"Morning glory is the best name, it always refreshes me to see it."
- Henry David Thoreau
"I am strong because I am weak. I am beautiful because I know my flaws. I am a lover because I am a fighter. I am fearless because I have been afraid. I am wise because I have been foolish. And I can laugh because I have known sadness." ~ Anonymous
There are times when you encounter people that live to give and you feel more blessed when you can call that person, family. Many are remembering a man so true to giving that even upon his early passing of his life, he made sure his passion for giving did not end when his life ended too soon - but do not be sad for him, he did not want that for you. Instead, smile with his Spirit, laugh with his Humor, forgive with his Compassion, keep close to your heart his Memory and LIVE, SELFLESSLY.
My Uncle Paco was a truly giving and caring man, and many will remember him for his charismatic nature, infectious smile and smart-wit. I would describe my Uncle Paco as a rare and necessary human in our world, and not just because of what he means to his family and friends - but what he has meant to many families.
Malcom Gladwell best described these humans as "Agents of Change". Malcom Gladwell noted in his book THE TIPPING POINT, "The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts". It is noted it Gladwells book there are three types of people that make such successes happen: Connectors, are people equivalent of a computer network hub, people with a special gift for bringing the world together; Mavens, the information brokers of the agents. Mavens accumulate knowledge and know how to share it; and lastly, Salesmen are the folks with charismatic energy and have powerful negotiation skills, and indefinable trait that goes beyond what they say, which makes others want to agree with them. My Uncle Paco was all three of these, Agents of Change.
Gregory "Paco" Wong, co-founded the Washington - Alaska Chapter of the Make A Wish Foundation and last Saturday night, he was honored at their Annual Gala in the presence of his children, Sid, Sheri, Megan and Matt (at the request of their father, that they attend on his behalf). Paco, sadly, had passed away earlier that Saturday morning.
I am hoping, if you have a few more moments to spare to please take a moment and read this beautiful tribute from the Make A Wish Foundation Gala event honoring this wonderful man.
Please consider adding "Make A Wish Foundation" to your annual giving if you can, it changes the lives of many as did, Gregory "Paco" Wong.
Rest in Peace, Lovely Man.
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Always so heart warming to have a window seat watching this beautiful girl grow up right before my eyes.
]]>Thank you Reshmi and family for spending the afternoon with me and letting me photograph your beautiful family.
This little cutie pie was nothing but smiles and my understanding, a little bit of fashonista! Love it!!
]]>Filigree Farm has a Rustic and Elegant Sophistication about it which reflects the very style of the owners. No stranger to hard work, Sheri grew up with a passion for the equine life, whether it was leisure riding, competitive or breeding high quality show horses - she has devoted a good portion of her life to being the gentle hand and heart to these majestic and stunning animals. Arriving at Filigree Farm you will feel a Welcomed Ease when driving onto the estate; the curves of the softscape that plays seamlessly with the bold & subtle dimensions of the hardscape brings a harmonious balance to your event - all planned by Scott, whose expertise is in Landscape Architecture.
The kids played for hours, upon hours at the party! I found abandoned cell phones on the tables as teens and preteens detached from their worlds of social media to partake in the old fashioned event of "Playing Outside" and the sounds of laughter amongst the varying age groups was a sound most parents have unwillingly missed due to the replacement of the instant gratification of "likes" and "selfies"
Acquaintances fell into uninhibited friendships and memories were definitely formed that day!
This newly established event venue is a must to consider for your future special event! The down to earth, professional and welcoming duo of Scott & Sheri Morris will not only provide you a memorable and beautiful event but will leave a lasting imprint of connecting all who gather at Filigree.
Thank you for having me (and family) out to celebrate Scott!
In the earlier stages of our marriage it used to bother me that he would take any time away from his family for fishing but through the years we have learned that preserving our individual passions is what allows us to come back and share a story the has not played out in front of our very eyes. Over the Memorial Day holiday my husband planned a Bakken family getaway at the lodges so he and his brother can share with us the unmistakable pull to this particular river they feel compelled to travel to more often than any of the other rivers they fish.
After a two plus hour drive from home, we pull around a hairpin bend and drive up to a well kept piece of property that was tucked away from the roadside with direct access to the river. Two main homes with two smaller cabins rested on this 6+ sprawling acreage and provided more than ample sleeping accommodations for our families. On first night we broke bread, felt the warmth and comfort of well lit bonfire and enjoyed the peace that wrapped us in like warm blankets.
