Nourishing Flourishing

The recipe should be up tomorrow or Tuesday, but seriously, I just cannot get the photos to look right. I think it’s the changed lighting on our porch, but regardless, my photo mojo is off. Rest assured, I have the post written — I just need to make another batch tonight and demand the items to look good tomorrow morning. ; ) In the meantime, sticking to my one-post-a-week goal, and because I had such an great time, I wanted to share a little field trip (uh, literally) to Ya-Ya Orchard in Longmont, Colorado. We are always on the lookout for local farms to support, and this one seemed just right. We were delighted to find out that there were a fair amount of adorable, sweet animals to meet!

These donkeys were such a cute, playful pair.

Luckily, they sell small pails of carrots that you can offer to the equines (there was quite a variety). I could have just kept offering carrots and nuzzling these two all day! They were so much fun.

This was a bit of a slobbery encounter, but that’s nature! Sometimes it’s a tad messy. All the animals — even the huge horses that dwarfed me — were gentle and kind. According to one of Ya-Ya’s workers, the trick to feeding a horse/donkey/etc. is to open your hand flat, with the carrot in the middle. Their teeth are a decent amount farther back from their big lips, and they’ll just roll the carrot into their mouths. No need to be afraid, I learned! : )

It was so nice to see how well cared-for these animals were.
Everyone at the orchard was wonderfully friendly and helpful, to us and the critters.

Hayrides for all!

(Except… us. Because we’re cheap and in grad school. So we walked the orchard. And it was beautiful.)

We may be cheap, but not cheap enough to pass up on some fresh cider. I grabbed a bottle to toast the season.

Oh, do you see that in the background? Here’s a closer view:

Needless to say, we didn’t lack for things to do, even after we moved on to give the children a chance to say hi to the animals…

Fall, you win.

My husband enjoyed a fresh apple cider donut, and tried to describe  – in painstaking detail, between exclamations of how good it was — what it tasted like, since I’ve never had one, glutenous or not!

(And yes, I am working on a GF version now! ; )

While you obviously don’t have to be married to form traditions, that has been one of our favorite elements of sharing life together; in particular, it’s been such fun to find traditions that are purposeful, and engage with our values. As we keep tuning in to more ways to be connected to our community — including people, land, food, economy, and so on — this memory has convinced us to relive our orchard experience each autumn. It very much reflects our appreciation for local and sustainable agriculture. And fun. And all things apple.

; )

Thanks Ya-Ya Orchard!

What seasonal traditions do you have?

There are several layers to this celebration trip. I wanted to show a couple of them in this post. I have been dreaming of returning to this area of Florida since we took a brief, but magical, family trip when I was 12. Whenever I needed to envision a “happy place” — an oasis of mind, for a moment –, this is where my thoughts would settle. My toes in the water, a floor of soft, white sand, and sun shining brightly overhead. My favorite people at my side.

I plan to do a post that allows more space to reflect on what this vacation has meant to me. But for now, let me share a few glimmers from our first week:

Clouds didn’t make it any less beautiful.

Mom and Dad have been married for 36 years, as of July 12th.

And they have adored each other through it all.

I think that’s worth a celebration trip.

(Fun Family Fact: The Husband and I started our relationship on the same day my folks did — April Fool’s. Turns out it wasn’t a joke for either couple. Both couples also happened to be on trips at the time. Just a little Nourishing Flourishing Family Trivia, in case you were dying to know. [Obviously, you were.])

Haven’t seen an ugly beach yet.
Never will.

Quality time.

(One of us tans. The other doesn’t. Guess which one of us is Mediterranean, and which Scandinavian?)

Rest.

Preferably in the fashion of an older woman.

With lots of sunscreen on.

(This photo makes me feel like this: <3.  x a million )

What can I say? I love me an adorable older Scandinavian slathered in sunscreen.

Finally, we returned to Sanibel!

We had been only in Naples up until this day, and were at last able to muster some energy to drive over to where we really longed to revisit. Sanibel is the island we took a trip to over a decade ago as a family. It’s been a delight to explore Naples, but Sanibel will always be special in my heart (and memory)! More on that later.

We didn’t go through the painstaking process of creating this out of shells, but we did watch the woman who did.

You go, anonymous woman!

And then…

after dinner, we made it to a beach just in time for sunset…

and moon rise.

We walked and savored every morsel of this day.

I have truly amazing parents.

Seriously.

THEN the next celebration — it was my dad’s birthday on July 15th!

His one desire?

Go see the new Harry Potter on opening day.

We happily obliged.

xo. More soon.

