on gardens and gardening

It seems like everywhere I look folks are talking about their gardens. Truth be told, I like it and I get it. Up until a couple years ago...I didn't get it. You see, up until a couple years ago I never lived in a house, never had a garden and had never grown something from the ground and eaten it.

That's all changed since I moved into this delightful little house in the lovely PNW, but I still reminisce about my childhood. I grew up in a 10 unit apartment building with a pool in the center of a small courtyard. Although I didn't know it back then, the apartment I grew up in was bigger than a LOT of houses and we didn't really ever want for space. The best part besides the pool is that each unit was occupied by families with kids around our age. Some of which have remained in my life to this day. Over thirty years later, a couple of those families still live there...including my mom. These people that started out as neighbors and became like family have all changed and grown...some have become grandparents recently. EEK! Some have fought in wars around the world...they have children and jobs and struggles.

Even though I didn't have a garden then, I now realize as I walk through grass still wet with dew, as I pick flowers to give away or to perfume my home, as I anxiously await my budding tomatoes and pop warm raspberries in my mouth...Gardens come in many different forms. As a child I still got to watch things grow. I still got to see things being tended and loved.  I learned the lesson that what springs from the earth will eventually return to it and that you reap what you sow.

I am so thankful for what I have now, but it can never compare to what I had then. I don't own this garden...but for now, for today, it's mine to enjoy.

this girl

 allie and antonio Cancun 2012

this girl was actually the second baby I ever witnessed being born up close

this girl is all laughter and light...until she becomes the moodiest person on the planet

this girl is kindhearted and easily offended

this girl is just beginning

this girl turned my wild sister into a mother at 19

this girl has given me a taste of motherhood...and yeah, i'll pass:)

this girl is loved

 today I am celebrating her and my sister as they both achieve one of life's finest milestones.

the act of seeking out

 all images taken this weekend at Golden Gardens and Kayak Point

Sometimes I feel like I lead a double life.

The virtual one and the real one. The virtual life looks a bit different than the real one, yet it is all the same. It really comes down to what I share...isn't that the same for all of us really?

If using the Internet as ones sole point of reference...one could say I go a lot of places, complete a lot of projects, cook all the time, have a garden filled with beautiful flowers and enough downtime to photograph it all. Wow! What a life...could I be that girl? When I look at my own blog and my own Instagram feed I am often struck by how pretty, fun and full it all looks. It gets me thinking about perspective and how what you choose to share becomes the narrative.

So hows about a bit of truth with your morning cup of tea.

I am a homebody and not particularly social. I have a very small group of friends and most of them live in other places. I spend long stretches of the day not speaking to another human being. I work from home so my interactions are few. This lifestyle is mostly delightful to me as I have never been an extrovert. This does not mean that I am antisocial. Actually quite the contrary. I enjoy other people. I enjoy people watching. I enjoy engaging in animated conversations. I just don't seek it out.

I decided to make some changes in 2014. While I didn't feel the need to become a social butterfly. I did and do want to get out more. I want my everyday life to be more like the life I see in my own pictures. I want the fullness to be the rule rather than the exception. I treasure my quiet simple life...I truly do...but there's so much good stuff that comes with getting out and I can't expect all that good stuff to come to me. So far I have exceeded my own expectations. Both with Keith and without him, I have explored this great city...I have embarked on a road trip, I have visited new places and dined with new people. I have cooked different kinds of food and listened to different kinds of music. I have watched documentaries on subjects for which I never previously cared. I have played with my dog and wept with strangers. I see Keith doing the same...stretching himself in ways that make me proud and happy.

One of my goals is to visit a whole list of parks here in the PNW. The parks here will blow your mind, they are really that beautiful. Every time I visit one I return home feeling joy. Fresh air, trees and a nice long walk will do that I guess...who knew? 

In addition to the parks here are a few other things I want to do this summer:

Take a cooking class.
Have tea with a stranger.
Go to more movies.
Have a picnic with Keith in our backyard
See Mt Rainier up close
Rent a cabin with a hot tub;)

invent a signature cocktail
do a bit of painting
wear more dresses
take a yoga class

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”  
-Mary Oliver

Spring Roundup | life + style

Spring is the perfect time to invest in new accessories, to find a fresh new fragrance, to hunt down the perfect sandal or the most delicious scarf. As a person who's color palette consists of grey, black, white and navy...accessories are my best friend. It's how I inject a bit of style and personality into my very monochromatic wardrobe.

Some of these items are older favorites purchased a few seasons ago and some are new:

fig.1: This wallet/clutch is the perfect shade of coral/red/pink. It also fits my phone and a tube of lipgloss.

fig.2: I am in love with this Rose lip butter by Herbivore Botanicals. It smells delicious and I adore their minimalist branding. I picked it up at Lucca which is one of my favorite spots to find new to me products like this...although it can be dangerous to have a shop like this within walking distance.

fig.3: I purchased this flower hair clip at H+M ages ago and I still bring it out every spring. I think it would be very easy to make.

 fig.4: I am a girl who loves, LOVES fragrance. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it is most definitely mine. I like a varied collection that consists of small independent lines as well as designer releases. Honey by Marc Jacobs is definitely one I find myself using quite often these days.

fig.5: This small tube of Lollia handcreme in Classic Petal that I picked up at Anthropologie. I'm a sucker for anything that smells like flowers right now.  I also love their branding.

fig.6: This braided leather bracelet  was purchased locally at Velouria. The perfect mint color pairs well with all the black, navy and cream in my wardrobe and my gold jewelry.

What do you find yourself gravitating toward this season?