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Black Friday Culture
It’s almost that time of year again — the long awaited “holiday season.” Soon it will be Thanksgiving, and then Christmas will be just a breath away. It is the day after Thanksgiving, however, that has been on my heart more recently. That day is Black Friday. I’ll be honest. I’ve done the Black Friday run several times, and it is a lot of fun. Looking through Black Friday ads on Thanksgiving, pushing your way through jam-packed stores, competing to snag that exclusive deal … there’s a sort of thrill to it all. Despite this, I find the day itself rather distasteful. Thanksgiving is all about gratitude. We gather with our families…
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La Purisima Mission
Visiting a mission is like taking a tiny trip back in time. The dirt floors. The red, adobe walls. The clay tiled roofs and tiny chapels, decorated in gold leaf. Something about the past seems to linger there … drifting, perhaps, like dust caught in motes of sunlight. According to the Mission website, La Purisima Mission was founded in 1787 by Father Presidente Fermin de Lasuén. In those first few years, several thousand Chumash Indians were baptized into the Catholic faith and lived as a community on the 470 square miles of Mission land. Today, La Purisima is the “most extensively restored mission in the state [of California],” and hosts over 200,000…
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The Great Hunt + Montana Skies
The crisp fall air is filtering through my window right now, and it makes me feel ready to curl up in a cozy sweater, with a blanket, a book, and a cup of something hot. Today, we will be reviewing Robert Jordan’s second installment of the Wheel of Time series, The Great Hunt, over a cup of herbal tea. Tea Review This week’s tea is called “Montana Skies.” It is a black and herbal tea blend with some distinct licorice notes. I’m not a fan of Anise in my tea, but the lightly floral flavor of this mix was surprisingly pleasant. Anise is a mild laxative, has anti inflammatory properties,…