The following morning we set off to do a couple of river drifts so everyone had the opportunity to take in the scenes of the River and understand why its voice calls a many of fisherman back to its body. It is a vexing siren and I could see how a toll of women have lost their crossed arms and planted foot to the ground persistence to her.
The River was not alone in my blame, the subtleties of coaxing conversations I heard through the whispers within the fields, hidden amongst the brush, trees and tall grass was convincing that this doxy had a solid stronghold on my guy.
The brothers coordinated three drifts down the river so all of us had the chance to experience their calling first hand, sans fishing poles as the fishing was closed for this time of year...which would have been fun to do, but rather my interest for quite some time was to learn how to row/steer the boat. I knew it was something that wouldn't come easy, off hand - the inner workings of the left and right brain mechanics happening all at once! William was in charge of the Disney cruise version of the drift, patient enough to take the little girls first and give them the chance to stop along the way to get out and collect rocks and pieces of drift wood whose identities were formed from being carried from shore to shore by the mercy of mother natures temperament.
I paused awhile at this picture. I had taken this shot from the bridge above and not able to hear any content of conversation to be had unless someone deliberately yelled in our direction. A few consecutive pictures I snapped had Papa standing in the back of the boat 'looking' as if he was fishing...but clearly without a fishing pole? I wasn't quite sure what to think without a bit of concern - followed by hearing Vern Dursley's comment in my head from one of the Harry Potter movies "Face it Petunia! Our boy has gone yumpy!!", but once they were off the river someone had cleared up my initial concern to provide an untrained diagnosis of the one who flew over the coo-coo's nest! Bakken humor - strait from the tree itself
Christian was in charge of the red cup cruise of which the manifest had my seat confirmed with the Captains nod to steer the boat in less problematic waters. It was a very relaxing drift and it took me back to years ago when our extended family would inner tube down the Green River; we would tie all the tubes together, drift and 'talk story' along the way...such great memories. We were enjoying the calm waters and varying colors on the river, refreshing beverages including an introduction to a grapefruit hefeweizen beer...very tasty!
Finally, it was my turn to sit in the captains seat! "Look at me...looook at me. I'm the captain now." It certainly didn't feel that way once I was given the reins to steer this vessel! Mind you, my debut to steering was on calm waters - there was still ALLOT to think about: Nose to the danger, push versus pull, foot pedal drops the weight underneath to help drag or keep you in position and donuts means you just don't know what the heck you're doing! I didn't capsize or cause any spillage so, I felt it was a successful run for me and at the same time I knew who would be giving our kids their driving lessons.
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We only did a short drift of the river and more picturesque views were waiting around every bend, but this would have to be seen on another visit as it was time to get back and do the number one thing that most American's do on Memorial Day weekend, barbecue! The truth about vacationing with folks that know how to cook is you will never be disappointed with what is being served, plus the traditional S'mores outdoors.
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We were very fortunate to have this place for our use and I appreciated everything that 'the Boys' shared with us that weekend. I can truly understand why they choose to go fishing as often as they do! Now my eyebrow is raised since this place was by far not a "fisherman's village" as I once pictured, but a home away from home and I think there are some women out there I know willing to take up fishing with me to escape on weekends!
]]>The minute I opened the door to the building I could feel the arctic blast hit my face and body. Every fat cell within me puffed up ready to defend and preserve my every limbs from hyperthermia; sensationalized? maybe but I'm an island girl - cold is not my thing unless I'm toting a hot beverage laced with liquid gold that resembles that taste of Hot Tamales candy in an alpine cider! The bar upstairs provided plan B since I was certain a freshly laid out animal carcass wasn't laying around for me to cut small openings into and stick my fingers & toes in, to prevent from freezing off as Bear Grylls demonstrates on Man vs. Wild! Fortunately, it was just ice skating so no animals or tykes were harmed during this photo shoot.
Ah, and there she was...the ThreeFootEleven, dressed for the elements and ready to tackle the frozen pond with her fellow ThreeFootEleven'ers.
They were much smarter than I in their approach on the ice, with one hand quickly gripping the side wall for balance as they shimmied along the perimeter to make their way around which, in their minds was truly as big as a football field! Inch by inch, side step-by-side step they worked hand over hand on that wall, sometimes hand over each other, survival instincts kick in. Friends that save you are good friends to have!
