My travel bucket list...

I've traveled. Not a ton, but some.  I have been to Canada, Mexico, Hawaii and all over the United States.

But I definitely have a list of places I want to go before I die.  Some of them may not seem like great tourist destinations.

And, just FYI - I don't do cruises or anything that involves me being in the ocean.

That said, here goes...

1.  Scotland  

I have an affinity for all things Scottish. Well, maybe not haggis. But kilts...yes ma'am. A deep Scottish brogue? Of course. And the castles. Oh my, the castles!!

2. Next is Australia. 

 Mind you, I haven't always wanted to visit Australia. In fact, when I hear the word Australia, the first thing I think of it SHARKS. I can't get them out of my mind.  But...I have friends in Australia now, so that gives me a reason to visit, right?? And, almost every animal there (besides sharks) are freaking adorable.

3.Greenland/Iceland

Greenland or Iceland - not exactly what most people think of when they are considering a vacay.  But...I have seen some documentaries, and it looks absolutely. stunningly. beautiful. I think I would choose Iceland over Greenland, if I had to.  But, look at these pictures!

4. St. Lucia

I wasn't even sure where St. Lucia was.  

See that teeny tiny country on the far right? The yellow one? 
That is it. Did you know where it was? 


Tell the truth. You had no idea either.
From the pictures I have seen, it seems like an amazingly lush gorgeous destination - especially if you are looking for some serious r and r.

5. Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Amsterdam, as I understood it in high school, was a place to do 2 things.  Get stoned and get a prostitute.  I have broadened my horizons, though, and discovered there is tons of history in this area of Europe, and I don't want to miss a bit of it!

And, I wanna park my boat directly outside of my house.

6. Egypt

Ok.  I have a few reservations about Egypt.  From people I know that have visited, it is not the most luxurious spot to hang in for a week.  The weather is bad, there are so many tourists you can't move freely, and most vendors are trying to rip you off - seriously. There are a lot of pick-pockety types there. 

That all said - I want to stand where people I have read about in the Bible have stood.  For this reason, I really would love to visit Jerusalem, also, but all the bombings and attacks freak me out a bit.

And no - if I get myself to Egypt, I have no desire to ride a camel.

7. Budapest (Hungary)

Budapest has recently hit my radar - it is such a beautiful place, with so much history. You can float down the Danube river,  visit one of the many thermal pools, fun!

8. France - another place I hadn't really been DYING to visit.  I mean, Paris, everything about it seems so cliche'.

But then I started getting a serious interest in art.  And the art that is in France - some of the most famous and historical pieces are there on display and in the architecture. 

Notre Dame is there.  The Arc de Triomphe is there.  There are castles. There are lovers. There is so stinking much to see!  

And, I have a serious itching to get into those catacombs. Scary!

9. Denmark/Finland/Norway

I want to go to these countries. Because I am a Viking. I know I am.  Seriously. They were fierce. 

         And a fjord - I mean, who could NOT want to see that?

10. Prague (Czech Republic)

lastly - Prague. My mom got to visit (no fair).  It looks like a magical fairy place. And I cannot wait to visit.

And, though it didn't make it on the list - I have wanted to go to Dubai for a few years now.  My husband asked why on earth I wanted to visit there. 

I really thought about it.  The reason I want to visit Dubai is because I saw a tv show where these women visited - and the plane ride there and back they got to sleep in these amazing little pods/rooms - for 24 hours! That sounds heavenly to me. So, Dubai - not so much.  Pod/rooms on an airplane? Yes, please!

Where is your heart aching to visit?

Grandma Cary...

I’m a grandma. I know, right? I’m FAR to young.  I’m in total agreement.

But, this little nugget disagrees.

She will call me Grandma Cary some day.

I call her Nugget right now.  When she was first born I called her Chicken.  

I find myself asking, often, “I can’t imagine my grandmother doing (insert all the bad things I do here)?”

I can’t imagine my grandma calling me Butt Nugget. I can’t imagine my grandma having dyed her hair pink. I can’t imagine my grandma with tattoos. 

But, like my grandma, she’ll know she’s loved. That I love her. She’ll know her pink-haired, tattooed, sometimes swear-y grandma loves her

Happiness...

What are some thing that make you happy?

Like, deliriously happy?

I've got a few things that do that for me.  The first one, well, should be self-explanatory.

Disneyland.  Not Disneyworld. Disneyland. I absolutely adore it.  It's funny...you can be a mile away and still smell that Disneyland smell.  It smells like churros and chocolate and laughter and fun.  It's definitely my favorite place on earth to be.  

Books. Not a Kindle. Not an Ipad. Books.  I love to sit with a "real" book in my lap, folding the corners down for bookmarks. There is just something calming and happy-making about holding a book.

Puppies.  Well, more like puppy breath. You know that milky, kinda stinky breath they have? There is nothing better.  It is gross, but at the same time, so super sweet and innocent. I love it.

This one might seem oddly specific.  I like chocolate. Well, I love chocolate.  There is a particular piece of chocolate that I will choose over any other kind every single time.  See's Bordeaux candy. O.M.G.  The center is a brown sugar thing and the outside is covered with chocolate and jimmies. Heavenly.

There are many other things. Many. But the last one I want to talk about it the ocean. More specifically, the beach. First...I am absolutely petrified of the ocean.  It give me SUCH anxiety thinking about swimming in it, boating in it, dying by a great white shark attack in it...Asaaaahh! But I must say, the smell of the ocean - there is nothing that compares to it.  I love to sit on the beach and look out over the ocean - sometimes seeing dolphins or whales.  That I absolutely love.

