Monday, April 6, 2015

photo book: washington state ferries

follow along on instagram @melinadream
I'm sorry I had to leave this space for a few weeks. When work piles up and you are pressed for time, the first thing to go is the thing you most want to write. 

I want to quietly return to mystery prize monday with my favorite prompt, the one I'll always choose when I haven't spoken with you for a little while: how are things going? It should be spring now- I know up North it's not really, but it should be. How is it going so far?  

In honor of my recent trip to the Pacific Northwest I've chosen a salt water inspired prize for you this week. It's not taffy or chocolate. 
Of course, I have plenty of photos to share from the trip. We were treated to classic Seattle weather, heavy and overcast, and I could not get over how David's red hair smoldered against the gray pearl sky. We hunted for handfuls of sea glass at Golden Gardens, woke up to the little stomping steps of Audrey, Steph and Ammen's one year old daughter, and the shrieks of Ella, who is nearly four. 

There was a parade and David dressed up like a banana and spent hours in the hammock tossing Ella up into the air. 

We were able to disappear out to Doe Bay on Orcas Island, where I sank into the waters of their luminous soaking tubs and didn't emerge for three days. We went sea kayaking and clamored around our own island for an afternoon, and on the way home a furious squall nearly blew the boats off of our makeshift racks and onto the Tulip Fields as we crawled past at 35 miles an hour. 

David didn't get the gum wall downtown, neither did I. But I made him pose for a photo in front of it nevertheless, something I never did when I lived there. He's looking back at the camera with a big, open mouthed smile, his eyebrows knit in confusion, long strings of gum melting in the background.  

Today I wanted to share just a few of my photos from the Washington State Ferries that took us out to the islands. They were my favorite part of the trip because when I stand at the rail and look down at the water, when the conditions are just right and the boat is rocking back and forth- and it takes a gail to really rock a ferry boat- I feel like my body evaporates and all I can sense is cold wind, salt spray and speed. Something is always hurting in my body, usually my eyes or my stomach or my head, so it's nice to go without a body for a few minutes.  

So to answer my own prompt, here's how I am doing: dazzled a little bit to be back, relieved that another plane ride has come and gone without incident, slightly concerned about a chemistry test coming up involving the hydrolysis of Esters, and wondering if I should be giving my wedding a little more attention. Also, drinking a glass of water and looking over photos, thinking to myself what a city! So many blues and evergreens. What a splendid city. 

Here are the photos from the ferries. I used to belong inside this landscape but I erased myself from it two years ago. It's always feels a little funny to be back.

I miss you! Tell me how you are and I will randomly choose a winner  from the comments. Check back for more posts and photos from our trip back home. See you again very soon!

54 comments:

Amanda said...

Lovely. You have been reunited with your sea glass! I still have my pendant hanging from the rear view mirror.

We have been wonderful- celebrated our Easter yesterday with pastel colored dresses and eggs hidden in the sand.

Jes said...

I love the phrase, "I erased myself from [insert area]." Yes. That. I'm still struggling with the loss of a place after I moved this winter. Even though I'm pretty much in the same place, just an hour down the road. But so much can change in the space of an hour.

So, yes, Spring is making it better. The mountains are finally letting me ride in them & thank something for that.

Your ferry photos are gorgeous, thank you thank you for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I'm feeling sad. I miscarried our second baby on Valentine's weekend. I had so looked forward to sharing with all of our friends and family on Easter that we were expecting. Feels like I lost my last little connection to the pregnancy this weekend and it makes my heart sad.

Ebeth said...

It's going great (but also kinda scary) I got offered a sweet job out in Lake Tahoe...now I just need to find housing (if you know anyone, or know anyone that knows someone looks for a wonderful renter/roomie let me know!)but anyhow I'm super excited to be out in Tahoe this summer/ fall and am thoroughly enjoying the spring weather here in AL.

Elizabeth said...

Things are going ok! I've been middling sick for a week, which is lame. First and last ski day on Saturday, with huge swaths of exposed hills that are normally buried under feet of snow. Who knew I was skiing over the tops of twenty-foot logs and and four-foot-wide stumps? I'm dating a guy and it started and has continued not like any other "thing" I've ever done, in good and less good ways. I dunno. But being here now feels right. Lounging on the couch with tea and honey, looking at housing for the wedding of one of my best friends, in early fall on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Ann said...

Life is overwhelming. I feel like I'm rocketing at break-neck speed towards the end of the semester and theres so much to do. But its good and it snowed on Easter, but it feels springy. Love the red hair/steely blue combo.

