you move to a foreign country.

my reaction: of course, that's stupid. i'm an american. i lived in dc for five years. how could i experience culture shock in my home? 

transitions are never a piece of cake. usually there are bumps and questions and uncomfortable moments in transitions. i assumed that these would be there but it wouldn't be culture shock that made me feel unsettled. please. 

(had to find my best smart alecky picture - pretty good, right?)

wipe that sassy look off your face, girl. you were wrong. plain and simple. 

one of the most palpable indicators that re-entry culture shock is alive and well has been my adventures at the social safeway (our gigantic local grocery store where you see everyone you know, hence the name). i have been pacing around the store, the same store that i've clocked countless hours in and could have told you the aisle and shelf for most any item, like a kid lost in a candy store. one thrilled to have the freedom to choose between twenty-two types of diced tomatoes and one completely paralyzed by the choice. "$.79 but doesn't say low sodium, $1.23 but adds basil, cento v. safeway brand, 14oz can v. 28oz can." you have to understand that i had two choices of diced tomatoes in copenhagen and i couldn't even read the label so i just got diced tomatoes. i've wandered up and down the aisles looking for items i used to be able to find with my eyes closed. an hour and a half later, i walk out with dinner, dazed  and utterly unable to make another decision for the rest of the evening. what's happening to me? and, why is it that food has been the hardest adjustment all the way around?

admittedly, it's gotten easier over the past few weeks. the food, the political discussions, the pace, the taxis, the clothes, the january days that feel warmer than copenhagen ever felt, the eye contact with passersby on the street, the ability to understand every conversation in a coffee shop  - we're getting used to all of these very normal things again. and, it's weird to me that i needed to adjust to them. it's the only way of life i had known. why does it feel different? why was my i-think-i've-got-it-figured-out self put in my place on this one?

my theory is that when you move to a foreign place where you hear danish being spoken everywhere and the temperature is freezing and your living situation doesn't feel like home and you have one pseudo-friend, you need to adjust drastically and quickly to get by. i had to shift to a "danish" lifestyle. while i don't make any grand assumptions that i had it figured out like the danes do, i did have to learn to live in their country. i had to learn about their stores (and forget about the social safeway if i didn't want to be depressed all the time), adjust my clothing to battle the cold, learn to ride my bike everywhere because that's just how you get around, make real friendships with the very people i now call to talk about my crazy culture shock, eat different foods and embrace them, get as comfortable as possible with a new city so that the feeling of missing home wasn't so strong. so, we shifted our lives to denmark. otherwise, we wouldn't have made it.

don't get me wrong. this wasn't some sacrificial change or shift to living in "ol' denmark that's not nearly as easy as the US for poor ashley and tyler." not at all. we completely loved, adored denmark. we shifted initially for survival, but we continued to shift overtime because it was lovely - to put it simply.

what i didn't realize in the process was that i quickly unlearned a lot of things that were normal to me in the US. shopping centers, grocery store shopping, driving (or at least sitting in traffic...),milk that lasts three weeks in the fridge and the preservatives in it that didn't settle so well with our systems when we first returned, reasonable pricetags, jumbo sized "tall" lattes at starbucks (thank you!), and many other great, neutral and not so great things. things stand out and, oddly, can feel a little foreign. 

but, you know what it really feels like deep down? it feels like home, a home that we're re-learning, re-discovering. it feels like real life. it feels like i woke up from a dream or a dramatically extended vacation and am back where i need to be for now.  we love this city just as much as we love copenhagen. there are different things to love and different modes of transportation and different sounds, smells. but, it's good to be home. culture shock and two hour grocery store visits and all.

