pulling for spring

here we go! post #200. i almost thought that i'd miss it, like i sorta-kinda missed my blog's 1-year birthday, and then had to hold the belated giveaway. but not for my 200th post.

for all you bloggers out there - remember that first seemingly giant step? that first-ever post? it feels kind of like you need something that's gonna set the tone for the whole blog, but little do you notice that it often takes on a life of it's own, growing and developing as you go. it's pretty sweet, the way things all end up working out in the end.

i've been in an introspective mood lately, what with my recent one-year blogiversary and this 200th post. i've been analyzing where i'd like to see wunderbug go in the next year. taking into consideration several of my ideas, along with the fact that i love getting feedback, i'm putting it out to you guys: what would you like to see more of? weekly features? more artist interviews? recipes? quotes and poems? how-to's and tutorials?

if there's something that i've done in the past that you'd like to see again, then please please let me know! (on the flip side, if there's something that i've never done but you think would be cool for me to include, then by all means, i'm open to suggestion!) now that i feel that i'm past those 'beginning' stages of blogging, i'm ready to try out + develop new things. help steer me in the right direction!

this weekend: i'm getting a little stir crazy for some greenery. bloggers in those warmer climates have begun to post pictures of things coming back into bloom... while, unfortunately, we're facing yet another super-cold weekend up here in canada. i'm going to combat it by planning my 2009 veggie garden... and looking into the indoor growing process to get the wheels in motion.

photos, clockwise from top left: martha's veggie garden, tea-tin vases via jenaD,
lily via unruly things and a gorgeous windowsill greenhouse.
below: another tea tin vase from jenaD

for the days when...

for the days when you have so many ideas of things you want to do, but you just can't seem to find the time nor energy but you feel like you're going to explode out of your skin:

breathe. deeply. you'll get there. rome wasn't built in a day. the sistene chapel wasn't painted in a week. turn your music down and lower your shoulders for a moment. or dance crazily to your favourite song. lean back in your chair, close your eyes. or go for a run. something. anything. whatever floats your boat. just don't stress yourself out too much, because there's only so many hours in a day. worrying about it won't extend it.

i know that it's easier said than done, so i find it helps to be a little proactive. keep a little memo pad to jot down your ideas as they come to you. don't focus on getting it to look pretty or about developing each idea fully - the key is to just get them down. once they're committed in ink, consider them to be out of your mind. they're safe on paper. you won't forget them. so write them down, and continue on with your day.

when you're feeling more settled, take a minute to flesh them out a bit more. some will work out; some won't. try not to worry so much about those ones. it's normal - but more importantly - it doesn't mean that you've failed. no no - not in the least.

(if anything, it could be considered a sign of wisdom to know when to continue with a project and when it's better to stop spinning your wheels.)

in a time when people are sucked (or sometimes dragged kicking and screaming) into a 24/7 more-better-faster lifestyle, it's so important not to burn yourself out. there's a time to work, a time to play, and a time to give your brain a rest. you're an incredibly talented + busy person - remember that even the most productive people in this world need to take a moment or thirty to themselves to rejuvenate. your output will thank you.

so save all of those brilliant and unruly ideas for a time when you can truly+ fully immerse yourself in them. you'll come out with a better quality product - and (quite possibly more importantly) you'll be able to appreciate the process more.

in the meanwhile, if you're stuck in the middle of that kind of day... your first step is to just breathe.

speedy gonzales

buon giorno!

super quick post today since i'm hungry and have a billion things on my to-do list. however, a small item of housekeeping to mention, before i scamper off (and a few fun things, too!)

uno: want to add more wunderbug to your day? i've been on twitter for a while now, but am just now discovering new ways to use it beneficially. if you're on there, look me up and feel free to follow me!

sidenote: there's some awesome reading about twitter from yesterday's etsy success newsletter.. click here, here and here. check out the 'why bother?' section in that last link in particular. i'll be adding a link in my sidebar to my twitter page shortly - so stay tuned!

