an honest silence | a celebration of wilderness

i'm so honored to be part of this writing/photography project celebrating the wilderness that i love.
greg did such a great job editing this beautiful e-book, and pj's and david's writing is superb.
it's incredible to see three points of view side-by-side, all deeply in love with the land, and aware of its necessity to our hearts and society. i could talk about wilderness day in and day out.

you can purchase a copy of our book for a small $5 here. a portion of the proceeds will go directly to southern utah wilderness alliance. this organization needs all the donations and volunteer time it can get especially now that so much of our wilderness is threatened by development and short-sighted politicians.

here's to wilderness! please join us in our celebration.

:: this is my quiet easter sunday ::

this earthy holiday of rebirth certainly lifts a heart, and freshens up a stale soul.

things are moving. lots is happening. it's a bit terrifying, but mostly exhilarating.

this spring air, without a doubt, makes magic happen--mostly within this heart of mine.

i'm embarking on scary things. big things. wonderful things. i'm all too aware that

the higher i aim the more dramatic the fall...but, mostly, i'm over it. sort of.

the path? well, we'll see how all the details work themselves out.

but the goal is clear: start my own school. give me ten, twenty years. 

i'll have a school. i've finally given myself a heart-to-heart about real dreams,

not "back-up" dreams when the real dreams seem too crazy.

spring has given me the guts to do hard things. it's given me the will-power

to put my pride aside, to study harder than i've ever studied, to work harder

than i've ever worked--and i'm enjoying every minute of it.

this earth is moving me. is it moving you?

{ceej has arrived safely in china. miss him terribly. one week. here we go.} 

i am in love with here. in love with now. in love with this world.

last weekend ceej, marte, and i headed up to the cabin

to relax, to walk in the woods, to fill our bellies,

and to find some peace in a sometimes crazy world.

i think we found what we were looking for.

the mountains' autumn leaves have fallen for the most part,

the last golden leaves softening their grip on aspens & cottonwoods.

watching the wind blow clouds of fluttering leaves

is quite a magical experience...one of my favorite scenes of autumn.

day to day it is easy to get lost in the isolation of a to-do list--

so i am grateful for time outside with friends

where i feel my place in this world,

and that i am indeed part of a "family of things."

there are ugly things in this world, but there are infinitely more

beautiful things...at least that's the way i choose to see it today

as i continue my personal journey of finding beauty in a broken world...

i couldn't endure this journey without loved ones & the beauty of the outdoors.

hoping you feel your place in the world today. we need you in our family of things.

if i had all the money in the world i'd create reserves like crazy : the bloedel reserve on bainbridge island

i get so greedy when i start to think of all the places

i could reserve and keep safe from development...

i suddenly get the urge to pinch every penny

and work 80 hours a week to get money, money, money--

all so i can dump it into a giant fund to preserve

beautiful places...you know, like a modern beatrix potter.

was happy to visit such a reserve: the bloedel reserve.

pretty dresses, hip spectacles, and real-live bunnies

these are lovely photos from the family archives...
my sweet mom and her family from the 1950s-1960s.
this is nostalgia at it's best, yes?
i certainly love seeing my cute little mom with her dimples
and sparkling eyes {which, of course, are still my favorite features of hers}.

i am wondering about that bunny...
celia jane tells the story often of when she was a little girl
and her family had a couple of bunnies : one particularly hot day
her and her sister became quite in a panic as they worried
their little bunnies were over-heating in all of that fur
on the hottest day of the year...
they proceeded to poor buckets and buckets of cold water
on those bunnies...i won't tell you how it ended.
i only hope that the bunny pictured here had a better life.
{hoping you're not planning on getting yourself a bunny,
unless, that is, you happen to be a bunny-raising-extraordinaire}.

today also happens to be earth day...
i love that this weekend is full of ways to celebrate life
and all that this earth and beyond have to offer us.
life is sweet, isn't dear readers?

happy weekend!