• Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Are you saying it in your head in a sing song Finding Nemo Dorey kind of way? Because I am. Just keep swimming is my mantra on the tough days. On the days where I’m afraid, confused, frustrated, riddled with self doubt. I decide to just keep swimming. Just keep moving forward. The next right step. I saw this cool art on the ceiling of the San Diego airport. Me and a nearby 4 year old seemed to be the only ones who took pause to check it out. It was a digital swimming lane nearly the length of the terminal. Art in the everyday doesn’t need to be in the background. Just because it’s not in a museum, doesn’t mean it’s not worth noticing. Not everyone that day was rushing to a flight. Most of us have our heads buried in our phones. But take a second to look up. Let your eyes linger. Slow down and savor. Art makes life so much richer and more beautiful. It takes the sting out of delayed flights and long layovers. Look up, today and tag me in your #ceilingselfies or tell me your version of the “just keep swimming” mantra. XO.
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    Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Are you saying it in your head in a sing song Finding Nemo Dorey kind of way? Because I am. Just keep swimming is my mantra on the tough days. On the days where I’m afraid, confused, frustrated, riddled with self doubt. I decide to just keep swimming. Just keep moving forward. The next right step. I saw this cool art on the ceiling of the San Diego airport. Me and a nearby 4 year old seemed to be the only ones who took pause to check it out. It was a digital swimming lane nearly the length of the terminal. Art in the everyday doesn’t need to be in the background. Just because it’s not in a museum, doesn’t mean it’s not worth noticing. Not everyone that day was rushing to a flight. Most of us have our heads buried in our phones. But take a second to look up. Let your eyes linger. Slow down and savor. Art makes life so much richer and more beautiful. It takes the sting out of delayed flights and long layovers. Look up, today and tag me in your #ceilingselfies or tell me your version of the “just keep swimming” mantra. XO.
  • Want my best piece of advice this Sunday? When your hotel has free loaner bikes - borrow one! Words to live by, my friends. Today’s hotel loaner bike was an Electra. The brakes were in the pedals (haven’t braked with my feet since childhood). Basket and bell were mandatory. I’ve been in the hotel since Wednesday and have yet to see these bad boys out on the town. After 3 days of being inside a hotel conference room, I went two-wheeling around the town. Hair blowing, towel in tow. It was a blast. Thank you @hotelmarisolcoronado for your adorableness. This Colorado girl is feeling quite Californian, today. Tell me, do you love hotel bikes as much as I do?
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    Want my best piece of advice this Sunday? When your hotel has free loaner bikes - borrow one! Words to live by, my friends. Today’s hotel loaner bike was an Electra. The brakes were in the pedals (haven’t braked with my feet since childhood). Basket and bell were mandatory. I’ve been in the hotel since Wednesday and have yet to see these bad boys out on the town. After 3 days of being inside a hotel conference room, I went two-wheeling around the town. Hair blowing, towel in tow. It was a blast. Thank you @hotelmarisolcoronado for your adorableness. This Colorado girl is feeling quite Californian, today. Tell me, do you love hotel bikes as much as I do?
  • Pop quiz... Day 2 of my conference with @amyporterfield ... I’m so excited. Am I channeling Debbie Harry it Ravi Shankar? Who do you want to channel: a) Debbie, b) Ravi, c) someone else? #musicianoracle
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    Pop quiz... Day 2 of my conference with @amyporterfield ... I’m so excited. Am I channeling Debbie Harry it Ravi Shankar? Who do you want to channel: a) Debbie, b) Ravi, c) someone else? #musicianoracle
  • Toto, we’re not in Colorado, anymore ... evidenced by this lovely SoCal beach walk I took last night. I’m here for @amyporterfield’s #entrepreneurexperience I’m exited to meet other digital course creators because, often, my experience of being an entrepreneur can feel just like this photo ... a bit lonely. So today, I meet some fellow travelers and learn from some business phenoms like @jasminestar @msrachelhollis @stumclaren and, of course, my girl, Amy. I’m nervous, excited and nervcited.... wishing a few of my business (and real life) besties were here to take it all in with me ... looking at you @tararicesimkins and @katyjoyalice and @takeachanceranch ... of course, I will report back all that I learned. Happy Thursday, everyone.
