Snippets: Long Weekend

As we were driving home late Monday night — after squeezing in some quick grocery shopping — I rolled my window down, letting the cooling summer air wash over me. Pippin immediately hopped on my lap to stick his head out and I leaned over to Will and said, "Goodness, doing things is exhausting." He laughed, but agreed. I know I've said it before: we are homebodies. Most weekends are spent relaxing at home in each other's company, with some hiking and errands tossed in there for good measure. Weekends like this past one are few and far between, but I still enjoy them. But boy, this introvert is still feeling a bit of weekend hangover (yes, that's a thing) from all the activity.

Friday morning I had a second interview at an awesome store, which I had a week to prepare for — so, you know, plenty of time to feel anxious about it (but, hey, I got the job!). I felt pretty drained after and spent Friday night simply at home with my boys. Saturday morning we walked downtown to the farmer's market and met my mom. There, we had pizza for breakfast and bought some yummy Cafe de Paris bread for later. We walked home after, casually and slowly wandering the north end and scoping out some yard sales. We sure love this neighborhood. Sunday we had a taco picnic in the park, had a photo adventure of sorts, walked along the river a bunch, and took too many pictures of the pretty blooms is the rose garden as the sun set. Monday we drove out to Nampa to visit with Will's family before his parents left for a long trip down to Colorado. We left late in the afternoon and drove straight to a barbecue with my mom, sister and brother-in-law. Then, the whole weekend was finished with some quick errands.

Writing that all just made me tired, haha. I definitely spent yesterday recuperating, and I may have "impulsively" decided to cut off all my hair. Yep, it is all gone. I just needed something light and easy for summer — it's way too hot already!

I hope your long weekend was as lovely,
xx Emorie

Storm Chaser

Maybe I watched Twister too much as a child, because in my mind there is quite a bit of romanticism behind storms and chasing them. Nothing beats sitting out with a view of the valley and watching big thunderstorms roll in. I'm definitely the type to drop everything I'm doing — and make those around me do the same — to run out and get a better view of a sudden storm. This was just the case Wednesday afternoon, when huge storm clouds crept in from behind the mountains (the opposite way storms usually build in this town). I proposed we take Pippin for a quick walk in the hills before the rain hit, with the full intention of seeing this storm in all its glory. And boy, did we happen to time it perfectly. The moment we got to the top of the ridge the thunder had begun to build and the storm hovered just beyond us. It only started to pour as we made our way back down again; we only got muddy and soaked a little bit :) but that's what bathtubs are for, right?

Hope you're enjoying your long weekend!
xx Emorie

Simple Escapes

If you're a frequent reader, you know I have been escaping to the trails and hills that surround me, daily, for as long as we've lived here in this beautiful apartment. It is my favorite kind of alone time and may even be my favorite part of the day. Pippin and I can get lost out there for hours; I feel pretty lucky with the miles upon miles of trail that is accessible from my home.

I've been spending more time than usual in these hills lately, especially now that I have a new camera to play with. I figure this has got to be the best place available for me to learn, practice, and improve my photography. I'm feeling pretty spoiled, to say the least. Yesterday Pip and I found a nice shady spot along a creek. I sat along it's bank for as long as my allergies would allow, desperately trying to capture the beauty of the trees, leaves, blossoms, and green green grass all around me. And Pippin was happy, running freely, chasing squirrels and ducks. I've been soaking up as much of this creative energy as I possibly can, attempting to stash some of it away for later.

Simple escapes like this are what I live for; they are so important to my creative process. It is a simple, quick break from the scheduled and predetermined. Sure, I schedule time for myself for these walks, but I allow spontaneity to take me on a different path each time. As an over thinker, my little escapes have become vital. I encourage other creatives out there to seek out their own little escapes ( or as I like to call them, mini-adventures) frequently. Even a simple walk will provide you with so much movement, color, and inspiration. The key is to capture it and let it transform you.

xx Emorie

It's Here!

