Chasing an Escape

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

What a blessing a long weekend can be. After what has been a stressful, busy few months, to say I was ready to unplug and detach would be a gross understatement. So the long Memorial Weekend was a welcome sight. And what better place to escape to than a place with spotty cell reception and a (much) slower pace. Jumping at the extra time off, Bear and I decided to pack up the car and head southwest in search of those Marfa Mystery Lights and all that comes with that part of the world.

We stayed in Alpine and I really enjoyed that little town. We kept seeing the same couples and families around town and at restaurants. Our hotel, the Maverick Inn, was a wonderfully restored old roadhouse that was just perfect for the weekend.

 

Marfa is perhaps best known for the unexplained lights that appear on the horizon after dark just outside of town. What you may not know is that there is a healthy art community there as well, thanks to the vision of the late Donald Judd who founded the Chinati Foundation there. It seems as though every other space in the tiny town is an art gallery or shop.

 

Upon getting into town we kept on driving straight out toward Valentine, Texas to see Prada Marfa, a permanent art installation in the middle of nowhere. It was definitely one of the cooler things we saw. Bear and I got to take the Chinati Foundation’s Selections Tour on Sunday and I think we both left with a better appreciation for minimalistic, sculptural art intended to be a permanent piece of the setting it is in. The museum is situated on an old army base and it was as much a history lesson as it was an art tour.

We enjoyed afternoon drinks and conversation at the the Hotel Paisano and the eclectic Planet Marfa before heading to Padres for dinner and to listen to a fun little band there and then heading out to try to catch a glimpse of the Marfa Lights. Alas, the lights alluded us but it was fun nonetheless and we had a good time psyching ourselves out and convincing ourselves we spotted something moving on the horizon.

While visiting Marfa was the main draw for our drive out west, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m not sure I entirely “got it.” Don’t get me wrong, we had a great time getting away and wandering through town. But it wasn’t the life changing, lightbulb, I-gotta-live-here experience some have described Marfa to be. In fact, I think I enjoyed our other stops through the surrounding areas even more.

Saturday evening we drove up through the Davis Mountains which provided some gorgeous views as we headed to the McDonald Observatory for that evening’s Star Party. Wouldn’t you know it, though, as we are making our assent, the skies start to darken and lightening begins to light up the horizon. As such, they weren’t able to take out the big telescopes we’d hoped to get to gaze through but we did enjoy a totally nerdy lecture on satellites before heading back down to Alpine. (nerd alert!)

Sunday after touring the Chinati Foundation, we headed down south and embarked on a drive from the border town of Presidio through the Big Bend Ranch State Park along the Rio Grand Texas/Mexico border.  It was a really nice scenic drive along the river and I’m so glad we did it. I’d never been that close to the border (or Mexico!) and it seemed crazy that just across the river lies a whole different country.

 

We came out of the park on the other side at Lajitas and I couldn’t wait to get to Terlingua. Terlingua is a totally crazy tiny little town that is best know for its ghostown and annual Chili Cookoff.  This was definitely one of my favorite stops of the weekend.

You can do a self guided walking tour of the Ghostown, which is creepy and awesome, but even better than that–you can grab a beer (or two) from the shop in the old Holiday Hotel and sit on the porch to chat with the locals and other travelers passing through.  We met this adorable couple from Holland (in Terlingua!) who were on holiday driving through all of the little towns that make our country great. If you ever pass through, you definitely have to stop and have a drink–you never know who you might meet!

While it might not sound like much, I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to really get away from the rush of the city to a truly remote are and just go exploring with the best travel partner a girl could ask for. I hope we can take another trip back there soon.  …when is that Chili Cookoff again?

I thought you should know this place has the BEST burritos. Just FYI.

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Avoidance

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, in this space. And it was a little scary to come back. Truth be told, my life has been overwhelmingly crazy busy of late, but there was a time when that crazy chaos would drive me right here–to work it out through writing. But for some reason, I just couldn’t come back here. I knew I had already neglected this outlet and it seemed like actually opening it back up would only lead me to realize just how badly I’d failed at tending to the audience, however small, and the voice, however weak, I’d worked to build.  I’d let it go and to think that I could come back and reclaim this space seemed almost presumptuous.  I know so many insanely creative, and overwhelmingly busy women who I admire greatly who somehow manage to keep up with the space they have been given and they consistently put out inspiring pieces of written and/or visual work. What reason could I have to not keep up with it as well, even if in some bastardized version of “creativity” or “voice?”  There didn’t seem to be a reason good enough.

But I did it. I came back. And I can’t promise that I’ll consistently churn out amazing, inspiring, moving pieces of thought or writing…in fact, I may never churn out anything amazing, inspiring or moving…but I have to at least put something of myself out there. I’ve missed writing in a way I didn’t know I could.  I’ve said it a million times here, but I am not good at verbalizing my thoughts and feelings, but for some reason my fingers can really bring my inner thoughts and feelings into some sort of something that makes sense, at least to me. And for that reason, because I need a place for my innermost self to be at home, I’m giving this yet another go.

