Balenciaga at the Paris Fashion Week (Semaine des Creatures du Mode)!!!!!

Balenciaga at the Semaine des Creatures du Mode 

(Paris Fashion Week!)

 

Photos Below!!! Style is an art and I love it. I find haute couture to be such a unique yet practical art form as its creativity pushes and prods us to live art itself. It speaks through the bright colors of the Caribbean to the smooth predictable lines of the regal. Expression that comes from within is displayed without. This is a subconscious expression but is also blatant and exposed as expressed. I find myself to be a minimalist, but I love the art of fashion. Visiting my daughter, studying abroad, in Paris was dreamy. The food, history, culture, and fashion were fresh and it happened to be Fashion Week (Semaine des Creatures du Mode).

 

While in Paris, I had my eye out for Fashion Week, but alas haute couture culture doesn’t know me. To get invited the brands must know you: No invitations arrived and no emails came, no surprise. They don't know me. After doing research I learned that brands don’t tend to advertise the time and place of their events. You just have to be at the-right-place-at-the-right-time. 

Guess what? I was! 

When leaving the Carrousel at the Louvre (Le Carrousel Du Louvre) I saw a crowd and learned Balenciaga’s show was there happening at that time. I joined the crowd and waited to meet Paris Fashion Week first hand. Oui! Oui!

 

It was exciting. People were full of anticipation about who they would see and what they would be wearing. I only wish we were actually watching the Balenciaga show and was eager to be introduced to the couture inside. When people left there were name shout-outs and photos. I stole a few pictures and took it all in. I was able to watch the show on the Balenciaga website later and it was beautiful beyond-words. After visiting the Louvre, getting caught in the midst of a moment in Fashion Week was fabulous!  My petit experience of La Semaine des Creatures du Mode was magnifique! Scroll down for photos!!!

Overcoming Obstacles

I fell in love with slalom waterskiing when I was 19. 😍

The speed. The power. The mastery of technique. 

I loved the thrill of letting the ski take me where it wanted me to go and learning the art of driving it. It was cat and mouse. The ski would travel and at times I wondered who was in control, but I didn’t mind. It was like a colt that needed to be tamed. I learned to go beyond my limits exceeding my line and turning on the outskirts of the possible range of the rope’s limits. I got guts. I took advantage of leaning out and keeping a straight body, “showing my belly to Jesus” as I cut back across the wake. 

 

I skied throughout my 20’s whenever I could although I never owned a boat. After I had my first child I was shocked that I couldn’t get up. Was I fat? Was it because I was obsessed with my ankle-to-wrist wetsuit even though it had drag? Why me? I was using the same waterski as in my mid-20’s and tried and tried to get up but I couldn’t fly. I often thought of buying a new slalom ski but never got around to it; instead I took up wakeboarding. Wakeboarding was awesome but I still missed waterskiing - that brought me into water-sports. The high times of the past seemed to linger as I saw my husband fly around the lake on his ski and wakeboard. Jealous, yes, I moved on. 

Wakeboarding had taken the place of my waterskiing summer fun, I comforted myself. I was done.
 

 

Then I saw it: a new ski appeared at a favorite boating spot! It had been 20+ years since I had tried. But with this ski, I decided to give it a try. Things weren’t pretty getting up - but once I did my resigned “I can’t” became “I can.” I was elated!!!! When I couldn’t waterski any longer I felt defeated or passé but I am back, a water-skier again!!!! 

 

Wow! This has changed my outlook. I am going to work harder to look beyond limits in life. Fight for solutions. Not give up. Overcoming obstacles is fabulous! Looking beyond limits is intimidating and can be discouraging. I know, as I felt that way for years. I should have fought harder to find a ski that would work. 

 

What is it that is holding you back from some accomplishment you’d like to live into? I might even encourage you to press into your limits as I should have years ago. Finally, it worked for me and it might just work for you, even if it takes years.

