Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
As of late I have been making more of an effort to mail fun packages to my friends and family. I know how much I appreciate get something fun in the mail, so I have been trying my best to spread the love. For this simple birthday package I thought it would be fun to stick with the recipient's favorite color which is purple.
A couple weeks ago, I was sitting in church when the teacher posed the question, "How many of you have children?" As I watched the hands dart up around me I was astonished to see how slowly and sheepishly I raised mine. Although I gave birth to our beautiful son fourteen months ago because he is not here I find it difficult to identify with other mothers. The path to motherhood has not been a straight line for me.
Last Saturday, the wind was blowing and the rain was coming down sideways as we drove up north to Bow-Edison. Typically, good weather inspires day trips, but this trip was a good reminder why day trips are fun and good for the soul particularly when the weather outside is bad.
No matter how old you are is something inherently comforting about going to Grandma's house. Within the confines of those walls you can rely on things generally staying the same from year to year. The only recognizable change is as the wrinkles on their faces deepen the love between you grows.
In an ever changing, world I was grateful for the consistency I found there. I looked forward to sitting on the couch gazing over at the table lamps and thinking the plastic dust covers were the strangest thing I had ever seen, being able to eat off of television trays while I watched t.v. or knowing there would be an endless assortment of sweet treats from morning until night.
Deception Pass is the straight which separates Fidalgo Island from Whidbey Island. It connects Skagit Bay, part of the Puget Sound with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There are beaches, trails and plenty of space to explore for an afternoon. Sometimes it can get really windy, but in the Spring and Summer it can be a lovely place for a picnic or a short hike.
Seaside is arguably the most visited and popular oceanfront resort in Oregon. Seaside is located a mere 80 miles from Portland and is the perfect spot for a beach getaway. While we were staying in Long Beach, WA last month we drove to Seaside for the afternoon. Living on the west coast, it is always a bit exhilarating to cross state lines. On the day we were there, Seaside was experiencing unseasonably warm weather and we enjoyed a 60 degree day in the middle of Winter.
It is a very rare occurrence for it to snow in the city. It might happen once or twice a year. So when it does it is a full on party at our house.
I am happy to announce I will be cohosting Seattle Bloggers Unite Spring Social with my friend, Lyndsey Wells from The Stationery Place at the end of March. These gorgeous invitations were hand painted and created by the amazingly talented Melissa Leith. The moment I came across her work, my first words to her were "Where were you when I needed a wedding invitation?" Not only does she create gorgeous work, but she was able to work under short deadlines and with very demanding clients.
The Spring Social is open to everyone, not just bloggers. The panel we have created will focus its comments on blogging, running a small business, finding your entrepreneurial spirit, how to grow your audience and create a sense of community.
If the invitation is any indication of how fabulous the evening is going to be, you should run and not walk to your computer to buy a ticket before they are all snatched up.
Today, I am honored to be guest posting over on Marie LeBaron's wonderful craft blog; Make and Takes. I share my pattern for a quick and easy crochet baby blanket. Depending on how fast you crochet, this blanket can easily be completed in a couple hours or days.
These blankets are the combination of my two favorite things: being crafty and finding a way to honor my son's short life.
Usually come mid February I start itching for Spring. I like to day dream of all the warm places I would like to visit and start planning something fun for mid April or May. For any of you like minded individuals looking to escape the cold may I suggest four places:
Last weekend we drove up to Mukilteo and then took the ferry over to Whidbey Island. As fun as it is to travel by ferry we hardly do it enough. Our final destination was Coupeville, WA. Coupeville is one of the oldest communities in the state of Washington and best known for their delicious Penn Cove mussels.
If you are in need of a last minute gift idea for Valetine's Day may I suggest one of the following...