due: i forgot to extend my congratulations to julia from red otter, who was featured in monday's etsy finds. woot woot!

tres: shrove tuesday was something else i forgot to mention! i ate pancakes for dinner and they were absolutely delish. just thought you should know. (also - i heard on the radio that apparently if you use sparkling water in your pancake batter, it makes 'em more fluffy. i'm not so sure about that, but just thought i'd pass it along. hm.)

quattro: something i most definitely didn't forget was about ms kal's sweet sweet 'you are awesome' prints, which i received yesterday in the mail. so happy.

cinque: like typewriters, i'm developing a thing for watering cans. i think i'ma paint one.

'nuff said. back to work.

image by A is for Angie

it's a literary type of day

great things are blooming today. i can feel it.

the first thing that i meant to mention yesterday that i totally forgot to: marta's write club has begun! i'm excited to get rolling with the first week's assignment. ink, meet paper. woot. it also seemed highly appropriate (might i venture to say fateful?) that the ever-talented jennifer jeffrey has posted a super-insightful post about decoding what it means to be a writer, and how exactly one would get a professional triple-word-score if you were to be one of these types of individuals. the above photo is hers, too. i thought it fitting with today's theme.

special note: check out the links at the end, too. good times. particularly for this bookwormie-slash-former bookstore-employee girl who's biggest goal in life at one time was to be an author of a bestselling non-fiction book. more on that another day.

thing numba two: it was actually sunny out this morning when i was driving to the bus station. not just a lil bit, but brilliantly cloudless-day sunny with pastel coloured skies and crisp* air. awesomeness abounds.

thing numba three: roll up the rim at tim horton's. nuff said. it's a national phenomenon that really can't be explained. you've gotta live here to appreciate it.

it's a short post today, but sometimes things are like that. i've got a meeting with my boss right at 9:15 and a notebook full of ideas to pitch to him. in the words of kal barteski, go!

*crisp might be considered an understatement, considering the -22 celsius windchill.

sweet + tiny

hello monday!

today started out kind of crappy, i must admit. first i couldn't find my cell phone before leaving for work, which made me run late, and then to add insult to injury, i burnt my mouth on my vanilla earl grey tea. yowza. it was one of those mornings where i just had to sit back, relax my shoulders, and exhaaaale. *whooooooosh*

fyi: vanilla earl grey tea is my new favourite thing. my sister made me a cup last night and it was absolutely incredible. divine, even. there's a few things in this world that i find innately calming; the scent of lavender, mulled apple cider on a cold day, listening to india.arie on my ipod, reading a good book with a glass of wine and candles lit, yoga, and now vanilla earl grey tea. i've been drinking the tetley one, but if any of you happen to know another brand, let me know so that i can expand my repertoire.

on saturday, i finished up a two more paintings that had been in-process forever. i've been really loving the super-simple pieces lately, and i think that these two are about as simple as they get. they're available as both original and print in the wunderbug shop as of today.

and the winner is...

hello weekend bloggers!

i'm just popping by before i get painting to announce the winner of my first-ever blog giveaway!

a big congratulations and round of applause goes out to Carol of Rose Creek Cottage.

thank you to the rest of you who stopped by the giveaway!

ch-ch-ch-check it out

hello friday!

and so the week finishes off with a (cold) bang. this weekend, i've got crafty plans. it's gonna go a lil something like this.

tonight i'm going to finish work and head on over to mike's place, where we'll eat a lil something for dinner, watch some fringe and do a lil painting. saturday shall be the day for waking up early and keep on keepin' on. (drawing and painting, that is... maybe with a lil driving adventure worked in there somewheres.)

sunday... well, sunday i've decided will be the day when i've decided to finally start finishing up my slipper chair that i started forever ago. it's still sitting - bare naked - in my basement. i won't be able to finish it up completely, but my next step is to measure the fabric that i've taken off to see how much i'll need to re-cover it. after that, it'll just be a matter of choosing the fabric and using the old pieces as a pattern. easy-peasy.

completely unrelated:

• i'm looking forward to writing 101, which starts on monday with marta. it's been a lil while since i've actually sat down and done some writing for writing's sake, and so i don't wanna get too rusty. i'm thinking i'll pick and choose some of my literary output and post it up here from time to time.
  
