ordinary life

Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life.
~storypeople

fourteen years

In the end, I think that I will like that we were sitting on the bed, talking & wondering where the time had gone.
-Storypeople



Fourteen years seems like a very long time, I know the hostess at the restaurant last night was pretty shocked when we told her. I couldn't decide if it was because we were still married after fourteen years or that we looked too young to be married that long. Yes, I admit it does seem like being married at 20 is crazy, insane, but as a 20 year old I felt more than capable of making such an important decision & honestly I was. Adam is the best decision I've ever made and I'm so grateful we stumbled into each others life over 15 years ago.

I'm grateful because we've had the opportunity to grow up together. We've been through a lot the last 14 years that has brought us to where we are today. We struggled, we pushed and pulled so to speak, until we were able to figure out what we needed--what worked for us. And so we've found this beautiful place of understanding, trust, forgiveness, & joy. Of course it's not just a one time lesson, a marriage is never done, just like us as individuals, we are constantly learning from each other, constantly maneuvering to find the right balance.

Without sounding like a cliché--he completes me. He does. He's everything I need him to be and provides me with all the rest. I'm grateful for what we have. Not a day goes by without me giving thanks for the life we have created together & the work we've done to make it so.

Adam--perhaps its my tired mind, but as I sit and type I feel my words aren't adequately expressing what my heart feels. I love you. What more can I say--you are everything.

xxox

in my dream, the angel shrugged & said, if we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination & then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand. ~storypeople

wednesday miscellany

01. Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me, but try waking up every morning & loving the world all over again. That's what takes a real hero. ~storypeople

This storypeople started my morning out right with a big smile on my face. I guess you could say after listening to The Power thoughts of "loving" are constantly on my mind. While I don't find it difficult to love the people/things I love, I am, unfortunately, still needing mental reminders about loving the things I don't love. Some days it does feel a little like slaying dragons would be easier. I am finding, though, while focusing on the good that my outlook is not only brighter, but I'm enjoying the little things so much more. Thanks Jill for the book suggestion. I feel like the book plus my experience at Squam is changing me in the best way.



02. I am holding onto Autumn as long as mother nature will let me. This is one of the longest falls I can recall in several years now, in fact I don't remember being this far into November and still seeing so much color on the trees. While I can't keep up with how quickly it goes from snowy and cold to warm and sunny, I'm simply grateful it's taking it's time.


03. I had the privilege of hearing Neylan McBaine, the founder of Mormon Woman Project, speak last night at a church YW night. I was pleasantly surprise to see that she was the key note speaker and found myself mesmerized as I listened to quotes and stories from other Mormon women making a difference in their part of the world. What I took home with me is that no matter where we're from or what we believe, we all have a unique voice and something unique to offer each other...we should never be afraid to share who we are.



04. Thank goodness for classroom pets like brownie that allow us to get away with not having one of our very own.

next 6 days

Whenever I go on a trip, I think about all the homes I've had & I remember how little has changed about what comforts me. -storypeople



There is something so comforting about this storypeople as my bags sit ready for me in the next room to leave home for the next 6 days. I'm usually so anxious when I travel, especially alone, but this morning I'm feeling elated. Excited. I can't wait to walk out the door and have this adventure. So while I do love home and those who reside within it, I can't help but be excited for what's to come.

For those of you who don't know I'm heading to North Carolina for Squam Art Workshop. As I see it, it simply can't come at a better time as my thoughts have been geared toward making changes and growing creatively. I can't get over the feeling that I'm meant to go and that this experience is and will be exactly what I need.

I'm so looking forward to focusing on art.
I'm so looking forward to learning something new.
I'm so looking forward to challenging myself.
I'm so looking forward to connecting with other woman.
I'm so looking forward to spending time with friends.
I'm so looking forward to making new ones.
I'm so looking forward to using my camera.
I'm so looking forward to walking on the beach & feeling the sand between my toes.
I'm so looking forward to smelling the salty air.
I'm so looking forward to visiting lighthouses.
I'm so looking forward to seeing the fall in North Carolina.

What more can I say...I'm bursting.

Have a great Tuesday.
xo, amy

creative wednesday | week 4

This is a bag filled with dreams & recipes for soup & she's deciding right now which she's really hungry for. -storypeople

I read this yesterday and it made me laugh out loud. I guess you could say I was lying in bed trying to make myself get up and be productive when all I really wanted to do was pick up a book and stay cozy for a little while longer.

What to choose?

You'd be happy to know though, I picked my dream. I got up, did my essential morning activities, and headed straight to my studio to keep my creative Wednesday appointment.


I continued working on the gratitude journals I started last week, folding the signatures and punching holes. Now they're ready to be sewn.


I put together cards made from photographs from my Oregon trip.


Then I added the cards and other photographs onto my etsy site...it's been empty for far too long. It's crazy how much time that takes. Visit my site for more.

It was a busy day, but a very successful creative wednesday if I do say so myself.

