tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52054765350296737672024-03-05T08:50:29.017-07:00Rachel's Favorite ThingsLife is Full. And SO Good.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.comBlogger303125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-73060123408963568722014-08-11T11:28:00.003-06:002014-08-11T12:33:53.016-06:00To Blog or Not To Blog?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Clearly I've taken a break from blogging. It's been unintentional, and I have conflicted feelings about continuing to write and share here in this space. Somehow the last 6 months have passed and I haven't had the time, inclination, or inspiration to update the blog. But I've been hesitant to completely jump ship. This little blog of mine (which I still think only my mother and one or two other people look at) has always been a special place for me. I read several blogs on a daily or weekly basis, and have always liked that I'm also a part of this big blogging world (however miniscule my place in it might be...). I like having space to expand upon thoughts or write about issues and ideas that I feel passionately about. I like being able to share with people that may not be getting my all-too-constant updates via social media. But that's really what it's come down to for me. When I started this blog, Facebook and Instagram were not the major forces in our lives that they are now. I love sharing photos, updates, and brief thoughts through these social media outlets. And because I'm doing so there, I don't feel quite the need to document things here. And also...I'm oh so busy living life.<br />
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Alas....we shall see. Just popping in for a hello and may be back for more posting soon. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-44926875969066701362014-03-26T16:45:00.001-06:002014-03-26T16:45:25.678-06:00Women In Hot WaterOne of my very favorite weekends of the year....<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-37573758938748573802014-02-18T06:00:00.000-07:002014-02-25T15:14:23.027-07:00Five<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is the day my daughter turns five. </div>
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Five years since I held this tiniest of humans.</div>
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And now my days are filled with this bubbly, energetic, bouncing-off-the-walls little girl. And I can hardly remember what life was like before I knew her.<br />
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This daughter of mine is someone who is independent, outspoken, and opinionated. She has got attitude that goes on for miles...and although we find ourselves frustrated with it at times, I know that she will be a feisty, brave, courageous woman, and I am proud of that. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3-xsH2TiOeGCC8j40HoIex29koi-cpsPR3ohYUS-SNtxncafbiHrkrJK__fAVAMC8w558hdD22ChTpm-egYiDQicrJGECRuDX11HMHiutBgXBsdkm9xSfCev__GFXbJi26MRDEHAjUko/s1600/IMG_7448.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3-xsH2TiOeGCC8j40HoIex29koi-cpsPR3ohYUS-SNtxncafbiHrkrJK__fAVAMC8w558hdD22ChTpm-egYiDQicrJGECRuDX11HMHiutBgXBsdkm9xSfCev__GFXbJi26MRDEHAjUko/s1600/IMG_7448.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><br />
I work every day to find ways to encourage and guide her toward good behavior, respect, and humility.... while not squashing that feisty spirit.<br />
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She loves her family unconditionally and knows that the most important relationships in this world are with family. She has deep, loving, interesting relationships with her grandparents and aunts and uncles. She understands that her cousins are going to be her lifelong best friends. <br />
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And she also knows that there are people in our life who are not related to us, but are family just the same. <br />
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She loves the outdoors, she loves to camp, and she loves to travel.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqsLm8trLBF5zzZSxWivWa-UvFple0frrWrZ6USelSdCFY7kMt4UZifz-NfN1v55gdSqb6zz-U6BRx3EyA28FfHRu0NCf81KVshzgEWweNB_gRlcaN3QUSBesq7hje1qSL2b4b3YrmuyW/s1600/IMG_8624.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqsLm8trLBF5zzZSxWivWa-UvFple0frrWrZ6USelSdCFY7kMt4UZifz-NfN1v55gdSqb6zz-U6BRx3EyA28FfHRu0NCf81KVshzgEWweNB_gRlcaN3QUSBesq7hje1qSL2b4b3YrmuyW/s1600/IMG_8624.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br />
She is learning to have a deep respect for this planet, and she's learning the value of science as a way to understand and appreciate the natural world.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnM7HOfwiU5ttNEbwSDtjcxjKWyMpmtif7yqG0hJR_GAV8DE-8cFRAzu_nGAtv-7wkWpDZ2ZgyPjCJXiLojtY4-bo_utDUN4uYAa93_YyoQ-BesGBr5jPh2988S1UCMCoNhiWk7s-J22A/s1600/IMG_7435.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnM7HOfwiU5ttNEbwSDtjcxjKWyMpmtif7yqG0hJR_GAV8DE-8cFRAzu_nGAtv-7wkWpDZ2ZgyPjCJXiLojtY4-bo_utDUN4uYAa93_YyoQ-BesGBr5jPh2988S1UCMCoNhiWk7s-J22A/s1600/IMG_7435.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><br />
And she is a true festivarian kid. Although she will continue to develop her own interests and hobbies, we sure do love that for now she's willing to join us on all our adventures. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVrX_OqKaADGA2ONH9U7zLTcKWyByMODeo73BYe1GCGKrRtWWFqwPW1nk4vSp9CHSNKFkdOXuLWGxliy1E1I0NbQOVQWtQBdAwT0xr0G6DqMRcHiJY-xTuQEocAVHeZ1xMwKJ5KOOl_Hh/s1600/IMG_6597.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVrX_OqKaADGA2ONH9U7zLTcKWyByMODeo73BYe1GCGKrRtWWFqwPW1nk4vSp9CHSNKFkdOXuLWGxliy1E1I0NbQOVQWtQBdAwT0xr0G6DqMRcHiJY-xTuQEocAVHeZ1xMwKJ5KOOl_Hh/s1600/IMG_6597.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a><br />
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She is musical down to her bones. Her life is full of dancing, singing, performing, and singing some more. She composes her own music, and can also immediately memorize every lyric to every song she's ever heard. Our days are set to a soundtrack of Sadie's songs. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm8tzgJijVA4wpYu2QdFo1DAAno6ldrM_Qz-Cgdf_N_NSo8IrDuKhzXobKelrksp-YcWiCuSD_AxxLJ-ISwm8-8h0RGAM1cQDdQOQiMJcOmd8ZUX9L8YBsjt4oQU7Zd-af6nXiiJBfWpw/s1600/IMG_7484.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm8tzgJijVA4wpYu2QdFo1DAAno6ldrM_Qz-Cgdf_N_NSo8IrDuKhzXobKelrksp-YcWiCuSD_AxxLJ-ISwm8-8h0RGAM1cQDdQOQiMJcOmd8ZUX9L8YBsjt4oQU7Zd-af6nXiiJBfWpw/s1600/IMG_7484.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a><br />
She knows that music is one of the absolute most important things to her mama and daddy, and she has embraced this musical life of ours with open arms. <br />
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She is learning to be thoughtful and empathetic. The work of parenting right now revolves significantly around helping her realize how her actions affect others around her. Her heart is big and loving and as she gets older I know that she will learn how to let that lead her actions.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6xHfRpJ2AlMb-GFzn8AbrdxIB8Q1kSorrNpwCJuIkyaB7zcO2C7SGcdyIBbg59XDOGGx2a_pxLRJWPgBbVAT5vV2goPLoSydSTBQKpRrILnXFFdwLcoEdkKNimxEK1Y-eGtBAeT0hxIS/s1600/IMG_8741.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6xHfRpJ2AlMb-GFzn8AbrdxIB8Q1kSorrNpwCJuIkyaB7zcO2C7SGcdyIBbg59XDOGGx2a_pxLRJWPgBbVAT5vV2goPLoSydSTBQKpRrILnXFFdwLcoEdkKNimxEK1Y-eGtBAeT0hxIS/s1600/IMG_8741.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a><br />
She has a style all her own. Her guiding principle in how she presents herself to the world is simply to choose whatever she thinks is most fabulous. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicz_M1KRqAsfTDVshm3DwrmUVbNNqWMvfcmInNqTCTmwfwkzFrvzWdp3F6qvBq2BtvRJkLlPtrDvvxaHecHjWk44_bxlCOuOB_vgasUaV79xntdhbpRIW1KZziHupRYCQrceybxcsHbVT/s1600/IMG_6394.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicz_M1KRqAsfTDVshm3DwrmUVbNNqWMvfcmInNqTCTmwfwkzFrvzWdp3F6qvBq2BtvRJkLlPtrDvvxaHecHjWk44_bxlCOuOB_vgasUaV79xntdhbpRIW1KZziHupRYCQrceybxcsHbVT/s1600/IMG_6394.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a><br />
I love this about her...she glitters and sparkles and shines and is nearly always the most colorful person in a room. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEr0wOp-0uffKJNKH3x6AtpIcUhBMLJG4haT7tWNSyoAoSdNu9e3a8kxNir2J76zPh_ILcDRPJP8YKf8TiRedUS1djjprJb9lvkT0plSuwzru0rU1iLbZ2R71W3bF6JGoa1UKNTDxiCR3o/s1600/IMG_8143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEr0wOp-0uffKJNKH3x6AtpIcUhBMLJG4haT7tWNSyoAoSdNu9e3a8kxNir2J76zPh_ILcDRPJP8YKf8TiRedUS1djjprJb9lvkT0plSuwzru0rU1iLbZ2R71W3bF6JGoa1UKNTDxiCR3o/s1600/IMG_8143.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Ian Terry</td></tr>
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She is truly the most interesting person I know. The thoughts, ideas, and stories that she shares with us never cease to amaze and entertain me. <br />
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And she is my favorite person in the whole world. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v_kv-_A1ULQgd1JFcbqo-9UZBMbmDl0UqOog-TG7wKEyagAmFEzgehMGqDy7KXL6dFrVITbohgt_GAVXOD3S2_NxQQ3DmDUCy-c0cEqqaliYqLfrgaxEIgFkC7UBPz42XwWELD3FvsvB/s1600/IMG_7574.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v_kv-_A1ULQgd1JFcbqo-9UZBMbmDl0UqOog-TG7wKEyagAmFEzgehMGqDy7KXL6dFrVITbohgt_GAVXOD3S2_NxQQ3DmDUCy-c0cEqqaliYqLfrgaxEIgFkC7UBPz42XwWELD3FvsvB/s1600/IMG_7574.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a><br />
Five years. Five years of looking into the eyes of this little human who is as much a part of me as my own arms and legs. Five years of doubt and frustration and worry about the responsibility of raising a child in this crazy world of ours. Five years of adventures and laughs and stories and bedtime snuggles. Five years of the biggest joy and inspiration and contentment I have ever known. Five. Wow. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v_kv-_A1ULQgd1JFcbqo-9UZBMbmDl0UqOog-TG7wKEyagAmFEzgehMGqDy7KXL6dFrVITbohgt_GAVXOD3S2_NxQQ3DmDUCy-c0cEqqaliYqLfrgaxEIgFkC7UBPz42XwWELD3FvsvB/s1600/IMG_7574.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-75293305991702624762014-02-06T16:22:00.000-07:002014-02-06T16:40:43.533-07:00I Am A Sewing Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Four years ago (I am having a hard time believing it's been that long) I bought <a href="http://rachelsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2010/04/new-toy.html" target="_blank">this old sewing machine</a> to see if I even liked sewing. And I did! I got really into it for a while, <a href="http://rachelsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2010/01/handmade-holiday.html" target="_blank">made a bunch of holiday gifts</a>, and enjoyed having a new piece of furniture on which to store my crap (since that's the purpose it's served for many of those 4 years). </div>
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And I really did like the sewing part...it was fun, relaxing, served as yet another creative outlet, and it is SO MUCH QUICKER than knitting...which might just be my favorite part. </div>
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But although this old sewing machine is a beast, and I love the romanticism and style of its advanced age, I'll admit that it wasn't so easy to use. It was pretty finicky and seemed to jam up on me a lot. It required lots of oil and TLC to function. And so I didn't seem to sew too incredibly often. </div>
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Well, mama got a new sewing machine! Brian bought me <a href="http://www.brother-usa.com/Homesewing/ModelDetail.aspx?ProductID=cs6000i#.UvQdRYVGY3M" target="_blank">this awesome Brother sewing machine</a> for Christmas this year and I am totally in love with it. It is a breeze to use compared to my old beast, and so...I'm feeling totally reinvigorated about sewing again!</div>
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I've been sewing quite a bit, and have made some easy beginner projects including a couple drawstring bags (one for Sadie's ballet shoes, and one as a project bag for my knitting), and matching Sadie and Mama "rice paddies" (as we call them....rice bags that you heat up in the microwave to keep you warm). </div>
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I made <a href="http://www.joann.com/whimzical-changing-pad/4042820P189.html" target="_blank">this fold-up changing pad</a> for baby Maya...and hear that it's being put to good use....</div>
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And am well on my way making (quilting! ) <a href="http://coopcrafts.com/2012/06/22/pixelated-spectrum-placemats-a-sewing-tutorial/" target="_blank">these colorful placemats</a>....<br />
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So much fun..blowing up my <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/rachandlily/craftiness/" target="_blank">pinterest craftiness board</a> with a billion and one ideas of things to sew.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-55097631849755499322014-02-05T07:38:00.000-07:002014-02-06T08:18:36.977-07:00Maya Carol Ingersoll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaQ_20tTqrtwlE-veB9bjTz7FpMHzsbJpbPTKRyv_XfjBU2K0gvJsY1RQ7VTYh5O3q8bocrKS2AZG-HfRgVGtI-fugVzRfsKlikjMiSeuzeAKMLEfLsb3x5WE3J6gVMVKuaoTiFYpB_pV/s1600/IMG_9687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaQ_20tTqrtwlE-veB9bjTz7FpMHzsbJpbPTKRyv_XfjBU2K0gvJsY1RQ7VTYh5O3q8bocrKS2AZG-HfRgVGtI-fugVzRfsKlikjMiSeuzeAKMLEfLsb3x5WE3J6gVMVKuaoTiFYpB_pV/s1600/IMG_9687.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