• the typewriter obsession continues with these antique typewriter paintings (pics above) from wendy chidester, found via please sir
• i keep feeding my bag fetish
• does your lunch keep getting stolen out of the fridge? check out these anti-theft lunch bags

finally, if you haven't already entered, don't forget about my first-ever giveaway! the deadline is saturday night, cause i'll be picking a winner on sunday.

from elise's blog, who originally found it on dooce.

one of my favourite things on blogs is when people post stuff about themselves and their lives. it makes me feel like i'm getting to know them better. (or perhaps i'm just nosy like that.)

either way, i thought this would be fun to fill out and compare answers.

...and then publish them. here we go!

what are your middle names?
courtney: mike's is Jason. mine is Reading (pronounced RED-ing, like the railroad on monopoly and the town in england. no, i wasn't named after the railroad.) when i was in high school, i decided i wanted to be called Reading once i went off to university. it's a shame i forgot about that resolution until i was in third year, and by that point it was too late.
mike: that about covers things. i'm so glad you didn't do that whole changing your name thing though.

How long have you been together?
courtney: since the summer of 2006.
mike: but it feels like since forever. we are soulmates.
courtney: do i detect a hint of sarcasm?

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
courtney: we met in the fall of 2005. he hired me. (yowza!) we didn't start dating though, until after he'd left the department.
mike: ha - i did hire you. you were short listed as soon as i saw you in person.

Who asked whom out?
courtney: the first time, it was actually more of a group outing that everyone bailed on except for him and i. we went out for coffee anyhow, and then again out for drinks the night after that. (so much for that whole playing-hard-to-get thing, eh mike?)
mike: ummmm, except i think i kinda asked you though. i believe it was a sly little e-mail that went, "hey court, looks like no one else is coming. didja wanna just me and you get some coffee?"

How old are each of you?
courtney: i'm 26. mike isn't.
mike: nope, not 26. But court is.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
courtney: most definitely mine. there's no getting away from them. (or is there no getting away from me?)
mike: shyeah, i instantly gained three new siblings when we started dating. i love it.

Did you go to the same school?
courtney: no, but we did go to the same university at different times.
mike: this is true. and fortunate.

Are you from the same home town?
courtney: most definitely not. i'm a city girl and he's a northern ontario boy. my mom likes to call him a timberwolf.
mike: *bears teeth and growls a lil*
courtney: creepy.

Who is smarter?
courtney: mike most definitely had an infinitely better GPA, but we're both smart in different ways. except when it comes to math. and physics. and anything science-related. mike wins hands-down there.
mike: court is one smart cookie. she is more well read than me and knows more about cultures. i just read the headlines and the odd story i'm interested in. court reads EVERYTHING.

Who is the most sensitive?
courtney: i'm sensitive, but mike's thoughtful. (that's a manly kind of sensitive)
mike: in case you didn't catch that, she said I'm MANLY.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
courtney: since coffee is it's own food group, i'll say tim hortons. although our favourite place to eat is the unionville arms, a sweet lil historic pub in unionville that gets busy but not rowdy. i hate rowdy.
mike: definitely tim's. And definitely the arms. wow, yeah, the arms. cozy. homey. good times.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
courtney: mont tremblant, in quebec.
mike: yep. bring better shoes next time!
(editors note: yeah, i was really excited to go hiking on the huge trails and then left all shoes but flip flops at home. smooooth.)

