sperlygirl

coming home with a pocket full of magic...

i am a true believer that dreams are born on road trips (or while traveling). there is something about that new footing that allows us to dream up fantastic things. of course a road trip to visit a dear friend (and her family) can create just as much magic (and laughter)!

i took the little boys and we had our first road trip together. and what an adventure it was.

long conversations with a treasured girlfriend, strolling through the town in the rain, book fairy business (more on this later), hot chocolates at a cafe, deep discussions about art (and...star wars), chuckles of laughter among children, gnome house building, tea sipping, sewing lessons, and gelato dreaming. truly the ingredients to stir up some magic. and now there is so much to pack in here this last week of summer before i step foot into my classroom to prepare for this upcoming year. so much i want to start and finish and soak up and tuck deep down in my heart.

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.

thanksgiving...

i know that motherhood changes your perspective on life, i expect that, but sometimes it has a way of doing so in the most unexpected ways. while in d.c, we visited the vietnam wall memorial. it is a beautiful tribute, rising out of the ground as it does. but as we walked closer, i caught my breath. i turned to my father-in-law and said, "i didn't realize the type was so small..." i felt my heart rise to my throat as i slowly passed by the rows of names. i was struck at the thought that griped my heart...what about all of those mothers and i felt the weight of their collective grief.

i lost my father at a tender age and discovered that with his absence, i lost my footing in the world. it took me many years to learn to step with a new sense of balance. the road has never felt the same since, but, i did finally regain my stride. being a mother of young boys, i gazed out at all those names on the wall and could not imagine the magnitude of absence all of those mothers carry. my heart reached out to each one.

this thanksgiving, i am thankful for all of those facing conflicts far from home and i am particularly grateful to their mothers (and families) who are faced with their absence, temporary or otherwise. i am grateful for their service. and i am grateful to have the freedoms that i do -  to speak my mind, to navigate and explore my own leanings, to be able to continue my education, to be able to express my thoughts and ideas freely, and to be able to openly question the world around me.

i am grateful to all of those mothers, whom i hope have found some way to gracefully regain their stride. sending many blessings and the warmth of thanksgiving.

wandering...

i have said it before but i just love wandering around a city - camera in hand. i love the stories that seem to find me or the people whose stories fascinate me. as i passed this man, i wondered about him - how he ended up here in front of this cafe playing music? what dreams did he follow? what dreams did he let go? in his mind, where is he while he's playing here on the corner? all of these questions seem to beckon me and race across my mind in the instant that i snap the shutter.

as i write this, there is a collection of flutters in my belly as it is the time of evening when this baby decides to dance across my mid-section. in all of his movements, i begin to wonder and dream about what he will be like - what will his dearest dreams in life become? what positive mark will he make? will he dare to live his dreams?

in my heart of hearts, i can only hope so...that both my boys will understand compassion, listen with empathy, speak with honesty, dream with imagination, give selflessly, strive for change peacefully, and love whole-heartedly.

**may we find peace in our hearts and peace among each other - a tune to share**
'what we need is love to guide and protect us all...'

festa della donna...

8 march is festa della donna in italy - the festival of women - this is a day when men traditionally bring yellow mimosa flowers to the women of their life. i think this is such a sweet gesture and the mimosa flowers are so gloriously joyful and bright. today we took advantage of an absolutely beautiful day, went to one of our favorite towns, and soaked up all the hints of spring that are blooming everywhere.

wishing you a weekend full of sunshine!

a page of a travel diary...

a little bit of travel to shake the dust off my soul. we spent the day wandering the city and throughout museums and churches. when i walk through a museum, i cannot help to wonder about all the stories that reside in there. what did those master artists think about as they painted or sculpted? i try to imagine what their studios must have looked like, felt like. i wonder how they worked - what thoughts, dreams, or doubts worked their way into their hands as the brushes met the canvas? i marvel at the collection of personal stories that are housed within the walls of a museum and i am thankful at the works they left behind.

"What is an artist? A provincial who finds himself somewhere between a physical reality and a metaphysical one. It's this in-between...this frontier country between the tangible world and the intangible one -- which is really the realm of the artist." ~Frederico Fellini

**many thanks to lovely misty for her video inspiration**

a vibrant city...

i read somewhere someone referred to traveling as being a humbling experience. i agree but in tandem believe it can open you on so many levels. it was difficult for me to select a single photo to best represent our experience in prague - but i felt this one of a stained glass window in the royal cathedral summed up the colorful city well. it is a city that hums with energy, color found in every corner - from beautiful architecture to decorative body art. it is a city who has eclectic tastes from fashion to dining. it is a city whose language alone is as colorful as her city streets. traveling with a 2-yr old also makes the journey a humbling one in many respects. it becomes as much a journey to a new country as it does a journey a little deeper  into motherhood as well as our little globe trekker asserts more and more independence along the way. and the whole experience, for me, became a lesson in detachment too as we became separated from our luggage (the one with most of my clothes) right at the start.  not to worry - prague embraces 'the mall' - a couple new items did the trick -- but it was a good lesson for me in letting go (this lesson just keeps coming back!!). these are things i observed about prague: dreadlocks, large portions/servings of food, cafe doesn't hold a torch to italy, love those trams, clean-clean-clean city, sleek and hip, beautiful contrast in architectural styles, color-color-color....to sum it up in one word - vibrant.

journey on...

we're headed on a short journey and i'll be taking the week off. it's time to explore a new country and wander her city streets - of course - with camera in hand. wishing you a wonderful week and i'll be back shortly and will share some sights and stories. ciao!

catching our breath...

we catch our breath today after a lovely weekend on the island of elba. the waters were so crystal blue there, it was all i could do not to jump right into them. today has been about sleeping in, working in the garden, walking down to pick-up some things at the market, a leisurely stop for a cappuccino and to catch up with the folks at the bar (cafe) we frequent, all the while soaking up time with "nana" and "bumpa" while they visit.

a hillside roadtrip...

we took a couple days off to explore the hillside. bella! we stayed at a wonderful spot, spannocchia, a community dedicated to sustainable living and farming practices in some of the most picturesque areas of the hillside country. not only did we get to check out a litter of piglets born the night we arrived, we ate glorious meals, and met and made some wonderful new friends. kai, who is usually so laid back and adaptive to situations was a total pill -- enough so that we had to load him in the car yesterday and just drive around to get him to take a nap. we woke him to stop off into a cafe and he started the crying and whining again. the woman at the bar tried everything to soothe him. she offered him bread, gelato, cookies, and a lollipop --  he wasn't about to have any of it. she must have seen the desperation in our faces and she checked him for a temperature and checked his pulse. i wanted to hug her for understanding what we were going through. kai must have had had a stomach ache and returned to his old self by later that evening, but not before i said a little prayer for patience at one of the churches we stopped off to explore that afternoon.