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    Toto, we’re not in Colorado, anymore ... evidenced by this lovely SoCal beach walk I took last night. I’m here for @amyporterfield’s #entrepreneurexperience I’m exited to meet other digital course creators because, often, my experience of being an entrepreneur can feel just like this photo ... a bit lonely. So today, I meet some fellow travelers and learn from some business phenoms like @jasminestar @msrachelhollis @stumclaren and, of course, my girl, Amy. I’m nervous, excited and nervcited.... wishing a few of my business (and real life) besties were here to take it all in with me ... looking at you @tararicesimkins and @katyjoyalice and @takeachanceranch ... of course, I will report back all that I learned. Happy Thursday, everyone.
  • When your outdoor baby shower is preceded by a snow shower ... (photo credit for first photo: @1.werd) you grab a shovel (or 3) and forge ahead. I’m so glad the sun came out for this celebration at our house of this beautiful couple and their coming soon baby bundle. Team Larock had a great time planning and executing a slightly irreverent, super fun, hatchet throwing baby is brewing party... and we never let the snow rain on our parade ... we rarely entertain and we have this enormous deck just begging for celebrations. My introverted husband (who is an incredible chef) is on high alert, more festivities in the future. Still savoring Saturday’s fun.
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    When your outdoor baby shower is preceded by a snow shower ... (photo credit for first photo: @1.werd) you grab a shovel (or 3) and forge ahead. I’m so glad the sun came out for this celebration at our house of this beautiful couple and their coming soon baby bundle. Team Larock had a great time planning and executing a slightly irreverent, super fun, hatchet throwing baby is brewing party... and we never let the snow rain on our parade ... we rarely entertain and we have this enormous deck just begging for celebrations. My introverted husband (who is an incredible chef) is on high alert, more festivities in the future. Still savoring Saturday’s fun.
  • I took this photo of this quote inside of a magazine many years ago. Before social media was even that prevalent in my own life. I doubt Smartphones had even been invented ... But I thought it was funny. I am a photographer, a writer, I was learning twitter and Facebook, there was no Instagram at the time, and the writing was on the wall... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This summer I rode on a gondola with a family from Texas. The wife saw a paraglider and told the husband to take a picture, as he fumbled (and grumbled) it was too long. The moment had passed. She said “it’s ok that we missed it, I’m working on not having to have a picture of everything. “ I’m sure he would’ve appreciated that info before he frantically searched his backpack for his phone in a cramped space. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As a person who loves capturing cool moments with a camera, I also love to just enjoy photos for my soul. The ones that are etched in my memory, not my camera roll. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This summer, one of my life feast students sent me a text. She said she was loving the class so much, then she added, ”I’ve only taken one photo in the last 30 days and I’ve never been happier.” I lol’d. Leave it to me to teach a photo class where you’re encouraged to not take pictures! How will I market that for the future? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I was so happy reading her message, though. It meant she was being more present and less posed. She was free to soak up her kids in summer without cataloging their every move. She said the one photo she took was of her boys in a hammock and it’s her absolute favorite. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Less is more. Presence is everything. Take the photos you’re inspired to take, not the ones you feel obligated to take...
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    I took this photo of this quote inside of a magazine many years ago. Before social media was even that prevalent in my own life. I doubt Smartphones had even been invented ... But I thought it was funny. I am a photographer, a writer, I was learning twitter and Facebook, there was no Instagram at the time, and the writing was on the wall... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This summer I rode on a gondola with a family from Texas. The wife saw a paraglider and told the husband to take a picture, as he fumbled (and grumbled) it was too long. The moment had passed. She said “it’s ok that we missed it, I’m working on not having to have a picture of everything. “ I’m sure he would’ve appreciated that info before he frantically searched his backpack for his phone in a cramped space. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As a person who loves capturing cool moments with a camera, I also love to just enjoy photos for my soul. The ones that are etched in my memory, not my camera roll. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This summer, one of my life feast students sent me a text. She said she was loving the class so much, then she added, ”I’ve only taken one photo in the last 30 days and I’ve never been happier.” I lol’d. Leave it to me to teach a photo class where you’re encouraged to not take pictures! How will I market that for the future? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I was so happy reading her message, though. It meant she was being more present and less posed. She was free to soak up her kids in summer without cataloging their every move. She said the one photo she took was of her boys in a hammock and it’s her absolute favorite. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Less is more. Presence is everything. Take the photos you’re inspired to take, not the ones you feel obligated to take...