My beautiful, perfect neice, Maya Carol Ingersoll was born on Friday, January 17, 2014.<br />
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She is the first child of my only sibling, my younger brother Adam. There is something so strange, and so shocking, and so amazing about
your sibling becoming a parent. It's so exciting when anyone you love
brings a new life into this world. But this time...it seems a little
different. This sibling relationship is so unique and so special. And
so this baby of my little brother's...she's extra special too.<br />
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This family is head over heels in love with this sweet girl. She is so
surrounded by love and adoration. You can feel it oozing out of our
pores all day every day. Truly.<br />
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And we are here to support these new parents in our midst. They are taking to this parenting so beautifully from what I've seen, and I couldn't be prouder.<br />
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And Mari....oh what a good mother she is! She's always had such sweet, mothering, nurturing qualities to her...and she's embracing new motherhood, and all its uncertainties and fear and sleep deprivation, with the same beauty, grace, calm, and patience that she brings to everything else.<br />
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And my Sadie, of course, is thrilled beyond words to have a sweet baby girl cousin to love and teach and play with. And I can't wait to see their relationship grow over time....it's going to be great!<br />
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Welcome to the world sweet Maya. We love you so much and are so glad you're here! <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIyvPWUl4wLqMqYMJOCS_xC0PQJH30jYpQo-8ArRldD0Q2P2ciZFeNgeOTvUsgMIf0pEPyaVeupSnfS3j57fwjTiJ0dr7SAurv8xHcUrzSHIT9P5nrw5l0xRnGZKTH_gLyeasZ5NOtVoF/s1600/IMG_9838.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIyvPWUl4wLqMqYMJOCS_xC0PQJH30jYpQo-8ArRldD0Q2P2ciZFeNgeOTvUsgMIf0pEPyaVeupSnfS3j57fwjTiJ0dr7SAurv8xHcUrzSHIT9P5nrw5l0xRnGZKTH_gLyeasZ5NOtVoF/s1600/IMG_9838.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-8503409978419462052014-01-21T21:22:00.000-07:002014-01-21T21:28:54.006-07:00Gratitude Overflowing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The holiday season was oh so busy, but so worth it. I feel like we squeezed every last drop of joy and togetherness out of it. I'm still reeling from all the loveliness....</div>
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We were so happy to host the 2nd annual neighborhood holiday pajama breakfast. This event, perhaps more than any other, makes me feel so thankful for the people in our lives. We ate and drank, watched Christmas movies, and snuggled our kids. As we lazed around on the couches and floor, in our comfiest clothes, I looked around the room and just thought to myself how very lucky we are to have randomly landed in this neighborhood of people who have become some of our very closest friends. And then we ate more bacon.</div>
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For the first time since I've known Brian, we were home together on Christmas Eve. Knowing that we had some busy times ahead of us, knowing that although family gatherings are lovely, they can also be stressful and frustrating at times, I started my Christmas Eve celebration with a beautiful solitary walk. I breathed deeply, I thought about all I had to be thankful for, and I set some intentions for myself about how I wanted to feel and act during the coming celebrations. I thought about maintaining control with my eating, I thought about listening more than talking, and I thought about being patient and loving with my family members. </div>
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And then I headed home to my loving family, and settled in to celebrate in our own special way. </div>
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After a quiet Christmas morning at home, we moved on to Denver for a beautifully relaxing day with Brian's family. The day was so lovely because it was so calm, restful, and we really had a chance to visit and connect. And this has been the first year that Sadie and her cousin Elias were both old enough to really enjoy each other...it was the best thing ever to see them playing together and being silly.<br />
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After a quick day of work, and a family day for running errands and squeezing in a viewing of Disney's Frozen, we packed up the car and headed to my parents' house for the weekend. I went into the weekend with a wish list which included playing cards, watching christmas movies, hot tubbing, walking in the woods, reading, napping, playing my mandolin, and drinking beer. <br />
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Done. Crossed all those things and more off my list...it was such a good weekend of connection with my family. Oh how I love them..and absolutely cherish nothing more than when we're all together in the mountains in front of my favorite fireplace of all.<br />
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We left my parents house and made our way to the Peterson cabin and settled in for the rest of 2013! We loved having one more night with Brian's parents, and even had a sledding party the next morning before they headed home. We spent a peaceful day with just the three of us. We played and napped and I cooked up a storm preparing for our New Year's Eve festivities. We anxiously waited for our dear friends to arrive and got ready for all the fun to come. As soon as they were unpacked and settled, we got right to playing tunes, painting faces, eating, drinking, singing, dancing, and laughing. <span id="goog_840615643"></span><br />
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What a perfectly, perfect way to end the year...surrounded by beautiful children, good friends, cooking, eating, and drinking delicious creations, and playing fiddle tunes! I am SO filled up with love and joy and thankfulness for all the beauty in our lives. How on earth can we be so unbelievably lucky? <br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-85852949165389731962013-12-23T22:18:00.000-07:002014-01-07T16:06:10.929-07:00Holiday HappinessI love love love this time of year. The potential exists every year that I will overbook, overplan, overcraft, and set unreasonably high expectations for myself. I really try my hardest to avoid that...and it's going well so far.<br />
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It takes a lot of planning, a kick-ass spreadsheet, starting early,
and making sure I'm well rested, well hydrated, and getting some
exercise. So far, so good!<br />
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Favorite moments so far....</div>
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Performance of Annie at a new-to-us theater in downtown Littleton...<br />
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Our annual tea party at the Brown Palace. SUCH a special tradition,
and made so much more special now that we have a little girl in her new
Christmas dress joining us.... <br />
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Decorating the tree and making the house merry on a freezing cold Saturday afternoon....<br />
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Annual bookclub party with spouses and without kiddos (except for the
two brand new babies in the group). My face and throat and head hurt so
badly by the end of the night because of all the out-of-control
laughter. I love hosting this party at our house..it's such a fun
reason to get the house looking and smelling good, light all the
candles, put on our favorite Christmas music, and wear a pretty party
dress. I love these friends and their partners SOOOO much...I feel so
full of emotion after this night. So thankful for these people in my
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The season has just begun and there's still so much fun to be had....just trying in every moment to soak in the beauty, joy, and wonder that this season brings. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQQgLkT1jFTouOpphC-ElhlGQa5_1xvsepyGsyjQTrqU7rThKiot76p-gTssRqX3D2U40pb5sESQFmWvzCAAMgkw6bv9L3kqzm8vjspbGmFynIpzxapzBIEpvX9uxVD_2rKnmZU_OZVB1/s1600/download.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQQgLkT1jFTouOpphC-ElhlGQa5_1xvsepyGsyjQTrqU7rThKiot76p-gTssRqX3D2U40pb5sESQFmWvzCAAMgkw6bv9L3kqzm8vjspbGmFynIpzxapzBIEpvX9uxVD_2rKnmZU_OZVB1/s400/download.jpg" height="342" width="400" /></a>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-417741106299416612013-12-21T21:32:00.000-07:002013-12-21T21:32:00.300-07:00Florida in Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Finally a family photo session. We have so few of these pictures....<br />
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Down time with my parents at the beach...<br />
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Cousins on the Gulf of Mexico. Just like my cousins and I thirty years ago. I so treasure that our children are now making these memories together....<br />
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Dinner at Crabby Bill's, of course. And Sadie was the one man band's BIGGEST FAN EVER. She danced up there in front of him all alone. </div>
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Visiting with old friends who don't live so close anymore...making up for lost time.</div>
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A perfectly lovely Thanksgiving day. It started with a very cold run for the annual family 5K. But it sure felt good to run (and good to run at sea level!) </div>
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The Thanksgiving table at my Aunt Cathy's house was gorgeous as always, and I am so thankful that she makes it possible for the entire family (nearly 40 of us) to actually sit down together. Such an amazing feat, but so worth it!</div>
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We celebrated Chanukah together for the first time in more than a decade! </div>
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A visit to the Florida Aquarium...<br />
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Late nights with my cousins...Hunger Games movie, beer pong, movies, chatting, Trader Joe's snack explosion. Oh how I wish we all lived closer so that we could do this more often. I have so much fun, laugh so hard, feel so comfortable and safe and happy when I'm with my cousins, my brother, and all the spouses who've become a part of the family. It makes me so sad when this trip comes to an end every year. <br />
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And of course...watching this next generation make their own memories, and follow in their mamas' footsteps is the best thing ever....<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-54098079056550476802013-12-20T09:49:00.000-07:002013-12-20T09:49:00.027-07:00The Aching HeartsOur last house concert of the season was such a special night! Ryan and Kelly were with us a couple years ago when Ryan performed a solo house concert. Their joint project, <a href="http://ryanspearman.net/the-aching-hearts" target="_blank">The Aching Hearts</a>, suits both of their musical styles so well. The crowd loved the classic country twist that they brought to the show, and we all got a kick out of their onstage chemistry and stories. <br />
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The house was packed, and it was so great to be able to give Ryan and Kelly all the support they deserve. <br />
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Of course the house was full of pickers, and it was truly a treat to have a fiddle player like Ryan join the jam afterward. <br />
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Ryan and Kelly are kindred spirits, and it was so great to be able to connect and visit with them again. The fall house concert series ended in fine form with this band. We continue to feel so thankful and lucky that we are able to host these concerts. Sharing this music with like-minded music friends and family, and supporting these amazing musicians, is truly one of the most fulfilling things in my life. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-83668904639966539822013-12-18T08:47:00.000-07:002013-12-18T08:47:00.201-07:003 Penny Acre<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTxst9aqDxE5j15z4iLeKs71c69yJhVzI2TCTLprGNUzQX1xf8lU98lANNjRpg3gB0iqCZZSfR600t1tDsKJk71jQWGEDORSxBzuxvacObr4OFvq2_tNODGt8liMc6neBwUVcdslwC0pF/s1600/IMG_8491.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTxst9aqDxE5j15z4iLeKs71c69yJhVzI2TCTLprGNUzQX1xf8lU98lANNjRpg3gB0iqCZZSfR600t1tDsKJk71jQWGEDORSxBzuxvacObr4OFvq2_tNODGt8liMc6neBwUVcdslwC0pF/s400/IMG_8491.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
The house concert we hosted in October was one that we've been looking forward to for so long. We've been listening to <a href="http://www.3pennyacre.com/" target="_blank">3 Penny Acre</a> for years, and were so thrilled to host them this fall.<br />
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It was a beautiful fall night, and we had a great crowd in the house.
