Welcome to the Family.

In the past couple weeks, I've been living impulsively. I have made decisions without thinking them through like I typically do (which terrifies me).

But life is short, and sometimes it pays off to be impulsive.

I had a bad day on Monday. It was long, it was tedious, it was full of things that made my soul drown in sorrow. So..

I made a little trip.

And purchased 7 chicks.

These two Long Island Red's are named Simon and Garfunkel. They are pretty much twins, and the only way to tell their difference is Garfunkel is a bit more fluffy and talks less than Simon. They are quite a pair.

This one above is named Elephant (Nori's chick). She is much smaller than the rest, so delicate and doesn't like to be cuddled. She is an independent lady, at that!

My poor little Jalapeño. The first night we got her, she was the smallest of the bunch and the most talkative. We ran out of the house to purchase a heat lamp and when we returned, she was close to the verge of death. I held her in front of the heat lamp for 20 minutes while frying my fingertips. She is now alive and kicking and will grow up to be so sassy- I just know it.

Duck is my absolute favorite. She sits in my hand and presses up against my face when I listen to her talk. She will sleep in my hands, neck or pocket- whichever one looks most comfortable and warm. She is the little song of my soul.

Rick is Heidi's chick. He has quite the personality, as we found out very quickly after we brought him home. He likes to dig in the food and talks as loudly as he can when someone walks in the door.

Last but not least is the poor unnamed chick. She talks quite a bit when she is separated from the group. Our new house crew:

3 girls

2 dogs

1 rabbit

1 guinea pig

1 cat

7 chicks

=

zoo.

It turned out to be a good impulsive decision. They have been an excellent stress reliever for the end of the year when things seem to all be colliding. Collision is always an interesting thing. Recently, it's like many different knots of my life have all become one big, seemingly overwhelming knot. I'm trying to have faith that this will all come to pan itself out.

In other news, I got asked to put a photograph of my choice that will stand along with a little plaque in the new Lowepro office. I'm so proud to be associated with this wonderful company, and I'm extremely flattered that they are willing to have me as part of the team.

*as a note for this music choice...I saw these guys live last night. It was a small room in our student center and they played acoustic for us while we sat on couches- hands down one of the best live shows I've been to. Seriously, check them out.

Be the best you can be. Live impulsively from time to time.

buried in a haystack.

"What is it about traveling to foreign places and inhabiting other spaces that is so alluring to those who can't sit still but must keep forever moving, jumping on and off trains, buses, breathing in takeoff anxiety, breathing out yes, I made it, I'm gone, off, away, this time to..."

How to live life slowly and thoughtfully:

-Make art and love it:

- Spend some time laughing:

- Drink coffee slowly.

- Sit in front of the wood burning stove and listen to my roommates play music in the morning while drinking tea.

- There are many.

More than anything, I've been trying to slow down. Remember. Think things through. Spend more time doing things carefully than rushing through just to get them done. Loving movement and concentrating on breathing. All these things are carefully thought through and not buried in rush.

I got to sit and talk to my dad over coffee and good food at a local diner. He told my roommate, Heidi, and I stories of adventures and traveling mis-haps. We laughed a lot and I always find myself asking for more stories, wanting more time to spend listening. He is a wise man, and someone who I admire more than I have words to express.

I went out to take photographs today because this song inspired so much emotion. I forgot it was Sunday, and the field is near a church. People kept driving on the road, watching me take photos, and I felt really self conscious and finally left after only twenty minutes.

Not having internet at home has allowed for a lot of time for things that matter, such as art. I haven't picked up pencils in years, and out of nowhere, the need to have something tangible on paper grew. I'm working on a drawing of Patagonia, Half Dome, and others. I'll post them when they are finished. It's nice to finally feel inspired to do things that are artistic. I've been incredibly moved to take photographs, write music, draw, paint, and write.

I'm really, really looking forward to the end of the year.

Time flies

A lot of stuff has happened in the past week.

Enough has happened, that I feel like my life has dramatically changed, and all doors to the future have been pushed wide open.

First of all, we adopted a baby bunny whose name is Shackleton. He is probably one of the cutest things you will ever see, and he even curls up next to your neck when he sleeps. Melts my heart.

In this same weekend, I went on a photo shoot with my new Lowepro camera bag with my friend John Lloyd. John is a friend from Boulder, who I met on a climbing trip to Tensleep this past summer. I don't have a whole lot of photos of me shooting pictures/with my camera, so this was a fun opportunity to get some really quality stuff done by a good friend. It was a good time, it snowed hard, and we listened to bluegrass music all the way to location and back.

After the photo shoot, it was back to a week of school reality. It was a killer week as far as homework goes, and I had a lot of stuff on my mind, waiting for grants to come through for our team. That day, I had heard that a friend of mine was in a bad ski accident and was in the ICU. Just a day after that, I found out that I was awarded the National Geographic Young Explorer's Grant for our team's trip to Sumatra. It was a day full of lots of tears and laughs, as there was a big mix of anxiety, fear, excitement, opportunity, and happiness.

All of these events remind me how quickly that life has been moving. I always seem to be chasing, when maybe I just need to settle for a couple days. When life moves at such a quick pace, I tend to forget how fragile it is.

I drove home from Boulder, and saw that the snow was blowing off of the top of the peaks of the Rockies. I pulled off the highway and started driving down a dirt road to chase the light.

Life is short and fragile. I forget this a lot.

It takes 2 seconds for your life to change for the better or the opposite.

I need to slow down and take time to appreciate where my life is going.

My friend is out of the hospital, and I got to spend some time talking to him and his wonderful girlfriend today. I thoroughly enjoyed my time just sitting and hanging out. Not rushing to a meeting or a class, just enjoying.

We leave for Indonesia in 3 months.

And I will try my best to slow down.