Shannon Warrenq said...

I am stressed - work and grantwriting and personalities and the never ending quest for that elusive something that will secure us all in these jobs we love so much. School is stressful...I love it but how do I pay for it? What am I trading for it? Will my girls be proud of me for doing it or resentful of the time it took from them?

I am happy - it's spring and my allergies are just barely under control and I am well and I'm running again.

I am thrilled to see your beautiful words and pictures!!

Christine said...

Homesick.

But confusingly so, as I'm not sure where home really IS, or what it is that I'm currently missing.

It's an emptiness, and some frenetic energy, followed by a strong desire to (temporarily?) leave where I am and what I'm doing, to immerse myself in new (or old and familiar?), that are gnawing at me.

It's unsettling and liberating at the same time. Unsettling to feel unsatisfied, but liberating to know that somewhere might exist out there where things click in just a way that I don't have to worry about feeling unsettled. Where I might even embrace unsettled for it's sense of adventure.

Anonymous said...

Things are going really well for me at the moment... The blue sea glass you gave me did in fact bring good luck :) Hopefully things will be smooth sailing this time around!

marinj said...

I'm having surgery this week that will require several weeks off work but I am amazingly calm and happy despite it. I think I'm more excited to be off work and away from this stressful job for awhile! :) Enjoyed the post very much!

Unknown said...

I'm doing OK. Just entering the third trimester of my first pregnancy and dying of acid reflux and pubic symphysis dysfunction but otherwise enjoying being pregnant. We are in the midst of home renovations, buying new kitchen appliances, selling two cars, buying a new car, and trying to stay on top of everything else. Spending time with my parents as they prepare to move out of my childhood home. And despite that list, I'm upgrading that OK, to pretty darn good, and lucky.
Thanks for sharing your pics, I love Seattle!

Jill said...

Missed you too and glad you had such a great trip! I am stressed but in the best way (if that's a thing)...I'm in the last month of my last semester of grad school, I'm applying to a few jobs I really want, my husband and I are moving, and in the midst of the stress of all of this is an abundant, overwhelming joy for the future. I have so much hope it's ridiculous. :)

Unknown said...

Things are going okay. I'm counting down the hours until April 15th so I can finally take some time off from work. My kids and husband are tired of my "tax time attitude"... I live in Spokane, WA and it has been a long time since I visited Seattle. I miss it soooo much. We hope to take the kids there this fall. Thanks for the great pictures! I love your blog, please never stop writing :)

Beth said...

The San Juan Islands are one of my favorite places in the world and seeing your photos of them makes me so happy!

Lately, I've been losing my breath. It runs away from me at odd moments: in shopping centers, while watching TV, on sunny days. I feel like so much rides on how I spend my time, whether I get this job I'm interviewing for, whether I sell this book. My husband keeps asking me why I'm sighing. I'm not -- I'm just trying to breathe.

The only thing that seems to help is yoga, and I'd do it three times a day if I could. Answers are coming, I know it. I just have to breathe deeply until they do.

JB said...

Happy and anxious! I'm a bit dissatisfied with my career choice, trying to ignore the sound of my ticking clock, and am feeling unsure of where my life is headed. But despite that, I'm so good, because I have love in my life. And after living without it for so long, I know loving and being loved is the most important thing, and that everything else is just chatter :)

Geri French Watson said...

All I can say is that you and David are going to have beautiful babies!

Megan Marie said...

I've missed your updates but love being able to follow along on Instagram!

Things have been going well - I got a promotion after years of not really being sure of my position at work, the snow melted (finally) and uncovered my favorite purple crocuses, and this semester is shaping up to be my best yet. I get discouraged sometimes with spring graduation approaching, knowing that I should have been graduating this year and I'm not - but I know that everything happens for a reason and financially I'm better off now than I would have been if I'd taken a full course load every semester for four years, but even with that in mind I get a little down. This year I'm trying to be more positive about things like that - trying not to compare myself academically, physically, to anyone else...its a hard lesson to learn and one that I've struggled with for a while but...I'm getting better at it : )

Sarah said...

Holy cow....that glowing hair is amazing!! I'm glad you're back safe and sound!

I'm doing good over here....like you said, it *should* be spring but isn't, which is pretty damn depressing. I just want to feel warmth in the air and not wear my fleece Northface outside! II am hoping that by the time our April vacation rolls around on April 20, it warms up. If not, I may need to seek treatment for seasonal depression. ;)

AlaskanAlison said...

