Welsh Pride

Yesterday I hopped in the shower and washed off six-days of Gwen being home sick. I clearly washed in those days - ha! - but yesterday she was finally back to school, and I felt like I could really move past the illness and lethargy that had occupied our days. Then I cashed in a Christmas gift from my parent's, heading in for a new tattoo; and it only seemed appropriate to let a family gift be the one that finally got me a tattoo celebrating my Welsh heritage.

 The back of the calf hurt a lot, but it was definitely worth it!

I so love my new addition! Merry Christmas to me (and thanks Dad and Mom!)! Here's to happy healing, and way less sickness in our near future.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday {Snow}

"Snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness.”
― Mary Oliver 

Chadwick Stokes - First Concert of 2020

Last year we hit so many concerts. It was entertaining, but a little exhausting, and we have no plans for that many this year. The music scene here is just so amazing, with so many awesome bands coming to Colorado!

This past Saturday was supposed to be our first concert of the year, but you know what they say about the best laid plans?!

Gwen was sick on Friday, and only got feeling worse on Saturday. So while we had a babysitter all arranged, it didn't feel right to do that to Gwen (or to our James!). So, Trav told me to go, and that he'd stay home with her. I texted a few friends, but no one was around... so I went by myself! Not something I'd normally do, but it was actually a lot of fun!

It was a small venue, which is always a great way to get that up close experience. The main act was Chadwick Stokes... a musician I absolutely love, but normally see him in very large venues playing with Dispatch! But first was an opener I wasn't familiar with, until someone pointed out that Daniel Rodriguez was one of the lead singers of Elephant Revival! So two huge bands, and I got to see their lead singers up close in an intimate setting.

They played great sets. Chadwick and the Pintos played mostly their own songs, but with two Dispatch numbers thrown in, which was super fun. They also brought Daniel back out for a few songs.

 It was a very fun night, and I'm even more excited for Dispatch in July!

(Hopefully with Travis... but you know what they say about the best laid plans... )

Sick Day

Gwen is home sick today, so we are taking a well deserved lay in. She's feverish, and headachy, so we're just trying to do everything we can to support her body as it fights off whatever this is. So much is going around right now... 30% of the lower grades are out at Gwen's school, and I know someone who's family was half taken down by the flu, and the other half with pneumonia! Hopefully this is neither of those, but today we're bedding down and taking it easy. Send us healing energy!

Wordless Wednesday {Sunday Snuggles}

All Those Ages Ago Today

I'm writing this just moments before I'm publishing it, not something I generally do anymore. But I wanted to talk about the talk that Gwen and I are having today. She already learned about Martin Luther King Jr at school, and we've talked about it at home as well, but I think the thing that blows my mind, the thing that I want to emphasize this year is just how recent all of this was. It feels like such a different world now, that King's speech seems like so many lifetimes ago. But MLK, Jr would be 91 if he were still alive today, and his assassination was less then 52 years ago. Ruby Bridges is younger then my parents! 

 

While we have come so far, its important for Gwen to know just how recent that was, how far we still have to go. Talking about what it means to be a good ally, how important it is not to be silent, and how close we actually still are to all those things that King had to speak out against, and Bridges had to power through. It feels like lifetimes ago, but its not... its within my parent's lifetime, and its still today.

Let's Taco Bout A Baby!

This past weekend we celebrated one of my favorite people on the planet, and the forthcoming birth of her first little one! Penelope is due to arrive in March, and we are all so excited to meet her!

When planning this party with our other good friend James, we knew we wanted it to be a slightly non-traditional babyshower... and we knew it needed tacos! Amanda Panda is always down for a taco night, so what better way to celebrate Miss Penny's health and continued growth then a co-ed taco themed shower?! 

It had been a while since I'd planned a babyshower, so I was a bit nervous!

But all the work that James and I put into it paid off, and the parents-to-be loved it! Amanda even told us that it was "perfect!" 💖

It was so great to get to celebrate Panda, Parker, and Penelope with all their friends around.

Congratulations guys, we love you!!

Wordless Wednesday {New Hair}

Meegs Reads

For the past two years, and now this year as well, I've set small reading goals for myself. I've always been a fast and voracious reader, but I had found that life kept getting in the way... or at least I kept letting myself be pulled to other things. So in 2018 I set a small goal of reading just 20 books that year. I met and exceeded that goal, so last year I upped that to 25. I met that goal as well, starting on my 26th book before the year was out (though I finished it this year).

(If you enjoy horror/suspense, or love Dracula, then check out Dracul.
Its an amazing addition to the world of vampires.)

I'm setting another 25 book goal for this year, and hoping that I exceed it. I've noted before my desire not to just read more, but to chose books intentionally... learning from voices, experiences, and cultures other then my own. So I started 2020 with this one:

While the author is a white woman, she has taken great care in her research and writing of this book to draw awareness to the vastly greater threat of violence and death that Indigenous Women face on a daily basis. I hope to read many books this year that challenge my though process, and that expand my horizons!

What are your favorite books? What are you reading this year?

Settling Back In

(Obviously we've met now, but we're still getting to know each other.)

The two weeks that Gwen has off from right before Christmas to the week following New Years is a funny place where time seems to mean very little. I had off from two of my regular classes, and only taught a few times in those two weeks. We woke up late, had lazy days, read and watched movies. Sometimes we'd venture out to spend gift cards, or pick up some groceries, and the very occasional errand or two happened (life doesn't actually stop?! what?). New Years was quiet, rung in at home with some Cherry 7up, and an extra puppy for the night.

But late last week we started taking down the Christmas decorations, putting the house back in order, and Gwen went back to school at the start of this week. I'm back to my normal teaching schedule, and its hard to believe that life is back to normal, though in a brand new year. It's always an interesting adjustment after break, and I have spent this week getting myself back on a normal sleep schedule. I'm a night owl, and left to my own devises, I reverse-cycle like a nursling, and end up half the night. 7am starts feel very early at the moment!

The celebrations, of which we have so many this year, start this weekend! I can't wait to share all that this year will hold with you. The special, the normal, the big, and the small. Here's to surprises, of the best kind, art and music and love and laughter. Here's to all that lay ahead in 2020.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday {New Addition}

First new piercing in a long time... I love it!

PS. If you though, "huh, I just thought you already had a nose piercing..." know that you weren't alone, my own sibling said that! Ha!

Femme Visibility

My queerness
is not unlike
a cat on a leash.
It's awkward
people don't always understand why it's happening
or how it works
but it's not hurting anyone
so it goes mostly unbothered.

The difference
is that you can see
a cat
on a leash. 

-- Rachel Wiley, Nothing Is Okay

Taking a Moment to Be Proud

I know this is true for a lot of people, but its hard for me when I look at my body not to see the things I want to change, the places for improvement... but right here, right now, I want to start this new year with a focus on the parts I'm proud of.

I've worked hard to get here, these arms and shoulder, a strong core. Legs big, but strong. I'll keep working, keep pushing, hopefully refining and strengthening even more. But this is pretty damn good, right here.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday {New Year}

"For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice." -- T.S. Eliot

Concerts, friends, framily, tattoos, travel. 2019 was more then I could have imagined. Another year is behind us, and today we turn the calendar to a new page and a fresh start. The year of decades is ahead of us (so many celebrations to come), and I look forward to what this year will bring.

What do you wish for in 2020?

"And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been."
-- Rainer Maria Rilke