It's mine so hush...

When I began my new attempt at fashion/photo taking journey it sprung from  this cute picture.   I was reading a bunch of articles by  Lesley Kinzel  and she kept showing up in these cute little dresses with leggings and a shirt tied high.  I loved the look and again, was convinced that it would not work on my body type. This is an ongoing narrative in so many peoples lives.  "I can't wear this, it's not right for my body."  "I can't cut my hair that short, my face is too fat."  "I can't show my arms because they jiggle."  All these are excuses that get in the way of living a full life, a life that we deserve.  I can't how many times I have allowed myself to miss out on an adventure, both big and small, out of fear of how my body may be perceived or fear that it/I won't be accepted.  I am tired of feeling that way.  I am tired of feeling like I don't deserve to feel good in what I am wearing, how I want to move my body and wh...

Here is to many more years with  my partner in life and one true love... All photos by  emily g photography

I needed a change. So I decided to check out Pinterest  to find new ideas for my wardrobe. I am a clothes horse and have lots of options, just no motivation. I had come to a place that my daily uniform consisted of figuring out new ways to wear yoga pants, tennis shoes and t-shirts in a way that looked "work appropriate." For context, I work in an urgent walk-in clinic where no two days are ever the same. Some days we are slammed, meaning we are running between clients, trying to chart in a timely fashion and while ensuring that folks who are in crisis are getting their needs met. Other days I barely leave my office chair for 8 hours. I had found that the yoga uniform was comfortable for either situation, however I felt frumpy and felt overwhelmed by the task of finding comfort and style. Enter Pinterest. I loved surfing through the pins looking for styles that matched my personality and fashion sense. I found combinations of textures and patterns that I would have never ...

For the last few months I have been squirreling away money.  I have a great second job that I love and allows me currently to put a bit away in savings.  I had been putting it in there without real intent for a couple of months, and as the spring progressed we re-engaged in talks about putting up a fence. Since we bought the house, almost three years ago, we have dreamt and designed the fence a thousand times.  Sometimes it had port holes, other times it was a fancy mix of brick and wood, other times it was all stone work and yet other times it was varying heights and textures.  We even had folks come out and give us an estimate of how much it would cost to have it professionally built, which was way out of our range.   Leading up to Alan's business trip to the Philippines, I initiated numerous conversations about "the fence."  We would go outside together, look at where it would go, how high it might be, what materials we could use.  We would ...

He didn't say happy mother's day to me and for the most part, I'm okay with it. He's a teenager and the forgetful one at that. He's never been big on holidays, except for the ones he knows come with gifts for him. I guess in that way he's a normal kid. The thing about it is, I know that he thinks I'm an alright mom. He communicates this to me many ways. The way he feels comfortable sharing his feelings when it's just the two of us. The way he pushes back, shows that he feel safe with me. The way he asks for what he wants and needs reflects that he knows I will always do my best to prioritize his needs. He feels safe expressing his anger, frustration and fears without having to protect me. He knows I'm stable enough to handle it. He uses me as a resource. So even though I didn't get a silly card or a bouquet of flowers, or even a "Happy Mother's Day," I got him today, safe and thriving with his sweet smile and goofy sense of...

Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup 1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds 1 large yellow onion 1 head of garlic 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried thyme 3 to 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth Season to taste Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Wash the vegetables. Cut the squash in half vertically. Scrape the seeds out and discard. Cut each half into about 4 chunks for a total of 8 pieces. Cut the unpeeled onion in half vertically. Cut 1/2 inch off the top of the garlic head, exposing the cloves. Arrange the garlic, squash, and onion, cut side up, on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. After vegetables have cooled enough to handle, scrape squash off of the skin and into a food processor or blender. Discard the skin. Peel the skin off of the onion and trim the root...

While sitting with a colleague, consulting about a client, they intimated that the client probably felt safe because she was sitting with another colleague now, "who was the least intimidating thing there is." They then asked me if I wanted to return to the room and talk to the client or if they should. They again implied that since they were "a small person with a little green suit and wouldn't be seen as imposing," that perhaps they should return to the room instead. As these statements were made within moments of each other, it took everything in me to stay present in the conversation. I did a quick 2 second, "are you overreacting" evaluation in my head and quickly decided I wasn't. Regardless of the intent, the impact of both of these statements felt like an attack on my size and on my ability to sit present in a room and not be experienced as imposing or intimidating. I feel like I've gotten this message a lot throughout my life and t...