sachuest point national wildlife refuge

hands down, our favorite spot in the newport area.

soaking up summer

we have one more week with the girls in newport, rhode island before we move to maine so i'm lathering on the spf when they get up and we are getting out to explore. cramming an entire summer into one week. they are planners just like their mother. so when they get up in the morning they want a laundry list of what the plans are for the day. nothing like four-year-olds keeping you in check.

these pictures were from our first trip this season to second beach on saturday night when the sun was low on the horizon and energy was high.

we are moving

to maine (the portland, maine area)! my heart is fluttering while i write this because there has been so much emotion behind this move. ever since i made a trip to this state in 2006 i have been enamored with it's realness and dreamt about raising a family there. you all know i'm a visual person so the design aesthetic of maine is something that captured me and has not let me go. 

in 2007 josh and i planned a trip together before the girls were born and he felt the same way. for a landscape architect it is the ultimate. we tried to make the move three years ago and it just didn't work out for us. so after lots of scheming, planning and dreaming we are so excited that it is coming to fruition.

we are excited and feel a rush of adrenaline because it is sort of scary at the same time. to leave the safe and familiar. but we are being true to ourselves and we know deep down in our hearts that this is the right decision for our family and now is the time to do it. 

phew. that feels good. do you know how hard it has been not being able to tell you all. so it's going to be a little nutty around here until we get our bearings. i'll be dancing the jig and sticking broccoli where my incisors are to keep things light.

hope you have a wonderful father's day weekend.

around the house

hope you had a lovely weekend. some pictures showing what we were up to:

1. k+r's paintings on construction paper.
2.  a red quinoa, watermelon, tomato, arugula, jalapeno, red onion, and feta salad. 
3. recent books i checked out at the library. are you reading anything that shouldn't be missed this summer? i would love to hear.

memorial day weekend in maine

i'm a worrier. i think it's in my blood. sometimes i wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep because the littlest things are exaggerated in my mind. exercise helps it. and being in maine helps too. my worries about the future and soul searching for what the next step is after being a stay-at-home mom seem to subside when we are surrounded by nature's beauty.   

book love

as cable television exited from our lives two years ago, i have given birth to a new infatuation. old books. more specifically the cheap ones. like $5 and under. 

this is similar to my recent extinguishing of sweet treats in our house during lent. from the ice cream, cookie and cupcake repression a new favorite has arisen. dates.  it's what i reach for in the mid-afternoon stress and slump.

have you gotten rid of any bad habits that have given rise to a completely new desire?

images of the abstract expressionism book i picked up at the newport library friends bookstore.

outtakes

yes, this is toilet paper. we ran out of ribbon.

this is where all our ribbon went.                    ready.1.2.3.attack daddy.

  post dinner buzz.

wind power

"kites rise highest against the wind - not with it."
-winston churchill

sometimes you feel you are going against the grain. trying to accomplish goals that fall way out of your comfort zone. that's the way it has felt with some of our endeavors this spring. i can't really reveal the details now, but there are things brewing. percolating. changing. 

wind is a powerful force. it's not always on your side when surfing, kite boarding, sailing, or simply flying a kite. however, when you make it through to the other side to your destination or goal. a bit ramshackled, flustered, with sea legs and all. feeling like you have been chewed up and spit out. you are a stronger person because of it. or at least that's my hope. 

empowerers

do you have friends that have gracefully enter your life and when you look back you realize how important those individuals were? to your well being. in shaping the person you are today. so vital to that particular place and time.  they are like angels that come and rescue you and then send you along life's path. empowerers. 

here are some that come to mind:

1. dana - growing up in small town, chagrin falls, ohio she was my cool and creative friend that wore her sweatshirts inside out, introduced me to the violent femmes and made me see that life was not all about being homogeneous and fitting in with the majority.

2. p.j. - for laughing with me on our church work camp trips in high school. for helping me to see the beauty in the some of the most beaten down and distressed areas in the united states. 

3. ryan - you know the time in college where you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders (or maybe that was just me)? well, ryan was my friend that i knew i could always count on to go running with. we would vent about our stresses and we talked about big ideas and politics.

4. maya - she was the first nurse i came in contact with when i was admitted to the hospital for pre-term contractions at 27 weeks when i was pregnant with k and r. she is the kindness, most reassuring person i have ever met. she made me laugh despite the fact that i was freaking out on the inside. 

5. kayo- she is a true leader. originally from japan, she has lived in many countries, including france, ivory coast, and ethiopia. i have never heard her once complain and she has helped me change my life for the better here in newport. i started yoga since meeting her. i have started meditating again because of her. i am more mindful and grateful because of her influence. 

so to these individuals i say thank you.  

"The planet does not need more 'successful people'. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds. It needs people to live well in their places. It needs people with moral courage willing to join the struggle to make the world habitable and humane and these qualities have little to do with success as our culture is the set. " 
 ~The Dalai Lama

do you have friends that have gracefully touched your life and influenced you in some way? i would love to hear about it.

first photo of my dear friend, kayo martin. 
second photo - graffiti on the cliff walk. 

around the house

1. painting by k. " fireworks and flowing lava."

2. i purchased this painting at a consignment store for a steal. the warm colors and the comforting, compassionate, and caring feeling i got from the woman in the painting made it impossible to walk away from. 

3. the handmade vase in the front of the picture was from the dump store in maine. the imperfections are what make it my favorite one in my collection of white vessels.

i like

1. lichens on a rock from a sunday family hiking trip at john chafee nature preserve. photo by joshua tompkins.

2. bookshelves with lovely placement of objects above and below. image from the blog, montmarte via joslyn taylor's pin.

3. such intricate and mind blowing work from matthew picton's paper sculpture gallery.

4. i need to create an inspiration/mood wall like le dans la has created. found on remodelista.

5. the most soulful and thoughtful person,  karina bania from curate the day led me to the hernaez sticotti house and i am have fallen hard for the interior and exterior of this architect and graphic designer's abode. photo by ana armendariz.