i want to tell you about... nashville

I want to tell you about how I let myself just be a tourist and bought teal cowboy boots and tried on hats and sang out loud to every single country song on the Prime Country XM radio station from the time I got into the rental car until I dropped it off five days later.

I want to tell you about how nice the people of Nashville are. So damn nice. As in I couldn't stop talking about how gracious they are and how they seem to simply open their arms to the tourists who want to pretend they are part of this gorgeous town for a few days.

I want to tell you about the moment we were about to leave the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and I said, "Wait, I really want to be in a photo all by myself." And I stood there and thought about Dolly and Patsy and Loretta and stood taller connected to the women who came before me.

I want to tell you about the heart opening, silly, honest, lovely conversations I had with my friend Vivienne as we explored and did the tourist thing and had drinks in the middle of the day because we could!

I want to tell you about Curve Camp and the magic that is the safe space created by Anna Guest-Jelly and how sacred it felt to be in the most body positive environment this always body and heart of mine have ever been in. Magic. It was pure magic!

I want to tell you about the coffee. Yes, the coffee. And the best hamburger I've ever had in my life that involved blackberry jam.

I want to tell you about the absolute awesome ridiculousness of standing in front of "Deacon Claybourne's" house and just for a minute pretending. Just for a minute.

I want to tell you about how important it is to get away for even just a day to a place where you can just be you. No roles to play. Nothing to do but wander. And when you combine that with gathering with women to tell your stories and deeply connect...well...your heart is going to open in ways that will change you. Yes.

And Nashville, I heart you big time. Can't wait to come back! 

glimpses {1}

Evidence I do sometimes cook pancakes from scratch

She's been wearing them indoors too. Makes me so darn happy.
(We found them at Old Navy.) 

As summer arrives, the 1993 collection will be returning to the shop soon because
I love going back to my high school jewelry making roots.

Called on my tools on the Tuesday that felt like a Monday:
glitter glasses + unicorns + poetry + coffee. 

Celebrating Jonny's birthday

Soul Mantras all in a row waiting to be polished.

tea + watercolors + listening to Pixie Campbell's wisdom from her Boundaries Bootcamp class
This is how I #fillitupbuttercup 

Part of being a parent is just forgiving yourself again and again. When you have a triumph, like being able to take in the waist of the special pajamas she has to wear for her pajama party at school tomorrow and you save the day, well, you have to hold that triumph close.

*****

Over on Instagram, you can find me sharing "the true stories" with glimpses of my world. I still think it is the best social media community out there. And it somehow feels like this really safe space where I can process the real and the beauty and the hard stuff with a circle of kindreds.

If you're on Instagram, come over and say hi. I'd love to connect with you there.

everyday beauty

 

This month in Hand to Heart we're exploring the beauty of the everyday moments and we're using our cameras to collect the evidence we find.

This focus is shifting the way I'm using my phone each day. I'm using my timer and remembering the spots where there is more natural light in my home. I'm seeking evidence of beauty even in the messiest moments (like a little one sick with hives for most of Spring Break). I'm pausing to take a few deep breaths and then snapping a photo. And I'm soaking up color even more than usual.

I love how simple prompts can re-energize us and give our creativity just the starting place it needs to blossom. And getting back into the photos (like the one above with Ellie and me chatting in bed) is so important. No it isn't the best photo of me, but it is a photo full of love as I listen to her tell me stories while she plays with her stickers. 

The love is what I always want to remember.

Yes.

Come over and connect with me on Instagram. It is my favorite favorite favorite place to be these days.

And if you want to join us in seeking beauty this month, you can join Hand to Heart at any time.

project life :: february 2014

This year, I'm working on my Project Life album one month at a time. Letting go of the weekly updates has been like taking a deep breath.

And as usual, it isn't about being perfect or hoping my albums will look like some of the true designers or really experienced scrapbookers out there. 

No.

This is about photos + words and a few little fun bits and gathering them together as evidence of this awesome, crazy, beautiful, sometimes really messy life we're living over here.

These layouts show glimpses of a month full of sick days and a snow day and three trips to IKEA and a visit from my mom and going through "stuff" and rearranging and continuing to make a home that feels like home.

Read more about my experience with Project Life + get links to some of the products I'm using right here.

getting outside.

 

Getting outside. Five deep breaths. Noticing the beauty in my corner.

These are the practices I return to again and again.

These are the practices that act like handholds...helping me find my way each day.

Last week, on a really hard and sad day, the sun was shining anyway. And seeing that blue sky pushed me to gather up my little family and go to a park near our home and soak up the beauty of just being alive.

And the beauty was there even as I sat on a log looking out at the water with grief in one hand and the real solid truth that I am still here in the other. While my husband and daughter ran back and forth across the rocks and her laughter was contagious to all who walked by, I took five deep breaths and then five more. As the space inside me grew with each breath, the beauty enveloped me like a comforting shawl. 

Yes.

*****

If you want to circle with a group of women who are exploring practices like this one, come along to Hand to Heart, my free ongoing community of women. Each month I share different ideas to add to your current self-care practice and we're here to support you even if you're just beginning the adventure of learning self-care.

Learn more and request to join right here.