Who has the craziest exes?
courtney: aaaaaaaaaaahahhaha. i'm not even gonna touch that one.
mike: i'll touch it. i hate all exes. hers and mine.

Who has the worst temper?
courtney: mike. i'm pretty happy-go-lucky. i've mostly gotten over the road rage that used to plague me when i was younger. call it impatient-driver-itis.
mike: you wouldn't like me when i'm angry. (that's an incredible hulk reference for all the nerds in the house.)

Who does the cooking?
courtney: me.
mike: court. And pizza pizza.

Who is the neat-freak?
courtney: most definitely mike. it works out pretty well though, cause it keeps me in line when i get lazy.
mike: no mess allowed.

Who is more stubborn?
courtney: oooo, lawdy. me. mike. me. mike. depends on the topic, but i think we can both be pretty stubborn. when it comes down to it, though, i think we've struck a pretty equal balance between who says 'uncle' first.
mike: the immovable object meets the unstoppable force - there is no way around it, we are both incredibly strong willed. i've always liked a challenge though.

Who hogs the bed?
courtney: the jury's still out on that one. i like to think we're pretty equal, but i have a feeling mike would disagree.
mike: man, there isn't any bed to hog at this point. We'll have to reserve verdict until a real bed is owned.

Who wakes up earlier?
courtney: on a weekday, me. weekends, mike.
mike: meh... I just don't wanna get up and work for the man. On the weekend I work for me... or court.

Where was your first date?
courtney: unintentionally, coffee on a park bench. the day after that was drinks at casey's.
mike: hmmm... it wasn't all that impressive was it? but there was a lil rabbit who came to coffee - remember? i called him a bunny... and you laughed.
courtney: you said bunny rabbit. kinda unusual for anyone over the age of four.

Who is more jealous?
courtney: neither of us, unless it's mike being jealous of my out-of-this-world cooking skills.
mike: i can admit it... i'm jealous. remember the timberwolf comment above? i live to bear my teeth and warn off anyone else who might set their sights on Court.
courtney: yeah, yeah, yeah.

Who eats more?
courtney: it really depends on what's being eaten.
mike: i think I definitely eat more.
(editors note: if it's ice cream, i win.)

Who does the laundry?
courtney: whoever's around and who has the time.
mike: mostly me though.

Who's better with the computer?
courtney: thanks to mike, i've learned a bunch about hard drives and SATA vs IDE connections and whatnot. he knows more techy stuff, but i'm quickly gaining on him.
mike: pffft... i've forgotten more than she knows.

Who drives when you are together?
courtney: we alternate driving weeks, so whoever's week it is tends to be the driver most of the time. unless i'm not in a driving mood, at which point he'll drive.
mike: just call me Mario. yeah, i like to drive.

one-year anniversary giveaway

woot!

so here it is, my first-ever wunderbug giveaway. it's my lil way of saying thank you to you guys, who've been a source of encouragement and inspiration over my first year in the blogosphere.

it's a set of five of my bamboo clips that can be used for stylishly organizing bills, receipts and other sorts of paper, hanging photos, and much more. what i like to do is add a teensy earth magnet to the back of each, which allows me to 'stick' things to my magnetic wall in my cubicle without poking holes through it like i would if i were to use a bulletin board. (whether or not these particular clips will have magnets on the back is entirely up to the winner).

how it'll work: leave a comment on this post by saturday night, when i'll randomly pick a number and the corresponding commenter will hear from me by email on sunday.

good luck!

show-and-tell

oh hi!

so, here it is. my "studio" space. come in, come in! let me show you around. it's pretty alright - i'd taken these photos so that i could get a more objective viewpoint on the few things i'd like to change up a lil bit and so far, my plan of attack has been working. seeing it from a strangers eyes makes it a lot easier to remove myself from the room and envision what i'd like to do with it.