[ashleytuite-blog]

the homeplace

it is now january 22nd and i am updating the blog for the first time in 2013. wow. not a good start for this new year. but, there's been quite a bit going on. a bit to get accustomed to so to speak. we are back in dc and settling in so expect to see more 2013 thoughts in the coming weeks. _____________________________________

i sat in her living room, her in pop's chair and me curled up on the couch, listening to the story of how they met and fell in love and how he promised her boss that he'd buy a car from him if he encouraged the cute secretary to agree to a date with him. she told me about their families, eight children on her side - she the youngest - and four on his. we talked about how if someone were to write a book about their lives, it would be a bestselling three part (at least) series. we drank our coffee and laughed and dreamed about their lives when they were my age.

she kept telling me about the homeplace. the homeplace was where she grew up. pop had one too. it's just what they called their parents' houses - the homeplace. 

i love that she calls it that. and, it's jumped out to me over and over in this transition. we're back in our homeplace. her meaning, an actual house. our meaning,  dear friends living down the street, family a short drive away, baked and wired cupcakes and chaider (chai tea and cider!), grandmothers and their stories, babbling and waddling best friends' babes, mexican food, charlottesville just down the road, cheap beer and gigantic grocery stores and walks along the potomac and billy martin's tavern. the monuments replace the castles. family trips replace euro adventures. mexican food replaces herring and smorrebrod (not like i ever ate those anyway!).

the homeplace is good. 

for me, i am realizing how much depth and growth there is in the unfamiliar. we changed, we were stretched. but, i am also realizing how much comfort and joy there can be in the familiar. 

it hasn't been perfectly easy to adjust to the homeplace - but, it's been sweet.

here's to 2013 in the homeplace!

[ashleytuite-blog]

out with the old?

as they say, "out with the old, in with the new!" right?

i'm not so sure this year. i loved 2012. it was such a good year filled with joy, laughter, growing pains, culture shock, adventure, hope, tears, some loneliness, life lessons galore, lots of freedom, bonding, and a strong helping of peace. 

oh, and seeing beauty like this whenever i wanted to.

instead of "out with the old", i want to carry all of the goodness and challenges, perspective and depth of 2012 into a bright 2013.

new years bring new beginnings, fresh challenges, renewed goals. those are all things i am looking forward to and will be psyched about tomorrow. but, for now, i want to say thank you to 2012 for being one of the best years yet.

(so much to catch up on with the transition back to the states. more to come!)

[ashleytuite-blog]

bittersweet: an amazing year

i'm enjoying a cup of coffee on this last day in copenhagen and reflecting on the bittersweet emotions our move home brings. grab a cup and join me.

i never envisioned myself living abroad for an extended period of time.  when the opportunity arose, i was excited about it but don’t think i really knew what it would be like.  actually, and in some ways thankfully, i had no idea what it would be like.  i am married to a man who loves adventure and travel.  so, naturally, this year has been a dream for him.

i, on the other hand, am a relatively spastic traveler.

by the time i get out the door, i start to worry about whether the oven is on.  i cooked two days ago but it’s probably, actually, definitely still on.  so, even though we’re one block down the street, i need to run back and turn it off (read: walk in the door, see that it's off and figure out how to come up with another creative way to tell tyler that it was, in fact, off). 

i know it's a little annoying, but i get my travel skills honest.  let’s just leave it at that.

unfortunately, this is not where it stops.  i’m not the best flyer.  so, i usually have a beer or glass of wine or both in the airport before we take off.  this helps, but not entirely.  depending on how many cold beverages i’ve had, i am usually clutching tyler’s arm as he tries to sleep, constantly waking him up (he loves this) and asking “did you hear that noise? are we crashing?”

i’m a gem to travel with.  so, if i had known that we would be traveling twice a month for an entire year, i would have probably suffered from a heart failure anticipating all of the drama.  i wouldn’t have believed that i survived it and turned into a much more skilled and tranquil traveler.  but, amazingly, i did.

as i mentioned, i never pined away for the opportunity to live in a european country like a lot of people do. so, i didn’t have expectations or dreams that i was hoping to fulfill in this year in denmark.  it seemed cool and exciting but i think i was more concerned about what i would do for an entire year in a foreign country.

it blew my mind.

waking up in denmark was crazy enough.  walking to the grocery store and passing castles, winding walking streets, and three quaint coffee shops was plenty to get used to.  not to mention, realizing we could hop on a plane thursday evening and fly to paris for the weekend. 

