For Christmas this year, my youngest brother gifted us a new (to us) fisheye lens… and OHMAN have we had some fun with it. I’ll be posting some more silly pictures from the fisheye soon, but here are a couple of photos that the hubster took the other day while we were hanging around the house.
Posted in Everyday Life, Nish Happens, Photography
When I was pregnant with Rowan, I kinda bucked the trends. I didn’t read a bunch of books about pregnancy, birth, or even raising kids. I’ve always had this “come what may” attitude about parenting… and life in general, really.
Even though I didn’t read much, I did read some. And the first blog I found in my journey was Simple Mom.
I loved how Tsh & her contributors sought out to live a more simple life, so that they were freed to live with more intention.
Hubster and I don’t really have a family motto, catchphrase or vision statement… but if we did? That would be it. We crave the simple life. Everything from our spare time to how we spend our money, and how we live in community to how we raise our kid. It’s a passion, a heartbeat, and honestly? Something we struggle with, too. It’s a daily choice to live simply & intentionally.
So, when I found Tsh and Simple Mom, I was hooked from the first post.
And last month, when she asked me to join the Simple Mom team as a contributor? I was SO EXCITED. Honored, surprised, but ohsoexcited. Writing alongside the Simple Mom team is a dream come true for me in my blogging and writing experience thus far, and I can’t wait to jump in.
I’ll be writing primarily about getting your family outdoors… and how it’s a lot easier than it sounds. I hope you’ll join the Simple Mom team throughout the coming year as we share our stories about intentional living.
Posted in Adventure, Blogging, Everyday Life, Nish Happens
To the year past and the year to come, I am grateful for each of you.
2011, you have blessed me richly, peeled back the veils of my eyes & opened my heart wide and raw and I’m not the same as I was when we started out together. You brought me up and down and twisted sideways and there were times when I couldn’t tell if I’d ever stand stable again. You moved our little family into three houses in two states. You sent me to another continent – a trip that left me with the thinnest skin.
2011, when we started, we had plans & dreams. Most of those shifted with the wind and months passed, but we remained faithful and pressed into each day, some with more faith than others. You taught me so much, but patience most of all. As we passed through, I felt like I had my hands tied behind my back, vulnerable to your whims & changing tides. But you proved to be a great year. God used you in the biggest ways to change me as a wife, a mother and a woman altogether. I am wholly different and this new skin suits me just fine.
You weren’t always gentle with me, 2011. I felt ravaged and laid out, sucker-punched and vulnerable. You made me question everything. You reminded me that I still have demons to stare down and the battle isn’t over. I lost my temper more than I care to admit and sometimes, I let the darkness swallow me whole. But, dangling from the limbs, there was always a rope to climb out. Somehow, we made it through you.
No, you weren’t always gentle. But you were often kind & full of abundant blessing. Rowan grew up so much. He’s only two now, but I can’t remember life before him. He stayed healthy and strong. I’m grateful for that.
You saw me to Bolivia and back. I still struggle with what I’ve seen. I still struggle with how I respond. My heart is so tender and I hang onto that trip with heavy sobs and a mind of wonder. The Bolivia trip started in you, 2011, but I think that the aftershocks will last into the infinite years to come.
2011, a tip of my hat to you, for providing incredible music – the tunes that came through you played as a soundtrack to my life. Bon Iver’s “Holocene” sweeps me into another world entirely. Jay-Z and Kanye’s “Ni**as in Paris” is a monstrous & brilliant hip-hop anthem. Gungor’s album is ethereal. Adele’s voice could raise the dead. Florence + The Machine gets played with windows down & at a loud volume. The Civil Wars reminded me why music is important – it ignites passions and emotions buried deep.
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And now, my attention moves to you, 2012.
You, with your fresh paint and open canvas. What do you have in store for us? Will we spend months in anticipation of something? Will we feel stable and grounded – the first time in years? Will our roots start to grow in here?
Will I make a mess of you? Will you make a mess of me?
I don’t know what you’ll lay out in our path this year, but I’ve chosen a name for you.
Like years past, I abandon the ways of resolutions and instead, choose a theme. A rhythm. A word.
You, 2012, are my year of YES.
I know you’ve got tricks up your sleeve that I can’t see yet… surprises that I’ll welcome and some that I’ll dread. But, regardless of what you put in front of me, I’ve determined that I’m jumping into you with two feet and reckless abandon.
I’m going to say yes to you.