With every full turn around the rink completed the ThreeFootEleven'ers break the cycle of codependency from The Wall and graduate to full
pirouetting fledglings... I consider having one foot planted while the other foot toe-taps every two inches pushing oneself in a circle a successful pirouette! It was so dang cute!! Confidence levels rise and soon enough all caution is thrown aside and ThreeFootEleven'ers are cutting across the rink, skating the opposite direction, some even perfecting the coast into a slow turn into a backwards glide! Complete anarchy and they were all so proud!
Seven is the discovery age of boundaries & limits and watching these girls (and one boy) do exactly that on the ice was truly delightful! Also it's the age where they start to grow out of their baby chubbiness and start to stretch out and become more graceful in their movements as their motor skills become more refined. No doubt about that, these ThreeFootElevener's checked off that motor skills box with a big "X"!
Once skating ended it was time to partake in cheese & pepperoni pies, cake and ice cream! It wasn't just a day of testing motor skill boundaries but a day to celebrate a particular ThreeFootElevener in this club. My adorable niece, Malina! With her distinctive giggle and observant style of conversation letting you know a thing or two, about a thing or two (which is a very noticeable trait of the women in our family, yes, it is a good trait!) It was her turn to take the spotlight in this Blaze of Glory arena.
So much goes on in the big world of Seven and you can't help but feel that little tug on your heart strings when you see your child transform from your little love bug that provides you endless cuddle time, to someone moving toward greater independence both intellectually and emotionally.
I have allot of nieces and nephews and I love every one of them as if they were my own! I get so much joy seeing them grow up and reach for every milestone they set their sights on and it humbles me knowing these amazing kids are part of my family. It's a testimony of what they are made of but not only just the outward obvious details to what everyone is privy to, but the REAL measure of knowing you belong to something bigger than yourself...Family.
Happy Birthday sweet Malina girl and great job Sharon and Doug for raising such a fine Seven year old ThreeFootElevener!
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Now, for parents of children participating in upper level competitive sports (or any other extra-curricular activity) we all know that you can expect to have a commitment almost every weekend and that's okay, it is what we signed up for in supporting our children in helping them to develop strong bodies and strong minds!
At the end of each game there is an orchestrated dance that happens amongst the girls while the parents chat and as we start to walk away that's when the inquisitive eyes appear and THE ASK happens "Can so-and-so come over to play? Her mom and dad said it's okay with them if it's okay with you..." and quickly the number grows from one so-and-so to multiple so-and-so's!
I used to feel 'put out' and definitely 'put on the spot' when my children would do that, especially if I didn't have a legitimate reason to succumb to the ask outside of just wanting to preserve some free time that wasn't designated to someone or something else. I rarely say NO to the ask and my husband would always say "I don't know why you do it as much as you do."
This is why...
The Heart of Friendships are important! Saying YES to the ask allows these friendships to grow through discovery, to empower them and build self-confidence while appreciating friendships that are transparent, encouraging and deeply rooted in trust and integrity. This time also allows me, as a mother, to see how my child interacts with various personalities, play styles and how they respond to any given situation; almost a parenting pop-quiz if you will!
If you are a parent to a daughter, you may very well know there is a certain age where the interaction of other girls influence and rule their mind...in other words, it's Drama for the Mama time! So we sit and listen, empathize and try to impose words of wisdom without trivializing what they believe is to be a five alarm fire!
There are components to friendships that I share with my children that I feel are helpful and easy to understand whenever they have any questions or concerns: No friendship is perfect, so we can not expect from others what we are not willing to give. Every person is different! What do you like most about that person and how do they make you feel AND always assess your friendship based on your own experience with that person, not by what someone else is telling you about that person. Trust and Mutual respect are critical in any friendship and we talk over what that may look like with each friendship. Finally, not everyone is going to get along...friendships will change and THAT IS OK!
Every person has something to offer in a friendship if you give them the opportunity to do so, and yet, it is very important for them to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy friendships.
The Ask is the beginning of true inner strength, it is the start of knowing what her heart and mind is wishing to connect and explore in her journey of the day; but not only is this a process of self-discovery, it is a practice of being truly grateful and appreciative of the people behind those friendships that have been willing to extend themselves to us as well!
“Only as high as I reach can I grow,
only as far as I seek can I go,
only as deep as I look can I see,
only as much as I dream can I be.”
- Karen Ravn
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