Today started out with a beautiful mist — and it only grew lovelier. This was the perfect day for a trip with my Mom and sister to Warm Springs Ranch, home to the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. We got to see lots of these pretty fellas. I think this one wanted a scratch. It’s hard…
Category: photos
Weekend, Part I
So how much fun was this weekend? My answer? A LOT of fun. Saturday morning, I headed to the middle of the state to spend the weekend with my family. First stop: the local nature center with my sister to take an ornament-making class. This plant is real. It stopped me in my tracks on…
Message Received
“Look in the mirror. Appreciate yourself. Celebrate your capacity for simple acts of generosity and gentleness.” – Chogyam Trungpa Today I noticed this little yellow leaf had settled perfectly on my front porch’s potted plant when I got home from work. I was completely fascinated. It certainly didn’t look like this leaf had floated here randomly on some gust of…
Owls & Orchids
Made some new friends at the Butterfly House tonight at the Owls & Orchids event. First I met the owls that were feathered… Yes, these are alive…and yes, that is that owl’s real expression. Then I met the other winged owls…1,000 owl butterflies! Before I walked in, the guide told me that the butterflies were “just waking…
9 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude
So I found a new website that’s kind of fun. It’s called “unstuck” and you can find it here. It bills itself as A Practical Guide to Gratitude (so you can see and think differently). There’s some really great stuff in here. One thing I really loved was a graphic that included “9 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude.”…
Yes, Indeed. So Glad.
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – L.M. Montgomery For any number of reasons, I haven’t wanted to resume training since the Chicago Marathon nearly two weeks ago. A little tired…a little sore…a little burned out. I’ve needed a break. But at the same time, I cannot bear to…
Everywhere, Always
Around us, life bursts with miracles — a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear…
You Find What You Are Looking For
Stumbled upon photographer Hailey Bartholomew’s 365 Grateful Project TED Talk. And then I looked up her website. Please take some time to check out both her talk and her work. You won’t be sorry. Reflection and Gratitude. Reflection and Gratitude. How many times do I need to re-learn that these are the two main ingredients…
A Very Good Day
If you have to be up at oh-dark-o’clock in the morning, this isn’t a bad view. On a whim, I signed up this week to volunteer at the St. Louis Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon. For the first time in years, I didn’t have any family running and, after Chicago last weekend, no way was I doing it….
(More Than) a Few of My Favorite Things
For better or worse, when I become a fan of something, I’m all in. Cardinals baseball, Roger Federer, Hello Kitty, pugs, Minions…moderation just doesn’t seem to be in my makeup. Also among my favorite things: these cookies. And so it is, at least once a week, I have a ritual of visiting my neighborhood coffee shop…
What’s In This Season
Of all the seasons, fall feels like the time of greatest transformation to me. There’s nothing subtle or slow about the transitions of fall. New colors. Less light. Colder temperatures. Bare trees. It seems to happen just like that: Boom, fall presents itself. For whatever reason, fall also makes me turn inward more than the other…
Moments and Memories
Check out this photo by John Blanding (The Boston Globe via Getty Images). Or, better yet, what is your answer when the Huffington Post article asks, “Can you spot the best part of this photo?”? The crowd is awaiting the arrival of the stars at a movie premiere, jockeying for position with smart phones raised…save one woman. And she…
Running in the Windy City
Our second marathon is in the books — mine, as well as Drew’s! Neither of us achieved the times we were hoping for, but we finished. It was a little too warm, unbelievably windy, and an all-around tough day. But we got through our training, made it to the start line uninjured, endured 26.2 miles, crossed the finish and…
Love
“Paying attention is actually the best form of love we have to bring to our lives.” – John Tarrant, author, Zen teacher
Can’t Decide.
Confused or nonconformist? Or simply indecisive? Whatever the case may be, what a striking little fella this is!
Smile…
“Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment. I know it is a wonderful moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh Look what I discovered near our house today. And on World Smile Day, too!
Goodness in the Garden
It’s amazing to me that no matter how many times I visit, our Botanical Garden manages to offer something new every single time. Naturally there are some favorites that never change, like the Japanese Garden. Click on pano below for detail. Fall Preview: Got to hear the crunch of leaves underfoot this morning. But I have…
If You Come to a Fork in the Road…
…take it. Rest in Peace, Yogi.
The Thing About Butterflies and Bees
Today was an unusual day. It seems that the monarch butterfly migration is currently making its way through our area. All day long, monarchs floated by my office window. Dozens upon dozens…sometimes as many as six in my window at once. It was amazing. I wanted so badly to get a photo of one, but…
Not Your Farmers’ Pumpkins
Even though I studied art in undergrad and I’ve worked with a wide variety of mediums over the years, I’d never tried glassblowing…until today. For starters, it was never offered at school. But mostly, it just seemed a bit intimidating. But I signed up for a class at Third Degree Glass Factory in the hopes of creating…
Five Tips for a Healthy Spirit
Tiny Devotions, my favorite Instagram account and mala maker, posted these “five tips for being a Free Spirit” today. I think I would amend this title to read “five tips for a healthy spirit” to make it more relatable for everyone. “Free Spirit” implies hippy-dippy to some (although I’m totally good with it). This is…
View From a Home Without Walls
“Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You’ll find what you need to furnish it — memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey.” – Tad Williams, author “What happens when you…
Hey there…
Early morning bike ride took me by a big group of these beautiful fellas at Grant’s Farm. Have I mentioned lately how much I love St. Louis?
A(nother) Day in the Life
Two times over the past few years, I’ve completed a “day in the life” photo project, taking at least one photo each hour (whenever possible) during the course of the day (first project link here; second project link here). Yesterday, I had another business trip, so I thought I would give it another try. Again, the objective wasn’t to…
hey there, friends 