Tag Archives: vacation

beauty queen birthday.

11 Sep

 

Maisey Sue turned six this week! I cannot believe she is six. years. old. I know parents always say that, but it really does blow my mind. We celebrated with Mac N Cheese, Strawberries, and Lemonade. She was so understanding of postponing her birthday date with Dad and Mom until Daddy has a working leg. I was so amazed at her understanding of waiting for her special day out. 

 

At six Maisey is all costumes and make-up and crafts. She loves pink. She loves princesses and she loves music.
This summer when Auntie was here babysitting she gave the girls a photoshoot! These were some of the lovely photographs of Maisey. A few months back she discovered this in the newspaper:

She was fascinated at how these girls {her same size!} were princesses. Watch out, we may have a reality show in our future: “Child Beauty Queens with Boho Mama’s”.

Until then, she requested for her birthday date to include ‘shopping for a very, very, fancy dress.’

We will see what we can do:)

Happy Birthday Maisey Sue- you are a delight!

Tags: , , , , ,

happy ice to-go.

2 Sep

 

Happy weekend, friends. I needed a mid-three-day-week-end-pick-me-up, so here are a few more shots from Jamaica.

And they couldn’t be more appropriate. Because our household has been on 24/7 Jer watch since he sustained a pretty terrible leg beating this past week. After one night in the ER (no brakes, fractures or clots) our minds were cleared of the worst- but he has an entire leg hematoma. And crutches. And stuck on the couch instead of the sunshine. We are keeping fingers crossed that he will be feeling a *bit* better soon, since school starts this coming week.

I saved you from some pretty rough photos and am spreading the love, instead, with smiles and sunshine and happy ice to-go.

 

Tags: , , , , ,

the last week-ish.

14 Aug

The summer is flying by and it is pretty much breaking my heart. This past week-ish was crazy-good and crazy-full and I have decided to stay at home all.week.long. to recover. You now how that goes, don’t you?

-Jerbear and I took Moses to Card Kingdom in Seattle for his 8th birthday gift. It was Magic. Seriously so. much. fun.{this may be because we are super into gaming}

-I spent Sunday doing writing sprints for 1 2 3 4 hours. This is where I meet up with my writing girls and we write hard for 45 minutes and then take 15 minutes to breathe. Very fun!

-Then I cleaned like a lunatic because my dear friend Pamela {friends since 8th grade, people!}was flying in from San Francisco on Monday for 7 days! So exciting, but it also meant, you know, that I needed to clean the bathroom.

-We drank coffee till noon then switched to wine at about 6 everyday. I’m not sure what we did in between.

-Well, I guess we sometimes drank beer in between.

-And then Wednesday, 8/8 was Moses’ officially 8th {golden!} birthday! Pamela got him the Pokemon card.

-Doesn’t get much better than that!

-And here is where Maisey took a picture before she threw up everywhere, like, 5 minutes later.

-And then it went from 1 who threw up to 2 3 4 who threw up daily for the next four days. Fun!

-So Jerbear and I decided to celebrate our anniversary {11!}at home to avoid making Pamela deal with vomit.

-I was given these lovely flowers and super good thai takeout.

-We are really fancy

-Then Pamela and I took the kids to my parents where they celebrated Grandpa’s birthday{!},played, threw-up {more.}, went to a music festival and did a 75 foot slip-n-slide!

-Lucky kids, right?

-Pamela and I exchanged the mini-van for my Mom’s Prias and headed to Portland to play with my sister who just moved down to the best west coast city. {yes, I am a *bit* jealous!}

-We ate amazing raw food, went to Powell’s, and had tacos.

-We went to stores with weird stuff for sale:

-We also got sister tattoo’s!

-Some people thought they were a joke but we think they are awesome.amazing.beautful.true.perfect.us. and a treasure for always.

 

-After that Pamela and I hopped into the car, grabbed Jerbear, and headed to Julie’s 30th Birthday party. But somehow I have no pictures:(

-Yesterday Pamela and I went through 1 2 3 4 5 dressers of clothing and did all the laundry and sorted out everything that was super stained and gross, too small or redundant and pared the kids clothes wayyyyy down. We even bagged 1 2 3 4 bags for the Goodwill!

-She’s a good friend, right?

-I was very sad to say good-bye, but I am sure she will be okay because a week of vomit isn’t as cool as, you know, a week with-OUT vomit. Generally speaking, of course.

-And I read the book Penelope by Rebecca Harrington.

-It’s about a freshman girl, Penelope, at Harvard and it is the funniest book I have ever read. It is seriously funny people.

What did you do this week?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

books i read this month.

30 Jul

I have put much of my reading aside for the past few months as I was working to complete my manuscript. It is hard for me to focus on different stories when I am so absorbed in my own characters. I feel like the moments I devote to strangers I am taking away from the people who need me. The little people who live in pages that I am trying to bring to life!

