Whoops!

Kanter Fire Road/Whoop-De-Doos, Pacific Palisades

I've had this hike bookmarked in my phone for over a year! It was a relatively short hike, but the views were spectacular! 

Downtown LA - Pacific Ocean - Santa Monica Mountains. 

There were a bunch of towers and this cool triangulation station box.

And at one point, I was even swarmed by a bunch of dogs! Pretty sure that's what heaven is going to feel like!

My favorite part: the benches at the top. I love finding benches on hikes. Something special about someone deciding they liked the view so much that they wanted to sit down and soak it in...

An Open Letter to My Mother

Mom, 

I've never been much of a writer. In fact, as a student, you were always there to take my choppy sentences and make them into fluid paragraphs. We constructed some wonderful essays together. Some of them --remember that report on AIDS??-- even stood the test of time and were recycled year after year. This Mother's Day, I want to thank you for the many ways you've helped me become the *cough* lady I am now.

You taught me that knowledge is strength, laughter cures heartache, love endures all, and every other cliche out there. You also taught me to vent about things in the privacy of my own car, that clear nail polish can fix a lot more than a chipped nail, and how to properly make scrambled eggs (touch of milk and mixed with a fork).

Perhaps, the most valuable lessons you taught me have come in those moments you might not have known I was watching. I learned courage reading the highlighted parts of the scriptures you kept next to the bed (D&C 6:36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not). I learned empathy when I saw the heartbreak in your eyes reflected from my own brokenness. I learned leadership from the umpire tower at a softball field in Eastern Washington. I learned what pride truly feels like as I watched you teaching a room full of parents about loving their children, especially when it's difficult.

Thank you for your patience, guidance, and unwavering, unconditional love.

Love You Forever,

Your Daughter

ego sum fortis

So far, 2016 has tested my strength. I wake up every morning full of hope and determination, but some days try to break me. Today was NOT one of those days. 

I woke up, after a (long overdue) full night's rest, to a beautiful, sunny day with blue skies and a salty ocean breeze. I've done this same thing for the past ten years on Super Bowl Sunday. I laced up my running shoes and headed to the beach. 

I spent the next 13.1 miles forgetting about all my worries. I took step after step (after step) soaking up some sunshine and listening to the calming waves.

I know everyday won't be like this. I know there will be times when I'm sad, times when my hands are full, and times when I feel defeated. But I also know there will be times when I've never felt more alive, times when my heart is full, and times when I realize my own strength. 

 

Ego sum fortis. I am strong.

Into the woods

There is something magical about this little cabin.

Maybe it's the friends we see there and the laughter we've shared gathered in the backyard...

... Afternoons of playing games at the dining room table...

...A group of girlfriends gathered around comfortably in the living room, sipping on wine or drinking a beer, and talking about life.



Or perhaps it's because we know that this cabin was built on a foundation of love and a testament to what these beautiful women share.



Congratulations to you both, and thank you for letting me be a part of your special day.

May your love be like the misty rain, gentle coming in but flooding the river.

                --Traditional African

Fire and a Photography Lesson

I was just finishing up in my classroom when I got a news alert on my phone of a fire in Woodranch. I could see the fire from school and decided to head home to get a closer look.

I went (straight) up the hill, camera in tote. From the top, I could see the helicopters dipping into the reservoir and then flying straight over head to drop it on the fire.

Super fun moment for a wanna-be photographer: a guy up there started talking camera stuff and ended up getting a whole bunch of tips from him about shutter speed and ISO. Now, if I could just remember to clean the dust specks off my lens...

Then I left to go watch the Seahawks play preseason. We won :)

Named after the Mexican outlaw Joaquin Murietta

Murietta Canyon, Ojai

According to the interwebs, Joaquin Muretta (or Murieta) (or Murrietta) was the Mexican Robin Hood. If only we could figure out how to spell his name, we could make a Disney movie!

Look carefully, do you see the butterfly in the middle?

We took our borrowed Ventura County Hikes book and headed up into the hills of Ojai.  There are a bunch of trails that all connect, but we started here at Murietta.  It was a nice low grade stroll with a surprising amount of green!

Aaron thought he had found the perfect walking stick.  Maggie agreed.  It's perfect for her! 

We came to (yet another) empty river bed and decided to add a little zen to the place.  Perhaps it will summon the rain...

...It's been 1.5 months since we took the picture.  No rain yet.

Black is the color of my true love's hair...

And green is the Emerald Isle.

It's been almost 2 months since Ireland. So what took me so long to write this blog? I had so much to say (and SO MANY pictures to show!) that I didn't know where to begin!  I'll start with this: It was amazing.  The end.

Just kidding! The grass was almost neon green.  The sky was overcast often, but when the sun broke through, it was glorious.  There were cows in the fields and deer in the meadows.  There were ancient castles and tombstones of those you think of only as legends.  

There was an abundance of water -- beautiful, running, water -- that flowed shamelessly along the River Shannon...and my faucet sink (gasp!)

There were caves with stalactites and stalagmites larger than I've ever seen before. There were cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean that took my breath away.

There was a bus full of smiles and laughter and friendships forming. The cities were clean and friendly, and the tour guides were charming and oh, so patient (Thanks, Martin and Anne!) Limerick, Killarney, Cork, and Dublin welcomed us into their streets (and their Pubs) to feel what it meant to be Irish.

There were meals shared in hotel dining halls and great castles. There was one reason we were all in Ireland together: beautifully sung concerts, performed with passion and intention. There were moments when you realized the music you created together is what unifies our hearts.

Oh, and there was whiskey. My god, was there ever some whiskey.

For the full set of pictures I took in Ireland CLICK HERE! Please let me know which pictures you liked most by commenting on them!