specifically, i'm going to take down the big poster i've got mounted above my desk, and switch out the shelves for a set of short floating shelves to provide additional storage space. while my lil white boxy shelves are cute, they're not very useful for anything other than decoration cause they're so small.

i'd like to put in an inspiration board cause they're pretty, and a silver rail from ikea to hang pretty pots from for easy access to the things i use most, like my pencils and paintbrushes. i like to keep my desk space clear cause i'm one of those people with the need to spread everything out while i'm working. everywhere.

in one of our conversations long ago, i believe julia once referred to it as some sort of horizontal disorder - i think though, it's a bit more common than what my mom would've had me believe when i was six. i hate having to clean up all of my supplies when i'm in the middle of a project. i feel much more creative when i'm uninhibited by the set-up and clean-up process.

(try explaining that to your mom when she needs to set the dinner table and you've got glue and sparkles and felt and scissors and macaroni spread far and wide when you're a kid. it doesn't exactly fly.)

anyhow - here's the stuff on my desk. did i mention that i got the desk itself at a garage sale for $20 last summer? garage sales are great.

my tabletop easel in the left photo was a christmas gift from my dad and i quite enjoy it. if i can direct your attention to the black-brown shelf behind it, you'll notice my orange letter C that i found at urban outfitters. i like to consider it the birthplace of my letter collection. i've seen quite a few compilations of wooden/metal/letterpress block letters around lately, and have completely and utterly fallen in love with them. since having taken this photo, i've found another (smaller) wooden white one that is now sitting just in front of it. i'm on my way!

the reddish-orange coral is something i'd been looking for online for a while, and found during a cross-border shopping trip to target. it's one of my top favourite things right now.


and then there are my boxes. as you can see from my labels, i keep all of my little supply tidbits in the smaller boxes, while the larger tools such as my pasta machine (for polymer clay) and 11lb. anvil and hammers (for wirework), along with a bevy of hardcover foreign language books that were doomed for recycling when i them scooped up while i was working in the foreign language department at the university. i think i was planning on using them for altered books, but am now thinking i'll integrate them into a few paintings and other projects. what specifically? pfft. no clue.

so that's me. and that's my space.

thank ya for coming over to visit! be sure to stop by again this afternoon, when i announce my first-ever giveaway! woot!

pre-giveway, post-weekend

what a great family day. my mom and sister and i went for a walk in the sunshine in downtown unionville, where we seemed to be among a ton of other people who had the same idea as we did - get outside, enjoy the sunshine, and take some pics while we're at it.

it's been a pretty snow-heavy winter this year and due to the warm/rainy spell we've had recently, most of the 7' snowbanks have melted away (thank god!) and we took some much-needed advantage of our newly-found (mostly) ice-free status. not to mention, the -1 degree weather was pretty sweet too.

as for the rest of it, our valentines day weekend was pretty relaxed - we had dinner on saturday with my fam and mike surprised me with a valentines toblerone (you know - the one with the rose on it) since i wouldn't let him buy real roses, some ice wine (!!) and the movie bottle shock. it was a wine-themed night. even though the movie was just ok, the evening was great cause it was just spent relaxing on the couch. my favourite!

i also got a chance to get some organizing done. i know, i know, i'm one of those people who gets immensely excited by office supplies and the container store, but i can't help it. i spent all saturday (pre-ice wine) cleaning out my closet and re-organizing my "studio" space.

after last friday's post, i wanted to get my space in ship-shape so that i could take some pics of it to give myself some perspective of what i need to do in order to get it just the way i like it. i have to admit- it's coming along pretty nicely but it's still not 100%. (maybe i have to just admit that it'll forever be a work in progress?) either way, pics to come tomorrow.

and speaking of tomorrow, it'll be my day to announce my first-ever giveaway, in celebration of my blog's yeariversary. hip hip!

family day

today's canada's brand-spankin new holiday, family day. it was celebrated for the first time last year, and i've had a hell of a time remembering that it was actually a long weekend.