Bayard, Bryan, and Bernice are three of the nicest people we have had
the pleasure of meeting through our house concert series. Their
songwriting, playing, and their chemistry on stage was so captivating. <br />
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They shared so many sweet, touching, interesting, and funny stories from
the stage, which is truly one of the greatest things about house
concerts. The intimacy and quiet of this setting allows musicians to
share so much more with the audience. I love that the artists feel like
they can tell the extended versions of the stories that accompany their
songs. <br />
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We really felt like we connected with these new friends of ours and were so thankful that they were able to be a part of this fall's house concert series. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-58903891787370349002013-12-16T20:21:00.003-07:002013-12-16T22:32:39.914-07:00Really Ties the Room Together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This fall I somehow found some time to take on some projects that have been brewing in my mind for years! So fun to finally make them happen and I love what they've added to our home. First it was this family photo wall in our guest room (inspiration<a href="http://www.shelterness.com/15-creative-ideas-to-hang-photos-and-art/pictures/14053/" target="_blank"> here</a>). </div>
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I started by gathering all my old, outdated brass and wood picture frames and spray painted them all the same off-white color. I put burlap and a fun ribbon behind all the frames, and anchored them at the top of the wall with fun doorknobs I picked up at Hobby Lobby. The hardest (and most fun) part was choosing which pictures I wanted to display. <br />
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I saw <a href="http://goodwillionaire.blogspot.com/2012/01/pinspiration-phabulous-photo-phrame.html" target="_blank">this project</a> on Pinterest and have always wanted to tackle it in order to display <a href="http://instagram.com/rachandlily" target="_blank">my Instagram prints</a>. I LOVE instagram, and was SO excited when Walgreens released an app to <a href="http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=Mobile" target="_blank">print instagram photos</a> straight from your phone. I found a funky, brass frame at Goodwill (it even came with a horribly ugly painting) and spray painted it. Wire and tiny clothes pins finished off the project. So happy with how it turned out.</div>
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I've been looking for a way to store our growing record collection for some time. We were quickly running out of room in our existing entertainment console, but I didn't really want to buy a new piece of furniture for this purpose. Enter<a href="http://www.ikeahackers.net/" target="_blank"> IKEA Hack</a>! I became a big fan of the IKEA hack concept when we installed our <a href="http://rachelsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2013/06/home-improvements.html" target="_blank">built-in bookshelves</a> on our second floor, so I thought it might be a great resource for this project. </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfl2CuDn-dJLGYeMPPle4WBEYa3LHrqVY_DnqMbYMtcJO73763-8JRJ3bFXfZgH03d56Im9GEMOlBhgxKMGsXR0qJ290RXfKiGuKfefOkAw7rGnod3s6GkOl3Aag9_HAmaFNd9DZfbIP0/s400/IMG_8500.JPG" width="400" /></div>
I bought two inexpensive bookshelves at IKEA, and made the cushions myself (tutorial <a href="http://blog.krysmelo.com/2012/10/10/diy-banquette-seat-ikea-hack-dining-room-makeover/" target="_blank">here</a>). It took me one night to make these come together and I think they are so much fun.<br />
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And Sadie LOVES her new window seats!<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-12217051696913812032013-11-14T15:30:00.000-07:002013-11-14T16:19:05.321-07:00Moab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On a whim, after our last house concert, we decided that we loved the band <a href="http://www.3pennyacre.com/" target="_blank">3 Penny Acre</a> so much that we wanted to follow them to the desert, to the <a href="http://moabfolkfestival.com/" target="_blank">Moab Folk Festival</a>, to hear more of their beautiful music! So, we packed up the Scamp for one last trip before winter, and left Castle Rock early on a Friday morning. We knew it would be snowing, and despite the promises I had made my worrying mother that we wouldn't go if it snowed...we plowed on through.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYxleOfja5zkX7HyNJx_abpfNVJc4qmxbdoedU5U3-oDJ3RwXzxYj8NLW2Xu-98ud8uj51y8XigYi-Kt7Ef09RlQvp5ar1CjfjaAvmxWswDzrueuADh0S7hjjA1xSNM5hBn0vxlcV7GcD/s1600/IMG_8586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Snowy roads do not bother me or scare me. I drove on pure ice for 7 straight months at a time when I lived in Alaska. BUT, I'd never driven the Scamp in the snow, so that was of course a different matter. I was SO, so pleased to find that the Scamp had actually no bearing at all on my ability to safely navigate us over the continental divide in a snowstorm. And look what was waiting for us on the other end.....<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-67046643437392201672013-11-14T15:25:00.001-07:002013-11-14T15:41:14.673-07:00Ari, Mia, & Owen<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sSUmPM1HNX1nkZrD8G7KvOJMqEV53MhRbP6IkrqmX_4Yi3-wgKRA1k0kLBMc5GbBOgxtPrwDcvRR8lGQ5sxGMhRpiun0QozRPjWaO0OKiH_Ng1EGj3mzPMXpmESeFKfAgs0g-XBrDFY0/s1600/IMG_8066.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sSUmPM1HNX1nkZrD8G7KvOJMqEV53MhRbP6IkrqmX_4Yi3-wgKRA1k0kLBMc5GbBOgxtPrwDcvRR8lGQ5sxGMhRpiun0QozRPjWaO0OKiH_Ng1EGj3mzPMXpmESeFKfAgs0g-XBrDFY0/s400/IMG_8066.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
This show had been on the books for a long time and we were so looking forward to it! <a href="http://ariandmiamusic.com/" target="_blank">Ari & Mia Friedman</a> and their accompanying guitar player Owen Marshall were SO great and we felt so thankful to have them join us for our first house concert of the fall season.<br />
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It was a great night, the house was full, the stories were funny and
touching, and the music was captivating. It was the first time having a
cello in the house, which was exciting too!<br />
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The jam after the show was certainly the highlight of the night for
Brian since it was a true old-time jam, which we don't get to partake in
too often...and since that's Brian's preference (or obsession I should
say), that was a real treat for him to go round and round the circle
playing along with the fiddle to his favorite old time tunes.<br />
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We enjoyed the show so much that we couldn't wait to pick Sadie up and take her to a kid-friendly house concert the following afternoon so that she could enjoy their music too! And what a treat to be able to host them for one final night of their Colorado tour and to get the chance to visit, knit, and play a bit more before they headed down the road!
