HOME.

home is such an important thing. and i have been blessed to have many. life takes us on new adventures all the time, doesn't it. i think where you live, and what you make out of each place, defines you, adds another layer to your being, another life experience, another self-definition. i wonder if its this way for most everyone. but my first home (alaska) will always be my home home. like, my HOME. always. going back there re-connects me instantly to my deepest self - my truest being.



my second home @ wildgoose lane, in olympia washington, RIGHT on the puget sound, was my home of joy and laughter, happiness and melancholy. some of my best friends were made here, and some of my happiest memories. we were blessed to live on the water with acres to run around in, bonfire in, swim in...

[this was the view from my porch ^]

[me with my house in the background ^]

[bedroom view at night^]

haifa, israel, where my parents moved two months after i graduated high school, is the Baha'i Holy Land and also what i consider my second home. the beautiful sea, the Baha'i Holy Sites, the amazing food, the delectable coffee, the hilarious israelis, the love of my family, the memories, the memories. haifa never disappoints, always bringing me clarity, rejuvenation and love [The Shrine of the Bab is the golden domed structure, one of the Holiest sites for Baha'is]:

enter southeast portland where [most of] the wildgeese crew were able to reunite. continued laughter, a bleak unemployment, spending all my money on expensive amazing lattes at stumptown, wearing hoodies was our dress code, it rained for FORTY THREE DAYS STRAIGHT one fall...
enter brattleboro, vermont, some time later (with a brief stint in minneapolis/st. paul, which i never really considered my home) whereupon i went to graduate school, made some of the most amazing friends, filled my brain with all things pertaining to conflict transformation and peacebuilding, filled up on all things maple, ate the most amazing ice creams, swam in the most amazing rivers and did some serious leaf peeping:

enter rapid city, south dakota. our home for two years. neighboring the pine ridge indian reservation and badlands national park, which i frequented at every chance possible, this city became my serious home where i developed some extremely meaningful relationships, was able to serve the Lakota community seriously for the entire time, acquired some new family members, fell in love with clouds on a whole new level, and learned how to transport to my center when walking & praying in the golden fields:
now, dear readers, we are off, on a new adventure, to a new place to make a home. we are moving to southern california in a couple of days. we are landing in LA, but not quite sure where in socal we'll be calling home just yet. but i assure you, it will be amazing, it will be filled with heaps of photos, hilarious stories and new adventures. i am so thankful for my time in sodak, and all of the places that i have been able to call home.

wish us luck, and i'll keep you posted.
may the force be with us. if i have my baybee, i have home no matter where i am though, so its all splendid.
xxx.

here is the original song of the duet of little wings and feist (previous post - below), i feel this song is perfect for the mood i am in. grateful, peaceful, bittersweet.