Stuff I Meant to Blog (Part 1)

In a search for my passport last week I found my high school diary. Maybe for a laugh, one day I'll post some of its painfully cringe-worthy contents. Like the time I had a crush on a boy at church camp. He was from Mexico, had the most beautiful air-brushed olive skin, square shoulders, abs, hair that curled perfectly around his neck after he'd been swimming. That's what I remember. I also remember that I never had a single conversation with him. Yet my 15 year old self wrote that "the thing I was most attracted to was his *heart* for the Lord." I wrote it with stars and emphasis around ***HEART***. ..Beat, beat beat. ...Umm... yeah. I was pretty good at drinking my own Kool-aid. Maybe we all are in one way or another. But LORD if you're ever afraid your ego will get out of control, open up something you wrote between the ages of 12 and 18. 

It's a mystery to me as to how I had friends, or was remotely functional at that age. And I'm glad I found it because now I have a reference in case one day my kids are equally embarrassing.

I'm also glad because it was a reminder of how bad my memory is. I think I've forgotten most of my life. And I know a lot of people say that. But there are times when I truly get anxiety writing checks because I have to think about what year it is. I forget so much of movies that if a month goes by, it's like watching it for the first time. If it weren't for pictures, I'd be my own version of Groundhog Day. And it was this that made me want to start blogging again. Even if is is just for something cringe-worthy to read in the nursing home one day. 

So in order of what downloaded first on my card reader, a few things that have happened since Easter. 

Remember Fluffy? Here she is, a little bigger, slightly angrier-looking, and oddly cropped so you wouldn't have to see the mountains of bird shit that covered her nest and my door. 

In a natural process of leaving desperate attempt to escape her crap-nest, she dove out heroically, but snagged her foot. I found her dangling, panting heavily and hanging by a thread (literally). Somewhere in my mostly forgotten life, I remembered that if you touch a bird, its mom will abandon it. So I ran to get Jason the gloved superhero.

He tried to save her, but it was too late. The threat of falling to her death was too much. Fluffy had a heart attack (we think) and left us for the great non-crap-covered door nest in the sky.  

The kids naturally freaked out. But as you might remember with the untimely passing of Dora Megan the Hermit Crab, many griefs in this world can be soothed by making up a long ritual involving crafts and sharpie pens. 

Check back soon for more out-dated, indulgent stories about my life. I'm on a roll. Either that, or Jason is traveling and I am bored enough to finally edit all these pictures. 

Oh! one more (unrelated) thing, if you don't follow Epiphanie on facebook or twitter, you should. We're announcing something big this week! You can also find out by signing up to be on our mailing list. :)

Have a good weekend!

Easter weekend

Holidays (for me) tend to magnify the fact that our extended families live in other states. It's the time of year when I feel like I'm watching everyone else gather around a gloriously sepia-tinted facebook table with their moms and dads or grandmas and cousins. I know I'm oversimplifying and turning my friends' lives into Norman Rockwell paintings. And I'm so grateful for my sweet little family unit. Still, when you have nowhere to go, it's easy for holidays to feel like any other day. Which is why we've become quite fans of The Staycation. 

We also got to listen to great music while we were waiting for our restaurant reservation. There's something about this song that always makes me cry. If I was an actor and I had to get into character with tears for a sad scene, all they'd have to do is play this crappy recording. 

Here's another crap recording of his beautiful voice (that sounds oddly like Tracy Chapman). Don't mind my girls and the rude white purse girl. 

We bought a CD because I like to patronize anyone who makes me cry. You can download his music here if you're so inclined. 

And one last thing, look at Fluffy! We came back after a day, and she had wings! Our little transparent baby is growing up so quick! 

Fluffy The Tiny Mighty Easter Birdie

At Christmas time, our wreath was made of styrofoam holly berries. During the day, we thought ghosts were knocking on the door until we realized it was just birds trying to eat them. We all became accustomed to strange rustling. Then I was convinced we had a bat because every time we came home at night something would fly panicked out from under (what we thought was) the roof.

Last week we realized it was flying out of a NEST behind our Fiesta wreath!

 Y'all, THERE IS A BIRD LIVING ON OUR DOOR! I'm not sure what that means. But I'm pretty sure we just won Easter.

Okay, a week ago she looked more like an embryo. Having never seen a bird this new, and being generally wimpy about this kind of stuff, my first reaction was to be stunned and mildly grossed out. But then she became My Sweet Little Ugly Birdie Chickie Baby. I'm serious. The way her whole body moves up and down every time her heart beats. It's like you can actually see her Life force trying to inhabit the tiny space of her two inch body. She still can't lift her head, and her spine isn't thicker than a pin. But there she sits, precariously exposed to wind and rain and the terror of my kids incessant door-slamming. 

This is what she looks like now. A few more feathers and a transparent body that only a mom could love. And me too. I love her because she makes me think about how fragile we all are, what a miracle it is that our hearts even beat at all, and how much trust and strength it takes for anyone to keep growing. 

I'm pretty sure there is no better way to celebrate Easter or Passover. 

I hope you are all enjoying it too. xo

"Joy is always worth it." ~The Bloggess

You know how it feels when you have all these ideas but instead of working on them you spend your free time surfing Pinterest and reading blogs about what everyone else is doing? Then you become so inspired that you're paralyzed into doing nothing but watch Housewives of Atlanta? That's how I've been feeling for months. And last week, after inspiration overload at Alt, followed by days behind the computer, I felt the desperate need to get away from the internet and just make something. Anything.

So I texted Jenny to see if she wanted to keep me company while I decoupaged a wall in my office. Which now that I think about it, is pretty much the same as asking someone if they want to watch paint dry. But that's the kind of friend she is. Not only will she watch paint dry with you, she'll find a way to make it fun. Like the time I was talking about how much I hate exercise and she introduced me to adult-sized hula hoops. Or when we went to lunch and ended up taking frogs to a movie.

Which was nothing compared to the time she wore a wolf to Twilight. Basically Jenny is a magical spice that you can sprinkle on any ordinary day to make it taste better. I love her. And so does the whole world. So much that they're always sending her presents in the mail. Things like fake anthrax and monkey hands and Big Foot costumes. So it's fun to be with her when she's going through it. And last week while I was trying to get the bubbles out of my Mod Podge, she pulled out a red dress that someone had sent for her Traveling Red Dress project. Which by the way, was featured on FORBES ... (y'all she is changing the world).

She went to try on the dress and we both knew that I was done decoupaging. And let me just say that I can't remember the last time I stopped to take pictures for fun. I've tried to schedule it, and end up canceling because of work or life or whatever. It always seems unjustified because of more "important" things. And actually, as I'm writing this I'm reminded of this quote by Brian Andreas:

"There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other’s cooking & to say that it was good.”

I think I would add on as the reason we're here, "to play impromptu dress up with your friend on a random Wednesday."

I know this one's blurry, but I love her expression. Her eyes are so light, she kind of looks like a happy vampire. 

My FAVORITES. ...Jenny you are so gorgeous!

If you haven't seen them already, Jenny posted more here. 

My favorite part of her post was when she said "Joy is always worth it." That's what this whole session felt like. A time out. A reminder that you don't always need a "reason". Sometimes having fun is reason enough. 

iPhone update :)

The photos above were taken from my Alt Summit hotel room. It was a great week filled with equal parts work and play. I took pictures and have lots to say about it. But first I need to catch up around the house and office, and spend time with my favorite people. Seems like every time I'm gone for more than three days, I come back feeling extra homesick for them. 

See you soon.