Just Because

We are still moving so I thought I would share an unrelated picture of myself for your amusemant. The photo is from a Christmas play where I was moonlighting as an elf...maybe 5th grade.

Move Along

So what maybe it is snowing right now, after raining buckets. I am sure that the spring precipitation will be a mix through much of the day. We are still packing up and moving into our new house today. Yes, I may be doing a lot of floor cleaning later in the day, but it will be so good to finally be home.

We will move all of the big stuff over today. My family is going to help us out. I am sure Cordelia will have a fun day hanging out with everyone she loves!

Please excuse me if my blogs come a bit later in the day for the next several days. We don't yet have the internet in our new place so I will have to seek it out elsewhere. Rest assured, daily blogs will be there--just a bit later.

***Today is the last day to vote for Eric who has entered to win the Wyoming Short Film contest. In order to make it to the final round he needs your votes. Please click on this link and watch Eric's video and vote for it (yes, you will have to give your email address and do a very quick verification in order for your vote to count--less than a minute) the higher the ratings the better. You vote by clicking on the number of stars you want to give the video. Eric's entry is called Marilyn Roxie-Indigo. Tell everyone you know! He is right on the edge I would love for him to make it. PLEEEEEEASE!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!

APPARENTLY YOU CAN VOTE ONCE A DAY SO RE-VOTE PLEASE

Home Update and Big Favor (small effort)

We have been so busy working on our new house. Let me say that the house itself was in excellent condition, but we just wanted to make a few changes before moving in. A few changes means, painting nearly every square inch of the house and ripping up the carpets that were in the living room, hallway, and one bedroom.

Starting out with a big mess


My manly man using painter's tape

The remains of a grape and floral wallpaper border and my sanity (just kidding)

Eric and I have a good system going. I go in like the sloppy brute that I am and paint everything but the edges and trim. Eric meticulously finishes the work. He has taken care of the edges and the trim, pretty much everything tedious and boring (thanks Eric). He had some help this week as he pulled up the carpets and tack board (thanks Sam, Mom, Brent and John) to reveal a near pristine oak floor underneath!

We hope to move in this weekend!

***I also wanted to ask a favor from you today, Eric has entered to win the Wyoming Short Film contest. In order to make it to the final round he needs your votes. Please click on this link and watch Eric's video and vote for it (yes, you will have to give your email address and do a very quick verification in order for your vote to count--less than a minute) the higher the ratings the better. You vote by clicking on the number of stars you want to give the video. Eric's entry is called Marilyn Roxie-Indigo. Let's make this happen for him.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!

How it Went

First Cordelia took a long nap in my arms. I had plenty to do, but I couldn't set her down. I have been missing her a lot with all of the painting going on at the new place. I just needed to gaze upon my little lady for a while. Plus she is in the age of constant motion. She moves around so much it's kind of lovely to get a moment to just take a good long look.

When she woke up this is how it went.

1) Grab hat that belonged to Great Great Grandma Rose.
2) Kiss self in mirror.
3)Run screaming around the couch.
4) Sit on Bumblebee.

5) When told that it is not OK to sit on Bumblebee because she might give Bum an owee, she continues to sit on Bum and hug her.

Les Fleurs

You may already know that we just bought our first home! I have also mentioned that there were many people whose efforts helped us more than we can say or ever re-pay.

There were also a few people who were just doing their jobs, but they did it with such kindness that I feel as though they were doing far more than just their jobs. Today I want to thank those folks with some flowers. A small gesture to be sure, but just something to let them know that their kindness is touching others.

What Kindness Bandit activity are you up to this week?

Indulge Me

Yesterday my little lady looked so beautiful in her Easter dress (a gift from her Great Grandma Carol). Eric put the dress on her while I was in the other room. She came thundering in to show me her fancy get-up. First she lifted the whole thing to show me the bloomers and then she showed me each layer of tulle and fluff. Finally she did a little spin to really show it all off.

How did my little girl get so big? Here is what we were dealing with last Easter!

Easter

Happy Easter!

Home.

Yesterday morning we gathered our crew into the car and drove over to my parent's house. We dropped Cordelia and Bumblebee off for a visit while we headed to the bank. When we arrived most everyone was assembled. We waited for a few minutes until the sellers (some people who are very dear to us) arrived. I looked around the bank conference room with a giddiness in my heart. There were a dozen pens laid out on the table and a pile of papers that didn't seem all that large (we'd been told that we would sign a gajillion papers).