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TN1nLPtHS5A?list=UUjo0TAaCg0Y3ZbHYFB2Mx1w" width="375"></iframe>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-40220333138351280142013-10-29T14:31:00.000-06:002013-10-29T14:33:55.939-06:00Soften Into Joy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Quote from <a href="http://brenebrown.com/" target="_blank">Brené Brown</a> via <a href="http://www.soulemama.com/" target="_blank">Soulemama</a></span><br />
<br />
Haven't read Brené Brown's book, nor do I know what she means when she says this...but I saw this phrase today and it truly spoke to me and where I'm at right now.<br />
<br />
Life is full. Busy. Hectic. Frantic even. And although no one specifically asks me to do many of the things I fill my days with (other than work)...I sure do fill them up. I often come to the end of a day, especially a weekend day which some people might consider using for relaxation and rest, and I feel utterly exhausted and depleted. I look around at what I've accomplished and I feel satisfaction...but I'm beyond worn out.<br />
<br />
And then often, without wanting it to happen, those feelings are followed immediately by resentment, anger, and bitterness that everyone else in my home might not be working nearly as hard as I am. I think about all the things I've accomplished and compare them directly to what others around me have (or have not) accomplished in the same time period. And that leads down a dark path that I don't like. At all. In those moments (which there seem to be a lot of lately), I try so hard to remind myself of a few things...<br />
<ul>
<li>again...no one is asking me to take on all the the things I take on</li>
<li>I take them on because I WANT TO. The cooking, baking, gardening, house concerts, decorating, crafting, community building, entertaining, and handmaking of gifts...these things bring joy to me, my family, and the people I love, and therefore shouldn't lead to negative feelings</li>
<li>it's o.k. if other people choose to spend their free time in a different way. That's why it's called free time.</li>
</ul>
So, during this busy season of the year and this busy season of my life...I choose to change my perspective. I choose to either find joy in this busy-ness, or do something to change it. I choose to honor the freedom of my family members to do what they want to with their free time. I choose to recognize that these things I fill my days with truly do make my life joyful. I declare that rather than diving headfirst into anger and resentment, I am choosing to Soften Into Joy. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-42149859651622698902013-10-25T12:27:00.002-06:002013-10-25T12:27:58.688-06:00Five Things Friday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmy3ilFMBA880UQsf2YIE0NruHnBCnOvP9oP5fzEepeE0WM4Kf-DbysukJjzuhXcw09Ub6QTj2CmOvHSVQD2fcTUaQ26FuC0z2WrnYf3mh8GqUKNV2Uc78mIJTc8Czvvb2_TQkUMuAJqS/s1600/IMG_8069.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmy3ilFMBA880UQsf2YIE0NruHnBCnOvP9oP5fzEepeE0WM4Kf-DbysukJjzuhXcw09Ub6QTj2CmOvHSVQD2fcTUaQ26FuC0z2WrnYf3mh8GqUKNV2Uc78mIJTc8Czvvb2_TQkUMuAJqS/s400/IMG_8069.JPG" width="400" /></a> <br />
1. Tomorrow will be our second house concert of the fall season and I am oh so excited. Probably means it's time to blog about the first of the season. I due time. Nonetheless, house concert nights are my very favorite nights of all. Especially this time of the year. It's cool and crisp outside, and warm and cozy inside. The house fills up with friends (old and new) and family. There are smells galore as people share their homemade goodies at the pre-show potluck. There are smiles and hugs and laughter. And then the music. And the quiet and peace that falls over the crowd as we take in the beauty of yet another perfect night of acoustic music. Ah.......<br />
<br />
2. I've been purging and organizing and simplifying and it feels SO GOOD! It started with the guest room closet...expanded to the garage, then the pantry, the store-everything-that-doesn't-have-a-place extra kitchen cabinets, then the junk drawer. And moved into my office yesterday. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Rather than spring cleaning...I find that I want to declutter and simplify going into winter. I want my home to be clean and organized before I cozy up for the season. And we're making some serious progress on this front!<br />
<br />
3. Last weekend we had the most glorious date night. Dinner at a new to us restaurant, <a href="http://fruitionrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Fruition</a>, and then the <a href="http://www.toddsnider.net/" target="_blank">Todd Snider</a> concert, which is always one of our very favorite live shows. Such a fun night with my favorite person in the world. <br />
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4. This. Nothing makes me happier.... <br />
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5. I'm on a mission for the following items for the house....<br />
vinyl storage inspired by <a href="http://www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/2011/4/28/maggies-seattle-apartment.html" target="_blank">this</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00251814/" target="_blank">console table</a> for the top of our stairsRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-18864445331273328832013-10-11T13:33:00.001-06:002013-10-11T13:35:15.345-06:00Pickin' in the Pines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can still remember it so vividly.....my favorite weekend of the summer. How is it possible that this was my favorite? With all the traveling, and family, and scenery, and music, and festivating....as I've said, the entire summer was so lovely. I feel like we squeezed all the life and love and beauty and magic that we could out of this summer. And yet...<br />
<br />
This simple, unplanned, last-minute, rainy weekend was my very favorite.<br />
<br />
And what made it so?<br />
<ul>
<li>beautiful, interesting, free-spirited children</li>
<li>good friends</li>
<li>like-minded parents</li>
<li>unhurried, open ended conversations</li>
<li>long, chilly mornings spent snuggled in the Scamp reading</li>
<li>more mandolin playing in one weekend than I've quite possibly every partaken in</li>
<li>more confidence and shedding-of-hang-ups about my mandolin playing than I've ever experienced</li>
<li>a wide open meadow with plenty of space for our babies to run and play without our constant hovering</li>
<li>late night campfires</li>
<li>the best starry night of the summer </li>
<li>hot tea and cold beers, at all the right times</li>
<li>simple meals....just enough to keep us satisfied</li>
<li><i>the feeling that I had all I needed or wanted right there in that peaceful meadow, that I didn't want it to end, and that I wanted to do it all over again the minute I got home. </i></li>
</ul>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-31228929720227554542013-09-26T13:49:00.000-06:002013-09-26T13:52:40.829-06:00Five Things SeptemberAnother quick installment of Five Things...inspired by <a href="http://journeymama.com/" target="_blank">Journey Mama</a>.<br />
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1. Water can be such a beautiful, forceful agent of change. It can also be heartbreaking, terrifying, and destructive. All of us who love Colorado, especially those of us who make our homes here, have been heartbroken as our friends and neighbors lost their homes to the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/09/historic-flooding-across-colorado/100591/" target="_blank">recent flooding</a>. It's just made for a strange couple of weeks....<br />
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This is a picture of the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, CO. This magical, perfect place where I've been spending festival weekends for over a decade has been significantly damaged by the flooding. It's been very sad for us in the festivarian community. <br />
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2. I had the best birthday celebrations this year. My husband and family and friends all came together to help me celebrate my 35th birthday. The weekend was full of all my favorite things....reading in bed, good food (including cupcakes!), locally brewed beer, pickin', and all my favorite people (at least those in Colorado). My heart was completely overwhelmed by all the love inside of it....<br />
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3. My garden is hanging in there, despite the periods of neglect it has suffered from this summer. I did manage to throw some additional arugula and spinach seeds in the ground, and am hoping to get some more of those before things freeze up. In the meantime, I'm halfheartedly working in the garden, and managing to still harvest some peppers, beets, greens, and a few last, measly tomatoes. <br />
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4. Last week Brian and I visited a school in our community that we're interested in sending Sadie to, starting next fall when she'll be a kindergartner! This school is considered a Magnet School, and although it is not a charter school, and is a county school with the same testing requirements as other public schools in our county and state, it has a bit of an alternative approach to teaching and learning that we're interested in. But it certainly does have my mind reeling...I just cannot believe that my little girl is getting so big so fast, and that all of a sudden (it seems) we're thinking and talking about this big choice and all that goes along with it! <br />
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5. I am sure one lucky mama and wife. Towards the end of the summer I was feeling quite depleted, ragged, and exhausted. Our busy, wonderful summer took a lot of energy and planning and organization on my part, and it caught up to me. And it showed...my patience had worn thin with my family and my coworkers, I was feeling overtired and cranky, and knew I needed to do something about it. Well, being close to home and spending a little bit (just a bit) less time on the go has done wonders for me. And I've also been lucky enough to have some alone time...which I'm thinking is just what I needed to press my reset button. Last Friday I left work a bit early to take part in Denver's <a href="http://happinesssprinklingproject.org/about/" target="_blank">Happiness Sprinkling Project</a>. And without going on and on about how much this experience meant to me, I'll sum it up by saying it absolutely filled me up. The smiles and love that we were able to inspire in perfect strangers, for no reason other than the joy of spreading happiness...oh what an amazing thing it was.<br />
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After all this Happiness Sprinkling, I continued on to a quiet dinner and reading alone over a nice glass of white wine, and then to see some of my very favorite music in the whole world, played by <a href="http://cahalenandeli.com/" target="_blank">Cahalen Morrison and Eli West</a>. I sat and knit and listened to these friends playing and just could not stop smiling.<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-20146657456498140932013-09-05T16:22:00.001-06:002013-09-05T16:25:10.522-06:00Five ThingsI have about 10 other blog posts that I need to work on and finish up and post up here. Lots of summer fun that I still haven't documented. But, at the moment, that seems monumentally impossible. And yet, I want to be sharing here at my blog. So, inspired by <a href="http://journeymama.com/blog/five-things-day-one-buckets" target="_blank">Journey Mama</a>, I'll be sharing thoughts/musings/observations in small snippets of Five Things. This seems much more manageable....<br />
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Five Things Day One: <br />
1. Sadie officially started ballet class a couple weekends ago, and it's just the loveliest thing! We've known she'd take to this for quite some time. And it absolutely fills my heart with joy to see her there, listening intently to every word the teacher says, while standing still in first position. <br />
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2. My Dad's been really sick and it's certainly thrown my family for
a loop. After barely making it home from a solo camping trip, he came
down with what appeared to be a really nasty flu or virus. A few days
later it was finally diagnosed as spinal meningitis, and he spent 9 long
days in the hospital. It was a scary time for all of us, since there
were so many unknowns and he was so very sick. The staff at the
hospital took great care of him, and he was finally able to go home
yesterday. Now he needs to just rest and recover and will hopefully be
back to himself before too long. Just happy that both my parents are
home where they belong, sleeping in their own bed and surrounded by the
mountains and flowers and peace and quiet that they need.<br />
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3.