quickly, the travel bug got into my soul.  once we took our first few trips and saw things like the eiffel tower, the verbier ski slopes, and the vatican, i was addicted.    we’ve traveled to fifteen countries since, seen things we only dreamed of seeing, ordered countless espressos, and altered our wardrobe to become slightly more euro.

traveling expands you.  spiritually, intellectually, politically, emotionally, and, at times, physically.  it’s a whole body, whole self experience.  you see and smell new things.  you listen to opinions more carefully because of the thick yet cheerful danish accent.  you feel cooler temperatures or icy rain on your skin while you bike or the warmth of a cozy restaurant on a winter’s day.  things you’re not quite used to.  you think about how small you are and how much the world has to offer.  you question where you came from while also learning to really appreciate it.  you realize that there are things you want to take with you forever from these rich, historic cultures and things you wish you could share.  you relax.  you have more time, because life in most places outside of the US is a little bit slower.  you pray differently – for friends that seem so far away, for unforgettable moments with your travel buddy, for strength to get through another holiday without your family, and for a refreshed perspective.  you interact with people with a much different framework than you.  you experience a new form of government – eek, even socialism!  you are attuned to everything because it’s all foreign, all so very new.   you take less for granted because you miss the little things.  you try new flavors and textures and eat more root vegetables than you knew existed.  you try restaurants and hole in the wall shops and bakeries.  you are filled yet you crave.  it truly expands you.

i had no idea the european lifestyle would become so addictive, so satisfying. i'd do it again in a heartbeat - i'm certifiably hooked.

but, you know what? i’ve realized something about this romantic life.  it either needs to be your life, meaning you move more permanently to europe, or it needs to come to end.  you can’t live in the in between and without real roots for too long, traveling from place to place.  as much fun as this year has been, we're ready to lay low for a while.  we need to catch our breath.  traveling thrills and inspires, stretches and changes you. but, you can’t wander forever.  

and, that's why it is more than good that we are heading home in a mere twenty-four hours.

oh sweet copenhagen, i'm not done talking about you yet and bragging on all you have to offer. we will miss your colorful buildings, lavish parks, bike lanes and restaurants. we will miss our new, dear friends. we will miss the adventure and having so much freedom to grow. 

(so thankful for these copenhagen friends. you hold a special place in our hearts!)

but family and friends, we cannot wait to see you.

what a year.

[ashleytuite-blog]

lessons from the danes

europe is pretty different from the US. naively, i didn't really think that before i moved to denmark. i knew it was famously more cultured and it had old beautiful cathedrals and it's people wore tighter jeans. but, i figured as westerners, we'd have relatively similar outlooks. i know that's a little weird but it's how i felt. a year later, come to find out, it's quite different. it's taken me about as long to realize the relatively drastic distinctions in our cultural fabrics.

this gray, rainy, either utterly dark or endlessly sunny, charming, northern european country has quite the resume. in fact, denmark has collected an impressive number of superlatives over the last few years: 

the happiest country in the world. one of the most bike-friendly countries in the world. only second to the netherlands for most bikes per capita. third highest marginal tax rates in the world.  consumer of the most candles per capita in the world. world leader in furniture design (most notably chairs and lighting). home to the three-time best restaurant in the world. also home to the two visionaries behind the new nordic food movement attracting worldwide acclaim. currently has the lowest income disparity between the rich and the poor. 

sweet, sleepy denmark has a lot to say for herself. this year, i tried to listen. i listened for lessons, perspective, contrasts, and life clues. i mean, i knew there had to be secrets and treasures to be found. oh, and there were!

i think the best lessons came in noticing the contrasts.

a few years ago, sixty minutes did a piece on denmark to explore why it was ranked happiest country in the world. other than "blondes have more fun" (clearly  the best answer), they came up with a decent hypothesis that rings true with my observations: danes have modest expectations.

