summer in vermont

As I mentioned last week, my husband and I headed up to Vermont for a short, impromptu vacation in an attempt to gain back a teeny bit of the sanity we've lost over the past few weeks (looking for a house). The fresh mountain air, the divine smell of pine trees wafting in our hotel windows, the stillness and peace of empty hiking trails, and soaking in a lovely sunset over Lake Champlain up in Burlington was just what we needed. 

Church Street in Burlington, always a pleasure.

A crazy hippie playing a didgeradoo? Right up my alley!

How peaceful is this?

Lake Champlain

country home

My husband and I have finally found a home! I must say this summer has been nothing like our usual carefree summers….abundant with camping trips, Phish concerts, tons of hiking, a 1/2 dozen road trips, and a lot of lazy days. But, I think the reward of moving into our first home at the end of August (fingers crossed!) will be well worth the tedious list of tasks we've been working our way through in order to purchase a house! It will be SO amazing to finally be "home," in the quiet country and start our new life.

Here are a few photos of the outside of the house (I was debating whether or not to include the interior of the home, but decided I'll share that as we work through the projects I have in mind for every room:): 

One of my favorite parts of the home is the sunroom you can see above. It is all glass on 3 sides. I plan to turn one half into my art studio and the other half into a yoga/meditation space!

Nothing like a country backyard! It sure beats the brick buildings we've been staring at outside our windows for years.

How sweet is the grapevine-covered trellis with built-in benches? And I'm pretty excited about the two raised flower beds.

Beautiful rose bushes!

The neighborhood:) I can't count the ways this is SO different than the two city neighborhoods I've lived in for the past 6 years! Fun bonus: our house is down the street from Ray Lamontagne's house! Crazy! Also, Bill Cosby regularly eats pizza at the tiny restaurant a few buildings down (he lives 15 minutes away). 

made in vermont

Sailboat on Lake Champlain by DBroida

My husband and I decided spur-of-the-moment to drive up to Vermont for a few days. We are incredibly lucky in that Alex's aunt and uncle own a beautiful inn in Stowe (where we got married) so we are able to visit quite often. This is the first visit we've taken without talking about moving to Vermont the entire time….a cozy little fantasy we had worked out in our minds (it was in our top 3 choices for locations to move to—Vermont, Colorado or the Berkshires). Maybe at another point in our lives we'll find ourselves Vermont residents, but for now I love that we are moving so close to the border and, of course, we will forever have a special connection to the Green Mountain State given our married life began there.


In honor of Vermont, some amazing Vermont-made items from Etsy….

Pair of Fancy Nancy Mugs by Abby T Pottery

The Lion Women's Tee by New Duds

Chili Bowl Mug by Darshan Pottery

Purple Druzy Freeform Amethyst Pendant by Global Pathways

Stoneware Planter by Virginia Wyoming

White Feather Tote by New Duds

Handblown Art Glass Tumblers by Route 4 Glass

Handblown Art Glass Suncatcher by Route 4 Glass

Peonies Serving Bowl by Abby T Pottery

Vermont Maple Syrup Rustic Road Sign by Native Vermont

Now off to enjoy some mountain trails and Lake Champlain today….

remembering 7.13.03

It's a bit off-topic, but here is what is at the forefront of my mind today: It's been 8 years since I lost my (adoptive) mother—she died suddenly a few days after my 23rd birthday, which was the last day I saw her. Those last moments I spent with her are seared into my memory in a bittersweet time capsule. We had dinner with my sisters at a Mexican restaurant that day, we ate gross amounts of guacamole, we talked about an upcoming trip to Maine and whether any of us wanted to go see Legally Blonde in the theater, my mom drank a tall margarita that made her giggly. As my mom hugged me goodbye, she brushed my hair back from my face and squealed with delight over my new short haircut (it was the first time I had ever cut my very long hair in my life—10 inches to Locks of Love). Then I grumbled about feeling "old" and not wanting to turn 23. My mom grabbed my hands in hers and told me that her 20's were really great years, and her 30's were even better and her 40's were the best. She told me that all the years of a person's life are a gift and that I should cherish mine (spooky in retrospect). After a million birthday kisses on my face, she climbed into her car with my little sister. That last glance of her is still so real in my head. The summer sun was setting beyond the car as she drove away, creating a bright halo of golden light around her face….in my head she was glowing like an angel or fairy might. She waved at me until she was a speck on the horizon….and then she was gone.

