Category: Life

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Valleys Run through the Mountains

Life can be such an off-balance mix of highs and lows, beautiful moments and heartbreaking ones all scrambled together.

A week ago, I was feeling a little sunburned from an Easter picnic with my cousins. I was checking in with my mom about RSVPs for her and my dad’s fast-approaching 60th birthday celebration. I was also helping my brother and sister-in-law in Seattle plan to come into town secretly and make a surprise appearance at the party. I was getting ready for our Anaheim trip.

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Then, Thursday evening, I got a text that made the world stop. My cousin was in the ICU, and it didn’t look like she’d make it. My mom picked me up on the way to the hospital, and we joined the family that was already there, hugging and crying and saying goodbye. She passed later that night. It feels heavy and unjust and unreal. 

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She had already let her adult children know her wishes, including the fact she didn’t want her memorial service to be gloomy. Everyone is supposed to wear purple. Since it’s not scheduled for this week, we decided to go ahead with our convention plans. Not going wouldn’t bring her back, and a change of scenery could be really good right now.

So we’ll go – with these heavy hearts, this mix of emotions – to just outside the happiest place on earth.  

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Microblog Mondays

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Let’s talk about what we’re not doing for the holidays

I had had this idea of asking you all what you were making this year. But the danger in those kind of discussions is sometimes a comparisonfest can break out. I want to celebrate people doing what works for them rather than feeling like there’s something more they should be doing.

christmas-fort-3

Instead, I’m asking a different question: how are you cutting yourself some slack this holiday season?

Please share in the comments!

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Microblog_Mondays

Microblog Mondays: Don’t overthink it. Just write something. And then read Stirrup Queens.

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Each day a GIF

I tried out this free app called GIFmojo that puts the still photos on your camera roll together into animated GIFs.

You might remember seeing a couple of these (one of going under the Golden Gate Bridge and one of our food tour) in my San Francisco trip wrap-up post.

Here’s one of the Bay Bridge.

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Don’t remember why I decided to give the app a try, but it was surprisingly addictive.

I GIF’d some photos from our anniversary trip.

Photo Oct 30, 7 19 03 AM

 

 

Photo Oct 30, 7 16 31 AM

And some from last month’s CraftHack mask-making project.

It’s like watching the whole event in a few seconds.

Photo Nov 03, 1 03 40 PM

Here’s Anne photobombing Vesna.

Photo Oct 30, 7 21 56 AM

 

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Microblog_Mondays

Microblog Mondays: we’re bringing blogging back.

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Halloween when you don’t really care about Halloween

I’m just not that into Halloween. Candy, costumes, and everything pumpkin flavored? Yes. Things that are scary or disgusting? Nope.

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So when I realized that Phillip had class that evening and the DVD I had on hold from the library was available, I decided a night in sounded pretty good.

(In case you’re wondering, DVD = Season 1 of Girls. Because I can’t handle another intriguing public radio interview with Lena Dunham without actually watching the show. You win, Terry Gross.)

As I write this part on Friday morning, this is the plan for the evening:

And how did that work out?

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Really well, actually.

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Microblog_Mondays

Microblog Mondays: we’re bringing blogging back.

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