Naming Your Petals.

Documenting our right now: things that are important to us, favorites, what we are into, etc. Definitely a treasure to me.

This weekend consider documenting your own petals or those of someone you love. Maybe involve your family members by having them identify what are the important things in their lives right now. Ask simple questions like "what's your favorite food" or "what are you really good at?" and have them write their own words if they are able.

This is definitely not a complicated exercise. It's a silly little way to document a bit of your life right now. Grab a piece of scratch paper and draw a simple flower. Don't forget to add the date. These flowers would make a sweet little family minibook, a nice accent on a layout of each person, or you could gather a bunch together and create a "bouquet" of all your family member's flowers.

To get you started here's a simple flower download (the same one I used for my flower above) that is ready and waiting to be printed and decorated by you and your loved ones. Download AE_Petals.png

Today.

Cupcakes of Happiness by Susannah Conway

Today I am trusting that I am worthy of being loved + accepted + appreciated for who I am.

Today I am grateful for color + beauty + sunshine.

Today I am inspired by young artist who can take up a camera or a set of colors and make art + who are following their dreams to be creative + make a mess + make art.

Shame.Less Invitation.

I am committing to being true + honest + supportive to the people I love.

I am not going to take on everyone's problems + cares + woes.

I am going to continue to let go of the past + carry on with the goods things in life.

I am going to live in the present from what I have learned from the past.

It Sure Is Bright, Get the Shades.

The brightness of being alive.

It finds me in unexpected moments of calm + when my heart takes refuge from the ever growing to-do list + when my perfectionism gives way to feeling, to release.

And when it arrives, the brightness feels deeply spacious + warm, like an intertwining celebration of all things brave in love. Sometimes, i’ll admit, my mind cautions my heart not to trust the abundance + young memories of tragedy + loss can be hard to shake, I suppose.

It can all be gone in a split second, the memory warns.

It’s a warning that challenges me to feel disconnected from the present moment + the one that’s calling me to step in + stay awhile + celebrate.

We all have memories + life filters that haunt us + creep in + try to steal the show even when we’ve done all the soul work to repair + heal.

But I deeply believe that in our best moments, we can understand that our vulnerabilities are what connect us + what can step into the power that is uniquely ours + play hard + love bravely + offer comfort to our younger + broken selves + soar + always soar on the brightness of being alive.
I really needed the reminder + the refuge + the inspiration.

100% whole.

[photo by Amy Neugebauer: Bella Vita]

I'm all over the place over here.

In a really funny + awkward + strange place.

Things are changing rapidly + the truth is that i'm having a hard time keeping up.

I'm trying to keep my cool by asking for help, reaching out to my friends for support, and convincing myself that i've got a good plan to make it to the other side of this growth spurt.

It's so strange for me to consider all that has happened in my life the past few months .

I am so grateful.

But sometimes I also feel totally shell shocked + lost in the momentum of it all.

My heart wants to touch down in a way that feels solid + joyful every single day.

But every single day i'm behind, losing ground, and simply not able to keep up.

And the guilt - what a force that is.

So yes, that's where I am this week: stumbling my way through, trying to have compassion for my life in progress, and allowing the pressure + anxiety to slip away one permission at a time.

I'm working on a plan to make it all manageable but I know it will take time.

And maybe I should just throw manageable out the window and consider accepting the haphazard/craziness of it all and lean in - sometimes that's the best solution.

It can be so hard to discern what's best sometimes, can't it?

In the mix of it all, i've been working on a bunch of goodness that has me excited to the bones - it's all in the behind the scenes stage but i gotta say, it feels like i'm birthing something big + good + bright even if at this exact moment if feels more like overwhelm.

I know this is all a part of it.

That struggle + friction are mixed in with brightness + joy.

That we have the capacity to hold all of these parts.

That we can be fragmented, patchworked, and broken to pieces, yet still remain 100% whole.

Do You Believe?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: 05. 27. 09

{For non-commercial use only please. ©Ez Pudewa} {quote found via this gorgeous photo}

To-Do With A Twist.

Fate and Fortunes—A To-Do List with a Twist

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by either not knowing what to do or knowing so many things to do that you're not sure where to begin? Here's a great exercise that will activate your intuition and free you from the boredom of traditional to-do lists.

