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Fort building, star gazing, life loving and the first time Brendan met the family of one of my best college girlfriend's, Mary ... my how we've grown. ❤
Full set.
And in video form....
Music by my talented sweetheart.
Life has been crazy-busy and filled with so. many. changes.
I'm "behind" in photos, projects, and a zillion other ideas that I want to do. I quote "behind" because I don't think there are any real rules to sharing moments (at this rate I will be posting sunrise sledding and snow photos in the dead of summer).
I suppose that's what happens when you plan a wedding in two months (and no, we are not expecting and I do not need a greencard, thank you very much). There are times when I find myself in the "fear-space" of all this change, but over the years I have become much better at recognizing when it happens. This awareness allows me to pull myself out of it sooner and re-enter the present moment, which lately has been filled with lots of color.
While the to-do list is crazy, I decided to take a tiny break and share some snaps from a recent weekend in Nashville.
pictured: finding Springtime in Nashville | cornhole | when my Iowa gals surprised me and told me that I was going to be a fairy for the evening -- they even gave me glitter!!! | playing the "bachelorette question game" that my love and I totally dominated at (we hardly missed any questions! this was one of my favorite surprises because I loved re-living the moments and hearing things from Brendan's point of view) | Nashville's Parthenon
not pictured: when I almost blew the surprise by saying that we needed a hashtag for the weekend (because our previous friend trips have always had one, so I had no idea why everyone was acting so strange when I suggested the idea, but then they revealed that they already had one for the "special" weekend! although we all decided that #nashpatateo was even better because we were nashville-bound and some friends keep likening my (soon-to-be!!) last name to a "potato" | four "hangry" girls in a car and how well KP handled us | KP's hospitality and funny comments, especially the one that said we were like a "four-headed llama, plinko machine" with all of our amazing thoughts racing and bouncing off one another...
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It was a lovely weekend. Thank you all so much. I really love you girls and I'm so happy to be part of your wolf pack ~ the Iowa friendship bracelets sealed the deal.
full set
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I admittedly spend way too much time wondering what people will think. Starting and re-starting sentences because I'm worried that they will come off "too" something. What makes up this "too" can change at any given time, for a multitude of reasons.And then there's the point of why?
You see, I have a love/hate relationship with technology, social media and the likes of it. I appreciate this digital space and that my thoughts live in a "cloud" and don't clutter up my actual living space. But if I'm honest, it can take an effort to keep the intentions pure.
For me, that means maintaining a space for self-reflection and memories because I like taking photos, looking back at random posts and remembering how I felt.
I took a break from writing for awhile to be more present, but I realized that these things can live in tandem--one can be mindfully present, while being a person that likes taking photos and writing mini-reflections.Sometimes those writings help us frame the memory.
When I listen to my best self I'm reminded that I shouldn't care what anyone will think if I share yet another flower photo or write about my super-sappy feelings on love.Looking at this seemingly simple behavior (to blog or not), helps me reflect on subtle ways of "either/or" thinking and, once again, reminds me to find center.
With that, here are some snaps from a near-Christmastime trip to Charleston.
not pictured: sneaking into corners around the city while drinking a full bottle of white wine given to us by our lovely Airbnb host, how friendly and HUGE that fluffy cat was, seeing thousands of washed up starfish on the shore and trying to save them only to find out later it might not have helped and how sad that made me, eating the most delicious food ever at Husk...omg the bread and butter. yum.
//Meeting the "parent sparkles" was marvelous. I have never felt more at home. I really hate saying the word "perfect", but our weekend together really was. Even when Mr. Fox (the cute lil dog) barfed on me when boating - chunks and all. Luckily, I was able to jump right into the water.Not pictured: playing my favorite drawing game, my excitement over seeing the dolphins, and all of the beautiful heartfelt conversations.
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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.
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We almost missed the train, but I'm so glad we didn't. At midnight we rushed to Penn Station and made it just in time to take the train to Montauk. After a restless sleep (and getting yelled at by a train conductor because apparently we were in the wrong car) we arrived just after 4:00 am. The air was cool, but you could feel the last bits of summer holding on. (One) of my favorite parts is walking to the beach. It's nearly pitch black, but the air is salty and the waves sound intimidatingly enormous. It's incredible just how fast the sky shifts from a sparkle blanket and shooting stars to the best color show you've ever seen. The darkest blues, brightest pinks, deep purples, and deep orange.We snuggled and danced and watched a seagull find a leftover pizza. The rest of the day was full of adventure, as all the days have been since I met my sparkle partner. *
**Exploring an abandoned apartment building/hotel (?) somewhere in Pennsylvania (post Poconos trip).
Not pictured: The absolute eeriness of the place.
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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 think most people would agree that this past winter was long and a bit dreadful. While I enjoyed the pretty snow, I was ready for warmer months and bits of color instead of the grayscale mornings. After a period of blue, a friend cheered me up by reminding me that the harsh winter was going to bring a bright spring and summer. That the earth would be fertile, retaining the water from its melted snow. She was right. June in Iowa was particularly bright; ditches filled with flowers and emerald green everywhere. **pictured: trails from the Maquoketa Caves, late nights playing with sparklers, morning light from the trees in my childhood home, ditch flowers, and the open roads of Iowa. not pictured: the great conversations had on those trails (this girl is fabulous), pretending I was a wizard (I am just NOW reading the Harry Potter series [10+ years late - I know] and I freaking LOVE them - that is all!), the many looks of confused drivers passing by while I hung out in the ditch crouching down to take photos, face-timing on the side of the road to share a beautiful sunset and just how badly I wanted to reach through the phone for a kiss, and the nice man that gave me permission to enter the bean field so I could get a better shot of the reminders of love. Iowa, you will always have a bit of my ♥.
