::holi::

Walking up to the temple we were greeted by a friendly llama who walked right up to the fence to take freshly picked grass from our hands. Behind our new friend were the outlines of the ornately lavish temple and plumes of heavily scented, brightly colored plumes of chalk. We eagerly walked the half mile (the closest parking we could find) and said hello to the passerbys dressed head to foot in purple, pink, yellow, and blue chalk.

The scene surrounding the temple was awe inspiring. Crowds chanting along with the live band, Hare Krishna, Hare, Hare! they sang. Explosions of color burst like fireworks above the chanters. It's like a happy war, I said. The whole scene felt dreamy and unreal. A giggle escaped at the craziness of it all.

The Hare Krishnas were celebrating Holi, the arrival of Spring, a tradition that has been celebrated in India since ancient times. The merriment was greeted gladly by throngs of people that included a bonfire, chanting and singing, and the throwing of brightly colored chalk. There could be no better way to celebrate Spring.


Sadly the chalk had run out by the time we made it, but Xavier was lucky enough to get sprayed by a handful of pink to the back of the head. He enjoyed this until the chalk made its way into his mouth and then he was spitting pink for the rest of our time there. Just like the llamas.

Walking back to the car felt like we were leaving an exotic, mystical land where the scenery is breathtaking, the language is sung in chants, and all the people are technicolor.

sea world is super

zoo

ready, set, go...............

we are off bright and early to san diego! hurrah!
wish us luck (we might hit the slots in vegas), good weather, quiet car rides, and most of all wish xavier a very, very happy 5th birthday!!

fragments of time away

the haziness of a long weekend traveling and visiting is slowly starting to lift as i settle back in to the mechanics of my usual life. there is also a heaviness of my heart which has me puzzled, and a heaviness of my eyelids which seem drowsier than when the weekend began. a combination of hours upon hours of driving, unfamiliar beds, children throwing up in the middle of the night, and walking a 10k all have left me fighting the urge to curl up in a ball and sleep away the afternoon.

some pieces of the weekend:

-i haven't picked up a book for ages. on a whim as i was headed out the door i picked up the memory keeper's daughter from my bookshelf. it has been a good companion for the stretches of highway linking our house to our destination. i ran across a passage that i felt moved to share,
"...she had been a fiancee, a young wife, and a mother, and she had discovered that these words were far too small to contain the experience."
i read this over and over again, struck with the simplicity of the statement that touches on the thoughts that are wrapped so tightly around my own heart. i also thought it appropriate for a weekend that celebrates the experience of mothers. happy mother's day.

-because we are so tight on money and worried how we would ever get our huge suv over 600 miles on $150, we took the friendly advice of our parents and drove s-l-o-w-l-y. it so worked. we got there on a half a tank of gas and averaged 28-30 mpg in a car that we are usually lucky to get 18. i grinned widely when chris declared "this is my new thing. i'm gonna drive slow everywhere now. why isn't everyone doing this?" why aren't they indeed! i was initially worried about driving 10-15 miles slower than usual with a car full of kids and the repercussions of making a long trip even longer. but, i will tell you it was by far the most enjoyable drive in our history of driving. there is something to be said for taking the slow road, meandering through small towns and enjoying the snapshots of a life lived a little slower. plus, we got there in about the same time it would have taken us driving like speed demons.

-cooking and scheming with my mother in law. there is no one i like sharing the kitchen with more. i just love to talk food with her, make food with her, and eat food with her. and i love her even when there is no food at all. i'm still thinking about our lemon cupcakes topped with lemon buttercream, lemon curd, and blueberry compote. mmmm mmmm.

-catching up with old friends. more to come on one amazing friend in particular........

-waking up early to go walk the mother's day 10k for the fourth year in a row. this year i noticed how yoga has really been changing my strength and endurance. i felt lighter and could breathe deeply for almost the entire time. i loved seeing my kids waiting for me at the finish line and my immediate reaction to start sprinting so i could show off my super mommy skills.

-learning to use my new sewing machine (thanks mom!) and learning some new knitting stitches.

