Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much. - Blaise Pascal

I often forget how powerful social media can be. When I started posting throwback pictures on FB and Instagram it was just for shits and giggles. I wanted to share this quirky, silly, fun loving person I am through various years of my life. I have a lot of comedy GOLD pictures like this priceless gem from when I was 8 years old. Holy nerd-love anyone? My face is so super jazzed over Nintendo birthday "I can't even"!

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” — Mary Lou Cook

Somewhere down the line in my artistic tinkerings I forgot the last part which is the most important part of doing anything that you love. If you are not having fun, if you are making it into something else entirely...then honestly why are you doing it? You aren't. Lesson learned for sure! I definitely needed to make art, well, art again for me. Something that flows imperfectly and differently from my fingertips. Imaginative, colorful, and something that peaks from inside of who I am, a creator and dreamer at heart. 

 

As I was hiking this weekend and breathing in the fresh pine trees and decomposing leaves I knew that I had to let go of myself right then and there. 

I knew this was my own chance to spring forward and "bloom" anew. Corny, yes, but it felt right. It felt like something inside of me wanted to be let free. I guess fresh mountain air has that unique quality to instantly draw that out in people! Thanks mountains. Thountains. 

I came back fresh and ready! It truly was a creativity miracle blessed my little heart and I now I see a clear path before me. So I am creating and I am NOT caring about what I am creating. I am just doing it to do it and to love it! It feels... so right!

 For the first time in a while my space is messy with paint and everything is coming out so easy. I am inspired and I am letting everything around me inspire me. I am excited! I can do this! I have some pretty awesome and supportive people in my life and because of that all of this is possible.

 (Nevermind the fact that Durango is clearly not having any of Dad's shit in this photo)

Here is to a healthy, creative, and loved filled week full of all the things that make our hearts sing! We can do it and we can inspire other people to do the things they love too. 

  

I heard rumors that it was supposed to be spring today but we all know that like 99% of all rumors turn out to be not true at all! Still, 60 degree weather just days before and me starting to garden had me really hoping. Nature sure had other plans for us. Boo. Our first day of spring looked a lot like winter was still in charge. He is a persistent little sucker.

I hope my poor little bulbs will be okay. I don't know much about gardening yet but I know they don't look quite right hanging out in 4 inches of snow. Look at these poor little flower babies! UGH! We actually have A LOT coming up this year and I am so excited to see what colors they will be!

I do have to admit that for a while, as the snow was falling it looked pretty darn charming. So maybe it wasn't ALL that bad? I do like how still everything gets with the fall of snow. Of course, it would be better with a soft warm spring breeze and the sweet smell of rain too...just saying Mother Nature.

...and one of us had a REALLY good time frolicking and eating all the snow in the yard. I need to teach him to only eat the snow that falls in the driveway, hah (yeah right)!

Also, that same four-legged frolicker got to cozy up on the couch in some soft warm blankets all afternoon. He is DEFINITELY not spoiled. Nope, not at ALL.

Maybe tomorrow Spring will come back and melt all this white stuff. I am on a mission to warmth. In the meantime I will be the crazy one covered in 7 blankets wearing three layers of clothes sipping some hot tea. I wish I were kidding.

365 Project Day 12 - Island

I walk up to a white house planted on the white sands of a private island that is really just a small sandbar off the shore of a larger piece of land. It is so small that only the one story house and a single palm tree can fit to sway in the warm breeze. None the less it is breathtaking. Paradise. I get the feeling that I visit my family who lives here often but this time it is with a certain urgency.

Bright turquoise water surrounds the house but instead of quietly lapping against the crystal sands of this tiny oasis it is creeping up quickly, dangerously. Soon it will tear this house apart. As the waves hit violently against the thin walls of this house we try to get everything we can. We are carrying large pieces of furniture desperately between the waves a short distance to the shore. It is chaotic, the house is crumbling, lives are being ruined and the water is taking everything - even me. I am disappearing with the house into deep turquoise my hands outstretched to the distancing shore.

