But First...Amsterdam!

So this was unexpected. The last place we expected to be the first night of our vacation was Amsterdam, but there you have it. And to be honest, as much as it sucked to be missing out on time in Iceland, I was actually pretty stoked about getting out and seeing this place. I've always wanted to visit, but considering we didn't know we would be visiting we were totally unprepared! I tend to research the hell out of a place before any type of trip somewhere so I usually have a good game plan in mind and a good idea of the things I want to see and do ahead of time. Not the case here. We had a little under 24 hours and we had no choice but to just wing it.

So we thought to ourselves, what do we know about Amsterdam, what should we be seeing while we're here? The first things that came to mind when considering Amsterdam were (in no particular order) the red light district, Anne Frank, bridges, windmills, tulips, and pot.  So we started googling and figuring out just what all was feasible to accomplish in our window of time there. I will say, we took every advantage of being there for that day. We stayed out ridiculously late the night we arrived, slept about 4 hours and got up at the crack of dawn to see some more. It was a total whirlwind, but fantastic!

That first night in our hotel we happened upon a Sudanese man studying urban planning in the US but whom was also stuck in Amsterdam for the evening. We shared our stories over a meal in the hotel restauraunt, bid him good night and good luck and then hopped the Metro headed for Centraal Station. It was sort of magical and quite surreal being there that night. One minute we're in Pittsburgh waiting for flight to New York and eventually Iceland, and the next thing you know we're riding a lazy train full of sleepy passengers through the dark Amsterdam night. Josh and I kept looking over at each other and shrugging and laughing, like "what are we DOING here right now?!"

That night we walked the cobblestone streets under a light rain and kissed on a bridge over the canal. We ate sugary balls of fried dough (kwarkbollen) and chocolate brownies (not the funny kind ;) and dodged drunken frat boys in the red light district (just as cheesy as you would imagine).

The next morning we woke with the sun, checked out of the hotel and went off to see the city by daylight. It's certainly quiet at that hour in Amsterdam. We had the streets and crepe shop all to ourselves. We found the Anne Frank house and were chilled to imagine how different it would have been to stand in that same place only 70 years before. We thought again about how lucky we are and how all our silly "problems" seem so small in comparison.

My favorite part of the day would have to have been stumbling upon the inner courtyard of Begijnhof. The once sanctuary and religious community formed by the original Beguines of Amsterdam and the place where stands #34 - the oldest house in Amsterdam.  Built in the Middle Ages, the Begijnhof is at medieval street level which is about a meter below the rest of the old city center. It's still open to the public up to a certain point and is an eerily quiet place, rich in history and lore, hidden around the corner only steps away from a major shopping district. It's very beautiful. In fact, all of Amsterdam is beautiful and I loved our time there. If I should ever return I have a shopping list long of sites and things I'd still like to see and do, but I'm quite content to have experienced that unexpected day there with Josh. One of the happiest accidents of my life, for sure.

A Preface to Iceland

How does a person even begin to describe a place like Iceland? If you were to see it you would understand it's not one place at all, really. It's ten places, at least. A collection of all the best earth has to offer wrapped up in to one Kentucky-sized island nation off to the north. It's the rocky coast of New England,  seagulls barking and cold, fresh air in your lungs and salt on your lips. It's the towering, mossy mountains of Oahu, with clouds at their peaks and a wet, warm rain in the air.  It's the flat farm lands of the midwest with dairy cows and horses and white picket fences. Oh there? That's the foggy San Francisco bay. Over here? The rolling hills of New Zealand, punctuated with fluffy, white sheep and colored in green as far the eye can see. But look over there, is that snow?! Now you see glaciers and icebergs and a place that seems wholly wrapped in as much myth and magic as the north pole itself.  This place can not be easily defined, it's Mordor, it's Tatooine, it's the surface of the moon.

Therefore when you go to this place, this place of volcanoes and PUFFINS! and wonder, you must allow yourself to be prepared for just about anything. And so. When the airline unexpectedly sends you to Amsterdam for the the night and then subsequently looses all your luggage for the next six days of your voyage, you cry all your tears and then you Get Over It. You are in Iceland now, and you have been waiting your whole life for an adventure like this.

 

 

You begin your journey in Reykjavik with the two best tour guides you know, internet friends, Iceland natives and the best window into this great city you could ask for. Only this time, it's IRL. When you get stuck in an elevator with them in Reykjavik's most famous church somewhere between floors 1 and 2387938 and they (half) jokingly ask if you've brought your bad luck with you to their fine city, you laugh it off, hope for a quick rescue, and then silently resolve to drive very, very carefully the rest of the week. In the end, you are rescued, you see all the sites. You talk politics and culture and history. You end the night with your new friends over dinner in a cozy french cafe followed by a lazy drive through the city just as the midnight sun finally begins its descent. It looks like things are finally starting to turn around for you after all and yes, it appears you are indeed finally, actually here. 

And then you go. Into the wild of Iceland you go. You rent an absurdly tiny car and you take it as far as you can. You drive and you drive and you drive some more, and then you stop at least 87 times along the way, because "Oh my god, did you SEE that?" You climb craters and shimmy into caves. You traverse cliffs and stare in wonderment at the overwhelming bounty of waterfalls and mountain ranges that make up Iceland's backdrop. It's hard to act casual about a place like this.

 

And when, after many days of travel and no luck finding any of the island's most revered and ADORABLE inhabitants of your own volition, you happen upon a family who will load you into a hay cart hitched to the back of a tractor and drive you out to a remote puffin colony on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic, you thank your lucky stars and you say YES.