Finally the sellers (family friends) arrived. I knew this was kind of a sad day for them, the end of a long and very happy chapter of their lives. A family home was passing on to a new family. We tried to keep our joyful exuberance down to a respectful level.

Signing of contracts began...and magically that pile of papers that had initially seemed small began to multiply into a giant beast of papers. Hands cramped, beads of sweat formed, the moon rose in the sky. Oh, well that may be a major overstatement, but it did take a while to get through all of the signatures. The whole time I kept looking at the house keys across the table, just little pieces of metal, but they mean so much to us. They mean the end of one long journey and the beginning of a new one. They mean that Cordelia will have a childhood home, that we have a family home, that we are growing up.

When the paperwork was done I am not quite sure what I expected: confetti to fall from the ceiling, a round of applause and an impromptu musical number perhaps. Instead there was the exchange of cashier's checks, the exchange of gifts between most everyone there (which was so sweet, what a wonderful way to start). We trailed as a big group out into the parking lot, hugs followed. Eric and I turned to leave and I squeezed his hand tightly, he squeezed back. We got into the car and just hugged. We are homeowners.

I began to sob like a baby as we pulled out of the parking lot. Years of rental frustration and feeling like I have no home came to an end. More than that I was completely overwhelmed by the kindnesses of others that helped us to get into this place. We truly couldn't have found this house at this time without a veritable army of good will. I have a tremendous debt of gratitude.

The tears subsided as we steered the car home. We pulled into the driveway and entered the front door. Our home. At last. We wandered around the house, looking into cupboards and closets. Still feeling as though we were in someone's house, not quite ours. We sat on the floor in the living room and hugged, taking it all in for a quiet moment. Soon we were joined by my mother, brother Sam and Cordelia.

A few hours later we were busy painting, making this our home. By the end of the day that is exactly how it was beginning to feel, not because of the fresh paint, but because we were making it ours. Also, there is something about watching the light change in a house throughout the day, listening to the wind blow over it, learning the sounds of the fridge and the heater--it makes it all feel more real, more familiar.

Today is another day of painting in our home. I can't wait to get back over to our home!

I will soon have some before and after photos to post!

How have you been?

Today is the Day!

Today is the day! We get the keys to our house later this morning!!! I can't believe this day is finally here. I am beyond excited, in fact I pretty much just feel like freaking out.

After we get the keys we will get right to work painting!

She is Charmingly Peculiar...

You may recall this post a few weeks ago where I mentioned Cordelia's obsession with her blue coat (of boocoat if you speak her language). Well, things are getting even more peculiar around here. Just over a week ago my mother, in an attempt to create a diversion, grabbed Cordelia a super soft hoodie with hearts all over it. Cordelia loves it! The only problem is that she hasn't gotten over the blue coat. Instead we now cart around the blue coat and the hoodie (which she calls jacket). She sleeps with them both, panics if they are in the wash, and generally obsesses.

The weather is warming up and there are times when she insists on wearing them both...I have convinced her that she can just wear the hoods. So sometimes she runs around with two hooded coats flowing behind her. Better yet are the times when she wears a hat on top of it all.

Add this to her other charming peculiarities: rubbing crumbs in her hair, trying to drink dog water, an insatiable appetite for ketchup (kind of my fault), and countless other eccentricities. We are loving this charming little individual that is developing before our very eyes.

Boxes and Roses

The time before a move always gets kind of strange. Most of the clothes are packed. Boxes begin to pile up in central locations. I question whether I will need things like the food processor or tongs between now and unpacking day. The cats quickly get to work trying to scratch the boxes into slivers of cardboard confetti.

Ophelia on a pile of boxes

I think I am about to make my 24th or 25th move, if you can believe that. I have this business down to a pure art form (mostly I just chuck everything into boxes and wrap valuables in towels). I am super fast and I don't think I have ever really broken anything! Eric is pretty much the exact opposite, he takes his time, sorts, gingerly packs breakables and generally tries to do a good job.

Birthday roses from my dear friend Charlotte.