So feel free to stay or leave, it’s up to you. But I thank you for letting me just be. Even if it’s just me here, talking to myself about seemingly insignificant things. I like it here. And maybe, just maybe, you do to.

photo by Thomas Leuthard.
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My Funny Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2012 by

Today has been a tough day to say the least…but one that has reinforced for me how important it is to tell the people you love that you love them. I am not always the best at publicly sharing my thoughts a feelings, but I can’t let this day go by without saying how blessed I am.

I am beyond blessed and ever thankful that my sweet man was relentlessly persistent (and persistent he was!) and that God opened my eyes to the most amazing man I could’ve ever hoped to meet. I love you my Bear.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

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ahhh oui, février…

Posted on February 2, 2012 by

…le mois de l’amour…

L’amour est dans l’air.

Old Hollywood Romance at its best: Carole Lombard and Clark Gable

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (my namesake)

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

…isn’t love just, well, lovely?

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Conviction

Posted on February 1, 2012 by

Do you ever see something, read something, hear something that just really stops you and makes you take stock of everything you are and everything you have been doing?

I’ve had a couple of these instances lately, one of which came while reading Francis Chan’s amazing book Crazy Love. I’ll write more about this book’s impact on me and my perspective in an upcoming post. But as a Christ follower, I truly believe this book has something for all of us who call ourselves believers.  Pick up this book! It’s hard to read because it is so convicting, but it is such a gift as well. I have a loooong way to go before I consider myself even on the right track in my walk, but it has altered the way I look at everything in my life.  I can’t encourage you enough to pick this book up.

The other came when I first saw this video posted on Facebook.  I’m sure most of you have seen it by now, but for those of you who haven’t, take a few minutes to watch this, and the subsequent video on love and marriage.  I can’t speak for you, but I can tell you I found myself, once again, standing convicted.  And hopeful.

So much of what has called me out lately also gives me hope that we as Christians are capable of making this world a better place.  At times it seems as though we are so lost, as a country, as a planet, and I think, by and large, we are.  But as long as there are people out there sharing the gospel, encouraging others to share the good news, and introducing those who don’t yet know Him to Christ, I believe we are capable of making the world better than it is now.

We have lost sight of the fact that God tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  If we, would stop persecuting everyone around us and start loving them, I think the other two will follow close behind.  Can we work on that together? We don’t know what others around us are going through, but we do know, as human beings, that we all need love. And maybe we can give that love to someone who has never felt it before and subsequently be positive force in the world around us. Let’s live God’s love.

photo by Leland  Francisco and Luis Argerich.
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The Joy of Books

Posted on January 10, 2012 by

My friend Taryn posted this video to my Facebook page after seeing my profession of love for the special medium of books.  It is just too cool not to share! There is just something about it that really captures the magic of the many worlds held within the shelves of bookstores, and the magic that they bring to life.

 

Pretty neat, huh?

I think it would be the most amazing thing in the world to own an independent bookstore.  Oh to dream…

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I Love

Posted on January 9, 2012 by

photo by Nishanth Jois

1. Books 

I suppose it’s more the stories the books contain, but there is something in the magic of an actual book, the printed letters and words coming together to form something nobody else has put together before, using the same words we all have at our disposal.

2. Music

Music has the incredible ability to call up emotions, some new, some familiar, some buried deep below in a place we thought we’d lost.  There are certain songs that can transport you to a time and place somewhere in your own personal history, or to somewhere down the road, a place you hope to reach…or even just provide the perfect soundtrack for whatever you are doing at exactly that moment.

3. Art

It’s so fascinating to me to look at a piece of art and imagine how the artist came to put that piece together. What his or her vision was, intention, point of view. I can read in a book what some art historian has researched and found to be true about the artist’s subject, but I can also look at that piece and find something entirely different within it.  And that is the beauty of art.

4. Dance

Dance is the physical manifestation of one’s soul. I know that to be true because I’ve experienced it.  I’ve never had the emotional reaction to anything as deeply as I have when dancing, or watching beautiful dancers bring a piece, a soul, to life. When I think about dancing, or a particularly moving piece I’ve seen, there is an  ache deep within my chest. Because I don’t know how else to tap into that small space that holds so many things close.

5. Writing

While similar to “Books” there is something freeing about putting pen to paper and letting the contents of your mind and heart flow out through your fingertips. I’ve written about this before. Perhaps because it is the most accessible form of expression for me on a day-to-day basis I tend to gravitate towards it.  I carry a journal with me everywhere I go just incase I have a few minutes to scratch something down. Words have so much power.

:  :  :

As we venture into 2012, I’m realizing that this year is going to very much be a year of self-realization for me.  A year to take an honest look at who I am, where I am, and where I want to be.  I’m learning that I really am a soul that longs to communicate the things that are in my head and heart, but I do not have the desire to do that in a traditional conversation format.  My thoughts and feelings tend to articulate themselves in more unexpected ways, and I need to embrace that.  I need to give myself, my soul, the opportunity for expression through means that are more natural to it…I need to pick up a pen and paper, or turn on music and dance, or pick up a paintbrush and paint…without those outlets, the thoughts and feelings I have inside don’t have anywhere to go. They can’t be shared. They aren’t being used to better myself and those around me.

So that’s something I am going to work on this year.  As I continue to learn who I am, I am going to give myself the opportunity to adequately learn by having the tools to learn through.

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