I’ve always loved bicycle culture. In fact, I’ve already blogged about it here. But I didn’t know how MUCH I would love riding a cruiser. I had a mountain bike for 10 years and I REALLY did not like riding it. It was uncomfortable and cumbersome with all the gears. So in April, we finally found a really nice cruiser on Craigslist (Giant “Simple” Cruiser) and my love affair began again.

My only way of transportation lately has been my bike, because Matt has had the truck at work for the last couple of months. If I wanted to go anywhere, it was either walking or biking. Bella, Lucy, and I have enjoyed touring Golden together. When my parents came to visit, we rented bikes so that we could all bike together. Those are beautiful memories that we will have forever! Such fun.

I love the simplicity of the single speed. Even with a 50 lb Burley trailer, it’s great (unless I’m going straight uphill!). There is nothing better than jumping on my cruiser, parking it at the cafe, and sitting outside to sip my steamy latte. I think I was supposed to be born European. I’ve been occasionally riding to the coffee shop after Matt gets home to do some work and I just adore riding at night when no one is out and I have the street all to myself. Bliss.

I recently realized that I have now spent more money on accessories for my cruiser than on the cruiser itself. But OH! I love it so. I had a custom Betty Basket Liner made, and got a delicious seat that I’ve been dreaming of since I saw it on a cruiser in Bozeman 2 years ago. And I can’t forget my little ding bell. *ding ding*

There is something about photos of cruiser bikes…I get so happy when I see them! So my request is that you post links to photos of you with your cruisers. Or links to photos of ANY cruiser! *love*

I also want you to tell me your favorite “bikeable” towns in the U.S. I want to go there!

Happenings in Month 7:

• This is the first month that we’ve actually been in the same location as last month! We are going on 8 weeks in Colorado…and have loved every minute! Four of those weeks have been spent in Golden…and we will really miss this community when we leave. It kind of feels like we live here. We know we’ve been in one place for awhile when the locals know who we are, when we can’t go downtown without running into someone we know, and when we already have “weekend traditions”. We have plans to head to Bozeman next week after Matt’s job here is done, and we are really looking forward to that!
• My mom and dad just couldn’t stay away, and within 10 days of leaving us the first time, they were back out here for another week. We had TONS of fun…again We rented bikes and biked all over Golden…it was so awesome to not worry about packing us into 2 cars to go downtown. Instead we just pedaled our way there! I’m in love with bikes.
• My brother, Daniel, also flies out from Minneapolis quite a bit for business, and we’ve loved seeing him!
• Bella has made so many friends here…she has been to a birthday party, and regularly goes to the park or the creek with friends and their families. She is growing up before our very eyes…and yet, there are moments when I look into her eyes and see that sweet little 2 year old looking back at me. She loves fashion and dressing up. Makeup and nail polish and such are beloved items. Although, she is very much a “tomboy”, so it’s a nice mixture   Sometimes I will ask her to hold my hand while crossing the street. Sometimes she will, but most of the time she wants to do it all on her own. My heart only breaks a little bit. Luckily, I have another little girl who is just starting to want to hold my hand.
• Lucy is changing daily and becomes more and more adventurous all the time. I can’t turn my back for a SECOND in the RV because: she likes to make “art” on the leather couch with pen, she stands on top of the table/counter/dash, she plays in the toilet, she unloads drawers and then sits in them, and she throws things out the window. Oh, and she likes to take her diaper off. She is at the age where she KNOWS what she wants, but doesn’t have the words for it. She knows some sign language, but it is still hard sometimes. It’s like an all day game of charades…but she totally amazes us at what she understands.

It’s been a great month…and we are looking forward to an amazing fall as we head West to Oregon and California. Weeeeeeee!

I have made it to the THREE year mark…that “magical” time when dreads come into their own. The rumored “three year bliss” does exist. My dreads are finally long enough, tight enough, wonderful enough to love fully every day.

This year has been a crazy one. Full of wonder and magical moments. Deep joy…and deep sorrow. Endings and beginnings.

