Treehouse Trekkers

It is safe to say that this weather is just... drab. It's gray everywhere, and on top of that, it's raining. It's just... meh.

Gee, thanks for the sunny opener, right?
Don't worry, the middle part was actually pretty daggone awesome.

This is Becky:

hi becky! 

In case you're stumbling on this for the first time, or probably the more realistic scenario of having your own life and not keeping constant tabs on me and mine, here's my relationship with Becky in a nutshell:

2003: Met her for the first time. She was my RA (resident advisor) for the 12th floor of good old Calhoun Hall on UC's campus.
2003-2007: Played soccer at UC, and then all over God's green earth (indoor, by that) with this girl.
2004: Specifically noted, she somehow talked me into running Nippert stadium. Every. Single. Step. Consecutively. DIE, STADIUM STAIRS. 

2009-2012: She & I stay in minimal contact as we travel all over the place in separate directions.
2012: We reconnect after we both crash & burn in totally unrelated but very similar ways.

2014: We fast-forward through the past couple years of personal re-building, healing & growth. She is .. and I see now has always been.. one of my best friends. 

*Tear! Yep. So that's Becky. On top of her grade-A friendship, she's one heck of a human being: from being an EMT, to fighting forest fires, traveling across the world several times, and managing the area's largest farmer's market, she's a force to be reckoned with, and I'm honored to call her a friend of mine. 

She's taking this personal growth thing to whole new levels. I introduced her to yoga at the end of 2014, and in turn, she introduced me to Earth Joy, which is a whole other world of awesome. I'm a hippie by default, so trees are kinda my thing. Climbing them, growing them, learning from them and of course being IN them... well, I'm all about it. 

So back in November when she said, 

Hey, wanna go on a retreat with me? It's in a treehouse built by Treehouse Masters, & we'll be meditating, journaling, hiking and just.. centering ourselves. You in? 

It took me a full .000034 seconds to oblige, and that came to fruition today.
She picked me up and we were off into the hills of Kentucky, pushing further and further away from the city, the business of life and all the obligations that are so good sometimes at redefining us right under our own noses. Shelly, the owner of Earth Joy, was there to meet us as we hiked from our car to the treehouse.

Yep. The treehouse:

so. flippin'. cool. ♥

That, ladies and gents, was completed in December 2014, and will air on the Feb 6, 2015 episode of TreeHouse Masters. That's right, Pete Nelson & Co. had their very hands on this project & turned at least 20 people today into believers of the work we previously only saw on the show.

We hiked down the hill and back up another to the treehouse.
Inside....

view from the main room up to the loft

balcony down.. hey girls! 

My favorite touches:

woodburning stove! 

& yes, that's an attached outhouse! ;) 

We joined a group of 18 women who were brought out today for their own reasons. We were together for a very short time today, but in that time were able to realize one very specific truth: Our concerns, fears, frustrations, expectations and goals are not that far off from the woman next to us. We are each entrenched in life at full speed, and whether it's a broken marriage, dissatisfying professional lives or just the general lack of spontaneity, we all came together today knowing that there's a better "us" buried beneath all the layers of life piled on top.

I couldn't unpack to you in this simple blog the bigger picture that I know could be achieved by consistently being serious about timeouts. Like.. treehouse serious. If I were to truly level up with my life and demand a breather to re-calibrate me, boy oh boy... watch out. :)

Except wait a second... that's exactly what we started scratching at today. Shelly led us on this journaling exercise that brought the past and present to parallel grounds, and provided a visual representation of the ground we've covered [or lost, in some cases] since that time. She challenged us to reckon with our goals for the future, and figure out why or why not we were holding them at an arm's length instead of pursuing them, wholly invested.

BOOM. Thanks again Becky, for inviting me to something that clearly was designed to speak to specifically me... haha. No really, though. After some journaling, small group encounters and open discussion, we embarked on a paired hike through the immediate terrain that completes nearly 200 acres of wooded property.

I felt like Katniss Freakin' Everdeen.
Minus the 'I'm-hunting-and-literally-being-hunted' part. 

bramble marries barn
deer rub tree
cicada shell.. gone for the winter 

We hiked, and we hiked a little bit more. It's amazing how much ground you can cover in just 30 minutes...

over the creekbed and through the woods... to the treehouse we go! ;) 

The process of maintaining myself for the entire year isn't something I could accomplish in just one day out there in the woods of Kentucky, but it's a surefire way to start. Where I want to be, verses what I want to be, versus what I am... those three things need to align with each other so we're moving forward together in the same direction and firing on all cylinders as we go.

My greatest gratitude today goes to Shelly & the EarthJoy operation. Thank you for having us out to that insanely beautiful treehouse, on property that in itself urges all the inner voices to silence. Thank you; I needed that!

we'll be back! ♥

Becky and I made it back to civilization, refreshed and encouraged to be committed to our goals. We just finished some sushi with Rob & Sydni, and have parted ways. I'm here with my little family now, thankful for their very existence, let alone what they contribute to my life. I think that's a pretty good way to wrap up a weekend!

Love & Honor from here!

xo | cmd

Hello, Summer!

It's SUMMER!
I have a feeling this one's gonna be a long one, but I'm okay with that. It's been hot outside a few times already this year, so let's see what the year has to offer.

Last year around this time was Paddlefest, the river-based expo for vendors and adventure-lovers alike. We decided to attend again this year, so that meant gearing up for it today!

But FIRST..

Breakfast. Today that meant home made French Toast, because I love these people who live in my home and also because WHY NOT.. It's Saturday! :)

delicious!

Then...
A trip down to the farm, because there are baby goats! They're just a month old right now, but cute as could be. We had to see them.

hi, babies!

syd with the goats

mr. rob helping her ring the farm bell

We made a pitstop to pick up some organic feed, and there were more animals - this time bulls.

sydni the bull-whispering yogi .. ♥

bulls!

It was back to the farm to drop off the feed, and then back on our way to our main destination of the day - Paddlefest!

someone was ready to go!

Sad fact: Paddlefest this year - at least the daytime Saturday version - was a bit of a disappointment. We had hoped the reason was just simply that we came during the day, when the crowd was super light and there wasn't much going on. Most of the vendor stands had limited foot traffic, and the event as a whole seemed a bit sluggish, at least in comparison to what we saw last year.

Fortunately, Becky enlisted her and me with her tree-climbing group, an entity with which I'd apparently climbed before, years back, but not realizing it until the owner of the business mentioned it to me. Small world!

becky & me

Anyway, we hooked in, roped up and climbed our way into a half hour or so of air time in the beautiful Sycamore overlooking the river.

roping up

pardon that weird face.. not really sure about that look?

hello down there!

descent :)

Back on the ground, we ditched the harnesses and headed for the river. Sydni was being so good all afternoon, and for that we'd promised her some play time in the water.

running back and forth in the "boat waves"

And this guy:

look at those snazzy glasses! ;)

We finally decided to load up and head home; there was World Cup action to be had and we didn't want to miss any of it. I found these in Becky's car on our way back:

inspiration!

Starbucks is really stepping up its game with the new Teavana partnership [and apparently one with Oprah, as well...]. Speaking of Starbucks, Becky & I made a quick run to get some iced caffeine in oiur lives, and found a collection of donated Starbucks mugs from around the world.

Right in front? These:

awesome awesome awesome!

^ LOVE that!

Anyway, we're creeping up on the evening hours now and although it's been a great day, we... are.. spent! That's how a good Saturday is supposed to be, so I'm not complaining. Tomorrow it's church and Kara's graduation party. I'm excited :)

Happy weekend, friends!

xo | cmd