Celebrations

Colorful Colorado Christmas

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So much Christmas color this year. . .

Garden of Lights at The Gardens on Spring Creek

Or maybe it’s just that it has been so warm, I’ve been out and about more, enjoying it all. Beckett had the flu, but Brooks, Chelsea and I made it to a balmy evening of Christmas lights at The Gardens on Spring Creek.By Christmas Day Beckett was feeling fine.Note that Brooks is barefoot. On Christmas Day. In Colorado. It was 67 degrees. Yes, I think he was trying to kick his brother. 😉 And no, he was not the only kid there in his PJs. Apparently, it’s a Christmas Day thing.

In addition to the color and the fab (though weird) weather, there’s been so much music this month. I’ve been singing with the worship band once a month for two years now, but this month I’ve been singing almost every week, counting the Christmas choir, and I’m loving it. At home, I’m trying to teach myself bluesy jazz piano, which turns out to be something you can’t really teach yourself, at least I can’t, so I’m hoping to get some help with that. Still. What a joy music is.

Once the Christmas decor is put away, I’ll get my art supplies back out. I’ve been in contact with a friend in France who paints large, gorgeous abstracts, so maybe I’ll try that, inspired by the colors of this glorious season.

Peering through the gate at one of my favorite displays every year

I’m not forgetting . . . All . . . The . . . Things . . . of 2025. Too many of my people are hurting right now to forget for even a day. I’m just offering you (and me) a little break from the hard parts. Maybe art or music or time with cute kiddos can help you, too.

I just read a post from Kate Bowler with twelve excellent thought-provoking questions. I won’t list them all, but you can check out her website here. Some of my favorites:

  • What surprised you with its goodness this year?
  • What did you carry further than you thought you could?
  • Who helped you survive this year?
  • What is one thing you did this year that your past self would be proud of?
  • What did you lose that deserves to be remembered?
  • What do you hope to make room for next year–not as a resolution, but as a holy invitation?
  • If you could write a blessing for the year ahead, what would it say?

I love these. They could be journal or poetry prompts or springboards for great conversations or simply a means of self-reflection. I hope they spark something in you, as they have in me.

Grace and peace to you and yours, now and in the year to come!

 

 

This Is Life

Grateful Anyway

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I’m sure it’s not news to you that life is full of sudden sharp turns and stressful detours as well as beautiful vistas and delightful surprises. I didn’t start this blog to dwell on the hard parts, so here is a little beauty for a mini-break from thinking about those.

Folly Beach, South Carolina – January 2015

Hard to believe it’s been more than a decade since David and I were on what we called our Year of Adventure (which actually took 13 months). It was the reason this blog was started in the first place. [Here’s the first one if you want to see how it all began.]

Lately, I’ve been looking through a lot of my old photos for painting ideas. I’ve just finished a class on painting with acrylics and have completed (maybe, sort of) my first two canvases.

Arènes de Lutèce

I doubt you remember the original photo from a post in October 2014, but I did, and the teacher let me go for it. Some of his best advice was to put the photo away at some point and let the painting be its own thing. That was freeing! One of the things I love about painting with acrylics is there are no permanent mistakes. Anything can be touched up or painted over. Wouldn’t that be handy for other parts of life?

Here’s my second:

Sunapee Fall Shoreline Acrylic

This one’s even less closely tied to the original photo, because the teacher wanted more water reflections. Of course I wanted fewer, since I had no idea how to paint them, but I obeyed. Still don’t really know the real technique. I just basically smeared paint sideways instead of dabbing it on. Probably should google it! Class is over, but I won’t stop now. Having too much fun!

Besides playing with paint, I’m still doing some songwriting with various teams at church, and that also is a delight. We’ve got a new song we’re planning to introduce next week for advent, and I hope there will be more to come.

But above all, my greatest joys are the people in my life, including these two rascals:

Beckett hamming it up for the camera – Thanksgiving 2025
Brooks sending his car straight at me

Well, that didn’t go as he’d planned, but he seems unbothered. If only we could all navigate life with such sangfroid.  Somehow, even after my [unspecified number of] decades, I cannot predict the future with any accuracy. All I can do is trust God, who is much wiser than I am, help where I can, and find the bright side as much as possible.

There are still so many things to be grateful for, like you who continue to read my meanderings and enjoy my photos. Grace and peace to you always.

Soul Feeding

October on Overdrive

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My fall classes and various other events are in full swing, so I’ve been on overdrive lately. That seems fitting for the month of October, which has always meant, for me, color on overdrive. I especially love the bright blaze of fall foliage in New England, but Fort Collins hasn’t been too shabby this year, either.One day recently, you would have found me craning my neck, gawking at trees in a parking lot and snapping pix with my phone, caring NOT AT ALL if I looked crazy doing it.I mean, worth it, right? Even more glorious in person, I promise.

Earlier in October, I finally made it back for a Sunapee fall, after ten years of missing it, thanks to a family wedding. Congrats, Julia and Sean! Thanks to them, I also hiked to the top of Mount Kearsarge for the first time in decades. Woo-hoo! Super chilly on top, so we didn’t stay long!

Top of Mount Kearsarge

New Hampshire is in a drought, so the foliage was not its most spectacular–more brown, so the flashes of red were all the more welcome,and the glowing sunset light on the lake made up for it.Last weekend was the Fort Collins Artists Studio Tour, and what a treat that was. I couldn’t resist this one by my friend Marie-Louise Dautzenberg.

Oil by Marie-Louise Dautzenberg

Now I get to wake up to sunlight on this celebration of color. There is some serious talent in Northern Colorado, but the great thing this year is I felt more inspired than intimidated. Is that one of the gifts of aging? Less of a need to compete? More of a desire to try something new with no grading scale attached? I think it might be. What do you think?

 

This Is Life

Season Change

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BTW, I still hate how these posts appear in email, whether on your phone or laptop, so be sure to read this on my actual site. Otherwise the photos’ aspect is distorted and it’s just not as good. Clicking on the title will do it.

Okay, it doesn’t really feel like the season has changed, except for the one rainy cool day we had last week, but the calendar insists it is now officially fall. I can still get away with flip-flops and sleeveless tops, but I bring along an extra layer these days. Fall classes have started for everyone. Still, I was able to spend the bulk of a Saturday with the little guys, including a trolley ride to get ice cream at Walrus.

Then back to the Museum of Discovery for ALL the fun things there, including LOTS of very loud drumming in The Garage, where they practiced their rock ‘n’ roll faces and shook the place to its foundations.

Then a bit of zip-lining.

Be sure to note the handful of woodchips and the look on Brooks’ face. Yeah, those woodchips came straight at me. Little imp.

Tonight the sky was outdoing itself.

I wasn’t sure whether I should enjoy the show or run for home, but I wanted to check out my favorite pond. Remember this?Here’s the milkweed now.Definitely different, but not necessary something to lament, just a new season. If you can’t quite make up your mind if you’re ready for the change, you’re not alone. This tree is right there with you.

Of course, the adventures aren’t over just because summer is. Here’s wishing you a season of glowing beauty and many challenges to capture your imagination.

As always, grace and peace to you and yours!

Adventures in Wanderlust