
just a week ago i was in portland, teaching at art & soul and a week before that i was just outside of madison, teaching at valley ridge. i was gone for 12 whole days, seven airplane rides & many hours spent here & there, with beloved old friends and dear new ones. just like that i am back home again with the ones i love so very much, like always, i did not want to leave. and as always i came home feeling so grateful for the time away, and so happy to be home.
i love this photo of katie & me, with the big goofy glasses that i couldn't pass up at the madison thrift store. i found them right after beth & i said "see you soon" to jennifer, for 50 cents i grabbed them, knowing they would be perfect for my kids dress up collection at home, little did i know they would be the perfect accessory in portland for an impromptu dance/dress up party... i look at this photo now and it makes me smile, somehow we went from sitting around the table talking, to making crazy silly videos, dressing up, dancing, and painting our faces with acrylic paint... all without any wine involved, now that says it all! (either we are just plain silly or we know how to have fun! and why not? i am finding that life really is about these moments!)
my whole time away was made up of memorable moments like this, some more serious than others, from getting a night with heather at beth's cottage, to getting lost on the back roads to madison on our way to this magical place, to a long morning walk with kathy, from playing in madison with beth & jennifer, to my first afternoon in portland with jen & katie, and getting mehandi on our arms to celebrate katie's birthday, and to making a hilarious video with stephanie to this song, to sharing conversation & laughter with lk & judy... and and and... there is much more, and i haven't even mentioned the whole reason for going... my students & classes. i taught seven days worth of classes while i was gone and i loved every single second of it. i love my students, and i love walking into a classroom and seeing many familiar faces and new faces as well. i really do love teaching and all that it brings. so often i question myself, if this is what i should be doing, if it's what i want to continue to do and even though next year i won't be teaching as much there is no way i am ready to stop. someone told me she heard i was going to stop teaching, noooo, no... as long as i can i will keep on sharing what i love. i have armfuls of photos to crop & share of my students & their work, i am thinking of making a video of all these photos or a folder here so i can share it all... i want to create a blog for just my students, too... some of you i mentioned this to.
....back to that girl in the goofy glasses, it's so wild to think just a few years ago she was so terrified to get on a plane, speak in front of people, or leave the comforts of home all by herself... and although i still feel that way every single time before i go i am always so grateful when i return, filled to the brim with goodness, the reward truly is the journey. and my heart sings that old familiar tune... something like the theme song to the 'golden girls' ~ thank you for being a friend, traveled down the road and back again...
now that i am home i plan on showing up here more often... :)
today i am listening to this song, i love it, thank you stephanie. i can't wait until our next session. :D
thank you thank you thank you thank you
that it was!

Happy Birthday dear Katie

me / jen

saturday afternoon at the tea house

thank you stephanie, for capturing these moments with your camera

stopping to take a photo in the window's reflection

afternoon sunlight

the perfect cup
my favorite demo piece from class

stephanie

a gift from maryann, thank you.

street singer, all i can hear when i see this photo... 'oh when the saints go marchin' in'
katie & jen
lk