Growth.

I was browsing through my photo stream tonight because -- as I'm sure you all know by now -- I love reliving past memories through creative outlets, it's the root that grows my love for writing and photography.

I came across this photo that I took one year ago today on the last day of my University career. One word popped into my mind and almost instantaneously appeared in the Title section of the New Post box in blogspot. Growth. It's absolutely insane to me how much change and growth can occur in one year. After watching my friends and family grow up, and out, and in-between, and sideways this past year I suppose growth in some way, shape, or form is almost inevitable.  

It's late, I'm fighting off a cold and maybe I should be sleeping. But the word refused to be held hastage at my fingertips... so I typed it out. And then I typed a little more and I still seem to be typing...

"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel like I should be doing something else."

- Gloria Steinem

I watched this tree  sprout these amazing flowers every Spring for years. I often noted the semblance between this particular tree and the patterns of my life-- never in constant blossom, but always full of life. Always growing.

Thriving when supplied with essential life ingredients.

Grow. In all directions.

With love.

Photo taken: April 14/12 at University of British Colombia Okanagan 

Spit Shake

I'm someone who tends to view life through a pair of rose coloured glasses and admittedly spends a ton of time sitting on the fence of most decisions. But when it comes to matters of my heart I find it's either black and white. 

Tonight while sitting at our kitchen island waiting for a pot of water to boil R and I got to talking about our recent trip to the Okanagan and our love for its simplicity. It's been a longstanding joke of ours that we always tend to make our major life decisions in a kitchen. As bubbles crept to the surface of the pot on our stove, we decided that after our wedding-- someway, somehow-- we will find our way back to the Okanagan. I mistakenly made a joke about it not being a real promise unless it was sealed with a Spit Shake... I really should have known better.

And so, in two(ish) years we will be back living in the Land of Life (as I call it). And now that it's documented-- you all can ensure we follow through. In honour of our rare black and white decision making skills, here's a little black and white look into the weekend that changed it all. 

I will always love the blur of these lakes and mountains

Where it all began

We spent Monday morning wandering in our favourite park before we drove East

Little Straw Vineyards, Westbank B.C.

My favourite barn at BX Ranch in Vernon, B.C.

Summerhill Winery

Our Blondie... ;)

With love. 

Two Become One

I met J&A 5 years ago and although I've never known them separately, the romantic in me is certain that they were meant to live their lives as one. Never have I met two people more perfectly suited for one another than the soon-to-be Yurkowski's. Their seemingly effortless love and admiration is tremendously contagious and nothing short of inspiring. Ryan and I were over the moon excited when they announced their engagement a year and some change ago. This past weekend we kicked off the celebration of their love at their bachelor and bachelorette parties. I'm pretty sure their entire hometown of Merritt, B.C. joined in the celebrations in one way or another and despite the small town tendency to get a little (a lot) rowdy-- I'm happy to report that we all made it out alive! The celebration continues in less than 2 weeks when we head to Los Cabos for their wedding. 

I dedicate this post to J&A with love. Ry and I are honoured to be a part of your big day and can't wait to stand beside you when you officially promise the best of yourselves to each other. You have our endless love and support- we promise to be there on those inevitable days when "Yes dear" becomes "Dear God you're driving me crazy"! ;)

 One of the 5 amazing wineries we visited Saturday afternoon. Little Straw Vineyards. 

 So delicious. Times nine. Warming up for Mexico.

Cheers to lifelong love and friendships.

P.S. Ever wonder how many bridesmaids it takes to bake a cake for a bridal shower after drinking 3 bottles of wine? One to cut the cake layers, one to ice the cake, one to document its awesomeness..plus one more to help eat the scraps. In case you lost count it takes 4 bridesmaids :)

It was DELICIOUS by the way ;)

Eggs of Kindness

Easter Sunday. Normally I'd be joining you all in posting beautiful photos of creatively painted eggs, family dinners, baskets of chocolate, and all things representing a cool yet comfortably warm Spring Sunday. But like I mentioned in a previous post, a few months ago I decided to take a step forward in my career and accepted a job that requires me to travel every second week for work. So for the first time, I’m spending the holiday alone. Before you stop reading...I promise this isn't a “woe is me” post. Keep reading!