I finished my work in progress just in time for summer vacation! I didn’t want to jump into another writing project yet. I still had edits to do (never-ending!), that don’t let me use my brain in the creative way writing does. But reading? I knew it would be the very thing to get me through a month-long edit-sesh!

I had so much fun with the books I read. At one point during vacation I was in Powell’s bookstore with my friend Julie. We were looking for grown up books. You know, not young adult fiction? And I bought one large tome but I only got through 20 pages—don’t be disappointed in me Julie!

But I did get through:

 

 

 

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book is harrowing and heartbreaking and a very important book for teen girls (and anyone who wants to understand them better).

 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Okay, this was so wonderful! I cried and cried and cried. And maybe it was because I was on vacation without my husband, at my in-laws, and a bit more emotional than normal—but it was such a wonderfully spun story in a gorgeous island setting. This is a super high recommend!

Monster  by Walter Dean Myers

This book is as timely as ever: 16-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for the fatal shooting of a convenience store owner. It is written in such a unique way. It is such an important story and on such an important topic. I challenge you to read it.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

and then I quickly read the next book in the trilogy,

Insurgent by Veronica Roth.

I loved these. Loved them. Stayed up all night reading them. Forced my husband to read them. Like I stole the Game of Thrones book he was reading and forced this upon him. Did I mention I like it? I favor it over the Hunger Games (I adore the love story Roth has created!). Read it and we can gush together!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

There is a reason this book is so well loved. It is a great coming of age story set in 1991. It is real. It is tragic. It is Catcher in the Rye for todays teens.

Matched by Allie Condle

The concept is great: A dystopian story where everyone is ‘matched’ with their mate and then must become the good citizens they are required to be. Unless you want to challenge the system, unless you want to make your own choices and fall in love. Swoon, right!? I am a sucker for this kinda story and was not disappointed! Very fun!

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Well, this story had me at Sister Wives, and a ya dystopian to boot? I was sold. In the future, every male dies at 25, every woman at 20. Orphans, viruses and a rush to find the cure before the population dies. Throw in a decadent mansion, 3 teen brides who fight for freedom, opulent parties and forbidden love. Yep, loved it.

Ok. So you can clearly see that I adore stories and am an easy reader. I like to like stories. I want to fall in love with characters and I have to really be upset to not root for a story. There have been times I have thrown a book across the room, don’t get me wrong. I have even ripped a few in half and thrown them away.

But not this month. This month I was so happy with the titles I read. It made for very fun beach reading and car reading and late night reading.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

the ocean.

30 Jul

12 days away with your man and your kids does something good for your soul.

It fills you up and reminds you of the good.

The very. very. good. stuff goin’ on all around me.

Somehow the weather was perfect. The entire time. And if you know the Oregon Coast you know that is a tricky thing to serve up. But it held.

The blue skies held us and the soft sand held us and the smiles we shared held us

up.

So high.

And we flew the kites that had been tucked away for a long time. Tucked away in our hearts. Because sometimes you need a little time with the people most dear to feel Brave enough to fly them high.

And I did.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

jamaica mon.

21 Jul

There were views like this:

 

And birds like this:

 

 

And beds like this:

 

 

And friends like this:

 

 

And this:

 

 

And this:

And smiles like this:We had a blast. It was 8 days in paradise with my baby daddy and 3 other couples who I adore. Vacationing with friends is fun, it turns out.

And it isn’t just because we are all fans of the Bacholerette  (who happened to clear out an entire game room at the resort to watch Monday nights episode together). No not us. That would be lame. Or would it?

Because it also means we were eight people who could laugh at ourselves, who could make a joke out of most anything and who could sing karaoke at the top of our lungs.

The pictures here  don’t capture everything (most our on my desktop at home, I am in Lincoln City , OR right now with the family). But no picture really could. Because most of the best moments never make it to a camera. Most live in our hearts.

My heart is full.

xoxo

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

love & sunshine & the in-laws.

8 Jul

All year the plan had been for Jer-bear to end work and the whole family pack up and head east about 5 hours to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Plans changed when he was appointed Principal at the Junior High he has been V.P. at for the past three years. We were all so proud!

Of course that also meant I would be flying solo as Jer-bear needed to stay at work an extra week before he could begin summer break. Luckily, I love my in-laws and was very excited to sit at their pool for a week! And read books and have someone else do the dishes and, and, and…because they truly have hearts that are bent towards serving others.

We loaded the car and the kiddos quickly settled into laps and found hands to hold.

The kids smiled for a week straight. It was good.

They were so sad to leave, Moses was in bed the last night telling me, “I just feel like I want to cry, having to leave is just so sad.” I love that he is expressing himself, his feelings. If I preach one thing I think that is it!

And besides the pool and the river and binoculars and soccer- there were BB GUNS and Zombie Target practice!

Also, there were berries. Lots and lots of ‘em. Maisey Sue was found with a bowl full all week long.

We were able to play with cousins we don’t see nearly enough. Everyone is getting so big! Atticus is the baby of the family now. It seems just like yesterday our hands were all full of babes and toddlers and now everyone is growing up…sigh.

