So, one of the many weekends that I will remember for a long time is the weekend in mid October that we spent in Albuquerque with my cousins and their families and my aunt and uncle. I have two cousins - Romy and Rachel. Romy is my sister's age and Rachel is my age. Rachel and I actually took the initiative and planned a trip for us (Greg and Landon and I along with Linda and Evi - Cullyn stayed in Denver to run part of the Rock n Roll marathon) to come see them. It was a short visit but great. There is a part of me that feels really connected to the southwest and the Native American spirit, and whenever I am in Albuquerque I get recharged.
Here are some photos from our weekend there:
Above are some shots of the cousins and their families. Romy is to the left and Rachel is next to her with Baby Silver. The bottom photo is of Rachel's husband Joel with Silver, and of course Greg and Landon.
On Saturday night, we had dinner at my Uncle Joe and Aunt Gina's house. First of all, that is just about as close to my dream house as I have seen lately. A huge yard with lots of plantlife and even a garden nook, an art studio for my aunt, private offices for my uncle and my aunt and a reading lounge for my uncle, a published author who is working on his second novel. All the photos above are from this dinner - the kids playing together, my uncle, Romy, etc. The photo below is a photo of what would probably be my favorite part of the house - books and music side by side!
So, many magical conversations happened this night with my 15 family members. The one I think that will have the most lasting effect was the one between my uncle and my husband. Greg has been struggling lately with how to make more time for music and really go for it. He has a great job but it isn't what he went to school for, and sometimes I think he thinks he sold out, even though he loves what he is doing. Then there is life - the kid, the wife, the family, the whole bit. The thing that always gets sidelined is music. As stated before, my uncle just published a novel about two years ago to critical praise. It took him many, many years to realize his dream of becoming a novelist. As I was chasing Landon around the backyard, snippets of their conversation drifted over to me, and the piece that I will also take and grow from is "5 minutes". Uncle Joe was telling Greg that life does get in the way of art, over and over. But if you just make it a priority to spend 5 minutes a day on your passion, JUST 5 MINUTES, you will get there. I thought about my blog and about writing in general. I love writing - it is truly a passion of mine. I just need to take 5 minutes a day to WRITE. It may not mean in this blog - I also have an open letter to my son that I have been writing for 2 years and counting (and will continue to write until he leaves my house), I write in a journal for me, I write in Landon's baby book and in Landon's journal, and I have a grateful journal.
I figure if I can just allocate 5 minutes a day and take it out of my sleep time, I will be a happier, more fulfilled person. So, there will be more blog entries here, and hopefully my passion will be reignited.
I leave you with these last 2 photos - pictures of the car ride on the way home. Cousins napping together, and Landon amusing himself with a book. I hope the reading bug lasts.
On Saturday night, we had dinner at my Uncle Joe and Aunt Gina's house. First of all, that is just about as close to my dream house as I have seen lately. A huge yard with lots of plantlife and even a garden nook, an art studio for my aunt, private offices for my uncle and my aunt and a reading lounge for my uncle, a published author who is working on his second novel. All the photos above are from this dinner - the kids playing together, my uncle, Romy, etc. The photo below is a photo of what would probably be my favorite part of the house - books and music side by side!
So, many magical conversations happened this night with my 15 family members. The one I think that will have the most lasting effect was the one between my uncle and my husband. Greg has been struggling lately with how to make more time for music and really go for it. He has a great job but it isn't what he went to school for, and sometimes I think he thinks he sold out, even though he loves what he is doing. Then there is life - the kid, the wife, the family, the whole bit. The thing that always gets sidelined is music. As stated before, my uncle just published a novel about two years ago to critical praise. It took him many, many years to realize his dream of becoming a novelist. As I was chasing Landon around the backyard, snippets of their conversation drifted over to me, and the piece that I will also take and grow from is "5 minutes". Uncle Joe was telling Greg that life does get in the way of art, over and over. But if you just make it a priority to spend 5 minutes a day on your passion, JUST 5 MINUTES, you will get there. I thought about my blog and about writing in general. I love writing - it is truly a passion of mine. I just need to take 5 minutes a day to WRITE. It may not mean in this blog - I also have an open letter to my son that I have been writing for 2 years and counting (and will continue to write until he leaves my house), I write in a journal for me, I write in Landon's baby book and in Landon's journal, and I have a grateful journal.
I figure if I can just allocate 5 minutes a day and take it out of my sleep time, I will be a happier, more fulfilled person. So, there will be more blog entries here, and hopefully my passion will be reignited.
I leave you with these last 2 photos - pictures of the car ride on the way home. Cousins napping together, and Landon amusing himself with a book. I hope the reading bug lasts.
