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This was an amazing follow up to our last friend's outing, except this time we added some people which meant more fun, getting a larger house and larger vehicles. I drove the "church van" and Brandon drove the "dad van". The fall foliage was at it's peak and we had many moments.

Full set

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Ten awesome friends, two days, lots of sparklers, SO much laughter (too many inside jokes to even write), FIREWORKS, The Delaware Water gap (what a shitty swimming hole! at least the part we paid $10 for was), exploring an abandoned building (picks TK!), late night conversations with a giant super moon ... these are the days of summer and they are glorious.I can't wait for our next friend trip!

full set | #poconoswhatyoudidthissummer

Not pictured: Just how much I love sparklers and the maniacal laugh that came out of me when I lit all of them on fire. Hayden almost captured it. | Getting stung by some sort of insect while sharing the story of the early days of my new love. |Texts between "car 1" and "car 2" | sparkle* | the "sorting" game that I was convinced we were playing where people had to put their empty drink container in a corner | Our midnight bakery which started with cheddar biscuits and ended with multiple combinations of bread and cheese (this was not a healthy weekend and we didn't mind one bit.) | The lovely moments I had with all of my special friends. So far, my 30's are fabulous.  

p.s. thanks to car 1 for the awesome hashtags.

**

I often talk about my garden of friends. How each relationship in my life is like a flower, which I try and nurture and grow. Over the past few months, my garden has really grown and it is absolutely beautiful. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I am so very thankful. ❤

pictured: delicious breakfasts and typical morning moments | 10 in 10 | the view after a glorious hammock nap | the pups | fireflies (all of the tiny green dots) | poolside reading | caesar loved the water, but it was slightly terrifying swimming with him - he also had a particularly affinity for one | final selfies at squirrel run!not pictured: how freaking delicious the food was | leading a morning yoga sequence and making us shoot love-sparkle wishes in warrior two | the silliness of having three happy pups in a house | game night with the funniest descriptions of taboo i have ever heard | just HOW beautiful the fireflies were, it looked like the trees were filled with twinkling christmas lights | the million times caesar jumped in the pool and how terribly he smelled after | watching back to the future and many world cup games. 

full set

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There’s a thing about listening to yourself – the deep-to-the-core kind of listening that helps you follow your heart. You realize that you’re a lot stronger and smarter than you ever gave yourself credit for. That the answers you were looking for, were always with you.

Over a year ago I told myself that I needed three months – a brief period of time to wear the “sorting hat” – to figure out things out.In the colder months, I finally took that time.

This wasn’t always easy and there were moments of blue. Honest and difficult conversations were had with myself. I learned to appreciate the nicety in feeling attractive, but learned to hold my eager heart.Love is a wonderful feeling, but finding the person that moves your core is different - it shakes your soul.

My heart stopped the day I saw a tall, dark-haired boy with amazing curls and it started skipping when I saw him walking towards me. My crush was obvious to our mutual friends and, eventually, I worked up the courage to share it with him. There were a bunch of firsts and just like that it started to fall into place.

I am beyond grateful – for my friends, the sunshine, and my curiosity and imagination for this life. My heart smiles knowing that I’ve found my true sparkle partner.

It just took me finding myself first.♥

... talented friends doing brilliant things at improv... jumbo jenga! watching something like a magic trick - my ♥ pulled one of the blocks from the center so quick and it didn't fall.... looking up all of the classic 90's boys bands on our phone and belting them out in a cab with lots of little kisses in between.... the glorious golden sunsets of June (and almost making it in time to see the manhattenhenge!)... hanging out at the Governors Ball. We likened this to "hanging in sparkle bubble" because we made lots of new friends and danced. so. much. also, i might have sprinkled actual glitter on people.... new sunglasses that make everything look like sparkles. "there's rose colored glasses and then there's sparkle glasses...."... walking back from Randall's Island over the Triborough / RFK Bridge and staring at the skyline. I've decided the Manhattan skyline is really just a bunch of pens writing in the sky. This WILL be a painting.... dancing around an empty Tompkins Square Park after midnight and creating a "play". To do this, one person must sit on the bench while wearing the sparkle glasses and the other person must take a glow stick and dance.... late night painting where we imagined hanging out in a forest with a stream of stars, tents in trees, and pillows everywhere.... finding my perfect sparkle partner who brings out my imagination even more than i dreamed possible. yay!**

**love this song. love these moments. love this life.**

We are taking in the new love
Watch the sky turn to gold
With every new direction
There's a story untold
There's a bed by the water
Maybe this could be home
We'll live together
And we'll never be alone, alone, alone
And our hands intertwining
Like the braids in my hair
We were waiting for the right time
Now it's here

~maria taylor

These days... things seem a little simpler. I stand a little straighter. My shoulders pull back and down and my gaze is forward.
Sometimes when walking I have to squeeze my hands into tiny fists to contain this excitement.
These days... time does that thing where it moves too quick and passes too slow. I feel like I can't get enough of it and that I have nothing but time ahead of me -- at the same time.

