On Getting to the Board

So, the Bulletin Board. I remember being so jazzed about these corkboard tiles. I left them at the foot of the stairs for the latter part of the week and finally on Saturday I made the giant next step of bringing them upstairs to my office/guestroom. And there they sat for the next few days while I made the choice to do other things like go camping on a whim with my family.

We are fortunate to live in a magnificent area close to mountains, rivers, lakes and ocean among other natural wonders. We had a leisurely saturday, slow and easy. We decided midday that we wanted to go camping, car-camping. By 3, after saying goodbye to my dear friends moving to the mid-west and packing up whatever we thought could be important for one night in the woods, Hoopingirl, her daddio and I headed out to find a campsite. Somewhere. We drove north just about an hour into Canada to find a lake. This would be great. Swimming, roasting corn and turkey-dogs over the fire, hooping, a late night beer from a can while sitting around the fire talking after our girl went to bed, watching the flames, all cozy in warm sweaters--what could be better.

Yes, in the states and in Canada this 3 day weekend is one of the busiest but for us, I think we just trusted something would turn up. We had no reservations and as we came upon our destination which we more or less decided upon on the drive, the 4 major campsites in the area we chose were FULL. There it was in huge letters: FULL. Well, I thought who cares, we'll swim, picnic, find an adventure and drive back home if we can't find a place to sleep. Daddio though said "nah let's ask, there's gotta be something." We drove up to the ranger station and sure enough the Ranger said "well yah, we have 1 left". Couldn't believe it. Off we went to site # 74 and set up camp.

Though I've sure not got out camping much lately, everytime I get out and do it I think about how much I love it. Car-camping is like luxury camping to me. All the comforts of home practically. Air beds in the van, good food, bottles of wine if you want it, hoola hoops and balls, books you name it, pillows, everything is game. Of course this trip we may have forgotten forks and plates but we did remember our toothbrushes. While car-camping is luxury, I love backpacking too, bringing the essentials on your back. Sleeping bag, tent, therm-r-rest, cards, yummy food where you get to be perhaps more innovative with less, tarp and rope, water-purifier, matches and more that's in my camping box I know I'm forgetting. What I always loved about backpacking was making camp with what you have. I thought about how long it has been since I've taken a backpack trip--almost 5 years to the date. Here comes a new goal! Get back out there with a pack on.

Anyway, back to site # 74. We all sat around the fire, cooked our corn and turkey-dogs and felt full. After putting Hoopingirl to bed, we did put another log or few on the fire and talked, sipping our beer--not canned this time but it still met my vision of the camp-scene. I dozed off in front of the fire so warm and relaxed. We were slugs plain and simple and it felt so great. We woke up to a short sprinkle that passed quickly. I thought though this was a great excuse to stay in the van and sleep. More. We played games with Hoopingirl or alternated I suppose while each one of us got to take a little bit more of a nap. Hoopingirl gave us massages that were among the best around using her body. This time away for the 3 of us felt good and easy. Just being in the moment. Not talking about what we need to get done or what didn't get done. None of that. We spent that day, after finally crawling out the van and packing up, meandering along back roads through beautiful lush, green farmland where dramatic snow covered peaks rise high. Though the day was overcast, the views were so beautiful still.

We took Hoopingirl on a short hike to Bridal Veil Falls. She was having fun using the camera, snapping me and Daddio along with caterpillers crawling along, the stream, moss-covered trees. I'll post these pics soon. She had fun finding her way along the path and hiking higher. This too marks an inspiration and goal to get hiking a lot more like I used to only how with Hoopingirl.

One hour and who knows how many miles away; we got away for 24 hours and it was so good. The rest of the weekend was fun too but I could feel my to-do list surfacing by Monday afternoon. With the help of a design-star pal, we hung the cork tiles--using a level and all. I was impressed with her precision and with me for going this more well-planned route to hanging something on the wall. My normal routine would be to eyeball whatever it is and paste it on up. Well I was proud. We made a nice design with the tiles. I have to say though today the day after hanging the 8 tiles, I had some doubts about the quality of the tiles and that dreadful doublesided tape you're given use to paste them up. Would it peel my beautiful latte-colored walls? I came home and the tiles were already falling off the walls. I returned them all, got my money back and was so grateful for that. Decided that I would save the 15$ and just use that big bulletin board that I found for free. Warped and all. I could look past the warp to save some money. This huge bulletin board is now up on my wall and it looks great. I have posted a few pieces up so far; a design idea for my desk space and some other reminders and to dos. Its how I want it though big, a board I can stand before and put up my dreams big. On to the next task.

about that boulder...

