Friendship

I've noticed that I have two kinds of friends.  One kind is the kind you just run into every day, and you enjoy their company, but if you don't talk for awhile then you drift apart.  The other kind of friend is the kind that you guys are... the kind that we go through phases where we talk alot (being relative... since there's no one that doesn't live in my house or physically come here that I talk to more than once a month)... and then we don't talk for awhile... but we're still good friends... and we can just pick up where we left off.  Ya know how I know that you're the latter type of friend?  I have only shown up here like once in the last two months... and well, if you're still checking this blog... then we're definitely that kind of friends.

So, I'll pick up where I left off... and I'll start with the technical items of interest with the whole fam...

My "Pink Flamingo"

After Nora's birthday we spent a lot of time at softball... Phoebe and Nora were on different teams, so we had four games a week... whew... that was a lot.

Nora was on the Seahorses team

And I co-coached those cute little Seahorses!  They are the BEST!

Phoebe's team won the championships in their division... decided in the last inning of the last tournament game... so fun to watch!

Phoebe's team winning the championship game!

School is drawing to a close... I couldn't be more excited!  Although, I'll let you know how I feel about it come July 1st.  A few weeks with the kids bickering could change my mind about how much I don't want to pack any more lunches.

Ahhhhh.....

In a way my big news is that I did nothing... which is to say that my affiliation with NAU expired.  I guess it's my lesson in how a non-decision is still some sort of decision... since it came and went with me just wavering over it... unable to make an active choice about whether or not to keep trying to finish my PhD.  Part of me so wanted to do it... to finish... to have the PhD and get to feel like it meant something about who I am.  However, with or without the PhD letters after my name, I have the experience and it definitely contributed to who I am today.  But that's looking back at it... and looking forward... well, I just couldn't see myself putting in a bazillion hours into figuring out where I was when I stopped... as well as working out what still needed to be done... I just don't have it in me.  Having kids changed my life huge... and I'm just not in a place to wrap up the degree.  Whatever biology I may do in the future will not be the kind that I had my sights set on when I started the PhD, and so I let it go.  I can do whatever I'm going to do with the education experience that I already have... and honestly... biology just isn't where I can put my time anymore.

Hint: the interesting part of the picture is actually clear... there's a vireo in a nest under that bundle of dead leaves

Which brings me to the creativity explosion that happened just after my affiliation expired.  I have invested a metric ton of my energy in my kids and learning how to parent in a way that feels good for me and my children.  In the process, I've done a lot of my own inner path work... ya know, finding out who I am, what I'm good at, what fills me up, and what makes me shine inside.  I have a bit of a unique history (not that we don't all follow our meandering paths, but that I don't know too many people who share my particularly wayward experiences).  Anyway, what it gives me is a bunch of understanding of biology, chemistry, physiology, etc... AND the experience of truly getting to know myself.  I've spent many hours at play with both my left and right brain... and I think I like living there... in the inter-weavings... where the two worlds mesh and mingle.

To bring it into my everyday... I've started a healing practice with a friend... based exactly in this intersection of biochemistry and intuition... of physiology and belief systems... of physical health and being true to one's Self.  We're still in the process of identifying ourselves and what we want in the practice... but stay tuned on that front.

 
And... because so much of my everyday focus is on kids, I've started a second business... I'm providing a summer camp for girls... this year it'll be ages 6-9.  In the future, I think the girls will be older, but as I've got a 6 year old it seemed prudent to include her and a friend.  It is called Wild Heart Girls Art Camp (website up and running shortly... I'll let you know when).  The mission is to provide young girls with empowering messages about who they are and can be.  The message is presented through art and craft projects that get them to identify with themselves now, before the difficult tween years where they have to decide whether to believe their own truth, or the judgement of others.  I have a curriculum decided, a partner to work with in presenting the camp, girls to attend, and most of the supplies for our pilot session in late June/early July.  I am currently working on art for the website.

So, things are moving right along here... and they're taking a shape I would not have expected ten years ago... or even five... but here we are anyway... and things are mighty fine.

Yeeehaawww!