Happy Birthday Jerry!

Happy Birthday Papa! Love you xo Max!

Minneapolis - Day 3 and then we are off to Santa Rosa!

 On the third day in Minneapolis - they took me to Izzy's Ice Cream. I decided to eat everything I normally don't eat - and this day was no exception. I normally refrain from wheat, dairy and sugar....however I must admit that the latte ice cream was worth it. And on top I had a taste of chai ice cream. Um...holy dairy and sugar products! That was tasty. And I ate it in a waffle cone. Yes. Indulged.

 Just before I headed to the airport - Amy and I took her two kids across the street to a Buddhist temple. They were having a day of healing and meditation. When we walked in we couldn't believe it. On the outside - it just looks like another house on the block. then you step inside and BAM! High ceilings and a large room filled with GORGEOUS Statues and Relics.

 The Man Sitting in the chair is a Monk who left Tibet with the Dalai Lama. He was offering blessings or healings ( not sure what they call them ) so we went - and I must say when I sat in front of him and he placed his hands on my head - I actually felt the energy. It vibrated and was so clearly healing energy. I have only felt that one other time and that's with Miguel Ruiz. It was so incredible.

 There's Iris and Vera getting their turn.

 And Amy. And while we were having this experience with the Monk...My husband and Max were having a totally different kind of experience but by the looks of it - it produced a similar effect!

 They were at the Utah State Fair ! This was on the Merry Go Round. weeeeee!!!!!

 So - I hate to fly. I get all sorts of uncomfortable when the plane has ANY turbulence whatsoever. And this gal sitting next to me held my hand and we both helped each other through any bumps along the way. SO sweet of her. We talked the entire way home, Exchanged facebook info and e-mails. A new friend in Utah.

My first morning home I took this panoramic with an app called DarManDar on my iPhone. I love it. Thanks to Amy's husband for telling me about it! This is what I see every morning when I feel Max his breakfast. I love our open floor plan and all that light coming in. And I love being back with my family!

My first day home was so fun just getting back to simple abundance of the everyday moments. Sitting out on our driveway while Max plays with his car. Seems so perfect. And I miss Amy. I miss her all the time. I've missed her since our days back in Minneapolis when we lived together and she decided to move to San Francisco. We've never lived int he same city at the same time again. I cannot wait to go back to Minneapolis again to see her and her family. I love all of them.

I got back on Sunday night - and then on Friday we all packed up and went to Santa Rosa, California for my cousin Andy's wedding. I'll post those photos soon!

xoxox *c

Minneapolis Day 2

Day 2 in Minneapolis - Power lounging with Amy - we watched 1/2 of the Sex in the City movie ( the first one ) with a giant bowl of popcorn covered in earth balance and sea salt. I couldn't stop eating it. Vera - Joined us and I couldn't help but play around with my iPhone and some goofy portraits. Then Sean, Amy's husband got in on it. It was pretty hilarious actually.

In the afternoon Amy and I went to the Creative Connection to go to a Panel that was moderated by Beth Nicholls. And Kelly Rae Roberts was on the panel! HAD TO GO! I took Beth Nicholls Do What You Love eCourse and it was incredible. I interviewed her for my Soul*Full eCourse. She was so fun to talk with, but meeting her in person. I was over the moon. She lives in the UK so the chance to meet her was really unique. And Kelly Rae! Are you kidding? I'm a huge fan. I took her flying lessons eCourse, and own a few of her things in my home.

Kelly Rae Roberts

Beth Nicholls

And - we had no idea that Curly Girl was going to be on the panel! But she is one of Amy's all time favorites as well! YAY! What a great surprise.

AMy's husband Sean taught me about 2 apps for my iPhone that I didn't know existed. One is called DerManDar - and creates panoramics like this one above that I took sitting at the table at their house. The other one is called Camera +. Both I used for the photos on this blog post. They are incredible. Check them out.

What a great day it was!! Loved hanging out with Amy - we often kid each other on the phone for the other one to "GET OVER HERE" and we come up with dream plans if we could see each other. One of course is to just lay in bed and watch movies so it was great to actualize it. The weather was cold and rainy so it made it even more perfect for that kind of lounging. And going to the Creative Connection was over the top mainly because I had no clue it was happening the same weekend I just happen to be in town - so you can imagine my thrill when I found out!! Amy is the only friend really that would want to go to something like that with me so it was icing on the cake to have her there when I went up to introduce myself to Kelly Rae and Beth Nicholls.