It started out with us being back in Bozeman and living in a house.
We found an amazing midwife and friend.
We lived temporarily in Boulder, CO for 6 weeks.
Then, my brother almost died.
Then, my grandma died.
Lucy was born!
Family visited.
And more family visited.
We bought the Minnie Winnie.
We did some traveling and some more traveling.
We sold the Minnie Winnie.
We bought the Big Alpine.
Then, we sold everything AGAIN and went back on the road.
With TWO kids this time.
We explored Washington, Oregon, and California.
We flew back to Iowa.
We flew back to Montana.
We drove 15 hours back to Minnesota.
We flew back to the RV in California.
Whew!

And that was the year of 2009. All without the stress of doing my hair.
LOVE IT.

Yes, LOVE. I have not once regretted my decision to dread my hair. I really can’t imagine myself without them now. They’re just a part of my being.
Some observations in the third year:

• My washing/drying process hasn’t changed much. I still wash about once a week (every 2-3 days in the summer) with diluted Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap and rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar. I usually dry them a little bit to fluff them up. I will occasionally wash just my bangs mid-way through the week.
• Many of you have commented about the loose hair that I have in the front. It’s always been that way…they just never dreaded up, and I like them that way!
• I dye them blonde about every 3-4 months. I go to the Aveda training school in West Des Moines whenever we’re back in Iowa. The first time was pretty funny…they didn’t really know what to do with me and my crazy hair, but after they figured it out, it was fast and cheap! I love them blonde and I don’t really ever plan on dying them back to my natural color. I have been throwing around the idea of putting in some color on a few dreads…like purple. I love purple.
• My hair continues to be a spiritual journey for me. They have taught me about acceptance, change, contentment…and I continue to learn from them daily! I choose to be “set apart” from the norm of our culture…which parallels my walk with Jesus.
• I’ve been wearing them down a lot more now that they are longer and I like the versatility. I wore them back/up/under a bandana for 3 years and I paid those dues…it’s time to let them fly! I wear a rubber band around my wrist all the time though…I probably put them up and down 3-4 times a day depending on what I’m doing at the time.
• They still do their own thing. Some ends are looser than others. Some are super short, some are very long. Some are stick straight and others are like a winding country road. Some of the roots are loose and some are tight. And I like it that way. You cannot “tame” dreads, and that’s the beauty of it. I really don’t mess with them much except to wash them.
• Lucy loves my dreads. They are her built in toys and teether.
• I looove beads in my dreads. They make me happy.
• I have an incredibly supportive husband who loves my dreads.
• How long will I keep them? Forever I hope. When I am old, I shall wear purple…and DREADS!

In this third year of dreadiness, I have had the chance to meet up with more fun dready mamas. In Portland, I met up with Shauna and Monica. I love those beautiful, talented women! And of course Bethany and Jordan and Gillian in Eugene with their crazy amazing dreads.

In October, I was able to experience the “dready love fest”. I had the chance to visit Stephanie, “The Dread Goddess” at Akemi Salon in Portland (on far right in photo below). She did some much needed maintenance on my dreads…I recommend her HIGHLY! You can read about it on Denise’s blog here. For those of you just starting out and want to skip a lot of the craziness, she “crochets” dreads instead of just backcombing and they look great right from the beginning. It’s worth traveling to Portland to see her! Love love love.

When you have dreads and you are able to spend time in the presence of others who have dreads…especially other women, there is just something magical about it. There is such acceptance and love…it’s awesome. That’s why I love traveling so much…so I can find all of you!! Anyone up for a huge dready retreat somewhere where we can all be together? Hmmmmm….

Fast forward to right now…we are in San Diego, where we have spent time with the lovely Boho Girl, Denise and her family again. She took all of the amazing photos of my dreads. Thank you thank you thank you Denise…for making me feel beautiful!! We had a wonderful time communing and eating together…the time flew by too fast. She wrote about our time together on her blog here. If you aren’t reading her blog on a regular basis, you should be!

Here’s to another year of adventures…on the road, with dreadlocks!