something else that's celebrating it's first anniversary... my blog! happy yeariversary, wunderbug. i'm thinking i'll celebrate by having my first-ever giveaway. stay tuned - details released on wednesday.

enjoy your monday!

like tea

yesterday, i came across this awesome, beautiful, wonderfully organized studio via oh happy day. it belongs to denise sharp, and i could very possibly be plotting to clone it in my own nonexistent studio space.

i love it. it reminds me of serene, and calm, and beauty. my sister knows someone who she says has a personality "like tea" - which i can only take to mean soothing and tranquil. since i've heard it, it's become my most favourite description of something.

happy family day weekend, everyone. hope you have a weekend filled with calmness and serenity.

a weekend like tea.

linkalicious

holla! late post today. it's been buuuusy.

some cool things that i quite enjoy on this lovely rainy thursday:

DIY wine glass lampshades (above) and the Ikea Stylemeter over at Curbly. (apparently, according to the Stylemeter i'm a modern original, which is composed of 40% modern, 40% scandinavian, 20% country. what exactly that means, i have no idea. hmmm..)

i also think these footprint valentines are ridiculously cute. like, ridiculously. too bad i don't have a baby to do this with... i think if i were to give people valentines of my feet they'd think it was weird.

i don't blame them.

i've also been looking into finding letterpress places with studio time for rent (and that are willing to teach me without charging me $600), and haven't been able to find any in toronto or the GTA. elise referred me to briarpress as a resource, but there's nowhere that really fits what i'm looking for (or my budget... yowza!). anyhow, the studio shot she'd posted today makes me want to find a studio even more. it looks like the place that dreams (and works of art) are made. guh.

someday. sommmeday.

big woot. (and i mean big.)

hi!

big love goes out to you guys who left such kind words of support and solutions for feeling antsy yesterday. it really helps to know that, even if you don't have a quick-fix (or even a slow-fix) for my case of the fidgets, at least there's others out there who often find themselves in the same boat as me. not to mention - it helps remind me of things that i really deep down know that i should be doing, but often forget to. like scheduling nothing time. yeah - i know i talk about it quite a bit, and am all big on the slow movement and such, but really, nothing-time can get eaten up pretty darn easily. i suspect it's one of the lowest things on the food chain.

sometimes i just forget to breathe.
(note to self.)

anyhow, after my 10-hour day at work yesterday (i so totally kicked it's ass: three times across campus for various meetings, webinars, workshops and such and in stilettos no less!), the evening was definitely a scheduling-nothing-time-time.

zilch. nada. nil.

except for a little of whatever i felt like doing. which was throwing in an oven pizza for dinner when i got home (hello mccain's rising crust roasted chicken deluxe!), putting on my comfiest lulu's and hoodie, and getting down to an evening of some serious fringe-watching. which was pretty sweet, even if i didn't get a chance to paint at all.

(dont look at me in that tone of voice, mat cutter. i'll deal with you lata. ditto you, paintbrush.)

squishing it all in

some days, it's tough to get motivated. you float all around the interweb and get a lil down on yourself because it seems like you'll never have a fully stocked shop, or as much free time as others to get your marketing plans accomplished. you see how far others have progressed, and wonder how it's all humanly possible given the wee window of time that's wedged in between after work and dinner clean-up, and just before you have to start getting ready for the next day.

and then, as i'm making my lunch just before i go to bed, i remembered some words of wisdom about the idea of harmony vs. the notion of balance. and even moreso than when i'd first read it, they made sense to me. {not to say that i'm feelin less antsy about not getting the backlog of stuff done that i'd like to have finished by a week ago yesterday - cause i still am - but at least i'm cool with the whole harmony-instead-of-balance thing. cause god knows i'll never really and truly be "balanced".}

and so, it's with a grateful heart, that i say good-bye to monday and look forward to a fresh tuesday.

how do you work your life so that you stay productive? what helps you stay on course?