We've had some amazing weather in Juneau. This weekend was all blue skies and sunshine (short sleeve weather!) and while I loved it and spent the entire weekend outdoors, I also resented it a little bit. Our baby is due in a few weeks and my list of projects that still have to be done is stressing me out. But I felt too guilty staying indoors because you just never know when you might see the sun again up here.

Destiny C said...

Ahhh beautiful photos, can't wait to see more. The first 12 years of my life belong to Washington. I will always love the rain, the smell of perpetually damp earth, the blues and greys and greens. All are embedded in my bones.
Things are well-ish here! My kids are lying around in their underwear, recovering from the tsunami of sugar that tends to accompany grandparent visits during Easter... Ok I am also recovering. Just not in my underwear!

Sarah said...

I'm great this week because a huge bouquet of flowers arrived at my work for me and I have honestly no idea who it's from!

Karen said...

I get so excited when you write a new post! Welcome back, we have missed you.

I'm on a roller coaster.

We bought a new house. Yay! A high!! I love this house and now we have space for my kids to play and we have room in our closets and I don't feel like I'm being suffocated by our stuff and our walls!

We got relentlessly snowed on for a month. The week we moved we got 90cm of snow in 4 days. We owned two houses for two weeks and had double the shovelling to do and we also had to shovel our roofs because we also got a big rain storm and all the big stores like Walmart and the movie theatre and Future Shop closed for a day because everyone was afraid of the roof caving in because of the weight. So that was a low.

But our new neighborhood! So many kids and dogs and cats and raccoons. We have trees, and we have a great view of the city lights and I can see the ocean on clear days. I really never dared to dream of a house with a view but somehow it happened and I am just so grateful that I have it. Our new neighbors loaned us shovels and introduced themselves. There are five men named Jon in a group of 8 houses around us and my husband is Jon and so we fit right in!

And then we had a cracked sewer pipe and poop threatened to come shooting back up the pipes into our new home... So we got the lawn dug up and had to pay an extra $800 dollars to have truckload after truckload of snow driven away (I wonder where they put it...?) so they could find the dirt to dig into. Looooow.

But they fixed it!! The pipe is fixed and I can flush my toilet with an easy mind and when I look straight out the front window I can't see snow so I can pretend that spring didn't forget all about us even though we won't have grass 'cause it all got dug up and so we just have dirt. And near the edge of the driveway? Daffodils are coming, snow be damned.
I never figured that I would have a house with daffodils.

Roller coasters are fun and scary but fun mostly. Thanks for asking!

adventurekate said...

Thank you for the NW images! I can almost taste the salt on my face.

I'm doing mixty. Some good, some great, some frustrated, some over-the-moon, some angry. I'm looking forward to having a dear friend come visit, then my folks come visit, all while being rejected for a job and deciding to stay put for a while, deciding to invest in meaningful relationships that I know will take time and effort and care, but will nourish my soul.

Thanks for the post, the pictures, the narrative. You've been missed but we're all glad you were out there, gathering more stories.

Kristin said...

Hi! Great to hear from you again. Thanks for asking about my little world. I'm hanging in there. It's been about three months since my dad died unexpectedly on Christmas Eve. He was the rock of our family and a best friend to my brothers and me. Everything is incredibly different now. While it feels like our family is coming unraveled and even though I feel angry and bitter and deeply sad, I'm trying to remember to be kind to myself and others and know that it will all get better.

The farm where I work in Northern California is bursting at the seams with spring! We're harvesting radishes, lettuces, and even strawberries already! Our flock of sheep have been having their lambs. As any seasoned sheep raiser will tell you, it can be messy, hard, wonderful, and occasionally sorrowful work helping to bring little lambs into the world. At the end of the day, it's nice to curl up with a sweet little "bummer lamb" (that's what we call lambs rejected by their mamas for one reason or another) and scratch their necks and smell their sweet, barnyard-y heads.

I'm headed back to Georgia on Thursday to visit my brothers and see my best friend, who just had a baby on what would have been my dad's 58th birthday. Our other best friend will be there and I'm looking forward to being reunited with the other parts of my heart.

Glad to hear all is well with you! Sounds like your time in the Pacific Northwest was everything you needed it to be and more. Thank you for sharing your words and pictures!

Christal said...

I used to live in Steilacoom and I miss the salt spray and smell of the ocean.

It's alternating between high 50s/low 60s and 30s/40s in my Montana town. I love the hair contrast too.