1. Sit down and cut paper into strips, fortune-cookie style.

2. Even if you don't think you know what to do, look at the strip and listen. What do you already know to do? Right it down, even if it is the smallest of actions. Chances are, you have a string of these. Then ask the question in different ways. Imagine yourself, next week. Ask your future version, What would you be happy to have already completed? Right that down. What is an unlikely action that could make the biggest difference of all? What's another one?

3. When you've finished asking the question those three ways, fold the slips of paper and toss them into a bowl. We're conjuring up your best inner magic here, so pick a lovely bowl or a whimsical cup. Something you picked up on a trip to Cambodia or inherited from your grandmother. Something that you can trust to hold your future.

4. Then place your future inside. All of the folded strips go in. Stir. Grab a candle or a stick of incense and set it in front of the bowl. Fix your imagination and your mind on your intention for the week or for the day, and light it.

5. Then pick out a strip. It is now your assignment, the action you can trust is for you to take, right now. Complete your action and repeat this process as long as your energy allows.

6. When you know it is time to rest, blow out your candle and walk away.

You can have trust for all the things you didn't do, knowing that your purpose will unfold just as it should. Perhaps you will draw some of those actions from the bowl tomorrow, or perhaps they were not your actions to take. Celebrate the power of the actions you completed, and repeat this process as often as you like until your intention is complete.

INSPIRATION DAILY: 05. 26. 09

Untitled by Chelsea {blog}

Living The Life.

I found an article posted about me online recently that I was unaware of entirely. WOW! hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Click both links for the wonder reads. ENJOY!

Living the life!

Living the life 2!

Sucking It Up.

I hate the idea of "sucking it up". For me it always leads to a feeling of shame + comparison, like everyone else is doing it/balancing it/succeeding at it, why can't I?

Sometimes I wonder if the tired piece for sadness is a very natural way of asking ourselves to be quiet, to reflect, to honor -- + to lay the foundation for finding or making meaning from the grief we're experiencing. To get busy, maybe, is a signal to ourselves that we don't trust ourselves to be okay while being vulnerable, or to come back, or to tolerate a little of the internal aloneness that sadness seems to highlight.

There seems to be a lot of significant risk-taking in my life these past few years, and it's impossible for me to say how much being honest about that process seems to embolden (and ennoble) others . . . or, specifically, me.

I've been sharing with people who I think will "get it" and they've been excited, enthusiastic, supportive. I still struggle with how to transmit what I'm learning to people in my life whom I believe would benefit from it- both in terms of what it would do for our relationship and what it could do for them as an individual- but who appear to be so mired in shame and judgment that listening to these messages isn't an option for them.

Lookie Here.

I made the cover of the INK. I know, I'm a total rock star!

Click the image to view it larger!

Today's Story.

TRUSTING

Today I'm trusting that I do have the focus to just sit down and do the work I need to do. I've had a period of struggling to just plain old concentrate + have been somewhat overwhelmed. But there have been times in my life when I've been able to be incredibly focussed + hard working, + I am trusting that that still exists in me + that I can draw on it today.

INSPIRING

Today I am inspired by the doors that keep opening in my life, the opportunities that present themselves to me. I am on the right path at long last. I am also inspired by this intense joy + happiness that I'm feeling these days. Wow!

GRATEFUL

Today I am grateful for laughter. It feels like grace when it comes. Unexpected. Delightful. I am grateful for love, sweet, love of family + friends. When I think of them, I feel my heart fill up !

INSPIRATION DAILY: 05. 20. 09.

Like a Butterfly by John & Fish

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: 05. 20. 09.

Sometimes.

Sometimes a good cry is 100% necessary.

For release.

For room.

For more heart spaces.

For something to be born.

Or maybe for disappointment, or confusion or restlessness or overwhelm.

I notice that whenever I'm transitioning into something more or deeper, I have a good cry and it helps me pave the way out.

Or into.

Or through.

It's just how it goes.

Lately, in between all the celebrations and movement + deadlines, I worry that i'm not feeling it all fully.

So when the tears arrive, i'm a bit relieved: ok, i'm still just a girl finding her way.