Let’s do this, 2022!

Happy New Year! Sometimes it is good to head into the new year with a new blog. So, here we go. Life can be like a fruit salad. Fruit salad is a nice element of every perfect party meal. The textures, juices, and tastes are so bright. There is so much variety in color and flavor that when you put it all together it always taste good...as long it is fresh! In contrast, old fruit salad is the worst.

Looking back on 2021 there have been many days of life that were the perfect combination of fresh watermelon, grapes, mango, bananas, and honeydew melons. Only if the sweetness would have endured! There were also many days that I practically gagged as I experienced the worst of the old fruit salad around! Sometimes, the taste deceived me as only a few pieces of fruit were bad - but in the end those pieces ruined it for me. 2021 has taught me many lessons and has brought some clarity into my life. In 2022 I am living into these things: LOVE BIG, Believe W-i-d-e, and Live with Wisdom. 

 

LOVE BIG:

At times in 2021, I was wrestling with fear. There were several things that caused this, and this fear was making my love for others, shrink and slow down. The fear led me to minimize love and my ability impact others. This has been a difficult thing for me to change. Rainier Maria Rilke once said, “To love is good, too: love being difficult. For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.” Love is the great task that we have been prepared for! I believe that as we strive for BIG LOVE in 2022 we will come out from our fears. Today, I am wondering if others are wrestling with fear, too? Allow love to drive out the fear.

 

BBBEEELLLIIIEEEVVVEEE W-I-D-E:

Believing widely - in others and in God - is risky when skepticism actually leads us to believe narrowly like a small alley where we can barely fit in between large buildings. Let’s kick out the young skeptic in 2022. It is a trial of our faith to believe beyond what we can control. Socrates (think the Bill and Ted pronunciation) said, “We cannot live better than in seeking to become better.” Dude. That's deep, man. 
Having a vision for wider belief in our selves, others, and God will shockingly shake things up. In my neighborhood, widening homes happens all of the time. It takes a lot of planning but the steps are finite and simple. In the same way widening our belief will manifest greater space; we just need to believe more and give credence to those expectations.

 

Live with Wisdom:

Resentment is the heart of the rotten fruit salad - eeew. It is days old, months old, and even years old. Carrie Fisher said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” The see-saw is set with

resentment on one side and wisdom on the other side. They often are at odds going back and forth. In 2022, making wisdom supreme is my hope. Wallowing in resentment will truly sabotage w-i-d-e belief and BIG love. Instead, wisdom helps us to love big and believe wide, as it helps us focus on what matters.

Join me this 2022 in loving big, believing wide and resenting little. The greatest commitment is that I will strive, in and through my faith (cheers to JC), to overcome obstacles and live better. By setting our eyes on the goal of LOVE, belief, and wisdom we are sure to benefit.

Unlively At Home Living in a Pandemic: Taco Tuesday and The Beat That Saves the Day

 

“What day is it anyway?” I ask this of myself, and then for not the first time on this day, remind myself again, “Today is Wednesday.” The daily cycle of work, exercise, parenting, meal preparation, and homework continues. Living, working, and being at home seems monotonous and almost unfathomable but we have found a rhythm that is much better than Chopin or TobyMac that has helped us through. I have stumbled upon a secret in this rhythm that has kept me afloat. It has framed me in and made the monotony bearable. 

 

Monday is the night that the older portion of the family watches “The Crown.” That leads to Taco Tuesday: We have Mexican food (not just tacos) on Tuesdays for dinner. Everyone loves this! Even our dog gets dressed up for the big event. 

 

Then comes Wednesday. (You undoubtedly knew that and didn’t need me to write it…but I think it’s quite an accomplishment that I can still remember the order of the days.) Wednesdays begin with waffles…so it’s Waffle Wednesday at our house. A hot cooked stack of waffles gets us all through the middle of the week. Our kids actually do the cooking, which is good: By the middle of the week just getting out of bed is an accomplishment for me. 

