...LOVE..it still surrounds me!

home now.  but the love still surrounds me.

2 weeks ago today i was enjoying a beautiful windy day on the oregon coast. surrendering my mind & body to the practice of yoga and the soothing, calm voice of this beautiful soul .

i spent the afternoon walking the tides of the beach, trying hard to capture this new found love in my life, through the lens of my camera.   ever so happy to be wearing my new rainboots.

as i've had almost two weeks away from these strangers i can now have the honor of calling my "friends", i've found it strangely lonely.  i miss them.  i miss their laughter.  i miss their hugs.  i miss their "super*dee*duper" phrases.  i miss their honesty.  i miss their stories.  

yet...

as we have connected in various ways since going back to our very different and separate lives, I STILL FEEL THE LOVE.  the love of these women STILL surrounds me.  it is a love i feel in a quick email just to say "i miss you.  that's all".  it is a love i feel in a text message or an invitation to an art show or a "please be my friend" on facebook.  there is love in a comment on my young blog or the encouraging of others to start their blogs.  i feel love when i see one of us bravely show a work of art or beautifully written words and others respond with "oh, you are so brave."  "you are so talented".  "keep it up girlfriend". 

this is the love that still surrounds me. 

i wanted to capture it in a painting.  (above)  at the end of our journey in manzanita, dear liz elayne gave each one of us a beautiful scarf.  it was a sight to see all 25 women each wrapped in their gift.  my painting reminds me that although i am home now, i can still feel the love of these women and cul*ti*vate all the good things that they brought to my life.  the scarf around my little house is that reminder.  it is an extra special scarf because it is made from a hand made paper ribbon that was sewn by my talented unearth friend, danielle, for all 25 women.  (thank you danielle for the scarf for my little home!)

& thank you to all my "scarf sisters" who continue to love me and enrich my life!

i love you all!

...so...what's the best thing that's ever happened to you?

my lucky friend found a cloever (his spelling, not mine) at the farm last night.

he was so happy that he found the cloever.

it was a four lear cloever.

he found it by the pigs.

he kept it in a jar.

it was the best thing that ever happend (his spelling) to him.

by stockton

age 8

i wish i could think like i was an 8 year old again.  how wonderful to believe that the best thing that could ever happen in the whole wide world, would be to find a 4 leaf clover!

so....what's the best thing that's ever happened to you?

happy thursday!

i'm off to count gooey pumpkin seeds with the 4th grade!  WHOOO HOOO!

...i'll never be the same!! (and that's a good thing)

...have you ever had one of those life changing experiences? the ones where you are absolutely positive you will never be the same again? i'm not talking the horrific experiences that unfortunately enter our lives at one point or another...but the beautiful ones?
...maybe your path crossed with others who left  huge footprints on your heart.  or maybe you traveled to the most breath taking, wave crashing, gull soaring, grass blowing in the breeze...beach.  maybe a kind, wise, gentle spirit gave you a safe place to "silence the blaring sounds of your daily existence." maybe a most beautiful soul taught you how to unearth whats truly important to you.  deep down in your core.  maybe you got the opportunity of a lifetime to spend creative days and intimate hours (serious, cuddle up on the sofa and talk like you've been friends forever, about all things important in life, hours) with  an artist you've deeply admired from afar and whose story and paintings inspired you to listen to the wispers within your heart.
...even as i type the words, it sounds too good to be real.  too delicious to taste.  the dreams i.ve only read and heard about "others" experiencing and yet i look into the expressive eyes of each woman in the photo above and see my face among them and know that it was real. 

it WAS real. 
it WAS life changing. 
i love these women. 
i will never be same.
...and that's a good thing.

oh my goodness! PINCH ME!

i have no words..go HERE right this very minute!

..room for 24 more!

...right now my heart is so dang full i think it just might burst! i have 24 amazing women running around in it.  24 women i will never forget.  24 women who changed my life. 24 women i love.  i can't wait to tell you all about them.  seriously, i just can't wait...

...1, no 2, no 3 comments!!! wow!

...i just entered a little raffle at the blog of one of my favorites, KELLY RAE ROBERTS. she had 214 comments on her blog by the time i hit enter to send in my own two bits. so many people love her and follow her journey.  i, on the hand, have only told a handful of people that i even know HOW to blog, that is why it is so amazingly wonderful to me that i just came here to this little ol' blog to leave a post about what i'm up to tomorrow & imagine my surprise to see that i had, not 1, not 2, but THREEEEE comments on here.  WOW! three friends i've never met in person but three new, creative souls that i can't wait to get to know.  thanks ann, lori & cathy! you guys rock!

...5 more night time prayers

...oh my goodness!  i have a huge secret!  last spring i jumped way, way out of my comfort zone and registered for an art retreat in manzanita, oregon. (you can read all about it here ) i felt so proud of myself for registering, positive that i wouldn't get in because there were only about 20 spots available.  it was just the simple act of sending in my registration that was a giant leap for me in my attempt to put into "action" the whisperings of my creative spirit.  little did i ever expect to actually "get in"...YIKES!  so fast forward to today...i have only 5 more nights of getting on my knees in prayer before i jump on a plane with a heartful of emotions and excitement and spend 5 days with amazingly talented, wonderful women to "UNEARTH" all that lies deep within me.  who knew that when i underlined these words in kelly rae roberts book  "..do the thing that scares you the most.  By doing it, you'll give birth to your life's promise and unearth your buried dreams.  rediscover your worth, your potential, your creative spirit. then go and fly on its wings to places you won't ever want to leave."...it would lead me to take the first HUGE step towards cul*ti*vating all good things in my life.  amazing!

...a book & a blessing

...a little over a year ago the subtle "whispers" of my creative side that came to me every now and again, began to turn into full blown "yells" from within.  i started actually feeling panicky and edgy about the need to create again (after taking a 16 yr. break to get my 5 little ones all in school) but didn't quite know where i wanted to begin.  there were several different artistic outlets that i enjoyed and just when i would start on one, the other would beckon and i found myself with a slew of unfinished projects and a heartful of frustration.  in an effort to get myself focused on a specific artistic adventure and learn some new techiniques, i went searching for a book. the blessing that came into my life was "this" .."taking flight. inspiration to give your creative spirit wings" by artist kelly rae roberts.  i picked this book up and haven't put it down since. 
   so much of what kelly touches on in her book, were the exact whisperings of my heart.  i just wasn't doing a very good job of listening to them.  i was so relieved when i read this book to know that there were other people out in the world who felt a desire to "unearth" their creative yearnings. a relief that brought actual tears to my eyes. thank you kelly for giving me....a book and a blessing!