the list diaries: chapter 006 -- my mom's amazing life.

mom and me on my wedding day, October 12, 2013; photo by TRR Photo

the list diaries.
chapter 006.

that's my mom. my incredible, spirited, young-in-heart, cute and beautiful, creative mom. and someday I want to be like her and be able to enjoy my later life like she is. this is my someday list -- in part.

• all children must be grown and living away from home. they are welcome to return at anytime with their own families but this part of my life is for me and mr. brooks.
• land. countryside land. with hills. if there's a small body of water -- even better. and some woods. so owls can nest and bunnies can flee.
• pets. perhaps a couple dogs, a few cats, a jersey cow or two, maybe a few goats, a burrow, an alpaca, chickens, and a few ducks.
• a large kitchen to continue perfecting my family recipes and discover new dishes to try out. a wide expanse of cupboards to hold my dishes collection. and a massive farm table to host dinner parties to taste the classic family recipes and try the new dishes. and a deep farm sink. 
• a cattle company to rent the hillsides when the months are warmer. bulls, calves, and lady cows roaming the property is something I cannot live without.
• time for creative activities, like writing and reading and dreaming up new gardens by the wood-burning stove.
• plots sectioned off across the property for gardens -- fruit, floral, and vegetable. and lots of bird feeders. and a wall of windows to watch the birds peck and flutter.
• time with mr. brooks to take summer walks down to the local ice cream dairy. or ride our bikes along the path parallel to to the train tracks. 
• the simple life, an opportunity to enjoy where I am, and how I arrived there. the chance to look back at my accomplishments and just sit back in the rocking chair on the front porch and snap peas.

my mom has the best life. she often refers to it as mundane but every time I'm home and get a peek into her world, I find it the most satisfying definition of simple. maybe that's the-country-mouse-living-in-the-city talking. regardless, it's pretty special. 

wishing this monday away.

image courtesy of 1, 2

even though i'm a happy shining people, occasionally i can't help wishing myself off onto a page in the library of my dreamworld. 

• i was on the farm in ohio, spending an afternoon of my winter break walking the hills with the dogs, taking in the views and kicking snow, collecting fresh eggs from the chickens and feeding scraps to the funny goats
• or sitting on a church's steps in petaluma, a vanilla soft-serve ice cream cone in hand, happiness abounding, smiling ear-to-ear
• or outside a parisian cafe on an overcast fall afternoon with not a care in the world but all the amazing things we're going to see
• or finishing the book i'm reading so i can start my next one which is waiting for me on hold at the library
• or when my next creative streak is going to strike like thunder in a summer storm
• or when i can finally give my mr. his birthday presents -- they've been building up in my office cube for weeks now, kind of like my excitement (tonight is the first -- we're going to see nickel creek)
• or celebrating my baby brother's birthday this week side-by-side -- i don't even know the last time that happened
• or dipping a giant corndog in a bucket of plain yellow mustard, gushing over every bite of its deliciousness

i love my life. as it is today, at this moment. it's just that from time-to-time i wish i could blink myself somewhere else for a moment or two. and i have found that wishes like these tend to better even the wonderful life i awake to everyday. 

it snowed!

i finally got my white christmas [vacation].

i {heart} goats.

i'm short on words other than saying
i hope you had a lovely weekend and
i love [and miss the] goats.

photos courtesy of jsb

missing the ohio farm.

i've been feeling guilty lately for neglecting my lovely corner of the worldwide web--my days have been jam-packed with work and life stuff. when i find a few minutes to spare and scroll through my google reader or flip through online magazines or catalogs, i find myself starving for something to inspire me. every model looks the same; every wedding or set has overlapping common elements suffocating individuality. and i end up talking in circles with each post.

what seems to have happened is in an effort to be immensely and obviously different, we, as society, have aligned in very similar ways and it frustrates me. i'm not sure what to do about this as far as it relates to me other than continue the search for something to jazz and excite me, something i can't wait to write about. while i'm searching, i figured i'd share a couple old favourite photos of mine of a place that always inspires and leads to daydreams--the countryside. more specifically, the farm in ohio.

a year ago at this time my plan was to return to ohio, my home state, and work with my parents on their farm with chores and keeping the house in order while they did their church assignment; maybe doing some writing in my free time. to my joyful surprise, life took a turn seven months ago that i didn't see coming and now i'm happier than ever and rediscovering reasons to love and enjoy the bay area. maybe because i'm so fully satisfied in my personal [and professional] life i'm not needing any of the [false] inspiration or satisfaction that my google reader used to provide. thinking aloud here. have any of you experienced anything like this? 

all that said, you may not see me as regularly on violet + earnest and pretty things but i'll be sure to let you in on any fun secrets i uncover or fun stories. hope you'll stop by from time to time.