Tomorrow - the final post of my Minneapolis adventure. Stay tuned - you really won't believe what happened on the third day!

xo
*c

Minneapolis - Day 1

Me and Amy Friday Sept 16th - My first day in Minneapolis. I visited with Amy for a while and we headed out for lunch at one of our favorite places called Birchwood Cafe! GO THERE if you live in Mpls. You will not be disappointed.

That night I was off to the Self Revealed Art Opening. Curated by the incredible Doug Beasley. It was like coming home for me. Seeing people I haven't seen in years, being in a city I lived in for 8 years. It just felt like.....ME. Like the "me" that is rooted in creativity and personal growth. It all started in Minneapolis.

 A few photos with Doug - Above being corny! And there we are with Tom BeBiaso, who is Amy's step dad, but also was the Media Arts Chair at MCAD when I went to school there. I adore him. I was touched he and his wife Laura ( Amy's mom ) stopped by.

 Doug and Donna - I just met Donna at the opening. She is beautiful isn't she?

 Who is this with Doug? I don't know - but when I saw his face - I thought - " I need a photograph of HIM" I think he is beautiful.

 I met this gorgeous gal at the opening. She had a photograph in the show as well. We had a lot to talk about and lots in common. SO great to meet kindred spirits.

 There's my photograph called "Nest". It was amazing to see it up. My photograph was hung right next to one of my favorite photographers Linda Rossi. In College she was my photo one instructor. I wanted to BE HER when I grew up. And here I am having my photograph up next to hers. It was incredible for me on many levels. I was honored.

 PAT! We haven't seen each other since 1994 ( we are guessing ). Somewhere in the mid 90's. It felt like no time had passed. We talked for hours. After the opening we stood outside and talked even more. He was one of my very first friends when I moved to Minneapolis. He actually has a very large version of the "nest" photo in his house from way back then. I got to meet his lovely wife Ellen at the opening

 Here we are together. They have 2 children together. I've seen them on Facebook, but next time I'm in town I plan on meeting them. Dear souls these two humans are. So GRATEFUL I was able to see them on this trip.

 Some of the photographs in the show.

 ok That large self portrait doesn't look right in this photo - I mean what I did to it in instragram makes it look blown out on his forehead and it doesn't look like that in real life. You must go see this show. The art is incredible.

Clearly Doug has a few friends! This opening was PACKED the entire evening. After the opening a handful of us joined Doug for dinner. It was so nice to just sit and get to know more about his friends. The trip was so fast - I was there Friday - Sunday - that I didn't get another chance to see Doug. So many reasons to head back there - SOON! I so love it. The rich culture, the creativity - so much to see and do there. People that I feel so deeply connected with. I miss it. I don't miss the freezing cold Winters and the humid Summers...but I miss the warm souls that make me feel like I am home.


I'll post day 2 tomorrow......
xo
*c

SO much to tell you from my trip to Minneapolis. And SO many photos! I got home around midnight last night and have been on my full time Mama duty ever since. The best I've done today is actually unpack everything and put it away or toss into the laundry basket - which usually NEVER happens. I leave it in the luggage for DAYS. Hey... a girl can change!
Until I get a moment to download the photos to post them for you - I'd love to share something I just found out about.

It's called The Salty Streets Flea Market. HOORAY! I'm so excited to find out about this. And yesiree you can bet you will find me there.


http://saltystreets.blogspot.com/

I'm on a mission to find more of "my people" here. Going back to Minneapolis reminded me of the amazing friends I have there who are all creative, introspective, groovy, against the grain, intellectual, highly crafty and talented, spiritually minded, or fabulously rebellious in a not so harmful way, etc etc. I actually NEED that. I need my tribe. I actually have an amazing tribe already established here in AA and also in the Down syndrome community and I am so grateful for them! Hello Friends! - and now I need to find my creative tribe. Hello? Salt Lake City? Where are you??
So I'm snooping around online - looking at the art classes in town, The printmaking and photography courses, galleries, communities that I can plug into.

If you know of what I speak - Please comment below and send links!

A re-cap of the big Minneapolis Adventure will come soon!

And YES I met Kelly Rae Roberts and Beth Nicholls ! And YES I had a Buddhist scarf blessed by a monk who left Tibet with the Dalai Lama......curious for more??? Stay Tuned!

xo
*c

Source: flickr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I'm in Minneapolis over at Amy's house and we are fooling around with Pinterest.com. What an AMAZING website. I found this photo and gasped. Isn't it GORGEOUS! The lighting is just right and the colors are so rich and vibrant. Inspiring me. Both of us are laying on her bed - we both have our laptops...on our laps - and we are finding inspiration every where.

Packing up for Mpls!

