Windy Day at the Park

Sandsprit Park. Stuart, FL.

Bicycle Ride

I ride with the wind, feeling the heat flow through my hair.

Refreshing. A blast of relief from a particularly stressful week...deployment life sucks. single parenthood sucks. long distance sucks.

I ride fast. I slow down. I move along at the pace of the dragonflies. They are my companions, if only briefly, until they redirect their course and I stay on mine.

Lizards dart back and forth across the path as they hear me coming. Squirrels sprint up nearby trees. If only they knew how much more afraid I am of them...

No music, no distractions. Just the sound of the chain whirring, pedals turning, and wind in my ears.

"The soul is healed by being with children."

New-Old Surroundings

I haven't written anything in a while; haven't even felt like writing. In fact, when I would sit at the computer I would usually just end up staring at it for a bit, searching the web for something interesting to read, rummage the cabinets for something to eat, come back to the computer only to stare some more, then be done.

This usually takes place during Penelope's nap (notice I said nap as in singular; apparently she has decided that she is a big girl now and no longer needs two naps a day! Mommy wasn't ready for that one!)

Within the past three weeks my little family has made a ton of moves, stretches, and adjustments. We are officially in our third week of Abhi's deployment and I'll just be honest; it sucks. Just like we knew it would. We said our farewell's in Texas and with the help of my amazing brother (who, by the way, has made the drive to and from Texas THREE separate times in six months), packed up the car and drove back home to sunny Florida. This is home for the next year. Yes, Year.

Life isn't all shadows and loneliness though. I am so thankful and even happy to be back around my family- it totally beats being alone out in Texas. Abhi is in a safe place and we are able to talk regularly, which really eases a lot of the separation. All in all we have decided to make the best of our situation and take advantage of every opportunity we're given during this deployment.

I've even committed to running a half marathon in February. Yes me! Running a half! Crazy, I know... hehe. I've been running and exercising regularly so I decided to take a leap and really push myself. I've already started my training and just need to make sure I am able to stick to it and stay committed (so far, so good). I also have an awesome group of cheerleaders to keep me encouraged and excited about the race.

That's about it as far as life is concerned these days. For those of you reading, my little family can always use positive thoughts or prayers as we move through this next year. Some days are good, some days are bad, but everyday is a blessing.

For You.

That Smile.
Oh do I remember that smile,
The mark of happiness and ease.
The untroubled life of youthfulness.

I almost thought that smile was gone.
Thought it impossible to relive.
Maybe we had passed those days on to become only memories.
Life has its way of wearing and tearing, oh yes it does.


And then I saw it.
Your moment of contentment.
Oh how I wish you could see it too
That twinkle I often see in old photos.

Memories of bike rides in the rain.
Coffee Dates. Roadside food stops.
Homemade fishing poles and purple umbrellas.
But most importantly-- so much love.

We have a long road ahead of us,
This is only the beginning of another tiresome adventure.
And yet, I know there is hope for the future with
That Smile.

Sweet Berry Farm Pumpkin Patch

We made the drive to Marble Falls to spend the day at Sweet Berry Farm this weekend.

This farm is amazing with the amount of activities it has for families and young children; if Penelope was a little bit older we would have spent the entire day there, I'm sure.

We spent over an hour inside the Texas corn maze alone! Not to mention the huge varieties of pumpkins, stuff-your-own scarecrow, painting pumpkins, face painters, petting zoo, hay rides, flower picking, and more.

We had an awesome time.

How We Spent Our First Day Of Fall

Topsey Exotic Ranch
Topsey, TX.

Magic

"Children see magic because they look for it."

-Christopher Moore

I celebrate.

Today I celebrate the anniversary of my sweet baby's birth.

I celebrate one year of life and blessed motherhood. Of experiencing a love I never knew possible, and finally learning what a full life consists of.

I celebrate the joys, the laughter, smiles, cuddles, kisses, milestones met, and challenges overcome.

I also celebrate the tears, frustrations, struggles, confusion, sleepless nights, and endless dirty diapers.

As I think about the past year with my little girl there are an extraordinary amount of feelings and thoughts that come to my heart and my mind. Gratefulness, happiness, beautiful memories, joy, LOVE, LOVE, so much incredible love.

And yet at the same time there is always that one overwhelming feeling that will never leave my being. The knowledge that I am completely unworthy of such a beautiful, precious and angelic gift that I get to call my daughter. I am overcome with more love, delight and wonder that I could have ever dreamt when I look into her beautiful brown eyes.

All the while I know that no single explanation nor eloquence of words could ever describe the sorcery of beauty that connects a parent to their child.

When I rest in stillness with my little one after a full day of pure and exhausting fun, I observe her breath as she sleeps, watch her chest rise and fall, brush her hair out of her eyes, I sit in awe of her perfection...all I can whisper is thank you, thank you, thank you.

I celebrate that unexplainable, ungraspable perfection of my underserved blessing; my daughter.

Grasshopper Haiku

Along came a friend
To rest in my garden shade
And soon hop away

photo: iPhone5

Rainy Day Play

It is a rare occasion that we have an overcast, wet day. Penelope isn't used to the sounds of raindrops and the lack of sunshine through the windows. Not able to go outside and play today; still, its a nice change from the extreme heat of summer. 

Playing around with a little photo editing in between study breaks and baby girl's nap time.

Salt

There is something about the salt.

Purifying. Humbling. I am small.

I breathe it in the air,

Swim it in the surf.

Raw. Grit. Crystals on my skin.

A memory of summertime senses.

Gulf of Mexico

The Austin Zoo

With an upcoming deployment, we have been trying to take as many small vacations together as possible, squeezing them in the cracks of Abhi's somewhat demanding work schedule. We had a nice little family outing around Austin with a visit to the Austin Zoo along with a little sightseeing and plenty of shopping this weekend.

I've been to a good amount of zoos in the States and the Austin Zoo is quite different than your typical zoo. Its actually a non-profit animal sanctuary for rescued and abandoned animals, which I love. Many of the animals had suffered from injuries or abandonment in the past. The Austin Zoo was small in size, but we didn't mind because staying outside in the summer heat for long periods of time isn't really an option for us with little Penelope.

Reaching for her furry friend.

Penelope loved the animals; she wanted to touch everything.

On a funny note, while we were observing the primates a group of about 8 zooworkers ran out with their nets searching for one of their animals that escaped! We're guessing it was a monkey because they were searching high in the trees, and the rest of the monkeys seemed to get riled up in excitement that one of their friends was on the loose.

Cheering on his escaped comrade.

11 Months of Sweetness