The imprint she left on my life was monumental, she saved me. I know I wouldn't be the same woman I am today if I hadn't been lucky enough to have her come into my life and love me like her own blood. 

RIP Susan Dena Gottesman

April 26, 1955- July 13, 2003

a box of delight

I opened a box of new crayons the other day, and with that first sniff of fresh paraffin wax wafting up at me, I was instantly taken back to the magic of childhood, when a new box of crayons made me giggle with excitement. All those colors lined up so neatly? It just makes me excited.

I dug up some adorable crayon items from Etsy to continue my excitement. Check them out…

Crayon Art Folio PDF Pattern by ginia18

Personalized Crayon Tote by Sewplicity

 Under the Sea Seahorse Crayons by Ivy Lane Designs

Crayon Note Set by Zoetropa

Personalized Crayon Growth Chart by Single Stone Studios

Construction Vehicle Recycled Crayon Set by Hippoink 

Crayon Roll by k. davis creates

Girls Sweet Crayon Apron by Bella Divine Boutique

kripalu calling me home

My birthday was this past Saturday and I spent it up in the Berkshires at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Going to Kripalu on my birthday has been a tradition for 4 years now— it's my time to relax, revive and reflect on the past year of my life….and experience the sheer joy of being in a place that fits me so perfectly. 

When I first visited Kripalu 5 years ago, I immediately recognized how difficult and exhausting it has been for me to live in society. It could take me hours to explain that, but quite simply I have felt pressure my whole life to act a certain way, dress a certain way, have a certain job and be interested in living a life that, for me, does not work. I even felt this while living in San Francisco, a place that fit me pretty well! I suppose a great majority of this pressure is self-imposed, but I can't feel the faintest hint of it, internally or externally, when I am at Kripalu. That is what draws me there. My inner artist/yogi/natural-living freak/weirdo/hippie feels nurtured and confident in its existence. My inner critic and outside opinions lose their power.

Just two months prior to the beginning of my relationship with my now-husband, I was filling out application forms for the selfless service program (Seva) at Kripalu, which would have meant living at the center for 4 months while learning yogic philosophy, practicing yoga and meditating, and working 35 hours a week in a volunteer position. Of course, things changed when I fell in love with my husband so I never mailed in the application. I don't for a second regret that decision, but it has formed an imaginary fork in the road in my head that once in a great while leaves me wondering where that experience would have taken me. More often though, I find myself contemplating my actual life and how to find a balance between that and the counter-culture existence I've always been drawn toward. I think this through every year on my birthday as I gaze out across the hills of the Berkshires, soaking in the glory of every pine tree and every glimmer of sunshine off the lake below. And every year I find myself closer to my true self, which is a good sign! This year I have the added peace of knowing that I am actually moving to the Berkshires next month (although my new town is about 40 minutes from Kripalu, but has the same landscape at these photos). 

Not a shabby place to eat breakfast.

The main building looks so drab and parochial, but it is the most welcoming sight to me. 

The perfect necklace for me (thanks hubby!): a hamsa pendant, which is said to protect the wearer from negative energy, warding off bad thoughts, while harnessing positive energy.

painting with lila

I had the great pleasure of partaking in a 2-hour painting session with my angelic little niece Lila this past weekend. It's interesting how much I feel like I have in common with Lila, also born under the sign of Cancer, though she is just barely 3 years old. But, I really do!

I had a suspicion my fellow Cancer might enjoy painting, and I was right! We ended up collaborating on one piece, which her mother (my sister-in-law) put the final touches on. I had an old canvas that I had painted a base layer on long ago for a painting I never finished, and later had used as a practice board for my paint pens….so this became the base for our collaborative painting. Lila also produced her first solo canvas painting, something I suspect she will look back on fondly someday (you know, when she's a flourishing artist;). 

I must say, painting with a 3-year old while talking about all the things in the world that we find "pretty" for 2 hours really infused my own art practice with some new energy. It was also quite a powerful experience to watch my sister pick up a paintbrush for the first time since she was a teenager. As she put it, she had goosebumps all over her as she felt the brush hit the canvas. Watching the smiles on both her and her daughter's faces proved to me once again that art heals.

{I apologize for the blurry, not-so-great photos. We were painting at night, in a very dark room}

Lila's solo piece:

I knew Lila was hooked on art when I awoke the next morning to find her lurking outside my bedroom door. The minute she saw me her face lit up and she exclaimed "I want to paint!" So….we had a quick morning watercolor session over breakfast. How precious is she twirling her hair in her fingers?