Reconnecting with Family

There is an interconnectedness among members that bonds the family, much like mountain climbers who rope themselves together when climbing a mountain, so that if someone should slip or need support, he’s held up by the others until he regains his footing. – Phil McGraw

A couple of weekends ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Seattle and Oregon to visit family and explore new places. It was such a blessing to be connected with family again. I don’t know about you, but I have a very special connection with my parents and siblings. It feels like a part of me is missing ever since they moved away and the pain of missing them is nearly a constant. However, getting to spend a few days with them has filled me back up again and I feel like I get to carry their spirit with me wherever I go.

We spent a casual day in Seattle and Puyallup. We had a large family dinner with my nana, aunts, cousins, second cousins, etc. and spent the evening playing cards. There is something deliciously nostalgic about playing card games or dominos. It is a reminder of the childhood summers spent in my grandparents’ living room in Texas, laughing hysterically as my feisty nana (who is now 94-years-old) would curse us for laying down canasta or me getting into trouble to talking too much instead of playing the game. Puzzles, pecans, and miniature figurines have this affect on me also. I always relish any moment to reconnect with that part of my past.

Oh! Did I mention we went to a Harry Potter party?

Saturday, we drove down to Oregon to visit my mother, step dad, and youngest siblings. My step dad has done an incredible job remodeling their gorgeous home in an adorable small town an hour outside of Portland. Brea, 6, and Andrea, 4, were quite eager to show their older siblings all about their new life including a large garden in the backyard, daddy’s work shop, and mama’s art room. The kids were sure excited we were there but honestly, my favorite part of the trip was the glow on my mom’s face. Talk about gorgeous (and happy)!

The thing I loved most about Oregon was the wonderful outdoors. We spent time walking along the trails to Silver Falls, at awe with nature. I’m so thrilled that my siblings are growing up with an appreciation for the outdoors, nature, and gardening. It takes very special parents to take the time to teach their children about how to plant a seed or how to fish when it is much easier to just sit them in front of a TV or X-box. Plus, how can you not want to be outside when it looks like this?!

The trip was everything I could have hoped for. I got to enjoy tickle fights on the trampoline, late night drinks on the porch with my mom and the big kids, and satisfied a hunger for the wild (only temporarily, of course). There was great food, incredible wine/beer, and some of the greatest people on the planet to share it with. The best part of my entire trip was seeing how happy everyone seems to be in their new homes. My sister, Cheyanne, and her boy friend are settling in incredibly well in Seattle (oh wait… I mean FIANCE! See photos below) and my mother is glowing with so much pride and joy. I wonder if perhaps I have ever seen her that happy before.

See? Look how gorgeous she is! She glows!

It is always hard for me to say goodbye, but I am incredibly grateful that I got to witness and experience their happiness. It makes the distance between us just a little easier to manage. I love them all like crazy.

Thanks for reading, Taryn xoxo

OH WAIT!!! I AM SUPER HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE I WILL SOON HAVE A NEW BROTHER IN THE FAMILY! MY SISTER IS ENGAGED! I AM SO HAPPY FOR THEM!

(Sorry for the caps, I’m excited. Also, Josh has practically been my brother for years anyways)

Weekend Recap: Sibling Sleepover

“To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other’s hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.” – Clara Ortega

Finally recovered from a long, successful, and fun-packed weekend. It was a great reminder of how blessed I am to have my family, who believe in me enough to start new ventures with me, who make me laugh so hard my abs hurt, and who love me so deeply that a single smile can bring me to tears. Honestly, they’re that great!

Sadly, we lost a small family member this week. Blondie, our sweetest hen is no longer chasing me down for salad scraps and our other hen, Pepper, spent a couple nights alone (sorry for the dramatics, I was devastated). Thankfully, we were able to find a new, young hen to join the coop and befriend Pepper. Our new addition, a 3 month old white maran I named Elsa. She is adorable!

