Thank You, Alaska.

Thank you, Alaska.
For your rough and wild beauty.

For sunny days and soft, quiet nights. 

Noon, June 12th

Midnight, June 12th

And the twin gypsy spirits of freedom and adventure. 

Thank you, Alaska. 
For an intelligent and big-hearted sister.

And for molding my baby brother into an incredible man. 

 

 One who treasures and protects his family,
and makes no apologies for living life on his own terms.

 

 Thank you, Alaska.

For the sweetest, silliest baby niece  - a tiny pixie with a bold and sunny spirit.
This little one has captured my heart completely with her cheerful, charming ways. 

 

Thank you, Alaska.  
For the peace that came from the sea and the sky.
For the space to find the center of my soul,
and the courage to breathe light into a dusty, neglected corner of my heart.

 

 

Thank you, Alaska.
For letting me walk your mountains, 
Soak in your waters and
Marvel at the wonders you put before me.

You've caught a part of my soul- the part that craves adventure and altitude-
and it's speaking earnestly enough for me to know this now.


I'll be back.

When life demands too much ( Gratitude Sunday)

The past couple of weeks have been rough, to say the least.

Between a not-so-fun illness for the Girl, painful dental work for me, the loss of a loved one and some other lame-o drama thrown into the mix, there have been moments (lots of moments!) when I have felt overwhelmed and under -equipped to keep standing and moving forward.  More than once, I have wanted to simply crawl into bed and stay there until the emotional upheaval and the exhaustion passed.  But of course, that wasn't ever an option.  Life doesn't work that way.

Now that I'm on the other side of most of it, I can look back and see how times like these- times when life demands too much- bring their own benefits.  I can be grateful for the strength I receive from my family, the support I receive from friends and co-workers, and the love I've been shown through every ordeal.

As I contemplated this reality tonight, I realized that I simply had to look at the snaps on my phone to see evidence of the blessings that have come with the pain of the past few weeks.  I thought I would share a few here to remind my self of this one powerful truth:  There is a lot of good in my life and even in the darkest time,  I don't have to look hard to find the light. 

This little one- I'm completely smitten with her.

One of my nieces made me an "I love you book." Does it get any better than that?

I haven't seen my youngest brother for almost three years.  It was good to see him, despite the circumstances.

Love these girls.

This girl.  She cracks me up, dance moves and all.

lilacs are my favorite flower.  They remind me of childhood summers.

Me and my wacky little shadow.

Sunday Gratitude and Intentions PLUS 52photos week #1

Being very conscious of those things for which I am grateful is an important practice for me.  It helps  me stay present and grounded and helps shift my focus from frustration or lack to optimism and contentment.   It's powerful, it's very real, and it's something I try to do daily.

I used to blog about these things on Friday as a way to close out the work week, but lately I've noticed that Sunday seems to be the day that I reflect back on the week behind me, and the time I also set intentions for the week ahead.  I already do this privately, but I think I'll begin bringing it here, as well.
 
Gratitude
*I've been a bit confused lately about where and how to focus my professional efforts.  Given that my career is necessary, both as an important part of my mental and emotional makeup, as well as the means to support myself and my daughter, I get rather unsettled when this area of my life feels out of whack.  In the last few days, however, some glitches worked themselves out and I found some clarity on a few other issues.  I'm feeling much better about where things are now. 

*I've had my dog, Harley, for 11 years.  He is my first baby, my sweet, mellow companion, and a constant source of unconditional love.  He is about 14 years old now, elderly in dog years, and his health is depleting.  His hearing is almost gone, he has a benign heart murmur which will eventually lead to congestive heart failure and recently, he developed an eye lesion.  This week has seen us at the vet several times for treatment of his eye- a minor procedure but still very hard for me to handle (read: i sat in my vet's office and cried for an hour.  twice.)  This experience made the fact that he's not going to be around forever very, very real  but opening up to a few people about how hard this is for me has brought so much love and support.  That love and support and the knowledge that I have people to be there for me when some hard choices need to be made eases the heartache.    (Also, for those who are wondering, his eye is much better than expected.  Yay!)