If you are new to my blog, here are the links to:
Why I Have Dreadlocks
One Year Dreadiversary
Two Year Dreadiversary
My Dreadlock Journey – A Photo Gallery

Photos used with permission – by Denise Andrade – Boho Photography

We made it to Bozeman! After many phone calls, we finally got our tickets re-booked after the blizzard/ice storm. We flew in on Tuesday and SURPRISED our family and will be here until Saturday. We’ve had a fun time re-connecting with our dear friends…and the time with family is so fun. Mindy (Matt’s sister) and Ryan have a little boy who is just 5 months older than Lucy, so it’s been entertaining watching them interact. They live up in the mountains and it’s so beautiful with all the snow. Here is where we are staying…although there isn’t quite as much snow this year! We’ll be back in the Midwest on Saturday, and then we fly back to our RV in California on January 11. Weeeeee! I’ll be ready to get back to the sunshine! I’ve uploaded some of the photos to this set already, and will be adding more soon.

(P.S. I couldn’t resist doing just one more DPP photo…I’m thinking about doing another photo project in 2010, so stay tuned!)

Snow is lightly falling outside…creating a blanket of white as far as the eye can see. It’s beautiful. I am with my family, in a warm house, with lots of food…and lots of love. I am blessed. And thankful.

This morning, we awoke at 3:45am in Omaha and headed to the airport with the expectation that we would be in Bozeman tonight to surprise Matt’s family for Christmas. But God had other plans. Our connecting flight in Minneapolis was canceled and we had to make a quick decision between possibly being stranded in Minneapolis or driving back to Des Moines to spend Christmas with my family. We chose to come back…to guarantee we would be with family. It appears that our flights actually went out…but we had no way of knowing that at the time. Needless to say, today has been a very long day. But God is good, and He is always in control. We trust that there was a reason why we couldn’t be there this Christmas.

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve service at church tonight…my heart was full, thinking of the love Jesus showed us by coming to earth. Tomorrow we celebrate and remember that amazing gift. Merry Christmas Eve my friends!

It’s the THIRD week of my “Magical Month of Giveaways”! I’m so excited to introduce you to this next mama. Becca is a good friend of mine from Bozeman and she makes the cutest stuff. Her Etsy store, Simply Love,  features the adorable custom onesies that you see above and also custom baby blocks. We have a set that says “LUCIA” and she loves to play with them!

This week’s giveaway is for one custom onesie in either long sleeve or short sleeve. In addition to the giveaway, Becca is offering FREE SHIPPING for readers of my blog. Just put the code “WSLW” in the comments section and then adjust your total accordingly.

To enter in the giveaway:

• Leave a comment below with the name of your favorite holiday song.
• For an extra entry, put a link back to this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (and then do a second comment here that says “FB/Twitter”)

I will announce the winner on Friday, December 11 (deadline for entry is 12:00pm PST).

The Homebirth of Lucia Mae from Sara Janssen on Vimeo.

Nothing could have fully prepared me for the emotions that washed me as we welcomed a new little person into our family just four months ago. Before she was born, I tried to imagine what it would be like…but that amazing moment when she took her first breath and was finally HERE..that’s when I truly grasped how my life has been forever changed.

On the morning of May 29, I woke up at 5am with a few contractions. I laid there for about 2 hours, timing them and wondering. Around 7, I decided that this was it and we started to make the preparations for birth. Matt filled the tub, I got my “birthing clothes” on and we called Rebecca, our midwife. She said to call her back when the contractions were coming closer together. Bella hopped into the tub with me for a little scuba diving practice and we had some really special “last moments” together as just us.

Around 10:30 a.m., we called Rebecca back and things were starting to progress. I had been walking around the house, chatting with my mom and dad (who arrived from Iowa 2 nights before), walking out to the ally and back again. I would stop to have a contraction, and then keep going on with what I was doing. But by 11am, I felt like I needed to be more focused on each contraction, so I went in the bedroom and sat on the birthing ball.

The ball was my best friend. My contractions were low and in my hips/back. It felt great for me to bounce and put my hands on my hips during each one and press down hard while I vocalized. However, when anyone else tried to take over the task of pressing on my hips, it HURT SO BAD. So, after swatting both Matt and Rebecca away from me, I went at it in solitude.

