I want my daughter to know that fishing should be enjoyed no matter your attire. Except I did encourage her to wear jeans and boots for practicality. 🙂
Sometimes, a single image can spark a week-long stream of thought and argument in my easily excited mind. I’ll ruminate on the subject, argue with myself, cheer myself on, put myself down, and finally, it all builds until it spills out as a blog post. This time, it was this image which showed up in my Instagram feed from an outdoor clothing company I follow, Back Country Native.
Now, I want to make it completely clear I have NO beef with this company. I’m all for encouraging women to get get outdoors and if they want to look all dolled up while doing it? More power …
You’ve probably seen it circulating online. The love letter Brad Pitt supposedly wrote his wife, Angelina Jolie when they were on the brink of divorce. Scores of people (mostly women) have shared it on Facebook and Twitter, often with the comment, “This is so sweet!” Here’s a snippet of the letter, which can be found in its entirety here.
You won’t believe it, but she blossomed. She became even better than before. She gained weight, was no longer nervous and she loved me even more than ever. I had no clue that she CAN love that much. And then I realized one thing: The woman is the reflection of her man. If you love her to the point of madness, she will become it.
Okay, first of all, it’s a total load …
Father and daughter at sunset.
If you’re like me, when you latch on to a new hobby, you bite down…hard. You’re all consumed with dabbling in your new craft, often at the expense of family and friends. Lately, I can’t seem to pry my camera from my hand. I just keep snapping and snapping and snapping…and I’m sure it’s fairly annoying for my children and husband. And to be quite honest, it’s sucked some of my creative energy from my writing. But I’m trying to just go with it. I don’t want to do it for money, or take classes, or compete with others. I just want to do it for the sheer pleasure of seeing what I can capture.
So tonight, as the golden sunset began forming on the horizon, …
My husband is multi-faceted, but he’s not a complicated man. He likes simple things. So today, on his birthday, I’ve compiled a visual wish list of the things he likes most. If I could give them all to him today, I would. Happy birthday honey!
Montana. (image from destination360.com)
Hook ‘Em! (image from coastalbaseball.com)
(image from kingsoutdoorworld.com)
No light stuff here. (image from namedevelopment.com)
He did get a big ‘ol plate of this for breakfast. (image from mamas-southern-cooking.com)
Boot-stompin’ music! (image from the9513.com)
(image from holoholoblog.com)
(image from walmart.com)
His faithful dog Morgan.
His girls. 🙂
The girls with their uncle and new aunt.
When my brother introduced me to his girlfriend Luisa, it seemed very strange. She seemed so…familiar. Had I met her before? No. She was from California, and they’d met on vacation in Mexico. So why, then, did it feel like I’ve always known her? Why did conversation flow so easily? Why did I feel like I could trust her instantly? I don’t know why, all I know is that it’s wonderful. Soon, they’ll marry. My two girls will toss flowers down the aisle, and I will witness my brother marry one of my dear friends.
Their courtship was brief, but no one questioned how quickly they were engaged. Their relationship is completely natural, loving and comfortable. I’ve never seen my brother more happy. He’s relaxed. Smiles come easily. He’s found …
Moms, some days it’s hard to let ourselves be loved exactly how we are. We think he must be up to something when he shows affection. How could he possibly be attracted to this? Doesn’t he see these dark circles? Doesn’t he feel the extra pounds I’ve put on? When we reject ourselves, we can end up rejecting others without even realizing it.
You wonder why I wonder
Why you’re staring at me
When I look in the mirror
I don’t see what you see
I see a tired mother
You see a grown-up girl
I see an empty shell
You see your whole world
I rarely put on makeup
You hardly seem to mind
I stress and fret and fuss
You just want me to unwind
I worry that you’ll …