Archive for the 'Friends' Category

Tonight we went out on the town with our dear friends Kris and Natalie and their kiddos…and we had such a fabulous time. We enjoyed celebrating the end of a long week and looking forward to the beginning of a productive and relaxing weekend…all the while basking in the beautiful familiarity that we share after 12 years of friendship.

Community…who can survive without it?  A community of  like minded souls who accept you exactly where you are…without judgment. It’s a critical component of a fulfilling life.

Last night I experienced an atmosphere of beautiful community at The Birth Circle in Des Moines, hosted by my dear friend and midwife, Cosette. Each month, they gather. Walking up the stairway one by one, they enter with expectation. Trusting each other with the intimate details of their lives…to help each other thrive instead of just survive. Different backgrounds. Different faith journeys. Different stories. But they are all mothers. They are all the same.

Candlelight.
Soup.
Bread.
Wine.
Laughter.
Handmade truffles.
Heartfelt sharing.
Connection.
COMMUNITY.

As I left this sacred space,  I looked back and felt such a connectedness…such a glow from the night’s revelation and inspiration. And I was thankful.

Tell me about community in your life.
Where do you find connection?

*see last year’s Birth Circle DPP photo here

As I write this, we are driving across Nebraska on our way back to see family for the holidays. It’s been a LONG (and wonderful) couple of weeks making the trek from California (which included a small snow storm in Vail, CO), but I just had to share one of the most recent highlights.

Last year, I met up with Tiffani for the first time when our paths crossed in Las Vegas. This year, I was supposed to go to L.A. and spend tons of time exploring the big city and taking photos and just being besties in general…BUT, life happened and we had to bypass L.A. and head East earlier than planned.

I was SO disappointed that we would not get to connect…but when I emailed her about it, we both realized that we would be in Vegas AGAIN at the same time. Oh the joy! We were able to spend a bliss-filled afternoon chatting and letting the kids run wild. California Pizza Kitchen. Shopping at H & M + dancing to hip hop music in the dressing rooms…giggling all the while. And don’t forget the boba! Be sure to watch our silly video above.

I pretty much ADORE Tiffani and wish that I could magically transport her to wherever I happen to be…but for now, I will take what I can get Be sure to read her account of our visit here and check out her fabulous (and I mean fabulous) blog. And look at her pretty pictures.

Now that we are almost done driving for awhile, I have big plans to blog more and I have several REALLY COOL giveaways planned. Stay tuned!

Have a great weekend…I’m off to celebrate my birthday!

Today I am featured on one of my favorite blogs…Poor Pitiful Pearl! Shauna is an amazing mama and seamstress…take a moment to go check out the unique pieces at her shop. I love love love it!

There is a giveaway for a photo of your choice from my Etsy shop (8 x 10 or 8x 12) and I am also offering a Buy One, Get One FREE from my Etsy shop through her blog (expires 10/15). Just enter the code PPP in the comments and also the piece you want for free. Yay!

Ever since we left Portland last November, I have been looking forward to going back. For many reasons, but mostly to see my sweet friends Monica and Shauna and to go see Stephanie, The Dread Goddess. When we broke down in Spokane, we lost an entire WEEK of good times in PDX…so so so sad. BUT, I did make it in time for our girls day out and will get to spend a week enjoying all that this beautiful city has to offer.

We started the day at Pix Patisserie…a delightful little coffee/sweets shop. They even grind their own hazelnuts into a paste for lattes. Wow. Then we walked across the street and I grabbed a bite of breakfast at Tasty and Sons. Another wow. I ordered up an amazing orange curry glazed potatoes and egg dish and devoured it all. Yum. We arrived at our favorite spot, Akemi Salon with full tummies.

Stephanie was there waiting for us and got right down to business. One of the things I miss the most about having dreads is having someone else mess with my hair. Coloring, cutting, coiffing. Yes, I loved being pampered. So now I have made it a yearly tradition to trek to Portland to see Stephanie.  Stephanie is one of the few people I trust implicitly with my dreads…and I can just relax in her chair and chat away about life and love and rainy days.

There are great magazines and books to read…including a lovely book completely dedicated to typographical tattoos *swoon*. Sitting on the sweet orange couch, there is hot tea available…to accompany the sounds of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and ethereal French music playing in the background. We enjoyed many hours of blissed out dready sisterhood.

After hugs and goodbyes, we headed to MeeSen Thai. This little Thai eatery…with it’s open garage-door front (this seems to be commonplace in Portland), decorative glass water pitchers with metal cups, and super friendly waiters won my heart immediately. We had fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce and pad thai for all. Seriously delicious with an amazing vibe.

I was sad to see them go…but not for long! We’re all meeting up at the Saturday Market. My sister, Laura, flew into town today from Minneapolis and we’re driving to Cannon Beach for the weekend. Yay! More fun to come!

There is an entire photo set to peruse here. And the question of the day is:

“If you’ve been to Portland, what was your very favorite thing?”

