morning::noon::night

Just a few snapshots of the ordinary that take an average day to extraordinary.

Lia::

Jessica::

Slow

What do you that helps you slow down and enjoy the moment?

Jessica::

Lately I have been drawn to slowness.  I am sure it is the result of living such a fast paced life for the past few years.  Slow used to mean wasted time to me but at this moment in life that couldn't be farther from the truth.  To be honest, I love being slow.  Here's my top ten ways to add slowness to your life: 

1. Get up five minutes earlier to sit with a cup of coffee and do nothing but look out the window, dream, and be thankful for your days.
2. Go to bed a half an hour before your bed time and journal, read, or listen to soft music.
3. At least once a week, take the longer route to work, the grocery store, or gym.  Look at the surroundings and notice little details you may not have seen before.
4. Sit at the beach or in the forest.  Breathe in and out.
5. Have one 'go-to meal' ready to go in the freezer.  Pull it out on a night when you are not rushed and enjoy the found time you would have spent preparing a meal.
6. Say no.  It is easier said than done but I have found saying no not only liberating but stress reducing and it is slow-friendly.
7. Have a night in once a week.  Go no where and do nothing.  Don't finish the project two steps away from completion but make a cup of tea and talk.
8. Turn the TV off (or unplug it and get rid of it all together).  Life is so much slower without it.  Promise.
9. Get organized and simplify.  When you are not overwhelmed by the stuff in your life and the chaos it creates a slow, peacefulness arrives.
10. Take a walk without a watch, cellphone, or camera.  Even leave your walking companion at home.  Take a longer walk than normal.  Take your normal walking route backwards.  Walk slower.

There you have it.  My top ten ways to slow down in life.  I am really not an expert as slowness has only recently made it's arrival in my life but I am sure it is here to stay.

Lia:: 

I find that with a husband, two kids, two dogs and a job slowness does not just happen, it has to be worked into my day.  I am always looking for reminders, daily rituals that force me to slow down.  Knitting, especially something new and challenging is my go to calming activity.  Making something that I can use or wear is incredibly rewarding but it is the process of creating that I have fallen in love with.  The feel of the yarn and the repetition of the movement make me feel sane after a crazy day.  Taking pictures also helps me to stop what I’m doing and take in the moment.  If a week goes by and I have not picked up my camera I know things are moving too fast.  Exercise kicks come and go but I keep coming back to yoga and walking.  Sometimes getting up early or leaving the house is the only way to get some quiet alone time.  Yet with all these things built into my schedule it's that first hug of the day, the pajama wearing snuggler that I drop everything for.

Three Questions

What is your favorite time of day?

Lia: I love being the first one up in the morning. I grab a cup of coffee and my knitting and enjoy the quiet.

Jessica: The moment I get up. I stretch and think about the potential of the day. I feel like this moment is such a gift. The day is waiting and I have been given the gift to enjoy that day.

Where are three places you have lived?

Lia: Tucson, Dallas, a Volkswagen camper.
I was born in Tucson and have lived here most of my life. I'm only a few blocks from where I grew up and our girls go to the same elementary school that I did. I went to the University of Arizona, which is also within walking distance. Although it was close to home I still lived on campus all four years.
After college I moved to Dallas, TX for graduate school. Although I enjoyed the change I was ready to move back to Arizona.
That is it as far as major city's go but when I was 8 my family and I spent 6 months in a Volkswagen camper traveling through Europe. It was a tight fit with my parents and two older brothers but we would sight see by day and camp at night. My dad took a sabbatical leave from his architecture practice and my mom, a teacher, home schooled us during the trip. We visited 22 countries while we were there. It was an amazing trip that brought us very close as a family. So many memories that we still talk about today.

Jessica: The City, My Hometown, and My Favorite College Town
When I was born my parents were living in The City and a great old house built in the early 1900's. The neighborhood was "up-and-coming" and I have lots of fond memories of walking down the street to put mail in the mailbox and riding the bus here there and everywhere. Eventually, my first teaching job was in the neighborhood school around the corner from this first house (though the neighborhood changed quite a bit!). We then moved to My Hometown where I have lived most of my life and where I still currently live. Gosh, I love this town. I enjoy going to the grocery and seeing people I know and driving down the street to familiar faces. For a few years I lived in a small village about an hour south of here for college. It was the most wonderful village and the perfect fit for me. It had magnificent sunsets and a real home-y atmosphere.

How do you know your day has been perfect?

Lia: A perfect day to me does not have to be packed with excitement or activities. It would most likely involve working on the garden as a family, relaxing in the patio with a glass of wine and of course enjoying good food. No stress and low key.

Jessica: When I lay down in bed and know that I made someone's life better I know my day has been perfect. So many times I worry about if I made the right choice, said the right thing, or am following the right path but then I sit and think and someone smiled because of my silly joke or a little one yelled "Jessica! Play!" and I know the day has been perfect.

Begin

How do you begin your day?

::Lia::

::Jessica::