I first met Danielle - creator of Sacred Beginnings- in an Itsy Bitsy yoga class she was leading back in 2010. The yoga was fun- my daughter and I both enjoyed it and learned a handful of useful tricks- but what I remember more than anything from those days was getting to be with other moms, and their babies, all different yet the same - and for an hour or more each week we would just sit and talk. About motherhood. About relationships. About life. I looked forward to class every week. 4+ years later and the majority of us moms are still in contact.
I didn't really know what to expect going into the Sacred Beginnings retreat - but I was not going to turn down the opportunity to photograph a retreat in California - so off I went.
As I've mentioned before - it takes me a while to unwind and remember how to relax; especially in new environments, where I tend to get sensory overload and turn into an even more yappy sarcastic version of regular myself. But as the retreat progressed I was able to find my little sliver of calm.
The moms there were all in different stages of life - and had come to the retreat for various reasons. But one thing that stood out to me above all else was the longing for, and consequently the building of, a community. I witnessed these women excited to go home and expand on that community in their home towns.
As a society we are so hyper-focused on independence and individuality that we have - intentionally or not - abandoned the ideas of community and solidarity. So seeing this community form, and seeds planted for it to continue to grow, truly makes my heart happy.
Danielle has always had a gift for bringing people together and fostering communities. I couldn't think of a more perfect roll for her than to pass on her light to other women and have them share in her gifts of oneness. I am forever thankful for her passion and dedication to bringing moms together and am SO excited to see what the future holds for Sacred Beginnings - and for the unity it will bring to mothers across the world.
Merry Christmas
The holidays have been INSANE. I have hardly had time to catch my breath with all life has been handing out. And as I sit down to finally make one holiday blog post I hear the baby in the other room waking up from her nap- so this will be short! Between the chaos I did find us downtown in Christmas colors one afternoon and I happened to have my camera in the car so I took a few shots if the kiddos. Here's to an amazing 2015 and lots of new beginnings!
How NOT to go camping
The night before we were supposed to leave for our camping trip the hubs and I discovered a show on Discovery - Alaskan Bush People. Instantly obsessed. We decided to stay up late binge watching. The next morning we were supposed to leave at 7:30 am-- HAHAHA. We were late. We hadn't packed and the ‘bush people’ had gotten to our heads - leading us believe we too could be bush people and we didn't need to bring anything on this camping trip. We would just catch wild Florida Salmon with our bare hands and cook it over the fire- obviously. So we literally packed an extra pair of clothes (and my camera duh- true camping necessity) and hit the road.
I do not advise this. Where we were camping was an actual island. The ferry to take you back to your car stops at 5pm… so once you commit- you commit. We could have walked through what we learned to be the rattlesnake armadillo island and canoed back with a 4 year old and 14 month old - but even we‘re not that stupid.
Unlike the cabin we rented in North Carolina last month that had AC/heat, this cabin was open on the top only a ceiling fan. And of course the night we went camping turned out to be the one cold night in Florida. We didn't bring a sheet, blanket, sleeping bag, pack and play, jacket, nothing. So we all piled into bed with a blanket we borrowed from our far more prepared friends and relied on body heat to keep warm. Brrrr. Maybe we aren’t cut out for Alaska- I was sure I’d get hypothermia and it was maybe 60 degrees.
Aside from our failed sleeping attempt - and Lena’s epic meltdown at our genius move of packing no food- we had a good time. Thankfully we went with realistic prepared friends who helped pick up our slack - like lending us the most obvious camping necessity - a flashlight. And if nothing else it was a learning experience. We want to make camping a more regular part of our lives, and now we know that, while we may fantasize of being ‘hard-core’, we are not. And you shouldn't try to be either- especially with small children.
