Archive for December, 2010

Today we signed a lease to rent an adorable little house in Longmont, Colorado! We’ve known for some time that we would be heading back to work for my brother’s real estate company in Boulder…but now that we have a house, it’s official. We leave Iowa tomorrow morning and move in on Friday.

We are not “getting off the road”…but rather, taking a break and settling in for a bit. It seems to be what we do…and it works for us. We can feel it in our souls when we are ready for a little more stability, and it’s time.

We are keeping the RV (we can actually park it at the house)…and still plan to travel this summer. We will be in Colorado at least through the fall and maybe longer. My brother, Scotty, is moving to Boulder too for a new job…and my brother Dan and his fiance, Jess, will be visiting often for business. Family fun!

We are SUPER excited about this opportunity to re-connect and find our rhythm again…while living in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. The hooping community in the Boulder area is vibrant and full of love…can’t wait to get plugged in there too.

During the first couple of months of the new year, I will be focusing on finishing our Modern Nomadic Living eCourse as well as some other exciting projects that I have in the works.

I know that there are MANY of you in this area and I’m super excited to have you all over to our house for supper/coffee/hooping/cookouts

Here’s to new adventures and a new canvas to decorate! Yay!

As I type this, I am sitting on that same couch in the photo above…but I’m all alone. The house is quiet. The gifts have been opened.  Almost everyone has gone…headed out to embrace what 2011 will hold.

I’m thinking back on the past two days, and I am so thankful.

Thankful that our entire family was together.
Thankful that we love each other so deeply.
Thankful that all of us call Jesus our savior.

I take a deep breath and re-live several of the moments from our time together.

Family marbles.
Caramel rolls.
Via coffee. Lots of Via.
Late-night movies.
A new sister.
Bella and The Easy Bake Oven.
Breakfast made by Mom and Dad.
Lucy giving kisses.
Homemade pies (thanks Jess!).
Wedding talk.
Amazing food.
Gifts given in love.
Blessed togetherness.

I hope your Christmas was just as joy-filled as mine was!

*This is the last photo of the official “December Photo Project”. I love posting photos of daily life though…so I will try to continue to post more

Oh the excitement! Christmas Eve is here. We went to a beautiful service celebrating the birth of Jesus, and then came home to a delicious meal of steamy soup, warm bread, and salad. We ended the night with sangria, gift wrapping, and a movie. Tomorrow morning, the last sibling of five will arrive and we will have the complete Otis Commotion together again. I can taste the caramel rolls already

Have a beautiful Christmas my friends!

This is the only photo I took all day. Aren’t you just inspired by that giant hot dog right there in the middle? My mom and I ran errands all afternoon, preparing for the arrival of the rest of the Otis Commotion.

We giggled.
We shopped.
We sipped coffees that were much too sweet.

It was wonderful…I’m smiling just thinking about it. This Christmas we will have 12 people + 1 dog and 2 cats under one roof…and I can’t wait!

I went to Mars Cafe today.
I sipped a soy caramel latte.
I ate an egg sandwich topped with sun-dried tomato mayo + lavender dijon and greens.
I read a little Elsiecake.
After all this goodness, I died and went to heaven.

The holiday season is one of joy, travel, expectation…and family. This is a wonderful thing for most, but it can also be a very challenging thing if your worldviews, food choices, and/or opinions vary greatly from your loved ones.

A couple weeks ago, I heard a sermon about being a peacemaker.

Now, I don’t really consider myself a natural peacemaker. I am opinionated and spirited, and I really love to share what I’ve learned with others. Add a bunch of family members with those same traits and sit back to watch the fireworks

So when the pastor started talking about HOW to become a peacemaker, my ears perked up. And I knew I just had to share it with you.

Peacemakers value relationship over issues.
What argument could be so important to win that you hurt a relationship over it? Even if it is an extremely important issue in your mind, if the discussion is heated enough for feelings to be hurt, it’s time to take a step back.

Peacemakers find common ground.
There are SO many other things you can discuss, especially during the holiday season. Find those things and focus on building your relationship around the beautiful things you DO agree on.

Peacemakers are slow to speak.
Proverbs 29:11 is one of my favorites…such brilliant wisdom that I need to hear daily:

A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
but a wise man quietly holds it back.

And another one:

Proverbs 20:3
It’s a mark of good character to avert quarrels,
but fools love to pick fights.

Basically, don’t be a fool. Even if you KNOW you are right. And even if you know you are right, you can still consider someone else’s views! It might turn out that you aren’t always right. *gasp* Have a humble, gentle spirit!

One of my favorite things about staying at my parent’s house: the morning hours. The busyness of the day has not crept in yet…and we can sit together and just enjoy the dailyness of life. And in the dailyness of life…there is magic.

The way my mom’s hand look as she sips her coffee.
The way Lucy looks at her Nana.
The sparkle of the Christmas tree.
Bella’s pink cozy pajamas.
My dad making breakfast.

Enjoy the magic you see today in your own life.

Creating good things together.

I like to reflect. Look back. Think upon. Or as the dictionary puts it, “to carefully consider”.

This holiday season I am reflecting on the ridiculous number of places we have traveled to and the ridiculous number of people we have met and been inspired by…and I am so thankful. What an amazing journey it’s been…I truly have no way to describe the wonderful richness that all of you bring to my life.

What are you reflecting on as we come into a new year?

Today we headed downtown to the winter farmer’s market and visited our favorite farmers…Jill and Sean from Blue Gate Farms! I was thrilled to see they had their honey in stock…because it’s my sweetener of choice for my mate in the morning and I was running low. Yummy!