a cross country flight and

some strategic planning later,

my sister and i successfully surprised

our mom for her birthday!

i've always wanted to show up at home

unannounced and it finally happened!

a mini 3.5 day vacation back home :)
it's such fun being a tourist in your own hometown!

DIANA VISITS THE BAY
even though i got heat exhaustion/stroke
earlier at work and she was recovering from the flu,

we decided we still needed to go hiking

along the california coast at sunset.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think there was

more sunshine in Seattle than in San Francisco.

That's why days like today are absolute perfection.

I lounged amongst fluttering dragonflies,

watched puppies and kids play,

read my library book and got happier

with each passing moment.

i hadn't planned on eating an entire

pasta entree by myself while a wedding was going on. 

the original plan was just to
sit in a coffee shop and read.

this is happening more and more, but
sometimes, when I look at a kid,

i feel this overwhelming burst in my heart.

i see this smiling wild bundle of energy & untapped

potential and i want to do everything to

nurture the bundle and prevent it from

being trampled on, thrown in a cage

and told they are an animal.

then the song "i can show you the world"
plays in my head and i unleash
paint, glitter, needles,
literacy + numeracy foundations, and some lens for
developing compassionate critical thinking
at them and we dance in the woods with our new tools,
and together, diverge from the System
and set each other free.

#whatifantasizeabout
~
Cathy said I am going to shift the world,
 so let's shift on.

woohoo!

i successfully ran my own toddler program
for the first time today!

thank you parents + babies for acting entertained

by my singing, wiggling & storytelling

and participating in active engagement.

my last minute lesson-planning + improvisation
skills from working with kindergartners
really came in handy; phew.

now i feel like i can do anything
 ~ * ~ * ~ *

breezing across bridges
My commute will never get old.

it's STUNNING every single day.

-sunshine, rain, or fog.

just cruising through sleepy towns

"if you have come to help me

you are wasting your time.

but if you have come because

your liberation is bound up with mine,

then let us work together."

- Lila Watson (Australian aboriginal activist)

^one of my top 3 favorite quotes.

"the clearest way into the universe

is through a forest wilderness."

I drove to the Muir Redwoods! Hooray for
exploring new roads & celebrating/appreciating/enjoying

nature at it's absolute finest.
 
My parents and I came here 4 years ago:

discussions of our deepest flaws,

meditation processes, things we've stolen,

produce stickers + bedtime stories

Heisenberg and I watched twinkling city lights

from a park, and then I quizzed him on his supposed

knowledge of southeast asian national anthems.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~