We've been home for a couple weekends now....and it's the most glorious
thing ever. Summer has been SO fun and SO busy, and has left me
reeling in happiness and exhaustion. But at this point, there are no
little voices inside me telling me to squeeze in one final camping trip,
to make it to one last festival, or to organize one more outing. All I
want is to be home. I want to wake up on Saturday morning, take my
girl to ballet class, wander through the farmer's market with my wagon,
read and knit and cook, and visit with my neighbors in the middle of the
street. That's about it. Bring on fall. Maybe even throw some
football in there for good measure! <br />
<br />
4. I've started
running again! This is huge and will be discussed at more length in
another blog post. Quick background...I'd been running pretty
consistently (and doing other types of vigorous exercise) 5-6 days a
week for the last couple years. I <a href="http://rachelsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/search/label/health" target="_blank">felt</a> and<a href="http://rachelsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2011/08/before-and-after.html" target="_blank"> looked</a>
great. I was thriving and chalked it up to all the exercise. And then
my back started bothering me. Really bothering me. And my first
response was to stop exercising, especially running. And I haven't run a
step, really, since January. And it broke my heart. I would secretly
cry when friends and relatives would casually go for a quick jog. I've
gained weight. I'm not handling stress very well. I seem to have no
patience with my husband or my daughter. My clothes don't fit me, my
skin is bad, I'm not sleeping well, and I don't feel confident or
comfortable in my own skin. It's amazing how many things have gone
downhill for me when I stopped exercising. Well...I finally hit bottom
and decided that I was going to try running again, slowly, and see how
things went. I've been reading a book called Back Sense that has
started changing my perspective about chronic back pain. And so last
week, for the first time in months, after doing as many unhealthy things
as possible to my body for last several months, I took some first
tentative steps. And I feel great!<br />
<br />
5. There's a new
baby in the family! Our dear neighbors and best friends welcomed a
beautiful new baby girl to the world last week. Welcome baby Caroline
Mae! Everyone is happy and healthy and recovering at home. I'm trying
to keep my distance and give them time as a family...but I can't wait to
start snuggling on a regular basis with this sweet girl!<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-14414680842724736562013-08-14T12:56:00.000-06:002013-08-14T12:58:13.269-06:00SummeringThings are starting to wind down for us after a very busy summer. The days and nights are getting a little cooler, it gets dark a little sooner, the garden is slowing down, and we're starting to think about house concerts and canning and football season. But my what a summer it has been! This has probably been my most favorite summer ever. I feel like we've been going non-stop, and honestly, by this point I'm exhausted. But all I have to do is think back on all the adventures we've had and I know that it's all been worth it. In addition to the big trips and festivals that I've talked about....our summer has looked like this... <br />
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Plants coming home to the garden<br />
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Sadie's end-of-year preschool program<br />
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The boys playing music for Record Store Day at Bogey's West, our local record shop<br />
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A special birthday cake for my hubby..Guiness Cake with Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting. I LOVED <a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2010/10/in-the-kitchen-with-katie-quinn-davies-guinness-cake.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a> and will definitely make it again.<br />
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A weekend of celebrating the fathers in our lives....first with my papa at <a href="http://www.euclidhall.com/index.html" target="_blank">Euclid Hall</a>, a restaurant I've been wanting to try for a long time. This Brat Burger on a pretzel bun was to die for. <br />
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And then with the Peterson side of the family for a Sunday afternoon pizza date.<br />
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Sadie's had as musical of a summer as we have...and it appears to be rubbing off on her. She's showing a LOT of interest in her fiddle and we couldn't be more thrilled with that development. <br />
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She loved watching friends play music at <a href="http://parkhousedenver.com/" target="_blank">Park House</a>, our new favorite bluegrass-friendly venue in Denver. <br />
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We had a great 4h of July celebration in downtown Denver with our friends the Friesens....saw three different fireworks shows and felt like we were right underneath the awesome display the Colorado Rockies put on every year.<br />
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Of course plenty of time hot tubbing at Nana and Poppie's...<br />
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Time with both the mothers and sisters in my life....<br />
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A special celebration to honor our friend <a href="http://rachelsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2012/08/heart-aches.html" target="_blank">Marjorie</a> and the awesome advocacy work she does as part of <a href="http://www.facingourrisk.org/" target="_blank">this organization</a>.<br />
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Hooping with our buddies the Jamiesons at the <a href="http://ifsadenver.com/" target="_blank">Institute for Spiritual Advancement</a><br />
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Date night to go see Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, with Edie Brickell at the Chatfield Botanic Gardens!<br />
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Goodness from the garden and a vodka tonic on a warm summer night. <br />
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Early morning yoga with my girl</div>
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Celebrating the newest member of our neighborhood family, Dyer baby #2 is on her way soon!!!<br />
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The Avett Brothers and Old Crown Medicine Show threw it down at Red Rocks!<br />
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All this fun and adventure in addition to the five festivals we will have been to, the camping trips, trips to the east coast...oh and our jobs....whew. No wonder we're so tired. But I wouldn't trade any of it. This summer has deepened my love for my family, my friends, this beautiful state we live in, and the music with which we fill our days. Sure feeling thankful, lucky, and blessed as we turn into fall. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-16614344059689533932013-08-12T16:08:00.000-06:002013-08-12T16:12:32.540-06:00Summer Vacation Part 3: New Hampshire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer Vacation Part 3 started immediately after Haley and Greg's wedding festivities finished up. The entire extended family (minus a couple important people, namely my husband and brother, and of course the newlyweds) drove a few hours north of Boston to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. We settled in to the strangest house ever (and we've stayed in some weird places), and set about doing some of our very favorite things....</div>
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We're a family full of bookworms. There was a lot of reading of course. <br />
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Playing in the lake. The house had its own beach and despite the cool weather, we tried to take full advantage of the beautiful location. <br />
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Enjoying the youngest cousins<br />
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Boating!<br />
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Ice cream of course...<br />
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Celebrating a milestone birthday for my beautiful Aunt Barbara..<br />
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Magical walks to waterfalls<br />
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Touring the <a href="http://www.castleintheclouds.org/" target="_blank">Castle in the Clouds</a><br />
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Stumbling upon a random princess party.....and my little girl was in heaven.<br />
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Packing as many people as possible into a small kitchen...<br />
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Lobsterfest 2013<br />
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And after it all...I was ready to be home. A dreamy, meaningful, chaotic, tiring, beautiful vacation filled with my favorite things and favorite people in the whole world. How nice to end a long day of travel with a love letter from my husband and a cold IPA. Doesn't get much better than that. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-81766294230009679982013-07-30T14:38:00.000-06:002013-07-30T14:40:52.101-06:00Summer Vacation: Part 2, Matrimony<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On June 23, 2013, my cousin Haley married her best friend, Greg. It was perhaps the loveliest, most fun wedding celebration I've ever attended or been a part of. I love Haley and Greg dearly, I look up to them in so many ways, and I was so honored to be involved in some very special aspects of this wedding.<br />
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The festivities and celebrating started here.... <br />
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I am so thankful that I was asked to join Haley at the <a href="http://www.mayyimhayyim.org/" target="_blank">Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikvah</a> as she prepared for her wedding. (Fun Fact...Anita Diamant, the author of the Red Tent, is the founding president of this beautiful facility). Ritual immersion in a mikvah is a long held tradition in Judaism and is a requirement under Jewish law for brides. After Haley emerged from the mikvah, the afternoon was spent celebrating Haley. We talked about family, women, our ancestors, and the hard and joyous work of marriage that lies ahead for her. Women from Haley's family and Greg's family were both present at this peaceful, small, gathering, and I will always treasure that I was able to join her. <br />
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As people started coming into Boston from all over the country for the weekend, the celebrating really got up to speed. Manicures and pedicures for friends and cousins...and my little flower girl too! She felt very special to get to join the big girls (and her favorite cousin Michael) for this event. <br />
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The rehearsal dinner was a perfectly lovely evening. Great food, funny and touching speeches, family slideshows, and a very special challah made by my Great Aunt Sylvia, my grandmother's sister. <br />
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Sunday morning was a whirlwind of getting ready to head to Camp Kiwanee, about an hour outside of Boston, for the ceremony and reception.<br />