at first this may sound like a depressing outlook. "you're telling me they're only happy because they don't expect much?" but, when you think about it, there's a lot of wisdom in danish modesty. when you expect the weather to be average, you're surprised and joyful when it's gorgeous and fully accept it when it's not. i've heard it said a few times this year, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes for the weather." i mean, what an amazing perspective? and, how different from the american mindset?

donald miller spoke about danish modesty in his book a million miles in a thousand years. here's what he had to say:

"if you think about it, an enormous amount of damage is created by the myth of utopia. there is an intrinsic feeling in nearly every person that your life could be perfect if you only had such-and-such a car or such-and-such a spouse or such-and-such a job...[he then contrasts this with denmark, the world's happiest country]...the reason the danes are so happy was this: they had low expectations...there's something in denmark's culture that allows them to look at life realistically. they don't expect products to fulfill them or relationships to end all their problems...i'm trying to be more danish, i guess. and the thing is, it works. when you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are. and when you stop expecting material possessions to complete you, you'd be surprised at how much pleasure you get in material possessions. and when you stop expecting God to end all your troubles, you'd be surprised how much you like spending time with God."

i'm adopting it. or, at least trying to. i think it’s a great life perspective particularly for the ambiguous season ahead. i want to stop putting so many expectations on things and learn to appreciate the season for what it is. i want to stop complaining because things are never perfect. i want to have a more realistic and open perspective on what life has in store while still having dreams and hopes and goals.

another observation. danes are fundamentally egalitarian people. it's in their make-up. it's how they are raised - sort of like how we are taught to say "yes ma'am" and look adults in the eyes and be courteous as children. they are raised to be fair.

there's a crazy phenomenon in denmark that blew us break-the-rules, get-ahead americans away when we first arrived: danes stop at red crosswalk lights even if they are the only person on the street at three in the morning with no car headlights in sight in the pouring down rain in december. seriously. they almost always wait for the little green man to flash before they cross the street. the reason why: it would be saying i am better than "you" (person standing with you at the light or the oncoming car that could come along) if i crossed. 

this is not only manifested at intersections, the fairness mentality is pervasive throughout the culture and government structure. for example, the danish government is absolutely massive to accommodate these ideals. all income levels pay at least half their income to the government, health care is free (and very high quality), education is paid for through your doctorate degree if you want to get it (and you get a salary), each parent receives months of paid maternity and paternity leave for each child, state subsidized childcare is top-rate (and allows 70% of women to remain in the workforce), and the list goes on. the system is far from perfect but it works much better than i ever expected. i am not advocating for danish politics but i mention it to show the contrast. 

what i like is the mindset and how it is instilled in each person. danes want everyone to succeed, to have opportunity. they want to be fair as a people and as a country. of course americans want this as well and we have our own ways of doing it. the difference, though, is how deferential the danes are to one another - nota bene, the crosswalks. i think it contributes to danes being more content, happy people. there is less competition and more of a commitment to working together.  

this just scratches the surface of the differences in the danish and american mentalities - but this post is getting too long. an ocean's distance and a far colder climate and a distinct history have an effect on a culture. while there are lots of similarities, the contrasts are things that i have appreciated. i knew living in europe would expand me and help me understand the world better. but, i had no idea i would want to take so much of the culture back with me and blend it into the one i already love. there's so much more to travelling or living abroad than just noticing the big, beautiful cathedrals. there are subtle, life secrets out there to be discovered. and, it's been a blast doing so in this little haven, my new favorite corner of the world.

[ashleytuite-blog]

christmasville: tivoli

there is no place in christmasville that's more christmasvillesque than tivoli gardens. oh to be a kid again and wander around this magical place. it's a theme park in the center of copenhagen filled with gorgeous flowers, funky birds like peacocks and cold beer in the summer and lights, christmas villages, and hot cider in the winter. it's easy to love. apparently, michael jackson loved it so much he tried to purchase it years ago. he said it was the happiest place on the planet! he was onto something.

this gorgeous walk way is the first thing you see as you enter tivoli. the whimsical lanterns, hanging snowflakes and ornament-filled garland is breathtaking. the people who design the holiday season at tivoli are brilliant.

