Sweet Dixie

Day 1:

She was worn out by dinnertime from being anxious all day.

Found a use for some of Paul's random dishes :)

 

I put her cage near the twinkle lights.

Day 2:

This morning she was very happy and comfortable in her cage. 

I opened the door to see if she'd come out. This is as far as she got.

Yesterday during Paul's lunch break we took a drive to Ringold, GA. We drove to the middle of nowhere and then took a right onto a rocky red dirt road. We pulled up to a barn that looked rather scary. It had a large circular saw on the side and some sign about prison convicts lol. I wanted to get back in my car. It made me feel better that Paul was with me and that Paul had his gun strapped to his leg lol. After a few moments of panic, a large Georgia woman with long gray hair and a weathered yet soft face came out of the barn and greeted us warmly. I breathed a sigh of relief. Earlier in the week I had seen a picture of this beautiful rabbit online and made an inquiry. The woman was  nice enough to reserve her for me. A lot of people seemed to be interested in her too. It's because she's very unique looking.

Before leaving the woman talked our ear off about all of her aches and pains. Apparently she had been in a bad motorcycle accident in the spring and is still pulling thorns out of her body lol. She almost died sadly, but she was really positive. She said that it made her realize how fragile life is and it inspired her to rescue animals in need and start her own animal farm. It was kind of sweet.

After we talked for what seemed like hours, we drove Dixie home and I got her cage all ready. When it came time to get her in her cage, she was still very anxious and scared. She seemed to like the security of her little cardboard box. It's funny because I can relate. I like my box and it takes me time to get used to new environments and situations.  I know how terrifying it can be to be pushed into something before I'm ready. So I let her be all afternoon. Once in awhile I'd check on her and talk to her. She slowly started to respond to me. By the time Paul came home she looked like she wanted to explore her cage. So Paul gently got her in. Although she still seemed hesitant, she quickly started exploring. We sat with her after dinner. She's so much fun to watch. Paul even made her some hideouts.

This rabbit is such a gift to me already. She helps me feel a little less lonely. Even though this is a dryer season for me in the sense that I don't know if I'm hearing God or if he hears me, I know he's with me. This little bunny brings me such joy and I feel like God created her for me during this time away from home. When the dry seasons come, we can find God in nature. He's always there, always creating. I know my bunny has a lot of life lessons to teach me and I'm excited to share those with you :)

Rainy Sunday

I love when I sit blindly somewhere familiar and then all of a sudden  beauty starts slowly unveiling itself to me. It's like I'm seeing for the first time.  Today I sat down at our dining room table with the blinds closed expecting only to search pinterest for inspiring things. All of a sudden I began to hear the comforting sound of the rain against the window. It was raining pretty hard. So I pulled up the blinds and watched as little beads of water speckled the glass window. I could smell the sweetness of rain mixed with the smell of the summer woods. It was absolutely spectacular. Later the sun shone through the clouds for a brief second or two. The reflection of our old window made geometric shapes on our worn wooden floors.

 What a simply beautiful moment in time. I'm so glad I was aware enough to experience it. There are little moments each day I know I've missed. I'm learning how to be in the moment and experience the little gifts God gives us in life. He speaks to us through these gifts. Life is beautiful, even when it's raining.

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain." ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Be in love with your life, every detail of it.”~Jack Kerouac

Girl From The North Country by Altan (Bob Dylan)

Love this song in the spring. This version is sung by  one of my favorite Irish bands, Altan.

Tea and Books (Experimenting with Light)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Inspiration

"To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name."

~ Thomas Merton

" Come now, my love. My lovely one, come. For you, the winter has passed the snows are over and gone, the flowers appear in the land, the season of joyful songs has come, The cooing of the turtledove is heard in our land. Come now my love. Come. Let me see your face and let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your face is beautiful. Come now, my love, my lovely one come."

~Jesus

100 Happy Days Week 1

1. I ordered some Instagram pics from my phone using the Printic AP. They turn them into Polaroids.

2. The envelope the photos come in is adorable. I almost didn't want to open it because I like the anticipation.

3. Found this book by accident at a secondhand bookstore for 2 bucks! It's been so inspiring. I think all creative people who need encouragement should read this book. It's helped me with photography.

4. I started the morning early with Yogi tea, prayer and yoga. It was a really great memory.

 5.  Found this old frame and decided to spruce it up a bit with some of my photos that came in the mail this week.

6. I found these fun dish towels at Target! The make me excited for the warm weather.

7. Founds this 1980's hat in my closet. My dad gave it to me along time ago. I thought it looked cute with a little sundress.

8. I put some of our honeymoon pics up in the dining area. It's nice to be able to look at them while I eat dinner.

9. I've been trying to write more freely. It was fun using my old typewriter to do this.

10. I poached some eggs for the very first time. They were delisious.

11. One of my latest darkroom pics of downtown Chattanooga.

12. I've been reading some of Van Gogh's letters. I love the way he saw the world. He wrote so beautifully. Brenda Ueland often references his letters throughout her book. It inspired me to read more of them.

http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let001a/letter.html

Miss me? (6 things I've been up to...)

So thank you Colleen for holding up this blog single-handedly as of late. I've enjoyed seeing your pictures and reading your posts. Honestly I've been intentionally out of the blog-sphere for a little while. I haven't had the energy or desire for any visibility.

But since Spring is coming, (I mean) here, and I'm all about new starts, I thought I share a few things I've been up to lately:

1) Reading!
I've been plowing through books: From memoirs to cookbooks, spiritual reading to very nonspiritual self-help. Here are a few books I've particularly enjoyed:

The Gifts of Imperfection Brene Brown

The Inner Voice of Love Henri Nouwen

WomanCode Alisa Vitti

When We Were On Fire Addie Zimmerman

2) Becoming Addicted to TED talks. 
I have seen (or listening to on NPR) several TED talks over the last few years, but lately I'm pretty much obsessed. These are some of my must-see favorites:

The Power of Vulnerability

Body Language Can Change Your Life

How to Make Stress Your Friend

Looks aren't Everything; Believe Me I'm a Model

Ok wow... I could add like 5 more to that. Needless to say, if you haven't been watching TED, you should.

3) Wearing the most comfortable thing I own for days in a row. 
I've lost any interest in creatively getting dressed, which used to be a passion. But I pretty confident that Spring will bring new life in that area.

4) Planning Children's Ministry!
Little Disciples, basically a Liturgy of the Word for PreK-K, will begin in the fall at St Agnes, woohoo! I have been busying myself with recruiting volunteers and developing a detailed plan... I have quite a list of things to do before Fall, and being a controversial thing in our parish, I feel a like it needs to be flawless to succeed. But I've been trying to remember (or Peter has been, in my breakdown moments) that it's in God's hands whether it's succeeds I just need to be faithful. And that takes the edge off a bit.

5) Minimalism Wannabe-ing :)
I've been decluttering A LOT. In the 2014 for 2014 Challenge, I'm above par for my goal before March ends, by purging over 630 items from my house. I still have been receiving a lot and Peter think I should count the Net Total not the Gross Total. But I will stick to my way, I feel better about it. Beyond just purging, I've been rearranging and simpilfying. I feel like decluttering is a stress outlet. It feels so freeing, but alas decluttering my mind has been my biggest challenge.

6) Surviving and TRYING to live in the moment. 
I'm not saying I'm good at it. But I realize that these days will pass and I will miss the fun, cuddly, silly, and awe-filled moments of this time in my life. More then ever I am aware of it, and yet so often I just am getting by, holding my breath or counting down until the next moment. But His mercies are new every morning and everyday I can start over and try to be present again.

What have you been up to?