I'm really excited to get back to Minneapolis. It feels like I haven't been there in a Bazillion years. The best part is seeing my friend Amy. Amy has Hodgkins Lymphoma. Even though my dad is a cancer and blood Doctor, ( Oncology and Hematology ) I still have more to learn about what that is. But I do know this:
Amy is pretty damn courageous. She has Chemo every other Thursday. And is pumped up with a ton of steroids and other medications to combat all the side effects. Yep - Lost her hair. She actually looks incredible without hair! She throws on big hoop earrings and looks pretty bad ass.
So this trip was planned so that I could see her, and when I found out that one of my photographs was selected in the Self Revealed Photography Show - I decided that I should plan my trip the same weekend so I could see her and actually show up at the opening.
But right now - I'm packing - It's 11:15pm and I'm almost done - and - I get to wake up at 4am and leave the house at 4:30am to head to the airport. It's the first time I'm going to be away from Max. EVER. I mean - I JUST started to leave Max with his Grandma for up to 2 hours. But that's when I am still in town and not too far away. THIS is a big deal. This is AWAY. F.a.r. Jerry took the day off to be with Max tomorrow and through the weekend. I know Max will be fine. He has an ear infection and is on his antibiotics now so I'm sure he will get more sleep now which is good for everyone involved. When we were laying down at bed time and he snuggled up to me and held on to my ear like he always does ( as if it's the corner of a blanket ), I got emotional. I want to put him in my pocket and take him with me. I want to curl up with him each night like we always do. I want to see him smile at me and give me kisses. I will be grateful to not be schlepping the car seat, stroller, diaper bag, toddler, bottles, snacks, toddler luggage, etc on my journey solo. But I will miss him desperately. Amy left her daughter in Mpls when Jerry and I got married. Amy was VERY pregnant. It was a BIG deal for her to come out and leave her daughter home with the Grandparents. It is amazing the things we will do for each other. Leaving your child at home doesn't seem like a big deal - unless you are a parent! We've been friends since college. Roommates after college. Pen pals for a gazillion years, and favorite friends to call and talk about art, creativity, family, marriage, our parents, life, love and the pursuit of happiness. I'm so so glad that I will be there solo so that I can just BE with Amy and not be split focused. And I will miss my baby Max. But worth it for this trip! And good for Max too! I am ALWAYS with him! ok - Must. Go. Finish. Packing.
xo
*c

Buddy Walk and Hebrew School!

This weekend was the Utah State Buddy Walk. It was incredible. Not only because the event was really geared toward the kids and there were a lot of things for the kids to do. ie: a train ride, a bouncy thing, lots of booths with games like at a fairground, and then........there's RACHEL COLEMAN and SIGNING TIME! We got there early - because Rachel Coleman has a facebook page and we were talking back and forth about her schedule. We joined her Signing Time team, and knew she was going to be there at 9am for her sound check. Jerry and I felt like this was the most important day in Max's life! He LOVES her. He watches her dvd's every day several times a day and when he wakes up crying at night - guess what soothes him?? Signing Time Dvd's. During this photo above we had JUST met her and Max was like "WHAT????" " HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE"! "I DON'T GET IT!!!" But when she started her performance on stage - we made sure to be right in front and he flipped out! He was so happy. Here is the first video I took when she started to sing. He is actually signing to almost all of it. When you see him moving his middle finger back and forth, that's his sign for "play". I love that he has his arm up in the air like we would at a concert! It's partly his sign for rainbow - but I think also his excitement at seeing his favorite human. I should say favorite humans because her daughter Leah was there and her nephew Alex was as well. Incredible. Jerry and I were emotional. On top of that we got to see lots of our friends from the Down syndrome community who I am so fond of. Kristin, Kecia, Jodi, Darla, Heather, Brooke, Phil and all of their kids! Do I have photos of them? ummmmm......( this photographer is sad to say that NO I don't. ) I do have one photo of Max and his friend Max right before the actual walk started but then we had to download all of the photos off of my iphone and poof. gone. so lets' just pretend I didn't totally blow it at the buddy walk and move right along...... the next day was his first day of Hebrew School at the Jewish Temple near us. YES there are Jews that live in Salt Lake City. Lots of them. There are several Jewish Temples in town and one in Park City. The first day was a celebration of Noah's ark, they dressed up in costume, and brought in real animals.....like a CAMEL. BEST day of Hebrew School I have ever seen in my life. Camel Petting zoo Max is the youngest in the class. They don't care if he wanders and guess what? Max doesn't sit still. Ever. He was walking all over the school/Temple. The gal who suggested we sign up told us that they brought their daughter early and it took her being in the same class for two years to get comfortable with the idea of school, sitting still, being involved etc. So that's probably what we are going to do. I must admit - I'm not used to hearing the word "LORD" sung in Hebrew School, but whatever. I really like the Temple. It's very warm, inviting, pretty, and I enjoy who've we've met there. I plan to take adult classes there. I want to learn Hebrew. Jerry and I feel a little bit different this morning. Lots happened over the weekend that was what I would consider epic. Rachel Coleman? A Camel? Hebrew songs? Oh and we ran into Greg Kogan. The friend of ours who has Ds who is a certified preschool assistant - he works at the Hebrew School. So great to have that connection and see him in action.