this russian themed village is adorable to walk through. it has hot chocolate, popcorn, shopping, glögg, and other winter-y, jul treats.

speaking of jul treats, i recently learned about the famous ӕbleskiver. one of my danish friends introduced me to them in tivoli before it was too late. and, thank goodness she did. they are divine. the best description i can muster is a pancake ball. it's not fried. it's soft and fluffy. you dip it in the strawberry or raspberry preserves (blackberry in other parts of the country) and then in the powdered sugar. yum. also, in the picture, you see the white wine glögg.

this has to be my favorite. santa is in tivoli. along with all of his reindeer. his sleigh is there as well. and, the best part is his name is julemand (christmas man!)! i mean, does it get much better? also, according to the danes, julemand doesn't live in the north pole, he lives in greenland. clearly.

dasher? dancer?

the gorgeous nimb hotel is located in tivoli. it is exquisite at all times of year but i love it with the lights for christmas.

there are tiny shops all over tivoli that are only around for halloween and christmas. each house has real smoke coming out of its chimney! 

can you believe this magical fairytale land?

i like this picture. while tivoli has a few major rollercoaster/thrill rides, the rides for the kids are so well done. the swings ride has intricate paintings on its structure. and, you've got to love the glowing lights.

and, finally, these are my favorite lights in the entire park. they are so romantic.

oh christmasville, you charm me. i'm really going to miss you.

[ashleytuite-blog]

christmasville: the traditions

the danes say "god jul" for merry christmas! jul (where we get the word "yule" or "yuletide" in english) traditions have shown up all over this city and i am relatively certain we'll incorporate them into our family traditions for years to come.

my personal favorite is the kalenderlys. it's a candle with the numbers one through twenty-four painted on the side. as a way of building the anticipation of christmas, you burn through the appropriate number as each december day passes. our kalenderlys takes about two or three hours to burn through each number but most are much smaller. 

can you imagine how much fun this would be as a kid? what a great way to count down - seeing the candle get smaller and smaller and watching the days literally melt away. it could also be a perfect way to gather the family together for an advent devotional or advent gift (danish kids get gifts for each day of advent!). you can make you're own kalenderlys by following the instructions here. you're only a few days behind!

next, there's the lyseholder (candle holder) for the juletrae (christmas tree). yes, tis true! danes put real candles on their christmas trees. i think it's absolutely beautiful. i'm going to bring some back to the US but doubt i'll ever have the guts to light them. regardless, they're stunning tree decorations. there's also danish flag garland!

(image)

in keeping with the candle theme (denmark does consume more candles per capita than any other country in the world!), the advent wreath seems to be a classic scandinavian tradition. in the quaint stores where i love to window shop, i've seen lots of supplies for assembling and decorating your own advent wreath. you can get a fresh wreath from one of the farmers market vendors (my choice!) or a wreath made of wood, twigs, feathers, and many other fun things. you purchase candleholders with pegs that dig into the wreath and place the candles on top. then, you add the numbers for each sunday of advent. they come in many shapes and sizes and are usually adorned with berries, ornaments and other decorations. here's ours with fresh pinecones that smell delicious in the center.

finally, there are two tasty danish christmas traditions that fill the season with cheer. 

pebernødder cookies. oh my. these little bite-sized wonders are addictive. they are tiny gingerbread-esque cookies. here's a simple recipe. it's in danish but it's from my favorite bakery - so it's worth the effort to google translate!

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glögg. you may have had mulled wine. you may have even tried german glühwine. but, you've got to try scandinavian glögg. it is absolutely delicious and warms you right up. recipe found here. i'm looking forward to a mug full in snowy tivoli tonight.

skål (cheers) to new traditions! aren't the danes pros at celebrating christmas? now, go make your kalenderlys.

