A Valley Like This

A VALLEY LIKE THIS

Sometimes you look at an empty valley like this,
and suddenly the air is filled with snow.
That is the way the whole world happened—
there was nothing, and then…

But maybe some time you will look out and even
the mountains are gone, the world become nothing
again. What can a person do to help
bring back the world?

We have to watch it and then look at each other.
Together we hold it close and carefully
save it, like a bubble that can disappear
if we don’t watch out.

Please think about this as you go on. Breath on the world.
Hold out your hands to it. When mornings and evenings
roll along, watch how they open and close, how they
invite you to the long party that your life is.

- William Stafford

We had a lovely little escape this weekend on a beautiful trail with views of the valley. I've surely been seeing this city with a new set of eyes lately. I wasn't born here, but as long as I can remember I've called Boise home. This was were I grew up and all I knew. When I graduated high school, I couldn't wait to get away from this place. I was ready to establish myself anywhere but here and see as much of the world as I could. Coming back, honestly (at first), felt like failure. I held on to that negative energy for a while, too.

But the longer I stay here, the more I fall in love with this city and this valley all over again. As I winded through this beautiful trail Saturday, I couldn't help but have a few moments of shock that I've always been able to live somewhere this beautiful. The fact that you have views of two mountain ranges from everywhere in this city is pretty remarkable. Adventure is available everywhere. And the local community is rather incomparable. I think experiencing the city again, with Will (who grew up elsewhere) has shined a new light on everything. I love showing off all the gems here and discovering new places; it's pretty crazy that there are still new places for me here (I have a hard time believing it sometimes).

This is my favorite time of year in these hills. The green doesn't last very long, so I like to soak it in as much as possible while it's here. Granted, the yellows and browns are beautiful as well, but I prefer the weather this time of year, too (over the heat, yes please). Sadly, sometimes I forget how alive I feel in these hills. We can't ever take this valley for granted.

As much I still want to travel and maybe live up north again, I sure don't mind calling this my home base. Something about this place will always be home to me. And, Boise, I'm falling in love with you all over again.

xx Emorie

Snippets: Feeling at Home

Hello!

It is a bit strange to be sitting here in our new office, typing away to you. I feel like there must be something I should/could be off doing instead. We moved into our new place quickly last Monday evening, and then spent the rest of the week putting everything together. Given that a lot of our stuff had spent the last year and a half in a garage, it was quite a task while also discovering again the things we have. It is has been really busy over here, and let me tell you, sitting down in this comfy office chair to work today feels glorious.

Last week we were:
+ moving so many things back and forth
+ cleaning the old place
+ building (Target) furniture
+ getting rid of furniture that doesn't work/fit in here
+ easily becoming comfortable in this space
+ driving all around Boise/Meridian/Nampa, thanks to craiglist finds and kind family, picking up things we needed (this was mostly this weekend)
+ cleaning the new place
+ hanging things on the wall and decorating some parts of the place
+ having so much creative energy and planning new projects
+ making lists of more house plants we want/NEED
+ making plans and dreaming about this next phase in both of our lives

Being back to a normal schedule today feels strange and foreign, but it feels so good. Will is back at work today, and I'm happy to have the day to myself. My plans for the day include laundry, playing catch-up, researching and planning for school in the fall, and continuing the job search. I've got so much work to catch up on here, as well as new projects planned in the coming weeks. I've got much more settling to do in the apartment; I'll be sharing more of the place as it comes together.

I'm so happy to be back, and I hope you're still around because I've got big things planned!

Wishing you well,
xx Emorie

New Place Inspiration

 | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight |

I'm living among boxes and messes and piles of things I need to do before Will and I make the move to a new apartment on Tuesday. It is such a dreamy, lovely place close to downtown Boise — right on the edge of the foothills. The restless nights I am having are being balanced out with daydreams of the new space. I'm excited to have a normal schedule again and to take morning hikes on the trails that will soon be right outside our front door. I'm ready for a fresh start in a cozy, bright place that will be much less stressful. I plan on taking the decorating and organizing of the new place rather slowly, as I have a lot of other things still on my plate. But, I can't help getting excited for something new! We've been living tight — we got rid of the majority of our things when we moved down here from Moscow a year and a half ago — so we'll be slowly accumulating basic things again, thrifting and garage sale-ing, and DIY-ing a lot.

For now, you can follow my new apartment board on pinterest, where I'm collecting ideas and inspiration.

xx Emorie