Isle of Capri Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Enjoying the Small Things

Hearing the Grass

March 20, 2012 By Kelle

I pulled an old book out this weekend, a gem I was reading in my early twenties when everyone else was out partying and Homeschooled Girl didn’t know how to fit in. There’s a dog-earred page somewhere in the middle, the first paragraph almost completely highlighted in faded yellow marker. Author Sarah Ban Breathnach quotes naturalist Diane Ackerman (A Natural History of the Senses) in reiterating the fact that we have the capability “to perceive the world with all its gushing beauty and terror, right on our pulses,” and yet most don’t truly awaken their senses to feel things deeply. Ackerman is quoted again: “The senses don’t just make sense of life in bold or subtle acts of clarity, they tear reality apart into vibrant morsels and reassemble them into a meaningful pattern.”

I like that. I like to say I live that.

Breathnach goes on, asking readers to practice the exercise of pausing a moment each day to marvel at the natural gifts we’ve all been given, and ends with a George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) quote: “If we had keen vision and feeling for all ordinary human life it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of the roar which lies on the other side of silence.”

I reread this passage Sunday morning, on our way to Isle of Capri–the end cap of an adventurous week with my mom. And I thought about it, especially after such a high-on-life weekend.

Sometimes when things are good–really good–I seek to understand the presence of good just as much as if it where the opposite–to question unfortunate circumstances which is a natural response to heartache. Sometimes I’ve felt that positivity, blue skies and good fortune need a disclaimer. Like it’s only deserved if it’s been well balanced with hard times, a lot of effort or heartache in the past.

I’m not superstitious but, to be completely honest, in some of my most contented periods in life when I’ve been so presently aware of good, I’ve actually wondered…is heartache around the bend? Is this all some game where everyone says someday, “Well that makes sense. Things were just too damn good for that unicorn girl.”

That is a ridiculous way of thinking.

Over the years, especially the last two, my confidence in the natural order of the universe and our own ability to alter our perspective has grown. Life doesn’t dish out bad and good in equal amounts or according to what’s “fair.” Likewise, I don’t have “bad” coming to me any more than I have “good” coming to me.

The answer to all of this lies, for me, in the simple truth of which Ackerman spoke. Regardless of how good or bad life presently is, I will tear reality apart into “vibrant morsels and reassemble them into a meaningful pattern.” While I believe that good begets good, I also know it is inevitable that life will come with challenges, sad days, rain and heartache. Through all of it, I will listen to hear the grass grow or the squirrel’s heart beat. I will focus on right now, today, and I will not disclaim fully feeling life’s gifts.

Maybe loving life and embracing experiences in a tearing-apart-the-vibrant-morsels kind of way is a bit like the tree that falls in the forest that only creates a sound when someone is there to hear it. Is it only good if we’re wildly pursuing opportunities to be sensually aware? To feel the heat of the sun and make note of its goodness, to listen to our child’s laughter and memorize its tone, even to acknowledge the depth of our pain and fully feel its sting? If so, all the more reason to…suck. the. marrow. That’s right.

I did this weekend. My skin is sun-kissed, my babies have a heap of memories, my camera snapped hundreds of pictures of things that made me come alive and, as God would say, “Behold, it was good.”

Let’s just get it over with. I saw a unicorn Sunday night from a boat, okay? I can’t really explain it without doing exactly what I don’t want to do which is disclaiming the awesomeness of the experience with some unfortunate fact like my life jacket was ugly or the wind uncomfortably whipped my hair. See I just did it. And actually, that’s not even true. My life jacket was lovely and the wind made my hair gracefully flutter into heart shaped curls. I’m owning it. A friend of a friend offered us a free sunset cruise from the Isles of Capri Sunday night, and there we were with my mom and George, laughing that things were just really too good. Then, amid the hour of golden sunset, our driver spotted some dolphins, clicked and whistled a Dr. Doolittle call, and they came.

All of them, chasing the boat, gliding in the wake, twisting and turning in the current.

How ’bout them vibrant morsel apples?

And that was just a bit of the weekend, wedged between other moments–mostly good–that I’m not going to attempt to disclaim. I took so many many photos that I had to put them into a little montage I’ll share at the end.

My favorite moments this weekend?

The very photogenic county fair.