I’m going to say yes to Him.
I’m going to say yes to Erik and yes to Rowan and yes to the mess. I’m going to say yes to letting people into my unclean house and heart alike.
I’m going to say yes to the beautiful broken transformation. I’m going to say yes to things that scare me. I’m going to say yes to things that I love.
I’m saying yes to wearing my heart on my sleeve, even though it probably means it’ll fall off and shatter a few times.
It scares me to death, this thought of saying YES to all of you. But I’m going for it.
I’m all in. I’m all YES.
Bring it.
Yours,
Nish
Posted in Everyday Life, Faith, Nish Happens, One Word
After consuming far too many calories in the form of bacon on Christmas morning, we took to the hills and went on a walk.
I hope your Christmas Day was merry & bright!
Posted in Everyday Life
This video has been making the rounds on Facebook and Twitter. I know some of you have already seen it, but I know many of you haven’t.
Please take four minutes out of your day to watch this fantastic & beautifully joyous telling of the Christmas Story. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one this good!
(Also? The kids who tell the story have New Zealand accents. That alone should be enough motivation.)
Smile, share, and enjoy.
Posted in Everyday Life, Faith
My computer… the silver Mac sitting on the steel desk… has magical powers.
I’m not quite sure how it works, but its pretty remarkable. It seems that every time I sit down in front of the computer, it sends a subliminal message to my child (no matter where he is in the house), that lets him know I’m at the computer.
Rowan no likey.
Within seconds – no joke, SECONDS – of sitting down at the keyboard, my small boy child comes screeching into the room and immediately tries to sieze my entire body whilst sitting in the chair.
Fact of life with my two year old: If he’s awake, the computer stays off.
Which, as you can imagine, creates some problems when you’re a blogger and a writer. I have my own personal blog, I manage a site with over 20 writers, editorial calendars to figure out, posts to promote, ideas to write down, comments to reply to, inspiration to find, and emails, emails, emails neverending.
Computer time is valuable currency in this world of blogging and social media. I’d go so far as to say its pertinent to the job.
So, what to do?
I can’t lie. I spend a lot of time with this little device:
I’m able to do everything I need to do in the palm of my hand. I can sit on the floor and crash trucks over and over again and still be available if a serious email drops into my inbox, or if a hater decides to hate over at Deeper Story.
I can take pictures with it, Tweet with it, Facebook with it (when did Facebook become a verb?), download documents with it, jot ideas down with it, and blog from it.
I’ve tried total world domination with it, but I’m still coming up a hair short.
This is my go-to in the realm of social media. A few of my favorite apps for managing the blog side:
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Evernote: This app is awesome. I can track ideas and keep them together with pictures and links so I don’t forget. Also, you can download it for your desktop, and it automatically syncs wirelessly… so when I finally get the chance to sit down and type out that blog post, all of my ideas are on the desktop already.
BlogPress: Out of all the mobile blogging apps, this one is my favorite. It’s easy to link up your blog to the app, the interface is user-friendly, and you can drop pictures and links with ease.
Instagram: I put a bit more stock into this app than just a picture taker. I love capturing every day moments. It’s just… what I do. This app allows me to take pictures, filter them accordingly, and it keeps a record of them in my phone. A lot of the pictures that I take with Instagram end up being inspiration for a blog post, so to that end, it’s been immensely valuable.
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Aside from my phone and technology, I really do think that some things are best processed on paper with ink.
My journal is always close by and I have spent many hours scratching away with new ideas and fresh words. I also keep a paper planner to help me see where my new ideas are going to land in the realm of real life. Having a planner or calendar to schedule out my writing keeps me from getting overwhelmed, overworked and stretched too thin. I know what my max is, and with it written on paper, I can see it visually.
But you know what? Sometimes, all of it can wait. Because playing with Rowan, watching him grow, and being his mommy is far more important to me than what happens when I sit in front of the computer.
And that’s okay with me.
What about you? What tools do you use to help manage your social media responsibilities?
Posted in Blogging, Everyday Life
I’m sorry. I think I misheard you. Did you say tomorrow is the first day of December?
How did THAT happen?
I reckon it’s the time to review everything I’ve been into this past month, with my soul sister over there, Megan at Sorta Crunchy.
On my nighstand.
At the start of the month, I was all about reading Jane Austen’s Persuation. It was the last book of hers I had yet to read. I dug in for a while, but then I got sidetracked with…
THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY.
