[i] LoveLife

Sip, sip, stir.

Yum. Lots of sitting around drinking coffee and catching up with good people. Lots of topics for good discussion. Lots of idea-tossing for how to create a happy and fulfilling fall. Lots of blog improvement talk. Lots of coffee. Lots of love for my brother taking Pilot out for an adventure - just those two (that's pretty cool if you ask me). Lots of laughing about Norman hiding poops in BabaLuba's house. Ha.

Today TONIGHT: We are off to get rowdy and enjoy some time in the pits! NASCAR is in town and we are off for beers and VIP time at the track. WHERE ARE MY EARPLUGS?

Giggity, giggity. GO!

Exhale.

It's another day and with half of my brain freed up to think about other things - painting is on my mind, but so is a series of brushed-text pieces. I'm getting to know a sumi brush pretty well. That might seem like a far jump from traditional paintings and stuff like that, but I couldn't think of a more connected painting-and-design combination. And that excites me. I also get a little more thinking time when I've got so many extra sets of hands to start figuring out how September will unfold for me. I don't have the slightest bit of energy for the things that don't fill me up SO EVERYTHING ELSE MUST GO. This fall - I am only going to focus energy on the things that move me. And that's it. I've started my list and it's about time I get serious about that.

*AWESOME to hang with Hannah and her mom yesterday. It was so much fun. Hannah and Pilot are 4 months apart and the FUN STARTS NOW! They were loving life hanging out in the backyard all NAKED and happy and playing like old pals. Very cool.

HeadsUP: I'm STILL getting my email kerfuffles sorted out. If you are waiting for a reply - I have just received a flooding of lost emails. My provider can't guarantee that they didn't lose a few, but I'm about to start wading through and making things right. If you haven't heard back from me - that's because I didn't know you contacted me - BUT I'm ON IT NOW.

Today: more vacationing and maybe a trip to see Dr. Wang the world's most sought after super accupuncturist so he can make me into a human pin cushion and cure all my ailments. Sounds good to me. And so does a little shopping. And a latte. And a little more painting. Sweet.

GO!

The art of vacation.

Monday! Hello prairies and summer and sunshine and family and fun and chaos and all that jazz. And fields of pretty flax. We're having a terrific time. It's nice to see Dan starting to unwind. It's nice to see Penn get more attention than she's used to. It's nice to see someone else look out of for the whirlwind we call Pilot. It's also nice to see everyone in my family from the different perspective that comes from having little people to change everything. It's heart-melting to see Pilot with my brother Kam. And Penn with my dad who adores her. And Pilot's sheer joy from being around BabaLuba. It's also heart-melting to see the toys and preparation that my parents have put into our visit and their grandkids. It's downright tear-jerking to wake up at 7am to find my brother has ALREADY ARRIVED to spend the day with us. Okay, with Pilot. Thanks Kam. So sweet.
It was also really spectacular to be able sneak away for a small break to dabble with some paints and continue a love affair brainstorm that I am having with a new idea. Oh, and my mom has a craft room so it was GLORIOUS to hide away in a room just for creating stuff. With a big window. Sigh...

Oh, it's nice here. I have already read a entire book. And a magazine. And had a full coffee before it got cold. And a midday date with my husband. And meals cooked for me. And the bottles magically washed (thanks mom).

Happy 35th Anniversary Mom + Dad. You are inspiring.

Today: Hurray! Dan is off to play golf with my dad and brother and me, my mom, my girl tribe and the canine unit ARE HOPING FOR RAIN because that means Hannah and her mom (and her dad!) are coming to visit us. That's exciting - I can't wait to see how much Hannah has grown. AND - I am hoping to steal away to paint for a while, too.

Okay. Three cheers for vacation. Make that six. GO!

Life is a highway.

At least it is today! We have 500 miles to cover this morning and that means there will be an Elmo marathon in the backseat. And coffee in travel mugs. And many, many pee breaks. And hopefully some nice long naps.

And a few artsy posts next week from the wild, wild west. Cool. GO!

Like water.

I love the light patterns in water. I could look at them - changing and dancing - all day long. I could easily get lost deep inside them. I love to watch Pilot splashing around in a state of aqua bliss. Penn seems happier by water, too - sitting peacefully and daydreaming while we were at the pool. It's was like a living painting. Colours. Laughter. Happiness. Art.