So. I’m not dead. I have just been following my own advice and nourishing flourishing in my life by taking a break. The past two weeks have been so rich, I wanted to backtrack before I fill a post with my most recent adventures. You’ll remember that we started our travels in the mountains of Colorado, gathering for a family reunion (or, if you’re new to the blog, you won’t remember. Hi! Know that I usually post more food, and more frequently ; ) . It was really a memorial celebration for my grandmother (aka G-Funk), this one much more personal than the funeral. While obviously sad, it was so special to spend a few days with people I love, remembering the best woman I’ve known. I think G-Funk would have been delighted with how we toasted her life and imprint on the world:

we swam with the young’ns…

we stopped to smell the (wild)flowers…

we examined the intricacies of wonders big and small…

we played…

we awed…

we let thankfulness wash over us…

we laughed…

hugged tighter than ever…

and trusted that her legacy of love would continue.

And then a few of us (Mom, Dad, Husband, Me) headed down to one of her favorite places in the whole world…for more celebrating…

(stay tuned — I’ll be back on Wednesday with the next chapter!)

xoxo

Where is your “happy place”?

I feel so blessed, and amazed, that I am physically, and mentally, in mine right now.

<3

This is a long one. Sorry. After reading this article, I was unsettled. I find it to be hauntingly accurate. And it makes me feel all the more blessed, and thankful. Here’s why.

See, there is a guy.

A guy who would do anything for someone in need.

Who gives freely and eagerly.

Who can make me laugh until I cry and snort, and can’t breathe.

Who stayed home with me for two days when I got my first period (in fourth grade), offering patience, a heating pad, and comforting words as I reeled from this shift into being half adult way too soon.

Who told me I was beautiful every day.

Who taught me that beauty has nothing to do with my unibrow, (lack of) height, or big-tooth-smile.

Who always stressed that women are intelligent, strong, and — without question or exception — must be valued equally.

Who gave me the sense that I was the most important thing at that moment, whenever we spent time together.

Who talked me through the endings and beginnings of friendships, relationships, and seasons of life.

Who would people watch and drink coffee with me for hours.

Who modeled what humility is, by always admitting he was wrong when he was, and learning from any mistakes.

Who laughed — not yelled — when he saw that I had ripped the entire side of my little red Saturn off after I hit a roadsign.

Who supplied the perfectly-colored red duct tape to cover the entire half of my car that had been shattered…

Who faced every challenge life threw at him (and they still seem unending) with determination, faith, and hope.

Who told me that I shouldn’t settle for anything less than the best partner for me.

Who encouraged me to recognize and use my gifts for the good of the world, because every little drop in the ocean counts.

Who never hid real life from me, and was always honest; this value of transparency made me who I am today.

Who helped me to understand, (in time) more fully, that I didn’t have to fear or hide my smarts.

Who buys me organic lettuce, eggs, and apples any time I come to visit.

Who taught me how to debate….and now reaps what he sowed.

Who sang oldies with me in the car, and danced with me in the kitchen.

Who is ever a student and philosopher, open to learning more and reorienting his way of thinking if shown a better way.

Who didn’t flinch at becoming a stay-at-home dad later in my life, and completely rocked his new role.

Who made me believe I really could grow up to be anything I wanted. And that I should do only what fulfilled me.

Who (alone) let out a loud applause and “WOO! YEAH!” at the beginning of our wedding, after the presider said, “We are gathered here for the joining of Katie and J’s lives.”

Who taught me that faith, questions, reason, and love coexist in beautiful, mysterious harmony.

Who gave me sweet Spanish genes so I can get a tan. (Joke. Kinda.)

Who helped me to trust that who I am deserves to be cherished and celebrated.

Who reads my blog and laughs at my bad jokes.

Who has really, really good taste in women. (Particularly, a woman that is just as wonderful as he is, and complements him perfectly.)

Who always tried to nourish flourishing (in so many ways) in my life, and my family’s.

To that guy — who is more than I can talk about here: A happy, happy day. Go enjoy yourself and read some Harry Potter in the sun, Dadd! (Yes, the extra d is no typo.)

I love you more than I can ever say.

But you knew that.

<3

Friends, permit me one very self-indulgent post: today marks the day two of the greatest blessings in my life entered the world (albeit before I myself came into it).

Husband, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Period. I am so proud of you, and so grateful for all the ways you help the world become a better place, and me become a better me. Your life is a statement of your character and purpose: to love, to serve, to give without restraint. To some, you’re a big, sexy, muscle covered brain, changing the world with your thinking. But to me, you are the heartbeat in my day. I know you’ll be embarrassed that I even said this much, because you are hopelessly, wonderfully, sincerely humble… (That’s why I fell in love with you in the first place.) So. Let’s leave it at: You already know everything I could say. I love, love, love you.

Annnd: Brotherman! Andy (Don’t kill me for writing that — but I’m never calling you Andrew.) You are my joker, fellow loud laugher, and friend. We confide in one another, we understand each other, and we know how to give the other a reality check. We also share our very unique humor. I am so thankful for our siblingship. I would call it a “Twinship”, especially since we used to be confused for twins all the time, but I know I’m already creeping you out enough. (Insert [obnoxious] laughter here.) You know what you mean to me. And I love you. Hearts. Hugs. Unicorns and double rainbows.

So, to my special men….here’s a little serenade from my good friends, who happen to be in a band:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!!! Muah!