 

And later, when you race to the other side of the island in hopes of making your dinner reservation which promises "magical lobster soup" you get pulled over by the only police officer you have seen in a week's time and are then given a comically expensive speeding ticket? You chalk it up to life experiences, forget the reservations and instead go in search of a deserted hot springs under a waterfall you've heard rumors about. It turns out it does exist. And it is Glorious.

As you bask in the springs and drink in your surroundings you think, oh yes, this is Iceland. This collection of spaces and experiences and memories that will burn on in you forever. And you can not imagine a more perfect place to begin the next decade of your life.

 

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Please stay tuned for more pictures and words on Iceland here in the near future. I'd like to give a more in depth look in to each of the drastically different regions we visited during our stay. I just need a little more time to digest and wrap my brain around everything we did and saw...and finish downloading the pictures. That would help.

xoxo

A Little Birthday Pie

 

It's tradition around here that Abby makes the boys each their own little pie every year on their actual birthday so they have candles to blow out and a special treat to enjoy even if it does happen to be a Tuesday. We even got Ben to join us on facetime to help us sing the Happy Birthdays.

 

oh, and sometimes you just wanna blow out candles twice ;)

Thanks, Ab!

 

and just for good measure, pies past...

 

four/three 

 

(two and one exist as well, but there was no blog then. So please allow me to supplement)

 

 

two

 

one!

 

First and Five

Weston Silas is five today! This lucky fella got to celebrate his big birthday by going back to school (another year of Pre-K for this little leo) and getting a whole slew of shots yesterday. And believe me when I tell you, he milked that situation for allllllll it was worth. Ice cream, a new book bag, a snorkeling mask, a stop at the pet store and dinner at the restaurant of his choice turned one trip to the doctor's office in to an extremely pricey proposition ;)

I have to say though, I like the look of five on this guy. He's just the right mix of cleverness and comprehension but still plenty of little boy. He's still the sweetest thing you'll ever meet and smart as can be. I think this year will be a great one for him. Reading, tying shoelaces, riding a bike without training wheels, I see it all on the horizon. And between summer swimming lessons and his babysitter's pool he has turned into a total fish these past few months. His growing confidence in the water has really boosted his overall bravery and self assurance. At five years old he's a good listener and (mostly) well-behaved, an excellent role model for his little brother. He's funny and considerate and fast at making friends. He likes bugs and books and legos and candy. He still sleeps with a light on and asks me to cuddle him in bed every night. He loves Oren deeply and hugs and kisses him almost as much as I do.  He's tender hearted and sensitive, quick-witted and sly. He's becoming more and more the person he was always meant to be and I love watching his personality unfold before me with all it's quirks and nuances. I sort of feel like I won the lottery as far as sons go and I can't help but love him more and more each day.

So happy birthday my sweet prince and thank you for making me a mommy five years ago, it feels like  the time has gone by in the blink of an eye. It was true then and it's still true now, you were the greatest gift I have ever been given and I thank my lucky stars for you every single day.

WMC Fest 2013

This weekend I took myself on a little date up to Cleveland for the Weapons of Mass Creation Fest. When I first saw the lineup for the weekend a couple months back I was floored by how many designers/writers/artists/makers and all around inspirational folks that I've long admired were going to be speaking. I also saw that the weekend started the day after we returned from Iceland. I bit the bullet and bought myself the three day pass because I knew I would be tired and crabby and likely to come up with a myriad of excuses to not go if I waited until the day-of to get my ticket. I also knew that no matter how jet-lagged and unmotivated for a weekend long conference I was probably going to be I wanted to make sure I got my butt there anyway, because I knew it would be totally worth it. And lucky for me, I was absolutely right.

Can I just say how awesome it is that this event happens in practically our own backyard? At only four years old WMC Fest is quickly becoming THE design fest/conference/networking event for the entire midwest, attracting not only local and homegrown artists and speakers but nationally recognized individuals as well.

Since we had just gotten home from a very long week of travel and I wanted to spend some solid quality time with the boys this weekend after so many days away, I ended up having to cherry pick the speakers I most wanted to hear and only went up for a few hours each day.  Lucky for me we live close enough by that this was possible and I was so pumped to get to be there for even the little bit each day I managed to squeeze in.

I caught Brandon Rike and Timothy Goodman's talks and both were excellent and totally inspired. But to be honest, I was mainly there for ma' ladies. Rena Tom, Ann Friedman and Lisa Congdon. All in the same place, at the same time, in my own hometown. (Fist pumps!)

Ann is a writer, blogger, midwest born and raised feminist extraordinaire and I absolutely adore her. She has a weekly newsletter that I highly recommend. It makes Fridays even better than they already are.

Rena Tom is a thinker, doer, innovator and the very definition of a go-getter and all around super smart lady friend. You're not happy where you are? If you're Rena, you change it. The job you want doesn't exist? If you're Rena, you create it. She kicks so much ass. Now go soak in the vast ocean of inspiration and wisdom on her blog if you know what's good for you. 

And then there's Lisa. Lisa, the brains and talent behind the dreamiest illustrations and artwork that's got it going on at the moment and with whom I am completely obsessed. It was such a pleasure to hear her speak about the recent illustrations she did for a collection of Gertrude Stein works. She also has a collection of artwork inspired by her extensive nordic travels that I have been unwaveringly lusting after for months. Icebergs and reindeer and swedish chairs and oh, how I want an original work by this lady to frame and drool on and stare at whilst dreaming of Iceland adventures past. I love her. Have I mentioned that? 

Next year I will most definitely be back for what will undoubtedly be an even bigger and better weekend of fun and inspiration.  And I would be remiss if I did not give a huge shout out of thanks to Go Media for bringing such an excellent event and hopefully now longstanding tradition to our little corner of the midwest. So much Ohio pride was coursing through my veins this weekend and I loved every minute of it.