I could feel myself slowly slipping into a laborland…a blissful state where the only thing that mattered was seeing my baby. The contractions continued to intensify. Rebecca and her assistant, Katie would come in to check the heart tones, but they never checked dialation per my request and all I can remember Rebecca saying was “you’re doing great…keep doing it”. They would occasionally offer me some Recharge to sip on (oh my word…I love the grape flavor!) and a cool wash cloth for my forehead. Most of the time, I was completely unaware of who was in the room and even fell asleep between contractions toward the end. I would wake myself up when I heard snoring…and then I would laugh. ☺

I had spent the last couple of days prior creating my perfect birth musical playlist. At some point in labor, I demanded that it be turned OFF because it was annoying me. So much for my baby entering into the world with the voice of Jason Mraz crooning in the background.

One thing I remember from all of my prenatal appointments with Rebecca was that we should have have “no expectations” of the birth experience. She reminded me to just go with the flow and listen to my body…and this is one of the many reasons why I love her so much.

From the moment we met Rebecca, we knew that she would be a perfect fit for our family. She is kind, compassionate, intuitive, and she truly respects the birth process. She is incredibly knowledgeable in so many areas…we felt confident that we could bring any question to her and she would have the answer. She empowered ME to trust my body and let birth unfold in the way it’s supposed to. The best part…we didn’t just gain a midwife in this process, we gained a friend for life.

I chose to focus on the word “open” during my labor…I never said the entire word out loud, but I would say “oooooooohhhhhhhhhh” in a low and loud voice whenever a contraction would come on. It was the best pain medication EVER. As soon as I stopped vocalizing, the pressure would get stronger.

Feeling Lucy move down through the birth canal was the craziest feeling…with every contraction, I could feel her get a little closer to emerging. I never “decided” to push…my body just did it on it’s own and when I felt myself wanting to bear down, I just went with it. There came a time when I knew I must be in transition because my internal voice was saying “Wow…when is this going to be over? It hurts.” And as soon as I thought that to myself, I was glad because I knew it was close!

At this point, I sensed a shift in Rebecca…and she asked Matt if he wanted to catch his baby. That question quickly snapped me out of la-la land and I was ON IT. Let’s DO THIS! I reached down and felt Lucy’s head emerging. My waters still had not broken.

On the next contraction, I felt her crowning and remember my voice getting higher…I looked at Rebecca and she reminded me to stop pushing and make the “puh puh puh” sound with my mouth to slow down the crowning and avoid tearing. And then…she was born. Her head “popped” out along with the water sac, and I felt and immediate sense of relief. I reached down and felt her head and on the next contraction the rest of her body slipped out, into her Daddy’s hands and she was placed on my chest. 2:59 p.m…a miracle is born.

There are no words to describe that moment. She was here. She was perfect. I counted her fingers and toes and grinned from ear to ear. Bella was in charge of announcing if it was a boy or a girl…but the cord was blocking the view and made it look like her was a boy. When we finally realized it was a girl, I was in SHOCK! I was sure it was a boy the entire pregnancy. I had random old women in Costco coming up to me to tell me I was having a boy. Along with every other person in my life. We had an entire dresser full of little boy clothes with not one pink onesie in sight. And yet, her SHE was. A sweet little girl. A sister for my Bella. Oh what joy filled my heart.

We announced that her name would be Lucia Mae…Lucy for short. The rest of the afternoon was a blur of snuggling, calling, smiling, crying, loving…I nearly drove my mom crazy because I wanted to be the one to tell my four siblings the news. I was waiting until things calmed down a bit before I called…but she could hardly contain her excitement. ☺

The night before I went into labor, I had a dream. In the dream, I walked through an open door and my Grandma was standing in front of me with her arms outstretched. She was vibrant, healthy and smiling. She embraced me. As we held each other, she whispered, “It’s ok…it’s time”. I stepped back from her and then she was gone.

This dream came just one day after her funeral back in Iowa. A funeral that I could not attend…being that I was about to give birth. It was devastating for me to miss saying goodbye to her…and yet I felt her presence with me so strongly those last couple of days before Lucy was born. She was still there with me. And even as we said goodbye to Baba…we welcomed a NEW life into the world. The incredible circle of life and death.