[ashleytuite-blog]

christmasville: the decorations

one sunday evening a few weeks ago, tyler and i walked to nyhavn and, much to our surprise, christmasville was underway. there were cranes and ladders lining the classic copenhagen canal to hang the festive fare. i could not contain my excitement in the least. i was jumping up and down and squealing "oh my gosh, oh my gosh! this is adorable. this is christmasville!!". tyler was equally excited but contained it and said something along the lines of "yeah, it's cute." (he actually loves it.)

it was the cutest, coziest christmas evening ever. there were tiny houses lining the canal, trimmed with garland and lights. each house was a christmas boutique filled with handmade goods and set to open in a few days for the nyhavn jul (christmas!) market. the colorful restaurants were placing tinsel and lights and garland and wreaths outside their windows. there was garland being draped from the boats to the colorful houses over top the jul village below. and, of course, you could still sit outside under the heaters and carlsberg blankets, order a julebryg (special christmas beer by carlsberg), and take it all in.

that's what we did. and, here's what we saw.

it's gotten even more festive as we've gotten closer to christmas.

nyhavn is quintessential copenhagen. it's the postcard picture for the town. of course it's decked out at christmas.

but, i've been so impressed at how exquisitely decorated the rest of the city is as well. my favorite part is the garland-donned streets. there are different types of garland around the entire city.

isn't it magical? i still can't get over it. it makes the cold, dark days feel so manageable.

the garland below is probably my favorite with the garland in the picture i posted yesterday coming in a close second. which one do you like?

overall, everything is perfectly charming. signposts and reminders that christmas is around the corner. if you're looking to get in the spirit, i could not recommend a winter-y trip to copenhagen any more.

[ashleytuite-blog]

advent in christmasville

as we've entered advent, i've thought a lot about what it means to be ready for christmas. i try to pay attention to advent each year and it does my soul so much good. at the same time, it always conjures up varied emotions.

advent is a season of preparing, expecting, yearning for something bigger. for hope and peace. in the process, it's clear that we're just not there yet. we're longing. it brings to mind certain darkness (both literal darkness-it's dark here in the north pole this time of year-and otherwise). i've thought about violence and dissension, betrayal and pain many dear ones are facing.

but, always hope and peace.

it's a season looking toward something to come. something bright and merry. for christmas and santa and family and food. but, really for more than that.

this year, tyler and i are preparing, expecting, yearning for quite a few things. preparing to leave copenhagen. expecting to miss it a whole heck of a lot. all the while, yearning for home. this is but a reflection of advent's posture.

i mentioned in my advent post last year that our pastor in college always used to point out that this season is fundamentally different from the rest of the year. "so, what do we do about it?", he'd ask. "we bring a tree from outside in and decorate it until it is beautiful." we have weird, strange traditions that are designed to stir hope.

oh, sweet copenhagen does this so well. there signposts everywhere that point toward beauty and goodness in the world. things are sparkly, festive, greenery-ed up and candlelit and full, cozy, inviting, fancy, decked to the nines, and simply beautiful. in fact, i've dubbed it christmasville. i've never seen a place shine at christmas like this town. georgetown and new york and countless other cites i've visited at christmas are special. but, this dark, gray, very cold city this time of year transforms into a winter wonderland as soon as the christmas decorations are set. 

so, for the next few days, i want to share danish christmas traditions and the festive atmosphere of the town that i will only call home for twelve more days. join me for advent in christmasville. i have a sneaking suspicion hope and the holiday spirit will catch you.

[ashleytuite-blog]

a concentration camp

against the recommendation of many friends, thomas, tyler and i decided to visit sachsenhausen concentration camp while we were in germany. it's located just outside of berlin and is one of the most desolate, disturbing places i've ever been. people warned us of this, but you can't really imagine how true it is until you step foot on the haunted ground. 

words don't really describe what it was like. suffice it to say, i had a pit in my stomach and chills over my entire body from the second i walked inside. 

i thought helga heinrich said it well, "what an unbelievable crime happened there."

i'll let the pictures tell the bulk of the story because words don't help much.

the barbed wire lined camp walls contrasted with the gorgeous fall leaves was rather eerie. 