 

We haven’t named the other days of the week, and they don’t all have a “thing” that we do on each of them…other than church on Sunday mornings. “Worship Service Sunday,” I guess? 

 

Of course, in the at-home lifestyle, there are other things I’ve actually tried to be more diligent about than I did pre-pandemic. I imagine this is true for all of us. For instance, after work I try to get out and walk or run the dog - or maybe it is vice-versa. This rhythm transitions me from the stress, commitments, and joys of my workday! I get to be just his wife and their mom when I get back. This takes the place of my commute and it is much healthier!

 

My husband has taken care of a number of home projects and “things to do” that had been waiting – from replacing cracked outlet cover plates to installing some cool “barn doors” inside, to putting in a 20-foot section of fence so the backyard is all fenced in, and more. Seeing projects finished gives further cadence to these days and weeks.

 

All of these kinds of things, from the regular and routine to the maintenance or one-time things that need to be done, have helped us stay sane in this time. And sometimes, I even know what day of the week it is. 

Bend,OR or Bust

"In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of mountains; it will be exhausted above the hills and all nations will stream to it." Isaiah 2:2

Rumors of Bend have made it to my ears over the years. I have heard of its trails, resorts, and its ambience. I have always kept it on my list of places to go, much like a list of good books to read or sports to try. Having almost gone last year, it seemed that 2020 might be the year…and we recently made the journey. 

We arrived on a beautiful winter day in February. First stop: Smith Rock State Park. This rock climber’s paradise was awesome. Having watched the movie Free Solo I can now see how this sport really grabs people’s adrenaline, attention, and lifestyle. This is the kind of rock that can easily be viewed as a true climber’s destination. 

Not into scaling walls like Spiderman? There is plenty of hiking. We went up a great trail called Misery Ridge Loop. You can stop at the top rock, First Kiss, while on Misery Ridge. Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think? (Thank you, Alanis for that wording.) I think I’ll pause on that tangent. J

One of the best things about Bend is Mt. Bachelor ski resort. It is wonderfully well groomed and smooth where it should be…but plenty of more challenging terrain is available as well. It is, of course, famous for being able to ski around the entire mountain – 360 degrees. Although the weather did not cooperate as fully as would have been preferred (that can happen at any resort, after all) and the Summit chair was not open, my family had a blast. It was easy to get a lot of runs in and the views are amazing. The particular day that my family went it, was a chilly 19 degrees. It was a day of fast skiing with great groomers, no lines, and tired legs at the end of the day. 

The town of Bend was a fun place to grab a bite to eat or coffee. At 3,600 feet, it is fun to shop and take it all in, with a few shopping areas to choose from. Bend was having their annual “Winter Fest” the weekend that we visited. It was a bit chilly for us to go to an outdoor festival but locals and visitors alike didn’t seem to think much about it. 

All in all, I like Bend; I bet you would, too. I anticipate coming again soon. It would be fun to make a summer visit – it’s as famous for the Deschutes River, hiking, and mountain biking, and more. The rumors are no longer spinning in my head about the high desert of Oregon. This is an outdoorsman’s destination with biking, hiking, climbing, skiing, and rafting and more. What a great place! 

Let's Stay Home

Shopping in Bend, Oregon last February, I bought a little, painted, white, wood block in a shape of a house. It said, “Let’s stay home.” I put it up on a shelf next to the other “Let’s stay home” white, painted, wooden block that I bought at Target two months earlier in December. The thought of staying home was the fantasy I was dreaming of in my pedal-to-the-metal lifestyle. A dream it was…but it became reality. Just a month after returning home from Bend my “Let’s stay home” signs were moved to the window above the sink. This was really happening. It was showtime as “staying home” became a reality.

