in a world governed by sight



a bundle of profound beauty...visual and spiritual.
(this snippet speaks so much truth and peace to my soul...)

lovely little friends, and then one




i kinda have a thing for toadstools and anything i consider in the toadstool family.
so, one can imagine the pure joy i felt when bo and i went out to the garden this morning to check on our clementine-sized watermelon and in the ambience of reawakened morning-time,
discovered three little friends lingering in the background.

perfect little umbrella-heads, in a perfect little formation,
saying hello to us morning passerbys as we all breathed in
crisp and cool revitalization before the heat of midday kicked in.



after basking in the moment of mother-daughter oooing and ahing the three amigos, i wandered on to discover a lone ranger, safely hidden behind the squash.

(bo was so over the excitement of the mushrooms at this point and
had moved on, excited at her discovery of more incoming cucumbers)

as i snapped some portraits of the charming little fellow, i pondered.

why was he all alone?
was he alone by choice?
was this little guy different than the others?
perhaps he was a bit eccentric, unconventional, or quirky?

(examine the detailing on his cap for instance.
the others were obviously in a community of sorts based on appearance and location)

perhaps he just needed to fly solo for a while.
a little slice of solitude.
an island of time.
a few moments to think, to breathe, to be still, to envision.

or maybe it was as simple as he bloomed where he was planted.
(how he got planted there is a question in and of itself)

as for me right now?

i'm definitely the guy trying to take up residence safely hidden behind the squash,
allured by and wanting to fit in with the community over yonder,
while really just craving a whole lot of solitude,
and of course, trying to bloom where i am planted.
(how i got planted here is a question in and of itself:)


beyond bunting




i'm literally gasping for air.

i've said it before, and i promise i'll say it at least a gajillion more times...
...mr. holland and i absolutely need to get married again.

spotted here.
see it all in the diy-bride's own words here.



heart, purpose, life



+, +, +, +

i've been feeling kinda unoriginal.
not unoriginal in the sense of being plagued with a lack of creativity, more unoriginal because i can't seem to break away from busy. 'busy' is so commonplace, monotonous, suffocating. rat race at it's best if you will.

for me there is a fine line between 'busy' and 'effectively living with purpose'.


Don't You Worry, We'll All Float On

{my first attempt at illustration inspired by the pirate ship at disneyland + float on by modest mouse}


our 2 week long road trip gave me plenty of unscheduled time to ponder.
i thought a lot about this, and a lot about that.
mostly i thought about life in general.
what makes life, life.
my life.
your life.
his life.
her life.
the chaos and the order.
the sunshine and the rain.
the moments of dreamy bliss and the moments of relentless heartbreak.
the times of smooth sailing and the times of turbulent storms.
some of it. all of it.

'even if things get heavy, we'll all float on.'

...that's what makes life so profoundly beautiful isn't it?


sunday by the sea


on sunday we spent a beautiful afternoon at redondo beach eating fresh seafood and funnel cakes...our favorites...the familiar smell of cool, salty air tickled our olfactory senses as the chilly breeze disheveled our hair...the bright sunshine paraded around with the appearance of warmth, illuminating our bubble with visible happiness...the pier lined with fishing families picturesquely ushered in a dreamy sabbath saunter for the little hollands.

Beach Babies


I took my kids to a picnic at the beach sans mr holland. we don't live by a beach, so i was a bit nervous for our new excursion. All turned out delightfully well. The entire outing was lovely, a bit chilly, but lovely.

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Carlsbad, California

How To Be Alone




beautiful...kindred...loved.

(sent to me from my lovely new friend april)

as a shy girl


liniang began as a shy girl, but she flowered through love...

Coming or Going






en route to l.vegas...wonder if this storm is a coming or a going...isn't that simple thought applicable to so many of life's instances?

it actually reminds me of a quote i read in j's dr's office last week:
'life is not about waiting for the storm to pass...
it is about learning to dance in the rain.'
(vivanne grenne)

- posted from my iPhone

Blue Cricket: Creative Inspiration





just finished an amazing blog design for becca of blue cricket design.
i call the design amazing not because i was the one lucky enough to design it
(with my husband), but because it is an extension of becca and the beautiful person she is!

me staring at me





i've had of profusion of thinking this week.

the type of thinking to see/find/remember/preserve what is hidden below the water's surface...

...the treasures only visible when the water is allowed to settle.
...and the light is just right.
...the slightest quint of the eye is usually necessary.
...and then, almost without even realizing it,
a whole other dimension of so-much-more-than-face-value
suddenly becomes absolutely clear and understood.

in that very moment of actualization
it seems impossible to have ignored or forgotten such profundity for so long.

how did all of this become so hidden?
why didn't i take time to live this moment sooner?

something. anything.

...too much internal dialogue this week.
...must create.
....been aching to create for weeks. 
...something, anything.
...mustaches? maybe.
...scrap supplies out, scissors in hand, kids in nap.
...so much that needs to be done, but oh well.
...all of this will make me so much more efficient for all of that.

...let the beauty began.

little dude


today my 2.5 year old bizbot independently drew his first semblance of a little dude.
it's a proud day for this 'creative expression' obsessed mother.


holding hands






(jared on a conference call while driving,
and me, annoyingly taking pics of him/us as usual :)



+



i went jogging later than usual today.
(perhaps it was meant to be.)

i saw this couple, hand-in-hand, walking to the market.
clearly they had lived life a bit longer than i have...

i began to wonder what their story was.
how many successes and joys have they had?
how many sorrows and heartbreaks?
was it young love at first sight?
or perhaps a second chance at love?
what have they gone through alone and together?
and why was it they were holding hands?
natural instinct, habit, comfort, hobby?

it made me think of me and mr. holland...

we've had a saga of many joys and successes, sorrows and heartbreaks
in our almost 7 years together.
it was young love at first sight,
however,
everyday mr. holland gives me a second chance upon second chance of love.

he loves me through all of my light and all of my dark.
my brilliance and my insanity.
he encourages me to fly even when i don't think i can.
and when i am too scared to leave the nest,
he'll hold me a little bit longer.

we've gone through so much together.
and have so much more life to live together still.
all of the beautiful madness has made us who we are.
i rather love the mr. and mrs. holland we've become.

...we really can't go anywhere without holding hands.
it's natural instinct, it's habit, it's comfort, it's hobby...it's love.

and in a world where nothing seems to last,
(and seeks to destroy anything that does)
i'll fight to make sure this never ends.
(i can't survive with it)

maybe someday, when we retire in hong kong,
there will be some other chinese girl on a morning jog.
perhaps she'll see me and mr. holland,
hand-in-hand,
strolling along,
making our daily purchase of fresh flowers and pastries
from our favorite little shoppes.
maybe she'll wonder about our story,
and consider why we are still holding hands.

air





      


...i need some air (sigh).

Musical Mayhem.






the SLC downtown alliance has been providing the amazing twilight concert series for the past few years. The free thursday night summer concert series was kicked off with the fabulous avi buffalo and indie superstars modest mouse...

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