celebrating you...

this land is my land

"thank you for the seeds you've planted in me
thank you for the earth roots at my feet
thank you for the sun that greens my leaves"
-michael franti
++++

our summer adventure began in the wyoming wilderness. tucked in deep with cabins full of relatives that had come long and far to connect our roots. i can't wait to be holed up in the middle of nowhere with so many people that i love again.
my favorite parts: watching cousin elias catch his first fish ever, laughing with the francis girls, a big girl hike with my aunties, four-wheeling to the lake with my dad, seeing my handsome cousins and their fish-gutting-all-things-wilderness-loving-wives, listening to my gram and her sisters tell stories of back then, watching my sisters swing, and andrey (the happiest boy alive) completely in his element.

but there's nothing better than seeing things for the first time through lukey eyes:

a brave boy on a canoe ride with daddy-0



eating his first fresh fish
::caught by reno, gutted by ali, cooked by kyle and devoured by luc::

me and my boy. thinkin' about somethin'

wonder. wonder. wonder.

soul-cousins

::my life in six words::

gigantic heart. happy soul. brave girl.
***

the passionista herself has called me out in a tag. and it's a good thing because my life as a blogger was hanging by a thread. a great way to jump back in - head first and dig around in my brains for something with substance worth posting.
++++
i just spent many many weeks tucked into the pretty freshly painted yellow guest room of my parents home. i was attached at the hip to my mama while we explored beautiful stores, filled our tummy's with delicious food - not to ever forget the snitch of sea salt topped caramel and chocolates and made big plans for someday crazy girl adventures. i watched my littlest sister jump with both feet into a life of sweet baby love. she is my super-mama-nursing-hero. i celebrated my daddy on his day with a ride on the trax to sneak in a free concert and get lost a little bit. i shared a bathroom with steen and even if the only moment i really saw her was while she sat in the sink to dye her hair - i am happy to have been among her things and smell her perfumes and watch her waltz in and out of the house from one adventure to another. i chatted and giggled with presley and lucas over a plate of wooden sushi eaten with velcro chopstix. a weekend trip on a whim to visit my gram at her wyoming cottage. trying to catch a breath of natalie and her tiger skirt from india in between her floating down the river and hiking up a mountain.
++++
we're home now. safe and sound with our papa love who we missed so much. but my heart is aching a sadness of missing my family and the comfort of their hustle and bustle. it will take a few days to get things here back in order. check all the mail. return the phone calls. unpack the suitcases. fill up the cupboards. but for now my red plaid blanket still smells like my mama's house and i'm gonna go snuggle up and take a nap with my boy.

i tag you. take a minute to sum up your life in this moment. exactly how it is. in six words. please play.
love, lin

a secret...

"a baby has begun to grow... a belly has begun to glow"