I had a Learning Happy and Healthy post scheduled for today, but I'm just too damn happy and excited to talk about anything other than the fact that I got my new camera in the mail today! Let me get all cheesy for a moment, okay?

It's all I've been talking about for days, so by now I'm sure you all know that I won a giveaway on the blog Of Trees and Hues put on by Latrina and her amazing team of sponsors. The prize was a pretty Canon Rebel T3i but I must say, that one of the best parts of this giveaway has been all the new bloggers I was introduced to. They are an impressive bunch of bloggers, photographers, designers, artist, writers, refreshingly genuine people. If you've been looking for some inspiring blogs, check out Of Trees and Hues and her Sponsors; you can see the full list of bloggers involved with the giveaway here, and take a hop around their blogs. I can't be more grateful to that bunch. They even sent me an additional/extra lens!

I can't wait to play around with this thing, so naturally I'm off on a quick photo adventure this afternoon/evening.

Hope your week is lovely thus far!
xx Emorie

Snippets: Spring Things

Hike after a rain storm (smells heavenly) // My favorite fun, comfy purple tights are required on days that I'm rained in; instant mood booster // Pippin NOT putting up with my selfie attempts // Basil plant as an Easter gift from Will's mama // Another plant baby (this one is peperomia), an Easter gift from my mama  // Thai curry noodle soup is perfect on a cold, rainy day // Sunflower season is kind of my favorite; I've had lots of pretty blossoms on the dining table lately // Tuna pizza (whattt? it was so good) leftovers and a yummy, fresh avocado salad // The foothills are always prettiest in the morning // New favorite beer? Yes please. You can see here that we have indeed had some rain-free days, they've just been sparse lately (I love rain, so I don't mind too much) // Pippin on a rainy night last week, while I was enjoying a book //

It's been awhile since I'd shared a snippets post, and my photo album on my iPhone was growing to a ridiculous size. Cleaning out my phone and transferring pictures to my hard drive is always a good time to reflect on little snippets and some favorite moments I'v captured recently. Smart phones are just so great.

Spring has been treating me well, but I've been feeling a little cabin-fever lately thanks to the constant rain. I'm really looking forward to this weekend; I've been living for the weekends lately. It just feels so much better to have Will around the house too. It's been raining ALL week, but we're getting a break from the precipitation tomorrow. We're going to drive up the mountain in the morning (Saturday), in search of some trees and a view. We'll get some good hiking in, too, I'm sure. My legs and my spirits will sure appreciate it.

Hope you have a lovely weekend,
xx Emorie

This Will Have To Do

I've been laughing over these pictures since taking them this morning and just had to share. Pippin and I went out for our normal walk/casual hike in the foothills this morning, and oh goodness it is a beautiful day — rather chilly and terribly windy, but definitely beautiful. I couldn't help getting out on the trails, and Pippin sure doesn't mind when we've got the hills too ourselves. I had my phone on me (I was expecting/hoping for a call), so I decided to try to get a picture of him, when we were standing up on the top of the ridge. He sniffs at the the air so enthusiastically, and looks rather small but majestic with his fur flapping about. Then this happened:



Hahaha! Right when I'd try to take a picture of him he'd either shake out viciously, jump from to side to side of the trail, or try to climb up me. I guess he was a little excited to be out and running free off leash. My next attack plan was to sit and try to get him on my lap for a selfie. Well...



He, of course, just wanted to lick my face. I don't know how I didn't see that one coming. I let him off my lap after that and decided to take a calming rest on that ridge. I love sitting up there and looking down at how small Boise is. It is also a rare treat to have the trails all to ourselves. I snapped one more picture, right before standing up to continue our hike and captured this:



This will have to do. I actually rather like it; I think it captured our spirits this morning perfectly.

I hope I didn't get you too excited, in my post yesterday, by promising a giveaway today. Because unfortunately it has been post-poned until tomorrow. So get excited for a giveaway tomorrow. Again. Please forgive me. Life stuff happens, you know?

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