Who sometimes feels homesick for her family.

Who still has no idea what she's doing.

Who is in awe of how it's all unfolding.

Who can't keep up.

Who desperately wants to feel every inch of it as it's happening.

Who worries that she's not being a very good friend, sister, or daughter because we can't do it all.

So yes, sometimes a good cry is absolutely 100% necessary.

It's the only way in.

Or out.

Or through.

Friendship.

Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God’s best gifts. It involves many things, but above all, the power of going out of one’s self, and appreciating whatever is noble and loving in another.

You Are Awesome.

Amazing stuff. I love when ideas evolve. Life is good. Actually - it's awesome.

Trei Gal , No More!

The Fam.

It's all in the family, Lacey, Freddy Me!

Ha Ha, He he, Ha Ha Ho.

Father Of The Bride.

We [Run] This Show.

The Countdown Is On.

It's almost the end of the school year and inevitably this means parents everywhere are scurrying around in a desperate search for an affordable gift to give their child(rens) teacher(s). Coffee mug? Potted plant?... might I suggest these free adorable little Apple Note Flats that I made for you all to download and enjoy. : )

Of course these aren't only meant as teacher gifts... they are for everyone! The penmanship grid at the bottom enables you to customize the cards by writing in a name or words that you want. You could also leave them blank and allow the recipient to add in their own text. I'm having my daughter write her teacher's name on a set, then we'll tie it up with some pretty envelopes, and bada-bing we're done!

• Download the Free Cute Apple Note Flats (prints 4 to a sheet - 2 of each color)
• Print onto heavy-weight cardstock with a color printer
• Cut along the outer lines
• Customize (optional)

If you download these I'd absolutely love to hear your feedback on the design and the creative ways you plan on using them!

Alannah Jade Trei.

Wedding Pictures 1.2.3.

Click to enlarge, Photos by Amy Neugebauer

They Did.

I Am.

I am a woman who defies little boxes.

I am not someone you see + immediately understand.

I am complicated, but very straightforward.

I am soft, but unquestionably strong.

I am both wise + curious.

I am very serious + very playful.

I am awe-inspiring authentic + unapologetically hopeFULL.

INSPIRATION DAILY: 05. 14. 09

Romanticism by .Jana aka .Nevara

Oh Snaps.

Andrew with his crew! Such a poser!

Krista showing the boys how it's done! Too little too late dudes!

Oh no you didn't! he Krista's pointy elbow! Start steppin' boys!

Sprinting towards the finish line with the winning goods! What a wonderful couple!

Dash For Love.

Father Knows Best.

The Neugebauer's: Ready, Set, I DO.

INSPIRATION DAILY: 05. 11. 09

I Love Paris in the Sprnigtime by Liz Rusby

Hello Monday.

Hello Monday + welcome back to the real world!

My eyes are having a hard time opening today + my brain seems to be mis-firing but my heart is full.

After several months of thinking, considering + searching the LOVEFEST was perfect!

These are the full circle moments that remind me that nothing is by chance.

And, oh my.....I have so much other goodness to share.

So glad I have the opportunity to be apart of wonderful families.

So glad.

In Good Company.

I spotted the wonderful work of Fréya Art & Design on etsy's front page the other day and immediately had to look through her entire shop of beautiful worded and sweetly illustrated prints. I'm especially enamored with the adorable snail print and think that I might buy it to hang in my new home once we move. They all would make such meaningful gifts for those special someones in our lives...don't you agree?!

Much Needed Break.

Grace.

Walk in Grace

I love the double meaning-- I believe every woman has her own gracefulness, her own beauty, and I like the idea that all of life is a free gift, through which we get to walk, and we can extend that grace to others, and even to ourselves.

The Ultimate Reason.

Rather than sending our teens to Mexico or another country this year, we targeted our local community as a missional outreach. August 6-8, 2008, Students spent 3 days camping in the city and working on a variety of projects together.

August 10, 2008, Desperation Church cancelled all 3 weekend services and met at a local retirement community. The idea was simple: If the church is the people then we need to get outside of the 4 walls of our building and make that a reality.

Video for Missions weekend at Desperation Church recapping the events from the Missions Trip week and reminding everyone of the ultimate reason we serve