It also seemed to be the perfect place for a little internal pep-talk to myself. A forget-about-it kind of internal segway that took me right into a very familiar place that I am very, very fond of: Bulletproof Positive Attitude. That's my yoga. That's my zen. The Bulletproof Positive Attitude chat I have in my head is usually just what I need to get centered and get on and get serious - and get over the stuff that's ticking me off. Like horseflies. And wierdos. Which really just means that I'm pulling out my A-game and doing what I do. And letting the rest go. There's some Bulletproof Positive Attitude stuff on the drawing board right now that is my September project. It's good stuff and it's about frickin' time that the inspiration hit me. September is coming up quick. Sweet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABALUBA!

Today: Laundry, packing, snacking, napping. Lots of coffee. A powerwalk. A swim. A great dinner. Goodnight. Sounds good to me.

GO!

Her right now.

Words.

Oh, I love words. I love the juxtaposition of characters that represent sounds and shapes that represent space and time. And thought. And melody. And history. And ideas. And the way that interpretation makes everything different to everyone. I love words.

Today: It's hump day and we are hitting the park circuit before the rain comes. Pilot and I are sporting nice new haircuts from AWESOME TAMARA and that's a good enough reason to celebrate life. We're off to enjoy the view. Enjoy the day. Enjoy some naps and afternoon peace.

GO!

:(

Yikes. Boo sucker. This is roughly what happened to my little point-and-shoot camera yesterday. I threw it in my waterproof bag with a days worth of snacks and a very large bottle of water that did not have the lid screwed on properly. DOH! When we arrived at our destination - I had a bag full of floating snacks and an unresponsive little camera at the bottom. DOA. Poor thing. I have confidence that it will be magically restored because I TOSSED IT INTO A BAG OF RICE. Yes, apparently 24 hours in a container full of rice perks up cell phones and other electronic devices that have been unintentionally drowned. My fingers are crossed.

(POST Rice REPORT: IT'S WORKING PERFECTLY!)

It semi-sucks that I didn't have my camera on me yesterday because I missed incredible shots of Norman rolling around in mud and Pilot's cute haircut out on our deck. I was also so flustered about my camera drama that I passed on the opportunity to buy a fantastically cool resin moose head that would look amazing in our front hall. A-MAZ-ING. I just might have to dispatch help on that one because hesitation killed my confidence.

Today: Dog parks + coffees + hair salons. Two mamas, three dogs and four kids are about to get reacquainted in the beautiful summer morning sun. And then we'll go from there. Sweet.

Send me camera love. GO!

Oui, oui, oui!

I'm creatively happy because I have a new idea in the works. As it evolves - I like it more. That's a nice feeling. I pulled out my gouache paint and remembered how good it felt to return to where you started. To be true to who you are. It feels exciting to be painting and it feels even MORE exciting to feel the familiar excitement of being jacked up about an idea. I'm chomping at the bit right now because this is a busy, busy week that's going to end with us hitting the open road and enjoying a bit of a summer vacation. Yay! SAID VACATION IS GOING TO INCLUDE SOME DAILY PAINTING TIME FOR ME AND TWO FULL NIGHTS OF SLEEP THAT WILL NOT BE INTERRUPTED BY BABIES, TODDLERS OR PUPPIES. Which is like saying that I am about to receive forty trillion dollars and my very own island in the south pacific. Needless to say - I want today to be Friday but I am comforted by the fact that we have so many awesome things to do this week that the days are going to blast by.

We enjoyed the weekend around here. I over-indulged in two delicious things: dark organic chocolate and Entourage. Dan over-indulged in two things as well: WORK and Regine's fresh Zopf bread she had delivered to us via her husband Beat (thank you SO MUCH Regine!). Lots of ideas and treats swirling around this place as we are in full summer mode.

Today: We're off to spend some time with our Oakbank crew this morning. Me, my girl tribe and my canine unit are off for a rural adventure. Sweet! Pilot is getting a haircut this afternoon and I'm working on a yummy quinoa clean eating recipe for dinner. And a little painting. Really cool art stuff coming down the summer pipe. Yay!

Today calls for BLACK COFFEE in a travel mug. GO!

Love is a wonderful thing.