  • This is me, today. Swipe right (left? I think right) to see what I looked like all summer. I had Lasik in July and it’s been a slooooooow recovery. . . But look at these super cool new readers from @caddis_life I got. Sigh, readers. Something I was trying to avoid by getting monovision lasik … something that never occurred to me in my 30’s or in my extreme nearsightedness. . . I feel like Janis Joplin in these glasses. Channeling a new level of Larockstarness … sort of. Not sure all rockstars require a humidifier, omega 3 eyedrops, a heated eye pillow and their phone set to geriatric font size. Those accoutrements feel a little less rockstarish. But Maybe Mick Jagger and the gang have their senior moments, too. They certainly are a bit older than I am… . . These are rose-colored readers? Can’t say that I always choose to deliberately see the rosy path. Last night my eyes hurt and the outlook felt less than rosy. . . Fortunately, I know that even though I don’t always choose rosy, I can always choose RESILIENCE. . . A very privileged, elective surgery with a huge success rate seems like a silly thing to need to be resilient about, but, alas, I have some extremely dry eyes to contend with, making my recovery not so rapid. In some ways my vision is 10 times better than it ever was (I used to be 20/400!!), in other ways it seems to be worse (I can’t focus on my eyebrows!). . . There have been tons of good that’s come from this experience. I saw two cranes the other day. I’ve re-upped my meditation practice, I fell in love with a hammock (well, two hammocks, actually). I’ve been on social media very little. Some days I get to see not only one version of my husband, I see TWO! Not sure if I am now a medium and can see his spirit levitating out of his body, or if I have dry eye induced double vision. Turns out my paranormal abilities are short lived after dousing myself with artificial tears. It’s a fun game to play pretend. . . Ok one parting thought. Don’t forget to blink. Apparently when we are on our devices, we don’t blink often which causes us quite a bit of eye strain. Blink often, power down, lay in a hammock, close your eyes and savor all there is to see.
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    This is me, today. Swipe right (left? I think right) to see what I looked like all summer. I had Lasik in July and it’s been a slooooooow recovery. . . But look at these super cool new readers from @caddis_life I got. Sigh, readers. Something I was trying to avoid by getting monovision lasik … something that never occurred to me in my 30’s or in my extreme nearsightedness. . . I feel like Janis Joplin in these glasses. Channeling a new level of Larockstarness … sort of. Not sure all rockstars require a humidifier, omega 3 eyedrops, a heated eye pillow and their phone set to geriatric font size. Those accoutrements feel a little less rockstarish. But Maybe Mick Jagger and the gang have their senior moments, too. They certainly are a bit older than I am… . . These are rose-colored readers? Can’t say that I always choose to deliberately see the rosy path. Last night my eyes hurt and the outlook felt less than rosy. . . Fortunately, I know that even though I don’t always choose rosy, I can always choose RESILIENCE. . . A very privileged, elective surgery with a huge success rate seems like a silly thing to need to be resilient about, but, alas, I have some extremely dry eyes to contend with, making my recovery not so rapid. In some ways my vision is 10 times better than it ever was (I used to be 20/400!!), in other ways it seems to be worse (I can’t focus on my eyebrows!). . . There have been tons of good that’s come from this experience. I saw two cranes the other day. I’ve re-upped my meditation practice, I fell in love with a hammock (well, two hammocks, actually). I’ve been on social media very little. Some days I get to see not only one version of my husband, I see TWO! Not sure if I am now a medium and can see his spirit levitating out of his body, or if I have dry eye induced double vision. Turns out my paranormal abilities are short lived after dousing myself with artificial tears. It’s a fun game to play pretend. . . Ok one parting thought. Don’t forget to blink. Apparently when we are on our devices, we don’t blink often which causes us quite a bit of eye strain. Blink often, power down, lay in a hammock, close your eyes and savor all there is to see.