In the midst of all this I had a birthday (did you read my mother's birthday post? It includes some awkward photos). My friend Charlotte sent roses which are perfuming the air of our apartment (masking the smell of cardboard) and it is kind of like a strange meeting of worlds. I find myself detouring by the flowers just to inhale their heady scent and bathe in their loveliness. I don't think I have ever appreciated roses more than I do right now.

*Oddly my brother Ben and sister-in-law Sara are also moving right now, way across the country to North Carolina! They leave today. (Drive safe and sanitary)


Last night we made a stop by the new house (ours on Friday!) and were able to pull up a corner of the carpet to discover immaculate oak hardwood floors underneath! So, before we move in the plan is to paint the interior --all of it-- and tear out the carpet to expose those gorgeous floors.

Paint colors for the new house

Right now I am somewhere in between past, present and future. Makes things a little confusing, but oh so exciting.

What are you excited about?

Re-Set Button

We made it home yesterday after a long day of travel. We went to my parent's house first and found that my mother had gone way above and beyond, creating me a b-day feast; vegan lasagna complete with a vegan chocolate cake. We chatted as Cordelia went bananas because she was so jazzed to see my parents after several days away.

We collapsed at home later that evening. Content, but exhausted. I awoke this morning and though, "Yikes, I need to re-set." So today I am doing laundry and getting things in order. Perhaps a little packing will happen as well.

So I leave you with some photos of my sweetie, hoping you will forgive me for a quick blog post. Don't worry, the Kindness Bandit will return next week!

Do you need to re-set today as well?

Wisdom Comes at 12:01 on my 30th

Today I am 30 years old, as in three sets of decades, or six sets of half decades. I just woke up and boy do I feel wise. I feel so wise in fact that I should probably share some of the wisdom I have gathered in my 30 years of rotating on this planet. Here are some things that I have learned...

1. Family is my number one priority.
2. It's nice to be nice to the nice.
3. No matter how adorable mice are, no matter how much you may want to rescue them, they do not make the best animal companions (sorry Robespierre and Danton, but you were kind of mean mice).
4. Being married to the right person is amazing!
   
5. My adopted mantra (given by Michael Copeland who is well on his way to guru status) is "You are here and it is now."
6. Having a relationship with nature is integral to my mental health.
7. Creativity brings joy.
8. Being a mother is so much more rewarding than I could have anticipated.
9. I am awkward on the phone. I don't know about you, but I am weird on the phone all uncomfortable silences and accidental interruptions. I think it is important to be aware of my weaknesses. If you happen to call me and think "Man, that was a weird phone call," it was almost certainly my fault.
10. College is a smidge overrated. Don't panic, it's still important, but not really as important as it seems when one is 20.
11. Being vegan is pretty awesome.
12. I have had both long hair and extremely short hair and my verdict is that long hair is by far the easiest to maintain. Short hair is all about regular trims and fretting over bedhead (how to get it if you want it/how not to get it if you don't want it).
13. Dental hygiene is really important. Let's just say hygiene in general, dental or otherwise.
14. They say that you can do anything if you try. I find this to be mostly true (although I don't think that any amount of effort will give me the ability to breathe exclusively through my skin or drink water through my hair, etc.). What they don't tell you is that you may have to try really really hard for a very long time.
15. One can learn to bake. I thought I would never be able to bake and here I am a regular baking lady.
    
16. Fresh breath does make a difference. That may be a hint...
17. Vegan lasagna is perhaps the best food ever. Ever!
18. Everybody is totally weird. No exceptions.
19. Listening is so important.
    
20. Chewing with your mouth closed is so important.
21. Having faith is so important.
22. Finding a way to be physically strong and healthy is really a gift to yourself.
23. Giving compliments freely makes me feel so much better about who I am and how I fit in the world.
24. Accepting compliments graciously is sometimes a challenge, but it is ridiculous to brush off the kindness of another.
25. Eric is awesome!
26. I once heard that having a child is like having your heart live outside of your chest for the rest of your life. I find this to be a little too true.
27. My parents are good people.
28. Actually my family is filled with amazing people.
29. Whistling at wild birds and extending your finger as a perch does not mean that birds will come, sadly.
30. Turning 30 is easy.

Are you 30? What wisdom do you have to share?

Travel

It is not down in any map; true places never are. ~Herman Melville

Durango Visit

Yesterday we enjoyed our first full day in the town of Durango. We couldn't help but notice that this community has many friendly folk. People wave or say "hello" as they pass you. I love that. There are lots of bikes, great trails along the river with sculptures and paintings along the way. There are beautiful pedestrian bridges and people who seem to genuinely love being outside.

