Juneau we're moving to Alaska?

A piece I commissioned my cousin Katrina Guillen to do for our new adventure in Alaska.
My hair kinda looks like Aurora Borealis don'tcha think?

  Juneau has presented our family with an opportunity for new beginnings, and is full of promise.  Every time I speak to my husband it's all we can talk about.  Counting the days till we can stand in awe of the beauty it has to offer.  I've always dreamt of living in Switzerland, and in a small way I feel my dream is coming true.  To be surrounded by snow capped mountains, fir trees, rushing rivers just sounds like heaven to me.  I can't wait to get back to nature and go exploring, hiking, fishing, sledding, and just enjoying every moment of it with my family.  My husband and I always said we wanted our daughter's life to be (quoting Away We Go) "Huck Finn-y", and I believe it will be just that.  Here's to the next great adventure.

For more inspiring quotes and photos visit www.facebook.com/wearewildness

Say Something

Being a mom is an endless balance of time; how you manage it can result in bliss or meltdown.  Finding "ME time" can be a challenge, but when you do it's important to make the most of it.  Some moms craft (like my sister over at A Road Worth Running), some read, some Pin, or catch up on their shows…. watch that not so PG movie you've been dying to see, run, cook, or all the above.  Me?  I do music.  Don't get me wrong, I play when my kiddo's around, however it's nice to play my guitar uninterrupted.  Today I got to indulge in a little me time with my good friend Jayson Camp.  He's a wonderful musician and lyricist.  We covered A Great Big World's "Say Something" in two takes, something I'm very proud of.  No matter how busy life may be at times, I hope that you set aside time for yourself.  You will be happier for it and in turn so will your little one.  

For more videos please visit our youtube pages or if you're in need of any kind of videography, or photography services I would highly recommend Jessika Lynn of Jessika Lynn Photography.
www.Jessikalynnphoto.com

www.youtube.com/deannadaves

www.youtube.com/FiKzTmotion

1/52: A Portrait A Week

I have never been good at resolutions but this is one I've been waiting to participate in.  So much will be taking place over the next year that I want to capture it all.  I invite you all to join me.  Send me your link, I'd love to follow your adventures.

Cecilia Loves wooly bear caterpillars.  She will beg to go hunting for them every time we leave the house.  She has a 80% success rate of finding at least one.

Christmas in the Mountains

My Husband had recently returned from a 6 month deployment for the holidays.  It can be such a whirl wind of family and friends that you can forget to live in the moment and enjoy one another's company.  He never gets to stay very long so we try to make the most of it.  Some friends of ours from church were kind enough to loan our family their cabin for a few days.  Since Brandon wouldn't be able to stay   till Christmas we celebrated there early.  We got to cook together again, something we miss very much; star gaze, enjoy the fire, and even try some fly fishing.

It's been a long time since my Husband's been able to cook me breakfast.

Off to try our hand at fly fishing

I made this dish on our last night and it was yummy.  It is pear, goat cheese, drizzled with honey, and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.  

Christmas morning was…. rough….. for some.

Shortly after we finished opening our gifts we got a phone call from my Husband's boat, our orders had come in.  Our family is headed to Juneau Alaska this June and we couldn't be more excited.  We love being outdoors and enjoying nature as a family.  I will be able to say that I have lived in every state on the U.S. West coast.  The adventure continues and I can't wait to see what wonders it will bring.

Samantha Claus, Santa Claus… How was I to know!

Cecilia is obsessed with Charlie Brown Christmas this year.  She will quote from all of their holiday specials from " For unto you is born this day" to "I'm NOT YOUR SWEET BABOO"!  I love it.  This holiday season has been wonderful, and full of magic.  I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Halloween

This post comes a little late I know, but better late than never. My Daughter is now 3 and she is just beginning to enjoy dressing up. For the last few Halloweens I've been able to select what she would be, but this was the first year she wanted to weigh in. She's a big fan of the Madeline books and decided that's what she wanted to be. I snagged a costume on zulily for $15 and when it arrived I took her to WSU for some photos. Hope you all enjoy. We had a great time, and what kid doesn't enjoy getting to wear their costume more than once. I suggest you give it a try next year.

Bonjour!

Roots

This autumn has been one of the loveliest I've experienced in the PNW in a long time.  It's allowed us to enjoy the activities we love so much.  We recently visited Mt. View Orchard in Hood River Oregon for a Swiss-German festival.  The moment we arrived you could smell the sweetness of the apples basking in the sun, and the sound of yodeling.  Being in a valley it made it easy to imagine what it must be like to visit Switzerland.  We listened to some traditional songs, saw some traditional dances, and ate some delicious food.  After our bellies were content we took to the fields.  We walked along row after row of what would seem like endless apple trees. Cecilia enjoyed at least four fresh picked apples.  I tasted one apple from a Fuji tree and you could almost taste the rays of sunshine.  All I could think of was how thankful I am for my family, its' roots, and how great God's love is for us to make life this wondrous.