Seriously. I think I love Katniss Everdeen as much as I love Harry Potter. Okay, that might be a stretch. This book series, which has taken the world by storm, has me completely captivated. I can’t put it down (I’m in the middle of Catching Fire, the second book in the trilogy).
What I want to read.
The Hunger Games. Every day. Every night. Every waking moment.
TV show worth watching.
My love affair with The Office continues. I try to catch episodes of The Daily Show when I can, and I’ve actually been enjoying Jimmy Fallon, too.
Movie I’ve seen.
It’s been a while since we’ve been to the theater, but we watched Morning Glory the other night on Netflix and it was pretty cute. Harrison Ford’s character was a little over the top as a grumpy Tom Brokaw wannabe, but it was cute nonetheless.
But my favorite movie over the last month is definitely The Art of Flight. It’s a Red Bull production, and they really pulled out all the stops in this one. Even if you’re not a snowboarder or extreme athlete, you’ll really enjoy it. It’s fantastic and the camera work is epic.
Also? Red Bull helicopter pilots are incredibly bad ass. Watch the movie and tell me different. Dare you.
In my kitchen.
Costco’s pumpkin pie just keeps reappearing in my fridge, and I have NO earthly idea how it gets there.
I’ve also been baking a lot. I made some oatmeal cranberry cookies during the Oregon/USC game because I was so stressed out. Chocolate chip pumpkin bread because… well, because I can.
Dinners have been a lot of comfort food. French bread pizza, beef stroganoff, chicken spaghetti, homemade mac & cheese…
In my ears.
I’m loving The Naked and Famous. It’s a band, I promise. Alt-techno kinda stuff that’s really catchy. I’ve also been LOVING Coldplay’s new album, Mylo Xyloto. And since it’s Christmas season now, I’ve been listening to Sufjan Stevens, She & Him & Michael Buble.
Items of note.
I’m participating in the 12 Causes for Christmas effort, put on by my friend and fellow Bolivia blogger, Joy. I’ll be writing about human rights and justice issues, and highlighting some organizations that are doing a good job in those areas. Look for that post on Friday.
I still have advertising spots open for December. So, there’s that.
Have I mentioned I love the Hunger Games? I did? Oh. Well, here’s a trailer for the MOVIE that’s coming out in March. You know I’m going the night it opens.
What I’m looking forward to.
The Christmas season. More snow. New writing opportunities. Renewing my love for my camera. Coffee dates.
…and more pumpkin pie.
Posted in Everyday Life
CHRISTMAS TIME! It’s here! Already!
I’ve been playing Sufjan’s Christmas album non-stop… along with some She & Him and the Nutcracker soundtrack (Yeah, I know. One of these things is not like the other).
I usually get excited about the holiday season around the first of November. But, my Grinch of a husband makes me wait to enjoy the Christmas stuff until AFTER Thanksgiving. Whatever. I’m not bitter.
So, after we returned from Thanksgiving in Austin, I was about ten levels of ready to put up the tree.
I love the smell of pine trees. Someone mentioned that Yankee Candle figured out a way to bottle the scent… which is good, because I have a confession to make: We are fake tree people.
I know. I KNOW.
Allow me to explain. Over the past 5 years of our marriage, we have traveled every year at Christmas, save one year (the year Rowan was born). So, having a real tree when we’re gone for a huge chunk of time – it just isn’t realistic. Also, if we’re going to get a real tree, I want to go all Griswold-style and go cut one down ourselves. And, I’d like to wait until Rowan is a little bit older to appreciate that.
So, fake tree. There you go. Upsides: it looks AWESOME, it’s saved us a nice bit of cash, and the forests & tree farms get to keep one more tree.
Rowan loves being by the tree & playing by the tree.
But not as much as he loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Just keepin’ it real.
LOOK at those LIPS. And the EYES. And the HAIR. Oh my baby, he’s such a heartbreaker.
One of my favorite parts of our holiday decorating is the Nativity scene. This was in Erik’s family for a while and it was passed to us when we were married. It’s solid wood, each piece beautifully carved. It’s really lovely.
Another sign of Christmas (or winter, in general) around here is clementines in the bowl. What is it about clementines that makes them sweeter and more amazing in the winter months? Anyone know? Regardless, I could go through a bowl of these in a week.
I hang wreathes on the front door and around the house. Just to give things a little more Christmas love.