Harley, at the vet on Tuesday, April 23

*Riley and I spent the weekend in Idaho visiting my family.  We hadn't been there in a while and it's always a good time for both of us.  The added bonus for me, though, is that I sleep better at my Dad's house than I do anywhere else on earth.  I don't know why this is, but after a few rough weeks with lots on my mind and too little sleep, I really needed those hours of deep, restoring sleep.  Although I could use another few days of that level of rest, I got enough to feel rested and ready to start another week.

*Oh, yeah...did I mention... it's Spring!  It's Spring!  IT'S SPRING!  Warmer weather!  Bike season begins!  Flowers!  Evening walks!  I am so ready and grateful for this season!

One of many photos I took wandering around my neighborhood this week.  I love Spring!

Intentions:
Moving into next week, I am setting the intentions to:
*Be mindful of those things I know help me stay balanced:  clean, healthy food, plenty of exercise and a tidy, organized home.  
*Stay focused on the task at hand.  I've picked up a tendency of floating between several projects at once, meaning I get a bunch of things halfway done.  I find this method distracting and unsatisfying, so I'm working hard to break this habit.
*Carry a 'real' camera with me more often.  My iPhone is such a handy way to capture life, but I find that photos I take with my Cannon or even my toy film cameras are more satisfying; they are usually visually superior and it gives me a chance to work on my technical photography skills.  Plus, having my 'real' camera shifts me into a more creative mindset-which is never a bad thing. 

So now I'm wondering -
What are you grateful for this week?
What intentions are you setting for the week ahead?


52 Photos project:
I'm playing along with Bella's 52 Photos Project, and this is week's prompt was "conversation."  Luckily, I took a photo of a my sweet 15 year old niece right before her shift started at work.  Having a chance to catch up with her, even for just a few minutes, was a highlight of my day. 

 

Oh, I'm in love.

Riley and I made a quick trip to California over the past few days to meet my newest niece, Naiya Mae.  She is the most adorable baby girl with just enough attitude to let you know it's there, but enough sweetness to melt the hardest of hearts.

Oh, I'm in love.

My sister blooms in the most beautiful way when she has a new baby.  She positively glows with the happiness and love that surrounds her.  You can see it here when she had the twins, and with the addition of this little one, there is a deeper, more profound light.

Honestly, she's just breathtaking. 

It's touching to watch my brother-in-law fall more and more in love with his little girl. For a guy who is naturally such a tease, it's fun to see this more sensitive side of him. 

Still, one of the best parts of the trip was watching the twinners learn how to navigate their way into becoming being big brothers.  They've always had each other, and now they have a little sister to love and protect, to torture and tease.  And I'm certain there will be plenty of all of that.  And more (especially more of the teasing.) 

 

 Riley loved meeting her newest baby cousin, and talked incessantly about how tiny and delicate she is.  It was heartwarming to watch her enjoy this new little life and to listen to her wonder-filled questions while she tried to comprehend the miracle that is baby Naiya.  

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it many more times....There is nothing like being an aunt.  It's one of the best things in my world, and the addition of this new little one adds that much more sweetness and love to something I already cherish with my whole heart.  

Seriously, is she not precious? 
Oh, I'm in love.

November 12of12

I wanted to get this up a few days ago, but oh well.  Better late than never.  And I decided to skip the grid this month again, because, well...I'm lazy like that.

I blame the cold medicine. 

This month's 12of12 was fun to capture because my brother, his wife and their three little girls were staying with us for the weekend.  K&J did some christmas shopping on Saturday and left the girls with me for a while- such a fun way to spend the day. 

the morning started off with cereal and coloring.

Slurpees seemed like a good idea at the time.

I forgot how sweet it is to have a sleeping baby around.

We made cookies because, you know, why not?

My hallway became an art studio.

Oh, my Hallee.  Sweetest girl on earth. I adore her. 

For some reason, i decided to can some homemade pizza sauce in the middle of everything.  I blame the cold medicine. 

One of several pillow fights that erupted throughout the day. 

Chilling after a hard day of shopping. 

The girls made personal pizzas for dinner.

Then wound the day up by doing a little bit of yoga.

Jamie and I wound the day up with Alkaseltzer cold medicine.  Disgusting, but surprisingly effective.