** The Soul*Full eCourse is Filling Up! If you are still interested it's time to sign up. Here is the link

Happy Monday! xo *c

9/11/11

Just visited Girls Gone Child and LOVED the video she posted there so I'm posting it here. No words today. Just song.

don Jose Ruiz

 On August 30th, my friend Jose Ruiz was in town giving a lecture and booksigning. I was so excited to see him and hear him speak. When I got there I noticed this poster. The photo of Jose on the poster is one that I took of him! It made my heart flip a bit to see it.

 

Here I am with Jose - doing my best to take a photo of the two of us with my iphone. 

 I asked him to sign two of his books for me so that I can give one away here on my blog in a giveaway day! Stay tuned for that one....The Fifth Agreement is a GREAT book if you haven't already read it.

Here he is with his lovely Tammy. She helped run the event and made it all go smoothly.
I'm scheduling a video interview with Jose in the next few weeks. I'm really excited to sit down and chat and ask him some questions. He was such a great speaker - and had a brilliant message that was entirely his, and not just a bi-product of his father's message. Most of you know that Miguel Ruiz was my Spiritual teacher for many years - and his son Jose was a friend of mine during that time. Jose has really come into his own power. It's incredible to witness the transformation. I hope you all get a chance to hear him speak and read his book. I asked if he would start a group here in Utah and he says he is considering it next year. Oh I do hope that happens!

Miguel Ruiz was kind enough to do a video interview with me  for my upcoming Soul*Full eCourse and I plan to incorporate Jose's interview into the next session.

Space is filling up for the eCourse and I'm so excited about who is signing up! Lots of people I already know and some I cannot wait to meet!!!

My son Max has never really seen his mama so focused on her own creative pursuits.

Creating this eCourse has felt very similar to creating a new body of work. I feel wired, excited, obsessed, focused and a bit high off of it!My son probably thinks I'm a nut! I bought an art easel at Ikea so that we could start painting, drawing and using chalk together. So far all he wants to do is throw the chalk after I write "I Love Max" on the chalk board. I guess we all have different ways to express ourselves right?

xo
*c

A Summer of Naps!

The last nap photo I posted here was August 3rd! I need to catch up! here are the rest of the August Nap photos. Looking over these just makes my heart sing. I LOVE how he cuddles with me. Thankful for the iPhone and how easy it is to take these shots right when he falls asleep without moving much on my part. Just closing my eyes and snapping the pic. I wonder how long Max will take these afternoon naps before he decides that staying up all day long is more fun. I take these nap photos because I know this time will end and naps will be a thing of the past. I will miss the cuddling. I will miss the sweetness. I will miss the big chunk of afternoon time to cuddle. I will miss how little he is and I want to document such a sweet time in his life and in my life....ok Max is letting me know that he wants to go swing in the backyard ( using his sign language ) so I must post these quick and get back to mamahood! here you go.....

 August 4th, 1:02pm

 August 5th, 1:40pm

 August 8th, 12:37pm

 August 9th, 1:57pm

 August 9th, 1:57pm

 August 9th 1:57pm

 August 11th, 2:38

 August 12th, 3:22pm

 August 12th, 3:24pm

 August 12th, 4:09pm

 August 16th, 3:29pm

 August 17th, 12:25pm

 August 18th, 11:19am my sobriety date - look at the gifts Sobriety gives to me! M.A.X !!!!

 August 18th, 11:21am

 August 19th, 11:18am

 August 20th, 11:33am after his swim lesson at Cottonwood Heights Rec Center.

 August 22nd, 1:25pm after his first Dentist appointment

 August 23rd, 12:01pm after our first playgroup at our house. It was hard for him. Too much noise.

 August 24th, 12:00noon last day of Summer music class

 August 25th, 11:00am

 August 26th, 11:46am

 August 29th, 11:46am

 August 30th, 12:11pm, after a wagon ride at Wheeler Farm

August 31st, 12:40pm after a trip to the Discovery Center

Looking forward to September naps - when the temp cools down and I can open the window and let the breeze roll in. I LOVE naps with windows open and my baby cuddling!
Happy day everyone...I'm off to push Max in his swing.
xo
*c