We participate in Advent Conspiracy… and have done so for the past 4 years now. We make it a point to not spend a lot of money on Christmas gifts… and instead, we give relational gifts that cost less. The leftover money we would have spent, we give away.
So, since I’m always trying to come up with unique, frugal gifts, the thing that I’m REALLY excited about this year is the ability to actually make some of our Christmas gifts.
I recently took up knitting, and I have to tell you… I am addicted. I love it. I’ve found it to be so cathartic and rhythmic and I actually feel CRAFTY! Who knew, right?!
When it comes to knitting gifts, I love that I can pick out patterns and yarn that are a perfect fit for the recipient. I love that with each stitch, I think about that person & how they’ll use it. It’s really been a rewarding practice for me thus far.
So, I’ve been stocking up on some more yarn. I’m currently in love with Malabrigo. It’s just… yummy. That’s the only way to describe it. The texture, the colors, they’re both so rich and luxurious. And it knits up really well.
That’s it, for me and my house. I’ll even pop out to say hi.
So, tell me. How do you deck YOUR halls at Christmas?
Posted in Advent Conspiracy, Everyday Life, Home
We’re here.
In Salt Lake City.
In our new home.
Suffice it to say, the whole “I’m gonna blog for 31 days straight in October! Wheee!” thing was a giant fail. I gave it my best shot, but hey… sometimes, it takes a while to get unburied from boxes and boxes and boxes.
Oh my soul, we packed a LOT of boxes.
After two days driving, complete with two auto breakdowns on the way, we finally rolled in on the 16th. And by rolled in, I mean a tow truck was pulling our moving truck, which was towing the Subaru.
Yeah. It was THAT kind of move.
But, we made it. And when we showed up at the house, we were greeted by about 20 people from our new church home. They ordered pizza, got a big thing of bottled water and went to TOWN on our moving truck. They had the whole damn thing unloaded in less than two hours. All I had to do was keep Rowan entertained while they moved in all of my stuff.
My God, I love community.
A few days after we arrived, my parents flew in and helped us actually unpack and settle into the house. We worked hard for about five days and by the time they flew home to Austin, we had the house looking and functioning like our home.
So, all of that to say, we’ve been busy… as you can imagine.
And in all the small spare time we have, we’ve been exploring our neighborhood. We live across the street (literally) from the grocery store, 3 blocks from the nearest coffee shop, 5 blocks from the capitol building, they’re putting in a new gelato/espresso/bakery spot 2 blocks down, and the sidewalks are covered with fall leaves.
We’re loving it.
Now that we’re up and running and starting to remember our routines, I’ll be here much more.
[And, I know you're all looking forward to pictures of the house. Those are coming very soon. Just need to get a few more things in place then I'm gonna go on a picture-taking frenzy. Promise.]
Posted in 31 Days, Everyday Life, Home
The fog is thick this morning. It’s settled into the tree branches and into my bones, making me heavy and unwilling to get out of bed this morning. It’s amazing how quickly my motivation vanishes with the arrival of fog & rain.
But, here we are again – in the same place we were six months ago. Two months ago. Short on cardboard boxes and full up on stuff we don’t need.
We’re packing up our house. Again.
And the moving boxes show no sympathy for my lazy bones. Every box is getting used. Every item is getting sealed up… slowly.
[In case you were wondering, it's a bit difficult to pack up your house with a toddler running around, whose one joy in life is to pull things OUT of boxes. This kid - he likes to climb stuff, jump off stuff, and pull stuff out of boxes. If he can do all three in a day, his little body goes into joy overload. Having Rowan while packing means we pack slowly. It also means he gets to watch WAY more Pixar movies than is good for him, I'm sure.]
It doesn’t help that I despise packing. I hate it. I know hate is a strong word, but I really do hate packing. When it comes to UNpacking and settling into a house, that brings me great joy… but putting it all in boxes?
Ugh.
Impending doom.
Black cloud hanging over my head.
Just call me Eeyore.
The one thing that’s keeping me motivated and moving forward is that we have an amazing new house, in an amazing new neighborhood, in an amazing new city. It’s waiting for us on the other side of this packing gig. Stuffing some more cardboard boxes and a 12+ hour drive is all that separates us from Salt Lake City.
Mountains. Friends. Snow. Community.
Eye on the prize.
Time to get packing.
[I know I haven't written a post for every day of October thus far. But I'm trying... I really am. Grace?]
Posted in 31 Days, Adventure, Everyday Life, Home
