sperlygirl

rainy days...

 

  

yesterday brought with it the wildest of storms! we had wild, wild, winds, thunder and lightning causing flooding outside and small lakes and rivers of water streaming through the INSIDE of our house as well. it may just be me, but i find storms like that utterly magical. it was the perfect summer storm to hole up and share lunch with dear friends as they past through.

my grandmother...

one of the highlights of our trip was simply this...having my 93 year young grandma meet ryder. she goes by many names, but to me she has always been 'ma' - now 'gg' (short for great-grandma). she is one of the most positive women i have ever known and i do believe that has been her greatest gift to me. i have so many fond memories of spending time with her while growing up. she has been there at every milestone in my life - the heartbreaking ones as well as the joyful ones. i have marveled at her strength and basked in her warmth and wide open heart.

seeing her hold ryder and gently talk and sing to him flooded me with memories. the warmth of her arms whenever she would greet me, the way she'd have homemade noodles drying all through the kitchen for her famous noodle soup, the way she and i would find ourselves laughing hysterically over the smallest thing that after awhile we couldn't even remember anything but the laughter, the way she answered me one time when i asked her what she uses to make her food taste so good and she replied "just love," the way she would brush my hair across my forehead until i was fast asleep (i'd stay awake as long as i possibly could just so she wouldn't stop), the way she'd serve me a warm krispy kreme donut with a knife and fork and a cup of hot tea for breakfast when i would stay over, the way just being in her gentle presence creates that very sensation and essence of 'home.'

it doesn't fall short on me how lucky i am to have a grandmother like her in my life. i was blessed with two wonderful ones but have been able to hold onto my ma a bit longer. both have taught me important life lessons that i carry dearly in my heart. 

re-entry is hard...

it's been a rough re-entry back into reality after our vacation. the babe, ryder, is jet-lagged and is way off schedule. he hasn't slept for the past two nights, which means, we haven't slept for the past two nights. i am in a fog and running on about 8 hrs total for the past couple of nights. top that off, he has up and decided he will have no more of any type of baby food - thank you very much! i couldn't figure out what the problem was and why he was turning it down. i thought it may have been because we introduced a cracker to him one night in desperation at a restaurant, as he always welcomes a cracker even after turning away a variety of baby food. but then last night as i was talking to j and eating a peach - ryder just leaned over and started taking bites! needless to say there is a bit of readjusting going on around here that we hadn't quite expected. i am trying to take it easy on myself in the process because i have come home so inspired and simply want some time to work out some paintings and get back to some runs and time on the yoga mat. such is the tug-of-war between motherhood, work, and fueling ones creative longings. some handle it so gracefully, but i can't say i feel like one of them at them moment. **deep sigh**

so i will watch this beautiful video once more (thx misty for introducing me to this video artist, he's wonderful) and gather some strength and inspiration - while hoping for a bit more sleep tonight!

home with a heart full of memories...

home again, adjusting to what that feels like after living out of a suitcase for a month. today as we unpack the clothes, i pack up the many happy memories of time spent with family and friends, wide-eyed and awestruck llittle boys in disney, and the complete 'laidbackness' of island life and hospitality in key west. all of it did my heart oh, so, good! again, a heartfelt thank to my treasured life-long friend, kristin, who had us all over for the most delicious meal at her home with her beautiful family. seriously, if you are looking for amazing, organic indian meals that are a snap to prepare and a blessing to serve, you must check her out! i can tell you first hand - de-lic-i-ous!

and i must share this podcast that i am completely crazy about, i must have listened to it several times on various plane rides. pure inspiration! and should your travels lead you to key west, these are the must sees we loved - stop here for the funky atmosphere and incredible breakfasts; for a moment of pure magic, be sure to walk through here; for a teeny venue this aquarium does much to impress even the littlest of visitors; and for great mexican food be sure to stop here. and lastly, there are the many chickens that roam the streets freely that scored big on our list! this sweet family was our favorite and we checked in on them nightly.

 

as i sort through our trip, i am sure i will have more to share but for now, we try to establish our summer routine which will allow j time to write and me to paint - while both of us still allow for plenty of time to savor summertime with these two amazing little boys. the babe who is trying his hardest to bypass crawling (we're soooooo close) and move right onto walking and the big brother, the tenderheart, who explores each day around him with such wonder and light and those are the moments worth savoring.

happiness...

basking in those last few days of vacation. soaking up the pinks and blues of sunsets over the ocean, savoring the magic of a room full of butterflies whirling and whispering past, collecting the chuckles and giggles of sun-soaked babes, and embedding to memory the glow of a vacation full of family, friends, and happy times. (photo by j)

#37...

okay, so i welcome you #37 birthday today and with it a list of wishes for year 37... bring it!

1. a banana split on my birthday

2. illustrate a book

3. run a 10K with a PB

4. witness 'the green flash' over the sea

5. stop and breathe more

6. write more letters

7. yoga, yoga, yoga

8. celebrate stillness within my day

9. soak up teeny giggles and chuckles from my little loves

10. witness j come into his own as a writer

11. tend a productive garden

12. bake more often

13. draw from life

14. seek out color

15. celebrate friendships - old, new, far and near

16. crank up the sewing machine to whip up some new skirts

17. ummm....dark chocolate

18. improve my italian

19. photograph my world and the joy i observe in it

20. stroll along the seaside to collect shells

21. create moments for celebration ~ often

22. encourage and nurture the quiet dreams growing in my heart

23. savor caffe with treasured friends

24. teeny, tiny nose piercing 

25. long, slow glass of red vino hand in hand with conversations with a good friend

26. regular skyping with my grandma!

27. write regularly

28. take head-clearing runs

29. give back to something meaningful and important

30. say 'i love you' more to those who matter most

31. whisper 'thank you' often - even if no one else can hear

32. travel to new cities

33. experiment with new media

34. dream big...and often

35. collect as many hugs and sweet smiles from my boys as i can

36. paint, paint, paint

37. discover and uncover wonder in each and every day

the magic of dreams...

 dear mr walt disney,

i just wanted to simply say thank you - for following your creative dreams no matter the obstacles. i wonder if you ever imagined how you would positively affect the lives of so many, and for so many generations. thank you for realizing how important it is in our lives to simply experience joy, laughter, and magic. thank you for surrounding yourself with like-minded artists and creative thinkers that lovingly helped to shape and stretch your dreams into various realities. thank you for listening to your heart and persevering through whatever 'no' or seemingly impossibilities that happened upon your way. i so admire your ability to keep creating and keep dreaming through it all. walking through your park and experiencing the magic through the eyes of a 4 year old, well, i am not sure words can accurately capture the preciousness of those memories that are being created. they will forever be embedded in my heart. and to think, 'it all started with a little mouse,' ... a heartfelt thank you.

sharing joy...

i wanted to share some pure joy with you. i am giddy with excitement to have my blog featured in the lovely Sommerset Life (summer issue) magazine. this was one of my deep down heartfelt hopes for this year so it means a lot. i am truly honored to be a part of this publication and to have an opportunity to express the wonderful journey this blog has taken me on since we found each other. it was equally exciting to be here in the states and be able to walk into a bookstore to find it too!

we are enjoying catching up with treasured family and friends while filling up on delicious southern bbq and sweet tea. our time has been flying and busy as i just finished a wonderfully inspiring art education class and worked with a great group of educators from all over. our instructor, kevin cole, was pure inspiration as an artist and as an educator and i am grateful for the experience as well as the opportunity to collaborate with other dynamic educators. 

hope to check back in now and then while on the road, in the meantime, wishing each of you a lovely 4th!