Sunday, September 19, 2010

Wild & Wooly @ in Lincoln City

I love how unpredictable it is on the Oregon Coast.  I like the rain and the storms, the brief poetic glimpses of sun and the glorious sunsets.... I'm not quite as fond of the funky traffic, bad (read: erratic!) drivers and high cost of living (but, I digress...)

This weekend we had a lovely Andrews' family get together in Lincoln City.  JoAnn rented a lovely place for all of us called 'DeerHaven' and we all congregated there.  The only real downer about this beach house was that we could not get the internet to work, so....bummer.... we all had to talk to each other instead!

WE had a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean.
WE had lots of fun and laughter and food!!!  tons of food!!!  waaaaay too much food!!  
Peekaboo and I napped constantly.  We fell asleep @ the drop of a hat.

We definitely had fun!

John & his Mom JoAnn
Brother-in-law Jeff & our nephew Eric
Jeremy & JoAnn
Lincoln (age 1) & Mommy Jessica
Jeremy & Ken (Robynn's Fiancee)
Grandma Barb & Lincoln
Ben & Jessica
Robynn & JoAnn
Janine & son Eric
Joe & jessica (not pictured is 6 year old Braedyn who didn't feel like being photographed this weekend)
We actually got a family photograph (minus Ken and Robynn)... This is a RARE event!

The only really icky part of the weekend was the exciting event of John and I getting in a car accident.  The other driver decided to rapidly back down the street into oncoming (read US) traffic.  He was extremely apologetic but we still have a really messed up car.  Not fun!!  Thank Heavens for Car Insurance.
To cap off our weekend we stopped at the Drift Creek Covered Bridge, just outside of Lincoln City.  It's a beautiful bridge, in a beautiful setting.  All part of our little tour of covered Bridges in Oregon.  (some day we'll get to all of them!)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

the creative soul

I am a creative person.  I'm not extraordinarily creative but I am a creative person.  The older I have gotten the more I have come to accept my creative nature as neccessary for my soul's survival.  I found this marvelous quote by Pearl S. Buck.  He speaks truth that I understand.

"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them... a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death.
Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create -- so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off...
They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.
"
-Pearl S. Buck

....By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating."  I adore this line!  To me, my creativity, such as it is...is an inherited trait from my Father in Heaven, my God...the great creator.  He created everything that we see, everything that we touch, breathe, hear, know....   God is creative and he gifted us with creativity, so we must use it in whatever form it comes to us...

Many times I have pondered those who create out of hardship.  I think about the pioneer's who crossed the plains of this great nation, who lost loved ones and toiled hard on the land, who made quilts out of seed sacks.  I think of the slaves living on the East Coast, illegally de-humainzed and yet expressing their humanity and JOY for life through simple yet poignant crafts and music.  I marvel at the simple power of persevering by creating....when we create we are not giving up we are moving on....perhaps I ramble...well, definitely I ramble.

All of us have that touch of creativity.  Mine comes out in giant spurts of thoughts and projects, of paper and paint, of organizing ideas and organizing people, through music!.  My daughter expresses hers through her hair cuts and hair dye, through music and paint and clay.  How do you access your creativity?

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Mixed Emotions

So, Peekaboo started High School yesterday.  She got herself up Uber early in the morning all by herself and went to Seminary and then School.  She's so grown up.  Not ALL grown up, no matter what she may say...but, she's certainly a much more independent young woman than she was even just a few months ago.  She came home from school yesterday excited by all of her classes.  Actually excited by Academics!!  I hope it lasts....