Foggy evenings on piers are like hanging out in a cloud. Tips are shared for letting eyes open in such a way that it makes light reflections look like millions of sparkles in rapid conversation with one another.
Lazy days with no plans turn into long walks around curvy streets and laying in the grass identifying shapes out of clouds.
Swing dancing happens surrounded by trees to the soundtrack of a rushing stream and little hums of familiar tunes. A lost feather found a perfect home in the room of whimsy, where the heart swelled in such a way that the only place for it to go was in tears of joy.

These days...eyes say more than words ever could and hands always find each other while walking down the streets or just before drifting to sleep.
There's a sense of knowing and just a great appreciation for another open heart.
There's a bit of fear, for this is new and terrifying and oh-so-wonderful, but I am more myself than I've ever been.

These days...happiness seems boundless and falling seems right. There's room to let time do its thing. Wrap itself around this and allow everything to just be. 

* so for those dear friends that aren't in this video, i hope you know that i adored our moments just as much. even if they aren't here. 

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There's about a zillion things I could say about this past year. There were moments that were so freaking wonderful, I couldn't even put words to them. There were some that were equally as tough and also have no words, but they probably wouldn't be for sharing anyway.

The end of a year is always interesting. There's a collective pause and thoughts are gathered. Memories are revisited and promises are set for the upcoming year. What's lovely is that everyone has something different. Some choose to share them, some choose to keep them close. I'm one of those people that's annoyingly behind a camera. I like looking through the lens and capturing moments. I love pretty things and animals and I'm sure I take the same shots every year. Except this year, I started taking little videos. I don't shoot everything, because that would be way too much and there wouldn't be much room for actual living*.

But when I looked back to see what I had, I realized that while 2013 certainly had some patches of just going through it, it was also filled with much, much more. For that, I am ever grateful.

Happy New Year. ♥    

Girlfriends, sunshine, and a carnival from the 1920's.What more could a girl ask for on a Sunday afternoon?This little video (from one of my favorite blogs ever) captures Fête Paradiso even more perfectly. full set* "Merry" time is said very tongue-and-cheek because for whatever reason, THAT is what I kept calling the maritime building (shown in first and last photos). 

Last week I took a trip back to the cornland for Jenna's wedding. We met during a movement class and I befriended her in my usual way..."Hi! I'm Kim, you seem great. My girlfriends and I are having a spaghetti dinner tomorrow night, wanna join?" Years later, after that spaghetti dinner we are still close despite being miles apart.Perhaps it was working at Disney and being as pretty as a Disney princess, but Jenna has always believed in love. I'm so thrilled that I was able to be part of her day and meet her handsome and fun prince.The week was great, filled with new friends, old friends, laughter and love.Yay!**Congratulations and here's to a life full of love!p.s. thanks to Jesse (Brittanie's man) for taking the pics of all the yams!  Their wedding was a couple of years ago and equally beautiful! xoxo

scavenging for shells, watching clams bury themselves into the sand, holding a starfish and saving it by giving it water (yes, really!), climbing rocks, random glass from the 1900's washing ashore, laughing, playing with shadows, taking a bow after making sand angels, and biting into a perfectly ripe peach.heavenly.

Something happened after June's chaos. I don't know how to explain it, but suddenly the entire world felt lighter. Work seemed a bit easier, even though I was working harder. My paintings have been dreamier and rich (I will share soon), despite challenging myself with compositions. And my heart has been bubbly, effervescent, and has me smiling a lot. So much that my cheeks hurt and I worry that people on the train may think I have a disorder.Weekends of fun, new friends, and so much more have me filled to the brim. I am overflowing with love. It's as if all of these dreams under my pillow have found their way into reality.Here are some magical things from the weekend...

• another day at the beach with francesca
• exploring prospect heights
• making boats out of leaves
• daydreaming in prospect park

  **I feel this glorious feeling of excitement and like this cute pup, I'm ready to leap into new territories. 

I used to dread Monday's something fierce.When I was a kid, I hated Sunday nights. It was an awful reminder that Monday was around the corner. Monday meant school and homework and whatever else scared me at that age...the thing is, they don't tell you that they are equally dreadful when you are an adult.If only we had three day weekends:day 1: recuperate from the weekday 2: play!day 3: relax and prepare for the next weeksounds heavenly, doesn't it?Since three day weekends are not in my short term future, I decided to find something to love about Mondays. Actually, it didn't happen like that -- it just so happened that I signed up for a painting class that is on Mondays.And it just so happens that the class has been everything I need.And what a perfect start to the week.It's allowing me to work on some pieces that have been hanging on my wall for over a year...(this is ALMOST done...)Play (literally - sometimes i throw it) with paint...and try something completely new --yes.I was terrified of this class, but it has been so inspiring, I'm creating, and it feels so good!Thank you Julian for pushing me to do it.<3!

So far, so good...Lots of sparkles...starting with my nails...Visits from faraway friends...Hugs from new friends...trekking in the snow...Hope you all had a fantastic New Years and that this is year is s'marvelous, s'wonderful, bright, and colorful!