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There's always a fair amount of anticipation, excitement, and even nervousness when someone near and dear to your heart walks down the aisle. But those emotions were a bit (who I am kidding...a LOT) amped up this time around. I had some big jobs associated with this particular wedding. Jobs I was BEYOND honored to be asked to do. But I was a bit nervous....<br />
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First, my little Sadie was asked to be the flower girl. She was so excited about this role; she loved her dress, her pretty shoes, her new haircut, and the fact that she'd be walking down the aisle with her cousin Chloe by her side. But she'd also been dropping comments fairly regularly about how she didn't want everyone looking at her, and she didn't like having her picture taken. And I was having nightmarish flashbacks about the last time she was a flower girl. She and I walked down the aisle, hand in hand, at my brother and sister-in-law's wedding. All eyes were on us...and then people started oohing and aahing and taking pictures. And Sadie couldn't handle it. She dropped to the ground and tried to disappear. And I somehow bent down in a short dress and very high heels and proceeded to carry her down the aisle, all the while whispering reassuring comments in her ear and telling her to just close her eyes and hold onto Mama. Not so smooth. Needless to say, I was the teeny tiniest bit nervous this second time around. And I wouldn't be holding her hand this time. But she's two years older, so I kept telling myself she'd be fine. <br />
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Then there was the chuppah. I think once upon a time I sewed an apron for Haley on my 100-year old sewing machine. And my mom and I, of course, have gifted her with plenty of handknit items. But we are not, by any stretch of the imagination, seamstresses. But despite that small fact, when she asked us last November to create a chuppah for her wedding ceremony, we leapt at the chance. I'll do anything for this girl.<br />
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Well, that sent Mom and me down a long, winding, sometimes stressful path to the final product....this patchwork chuppah, assembled from panels contributed by members of both Haley's and Greg's families.... <br />
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It's clearly handmade....I didn't want anyone looking too closely. But I do feel immensely proud of what my mom and I accomplished with this chuppah, and I hope that Haley and Greg can feel all the love and well wishes that went into it. <br />
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But all this really felt like small potatoes when up against what was really making me nervous. Haley had asked my dad, my husband, and I to play music during and after the wedding ceremony. As in....during the processional and recessional! Like....as a beautiful bride was walking down the aisle on her wedding day, I would be playing my mandolin. WHAT??? I'm the mandolin picker who won't even play in front of other people in the comforts of my own home. I prefer to hide in a dark closet where no one can hear me. But again, I'd do anything for this girl. So I have been practicing my ASS off! I have played more mandolin in the past 6 months than ever in my life. There's nothing like the looming threat of having to play your instrument in front of more than 100 silent and listening friends, family, and strangers, on your dear cousin's most important day, to put the pressure on you to pick up your instrument and practice. So that's what we've been doing. And I was sweating, and fidgety, and feeling a bit panicked until the moment I got the thumbs up from the wedding planner to strike those first notes.<br />
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And we pulled it all off just fine. Nothing was flawless. I hit some weird notes, Sadie walked down the aisle looking at the ground, and the chuppah certainly has a few (more than a few) "oops" spots.<br />
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But it was all perfect for the occasion. All this work and effort was worth it. We succeeded in helping Haley celebrate her marriage in the way she wanted to. It was personal, and intimate, and all about family and friends and love. And although professional musicians certainly would have sounded better...no one other than her Uncle Jon (my dad) could have written a song, Haley's Waltz, JUST FOR THIS OCCASION.<br />
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And obviously, playing music alongside my two favorite pickin' buddies, but husband and my dad, made it that much less scary, and that much more fun. And it was all about the giant love I have for these two beautiful people, Haley and Greg, as they start their married lives together.<br />
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The wedding reception was one of the more fun that I have been to. They had a great live band, that played songs that filled the dance floor the entire night. I danced with my husband, my mom and dad, my daughter, my brother and sister-in-law, and the rest of my extended family. Such fun...<br />
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And it was SO cool that after the wedding festivities were over we
stayed the night in summer camp cabins, after continuing the party
around a bonfire and skinny dipping in the lake.<br />
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It was such a joyous celebration and I felt so thankful and blessed to be able to celebrate the marriage of Haley and Greg. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-51851235280901955142013-07-18T14:02:00.001-06:002013-07-18T15:46:54.772-06:00Summer Vacation: Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I usually find myself wanting to call her my soulmate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then I keep it to myself because I don’t
want to hurt my husband’s feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
of course, he’s my soulmate too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">....j</span>ust a
different <i>part</i> of my soul.<br />
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I’ve never had a friend like Rachel, and I don’t expect to
ever have any others quite like her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She knows me better than mostly anyone. It recently it occurred to me why that might be....she was by my side when <i>I found myself</i>. There in the beauty of the Alaskan interior, during my impressionable early 20's, I figured out who I was becoming, who I wanted to be, what's important to me, what to not be ashamed of, how to be honest with myself and others, how to love my body, and how to strive to truly live life to the fullest. And so much more. Wow those were some formative years. And she was with me the whole time, and together we figured a lot of that out.<br />
<br />
So, because of all the love, support, intellectual stimulation, smiles, understanding,
and big belly laughs that happen when we’re together….it was pure luxury to
spend a few days with her in her current home city of Boston. </div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time she and I
have been together since we left Alaska 12 years ago, we’re in the midst of a
larger adventure, project, festival, or my family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time it was just us, a few friends of
hers sprinkled around the edges, and some uninterrupted, mostly unplanned, days
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We ate, drank, laughed, and walked our way through her
lovely city….</div>
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And of course it was a total treat at the conclusion of these few lovely days
to be with my family, who all consider Rachel family too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together on her porch with cold beers,
instruments, and pizza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perfection.<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-58321646991089379262013-07-09T13:13:00.000-06:002013-07-09T13:13:00.298-06:00Pagosa Folk and Bluegrass Festival<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMc31B9c3ulWGlmv2-0oyFpbgRt1RzwktT42Scavr1PwsMdI00p9OOALS9YwA3qQTXpj9gb7Xx5-kq_3BSfsVFsoO1Wlhh3pQwBAy5sQPqQa3CrO9kyOgOGdG5blA6wpgrjiEcsuX1xQ/s1600/IMG_6453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My
favorite festival of the year has come and gone, but I find that I’m still
carrying its loveliness with me, a month later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pagosa
Springs is a beautiful, small, quaint town nestled on the western side of Wolf
Creek Pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This part of Colorado is, in
my opinion, the most beautiful in the state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always love the drive to Pagosa
Springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s only a little ways further to Durango, a town where I spent a lot of time back in 1996 when I
attempted to maintain a long distance relationship during my first year of college
in Boulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every other weekend I would
load up my trusty Toyota Camry with all my favorite CDs, leave Boulder at some
point after classes on Friday, and drive as fast as I could (surely faster than
I should have) to Durango.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was running from my dissatisfaction with what I found that first year
of college in Boulder, and I was running to what I knew (the boyfriend) and what I wanted (outdoorsy,
adventurous, accepting, interesting hippies who weren’t cliquey and judgmental
like they seemed to be in Boulder).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was all
there in Durango, and I spent as much time as I could there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, I did the Boulder to Durango
drive a lot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I knew those roads like
the back of my hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">These
days I only do the drive once a year, and although the actual music festival is
my favorite part of the adventure, oh how I love the drive…lots of memories
flooding back while driving that pass.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We’d
parked the Scamp for a few short days after returning from a festival the
previous weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those few days were full of grocery
shopping, cooking, prepping, packing (oh and working too…).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We woke up early Thursday morning and were on
the road to the Great Sand Dunes National Monument by 9 a.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt great to have the Scamp out on the
open road, and we were feeling confident after a local trailer/RV mechanic had
given us a shining report card the previous week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJup8F-GD9AM-UdzaUG-0YjJGdCVr_W7d-JDNhYMo3wBhe86qwXJJewjHk0jxPm8Nu6l9Mj9ISIgWtZgb1nwaOgZQ_AKekh1kUdxD-eAmDao97JKIbMMxW3EBqHFgmjD0QoObazMmbCM/s1600/IMG_6455.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJup8F-GD9AM-UdzaUG-0YjJGdCVr_W7d-JDNhYMo3wBhe86qwXJJewjHk0jxPm8Nu6l9Mj9ISIgWtZgb1nwaOgZQ_AKekh1kUdxD-eAmDao97JKIbMMxW3EBqHFgmjD0QoObazMmbCM/s400/IMG_6455.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
anxiously pulled up to the park entrance, crossing our fingers that
there would be a camping spot available for us that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found a spot on the main campground loop,
set up camp, had a nice lunch, and after some pickin', reading, and getting to
know our neighbors, we packed up for a short hike to the sand dunes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great fun to play in the creek at the
base of the dunes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another setting that
