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pockets of wonder . Pumpkins

With the arrival of another October tomorrow, I’ve been thinking about pumpkins. Naturally. Their funky shapes. Their rainbow of colors from signature orange to yellows, browns, creams and even blues and greens. The odd “noses” their stems make when cut from the vine. Their unmatched association with fall, my favorite season. And in this case, their reminder of field trips with little ones gone by! These goofy vegetables (or is it a fruit?) are giving me autumn vibes and a wee bit of inspiration today. I hope this mini gallery will give you some fall feels to start the season, too…

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The First Cool Mornings

Wait, what was that? I was walking back inside the door near my studio this morning after a search for a few Fall-ish photos to share today, and I thought I saw a glimpse of pink. I stepped back out and nearly squealed with delight.  Sure enough, the first bloom on our giant sasanqua camellia was unfurling and reaching toward the sun just at eye level. I’d already walked by it on two carpool runs this morning, and somehow it escaped my notice. One of my personal signs of fall, and just like the season, it sneaked up on me! 

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Reflecting on 10 Years

Today marks 10 years since my husband Mike’s death. This is one of my favorite pictures. I like to think of him with this smile and the children climbing on him, not sure if he might break out in an Elvis voice or John Wayne. For years he wasn’t able to find this smile or anything carefree. It’s taken a lot of ups and downs for my heart to move past his troubled soul and settle on this picture of him in my memories. 

Today is a day that largely lives in my memory as last conversations and fears and numbness. As a conversation with my children that I know overpowered their innocence with uncertainty and grief.

I feel like I had one golden moment of wisdom before that conversation. It came from God, I guess, because I sure didn’t know how to do anything in such an overwhelming moment. Except to love, and I committed my heart to being honest with my children in all things, right from the very start. I committed to being sure our story was rooted in truth, as hard as the truth was for all of us to understand. 

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favorite flânerie . Killing Time in Memphis with Street Art

Memphis street art, graffiti

Street art. My favorite kind of city wandering, and it always seems to offer endless inspiration. I consider it a parenting win that my children have no qualms about stopping on the side of the street and getting out to take photos. In fact, they often suggest it now! I guess it seems perfectly normal after years of my traipsing around various alleys and byways in cities and small towns on the hunt for hand painted signs and graffiti art.

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favorite flânerie . Happy President’s Day in Stamps

I love stamps. Their glimpse of history and what nations choose to honor. Their mini artwork masterpieces. Their throwback to times when receiving correspondence from someone was more precious. From portraits to places to historic artifacts, stamps display so many versions of what we see as important. In honor of President’s Day, I decided to take a look through my stamp collection to see how many presidents I could find.

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