"work makes free" on the entrance gate of the camp. this struck me as beyond evil. clearly the work the prisoners were doing in the camps would not bring them closer to any sort of freedom.

the drill field where the prisoners stood for roll call for hours at a time in the dead of winter and height of summer.

all you could do was try to take it in.

the camp walls were lined with electric barbed wire.

dozens of prisoners were crammed into these bunks.

the sign tells it all. horrific.

the bathroom and washroom for dozens of inmates. often they only had minutes to bathe in the morning.

a prisoner's uniform. this made it feel so personal to me. 

the morgue.

execution trench.

the desperately sad memorial at the gas chamber.

as you can imagine, sachsenhausen was hard to see and so deeply sad. it's difficult to even process what actually happened there. i almost felt like i was in a nightmare while we walked around the camp. but, there's no doubt that it's important to see. we all need to remember and to beg God to have mercy on our broken world.

[ashleytuite-blog]

about the company in berlin

as you can tell from my rave reviews, we loved berlin. but, our trip was made by the company we kept while there.

our sweet friend from college, thomas, came to visit us! we met him in berlin and then he came to copenhagen to see our sweet little home. it was fun to see thomas in berlin since he's studied so many famous german theologians in his years of working on his masters and doctorate. and, he knows a good bit of german! he was totally in his element. 

thomas is one of those friends to tyler that everyone wants for your husband. he's willing to fly across the ocean to visit us, for one. but, also, he's one of those consistent, reliable, whenever-you-need-him types of friends. while he and tyler haven't lived in the same city for years now, thomas (and the rest of the beach house fellas) is a fixture in our lives and one that time and distance doesn't shake. so, thomas, thank you for visiting us and for being such a good friend for years now. we had a blast sharing the trip to berlin with you.

we also got to spend the weekend with our new friends, georg and maria! georg works with tyler and it has been so much fun to get to know him over the past year. he and his fiance, maria, were so kind to host us at their gorgeous apartment in berlin. 

i've learned a lot about hospitality this year. georg and maria gave us a huge lesson in welcoming in new friends into your home and introducing them to your city. they did this so generously for us. 

perfect example. one morning, i was reading my book on their porch while tyler finished up some work emails. georg came out to join me and said he noticed that i was interested in some of the more historical aspects of berlin as we walked around the previous day. he said i could feel free to keep on reading or he would be happy to share with me a little bit about the history of the city.   he showed me maps and pictures of the city and how it has changed over the years. it was fascinating and such a kind gesture of hospitality.

hopefully georg and maria will visit us in DC so we can return the favor.

traveling is such an incredible adventure. but, your travel companions make all the difference!

[ashleytuite-blog]

a month ago in berlin

we've had quite the run this year. it's absolutely crazy to say that we've been to fifteen countries and over thirty-five cities. 

unbelievable.

it has been the adventure of our lives. just like everything lately, this post feels a bit nostalgic because, unless we have a major change of plans, this is my last travel post from our year of adventure! i have lots more in store from denmark - jul (christmas!) traditions, what we've learned and other reflections. but, this is the last travel series for this season. it's been a good run. thanks for reading along! _________________

for some reason, i wasn't expecting to love berlin. i had heard it was a hipster town with lots of funky restaurants and bars, countless museums and historical attractions, and an overall cool city. but, i had never heard anyone rave over it like people do over paris or london or as i do over sweet CPH. people almost always describe it as "hipster" and "cool". since i'm not really either of those, i wasn't sure what to expect.

turns out, berlin is a great town and is seriously underrated. i could not have enjoyed it more or been happier we saved it for last. it is cultured, authentic and tough. at the same time, it's vibrant, fun and attractive. i loved it.

i was a history major - and, one that spent a good bit of time studying WWII. the entire weekend, my mind was racing thinking of all that took place on these streets. the only two cities that i've been to that could possibly rival it's historical relevance are rome and jerusalem. it is bursting at the seams with stories that need to be told over and over again. it's history is rich, far from perfect yet so profound. 

take the brandenburg gate, for example. it's exquisite, especially as the sun is setting.

but to think, so much has taken place at this gate over history. it's seen an unbelievable amount of transition, change and growth. if you stand between its columns or simply look at it for a few minutes, you can feel the weight of what it has seen. a lot of things in berlin felt this way.