What are things that make you happy? Are they things you can do/see every day? Or things like mine - not gotten to often, but amazingly happy-making every time?

March for Our Lives...

I know. Everyone around me is getting sick of listening to me go on about gun control.  I know I have an opinion on it that isn't appreciated by most.

But my opinion aside - can you believe what happened yesterday in places all around the world?

Thousands and thousands of people, with a HUGE number of them being kids, gathered in the nation's capital and other cities around the world to demand that action be taken against gun violence - and it was led by survivors of the school massacre in Parkland, Florida.

The DC march was funded by celebrities (www.washingtonpost.com). 

But celebrities weren't who we were watching.

It was the kids.  Kids who are screaming for our legislature to stop ignoring what is happening in our schools.  

Stop ignoring the everyday violence brought on by guns.

Kids who will not stand for this any more.

Cameron Kasky, a Stoneman Douglas student, said to a crowd that packed at least 10 blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue, "To the leaders, skeptics, and cynics who told us to sit down, stay silent, and wait your turn: 

Welcome to the revolution.  

Either represent the people or get out.  

Stand for us or beware. 

The voters are coming."

I was disappointed in myself yesterday for not making the trek to DC to stand with these kids.

These brave kids.

These brave kids who are the future of this country.

(courtesy of my pal Kara Bullock)

Have you heard of Emma Gonzalez? 

I suggest googling her if not.  

She took the stage to give her speech, tears running down her face.

She stood silently for nearly 7 minutes, the time it took the Parkland shooter to kill 17 people.

I'm not going to go on and on. Nor am I going to argue my point.

Just really, really think about these kids...

and the way they are going to 

change

our

world.

Grace...

I've seen and heard the word "grace" used a lot recently.  As in "she handled that with grace...".

First - what does "grace" mean?

grace

ɡrās/

As a noun, it means: Simple elegance or refinement of movement. In Christian belief, it is the free and unmerited favor of God.

As a verb: To do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one's presence.

At my Church, "grace" isn't a thing talked about often, though at other churches I have heard it discussed plenty.

Where I am hearing "grace" often now is online. On Facebook. On Instagram.  

With the shooting that happened this week in Las Vegas, I have had some pretty crappy emotions bumping around in me.  

1. I am mad. I am so mad.

2. I am sad.  Very, very sad.

3. I am frustrated. The very fact this happened frustrates me greatly.

4. I am confused.  Why is this still happening?

I have also had a friend have some pretty shitty things happen to her this week.  If I these things had happened directly to me, I can tell you that "grace" is not something I would have been feeling. 

I would have been furious. I would have been super stalker-ish on social media, making rude comments when I could.  I would be so so tempted to shred that person until I got the satisfaction I felt I deserved.

Guess what? As far as I can tell, my friend hasn't done any of these things.  

She has handled the situation with kindness. 

With tolerance. 

With...you got it, grace.

At least, that is what I think it is.  

Taking the crap life throws you, not giving it any bad stuff to feed on, and still be a kind person. 

An understanding person.

A person who handles themselves with grace.  

The baker's life...

If you know me, you know I used to bake. A lot. I loved it.

I'd bake cakes, pies, cupcakes (my fav!), bread, rolls, buns...you name it, I tried to bake it.

Then I kind of burned out. The peeps at my house rarely ate what I baked. I felt like I was running out of friends to pawn off my baked goods to.

So, I stopped. Cold turkey. I just didn't bake anything.

For a couple of years.

Then a few months ago I started watching The Great British Bake Off. Their pudding isn't our pudding. Their biscuits...not our biscuits. But...it was regular people competing to be the best British Home Baker.

I got that itch...the itch I used to have to create something. I usually produce art. Now, I want to produce food again.

I think I will.

Any ideas for what I should bake?

I have an arty friend. Her name is Effy...

I got to interview a friend of mine named Effy Wild. She is fun. Loads of fun. And super smart. Check her out!

Hi there Miss Effy!  How are you?

I'm super today, thank you Miss Cary! 

You know you are one of my favorite people, right?

You know you're one of MY favourite people, right?? :D

I’ve taken loads of classes from you. What do you love most about teaching art?

I love that I get to teach the things that are most important to me (self-love, care, and inquiry) through such a fun and accessible portal as art journaling and mixed media art! 

When did you start making art? Why did you start making art?

I started making art in 2009 because I was a writer with a wicked case of writer's block. I felt like my head was going to explode if I didn't find some way of expressing myself that felt *safe* and doable. I need a creative practice in my life in order to feel whole, and when I discovered art journaling, I knew I'd found something I could do even when words failed me!

Are there loads of artistic folks in your family/background?

Not at all, though my children are all artistic in one way or another, so I suspect there are some artists hidden away somewhere on my family tree!

What type of art do you enjoy producing the most?

Journal art, hands down. I love meeting myself on the page. 

What artists inspire you? Is there a famous work of art you relate to most?

I'm inspired by artists who work in my field, like Tamara Laporte, Erin Faith Evans, Amanda Grace, and Teesha Moore. The work of art I relate to the most is anything by Klimt, but The Kiss is my very favourite. 

How do you overcome a creative block?

I practice. I don't even worry about outcomes. I just sit my butt in my chair, and I pick a colour, any colour, and go. 

Thank you so much!!
My pleasure, darling! xo

Check Effy out here:

Effy's website
Society 6 page
Art class with Effy