-finally making it home and being enthusiastically greeted by our pups.


i breathe a sigh of relief and think that there really is no place quite like home.

headed south

we are leaving for the magical landscapes of red rocks and sand. we haven't been back for a year and are eager to see old friends, familiar landmarks, and the jackrabbits at sunset. wish us luck that we don't entirely break the bank filling up our car with gas.....
have a fantastic weekend and a very happy mother's day!
xoxo

party like a rockstar

here's to having a rockstar weekend.

full of sunshine, parks, picnics, bbq's, fiestas, music, brunches, laughing, inside jokes, hammock laying, cat naps, browsing, trying new things, exploring, hiking, bike riding, dog walking, friend seeing, frozen yogurt eating, thrift store shopping, smooching, earth day celebrating, garden planting, spontaneous party throwing, long drives in the canyon, jam sessions, hot tubbing, slug bugging, art appreciating, tulips, family hugs, book reading, movie watching, and other most awesome and radical rockstar stuff.

oh, and don't forget record store day, today!!
good times.

red butte

Hee Haw

Today we had the joy of going on a field trip with friends to a local corn maze. The day included sliding, mazes, hayrides, running through pumpkin fields, and mingling with furry friends. All in all a superb day.

I would also like to mention the incredible group of women that I get to hang out with. They are the most compassionate, unique, interesting, and intellectual women one could be so lucky to know. I do wish that I could see them more often, but feel lucky for every moment.

Please check out all their inspiring blogs listed under larger band of hooligans.

Hope you are finding some Fall Magic of your own.....

we're back

With only the best intentions, I had put the camera with freshly charged batteries and a swiped clean memory card right next to the stuff we had packed to take to the cabin (how much stuff do you think we took for a less-than-24 hour-trip?) When I went to find the camera during a picture perfect moment, it was no where to be found. All weekend we lamented the left behind camera.

Oh, I wish I had the camera.....

That would have been such a great picture......

It is so beautiful, if only I had brought the camera to capture the beauty....

Fast forward to the end of the trip. We are unpacking all the bags and bags of who knows what. I am wondering how a one day trip could require so much stuff. Xavier is unpacking his new Spiderman rolling suitcase. He had packed it 3 days before the trip with what I was assuming was an odd assortment of toys. He usually can't go anywhere without a backpack full of odds and ends. These bags o' fun are usually forgotten about by the time we leave, and then I end up being the one having to put away all these little unmatched treasures. We never pulled his suitcase out of the car because we both shuttered at the idea of tiny toys all over the cabin that would then need retrieving, and since it didn't have anything he would actually need, like clothing, we let it stay in the car.

So, imagine our surprise when he started pulling out some of his last minute additions to his suitcase. Namely, a glass glass, a can of Rootbeer, and the camera!

It was with us all along. Figures.

You will just have to imagine all the too-cute kiddo moments, or the breathtaking mountain views dancing with vivid yellow leaves of the Aspen trees.

Xavier loved riding the four wheelers, crying when it was time to get leave.
Soleil delighted in the deer sightings, six in all.
Chris liked he chance to play Super Mario 3 on the Nintendo.
I liked the peaceful still of the mountains.

It was good to get a breath of fresh mountain air.
Although we didn't capture it digitally, we all took mental photos.

we're off.....

We will be out of the office this weekend.
We are headed to the cabin in the woods with high hopes in seeing a moose, bear, chipmunk,
robin, but definitely not a skunk.
pee-yooo!!!
Let's hope we all come back un-stinky!

Until next time...............

run, run as fast as you can..........

..........you can't catch me cause I'm Xavi the Kite Man!

I can't describe what a wondrous feeling it was to watch Xavier chasing the kite. During our trip to San Fran we were on our way to the beach, got lost, and somehow made it to a pier overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. It wasn't the beach, but beautiful nonetheless. Watching the fog roll in and gently sweep up over the bridge is a sight that I wouldn't mind seeing daily. We as a family love the bay area (it's Xavier's second time there) and while driving through Fisherman's Wharf and watching the crowded sidewalks full of an eclectic mix of people, seeing the huge ships going in and out of the pier, and hearing the music, voices, and fog horns float through the open window, Xavi got caught up in the excitement and yelled, "San Fransisco is so cool!"
We Hooligans all agree.

While at the pier there was an open, grassy area where a few people were flying kites. One man in particular had 12 kites all strung together and he was twirling and swirling them through the air. It was mesmerizing to watch. Xavi instantly made a bee-line for the kites and began chasing the kite tails up and down the park. The man flying the kites was very interactive with everyone in the park and would swoop the kites right around your head and then let the kite float to the ground a few feet away. Xavi would make a run for it to try to catch the tails and as soon as he was right there the kites would sail up again. Wild giggling would follow and, zoom, Xavi was off again.
He could have stayed all day.
I could have stayed all day watching his joy.
Good thing I will always have the picture in my memory of my son running crazy free, careless to anything but chasing the kite with the ocean breeze kissing his face.