Journal

My husband took this photo of me one morning in July last year. It was 7:08 in the morning, and somewhere around mile 70 of my first 100 mile trail race. I had been moving in the mountains since 7 am the day before. I remember that the sun had just risen in the sky and we could hear the birds chirping again. I could finally see the creek running down the canyon that I had been hearing for the past few hours in the dark. I could see that the vegetation along the side of the trails that had...

I was going to write something about these earrings I’m holding in front of this river, but I’d rather tell you about my son Beck and my daughter Mila (also known as Mimi). Beck’s name actually means mountain stream. And some of my sweetest memories from life in Arizona were with him and his sister playing in the canyon creeks. Before the creek in Huachuca Canyon would run dry, we took full advantage of its cool waters by taking mid-run breaks to splash around. We’d cool off in the moving water under the big sycamore trees. We’d watch the butterflies...

May is fast approaching and soon will come June and we’ll make our way up to Portland for the summer. Summer will surely fly by and before we know it fall will be here. It’s starting to feel like we can see our next big move on the horizon. That exciting buzz of not knowing what our future holds, but being hopeful that it’s going to be something really special is swirling above our heads. We’re often talking about our “forever home” and my favorite part about those conversations is that they all are centered around the garden that we’ll grow....

When you’re having trouble finding your footing and your roots feel unsteady, remember that the sun is just as important to growth as the soil underfoot is. You don’t always have to dig your feet in deeper—put your hands in the sky and just be. Feel the sun. You’ll find your footing and your roots will weave you back into the ground eventually.