It was such a blessing to have my mom and dad at her birth…they were able to be at Bella’s birth as well. They drove straight to Bozeman from Iowa after the funeral and I can only imagine the emotions and stress that they were going through….and yet they drove 16 hours to be with us. I will always treasure the memories I have of my mom and Bella as they watched Lucy join this world…and of my dad as he patiently waited in the living room as his first born child became a mother once again.

It has been quite a transition to add a second child into our family after 5 years of just one…and yet it’s the most wonderful thing that we’ve done thus far. The depth of our relationships with each other have changed and grown, and watching Bella with Lucy brings me to tears.

Lucy is now 4 ½ months old and is changing every day. She laughs out loud and her sister’s funny faces. She chews on everything she can get her hands on. It seems her legs have a new roll on them every time I change her diaper. She loves being in the Moby and the excitement that overtakes her every time she realizes she is about to nurse is just too wonderful.

We can’t imagine life without her…and can’t wait to see her little personality emerge. God is good.

Photography by myself and Alicia Caine
Midwifery Care by Rebecca at Green Midwife

Songs:
The Story by Brandi Carlile
Lullaby by the Dixie Chicks

If you are having trouble viewing the Vimeo video, it’s on YouTube here as well.

The Big News from Sara Janssen on Vimeo.

Let me just say…you guys are crazy! I don’t know how many emails I have gotten lately begging for the details of our new adventure. You’ve been trying to guess….

“Is it a boat tour?”

“Is it a plane tour?”

“Is it a bicycle tour?”

“Are you going overseas?”

Nope. None of the above. We are just doing what we love…and that is going ON THE ROAD again (you gotta love Willie). After Lucy was born, we knew right away that we wanted to get back out there on the open road. Living life. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Learning. Growing.

We’ve different now. The road has changed us. Our priorities are different and we’ve realized that our traveling life just wasn’t over yet. When we bought the Minnie Winnie, we truly thought that we would just be using it for weekend getaways and for traveling to see family. But, as soon as we got back out there, it just felt like us. It was good. We missed it.

However, the Winnie was a bit small for full-time livin’. So, we sold the Winnie and went back to a motorhome. This time, it’s a 2000 Alpine Coach (40 foot). The same exact one as our last RV, but 2 years newer and 4 feet longer. Just enough extra length for Matt to build bunk beds for the girls. We’ll be remodeling it back in Bozeman while we gather our belongings and sell/give away the rest.

Right now, we’re still in Des Moines…and will soon be heading to various locations in Nebraska, Colorado, and then back to Bozeman. We’ll be back for a few weeks and then will head west to Eugene, OR to convert the RV to veggie oil at Green Eye. After that, our plan is loose, but we’re thinking California through January. Then Arizona and Texas throughout the winter, the east coast in the spring, and then back to the Midwest in the summer. We will most likely be offering a “buffet” of services as we travel through different cities.

• Photography
• RV or home remodeling
• Raw food consultation / speaking
• Veggie oil conversion services

We won’t be doing any public demos, etc. like we did the first time around…and we will hopefully be traveling at a slower pace!

You may be a bit confused because you know we love Bozeman so much and have a cute little house with great neighbors and great friends, etc. etc. And that is all true. This wasn’t an easy decision by any means. There is great comfort in stability and living life in one spot. We went back and forth. But after much prayer, finally decided to take a step of faith and as soon as we did that…all of the pieces started falling into place perfectly. We just kept praying, and God kept answering. It’s been a fun ride…it’s quite an adventure when God is at the wheel!

What we have realized is that we need to live our life NOW. We don’t want to wait until we are retired to travel again. This past year has changed our perspective greatly…we lost my grandma and we nearly lost my brother in his accident. Family is super important to us and by having a home on wheels, we are able to see them more often. We are extremely blessed with jobs that enable us to travel…but that could all change tomorrow if one of us got hurt or sick. We can ALWAYS settle down…but we might not always be able to travel. Life is short!

I think this quote sums it up perfectly:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain

So…once again we are sailing away from our “safe harbor”… with the goal of experiencing new things, meeting new people, and encouraging others to take that little step toward their own dream…whatever it may be!