After spending 12 hours at my computer attempting to balance our projected monthly budget with our actuals, woe is—just kidding—I found my way back to my suite to find that the Housekeeping staff had hidden chocolate Easter eggs in all the nooks and crannies of my room! I think I’ve found them all...21 thoughtfully hidden little eggs!

After my personalized home-away-from-home Easter Egg Hunt and a few giggles at the seemingly endless supply of chocolate, I got to thinking about tradition and the level of comfort and happiness that chocolate wrapped in colored aluminum brings us every year around this time. I thought about all the photos scattered throughout my social media outlets today in which my family and friends gravitated towards their friends and families on this beautiful Sunday. And even though I wasn't necessarily a part of it, I found huge comfort in the sense of togetherness that I saw. Tomorrow Monday will come as it always does. Stay connected-- share your chocolate with a stranger. I dare you.

This post is dedicated to the thoughtful stranger who took the time out of his or her day to help cure the inevitable homesickness of a person away from home over the holidays.

Stop counting, I ate one before I snapped this photo ;)

"What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” 

- Kurt Vonnegut

Who, What, Where is Home...?

I have always been both fascinated and perplexed by the concept of "home" and its meaning. I myself have struggled to develop my own definition of home. Certainly not for lack of having a solid place to call home. My father built the house I grew up in and called home for 20 amazing years. Perhaps it is because of this that I grew up with such an immense appreciation for the stable walls that I-- maybe too often-- used as a canvas. Crayola would have been proud! Time and time again my mother would invent some crafty concoction to remove my "art" from our walls. This was of course before the time of Magic Erasers. In my inevitably self absorbed 5 year old mind though, watching my mother scrub crayon off our walls was to me her way of allowing me to start fresh, to provide me with a clean, blank canvas with which I could create, learn, and grow.

On May 10th, after 25 incredible years, my dad will be moving out of our family home and the house will then belong to a new family. My only hope is that they use the house as my family once did-- as a blank canvas to create countless memories, make mistakes, and grow beyond unimaginable belief.

Perhaps my progressive definition of home is partially due to the fact that I grew up enveloped by a constant and stable idea of such that I am now able to open my mind to its larger concept. Despite my incredible childhood home base I've never considered home to be one distinct place. Home was and is the few and far between places where I could and can sit comfortably in stillness and be vulnerably creative. Home is where ever the people I love choose to gather, whether it be at a local hockey arena across town, a Cafe around the corner, or my best friend's living room.

Today I am writing cross-legged from smack dab in the middle of my bedroom floor. Because I can. And because there's no place quite so honest- wrinkled bedding and all. Happy beautiful Tuesday from my home to yours. Whoever, whatever and where ever home may be.

With love,

J.

Spring In Our Hearts

Although it snowed in YYC this morning, something in the air made me feel like flying.  As of yesterday Spring has officially sprung and I'm welcoming it with open arms! Despite the forecast, I always try to live like it's Spring. I absolutely love this season... it's when the sun decides to explode and stop hiding behind the clouds. The dark does not grow quieter. The lightness inside of all of us just grows louder.

Spring is the time for plans, projects, and newness. In the past few months both Ryan and I have successfully followed through with our separate yet seemingly intertwined plans to take steps forward in terms of our careers. We've also made plans to do some travelling in 2013. My first passport is in the mail and on its way to me as we speak! Our first few trips are booked and double underlined in our calendars. I am beyond excited and cannot wait to share our travels with you guys!

I'm happy to say that the main project I've taken on this year-- aside from planning our wedding-- is the development of this blog. 

So far so good I hope...?

       

It's the season to shine bright -- don't hide behind the clouds -- shine and radiate love.

"Sweet spring is your

time is my time is our

time for springtime is love time

and viva sweet love"

- E.E. Cummings  

Just Love and Life

Sometimes there are just not words that do justice to the way you love something or someone. Sometimes these things are beyond letters, beyond adjectives, beyond syntax or elaborate description. Sometimes they just are, as all things seem to be when they find you when you weren't even looking.

And so, six months have passed and there have been no words typed out on this page. But my God have I lived and laughed and loved in the past months. Stories and words for miles are coming. I promise you this, these amazing collections of stories that make up the past six months of my life have been documented, in true J Emily style, through photographs.