we are the ones we've been waiting for.

Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt. 


The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. 


We are the ones we've been waiting for. 

~A Hopi Elder, via Goddess Leonie

you never know.

hope.

Today I cut the first-ever bouquet of cosmos that I grew from seed. The first-ever cutting of anything I've ever grown from seed.

I just wanted to tell someone. (!!!!!!!!!)


PS
Remember when they were planted?

to our past selves.

Do you know what happens, Ruth, when a dream comes true and you feel your joy bubbling over into wide grins, happy dances, and shrieks of "Holy @#$%!!" and the like?

Your energy actually spills over into the oceans of time and reaches into the past where it laps upon the shores of a former here and now, infusing a former unsuspecting self (who is still merrily living their life due to time's "simultaneousity") with a flash of inspiration or a burst of intuition; a hope for what the future might hold.

Whew... and that, my friend, is the truth about where dreams come from.

    The Universe

(from Mike Dooley's Notes from the Universe.....you must sign up!)

the new england beach in summer.

Straight out of the camera, no editing or tweaking, simply sharing for the sake of sharing, just as I saw it (my new blogging philosophy, I dare say).

Last Thursday, we spent the day on the coast of Connecticut soaking up everything that comes with summer beach-going. It really felt very New Englandy, seeing the rocks and the seagulls and the lighthouses and Long Island in the distance.

There aren't many things I love about living here, but I do think this is one.

the bridal shower.

My sweet friend Lauren's bridal shower was last weekend, and luckily it went off without a hitch. Since planning and executing a shower was so much more work than I ever imagined it to be, and I had a bunch of people offering their help, I decided to focus on just a few things that I sincerely wanted to take charge of, like theme and decorations and desserts.

Since Lauren is an avid horseback rider and has been since she was little, I decided to do an equestrian theme, with horseshoes and saddles and tiny horse figurines. Here's the invitation:

I set up this welcome table as a main point for guests as they arrived, with a chalkboard message (chalkboard paint spray painted onto a piece of plywood, with tiny horse shapes in the corners), framed photos of the couple, a glass pitcher of flowers, and a basket of fill-in-the-blank letters for guests to give to Lauren.

I can't even count how many hours I spent making these tissue paper pom poms (a la Martha Stewart, naturally), but it was so worth it. I cleared out every surrounding store's stock of pink tissue (even dying some white tissue myself in the backyard) and had a smorgasboard of pink-colored poms adorning the party tent. I wanted it to look whimsical and girly, and it totally did.

I left to pick up and Lauren and she arrived in all smiles, seeing old family and friends and all our hard work! We dug in immediately.

To go along with our equestrian theme, I made these cupcake flags out of cardstock and toothpicks, with sayings like "Lucky in love" and "Gettin hitched." They were a hit!

I hope everyone had fun, and I hope Lauren loved her shower as much as I did. Happy wedding shower, Lauren!

beautiful women.

An unexpected day off from work and a trip to the beach resulted in these impromptu beauty shots of my sisters and mother. What beautiful women I share family with :)





(You know, besides the times when one of them lashes out in her very 11-year-old-ness and refuses to get in the group picture and makes awful faces in protest of too many photos of her.....ha!)

what i would like to remember about this day.

All those days this past winter, when the snow and ice and cold seemed never-ending, and I'd promise myself that someday, somehow it'd be warm enough to walk right out the door first thing in the morning and sit in the sun while drinking coffee and eating breakfast--those days really did eventually come, and I haven't taken them for granted.

what i would like to remember about this day.

It's more than possible to create the kind of Friday night I want, to allow myself the permission to ignore what I feel like I should be doing, and instead buy the smallest bottle of gin the liquor store offers and be my own bartender and make lists of my life goals while watching reruns of The Office and painting my nails. And feeling better about all that after stumbling upon this.

Addendum for those who I know will wonder: This is not to say I don't enjoy other types of entertainment on Friday nights--this is not to avoid anything or get out of some obligation. My heart simply wanted this, and I listened.

summer odds and ends

Fourth of July and summer parties by the pool, hibiscus mint tea and lots and lots of bridal shower planning, pink sunsets and whispering to my plants, trips to the farmers' markets and hazy, humid, heat.

Summer so far.

lunch hours

Sometimes I wish there were better places to go and friends to do things with during my lunch hours in the sleepy town I work in, like sushi places or bookstores or downtown parks with spaces for group picnics.

But sometimes I don't mind making do with what I have, like the cool, quiet library and the state forest up the street and the pretty neighborhoods all around.

One day this week I happened to have my camera with me, and I sprawled out at the picnic table by the river in the state forest all by myself, writing and planning and snapping up these photos.