Tonight marked a great evening albeit a little bittersweet as we celebrated the adventures of two friends moving back to the midwest. I look at these friends and feel a full heart as they met in eachother a great match. The image of the two of them and their dogs setting course across the states makes me smile and well even inspires a little kick in my butt to think about some new adventures of my own. I am a road trip fiend though I've not been on a big one in a couple of years. I am a wanderluster. I can end up in many a town and dream about what it would like to live there. With a snap almost, I can see quitting my job, packing up and heading on. And its not that I don't like where I live or love my friends nearby, its just the dream and thrill of setting course to do something new is completely captivating. This topic I can surely revisit. There are many stories to tell about the road or desire to hit the road local and beyond.

So back to the dinner... We were sitting around my living room tonight after a few glasses of red wine and a good summer meal talking about everything from the company where we all have worked and on the adventures that lie ahead. We talked a bit about the river I've been writing about and more about that boulder. My pal said "oh i was hoping you were going to write about going around the boulder" Well timing is everything. I was thinking today and actually was reminded as I read this great piece I'll share soon called "Advice from the River" that really the river does just keeps flowing around the boulder, there is no fight that I can imagine. There is no resistance. The river just keeps flowing.

Travelling on can be a beautiful thing. Going with the flow, the path of least resistance where things just feel right.

On Letting Go

So I've been thinking again about this whole concept of letting go. I always like to think about life as a river, hopefully flowing freely with the current. Sometimes it happens that I let myself stop flowing, caught up against a big ol' boulder in the river. The more I fight the flow forward the more of course I go nowhere. Trying hard to figure out what to do about the boulder, how to work with it, how to make it move. Its exhausting. I spend more and more energy spinning around and around. But alas, I am slowly ever slowly and gradually learning to relax and breathe, come up for air. I don't have to do anything but relax and breathe, be true to my own flow. I remind myself how important it is to ride, let go and flow onward. Go with the flow takes on a whole new meaning. When I relax I am myself. I find my own groove.

And on finding my groove, I have been hooping quite a bit the past two evenings with my girl. I close my eyes and feel myself fill with joy, grinning ear to ear. We listen to music and hoop, spin and dance.

Circle Round

I intended to start writing a few days ago and here I am a few days later. I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a river, a beautiful, fast and flowing river, cold and so incredibly fresh. Though knowing the jump into the cold burst will be exhilerating, I find it still just a little scary starting this journey of a blog. I've been talking about it long enough and I know I am ready and excited for where this journey of writing will take me.

The start. I came up with a couple of different names but have settled on HoopinMama. I have a delicious four-year old girl who loves to Hoola Hoop and through watching her find her way with the Hoop, and witnessing the thrill she has in just moving with it, I too have become a huge fan of the Hoop. For years, I was resistant to even pick one up because I thought I couldn't do it.

With the hoop, the magic was in finding the right hoop. And the answer to that was start big. I learned to start with a nice big heavy hoop. I also watched many a hooper and noticed the ones keeping it up were barely moving, just effortless in the circle round. I was thinking about not thinking as I could feel my body find its own rhythm and groove. On a fabulous tip and from watching my girl, I started by just rockin it slowly back and forth. Pretty soon, there i was ever so subtly finding my own groove, rockin it there with my girl.

Then I thought some more about not thinking so hard about how helpful it can be to just let go sometimes and see what happens with that.

So this blog I suppose begins a journey of some exploration. There are some big dreams I am working on and this for me is just a place to write a little bit about daily life and the pursuit of some of these dreams.

Today has been one of those hugely emotional days celebrating the marriage of an old friend and saying goodbye again to one of my very best friends and her children as they head back to their home far away from the Northwest. So for now this is my start.