So it seems that my "Fresh Cut Flower Fridays" have kind of morphed lately...I guess it turns out that they aren't just about fresh cut flowers. Maybe it's more about intentionally looking around my life at least once a week to notice what is bringing me joy...right now it is the light dusting of snow on the foothills that I can see from my back porch, it is the beautiful warm shades of yellow and red that the leaves have turned to, it is the fact that TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY I GET TO RIDE MY SNOWBOARD THIS SEASON!!! (Okay, I'm actually writing this on Thursday evening so I should really be saying "tomorrow", but you get the idea, I'm stoked!) The Jeepster is making her maiden treck up to a ski resort - Mt. Baker specifically - she is all ready to go with the Thule mounted. As soon as that Thule was on her, she became an infinately cooler vehicle, now she's not just a "run errands around town" kind of SUV, she's a mountain bound, snow sport serving kind of car.
Am I being dramatic?! Let me just explain that I love to snowboard. This will be my 6th season of riding, and every year I appreciate the sport more and more. I didn't grow up in a skiing family, we didn't have money for that kind of thing. So when I got out of college and was in my second year at my first teaching job, I decided that I wanted to learn. It was one of the first investments I made as an adult for myself that was purely for fun...everything else had always had a sense of responsibility tied to it, car purchases, pursuing degrees, paying student loans, it all was tied up in what I "should do". With snowboarding there really was no obligatory "should", it was pure, joyful "want". Well, maybe joyful is a stretch when describing some of what I went through, I had a hard time learning initially, I feel alot and bruised my tail bone (very painful by the way!), but I had a dear friend learning with me. She and I committed to learning together and we have both continued to ride every year since. When I moved to WA from CA, I initially was thrown off by the differences in riding conditions. In CA I'd been able to get away with lighter first layers, in WA the cold is no joke, and sunny spring conditions are not as typical.
My first winter in WA was rough for other reasons as well, I dealt with some seasonal depression from the lack of sunlight (and also because of all of the crazy transitions I'd just been through). It took a while, but eventually it sunk in that I was very close to some amazing places to ride, snowboarding helped me get through a difficult period of my life. My snowboarding went to a new level my first year in WA, I made a very stubborn decision to no longer be just a mediocre rider, I wanted to improve. With a ton of work, lots of falls, and many grouchy days (the poor husband had to deal with me through those - sorry honey!), my turns became cleaner and tighter, I learned how to carve with the edges of my board, my stance became stronger, I gained the confidence to ride in sometimes less than ideal snow, I stopped cursing everyone and everything when I unintentionally ended up on a cat track, I had the chance to teach the husband the basics of riding a snowboard (he's a great skier), last January I even got to teach my oldest friend in the world how to ride when she was up for a visit. The picture at the top of this post was actually taken that day at Mt. Baker. That was also the day that I began to seriously consider trying to become a snowboarding instructor.
Now this Saturday I will begin a course that will allow me to become a certified instructor and possibly even get a job as a part-time instructor this winter at a nearby resort called Steven's Pass. I am proud of myself for sticking with snowboarding even on the hard days...it is not a difficult sport to get the basics down, but to really ride with style requires tons of commitment. Snowboarding is something that I've shared with many of my students over the years. They always looked at me suspiciously if I missed a day during the winter...especially if a storm had just passed through and left fresh powder in it's wake.
Since I started to ride, I have had the pleasure of riding at some of the most amazing moutains in the world, I have riden in California, Nevada, Washington, Canada, Colorado, and Utah...some of the best days of my life have been up on a mountain, strapped into my board. So maybe to some, this all sounds silly and dramatic, but one day when my body is old and tired, I am going to be glad that I made a point of enjoying the beauty and thrill of mountains covered in snow. Time to go shred!
This is the scene in front of the fireplace lately...with the cold wind and rain outside, it's all cozy time inside. I was blog hopping recently, and came across Jessica of Turkey Cookie, there was a post that particularly struck me. I'll let you go there yourself to read it...but I'll say that it has made me think. Since starting to blog I have found myself trying to intentionally find beauty, a good thing...but I have also found myself looking around with a critical eye thinking that what I was looking at may not be "pretty" enough for a blog post. The fact of the matter is that I sometimes live with piles on my floor or stacks of things I need to go through. It is not always tidy and picture pretty around here. The details of our lives sometimes resemble loose threads more than they resemble a tidy hem...I'm trying to be okay with that. When I first took this picture my thought was "How sweet Fig looks with his tail in a little curl lying in front of the fire", my second thought was "The dumbell weights that we keep by the ellyptical machine are on the floor and the AV chord is strung across the floor, those things aren't pretty". But the reality is that I live in a house where there are dumbell weights on the floor right now and an AV chord that needs to be tucked properly is still out in the open. There is beauty in that reality...maybe I've just been reading too many blogs that show what seem to be perfect houses that are lived in by perfectly neat and organized people. I like neat and organized, I really do, but I also like being able to enjoy life. I'm going to try hem things in on both sides, I can make an effort to be more organized and elliminate some of the messiness, and I can also decide to be okay with things not being perfect and still celebrate the beauty around me.
The Jeepster covered in freshly fallen powder, which we brushed off with a glove before leaving.
Lodge kitties hanging out on a shelf in the store for a cozy afternoon group nap.
The sun barely breaking through the puffy snow clouds.
The sound of my boots crunching and squeaking on packed powder, and the confining feel of those boots after so many months of wearing nothing but comfortable shoes.
Gravelly snow and light powder covering my board at the end of a run, brushing it out of my bindings before strapping in again after lunch.
Tightening up my bindings with bulky gloves on in the middle of a blue run.
The heaviness of snow on the limbs of trees making the trees look more narrow than they normally are, they have the appeal of frosted cookies.
The sound of mechanical gears moving the chair lift cables as we sway up the mountain with cold wind in our faces.
My happy snow-sport buddy giving me a thumbs up as we head up for another run.
So it seems that my "Fresh Cut Flower Fridays" have kind of morphed lately...I guess it turns out that they aren't just about fresh cut flowers. Maybe it's more about intentionally looking around my life at least once a week to notice what is bringing me joy...right now it is the light dusting of snow on the foothills that I can see from my back porch, it is the beautiful warm shades of yellow and red that the leaves have turned to, it is the fact that TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY I GET TO RIDE MY SNOWBOARD THIS SEASON!!! (Okay, I'm actually writing this on Thursday evening so I should really be saying "tomorrow", but you get the idea, I'm stoked!) The Jeepster is making her maiden treck up to a ski resort - Mt. Baker specifically - she is all ready to go with the Thule mounted. As soon as that Thule was on her, she became an infinately cooler vehicle, now she's not just a "run errands around town" kind of SUV, she's a mountain bound, snow sport serving kind of car. 
This is the apron I made for a customer who came into Bungalow Bay recently. She was looking for a full bib style Christmas apron. I like how it turned out, the fabrics were fun to work with. that is a ruffle at the bottom. It was a pretty simple design, ties at the neck and waist and pockets on the top and bottom panels. I actually think it looks better on than laid out, it's boxy, but that gives it a clean look when it is on and it also highlights the bottom ruffle. I may just have to make a few more Christmas aprons, and perhaps even keep one...it would put me in a seasonal mood
Figaro's life: Another day, another nap. He's taken to sleeping in the white chair in my office. I guess it's okay, the cover is removeable/washable. Besides, he's so darn cute, how could I say no? I apologize for the gratuitous kitty cat post, I'm obviously a mother in love!
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