I remember dreams like this because I feel like they want me to remember them.

Weekend "Wine-d" Down

I love weekends filled with a crisp fall air. The smell of earthy fallen leaves and the crunch they make under your feet. Weekends filled with catching up with old and current friends over drinks in a bustling restaurant or going to an event and sharing in something you both love is just perfect. I did both of these things this weekend and it was the set of adventures I needed.

The vineyard was small but it smelt pungently like fermenting grapes, everything fall, and countryside. Rows and rows of grape vines wilting in the late season spread themselves across the late golden light and it felt so peaceful. I can’t tell you how long I stood just look across the fields but for a moment it felt like forever.  For a split second I thought I could hear each individual leaf crinkle in the breeze.  Crazy… but I swear it was magical!

I paired lots of wines with lots of delicious cheeses and learned how to find the different notes of flavor in each of the wines we sampled. It was relaxing and just what I needed to catch up with one of my best friends. Since we are some serious cheese mongers we definitely enjoyed each delicious bite.

At night we met up with friends visiting from out of town. We laughed, ate delicious foods and had lots of delicious drinks at one of our favorite restaurants. It was nice to share a small little piece of the city with them and to hear stories of their own adventures. Our friend is a really good chef and it was super fun to hear about his job and travels.

Fall really has come alive around here and I am loving every minute of it. 

Life Lately...Why Hello!

For someone who has stacks upon stacks (my poor mother’s basement) of journals from childhood to adulthood filled to the brim with pages of detailed bare emotion and descriptions of my life I find it almost ironic, even hilarious, that a simple blog on the internet clams me up.  I look at the screen and my mind just goes blank (much like the page I am trying to fill). So there is that. I know, I am laughing too.

My goal for the end of the year is to fix this and to get better. I want to have a creative outlet to express and share myself with all you lovelies. Let’s give it the old college try, eh? (What does that actually frigging mean?)

To re-cap and to say it lightly this year has filled me to the gills with so many amazing things.  I am trying to end all of the positive things on, well, a positive note because I want no bad juju over here!  Bad juju is just not welcome. Let’s go on a picture journey of all the awesome things I loved this year (queue up some magical music)!

1. Lazy-butt cats 2. Hiking Mt. Rainier 3. House BOUGHT! (whaaaat?) 4. Thrift shopping ugly items 5. LOTS of backyard fires 6. John 7. Birthday dog is the best dog 8. Fall (favorite season) 9. Lots of beer tastings 10. Summer chill-axing 11. Sea anemones in Carkeet Park 12. MORE lazy-butt cats 13. Beachy-times 14. Hiking in WA state 15. Sunday night dart matches 16. Yummy foods!

I will not be a stranger around here anymore. I am going to put on my big girl pants and do this crazy blog thing and who knows. See you all on Monday, I have an exciting weekend ahead of myself and I hope you do too!

Tough Week

Ugh. Deep breaths.

Making this painting was sort of my way of trying to deal with everything that is going on right now in our house. It has NOT been an awesome week and trying to find one awesome thing a day has been SUCH a challenge. I am usually REALLY good at it!

On Tuesday I found a nice rivet sticking into the side of one of my back tires. I thought that maybe, just maybe,  I was in the clear and it didn't go all the way through BUT when my wonderful husband and I went to pull it out unfortunately air starting gushing out and we were SUPER disappointed. I did, however, learn how to change a tire so yay for a new life skill obtained!

Then our little (well...big) puppums, Durango, got SUPER sick all week and we had to spend QUITE a bit of money on him at the vet. Despite our best efforts it seems he picked up a nasty parasite and that parasite gave him some ulcers in his sensitive little tummy. He hasn't been himself and we have been trying to spoil him as much as we can to perk him up until the treatment works.

I know that everything happens for a reason and I try my best to live in that moment, find love in that moment, grow from it and hopefully laugh about it later. It just has been SO SUPER hard.

This week is a new week though!