...paper snowflakes!Our last Art Explorer's class is on Saturday and I wanted to do something "wintry". I decided we should make some snowflakes. One of my favorite part of doing AE is finding new projects, trying them out, and modifying them for my own. There are so many wonderful art blogs out there and just not enough time to make art!In a perfect world, I'd be making things all of the time all while teaching kids about the environment through art and music. I am getting some nifty ideas for things to do with all of our paper scraps for next semester's Earth Day.Here is my newest love and some photos of the snowflakes we'll make on Saturday:Lots of cutting and glueing...I reused a bunch of my choir envelopes with old addresses...Jumbo snowflake on bright blue paper!So pretty!Hopefully the kids like the project!Either way, I'm looking forward to my long weekend, - I took the day off - so I'll be making lots of art and singing in our concert tomorrow night, and surrounding myself wonderful people.Enjoy the weekend! I hope it's filled with lots of sparkly love...and laughing..lots of it!

Dear friend,I can't believe you got married a week ago! Seriously. And now with your hyphenated-apostrophe-happy name I'll never be able to forget it. I remember when we were childhood friends; chasing cats, dreams, and each other! How much fun did we have? Making up all of those stories? Haunted passage ways in old barns? Kitty birthday parties ("Breathing Problem" was your favorite cat and she loved you!) and weddings! And here we are, a little over a decade later and now YOU'RE married!!?!??!!That's freaking awesome. And wonderful. And s'marvelous!!!!!!**insert super sappy hug here**And I love your man. He's super sweet. Like sweet tea...with lots of sugar. ;)As your witness (I am so honored that I got to sign that paper) and someone that's grown up with you, I am so happy that you have someone so wonderful to grow old with. :) I am so happy for you two!I love you friend! And thanks for making sure I made it back to NYC alright.Here are a few photos from your special day (and the night before, how can we forget the free popcorn I scored) The highlight? Playing Sorry at the coffee house and drinking cheap champagne to celebrate. :)Much love to both of you and your damn hyphen-apostrophe-happy name. :) You know all of the good stuff that I wish for you - love, snuggles, and all that jazz :)xo**I love you friend!!What a wonderful day! And Melanie -- THANK YOU beautiful for taking photos! I can't wait to see what your camera brings! Calee -- it was great seeing you, thanks for stopping by (AJ and Roy, thanks for letting her!).And lastly. Freddy and Abby are such a delight. :)(he almost looks angelic here, like he won't mess with your Christmas tree!)May your love bring you lots and lots of kitty squishes!xop.s. Dear Iowa. Please stay progressive!

...and that's all it took for me to start laughing again...**Dear friends:Mary - thank you - for this moment, the other moments, and all the upcoming ones that remind me that laughter is the best medicine. I'm sorry I got "curl-happy" with your hair. :) It did look beautiful in the end.Bethy - thank you for making me laugh uncontrollably with your sense of humor and ponder-isms.....and for making us stand in front of this "totally nude" sign...(p.s. who is this guy??)Jenna - thank you for dancing like no one is watching and reminding me that we should all be this way....your confidence and faith are unwavering and truly inspiring.Brittanie - thank YOU for reminding me that I should never apologize for my "gooey-ness". I love knowing that someone else loves love as much as I do. :)your faith in love and family reminds me that "home" is whatever I want it to be.and Katie ~ thank you for your writing and thoughtful mind. We missed you dearly, but you were there with us in spirit.**This summer one of my very best friends in the entire world got married. Their wedding was truly a fairy tale - which is perfect considering we used to take car rides belting out Disney princess gooey love tunes.Yes, this wedding was as perfect as it looks. :)All photos taken by Freeland photography

Love.it's my favorite thing in the world.Love.it's really all we need.Love.is so beautiful.A couple of years ago I did an photo project showing that love is all around.I believed it then.And I really believe it now -Love really is all around.I'm so thankful for the people in my life.You are all so wonderful to me.**dear lovelies - may your weekend be filled with love.starting with lovely smiles..and your lovely coffee (or tea)...notice how the world around you is filled with love...and magically spells it out..notice the people around you - all filled with stories - and love of their own.these kind strangers spelled it out for me when i asked!enjoy some wine with your love.red wine is good for the heart! (so i'm told)love is cuddly, snuggly, warm, and so-so-wonderful.just like my cat. :)you are loved.xo

This post was inspired by one of my favorite bloggers - Katie Sokoler! She did a post about "things that make her smile" and asked others to do the same. I've also had a long  week (I think many did!) and think that sharing reasons to smile or be happy is a fantastic idea. So here are mine...1. Silly Halloween costumes and apartment "Mascots" (btw, Goosie is kicking it in Dysart!)2. The open roads of Iowa - and realizing I miss them -3. Midnight trains to Montauk to watch the sunrise......and using this shell to protect my eyes...4. Pretending to be birds......and imagining dancing on these clouds.5. Pretty waterfalls......and climbing them to find rainbows.6. Survivaballs7. Kids and their puppies - and willingness to share them8. All the colors of this life.......and being able to capture them in photos (iphones, film, and the like), art, and our imaginations.There are so many talented artists and photographers and I love seeing people's lives through their eyes.So what makes you smile or happy?It's Friday and sunny, so let's spread the happiness today!I hope you have a fantastic weekend filled with all the things you love. :)...and that you can get some rest.