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One of my favorite things to do when traveling, is to find the places that are a little off the beaten path. This is especially easy to do in Key West (and most places) with a bicycle.This little island is full diversity and extremes with classes, but there is a constant. The gorgeous sunsets that can be seen by all.
*not pictured* - the moment i heard the click of the bike lock, after riding all the way to smather's beach only to realize that we had forgotten the key. hand-to-head | exactly just how close i got to that egret. for a moment, i considered trying to pet it, but decided it wouldn't be worth the potential fall considering i was standing in the water. plus, i don't think egrets like to be pet. | the zillions of no-see-ums (this horrible bug of a creature) that attacked me (i spent days nursing bites after!) | the strange conversation with the cab driver about cuba | riding back in the dark using the flash light on my phone .. until it died .. then riding in the dark - stressful at the time, but fun looking back.
p.s. Don't you just love the way the chickens and cats roam the streets.
there were lots of jellies and they were all this big! aren't they adorable! AND they saved the sea turtle! so many fish! // About 70 miles off of Key West is a lovely, remote island full of nature. It would be the perfect place for the humans to get away from "the walkers" (which btw that show is so good!). It was terribly hot, but so worth it. We spent the day wandering ruins, wondering about the types of conversations birds would have, avoiding jellies, and playing in the water. Could there be anything more perfect? Just look at that blue! not pictured - the sea turtle rescue that happened on the way to the island. apparently, the ferry boat driver (captain?) noticed a sea turtle caught in a buoy the night before, so they had a team (who happened to be a cute couple dressed in the same blue as the day!) come the island for the day to help. i would have watched this sea turtle rescue, but was completely knocked out from the dramamine - as in mouth-hanging-open-sleeping-in-public. a lovely site, i am sure - for nearly the full boat ride there. more photos
There's something about the shift from summer to fall that just gets me, and not necessarily in a good way. The truth is, it starts very early. The shift begins at the end of July - when the sky is the haziest and the leaves are somewhere between slightly-wilted and getting ready to crisp for the fall. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things I love about the season; cider and layers and falling leaves and cooler nights. Although, let's be honest ... the best parts of Fall are far too brief in New York. Not enough bright yellow leaves and crisp blue days.
I've gotten much better at identifying the moments that are a little harder for me. The ones that I work really hard to rush through, but feel painfully slow. I've found that in "being" with whatever-comes-up, I'm able to move through it - just a bit faster.
It's easiest for me to get to the other side by noticing the beauty that is everywhere. In the small details of a moment. In the ability to remember and to look forward.It's especially easy when you're away from the city and the Berkshires are perfect for this.
*not pictured* - rushing out of the city, leaving much later than planned, and arriving even later than originally expected - due to lack of cell service, we ended up creeping around houses; looking into windows and everything trying to figure out which one was our destination. it didn't help that there were two houses with the same address, but we decided it was highly unlikely that someone would rent a house with a gaping hole on the front porch. thankfully, we found the house. | kayaking on a big pond and going through the marsh, into the tiny stream of lily pads and wild orchids | having a nice conversation with locals on the water | finding lots of treasures in the woods, including exploding touch-me-nots and toads! | the amazing cookies at the gypsy joynt, the birthday cake cookie was the. best. (if you're ever in great barrington, go. also try this)
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It's strange to think that it's been almost 3 weeks since the wedding! I really do not understand where time goes. Anyhoozle, here are some snaps from the trip to the Midwest, which involved my yearly visit to Oklahoma to see my lovely gals and then a little (actually, very long!) road trip up to Chicago. Not pictured: upon realizing we were not going to make it to see the fireworks with Beth, my 7-year old desire to see them suggested we stop in a random town on the way, wait for an hour, and then watch, but Mary's desire (and motherly instinct understood that 10-hours in a car is a long time for a 4-year old) to justgetthere won | the point of the road trip where everything just becomes silly | swimming in the hotel after our 12-hour drive, which consisted of multiple switches from the "hot pool" to the "cold pool" (per Georgia, naturally) | and everyone's obsession with candy crush. **I was thrilled when I could see the fireworks from the hotel! yes, I was obsessed with the Bean! O'hare's knock-off of the tunnel in Detroit, personally I like Detroit's better!
These photos are quite old, but they were too pretty to not post! It's funny what you find when having to make space on your machine!
// these are the things that make up home. i♥wa.(the first shot is not iowa, but the detroit airport). i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving filled with lots of ♥.
...these are the moments to be had in oklahoma. :) **p.s. i made the little kitty and bunny for georgia! ;)
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and back to New York...It was a beautiful wedding and weekend. The June skies were as pretty as ever - especially when you pull over and lie down in the middle of a New Hampshire highway to stare at endless time traveling stars.I love how photos take you back to the moment before and after that "click".
**Thank you, Julian, for being a lovely travel companion and sharing the camera. :)xo