I am bogged down with statistics ... another test on Friday and I am not absolutely certain I understand the last 2 chapters. So, I'll hit the books after work for the next 4 days in order to shore up my knowledge and hopefully pull it off. I am also awash in the tides of school, work, home, dogs, taxes, laundry, and family responsibilities. I graduated in December with my AAS in business, but walk to get the handshake & diploma this May. Daughter visits from Alaska for that week. School starts again the week after and I just really wanted summer off, but my advisor says I have to take Principles of Financial Management this summer or I'll be another year behind to graduate with my BAS in Business. 9 classes left after this semester ends for a degree I don't really want -- I wanted an elementary education degree but no one close by does it online/evening/weekends. It feels expensive and sort of treadmill-ish, plodding through class after class at lunch or in the evening or online. (Maybe it's just that I'm burned out.) I think the advisor is just pushing me to finish -- she convinced me accounting would take too much longer since there are more day classes that take longer than a lunch hour. (And I've avoided chemistry so far; I vaguely remember it from an ancient history gone by high school class. However, astronomy is in my near future.) BTW I don't really see you as a nurse... I feel you'd be a good physician's assistant or a doctor. (Not that nursing is bad, I know some great ones,including my sister-in-law.)

Aimee said...

We are swiftly descending into winter and loving it. The woodburner is going, woollens have been dug out and washed ready to be needed. I'm adjusting to comfort food cooking and warm breakfasts. We are planning our ski season and tentatively mapping out homeschooling plans for next year.
I adore your Seattle pics. Damn its scenery is awe-inspiring. Not sure I could cope with the rain tho!

Craftysquirrel said...

The weather on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island looks remarkably similar to your pictures. We tramped (hiked) 3 hrs to a hut for the night over Easter , luckily only light rain. My 8 yr old a trooper - no complaints - loving the outdoor. A blood moon, glorious sunrise, the company of old friends - oh so good being in the bush, a world away from work !

Lindsey said...

To be honest, I'm not quite ready for it to be spring yet. We barely got any snow this year and I love snow! I am thankful that I live somewhere where the seasons do change though. I love the pictures from your trip. David's hair looks amazing against the background, kind of magical. Glad to see you're back, I've missed reading your blog. :)

kelsey hoekstra said...

Life has been interesting. I went on an amazing spring break trip two weeks ago with one of my best friends to Arches and Zion national parks. I've been busy with work but that's standard for school.

I've also been very sad. On Thursday a student committed suicide. I barely knew the guy, but he was in one of my classes. There were only 12 students, so we all knew each other. I didn't handle it well on Thursday, but thought I had healed over the weekend. Yesterday afternoon that class met for the first time since the tragedy. I basically cried all evening. It's been hard getting my school work done, which then stresses me out more. The school has set up plenty of resources for students, but I feel like I don't wish to take any away from the people who actually knew him.

That was longer and probably sadder than you probably expected/ wanted, but hopefully things will improve with the weather. Your trip pictures are beautiful.

Katie said...

Lovely. The PNW is on my short list of places to visit. I'm relieved the stomach bug has come and gone for my little people and we are getting back into a routine that does not involve endless hours of Nick Jr and Disney Jr.

Liz Stout said...

I am plodding along, making big decisions, feeling excitement and anxiety all rolled into one. I'm happy and nervous, yet fulfilled. I've made big decisions that I didn't necessarily like, but they are the right decisions for the time. I'm assured that all will be okay. I'm confident that things will pan out. It's just going to take patience and time...but that's all anything ever takes.

Melveys said...

Your blog makes me happy. There are about 15-20 blog I follow and yours always fills me with peace. They all serve a different purpose but your pictures and content...I just can't explain it.

I'm...I dunno actually. I'm looking forward to summer when I plan on getting each of my kids their first bike. Pretty sad that my 12,10,8 and 6 year olds don't have their own bikes but money has always been tight. This spring I am saving hard though and we are going to hit the trails all summer. I'm focusing hard on that since winter has been going on forever here in Eastern Canada. As I type, the snow is gently hitting the window. It's rather pretty but I feel like I'm at the starting line of Spring just waiting for the pistol to go off. Pull the trigger Mother Nature!

Jessica said...

Things are going well, thank you for asking! For the first time on a trip home I felt I had advice to share with my mom instead of the other way around - I'm finally in a good place in my life and am making changes that I am really excited about!

Good luck on your test! :)

meghanssj said...

I'm happy that I am sticking to my plant-based diet. I am hoping that it works for me to get into better health.

I am feeling guilty that I am procrastinating on a long overdue project at work. It is hard and boring and I need it done but I don't want to start.

