A day of delight

With amazing company and food my week has gotten so much better after today. Laura and I went with Holly (my roommate in CO) and her son, Deagan, to pick berries at a local organic farm. How fun?! I have always wanted to do that so another blessing from not working the rest of this week, we got to tag along on the field trip! We picked fresh raspberries and strawberries with the thought in mind that we would come home and bake something incredibly delicious together. A food blog that I love to follow known as Smitten Kitchen had a recipe for a blueberry/peach cobbler so I read over it and decided to change a few things according to what I had and liked. The out come was Cobbler Castle, our newest creation that has inspired us to have many more night of baking together at our new apartment in Chicago. Looking forward to going back and getting in the groove of city life. See you all soon with many delicious treats to share!

op-ti-mism

optimism |ˈäptəˌmizəm|
noun
1 hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something

Choosing to be optimistic in the midst of hurtful, challenging, and unfair situations can naturally be incredibly difficult. Yesterday I received a call from my boss letting me know that she wanted to pay me for the rest of the week and have me not come in to work. Of course I couldn't understand why. It seems that a few parents did not like me yet my boss said that she knows I was doing my job 110%
Now you explain to me how that makes sense? Well it comes down to pleasing a few certain members of that suburban community and in that decision my heart and spirit was crushed. It was simply a unprofessional and hurtful way to go about telling me that I was not welcome and unwanted.
After that conversation I got in my car and just cried. My heart was broken. Feeling so judged and unwelcome in a place seemed to not only be a challenge to my character but a stab to my heart.
Luckily I had Laura as a listening ear to come home to- I simply said I feel like I am questioning my worth and value. She reminded me that my worth is in God and not in relationships or actions. Throughout the evening I had numerous people let me know that they appreciate my style, personality, work ethic, character, gifts, dreams, and heart. I feel like persevering with an optimistic attitude and outlook through this hurtful and unfair situation allowed me to be lifted up by those that love me most.

Words of wisdom- Find the blessings in the midst of difficulty & know that you are loved.

The blessing in this situation is now I get to spend Laura's entire visit out here to Denver showing her around to all my favorite spots and spending quality time together. That is optimism.

End of a season

In a few hours Monday morning will be here with the slight recollection dwindling in mind of having had a great weekend with only one left.
I will be making coffee and putting on my tie-dye shirt for the last week of summer camp. Its been amazing working with kids all summer while using my gifts of leadership and creativity to make camp a better place. I will always remember the things I have learned this summer from those whom I have worked with and been a counselor too. Kids can teach you so much, just have to keep an open mind and be ready to listen at any moment. I know at some point I might want to have a child of my own, but after a summer of being around kids all day every day its been a bit much. Looking forward to transitioning out of this job/life in the mountains and back to the big city that I so adoringly call home, Chicago. Much awaits me there including a new home, last year of undergrad at SAIC, biking the city, working at the climbing wall, installation crew at gallery, a future museum or gallery job on the horizon, and hopefully many beautiful moments with my friends and community. The fall, in my opinion, is the best season and what a better place to spend in then in a incredibly gorgeous and amazing city where family comes to visit and friends are always near bye.
Originally before coming out to Denver for the summer I thought maybe, just maybe, after I am done with school in may I would move out here. That is not what is in store for me right now, or the season of life that I am in. After reconciling with that and really feeling a deep conviction of Chicago being home I can gladly say I do not regret being away for the summer because I don't ever want to wonder how it would have been if I had just done ______. (can be said about any circumstance)

Follow your heart, and live in love. Through that good things will come.

Reunited

Sitting at the DIA- Denver Airport with Laura until all the high school leaders from the camp she helps run, Leaders for Life, leave on their airplanes and part ways until next summer. Its so great to see her again and reconnect. We get to spend my last week in Colorado together then head back to Chicago to move into our new house!

Being reunited with people you care about most is such a lovely feeling, I wish for you all to experience love today.

Write a love letter.

Think of someone you care about, find a moment you want to describe, make an envelope (or get one out of the desk drawer), reuse a piece of paper, and start writing.

When we let people know how much we care about them it makes the world a better place.
I adore sending letters to people. I also adore receiving letters. Normally I use canvas bags when I go grocery shopping, but once or twice this summer I stopped in without them so I came home with a brown paper bag. And now I was able to snip them up and turn them into envelopes and papers with a bit of inspiration from dear friends. Also after having visited a paper making factory in India and having collected beautiful stationary this is all at my disposal for letter writing & I have decided to start mixing and matching.


Stationary from India


Handmade envelopes out of recycled magazines- Malissa Winkowski


Recycled brown paper bag envelopes

Sunset over the Rockies; Summertime in Colorado

The moments of late evening when the sun is starting to fall out of its position in the mile high sky and slowly settle on the mountain tops I come to realize that not only is it Friday, but it is almost the end of summer. I often forget to write and even photograph; sometimes just living is enough. Many people exist throughout life that way, and it doesn't hurt to be so simple.

Goals I had made this summer:
Read books on philosophy of photography
Photograph everyday
Hike at least once a week
Rock climb at least once a week
Make new friends
Save money
Explore unknown places
Try new foods
Spend time alone and be okay with that

Goals I accomplished this summer:
Working a lot
Making new friends
Missing Chicago often
Spending a lot of time alone
Thinking about India at least once a day

It has been months and months since I blogged last, which is apparently becoming a normal happening. I always aspire to be like my friends who blog often, post their art online, have followers who are interested enough to read my posts, and when I have thoughts just write them on here. Maybe it will happen one day. For now though, check these photographs out.

Much love & peace.