ready, freddie

so - this weekend turned out to be a pretty great one for no particular reason at all. one of those ones where, on sunday night, you feel that it's not really a sunday at all {mostly because it feels like it's been a really long weekend, not because it flew by and you didnt get a chance to rest, you know?}

either way, it was a-ok by me. i got to spend some time with my family, got a little bit of cleaning done, we went to see slumdog millionaire with my good friend kelly {great movie!}, and then came home, made some delicious sammiches for lunch tomorrow and got a little chance to relax before bed with a steaming cuppa earl grey tea and a butter tart. mmm. how could i ask for more?

watch out, monday - i'm ready for you!

above: some lovelies that i've been eyeing for a while now.
yellow bag by urban outfitters
skruvsta chair by ikea
stained glass necklace & bird sculpture from anthropologie
woodgrain watch by nixon

like, seriously

holy.

i'm definitely ready for a good relaxing weekend. too bad this weekend's pretty booked. between helping my aunt and uncle clean out my cousin's apartment, haircuts and cleaning my own stuff, i'll be lucky if i have anything left on my to-do list.

i kid, i kid. there's always stuff on my to-do list. guh.

what's on your plate for the next few days?

1. cherry blossoms @ Okuyama Heights, 2. lily, 3. 36/208ish, 4. gray/black, 5. love & twigs, 6. autumn blossoms, 7. river stones, 8. ., 9. lineofshoes, 10. sitting in the afternoon sun, 11. llibreria - bookstore - Amsterdam - HDR, 12. candle forest, 13. 035 : 365 dec 28 pause., 14. fresh coffee, 15. Untitled, 16. letters, 17. Paper Heart, 18. Alicia Bock Photography, 19. More daisies, 20. __Lovin'_in_All_Stars__, 21. camera shy, 22. corner, 23. anniversary, 24. silent white... ♫ egrets from bali ♫♫, 25. Lightness, 26. corrugated heart, 27. valentines day, 28. a day at the park, another day of love, 29. Love XOXO, 30. "love comes from the most unexpected places...", 31. When there's snow on the ground (365/271), 32. louder, please, 33. ever evolving, 34. Untitled, 35. ..., 36. cargo glass

quiet(ish) post

{for today, here's my take on miss julia's quiet post}

As a child I walked
with noisy fingers
along the hemline
of so many meadows
back home

Green fabric stretched out
shy earth
shock of sky

I'd sit on logs like pulpits
listen to the sermon
of sparrows
and find god in Simplicity
there amongst the dandelion
and thorn

as i walked by jewel kilcher
image via ann wilkinson

reflect, the day after

it's so very difficult to process when someone close to you dies. i've been sitting and trying to figure out what to type for today's post without any success. it feels like words aren't enough to express the incredible individual that my cousin was.

i went up north to visit my dad for his 60th birthday this weekend - then we got word that rex passed away. we came back to the city to be with the rest of my family, and sat and watched old movies on the reel-to-reel of when he was a kid , running around in the sunshine on family vacations.

his funeral yesterday was standing room only - and limited at that; people came from many different areas of his world. he had touched so many in his short life, which he'd doubled in length since his original diagnosis for his type of muscular dystrophy, just shy of his 41st birthday.

the resounding theme that was on everyone's lips was that he was an inspiration to all; from living independently and falling in love, to being a journalist and running a succesful online business while his body failed him. instead of focusing on the abilities that he was losing over the course of time, he focused on those that he still possessed, and was was sure to be grateful every day that he still had them. he didn't complain that he'd been given a raw deal - not once.

graceful living embodied. well done, rex. should we all follow your example.

above photo: rex and his partner in business and life, diana

reflect

what a difference a few days can make.

today is a day for reflection and quietness. today is a day to be with family. today is a day to pause and remember.

today is a day to hug your loved ones just a little bit tighter.

photo via alles-schlumpf