14 July 2009

still life before the storm


this is how my saturday felt idaho feels sometimes. still and simple.

saturday was full of goodness. dan biked a hundred miles. benj and i palled around. we all celebrated with shaved ice. mango + coconut to start the summer off. then we took a farmroad drive while the boy napped (was happy to have my camera along), nestled in for a good read, purchased pink polish (i can always find something else to buy at Target) and enjoyed a bowl of tortilla soup (am still loving everything with cilantro). i picked up a pile of new mags at barnes & noble and sifted through each one at a lovely little round table. i walked out empty handed with a brain full of mush. marvelous mush. ideas upon ideas galore. the nice thing about living in a small town is, there aren't too many options for a saturday night. which i am coming to appreciate. little did i know, these skies would well up and burst with a theatrical electrical storm late into the night, just to turn up the juice in said small town. it was quite a show.

other things on my mind.

01. first thing's first, the lucky winner of the pretty pouch is julia. congrats!! please email me your shipping address and such. i thoroughly enjoyed reading how so many of us are carrying burt's bees, lip gloss and regular ol' chapstick in our clutches. hooray for smoochable lips.

02. and a big thank you to those who purchased a li'l something at the sidewalk sale yesterday. your goodies will be shipped out today along with some sweet scalloped gift tags.

03. on another note, i am in the middle of three very good reads. each of them are highlighter worthy and poolside friendly. contentment by maria covey cole (uplifting and inspiring), daring to be yourself by alexandra stoddard (i devour her books, her love for loveliness reminds me of my mother), the recent issue of cookie magazine (an endless resource of great ideas) and i just checked out this book, have found it intriguing too. am hoping to finish it while in sun valley this weekend.

04. i like reading books for a lot of reasons. because reading opens my eyes to new things, it makes me realize i'm not so different, makes me feel like i belong, makes me feel like the world is a big, great place, makes me feel empathetic, makes me aware of situations i've never heard of before, all in all reading makes me want to be a newer, better, greater person. while simultaneously reminding me (ever so kindly) of words i should add to my blogging vocabulary. such as auspicious. or bemusing. or the phrase phonetically correct. lets just say when i read i realize there are a lot of ways i could be pushing myself more. a lot of things out there to do, to dream, to learn. which brings me to number five.

05. to make a long story short, i've been enrolled in this fantastic 8-week online e-course: unravelling by susannah conway, who lives in england. (what could be more charming than my new life guru living in the historic town of bath, england? i can only say her locale aloud with a british accent. because indeed, everything is more floral, more dewy, more dainty, so twee and full of lush hillsides and pretty words and pretty people and romanticness and subtle gestures and expressive characters and lacy charm in england. no wonder this woman is full of good ideas. i hope this wanderlust will rub off on me.) her course is all about seeking the self and finding out what's inside and what type of art, photographs, ideas, etc. come out while looking inwards. as fate would have it, i happened upon this workshop simply by winning a giveaway (talk about a big hip hip). auspicious signs all about. and now i'm enthralled and ultimately so happy to be a part of a creative group. i'll be sharing some of the things i work on as i trudge through and attempt to pull my heart out and pin it to my sleeve. and as of yesterday, you can take a peek at my current photos via my new flickr page which will be flooded with images these next 8 weeks.

06. am headed to pack and re-pack and then cross off my list of packed items. it's true, i'm really like that. i should have this process memorized by now. i ought to get a medal for all the times i've packed for a weekend getaway. am thanking heavens am only packing for one little one at the moment. sooner or later i'll be rolling dozens of socks and finding a billion shoes and three hundred toothbrushes. not really, but someday it might seem that way. therefore i'm enjoying the simplicity in taking one babe and one husband and running for the hills in one car with one trunk loaded with a billion things that we may or may not need.

13 comments:

Johanna said...

yum, that shaved ice looks divine!

No Big Dill said...

Love this post. I just got away this past weekend, and packed for myself and the baby babe instead of for 7. Yes, enjoy the simplicity of one, but look forward to the adventures of multiple littles.

Also, loved the trucks shot.

Melissa A said...

I've been waiting to take that unravelling class this fall. I'll have to take a look at your flickr page to see what your up to. Sounds like a really inspiring class.

ALFIE said...

looks like a lovely lovely weekend, marta. lazy summer weekends are the best!

Dawn said...

I love your description of England. Can't wait to hear how the 8-week workshop goes!

Jessica said...

That is exactly how I feel about reading. Like the best parts of all the world's experience is available for your pleasure.

Anonymous said...

lovely photos! still and simple is always a good feeling ... especially when life is chaotic!

I (finally) got around to writing those last Write Club prompts. They were very deep and I loved them. Thank you for them, I appreciate it (and needed them!)

{amy k.} said...

so jealous of that shaved ice..... oh yum!

That truck picture is awesome, I love it.

And I read "eat, pray, love" and I enjoyed. You explained so well how I feel when I read books... I want to adventure more, be more daring, go out and live more fully.... I'll have to check out the other books you're reading now.

That class sounds awesome. I looked into, it's full now until autumn and winter. Do you know how much it cost?

Mikaela said...

Beautiful pictures & post!
I too live in Idaho & when I first came up here to go to BYUI I hated it.
But I have really come to love the "stillness & simpleness" of it like you described. Idaho really is s pretty place.
Oh & going to Barnes & Noble and reading through magazines is one of my favorite things to do!

Louise said...

I loved this post - you express yourself beautifully and inspire me with how much can be gained from simple pleasures. I live a two hour drive from Bath and you would absolutely 100% completely adore it! If you ever have the opportunity to come to England, promise you will put Bath on your list - not such a simple thing to do, but you will be inspired!

Ali said...

Have you ever read Sarah Ban Breathnache's Simple Abundance and Romancing the Ordinary? They are two of my very favorite books about finding yourself. Must read. I once heard that they went out of print, but they're always at D.I., so look there!

I'm excited to try Daring to Be Yourself!

summer said...

i breathed a sigh of contentment while reading this post. indeed, it's been too long since i've sat down with m.writes and read my little heart out. it feels so good to be back. and i adore posts like this, where you just spill what's on your mind into little pools of awesome writing. love it. hooray for lists that morph into mini diary entries. you are the queen of this feat.

ps. i am jazzed to hear some book reviews in the near future.

Hil said...

I'm so sad I missed your sidewalk sale!

Seeing these pictures really make me grateful to live where I do. Idaho is beautiful country. I fall more and more in love with the small town life each day.

I also see you tried the tropical sno shack...so good right?

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