We came home for a 24 hour lay over. Because right now Jer-bear and I are sitting in Charleston, NC waiting to board a plane to Jamaica! 

Join me in raising a toast to my sister and bro-in-law for watching the kids for the next 8 days! xoxo

Tags: , , , , , ,

friday 5 spot!

15 Jun

Happy Friday friends! I am feeling extra cheery today and I think it may have a little something to do with the sunshine! It feels good to slip on sandals and keep the back door open. I admit the week feels pretty sweet already, after finishing my major goal yesterday, and I bought a bottle of champagne to toast that tonight on my weekly date-night-at-home.I apologize if any of you have seen these photos via instagram. I just love that little app. It’s like a mini-dose of facebook, but much prettier. It is social media I am down with. And I figure if you did see any of these photos there, it was like a preview to a movie. Not that this 5 spot is a feature film, but you know what I mean:)

1. Moses is rereading, for the third time, Harry Potter 1-4. He is gearing up to read #5, which is his ‘ending 2nd grade’ present. I was a little leery of letting him read the later books in the series, but he has proven himself knowledgable in all things wizard-ly. His prompt in his writing journal yesterday was a list of all the characters with a sentence of what they were like, “Hagrid: half giant, Care for Magical Animals teacher in Harry’s third year.” I figure he can go for it.

2. Birch Box #2 Arrived! It was as fun as the first. Check out those amazing band-aids! Love! Also, my friend and I were discussing other subscription services. There are so many awesome ones! I want to sign up for the m all! Here is an awesome post someone created linking a bunch of club of the month options. Which ones are you drooling over?

3. I am still apart of a monthly writing group that meets in my county. I found it through meetup.com. This week before the meeting I had a chance to sit down and work on some critiques for the group. It is such an honor to be a part of that process. I see that I am growing as a writer because I am surrounding myself with other writers. I challenge anyone reading this that if there is some area you want to grow in, seek out people who are like minded and learn from them. It is an amazing thing to be in a room with other individuals who are trying to carve out time in their lives to fuel their soul just like you. It is powerful and fun and will make you smile more, I promise.

4. Here is a snapshot of my living room. This is for you Amy:)

5. I also wanted to show you friends the papers taped to the wall above my computer. They are little images I see each time I walk by that make me happier. The words inspire. I want some version of these words for my next tattoo.

Okay. I need to go clean my kitchen. You can be happy I spared you from a snap shot of that catastrophe.

Go have a happy weekend.

xoxo, anya

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

atti the human-dog.

4 Jun

A few weeks ago we went to the beach with my sister and brother in law. The sun was shining and we crammed in the van and we headed up north to find sand.

The whole afternoon Atticus (2) decided he was a dog. He would carry a stick in his mouth as he crawled on all fours. He would drop it at your feet, barking to ask you to throw it for him so he could fetch.

We obliged. And we also let him eat doggie treats {aka chips} when he did tricks, “Roll over!” “Good Boy Atti!”

We were all having a good time. Especially him, as he lapped up the attention.

He is  good boy and a good dog and these are things I must remember when he is driving me bananas with “No!” and “Mine!”

It has been baby crazy in my circle of friends lately. Two of my favorite people gave birth this past week and another called to announce her pregnancy. I was able to deliver a meal last night and hold a darling 6 pound bundle of perfection and oohh and ahh over the tiny fingers and dark halo of hair and just absolute amazing-ness. Sigh.

My friend asked me if it was giving me baby fever, all this baby love, and my answer is, No, it isn’t. Not now. I have my plate full and my heart full and my mind is always feeling on the near brink of some other disaster. Besides I have atti-boy, my human-dog, to love.

I went home and let my doggie-boy curl up in my bed this morning and sleep in my arms as I kissed his head and pulled him close and told myself that these are the moments to remember. Not the Mine’s! and the No’s! but the doggie tricks and the sleeping sweaty bundle of terrible goes-way-to-fast-two’s.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

explore.

29 May

My son Moses (7) has wanderlust just like his mama. It has always been this way for him. As a four year old his favorite book was the Kingfisher Encyclopedia as he allowed images of other cultures and places to permeate his ever expanding mind. I love this. I love that he comes to me wondering how much a plane ticket to Peru would cost or asking me if I would rather go to Rome or Egypt if I could pick just one.

I don’t want this to ever change. And though there are constraints of how many places I can help him travel, I can do everything in my power to continue to cultivate his passion, his dreams,  his heart.

Right now it is in the form of wall paper paste, a few salvaged atlas’ and a box of old maps from my mother.

And an hour and a half later I have begun creating for him a space that will let him trace continents and railways with his still chubby fingers, let him fall asleep to the visions of faraway places just waiting to be seen by his deep brown eyes.

I may not be able to take him to Peru this week {or this year}, but I can give him the world, right in his little attic bedroom.

What can you give your children this day?

xoxo.

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 150 other followers