--Did you do anything creative today?

one direction

[Oregon coast | Aug 2010]

travelling as fast in one direction as she can go before she has second thoughts & goes back to doing the same old stuff

~storypeople

a happy space

Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life. ~storypeople

18

I still remember the day the world took you back & there was never time to thank you for the thousand scattered moments you left behind to watch us while we slept. -storypeople


There was a time in my life I was certain the hurt would never go away so to wake up this morning and feel peace and gratitude that I had the privilege of knowing him for 16 years is a gift. Seeing his picture now makes me smile at the person he was, at the life he lived. I wish we could have had more time, but since that wasn't in the cards I am extremely grateful for the time we did have, how he changed my life, and to know, for certain, that I will see him again.

indoor sunlight

"...I offer a quiet prayer of thanks each time I see the sunlight." ~storypeople

a storypeople + reminder

The secret is not in your hand or your eye or your voice, my aunt told me once. The secret is in your heart. Of course, she said, knowing that doesn't make it any easier. -storypeople

***********************************************************************

[click here to enlarge]

Reminder:
get your batteries charge and empty your memory cards...tomorrow is the 12th, which means its 12of12 time. Remember to visit me back here on the 13th to post a link to you collage. Enjoy.

If you want to learn more about my 120f12 project go here and you can find the collage template here.

sick day

doesn't usually advise eating chocolate for breakfast
unless you're absolutely convinced that's the kind of advice you need
~storypeople

I read that quote this morning on my phone as I laid in bed checking my email. It put more than a smile on my face and decided then and there that I was calling in sick today. I'm taking the day off.

I'm saying no to cleaning & laundry & WC & bills instead I'm kicking up my feet and spending time of the couch reading. Maybe I'll get lost on itunes for a while buying music with my gift certificate and wrap Adam's birthday gifts (it's tomorrow). Perhpas make a dent in my messy studio because that's the fun kind of work and eat newly bought girls scout cookies. Who knows maybe I'll just take a nap. The options are endless.

You should join me. I'm telling ya, it's doing wonders for my smile.

valentine

"In the end, I think that I will like that we were sitting on the bed,
talking & wondering where the time had gone." - story people

a good laugh

1. "What are the rules? I said & she said, Do exactly what I want whenever I want, make no demands of me whatsoever & love me forever, no questions asked & I said, how do you win? & she said, you don't understand. I'm the only one who wins & then she laughed & clapped her hands. Isn't it a great game? she said." - storypeople

I read this today and it made me laugh out loud. I'm in quite a good mood. It reminded me of Adam and I, the way we joke and knew he would get a kick out of it. So I guess it's for him and anyone else who wants to share it with their significant other and wonder if there's a little bit of truth to it. :)


2. I've decided Modern family is my new favorite show. I think the middle aged father, Phil, is my favorite character. I've been trying to find my favorite clip online, but to no avail so here is one that's pretty funny.


3. This was all followed up by playing pictionary at game night last night and laughing til it hurt at each other interpretations of the word. My proudest moments of the night was when I guessed "hallucinations", however, Adam and I lost big.

Enjoy your weekend!

no regret | story people

I sometimes wake in the early morning & listen to the soft breathing of my children & I think to myself, this is one thing I will never regret & I carry that quiet with me all day long. - Story People

weight training

This is a giant block of whatever is most difficult for you to carry & trust me on this, you'll carry it more times than you can count until you decide that's exactly what you want to do most & then it won't weigh a thing anymore.

-story people


P.S. I hope you don't mind, in the new year I plan to post more of my favorite story people quotes. They are gold to me and need to make it into my book of life.

Have a great day. Can't believe we have only 4 days left.

other days

"There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise." -Story people


I found this quote in my inbox this afternoon and it's something I never want to forget... especially when the noise gets real loud and the mess piles up. On some days it's too much and I need reminders like this. Other days, like today, it brings with it joy.

funny to me

1. A conversation had one evening while Adam and I walked down the hall to our room and the kids were brushing their teeth.

me: "Adam I need you to help me with one thing tonight before bed."

adam: "UGH!" (It's not really so much the UGH as it is the sound made when saying it. I asked Adam how I would type it out and he said it wasn't possible. He's probably right. It's the sound that makes it so great, not the word. It's something we say in an exasperated funny way toward each other when we know what the other is asking...I wish you could hear it it always makes me laugh. ps I believe the original came from me)

bella: said from the bathroom, "Dad, that doesn't sound like a very good attitude."


2. hot tropical sun aimed without mercy at those who have any ambition whatsoever -story people


3.


Monday night Adam brought this video to my attention and we watch it several time in a row laughing uncontrollably each time. It's four minutes long and it may take a minute to load, but it's so worth your time. Particularly listen to the announcer in the background. I didn't pick up on what she was saying until the third time through...hilarious.

"These are little packets of light & you need to plant them early in the year & remember to mark where they were because lots of times they look like weeds in the beginning & it's not until later that you see how beautiful they really are."

~ Story People