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Lainey’s Photography

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My mom’s What-the-hell? face (she would never say hell though)

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Lainey’s pet Grouper Finger.

She told me “he” (the tiny bite left over from her grouper finger) wanted to lay out in the sun, but he didn’t want to burn, so she pulled my drink umbrella out and made him a little set-up.

And this is the kind of thing I want to preserve–to tell every teacher she might have to balance math and science and phonics appropriately against this more powerful, more valuable sense of wonder and imagination. Creativity…it’s the secret to her future.

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Falling in love with my camera all over again this weekend.

It helps me see. It changes me.

Nella’s onesie, the fabulous Lee Marie retro inspired Etsy shop

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Making weekend movies. Enjoy.

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Scentsy Independent Consultant, Jessica Clough, is back to sponsor this month with some brand new spring scents and products. I’m eager to add some spring aromas to our home and have my eye on the new Lonicera (honeysuckle, amber & patchouli) and Pixie (pink pepper, mandarin, heliotrope, teakwood and vanilla oak) scents. Check out Scentsy’s impressive selection of scent warmers and scent products to make your home more inviting.

Jessica is giving away one Barista full-size warmer and a Yuzu Dragon Scentsy Bar (notes of guava, nectarine, dragonfruit and yuzu) to one lucky commenter on this post.

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Listening to the grass grow this week.

*Thank you, Darko, for taking good care of us at the Isle of Capri Fish House, and hello to his sweet wife, Amy in Omaha!

Happy Isle

September 5, 2011 By Kelle

Following a lesiurely spent holiday that involved anything but labor, words will be few tonight as I’d like to submerge back into the nothingness we’ve enjoyed this weekend.

Saturday night, we drew an entire city in the driveway, and the girls were stoked to run cars through the chalky streets.

Correction: Lainey was stoked to run the cars; Nella rather to drag her butt across skyscrapers, two stop lights and one entire street, erasing Target, the library, and smearing the left half of McDonalds. Lainey was, of course, thrilled.

Sunday morning greeted us with skies that begged for adventures of the Holy Beach kind. And when the Church of the Holy Beach calls, we do our best to answer.

Friends showed up in droves this week and, with the arrival of each family toting babies and sand toy bags, making their entrance onto the beach, we cheered and cleared space on the sand for more blankets and babies and people we love.

And, as always, I watch Brett and smile because everything about him when he’s here just sings “I’m in my element.”

We did Holy Beach things.

Like scour wet sand for the good shells (I like the spiral ones).

Watch the resident dogs chase frisbees and sticks into the water.

Make sand beds in the shade for sleeping babies.

Sneak out to explore hidden finds on the Isle.

Lull babies to sleep on quiet kayak rides.

And file more moments away in the Favorite Place folder of our memories.

We stayed long after the sun set.

Tucked inside the tiki hut, the party continued.

…until babies finally fell asleep.

I closed my eyes on the long drive home and skipped a shower when we arrived, choosing rather to join my girls, sandy and sun-screened, under the sheets.

It was a good weekend.

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Winner of the Noonday Collection necklace, generated by Random.org, is Comment #549, Meghan: I heart this post 🙂

Congratulations, Meghan! Please e-mail your contact info to kellehamptonblog@comcast.net.

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Come September, it’s fair game in Florida to pull fall decorations from dusty bins in the attic. This week, I am looking forward to some cleaning, rearranging and getting our home ready for fall traditions. We’ve been talking about cleaning out some bad habits as well–more family time, more dinners around the table, more good routines and company over for impromptu Friday night get togethers. Just talking about it gets me excited. I love a good challenge.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

The Big Summer Post

July 5, 2011 By Kelle

Summer storms roll in just about every afternoon now. They begin with long and low thunder that rumbles in the distance and is followed by my instinctive response. I raise an eyebrow toward Brett, and he counters appropriately, as if by reflex, pulling his cell phone from his pocket in the same quick manner a cowboy draws a pistol. He taps the screen a few times and scrolls his finger until he pulls up a map with a slowly moving green dot that blinks and fades off the screen like a Pac Man ghost.

“Small storm. It will blow over in ten minutes. Nothing to worry about,” he informs. We carry on, unless of course he reports it’s a doozy in which case his boy-like excitement ignites ours, and we clamber around together in the garage, setting up beach chairs to watch the show.