close to the brandenburg gate is the holocaust memorial. the architect never defined the meaning of the memorial other than that it is in remembrance of the holocaust. so, the visitor is left to interpret it as they wish. 

the memorial is extremely interactive. it almost insists that you to walk through its structured rows lined with randomly sized concrete slabs. the floor of the memorial ripples up and down without rhyme or reason. as i walked through, it made me reflect on the confusion, enormity and structured yet unpredictable chaos of the holocaust. it was actually very powerful.

we saw checkpoint charlie. this was the checkpoint into the american section of west berlin during the height of the cold war.

throughout the city, there is a line of paved bricks that mark where the wall used to stand. it is incredible to walk freely through the city yet realize that when you step across those bricks, you wouldn't have been able to do so twenty-five years ago. it's so recent yet seems like it must have been ages ago. 

on our first day, i took a long walk through the streets of berlin. one thing that struck me among all of the history and grandeur of the city was the sprawling amount of park space. the tiergarten is massive (520 acres) and drop-dead gorgeous. it made me want to grab a picnic basket, a blanket, a bottle of wine and some friends.

instead, i took a nap in the reichstag's front lawn in the absolutely perfect fall weather. it was actually record-high temperatures for that time of year in berlin! 

my view of the reichstag. not bad.

last but surely not least, our german friends took us to get some traditional berlin cuisine. currywurst! it was delicious.

i could go on and on. berlin is a top-notch town. i would gladly go back for a week and soak up all it has to offer. i feel like we only skimmed the surface.

[ashleytuite-blog]

on thanksgiving and winding down and hallelujah

we had a cozy little thanksgiving here in copenhagen. it was filled with candlelight, christmas music, laughter and a ridiculous amount of food. while we missed our families more than any other day this year, it was a thanksgiving that we'll always remember and hold close.

things are winding down here for us. it's hard to get my mind around the fact that we will only be here for twenty-one more days. we board our plane in three saturdays. that's twenty more days to walk down the streets of copenhagen. that's twenty more coffee shop days. that's twenty more days of bundling up before heading out into the foggy winter wonderland. that's twenty more days of christmasville. that's twenty more days with our sweet friends. that's twenty more days of hygge and candlelight and all the things we love about our year-long home.  

but, it's also twenty-one more days until we see our friends and family which will be so very sweet.

for now, i'm taking it all in. i'm going to stop and listen to the guy playing hallelujah on the street. i'm going to take my camera everywhere. i'm going to get hot chocolate and go to the market and take long walks and soak up the goodness of this city. i'm going to visit the museums i haven't been to yet. i'm going to ride my bike everyday. i'm going to sit by the wood-burning stove. i'm going to notice the colorful buildings. i'm going to enjoy the extravagant christmas lights everywhere. i'm going to my favorite restaurants, the park every day and nyhavn often. i'm going to have no regrets and appreciate each moment. 

[ashleytuite-blog]

thankfuls

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today is a day i could easily be the most homesick i've been all year. instead, i'm going to make a list of my "thankfuls" all day.

i'm thankful for cold, foggy mornings. i'm thankful for delicious thanksgiving food waiting to be eaten tonight. i'm thankful for a best friend type of husband. i'm thankful for denmark. i'm thankful for cozy coffee shops to start the day. i'm thankful for new beginnings. i'm thankful for my brother and his fiance and for the fact they found one another.  i'm thankful for my sister-in-law, her husband, and our precious nieces who bring lots of laughter to us. i'm thankful for christmas music. i'm thankful for the twenty-three more days in copenhagen (ah). i'm thankful to be home for christmas. i'm thankful for parents who have been married 31 years, yesterday. i'm thankful for inlaws who have also been married 31 years, this year. i'm thankful for new friendships that have carried me through. i'm thankful for old friends who will always be there. i'm thankful for grandparents, of which i have the best. i'm thankful for hope and peace.  for pumpkin pie, hot tea, a warm home, and a full heart.

happy thanksgiving all!