I am excited that I will be going to a new country in 3 weeks. Spain! It has been just long enough since I've been away that it feels like I never travel. And Spain looks so magical.

Mary Pat said...

Things are great, thank you for asking! I love your pictures of the Northwest. It has been too long since I have visited. Here in the Midwest, it is officially Springtime, so everyone seems more happy and healthy. My family is moving for the first time in ten years, to my childhood home a few blocks away. It is very exciting, but also sad to think that my 3 year old and baby won't remember our tiny little house. I can't think about it without tearing up, and I've been taking so many pictures of them playing on the floor and the stairs and the porch and tiny backyard. I lived in my childhood house until I was in college so I don't know what it is like to have lived somewhere that I can't remember, and it makes me sad for them. But life changes, and I believe this is a good change, great even, so we will take the bad with the good and thank God for all of it.

Unknown said...

My spring has been a stomach clenching roller coaster so far. My daughter is about to graduate from high school, my husband had to have surgery, my elder son got his driver's permit, our landlord told us we have 60 days to vacate our home, we decided to buy a house, we saw 17 properties and were worried we would end up renting again, found a house we love and are now waiting - waiting - waiting to see if we are going to buy our first home or if we need to lock ourselves into renting again.

The up and down of emotions and stress have been exhausting... But, thankfully, the daffodils are blooming and the sun is shining. It's going to be okay.

Emily said...

So glad you're back and sharing bits of your trip west- I so look forward to new posts :)

I'm feeling every emotion under the sun. Within the span of a week I got engaged and accepted to grad school. Now, the incredible high (!!) has morphed into being overwhelmed by a list of logistics that need attention pronto (financing for school, wedding date/location/budget, an international move, long-distance house hunting, visa applications.. et cetera). I feel like i'm already behind with almost everything. But. I'm completely awed that I have so many wonderful things happening at the same time. And. I've worked really hard to get to this place, so i'm proud to be here too.

And now back to investigating scholarships open to international students :)

Jackie said...

I'm doing ok. Not getting enough adventures in, but that may change this summer since I just gave a month's notice to my job! Woohoo!

Smaychel said...

Hello - I'm the one with the hyperemesis who is expecting my second child. Well a bit of time has passed and I'm into the 2nd trimester, and on a good medication which is helping, and generally doing a lot better. Not perfect, but better enough to take my daughter out to make the most of the nice weather and really enjoy these last few months together with just the two of us :)

Also, we had our first scan and saw wee baby number 2 - heart beat strong, kicking away. I've even started to feel some movement. My daughter talks to her little sibling every day. "I love you. Mama loves you. Dada loves you. We're your family."

Your pictures are beautiful, I loved looking at them!

Unknown said...

I'm glad you are back, and the pictures! Oh- they are lovely! I have little interest in visiting such a rainy place, but your stories and adventures, always told with such beautiful pictures, make me want to go anyway.

Currently, I'm okay. My husband got a new job! One that won't require us to move 1/2 way across the country, but it does require a bit of travel from him. Rather, a lot of travel. But, I'm finding excitement in that we are going to be able to travel a bit to meet up with him, and my daughter will see more of the country. Work for me is going; we are in our spring slam of preparing hormonal 8th graders for high school. Some days I feel I need a hazmat suit just to get through their ups and downs and cope with them and my own. But that is just some days, not all the days. So I'm living for those other days. I made an agreement with friends to push myself to be more in the moment, and to celebrate more of those other days and moments, to be more present, which on the hazmat days, is much harder than it sounds.

Thanks for the update! (And, thanks for the topic- I needed to write/say all of that.)

Sian said...

I'm great! It's been warm and sunny here in England which means we all freak out like its a heatwave. Me? I've been out in the garden with hands in the dirt while my boys play around me. Not much makes me happier.

Loving seeing Seattle my brother lives there and for the first time this summer I'm going to visit. I can't wait!

Marie said...

I'm good! So happy to see you post. I'd check out your site every day to see what was new and wonder what you were up to. All is good here in rainy Chicago - but we are expecting a sunny warm weekend. I have a first date on Saturday and we are going hiking. So, I am excited, nervous, and hopeful.

Krista C. said...

I live in Seattle and you visited during one of the worst weather weeks we have had recently. I feel like it was worse than most of the weather we had in January and February. I'm glad you still had a good time. I'm working like a fiend, trying to save up money so I can take as much time off as I can afford during summer to enjoy the gorgeous Pacific Northwest during it's magic time.

Carey King said...