was bringing lots of childhood and young adulthood memories back, and so much
fun to share with my family. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYf3HYhRf-WwGSKTCSQsKQpysH33zHWj4zBVfLZGBuIQPadIPP5d_WakLgh20SS9eK0MTERnCetaxrOTaoAcN9MC3j4eQ4JAz_EG6N4wcwoISA-dpR3Cs52pPSwV1fXQluyVeBejFzhxY/s1600/IMG_6479.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYf3HYhRf-WwGSKTCSQsKQpysH33zHWj4zBVfLZGBuIQPadIPP5d_WakLgh20SS9eK0MTERnCetaxrOTaoAcN9MC3j4eQ4JAz_EG6N4wcwoISA-dpR3Cs52pPSwV1fXQluyVeBejFzhxY/s400/IMG_6479.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTLtjA-lP8VflZdRKR43Nz0UXDrPiG10GJPk_PyEmr3n0PqzZAwhC3JJXJ4EBMEu4C-grk9C3t32d5ip4vSkHwRDXYRPxyhG6TQUhgEEfdAV2IJfOh5PQJOP8M4w20IgGa_HR13ayGCc/s1600/IMG_6483.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTLtjA-lP8VflZdRKR43Nz0UXDrPiG10GJPk_PyEmr3n0PqzZAwhC3JJXJ4EBMEu4C-grk9C3t32d5ip4vSkHwRDXYRPxyhG6TQUhgEEfdAV2IJfOh5PQJOP8M4w20IgGa_HR13ayGCc/s400/IMG_6483.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dinner
and a campfire followed, and then a short walk to the campground pavilion where
we were treated to modified folk songs and a slideshow teaching visitors about
the history of the sand dunes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a relatively early night to bed for all of us since the wind was blowing
too much to make sitting around a campfire enjoyable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
were up and out by 7:30 a.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This set-up
and take-down thing with the Scamp continues to amaze and delight me with how
easy and efficient it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That early
departure would have never happened with a tent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We enjoyed a peaceful morning drive to Del
Norte, and a stop at our very favorite eating establishment in that part of the state, the Peace of Art Café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s part of our Pagosa tradition, and we look forward to it all year long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After filling our
bellies and hearts with the goodness of the café, I jumped into the driver’s
seat, full cup of coffee in hand, and we were on our way up Wolf Creek
Pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t have been happier with
how the Durango performed pulling the Scamp up and over the pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d been wondering how this part of the
drive would go, and I was so proud of our old truck!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5teiY5-Tq8B3CVcYzV0Z9cQchTZlyN_YiiI1xEj2HkGrGCor7IW89NlD8eDeF-m3lbwds27g6Qhvnz_d8DmwEzwAwlKbYa4aIabhtlgnHZ4tM-kW8r5f1lZ1DYVIbls8qOfQbRHIyTw/s1600/IMG_6486.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5teiY5-Tq8B3CVcYzV0Z9cQchTZlyN_YiiI1xEj2HkGrGCor7IW89NlD8eDeF-m3lbwds27g6Qhvnz_d8DmwEzwAwlKbYa4aIabhtlgnHZ4tM-kW8r5f1lZ1DYVIbls8qOfQbRHIyTw/s400/IMG_6486.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
pulled into the line to enter the festival just before noon, jumped out of the
car to greet those around us, and rejoiced that we’d finally arrived!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once it was our turn, we carefully drove the
Scamp up the bumpy, dirt road to the festival grounds, and pulled right into
our preferred camping spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within an
hour, camp was set up, and we were snuggled up in the Scamp with lunch while we
watched the first (and only) rainstorm of the weekend pass overhead.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwto8sqYJ9tOPID-Mry50mAe9NF6p6IUq15cMOEFzPbMzNe573nTay5FRVnRWfeqS6iEJtoF6uUogb2g5vGOEjCSrZSicqfLbQs2JYHvv4o0OLzu0dx5HjY18Op02YQeEZKYp4DtIOyK8/s1600/IMG_6491.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwto8sqYJ9tOPID-Mry50mAe9NF6p6IUq15cMOEFzPbMzNe573nTay5FRVnRWfeqS6iEJtoF6uUogb2g5vGOEjCSrZSicqfLbQs2JYHvv4o0OLzu0dx5HjY18Op02YQeEZKYp4DtIOyK8/s400/IMG_6491.JPG" width="300" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8LQ41FksZ4BXnzeWtu_Umgs2sRw6lm-EaHfb5iJPbrN5FKIKVeLHj5P4rSKuaiYB0R_js2eH6FGHcUljzqJxgio7JYTNARdvls2EvSq7WGHK1hUetdIHW8ovvhpCgePvlf5yCKko9U4/s1600/IMG_6480.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8LQ41FksZ4BXnzeWtu_Umgs2sRw6lm-EaHfb5iJPbrN5FKIKVeLHj5P4rSKuaiYB0R_js2eH6FGHcUljzqJxgio7JYTNARdvls2EvSq7WGHK1hUetdIHW8ovvhpCgePvlf5yCKko9U4/s400/IMG_6480.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After
the rain had cleared, I grabbed a chair and headed up the hill for the mandolin
workshop. Perhaps I'll talk in another blog post about the huge amount of mandolin-flavored inspiration I got out of this festival...but suffice it to say, I came away from the workshop and the festival in general feeling a renewed excitement about my mandolin playing! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7-DpUeuNIYXHVLHYI6JsIW-1yKEGfHmmEWLgrvNcUpGs-eytyMh-h3Ve_zdOu-SeOfLP1Cyy8-ooi1wTiHhFE8RZZ2ZBWMUZk8x8gekLumGHQkIvBYgVTU3bvqRvrDa73Lf9Giq9g_M/s1600/IMG_6494.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7-DpUeuNIYXHVLHYI6JsIW-1yKEGfHmmEWLgrvNcUpGs-eytyMh-h3Ve_zdOu-SeOfLP1Cyy8-ooi1wTiHhFE8RZZ2ZBWMUZk8x8gekLumGHQkIvBYgVTU3bvqRvrDa73Lf9Giq9g_M/s400/IMG_6494.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Brian got Sadie to take a nap,
and waited patiently to greet our dear friends, the GreenHills, who would be
arriving from Arkansas for the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Back
in 1996, when I was driving to Durango every other weekend, I spent the
opposite weekends at Bay’s house in Parker, Colorado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bay and I have known each other since we were
15, and she’s one of my very dearest friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ve seen each other through love, loss, heartache, adventures,
marriage, motherhood, and more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love
her like a sister, and I love her children like they are my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, we never get to see each other; the
last time was when Sadie was less than 9 months old!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her two oldest have grown so much since I’d
last seen them, and I would be meeting baby Hazel for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, when the text came to me at
the mandolin workshop that they were at camp, I couldn’t get down the hill fast
enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I love a good reunion…one
where you can’t help but just cry and cry as you hold each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing better. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27Awgnl-LyG4-8ymE65_OF2polB4d0NeNggqjKEyUemnM0ZaluGvsFlYzS9BHFVSS-9tojPzj21kXa_3xVLMe5nVMVA-XzZ9LwC0EcAHN7f-sFKSs1aD4-Tt-1Huow2siPxBl5Z3u4Nw/s1600/IMG_6503.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27Awgnl-LyG4-8ymE65_OF2polB4d0NeNggqjKEyUemnM0ZaluGvsFlYzS9BHFVSS-9tojPzj21kXa_3xVLMe5nVMVA-XzZ9LwC0EcAHN7f-sFKSs1aD4-Tt-1Huow2siPxBl5Z3u4Nw/s400/IMG_6503.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And
once all the hellos, how was the trip, oh my gosh look at the beautiful children,
etc. was done with, we did what we do best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We settled into festivating and camping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvoNRDrQSnEWNsJhJqs-BakhUSfzTTiOJxYjEitfp9yXUGJfEFJaczLPhomMSzbSIpo2aeB3uFgvLys4rUDg7S8prf2iLDKtB69AggryHsHJ01Jlqu6cn4W9qWSlzf5ZWBBXm9_w7tZ8/s1600/IMG_6492.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvoNRDrQSnEWNsJhJqs-BakhUSfzTTiOJxYjEitfp9yXUGJfEFJaczLPhomMSzbSIpo2aeB3uFgvLys4rUDg7S8prf2iLDKtB69AggryHsHJ01Jlqu6cn4W9qWSlzf5ZWBBXm9_w7tZ8/s400/IMG_6492.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFUX9GF5aQZSI43lov8k4Jv9MLjK41zGnTpElGsNOzljvTKGSSOrf_6bNCumSnGpPGlEdr9YA-rItUVS_J7PWV_NoKHQZ-lXuxSI4R9hXFQDK7jMVijQjeO9KHc_zVxN3DlqT93DSY4A/s1600/IMG_6501.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFUX9GF5aQZSI43lov8k4Jv9MLjK41zGnTpElGsNOzljvTKGSSOrf_6bNCumSnGpPGlEdr9YA-rItUVS_J7PWV_NoKHQZ-lXuxSI4R9hXFQDK7jMVijQjeO9KHc_zVxN3DlqT93DSY4A/s400/IMG_6501.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBPfhQaS7sg6oZGJBEaz0WziHJtkL2hBMchXW8ROTDpDYOQz5AGxHHVMqXa1krzYoN1FcRXbigmhtNYdSVMMjK5vzbEbSSuz8tU_FPou8N_s1hn5cknFwwrB3C5vPiI3U2PEcqy4GnpU/s1600/IMG_6515.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBPfhQaS7sg6oZGJBEaz0WziHJtkL2hBMchXW8ROTDpDYOQz5AGxHHVMqXa1krzYoN1FcRXbigmhtNYdSVMMjK5vzbEbSSuz8tU_FPou8N_s1hn5cknFwwrB3C5vPiI3U2PEcqy4GnpU/s400/IMG_6515.JPG" width="300" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyq-gBxJS-5MLEaWoBpPoRlAo5YwaCEBXimFcSNmxJPnXFg87TgNQ0VR6PHeztaIBWzJiZT5TVE9VFoXJDgJGcnDj6HN-lsFThCuYdixoNYD96S9G8ysWcoCbmPPEkGW-xKEgHsiiKgm4/s1600/IMG_6547.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyq-gBxJS-5MLEaWoBpPoRlAo5YwaCEBXimFcSNmxJPnXFg87TgNQ0VR6PHeztaIBWzJiZT5TVE9VFoXJDgJGcnDj6HN-lsFThCuYdixoNYD96S9G8ysWcoCbmPPEkGW-xKEgHsiiKgm4/s400/IMG_6547.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For
me, the weekend was invigorating, rejuvenating, relaxing, joyful, peaceful, and
idyllic in every way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brian, Sadie, and
I slept peacefully every night in the Scamp…I woke up each morning feeling
rested (which isn’t always the case at festivals).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bay and I got to spend a lot of time
chatting, catching up, and even had time for one of those sit-down-around-the-fire-and-settle-in-for-the-night
conversations that it’s so hard to find time for these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACd1id-94NSilhEnq_v7qyY91L8pNFAhJfWtd9dHqlDSzDYrxO8B3QZhcrQfPCE5cJZVD4Vzhr-e8p1G62mfHo78TRZk173XQiUFjFUJvh8J8IBAAVwwK4j7ZkJ2sHVcA_NS-IgM0lUg/s1600/IMG_6541.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACd1id-94NSilhEnq_v7qyY91L8pNFAhJfWtd9dHqlDSzDYrxO8B3QZhcrQfPCE5cJZVD4Vzhr-e8p1G62mfHo78TRZk173XQiUFjFUJvh8J8IBAAVwwK4j7ZkJ2sHVcA_NS-IgM0lUg/s400/IMG_6541.JPG" width="300" /></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-F03-bv0lgQhSTzS3qTKBFdNyMY0NWaOBKz4fMctWL3DKr2U3b1SlOcmStyDGbjkQU8KSutaIYnX9jJCJ7irkSPM15475OKXRExQJquPUl8IZ5cAV8m1Tmv7YK5OBwgwMfZemUUpR_M/s1600/IMG_6576.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-F03-bv0lgQhSTzS3qTKBFdNyMY0NWaOBKz4fMctWL3DKr2U3b1SlOcmStyDGbjkQU8KSutaIYnX9jJCJ7irkSPM15475OKXRExQJquPUl8IZ5cAV8m1Tmv7YK5OBwgwMfZemUUpR_M/s400/IMG_6576.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecKg-vYLQ02h7502fJybf0syfnvSw_aj58E2yDhG3uYp1EShyphenhyphentLg2OET_RseWAI2BTrxFM6zwRPttVgO7ts77kRPATAH711i9p6uT55s81T0JebkNoD25daw99Utafw7PlL8zuE1ql2Y/s1600/IMG_6577.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecKg-vYLQ02h7502fJybf0syfnvSw_aj58E2yDhG3uYp1EShyphenhyphentLg2OET_RseWAI2BTrxFM6zwRPttVgO7ts77kRPATAH711i9p6uT55s81T0JebkNoD25daw99Utafw7PlL8zuE1ql2Y/s400/IMG_6577.JPG" width="300" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
kids were SOOO great together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq6Jwh-Cl7cn19DQH-He0J3lSXNDK-_XlT7VSXiEOljqC4cDKeuZ8P1Uw854IT6SsDbylrbFMbq9PMpDLfAPQNVaWwZjmyc_u-qLlT6rKEPmrgol2SC52hZbVMScTxweOP-b6R4qCzgA/s1600/IMG_6535.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq6Jwh-Cl7cn19DQH-He0J3lSXNDK-_XlT7VSXiEOljqC4cDKeuZ8P1Uw854IT6SsDbylrbFMbq9PMpDLfAPQNVaWwZjmyc_u-qLlT6rKEPmrgol2SC52hZbVMScTxweOP-b6R4qCzgA/s400/IMG_6535.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Jh5KakPZS9WBgS7onn8ckJUuMXJpKh_t_U2qTyuTOi2k96ZAuoJbEcc2vxsKR6vdfmMBYXuDh7D4laKmRV8iPEomg-RNeY7Q4bqZUt7HhDFZxRLHmHE9V4C1LUcICjn3AcZDdNv_3Ks/s1600/IMG_6539.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Jh5KakPZS9WBgS7onn8ckJUuMXJpKh_t_U2qTyuTOi2k96ZAuoJbEcc2vxsKR6vdfmMBYXuDh7D4laKmRV8iPEomg-RNeY7Q4bqZUt7HhDFZxRLHmHE9V4C1LUcICjn3AcZDdNv_3Ks/s400/IMG_6539.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFKDFYPk00rM_0NFxYUiiss3SSZyOjbTTlF7XNoyzBy6yl3Z6d3NZ7CExmkoeDekjlFT0444OZybqOXngHFOQvko7rkovxbIWkrL1rTmVOt8SQWQEs7cIKGUa5v0l_y3RSZ_Et9jCn_U/s1600/IMG_6558.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFKDFYPk00rM_0NFxYUiiss3SSZyOjbTTlF7XNoyzBy6yl3Z6d3NZ7CExmkoeDekjlFT0444OZybqOXngHFOQvko7rkovxbIWkrL1rTmVOt8SQWQEs7cIKGUa5v0l_y3RSZ_Et9jCn_U/s400/IMG_6558.JPG" width="300" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sadie and
