weekly letters.

dear sweet hubby of mine, i missed your face.  although we've done this long distance thing time & time again, it never gets easier.  and part of me is glad that it doesn't.  dear travel, i most definitely have a love-hate relationship with you.  i love exploring new cities, meeting new people and all the adventures that come with both these things but i could do without all the chaos of getting there.  dear keens, you're my sole mate.  i could (and have) walk miles in you everyday. i'm lusting for an entire closet of your goodness.  dear birdhouse, it's so good to be back.

enjoy your weekend and happy mother's day to each & every amazing mama out there!

new adventures.

happy weekend friends!  for the past week i've been spending my days in beautiful colorado springs.  this city is rad.  since arriving i've experienced freezing temperatures, snow, heavy winds, sunny skies and 70 degree weather.  it's safe to say colorado is keeping me on my toes. 

despite the crazy weather, i'm so happy to be here.  this is the first of many business trips i'll be taking with my job and regardless of the time change and being away from home, i have so much passion for what i do that i can't help but be anything but rejuvenated. 

life is overflowing with adventure.  i'm fortunate to have a job that allows me to travel and engulfs me in magic every. single. day.  but it wasn't always this way.  i've had to scrape, claw, and in some cases, take what seemed like a million steps backwards to get to where i am today.  and in hindsight, it was (of course) so very worth it.  

so today, as i sit here writing after a long and rewarding day, i say to you- go, fight for what you want and never, ever, settle.  because in the end, when you're doing what you love, you'll look back & realize that all that mud you were walking through was making you stronger and preparing you for everything yet to come.  

weekly letters.

dear mr. a, you plan last minute bonfire dinners for the family on random thursday nights.  between this and surfing at sunset, my heart can't help but pitter-patter.  thanks for keeping even the most normal days spectacular.  dear saturday, you keep me grateful for mellow mornings at home & afternoon tea with new friends.  i cherish you.  dear birdhouse, even though we regularly wish for garages & backyards, your walls encapsulate so much love everyday.  we love coming home to you more than we'll ever admit.  dear 50%-off-easter-candy, damn you & your amazing prices.  my will power loses every. single. time.

hope you're having a great weekend friends!

pottery class.

last christmas, i wanted to get my mom something different.  after spending sometime online, i found a one-day pottery throwing class for her and i to attend.  i figured what could be more fun than getting our hands dirty & hopefully make something in the process.  in my excitement booking this class, i didn't pay attention to where it actually was & ended up booking through a studio in st. louis.  classic jess moment.  lucky for me, they were really cool about refunding us for such a silly mistake.

after committing to this idea, i now had to find something locally, and fast.  i found a pottery throwing class offered through a san diego winery that was surprisingly reasonable.  i called, and they not only had availability, but were starting the class that same evening.  after calling my mom to confirm that she could be available for a 6 week throwing class, we showed up and started to learn about the pottery wheel.

while frustrating at times, there's something so grounding about playing with clay.  the slippery texture of the wet clay, the grit as it spins against the palm of your hand, and the muddy splash of clay that coats everything in it's path, made this class addicting.  we both fell in love.

i really enjoyed learning to throw pottery and also found myself getting exciting to trim and glaze all the pieces i made.  in my opinion, that's where the magic is made or not made, in some cases.  that's the thing about glazing, you really don't know what's going to happen in the kiln.  for example, i wanted to make a mug with an organic feel.  i found a glaze that best represented the look i was going for and dipped my mug.  the final product, despite having that earthy feel, wasn't what i was expecting- but that's okay, because apparently, that's glazing.

time & again, many of my tall pieces collapsed on the wheel and to salvage them, i ended up making some shallow dishes/cups out of the remaining remnants.  once glazed however, they turned out so much cooler than i thought they would.  all said and done, i walked away with 4 finished pieces & still have 2 or 3 more bowls that i need to glaze sometime after work.

this class was so worth while & if i had the time to commit to it for another six weeks, i would have signed up immediately.  i found 6 weeks was just enough time for me to start getting it so i'd recommend an 8 or 10 week class for anyone looking to learn.  if 4 or 6 week classes are the only options, definitely sign up.  it's so much fun & so worth while.  plus, there's nothing cooler than drinking out of a mug that your created.

photo walk // spring.

photowalking: the act of walking with a camera for the main purpose of taking pictures of things that the photographer may find interesting.

getting outside is by-far one of my favorite things to do.  there's nothing quite as cleansing as being in nature.  & at times, when i'm out walking, running, or biking i'm blown away by the beauty that nature delivers.  recently, while walking radley & inspired by the gorgeous spring blooms, i decided to take photos of some of the sights along the way.  

this was a fun exercise.  and while researching the idea of a photo walk, i found that there are meetups and annual events focused around the concept of a photowalking.  very cool & very inspiring.  i look forward to doing one of these again and quite possibly with a local meetup. 

please note, all photos were taken with my iphone.