Eric had to be in conferences for much of the day so I started the day off by taking Cordelia to the Discovery Museum. Cordelia had a wonderful time, checking it all out. There was an area for the littlest of kids and she had a blast!

Cordelia at the museum


At the museum

We met up with Eric for lunch and decided to try out a restaurant called Raw Heavens. We found it in a cool building called the Smiley Building, a converted old junior high school. The building is filled with Yoga and dance studios, it was really cool!

The restaurant had only been open for 10 days, and it was take out only, but the owners were really neat. They are a French couple (I think they are a couple) who are serious raw foodies. Have you ever met anyone who eats the raw food diet? They always seem to look like the healthiest people on the planet. We ordered raw pizza and a curry wrap. * for those of you who are unfamiliar, raw foodists don't cook food and they are vegan. They don't cook anything above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. They eat this way in order to consume food that has not been processed and has the optimal nutritional value. I know you're thinking that they only eat carrots and broccoli, but that's just not the case. We ate an absolutely delicious meal, seriously good! If you are in the area I highly recommend Raw Heavens! (No they didn't ask me to advertise for them)

Cordelia and I with lunch in the Smiley Building


Delicious Raw Pizza from Raw Hzeavens


Curry Wrap from Raw Heavens

After lunch Cordelia took a long nap and Eric headed back for some more conferencing. I just relaxed, it was nice.

Later we took a long walk along the river.

Spring along the Animas

On a walk along the Animas river


Suspension bridge

Finally we ate some dinner and retired for the evening.

Our hotel The General Palmer


Eric in the hotel

How was your day?

The Animas River

An Adventure

At the hotel in Rifle yesterday morning

Greetings from Durango, Colorado. The family is here, minus canine and feline members (thanks to my family for staying with the animals and watching the house). Eric is here for a conference and Cordelia and I decided to tag along. Yesterday was supposed to be a quick drive from Rifle, CO to Durango. We made the trip in good time until the last 74 miles when the weather turned on us as we entered a terrifying mountain pass just outside of the picturesque town of Ouray.

Just outside of Ouray, before the pass

We started up the mountain and could see that there were dark storm clouds gathering. The road was two lanes up a ridiculously steep (cliffs) mountain, no guard rails. Seriously folks I have never in my life seen anything like this. We were following behind a plow. Eric and I began to feel a bit terrified. The plow stopped and told us that we would "probably" be able to make it as he kicked our tires. Ummmmm...probably? The other probably is that we might plummet to our deaths. Then it started to snow. So we turned around (no small matter) and crept back down the mountain.

We stopped in Ridgway to find a way around the passes to get to Durango. While in the small town of Ridgway we got directions (not without a little city slicker treatment for not braving the pass--hello we don't have 4wd or a death wish). We did get to see their small train museum and were given a quick tour, which was kind of a treat and also a calming let down from the adreniline rush of the pass adventure (did I mention I am crazy terrified of heights). We ended up taking a several hour detour. * Later we learned that they closed the pass.

Caboose in Ridgway


Inside the caboose at Ridgway

Our detour led us out of the mountains and into the desert-y area known as Disappointment Valley, where renegade cows held the road hostage.

Disappointment Valley


Cows on the highway

We followed the Northstar.

Following the Northstar (get it?) **Eric gets credit for that joke

Eventually we made it back to civilization. Finding our way to anAMAZING Victorian hotel (more on that later with photos).

At the hotel last night

Cordelia, who was awake for all but 1 1/2 hours of the journey, was an ANGEL. She could have made the journey very unpleasant. Instead she was a little charmer, no worse than the occasional whine!

At the hotel this morning

We settled in our hotel for the night, exhausted by the unexpected journey. Durango is a gorgeous area of the country and today Cordelia and I are going to explore the town while Eric is conferencing. I see there is a well reviewed veg restaurant as well! Can't wait to try it out.

What have you been up to?

Dancing Queen

Sometimes you just gotta dance

Busting a move


Cutting a rug


I taught her how to do the sprinkler.


Feeling the beat


She incorporated So Big into her dance routine.


She finished it off by putting a bowl on her head

What have you been up to?