Last Wednesday, Mauro, Rebecca, and Bianca flew to Brazil to be with Mauro’s family until March (they go every year). When they return to the U.S., Mauro will have another MRI and that will determine if the chemo and radiation he just completed were effective in attacking the tumor. Until then, they just wait. Please pray for them during this time of waiting…pray that they will live their lives to the very fullest during their time in Brazil, and that the tumor will be miraculously gone when they return.

Before they left, Rebecca and I were able to spend some much needed “mama time” together. We were able to sit and talk and talk and talk over coffee and tea for hours. I got to hear first hand about these crazy months of hospital visits every day and juggling schedules. A smile spread across her face as she told me about the amazing support they’ve received from the community and their friends. The best story was how Mauro completed his last radiation treatment, and it just happened to be on the day of the hospital’s office party. They celebrated by inviting cancer survivors to their office for the party, and they invited the Capoeira group to come in and do a performance. So, within minutes of his “graduation” from radiation, he was doing back flips in the lobby. He is one strong papa! Bianca and Bella also enjoyed their reunion. I did a quick family photo shoot…you can see those photos here.

Thank you again for your generous support of this special family. They have said numerous times how much they appreciate your prayers and gifts of money.

My heart is so heavy right now for one of my very best friends, Rebecca and her family. This week her husband, Mauro, found out that he has a brain tumor that will require immediate surgery. They are unsure if it is cancerous or not…they won’t know until they go in. The tumor is in the part of his brain that controls personality, non-verbal motions, and many other critical functions. They also do not have any health insurance.

 

I wish you could all know this wonderful family…they are so generous and kind and full of life. Mauro and Rebecca run the Capoeira group in Des Moines. This is their livelihood, and they are unsure if Mauro will be able to teach again after the surgery. Bianca, their daughter, is like a sister to Bella. We spent so much time with them when we lived in Des Moines…you can see some of our fun times in the photos here and here and here. It’s so hard for me to be leaving to go on the road right now in this time when they need their friends the most. Please join me in covering them with prayer as they walk down this path.

 

Our friends in Des Moines are starting to plan fundraisers…not so much to cover the cost of the surgery (which will be huge)…but to help offset the cost of all of the unexpected expenses when someone you love gets sick. My prayer is that those of you who are reading this will give even just a LITTLE bit to help this family. Even a few dollars…it will all add up and will be such a blessing to them. Sometimes I like to measure things in caramel lattes…so this week, let’s all give up our caramel latte to bless this family.

 

100% will go to the Valadao family.

If you have difficulty with the button, you can Paypal directly to msjanssen@hotmail.com

Hello friends!
I’ve been gone a long time…but I’m back with a really exciting announcement! Matt, Bella, and I are going on tour! We have recently purchased an RV that will run on straight vegetable oil, and we are going to travel around the U.S. for the next year.

Wait a minute! Did you say veggie oil?! Yes. FREE waste vegetable oil…the same kind that your eggroll was fried in for lunch. Pumped straight from behind your local Thai/Chinese/Fast Food restaurant into our tank (filtered of course). I am writing this post from Springfield, MO, home of Golden Fuel Systems. Golden Fuel Systems converts any diesel engine to run on veggie oil…and we are so excited to be a part of this alternative fuel movement.

BUT…I NEED YOUR HELP! We have a rough route mapped out…but we want to base our travels on YOU! I would love to come and meet you face to face…and also have you assist us in finding green/sustainable/alternative fairs, coops, and other educational opportunities in your local areas. We are going to be looking for companies/organizations to sponsor our educational tour as well.

While we are on the road, we will still need to make some money to live. I am going to be scheduling photo shoots in each area that we stop in. For those of you that could assist in getting the word out in your town…I will give you a significant discount on your own photos. You can see some of my portrait sessions here. I will also be available to help you simplify, downsize, and/or decorate your homes! Matt will assist by doing any handiwork/painting around your house.

If you are interested in adding your town to our tour…please contact me immediately and we’ll start talking details! We are planning to leave in late August/early September.

We just launched our new website today with many more details of what I have just shared… and we will be detailing the entire journey on that site. Check it out here: http://www.livelightlytour.com

Wheeeeeee! We are so excited to hit the road!

If you read any other blogs…I’m sure you have heard that it is National Delurking Week. Being that I have been traveling for the last week, and will be gone for another week, I probably won’t post any blogs for a bit.

SO, it’s YOUR turn to “blog my blog”. I would LOVE to hear from all of you that read…where you are from, your interests, how you found my blog, etc. Basically anything interesting you can think of. This is especially for those of you who never comment…but I want to hear from my regulars as well! I am so encouraged by all of your comments and I appreciate you so much!

Have a blessed week…

This weekend, my friend Kristin came to visit. I am so blessed to call her my sister, my confidante, and my friend. She is generous, creative, fun, silly, kind…the list could go on and on. I love that we can be real when we are together…we know each other’s shortcomings…but we love each other in spite of them! We have so much in common…we kind of blend into one another It’s been such a blessing to be able to spend so much time together over the last couple of years. God is good! Here’s to many more spring rolls, my friend. Check out the details of our weekend here.