These photos are amazing, the red and grey!!And being out at sea, I want that!
Life has been crazy it feels like I'm running on the spot. My baby is due well any day now and the "nesting" comes in waves of panic and frustration- must buy 4 door car, must buy 4 door car, the dust on the ceiling fan makes me want to cry and sitting at my work desk all day makes me feet swell up like balloons.. But then I relax the next day and realize I may still have a couple weeks worth of time and that life is about to change forever and it feels so good..

Kelli said...

Your posts mean so much to me that I save them to read for just the perfect moment where I can fully embrace them and enjoy them. This morning I sit with my brand new pup, his name is Arrow and a cup of coffee in my lap as it lightly rains outside on my newly planted garden. Lots of changes for me lately, wondering if decisions made to this point were in fact right for me. My four year relationship with my partner ended and in the space usually filled by him, I spend on the front porch of my friends house with her and her new baby, I have dinner more often with my friends large family and sit with them as they all talk at once or I spend it doing hill sprints with my ingenious friend who likes to drink margaritas after as a treat. I have my little yellow house to myself now with my little golden dog and little garden. I have so many things to be grateful for this spring that looking back seems so wasteful but still not always easy. Thank you for your wonderful writing as always and allowing me to feel like erasing myself from a situation is something we all feel and making it feel more bearable.

SkittleSkattle said...

All is good here in the South of France. The weather is beautiful, 70 degrees and sunny. We are definitely in spring time transition. Everything is blooming and my allergies are killer! We are planning our spring break trip. Think we might pop onto a cruise into the Med. Starting in Marseille, headed to Barcelona, Maillorca, Malta then Rome. Your pictures are great!

Cait said...

I can't decide what I want. I have two job offers - I AM SO LUCKY - and I can't choose. I lay awake at night, all night, petting the dog's round puppy belly and thinking about where we should go.
The Arizona sun feels like home, now.
I miss my family, so much.
I turn these truths over and over in my mind, until I want to cry.
I want someone else to choose and yet I fiercely, definitely, do not.

Crystal C Kell said...

Things are wonderful here. I live on a farm in the Deep South, so spring is here for us! Flowers are everywhere, our strawberries are doing nicely, our peach, fig and loquat trees are producing fruit and other trees/vines (blackberries, muscadines) are flowering now to produce fruit soon. Our hens are laying eggs like crazy and currently we have a dozen eggs being set on by a few hens and we're probably about 10-20 days from them all hatching (they were marked and put under hens every 3-4 days so we can stagger their hatching). We're waiting on some calves to be born. So spring is definitely upon us and I couldn't be happier! My birthday was this week (33 years young!) and things are going great with my super sweet boyfriend, who I was so lucky to find after my husband passed away 2 years ago at the age of 30. My kids are off on Spring Break so we've been doing lots of activities, library time, bike riding, etc. They return to school Monday and then we're on the countdown for our family trip to Disney! So things couldn't be much better over here!! I'm incredibly happy!

Mariel said...

I am: standing on the precipice of some long-awaited life changes. They are big and exciting, AND I've been working toward them for so long, AND they're still up in the air. I'm trying to strike the balance of preparing like mad for each scenario that could happen, and be okay with letting go of whichever ones don't come to pass. So - a lot of holding on loosely. :) Thanks for the stunning pictures and great post!

Jessica said...

We're doing okay. Things have found a steady rhythm, a daily routine... Lots of doctors appointments for Kade, squeezed around a trip to Denver for my best friends wedding.

It ebbs and it flows!

I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip, Lina. That red hair against those tones is incredible!

SmithShack71 said...

Hey woman,
I'm having a shit time finding your email.?
I came across a freelance deal and thought of you. I think you may like it. It looks to pay.
If you want, shoot me your email and I'll send you the link.
You may already do some writing for them, actually.

Anyway... Beautiful pics!

-Angie

Melina said...

@Angie-

thewildercoast@gmail.com

Thank you so much for looking out!!

Unknown said...

Spring is here... At least for today!! I am enjoying a glorious 70! Although I love a snowy and cold winter, Spring is always so refreshing!
On that note- no complaints here!

Ici said...

I also just returned from a journey. This one took me to Geneva, Switzerland to spend time w/my younger sister and her tribe. Getting to connect w/her and her kids was a gift. From playing Battleship with the nine year old, to hiking in the Alps w/the whole family in snow and 65 degree weather, to getting daily snuggles from small arms, it was wonderful! Being back in the real world of my own life is just a little sweeter from this taste of family.