  • I’ve been reunited with these two little loves all week. They went to sleepaway camp for a month - a month! It’s the longest month of my year and it’s probably the best month of their year. For a week now I’ve gotten to hug them and laugh with them and hear all of their camp adventures (plus a song or two thrown in). It’s been a beautiful week at the lake to reconnect ... before the madness of the school year kicks in in just 9 days ... we’ve had slow, sunny days, lots of sleep-ins, s’mores, wave riding, paddle boarding, mini golf. A good balance of rest and play. We took this photo @snowbowlsteamboat before they left for camp. It’s our mockstar album cover ... time is flying by too fast, but I’m slowing down and savoring a lot more than I used to. The annual summer camp absence makes me keenly aware of how short our time together really is. 5 years will be over before I know it. I can’t even fathom that, yet. My nephew turns 18 on Tuesday. How did that happen? Life is beautiful and bittersweet. I love these new levels and I also long for time to stand still a little bit. Staying present helps. Paying attention works wonders. And taking a pause to take it all in is imperative. Ok off to enjoy one last luxuriously long lake day. Another summer almost in the bag. Sigh.
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    I’ve been reunited with these two little loves all week. They went to sleepaway camp for a month - a month! It’s the longest month of my year and it’s probably the best month of their year. For a week now I’ve gotten to hug them and laugh with them and hear all of their camp adventures (plus a song or two thrown in). It’s been a beautiful week at the lake to reconnect ... before the madness of the school year kicks in in just 9 days ... we’ve had slow, sunny days, lots of sleep-ins, s’mores, wave riding, paddle boarding, mini golf. A good balance of rest and play. We took this photo @snowbowlsteamboat before they left for camp. It’s our mockstar album cover ... time is flying by too fast, but I’m slowing down and savoring a lot more than I used to. The annual summer camp absence makes me keenly aware of how short our time together really is. 5 years will be over before I know it. I can’t even fathom that, yet. My nephew turns 18 on Tuesday. How did that happen? Life is beautiful and bittersweet. I love these new levels and I also long for time to stand still a little bit. Staying present helps. Paying attention works wonders. And taking a pause to take it all in is imperative. Ok off to enjoy one last luxuriously long lake day. Another summer almost in the bag. Sigh.
  • I’m level 46, today. Feeling quite a bit more badass than level 26. 🦁 #leoseason
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    I’m level 46, today. Feeling quite a bit more badass than level 26. 🦁 #leoseason
  • Photo credit: Izzy Powell (8th grade) @izzypowell.26 Just hanging out at the Steamboat Hot Air Balloon Rodeo ...
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    Photo credit: Izzy Powell (8th grade) @izzypowell.26 Just hanging out at the Steamboat Hot Air Balloon Rodeo ...
  • Happy 4th of July! I spotted this creative flag outside of Yampa, Colorado. Such a cool creation. I’m wishing everyone a fantastic and relaxing holiday with lots of fireworks and fanfare. For whatever bizarre reason, there will be no fireworks over here in Aspen. It’s been the wettest spring/summer any of us can remember and pretty much every city in Colorado (including Steamboat!) is having some patriotic pyrotechnics. and of course, that’s ok. I’m excited to be here with my family, celebrating a holiday we’ve been throwing big parties around since I was little. But seriously, Aspen, wtf (Where are The Fireworks?!😫). Ok I’ll stop whining. There are so many things to be grateful for on this holiday. Happy 4th!
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    Happy 4th of July! I spotted this creative flag outside of Yampa, Colorado. Such a cool creation. I’m wishing everyone a fantastic and relaxing holiday with lots of fireworks and fanfare. For whatever bizarre reason, there will be no fireworks over here in Aspen. It’s been the wettest spring/summer any of us can remember and pretty much every city in Colorado (including Steamboat!) is having some patriotic pyrotechnics. and of course, that’s ok. I’m excited to be here with my family, celebrating a holiday we’ve been throwing big parties around since I was little. But seriously, Aspen, wtf (Where are The Fireworks?!😫). Ok I’ll stop whining. There are so many things to be grateful for on this holiday. Happy 4th!
  • Happy Sunday from this cute friend I made in Peru last spring. Savoring this bucket list trip a little longer ... his smile, head held high, rocking the dreads. Comfortable in his own skin. I think I’ll channel my inner llama, today. How about you?
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    Happy Sunday from this cute friend I made in Peru last spring. Savoring this bucket list trip a little longer ... his smile, head held high, rocking the dreads. Comfortable in his own skin. I think I’ll channel my inner llama, today. How about you?