norway, part four

you are exactly where you need to be.

norway, party three: røros

"follow them,
as the moon follows the path of the stars."

- from the dhammapada, translated by thomas byron

and it's now been 11 days.

it's so odd how quickly things can feel better, sometimes.

sleep will do that. hearing my dear emme's voice will do that. getting errands done, preparing for the week, will certainly do that. productivity in the form of enjoyment -- definitely.

I complained this morning about not having a farmers market,
and look what we found.

reindeer pelts. homemade cheeses. pancakes served straight from the griddle, with jam and creme. yin yang earrings.

time spent with jes & silje, the whole afternoon, getting things done so we could enjoy ourselves at dinner. eating away the evening with french fries and veggie burgers and so much ice water. coffee.

I still feel a separated - as my dad always says, it comes in waves.

but this moment is still. calm.

as I sit down with my book, I have this moment.

holding on to it. letting it fill me up.

this moment.

norway part two (a weekend!)

I always say "I have never been this busy." (but this time, it feels especially true…)

perhaps I am just learning that it is important for me to fill my time with action -
and so as I grow older, I find seemingly empty moments
and put into them: exploration, reading, sitting-up-straight breathing, frozen-yogurt-eating, talking, photographing, walking, busing, and then some sleeping.

and so this first weekend here was simply that:
a trip to the lake/forest, church service at the cathedral, discovering an expensive starbucks, and being served an incredible dinner with beautiful people.

it is monday night, & so it has begun. the preschool internship and school.

and so, on into the rain I march!

a happy week to you!

cooking with kayla (and the beauty of this week)

my friend kayla has been an angel this week (she is always beautiful, but this week I especially needed her kindness).

we have gone on outside runs almost every day, and then have come back to her apartment to cook some delicious dinners.

here are some good things about cooking with kayla:

- she laughs, always

- she plays good music (landon pigg, yes please)

- she always offers me tea or water before we start cooking

- she knows how to cook, and can thus cook me things (and teach me about food!)

- she always offers me more food before serving herself more (she is so kind, I tell you)

- she bakes a dessert with dinner because… well, dessert.

and so a great thanks goes out to her for encouraging me to exercise and eat well, especially during this crazy week.

another weekend

three photos that help explain the immense joy that I found this weekend.

a thunder-storm sunset over the olympics; sitting with em on the water, teaching her about lightning and listening to her name the colors in the sky / hydrangea bushes at my aunt's home / spending the early afternoon at the park with emme bear. 

and unpictured:

taking mid-day naps in front of fans that cool me off / sleeping in a different place each night, and sleeping so well / hiking to the top of tongue mountain to, climbing up rocks, and spinning around to see mt. st. helens, mt. rainier, and mt. adams all in one vicinity / eating french fries with ketchup, because of course / dropping my parents off at the airport and hugging them so tight / being loved and showing love.

this past weekend

a hiking trip to Silver Lake.

to escape the city.

to escape the crazy.

to enjoy outdoor time.

to enjoy time with a wonderful man, and his impressively well behaved and beautiful pup.

this was fourth of july weekend. this was the beauty I was privileged to experience.