And yes, I will be writing a blog about our new journey…it will take a little while to get it up and running so bear with me during this time of transition. I know this blog has been a bit quiet lately except for RV announcements…but now you know why I have a really GREAT giveaway and a blog about yoga coming soon. Have a fabulous weekend!

Today is the 40 week mark of my pregnancy…otherwise known as the “due date”. Of course, today has come and gone with no sign of a baby I’m in no big hurry to go into labor…although in the last week, I have suddenly felt much MORE pregnant than before and it would be really nice to feel a bit normal again! I had an appointment with Rebecca, my fabulous midwife, this morning and all is well with baby and mama.

It’s been a bit of an emotional week for me however…my Grandma passed away in her sleep last Tuesday. The funeral was today…and it was very difficult for me to miss being back in Iowa with the rest of my family. I trust in God’s perfect timing though…and He has known from the beginning of time that He would take her home at a time that I couldn’t travel to be there. I’m thankful that my mom and dad will still be able to make it to Montana…they are set to arrive tomorrow night.

We’ve been a busy bunch lately…with the help of my amazing hubby, we have cleaned and organized EVERY cupboard, closet, and crevice in our house. Yay! I love clean. The birth tub is blown up in the bedroom, the belly cast is done, and all of the homebirth “stuff” is in place. Matt has built a sandbox for Bella, installed a new front door, planted peas in our garden, and has indulged every other nesting impulse that I have had

In the “craving” area…I have had intense cravings for green stuff. Not green smoothies Green plants! As in houseplants. I’ve been collecting new houseplants this week and my soul is happy with them around. My friend Emily is my houseplant idol…maybe someday my plant collection will be as cool as hers. So far I have a snake plant, baby tears, a ficus tree, and a few other cool succulents. My mom is bringing me a few more from my grandma’s house, so I’m excited for that.

I also have regained the ability in the last few weeks to drink coffee again without feeling sick…yay There have been way too many “emergency” runs to our favorite coffee shop for an iced decaf soy caramel latte. Yummo. Must stop that though…if we want to keep paying the bills!

Speaking of food, Mindy (my sweet sister-in-law) planned a fun night out with the girls for me at a delightful restaurant in town called The Emerson Grill. Possibly the best vegetarian food I’ve had in a long time! It was a fun night…you can see a few of the pics here.

My lovely friend, Alicia, is taking care of all of my photography needs for pregnancy, birth, and beyond We did a really fun maternity session at an old mill in Bozeman. You can see those photos in her gallery (go to “Past Sessions” and then “Family” and you’ll find them). It was really important to me that we capture our little family of THREE in photos before adding another little one. Five years is a long time to be together Alicia did such a great job…espeically with Bella. Love them. She is also going to be at the birth and will do newborn photos as well. Thank you Alicia for the photo love…you’re the best.

So there is the update. I wanted to make sure I checked in with you all…just in case you don’t hear from me for awhile! I have so many blog ideas and posts written in my head, but they will have to wait until I have a little more energy and time! I will post a birth announcement soon

We are finally settled in Bozeman, and now we’re off traveling again for 6 weeks! We’ve been in Des Moines for the past 2 weeks doing some work for my parents and now we’re heading to Boulder, CO for Matt to work on a construction project with my brother. We’ll be back home around March 15 or a little after.  I’ve been to several playgroups and a knitting circle (see above photo….and no, I don’t knit…but had fun watching!)…and have had great conversation over Thai food with many friends (Bozeman has none…so I’m in heaven).

While we’ve been back, I’ve also been to a prenatal yoga class at The Family Tree (the “famous” Sandi Hoover was out of town, but Birdie did a great job filling in), had the most AMAZING massage by Maggie McGinnis…prenatal massage extraordinaire, and had an adjustment with the lovely Dr. Jen at Balanced Life Chiropractic (she offered to adjust us for free when we were on tour and I just now took her up on it…thanks Jen!!).

And now we’re looking forward to the next leg of our trip.  If you live in the Boulder area, let me know if there is fun stuff happening. We’ll be staying with some of our very best friends in Lafayette for the first 2 weeks (yay!), but will be in a rental in Boulder for the last 2 weeks.

Click here to see photos of our time in Des Moines.