I’m super bummed my mom, step-dad, and young siblings are moving to Oregon in just over a week. I feel like half of me is leaving (especially because my other sister and her boyfriend moved to Seattle a few months ago)! Desperate to spend more time with the little ones before they move far away, my other sister, Sierra, and I decided to host the ultimate sleepover with my five-year-old sister, Brea, and four-year-old brother, Andreas. They were pretty excited about taking the fun adventure to my house:

Knowing this would be one of our few chances to have a good time with the kids, Sierra and I wanted to go ALL OUT for this sleepover. We bought a spin art tool for the kids and canvases to paint. The spin art tool was a hit (and pretty inexpensive too)! A friend of mine stopped by to visit with her four-year-old daughter, Gracie. We decided a tea party was in order. They were delighted to have a “real” tea party, complete with cookies and fancy dishes. After Gracie headed home, we painted some canvases, decorating them with foam stickers, gave the kids a bath, and tucked in to watch a movie. We kicked my poor husband out of bed and the four of us snuggled up to sleep in our big California king size bed. In the morning, we made waffles and brought the little ones home to mom, eager to show off their art work and brag about their evening.

It was definitely a good time, but man was I exhausted! I can’t imagine doing that every night! I applaud you moms for working miracles into every day life. I am seriously impressed, but as fun as it was, I think I am good waiting a few more years to have my own!

I also mentioned in the beginning of this post that I had a successful weekend: Sierra and I have begun the process of licensing our business and starting our etsy page (stay tuned for more on that). We also put together some ideas for a logo I can use for my yoga business (I cannot wait to share that too). It feels great to know I am developing in my word for 2015 already: Growth. I am also grateful to be reminded to count my blessings, like family!

Thanks for reading y’all. I would love to hear about your weekend fun and successes! Comments are always welcome.

Yours truly, Taryn  xoxo

Birthday Present: Bedroom Makeover

“Today is the oldest you’ve been and the youngest you’ll ever be again.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Feeling loved today with a life-size cake and new jewelry

Whelp, today is my birthday! I have a feeling twenty three is gonna be a good year. I am so excited to share my birthday gift this year: a bedroom renovation. Over this past weekend, I have spent long hours with the help of family to finally turn my bedroom into a sanctuary for me and my husband. The gift of time is so precious and I am grateful for family members who dedicated the time this weekend to help me while hubby was out hunting.

Take a look at my bedroom before the makeover. I HATED the white walls and lack of décor. I feel like I have put off doing anything fun in my room because no one sees it. I am thankful I took the time the paint the furniture over a year ago, because that is the only color and décor existing in the room throughout these pictures.

Honestly, spending an entire weekend laboring over a renovation does not sound like a fun birthday present to some people, but I loved it! My younger sister practically spent the entire weekend with me and we had a blast staying up way too late and getting a serious arm work out painting. Best part: singing Disney songs at the top of our lungs the entire time. We may be adults now, but we can never act like grown ups when we are together.

I used the color “Perfect Taupe” by Behr. Their paint and primer in one is a great time saver!

My in-laws came over on Sunday to help me with a big project: a pallet headboard. I came up with the idea after looking at this post on fiveoeight.com and my engineering father-in-law created his own version. I had these pallets left over from my wedding which my sister-in-law made for me and they’re really special, so I wanted to find a way to keep them in a useful way. The headboard idea was perfect! My dad also sacrificed his Sunday to help me (and I mean sacrifice, as I didn’t turn football on)! He showed me how to attached the headboard and get all of my decorations up on the wall.

I love my family! Seriously, the gift of time is greater than anything one could buy in the store! #blessed

It was a lot of hard work, but it totally paid off. Now I have a comfy room to relax in and enjoy a book on the new love seat. When hubby came home from hunting, he was really impressed with the room which made it all even better! All in all, I spent about $400.00 on the room upgrades ($100 on paint and supplies, $150 on new bedding, pillows, etc., $100 on a love seat, and $50 on all the extra construction items, frames and what not). I love to have a beautifully decorated home, but I also encourage functionality. The dog kennels are still in the room and will remain, but that’s life! It is impractical sometimes to look like a Home and Garden magazine 24/7 🙂

The frame above the headboard is from World Market and features our wedding vows. The navy pillows and bedding were purchased on Amazon and the middle pillow was bought at Walmart.

I was so excited to get a love seat for reading and a storage spot for my pillows (rather than the floor). The pillows and throw quilt are from World Market and we purchased the couch for $100 on craigslist. The wall is decorated with pieces from our wedding.

I think it’s important that we have places in the home that are just for us. The rest of the world may not enter our bedroom all the time to enjoy it, but that’s okay! The space is OURS and we get to enjoy the coziness all be ourselves. I think it is worth the time to make your own mini getaway within the home.

The day is young and I am off to enjoy more birthday fun. If you have questions about my bedroom renovation, please comment and I will be sure to respond!

xoxo Taryn