Football has never been an important part of my life. No one I was close to ever played and I do not have the patience to sit in front of the television for hours on end. Frankly, the idea of grown men tackling each other kind of creeps me out. But when the Seahawks continued to play well and eventually made it to the Super Bowl Seattle came down with a serious case of Hawk fever. It all started with the 12th man, the notion that the enthusiasm and noise of the fans have a direct effect on the ability of Seahawks to win. New terms were coined like Hawkitecture, 12th man signs were put up all over the city, there was a run on Skittles and people around town seemingly appeared happier.
The first weekend in February, we planned a trip to Sleeping Lady Resort in Leavenworth, WA. Although we typically visit Leavenworth multiple times a year, visiting in the Winter was a new experience for us. We have enjoyed staying at Sleeping Lady Resort a couple of times before, so we knew what level of service, gourmet food and tranquility we could expect. As the date drew closer I realized it coincided with Super Bowl weekend. Between the Super Bowl and it being the off season we had a feeling we might have the place to ourselves.
I recently read of a new trend on the rise; hiring a photographer while on vacation. Although my initial reaction was how absurdly extravagant, the more I got to thinking about it the more delighted I became at the very idea of it. If ever there was someone passionate about good photos it would be me. So before you envision your own personal paparazzi creepily following you around consider the notion of no more bad selfies. More importantly every person you care about actually being able to be in the photographs. Even though vacations for me are about eating too much and sleeping too little, I might actually reconsider and book a photographer for our next European adventure.
As we donned our aprons and gathered around the table it was fairly evident everyone had come in pairs: friends, husbands, coworkers. Quickly I sent a frantic message to my husband which read, "Everyone is in pairs, next time I am NOT coming alone". Although my initial reaction was to feel unsure and awkward, the evening ended up being one of the greatest nights I have ever spent in the company of total strangers.
At the beginning of class we went around the table to introduce ourselves and explain why we were there. The truth of the matter was several months ago I had signed up for a tamale class, but due to some unforeseen circumstances I had to cancel. Since the tamale class was not being offered again for awhile I decided to reschedule for the Savory Pie Ninja class. I like pie, my husband likes meat, so a savory pie class seemed like the perfect idea. Any class with the word "ninja" in it also caught my eye.
I challenge you to find a man more happy, content and fun to be around than my husband. He is everything I am not; funny, easy to get along with, makes friends easily, often is the life of the party and is good in groups. Socially, I like to be his wing woman. As his other half, I like to bask in his kindness and good heart.
If there is anything I have learned since loosing our son it is how important celebrating the moment is. I am so glad we had a big party to announce we were pregnant and then later hosted a gender reveal party. Those parties, although seemingly small things are some of my fondest memories of being pregnant. Had we not shared our joys with others, it would have been a missed opportunity.
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the first communal dinner and cooking class at Aran Goyoaga's studio space. I had long anticipated this evening when I signed up for the class last year. But when the day of the actual event came around I woke up with a head cold. Determined to attend despite feeling under the weather I showed up promptly at four, to watch, learn and be immersed in Aran's presence. Aran possesses the unique combination of skill, humility and the ability to engage herself with a broad audience.
The colors of the beach are like a freshly painted watercolor. Subtle, moody and intoxicating all at once. When I am at the beach I am reminded of its many textures and patterns. The way the tide forms ridges in the sand as it retreats or how the clumps of grass grow on the bluff. There is a certain amount of freedom felt at the beach. Maybe it is the endless stretch of sea before my eyes or the fluidity of a bird's flight. When I am at the beach I get the sense my life is boundless.
How often do we focus on the negative things in our life? The people who irritate us, the parts of ourselves which need improvement or the circumstances which we cannot change. Are we as quick to rattle off the things we love about our spouse as we are to complain about the things they do which bother us? What if we used all this wasted energy to focus on the things we like or which bring us joy in this life instead.
One day a few weeks ago, I was feeling particularly frustrated. There are many situations in my life which are completely beyond my control and at times it is easy to feel powerless. Rather than let this get the best of me I decided to walk around the house and photograph all the tiny little things which I either appreciate about this house or which bring me joy.
What do you do to turn your bad attitude around or how do you prevent your mood from turning sour in the first place?