 

Living into it: 

 

Wearing sweats, the car parked in the driveway day after day, Zoom as the new normal, watching the media with Covid counts and warnings, balancing kids’ school schedules/work to manage, Amazon, no haircuts/color, Church moving to the web right out of our living room, simple and predictable days, homemade macchiatos, relationships renewed, faith deepening, Disney +, cooking with my new air fryer, playdates and activities paused, a new dog, at-home school prep, and worldview renewed. “Let’s stay home.” 

 

There are things in this fantasy that are less than ideal. My son wasn’t able to graduate like he would have in years past. Relationships are missed. We have now been introduced to boredom, predictability, narrowly focused choices, and for some - it seems endless. We really want our kids to be at school with their special friends and awesome teachers. Living one-day-at-a-time is taking on a lifestyle of its own in this “let’s stay home” world. Looking around I can see variations of what was. Many of us aren’t as stable as we once were. When we look out and see the death toll of the pandemic and sense the suffering of those who have lost so much, we see our need to grieve, process, and help others in a new way. We have been outraged at racism and have stood strong with Amaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others in their tragic deaths; we have examined our hearts and beliefs and called out to society to do so as well. We got disrupted. Or did we?

 

The family spreading out from corner to corner of our home has often felt like the culmination of my “let’s stay home” fantasy. My home has been bustling with activity like never before and it has taken on new looks and ideas. It is the center of my universe. I love extra time for domestic life and walking the dog. Never has observing nature been so fascinating and newsworthy. Exercising has become the perfect break (that it should have been before as well) and not driving so much has been refreshing. Like an eager-to-grow shoot in the Spring, I have been invigorated by quality time lingering at the dinner table, local adventures, and fixing up the yard. 

 

I was so drawn to the prophetic thought of being home in December and February, I had to buy two wooden blocks. How odd is that!?! Yet, time and again I have looked at those signs as inspirations for manifesting a robust hope in these unique times. They are times which certainly haven’t been all rosy, but we “Spring shoots” have blossomed none-the-less. I trust that you have had similar mementos of hope and purpose as you pause to “stay home,” be safe, and make the most of it all.

Running for my Life: The Coronavirus Hits the Seattle Area

Walking down Pine in Seattle today on my way back to my conference after lunch at Beechers, I noticed something unusual for the busy Seattle I knew: the streets were nearly empty. 
Before long, I walked by a man who looked troubled with mental instability and difficulties. It looked like he was holding a lighter that was extra thick, metal, and big. When I got a stride past him a SUV Police car rushed up and a policeman emerged with a large double barrel gun and demanded, “Drop that in your hand!” I quickly ran and ducked around the corner of the building with two other women. After a momentary pause, I told them, "Let’s run ladies," and the three of us ran a city block in an alley to get away. I took the pictures in this blog minutes before my fleeing incident. After the recent acts of violence in Seattle, I knew to flee.

After gathering myself I reflected: in ways similar to my experience this morning, I feel like I am living amidst the danger, with the heart of the coronavirus outbreak in my city residing just miles from my home. Things looked calm, but they weren't. 

I was walking down the sidewalk the other day, when my neighbor mentioned that she is on personal lock-down with her family and not going anywhere. It was later that evening that I saw that Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon were allowing workers to work from home. Even though I continue to work, I still do my best to follow the directions of people who know what is going on, such as the Center of Disease Control.

People around me are pretty freaked out. Is this right?, my friends and I ask ourselves. Indeed, it is a horrible thought to potentially contract an illness that could be passed on to a person who has a weakened condition, oh my heart! Nevertheless, it is worth it to be vigilant: not be in large groups, stay home when able, sanitize, and of course be stocked with toilet paper (if you can still find any, of course). After my incident where my adrenaline led me to run for my life today, I wonder if we are faced with a less visible tyrant.  

Danger is visible and invisible. Today things seemed nice, but danger was just around the corner. I am constantly conflicted and trying to figure out what is right. As a society let’s do our best to “run for our lives,” as best as we are able, even if we are surrounded by something as sweet as the public market. "Let's run ladies."