Welcome to my corner of the world. I'm so glad you're here. Join me in a conversation about how we build a bridge between daily life and the life we're longing for. As you explore, you'll discover stories, some of my favorite things, a whole lot of love, and perhaps even join me in a little lip syncing. Learn more about me right here.
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Bowls of heart pocket talismans have been gathering in the studio filled with the words and phrases kindred spirits are holding close this year. What is your word? You can find the talismans right here.
each day of the weekend.
yep.
i am full of that kind of tired tonight.
love that.
this is me 
this is the summer of my small but important quest to discover the best italian sodas in my town.
after my haircut this morning, i drove through william patrick's coffee and ordered a strawberry italian soda (with whipped cream, of course). the secret, i have discovered so far, is that the barista must stir the soda. which she did. (thank you.) starbucks did not make my day on saturday when i ordered a raspberry italian soda only to have all the syrup sit at the bottom of the cup.
my first lesson learned on the quest. i know that i must ask for them to stir it if they do not.
another treat we have been enjoying lately is vanilla ice cream with raspberries and marionberries (or any other kind) with a little chocolate syrup. our friends who moved here from indiana last month shared this treat with us friday night when we had dinner with them in their new home. spending time with them was, well, splendid really. i cannot believe that they really moved here. wow. wow. wow. it is simply fantastic. two of my favorite people in all the world.
it was a nice opposite of the previous day when the phone rang and my husband's voice said, "i am okay, but…i have been in an accident." i think i lived a short eternity between the words "but…i" i had no idea what he was going to say. this summer, he is commuting to teach at a community college and he is in rush-hour traffic on the way home. he was the third car in a three-car accident and the other cars were totaled; ours needs significant work and who knows if it might be totaled even though we can still drive it.
as i waited for him to get home, my mind raced to all the "what ifs?" and what i would do if something horrible had happened. i felt so grateful that he is okay but also felt very in touch with how easily it could have gone the other way. how the voice on the other end of the line could have been someone else letting me know that my husband had been in an accident.
since then, we have spent quite a bit of time together just enjoying the summer and one another. my favorite moments are when he sits in my little room and reads while i sew and we listen to music or this american life. in those moments, i count my blessings and own how lucky i am as I live in my little house and live my little life.
(note to self: this recent consumption of all these treats might be why those army green pants felt a bit tight earlier today. hmmm...must balance this with veggies.)
this is me i imagine that you have joined me for lunch today...
this is what we are having:
(so since there are no rules with color week, i am kind of blending the first four days of colors with my lunch today)
a little quest:
jon has been drinking italian sodas for years, but i tend to always get coffee when we go to cafes (iced mochas in the summer). but, when we were in oregon, i tried this raspberry italian soda with cream. oh my goodness. the flavor took me right back to when i was a kid and we would go to marco island, fl (before my little brother was born) and we would walk down the beach, me and my mom and my dad, and then walk on to this frozen yogurt place. now, this was back when we didn't have frozen yogurt chains and it was pretty new. i loved that frozen yogurt. i think i also loved the time spent with my parents there, out in the sun just the three of us (and then my brother later). over the years, i have always searched for a similar flavor, but never have found it. until now.
i am on a small but important quest to try italian sodas and other cream drinks at some of my favorite cafes this summer.
today, i found that the strawberry blended creme drink at starbucks is pretty darn close to that flavor from my past.
what is new with you? have you been undertaking any quests of your own lately?
color, this is me 
a brief break in the middle of the day to enjoy lunch outside. fruit and cheese and water with lime. reading a magazine. remembering the importance of taking time away from work and responsibility to just soak in summer. remembering to soak in the joy.
(and yes, i did buy two of those polka dot bowls because i knew they would match my new shoes.)
see more self-portrait takers in their environments here.
I was emailing with a kindred spirit in blog world this week, and she asked me, “what do you want to do with your life?” And for the first time, maybe the first time ever in my 31 years, I had an immediate answer to that question. I have to be honest: The fact that my head and heart had this immediate answer somewhat astounded me.
A few years ago when we still lived in Indiana, my mom, Jon, and I were in Barnes and Noble and I found myself drawn to some books on one of those aisle tables. One title was Is It Too Late to Run Away and Join the Circus? An Updated Guide to Your Second Life by Marti Smye. I have to admit that I stood there thinking, “Do you think I could? Just run away and do that?” At that time, I felt like I was seeking, but I didn’t know what to look for. I didn’t know that I only had to look inward.
These last couple of years have become that journey – that journey inward. I have begun to be honest with myself about what I need and want to do with my life. And, how the doubts creep in and the questions jump out at me unexpectedly at times. Still, I know that if I just pause and listen, I will know what to do.
You have to be honest with yourself though. When you sit in the quiet, what does your heart tell you it needs or wants to do? That is the question. What does your soul need for nourishment? That is the question. Sitting with the questions and just breathing, noticing what comes up; I believe this is the way to find your answers. I used to be afraid to do this, to sit in the quiet and listen. There is an overwhelming power at times when you realize you have to know the answers to the questions of your life. There isn’t a true guidebook, just lots of people trying to tell you what they think is best. And, although their way might be one piece of your way, only you know the answers. Only you know.
In writing an answer to this question of “what do you want to do with your life?” I realized that I am doing it. I had a talk with my good friend Heather last weekend about this idea of “doing.” As Yoda talks about, this idea of “Do or do not. There is not try.” For me, the key has become to do. To stop creating my own hurdles and just do.
As I make a commitment to myself to live in my life and create and write and tell my story, I have to stop talking about doing these things – stop just talking about living and creating and writing – and find my way to action.
this is me