Hellobee

Happy Friday and Happy May everyone!  I’m so excited that spring is finally here after a long and cold winter, so, diving right in, these are a few things I have been loving recently.

1/ Jane the Virgin– My best friend introduced me to the show a few years back and I have been hooked ever since. Chronicling the life of Jane Gloriana Villanueva as she navigates some pretty impossible scenarios (becoming pregnant as a virgin through an accidental insemination) to the very every day ones of life and love, the show is everything I need to unwind at night with.  Jane’s family are wild characters on their own, her father especially is a delightful caricature of himself, and the shows play off  telenovela tropes and ideas making an amazing show with heart and humor. It’s light and funny with incredibly sharp writing that  touches even on current events happening in our world right now. I have never been disappointed in an episode and always look forward to more.

2/ Photography – While photography is certainly not a new favorite for me, I fell into a slump early this year.  By nature I hate being cold and the long winter months dragging on endlessly kind of zapped a lot out of me, including my passion for photography. Everyday felt monotonous – being trapped inside either by snow or just frigid temperatures and the beautiful light from the sun never looking right in the brief hours we even saw it. One day I just stopped picking up my camera, and that one day became months on end until now. The warmth has finally returned and with it the sunshine that inspires me. I can finally see the photos I have been dreaming about, and I’m excited again to dust off my camera in the hopes of chasing my little ones for that perfect moment again.

3/ Mermaids– In January of this year, I was able to meet with a person I admire greatly at an photography event. I had thought the highlight of the night was when I got to speak to her and even get a selfie, but at the end of the party as I was getting ready to leave with my friends whom I came with I bumped into her again. She once again spoke so kindly to me and then out of no where took off her bracelet and gave it to me. The act took me completely by surprise and has truly touched me still. One of the reasons I had admired this woman so much was her generosity and warmth; kindness flows out of her like water which makes perfect sense in so many ways because mermaids are her personal spirit creatures. Since then, I find myself drawn to mermaids a lot more, dressing my girls in clothing with them on it, and trying to find ways to carry on the magic of kindness I was given that night.

4/ Aidan– A few weeks ago, we sadly lost one of our dogs, Ellie, suddenly. It was unexpected, and I admit I wasn’t totally prepared at all. Ellie was my first pet dog after a lifetime of wishing as a child for a dog.  I had her before I had my kids and before we had a house, and she was there for me when I experienced my first miscarriage years before Drake was even a thought. I wish I could say I handled her loss with grace and measured reasoning for the kids, but alas I did not. Juliet now explains it as “My dog got magic and flew up to the clouds”. We are all still feeling her loss, especially our other dog, Aidan, who has been with her all his life as well, so right now we are all just loving on each other a little more.

5/ After the Fall – I love finding new children’s books for my kids. I miss reading a lot, but right now I don’t have the mental energy to expend at the end of the day. I do, however, find great pleasure in finding books I know my kids and I will love reading together. I plan on making a longer post about some of the ones we got recently and loved, as well as the ones Im looking to buy for the kids since we are have birthdays coming but I had to share this one here. The kids, especially the girls, right now are very into nursery rhymes and love pretending to be Humpty Dumpty, so when I saw this book I knew it was perfect for them. I love fractured fairy tales and, without spoiling the book completely, it’s a beautiful story of facing fears and becoming more because you do. I plan on reading this one to Juliet’s class when I go in for her birthday next month.

I can’t wait to hear what you’re all loving this week. Please share in the comments or on the boards!