Night storms are the best. Pajama-clad and anxious, we head outside for a sky movie right before bed and we trudge back in to fall asleep with the comfort that behind the darkness and beyond our sleep, a part of the sky is alive, awake, electric.

Night storms are to summer what extra limes are to a chilled mug of Coors Light. It’s quintessential harmony. Likewise, the essence of summer seems to be embodied deservingly in a little holiday we call Independence Day.

If one weekend had to represent the season, July 4th delivers.

I think it’s appropriate that we bask in sunshine, barbecue with friends, and splash cannonballs in the pool to celebrate a day that commemorates our country’s freedom. Live it up.

In an attempt to convey an age-appropriate explanation of our holiday to Lainey, I talked to her about where we live and what it means to be American. That there was a lot to love about our home from the beaches and mountains to the fact that we can have big dreams and actually hope to fulfil them. The depth of my speech obviously sunk in when she replied, “Hey, I have an idea. We can bring my American Girl doll to the parade tomorrow because it has the word American in it.”

The doll stayed home, but we did bring our patriotic getup.

She’s obsessed with these black glasses right now. Looks for them first thing in the morning and wears them while she eats breakfast.

The parade experience is interesting. I swear it gets hotter every year. For two hours, we alternate sticky babies on our hips, fashion fans out of whatever paper we can get our hands on, unglue sweaty shirts from our chests, and watch our kids as they cover their ears and crumble every time a siren sounds or a gun discharges a salute toward the sky. It’s not a comfortable experience by any means, and our exhausted trek dragging wagons, deflated balloons, and crying babies back to the car once it’s over is a testament to our enjoyment level. But not going isn’t an option. It’s tradition. It’s celebratory. It’s what we do. And looking back at the pictures, I am smiling because it deceivingly looks like oh, what joy, what a fabulous time we had.

I’ve never considered myself an overly patriotic person, but you think about these things more when you have kids. You wave your flag and cheer at the parade, catching peanuts and candy, humming along to “The Star Spangled Banner.” And then you look down at the toddler hugged to your leg and for a second, you make a mental note not to take it for granted. There are shortcomings in our country, yes, but I am grateful for our safety, for the freedom to express ourselves and mostly…for opportunity.

Aforementioned flying peanuts:

This is how Lainey spent most of the parade:

So yes, sweaty, parched, and near heat-stroked, we celebrated. And we’ll do it again next year.

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For the rest of the weekend, we wrung the goodness out of the summer sponge.

We cheered a waterski team.

…smeared hot tub fog off the camera lense.

…invited baby dolls to join us for dinner (and interesting enough, one of Lainey’s doll’s name is Hot Tub. Don’t ask). The underwear were not invited…not sure how they ended up there.

(corn recipe from our friend Steve: Drench corn in the following–a stick of melted butter with a couple teaspoons of honey, one finely chopped jalepeno and the zest from one lime. Heaven, I tell you. Dip your grilled shrimp in it, and you just done went and lost yo mind)

…watched fireworks in the driveway with friends…

…and befittingly revered the beauty of our country surrounded by family and friends at our favorite landmark.

God Bless America, Baby.

Nella started O.T. with our P.T.’s wife…how cool is that?

So, there. Big summer weekend. Fireworks. Bang Bang.

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Congratulations to the $100 Tea Collection gift certificate winner, Comment #829, Cassie: I want to be french braiding hair, going to soccer games and enjoying my children…completing my architectural registration exams would be a bonus.

Cassie, please e-mail your info over to kellehamptonblog@comcast.net. Thanks!

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And welcome to our new sponsor, Net Nanny. With three computers in our house, two teenagers, and a four-year-old who has impressive control over the mouse, I’ve been concerned for some time now about Internet safety. We installed Net Nanny this week and were extremely impressed with how affordable it is, how easy it is to manage, and how much control it offers the administrator. The site’s testimonials speak for themselves. With online community trends changing, I feel much more comfortable that our computers are protected (and time controled!). Net Nanny is offering a generous 25% discount to blog readers. Use Code ‘hampton’ at check-out.

Two commenters on this post will be randomly chosen to win a free license to download Net Nanny for their families.

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I hope your family had an enjoyable weekend.

Much Love.