Mosely are the closest in age and played so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mosely is funny and fun and rambunctious and
sensitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A perfect little boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPV9xLuyLwxO9qTABXKbNmujkEaOR8Q1yns_189oPomJC-V89NeMuIIndIZEqgG3_vbdgxG18fGaGLGMsQ9CJGf3pLBorjuQIpKeyhjsBrxY6Kb0LCMK6PgpHp1Er2nL_ezLq_1aMVpM/s1600/IMG_6601.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPV9xLuyLwxO9qTABXKbNmujkEaOR8Q1yns_189oPomJC-V89NeMuIIndIZEqgG3_vbdgxG18fGaGLGMsQ9CJGf3pLBorjuQIpKeyhjsBrxY6Kb0LCMK6PgpHp1Er2nL_ezLq_1aMVpM/s400/IMG_6601.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stella has grown up so much, and I treasured
the opportunity to get to know her more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hoCfXJQm6AvckL-KOcwGwtGO7NXJJI-e2YOgzsSA43c43L-PLgy3wqfvjGZL_ttRTizSgi4tMH23Jg01UCXsnJqzvk7CIReS9I-Y6q5F5XRaQyeQbu8Z1KlC-ZL6hfLzRaPE1nsJwG4/s1600/IMG_6553.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hoCfXJQm6AvckL-KOcwGwtGO7NXJJI-e2YOgzsSA43c43L-PLgy3wqfvjGZL_ttRTizSgi4tMH23Jg01UCXsnJqzvk7CIReS9I-Y6q5F5XRaQyeQbu8Z1KlC-ZL6hfLzRaPE1nsJwG4/s400/IMG_6553.JPG" width="300" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">She’s a big kid with thoughts and ideas and interests and plans of her
own, and it was so lovely to get a little glimpse into her world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sure has changed a lot since she preceded
me down the aisle on my wedding day 7 years ago!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Gy6Ba-rYge82DsPAMxP_4c78yip82aBBGFw09lNYqHm-Sf4UP4xdju7Op3At9MP4rzzznvQPWOxIqhuYz8RjZPXkDpooNhnTrOmwUhM9wF3XZ8QGedee9WiifTiS5zFmIByPrcS61zE/s1600/232323232%257Ffp67=ot)2336=3+8=6+%28=XROQDF%2923236768955+7ot1lsi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Gy6Ba-rYge82DsPAMxP_4c78yip82aBBGFw09lNYqHm-Sf4UP4xdju7Op3At9MP4rzzznvQPWOxIqhuYz8RjZPXkDpooNhnTrOmwUhM9wF3XZ8QGedee9WiifTiS5zFmIByPrcS61zE/s400/232323232%257Ffp67=ot)2336=3+8=6+%28=XROQDF%2923236768955+7ot1lsi.jpg" width="400" /></a></span> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Gy6Ba-rYge82DsPAMxP_4c78yip82aBBGFw09lNYqHm-Sf4UP4xdju7Op3At9MP4rzzznvQPWOxIqhuYz8RjZPXkDpooNhnTrOmwUhM9wF3XZ8QGedee9WiifTiS5zFmIByPrcS61zE/s1600/232323232%257Ffp67=ot)2336=3+8=6+%28=XROQDF%2923236768955+7ot1lsi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Oh, and that baby Hazel….what a joy it was to
hold and cuddle her for a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkP4YAIH0BQVXJr9JtGkZuBaQ3-6xsCyJP_4oTvrvOylrCbAnwjedXZIEXRCNi61RqmcwhIegvCZazmPnD1Le2o5LOa9LHQ2L7Kvejj2wLyOJ2nzF-pWe6qAlLbPN_CFAhd0pINjQDdw/s1600/IMG_6545.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkP4YAIH0BQVXJr9JtGkZuBaQ3-6xsCyJP_4oTvrvOylrCbAnwjedXZIEXRCNi61RqmcwhIegvCZazmPnD1Le2o5LOa9LHQ2L7Kvejj2wLyOJ2nzF-pWe6qAlLbPN_CFAhd0pINjQDdw/s400/IMG_6545.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>And
before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Petersons were surely feeling the effects
of 3 straight festivals in a row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the
end of the Pagosa festival, we had slept in the Scamp more nights than in our
own beds over the prior few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were loving it, but we were dirty, and tired, and run down. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HYbl_b3W5cVoFkuZ7XRmIRCM0h_7RWGx9DGkXg_XqzP07zwpDciu_4cieOR-0wOL07CbAH0nx2NwWg_l60gx6WH-eucK4SxLHcFKa3ANykojAQLoH-b17fNsbo6D5j1WvvC9zTs5kn4/s1600/IMG_6528.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8HYbl_b3W5cVoFkuZ7XRmIRCM0h_7RWGx9DGkXg_XqzP07zwpDciu_4cieOR-0wOL07CbAH0nx2NwWg_l60gx6WH-eucK4SxLHcFKa3ANykojAQLoH-b17fNsbo6D5j1WvvC9zTs5kn4/s400/IMG_6528.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UWO6-ez3-le1VV4tAlLUz5lpTAHFGxIeI9OaobgNxZJbhu_9vAjld8Hin12PuoKvfAhZtIO7KTCHodSouO7Q42y7KDwuWNdMm0P_t-icHuZnkNbBT7mUUkm8EE1z2ryrd1jDHubPKGc/s1600/IMG_6588.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UWO6-ez3-le1VV4tAlLUz5lpTAHFGxIeI9OaobgNxZJbhu_9vAjld8Hin12PuoKvfAhZtIO7KTCHodSouO7Q42y7KDwuWNdMm0P_t-icHuZnkNbBT7mUUkm8EE1z2ryrd1jDHubPKGc/s400/IMG_6588.JPG" width="400" /></a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42obqmoYsxDYVZs3HeH75VkLo_SgeTKGlz0bRP7JlUp3cfIFw3RBfz5wugVKy7IOGXITY3D-FcKgMfckQwmec5jUVqoUb_OUh4bMf0YvDouKozViyOX9Ma_ESQwHOxwi3gxgWRn2retU/s1600/IMG_6581.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42obqmoYsxDYVZs3HeH75VkLo_SgeTKGlz0bRP7JlUp3cfIFw3RBfz5wugVKy7IOGXITY3D-FcKgMfckQwmec5jUVqoUb_OUh4bMf0YvDouKozViyOX9Ma_ESQwHOxwi3gxgWRn2retU/s400/IMG_6581.JPG" width="300" /></a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So, we sadly hugged our friends goodbye,
promised to do it again next year, threw our newly purchased CD from our
favorite set of the weekend (Della Mae! Yeah!) into the stereo, and hit the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we drove back over Wolf Creek Pass, Sadie
sang quietly in the back seat while Brian and I took some time to talk about
the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good parts, as well as
the emotional/sad/difficult parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
didn’t talk about what waited at home yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Work, and laundry, and groceries, and lists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those conversations would start up as we got
a bit closer to home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for now we
just soaked in the beauty of the pass, and soaked up the afterglow of three
weeks of festivating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One last stop at
the Peace of Art Café, another cup of coffee, and we headed home. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffPe8rmta2lO8z0WRy6QTEQJJP3DLu7vmbQAAnv-TCNwCQnbu-p4cBGG_7M7nfAyR8orJRDv59lotOmvBE2SvWA4GTIdG001NbxvYefIgs4SZt_bZ9EJradJJr8fmQdYK57jNkuBw8yM/s1600/IMG_6597.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffPe8rmta2lO8z0WRy6QTEQJJP3DLu7vmbQAAnv-TCNwCQnbu-p4cBGG_7M7nfAyR8orJRDv59lotOmvBE2SvWA4GTIdG001NbxvYefIgs4SZt_bZ9EJradJJr8fmQdYK57jNkuBw8yM/s400/IMG_6597.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMc31B9c3ulWGlmv2-0oyFpbgRt1RzwktT42Scavr1PwsMdI00p9OOALS9YwA3qQTXpj9gb7Xx5-kq_3BSfsVFsoO1Wlhh3pQwBAy5sQPqQa3CrO9kyOgOGdG5blA6wpgrjiEcsuX1xQ/s1600/IMG_6453.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMc31B9c3ulWGlmv2-0oyFpbgRt1RzwktT42Scavr1PwsMdI00p9OOALS9YwA3qQTXpj9gb7Xx5-kq_3BSfsVFsoO1Wlhh3pQwBAy5sQPqQa3CrO9kyOgOGdG5blA6wpgrjiEcsuX1xQ/s400/IMG_6453.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif;">Yesterday
brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the
middle we became the best of friends. ~Author Unknown</span></i></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-118757915978291722013-07-09T09:57:00.000-06:002013-07-09T10:45:41.800-06:00Bluegrass at the Fair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76lIRnyKizEmCbDGdebriObw-7XE80C1hFv6l0fdFdsB081xzSU6Ug85JGXqRRHVz1_5F421bTQ8TCMm-3_A2EsAyaTCmFCzmcv9PSw_R8zEEN8U770kiOG2L0RF-ST4arq3nAPvyAdE/s1600/IMG_6336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76lIRnyKizEmCbDGdebriObw-7XE80C1hFv6l0fdFdsB081xzSU6Ug85JGXqRRHVz1_5F421bTQ8TCMm-3_A2EsAyaTCmFCzmcv9PSw_R8zEEN8U770kiOG2L0RF-ST4arq3nAPvyAdE/s400/IMG_6336.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
Our second festival of the season came just one week after Meadowgrass, and was an event we've never been to. We hadn't pulled anything out of the Scamp, we just threw in some clean clothes, slapped a new sticker on the back, and headed off Saturday morning for the Bluegrass at the Fair festival in Pueblo.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlZoHf26Xm77BIMlMyJhHEk5PjBKf5475vRczAE2-bKEUlyNEg7afVxCmWjuPk6G0gfRd6zFkOfuJwxJxGqOutq1P3UNVfeYHWAIxQfWiB3l8Ed9CduvuQIPN1SYW32Qu5LWLO_EDE3g/s1600/IMG_6349.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlZoHf26Xm77BIMlMyJhHEk5PjBKf5475vRczAE2-bKEUlyNEg7afVxCmWjuPk6G0gfRd6zFkOfuJwxJxGqOutq1P3UNVfeYHWAIxQfWiB3l8Ed9CduvuQIPN1SYW32Qu5LWLO_EDE3g/s400/IMG_6349.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
While we were excited to see a lot of the music that would be performed at this event, but we were really going to have a chance to camp out with our favorite bluegrass family, the Friesens.<br />
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And also so happy that my good friend Danielle and her kiddos showed up to spend some time with us. Danielle understands that in order to see us, she just has to come to a festival! Yep! <br />
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By this point, I was feeling pretty at home in the Scamp....<br />
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And we thought our little Scamp looked pretty adorable next to all the huge RVs and motorhomes at this festival....<br />
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We loved seeing so many of our good friends playing music at this festival, especially Todd's (the Papa Friesen's) band, <a href="http://www.rachelsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-was-so-good.html" target="_blank">Dr. Harlan's Amazing Bluegrass Tonic</a>. <br />
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Our buddies the <a href="http://www.rachelsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/2010/05/bluegrass-in-house.html" target="_blank">Blue Canyon Boys</a> were there too!</div>
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and the Steel Pennies!<br />
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Festival season was in full swing..we were tired by the end of the day on Sunday, but had so much fun!<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5205476535029673767.post-74533846634093900572013-06-11T21:45:00.000-06:002013-06-11T21:45:00.270-06:00Home Improvements<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was going to post pictures and thoughts about the various home improvement projects we took on in March and April. They included the painting of the entire upstairs of our house (we hired someone to do that part...), moving around of furniture, hanging pictures and artwork on the wall, and some other minor changes.<br />
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But really, none of that matters as much as these bookshelves. This is what started it all, and this is what makes me the happiest. I've wanted floor-to-ceiling, built-in type bookshelves ever since we bought this house. It's been sad to have my entire book collection double stacked onto my old college bookshelves all this time.<br />
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My neighbor Chris wins the award for neighbor-of-the-year for all the help and support he offered us during this project.<br />
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We were inspired by <a href="http://www.ikeahackers.net/" target="_blank">this website</a>, and followed the <a href="http://www.ikeahackers.net/2012/01/billy-bookcases-to-built-ins.html" target="_blank">Billy Bookshelves Hack</a> pretty closely. Amazing how well that worked and how much money we saved!<br />
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I LOVE these bookshelves. They have transformed the entire upper floor of our house and the best part is that we find ourselves using this space for reading, playing, and making music more than we ever have. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336472873440752116noreply@blogger.com0