backflippy floppy

Convo in my head to myself about a year ago...
(It feels super cheesy/embarrassing to type it out, but it's probably pretty close to accurate...)

"you got this."

"no, you'll break your neck."

"you've done a million of these; no big deal."

"you could easily get your foot caught in the net."

"just jump high, then tuck, no worries..."

I finally went for it and maintained my ability to do a back flip on a trampoline. It felt like such a big victory, because I thought I was about to lose the trick forever. I know it probably sounds silly that I cared so much. I pondered my internal struggle later and came to the realization that it really wasn't about not being able to do the flip again, it was about almost losing a piece of my youthful sense of adventure/fearlessness.

After that experience, I've tried to keep in mind a youthful perspective on life when I can remember to. For instance now I tell myself, if it's snowing and freezing out, go and play in the yard even if your toes become icicles. Or, if there's a puddle you want to splash in, go for it and don't worry that you might get muddy. I feel like as we get older we're more concerned about our comfort and safety than maybe is really necessary.

So now that you know the backstory, maybe #73 (do a backflip on a trampoline) doesn't seem so random anymore. :] Plus, wouldn't it be cool to be a 40ish year old mom who can still do a backflip?!

Here's a video Brian took of me doing the trick. The two kids after me are his nephew, Xavier, and niece, Jayden. Tell me they are not the cutest kids ever. Enjoy watching us embrace our youth! :]

another sunset already?

Yes, it's true, back to back sunset posts. I know it would be best to spread the beauty out a bit, but it just so happened that another great sunset opportunity presented itself last weekend.

Because it gained national news attention, I'm sure you've heard that the Mississippi river flooded here in Memphis. I'm told this is a once in a lifetime occurrence, so Brian and I took the dogs downtown to check it out.

Look at how freaking wide it is! Looks more like a lake.
Here's Riverside Tide, I mean Drive.
Also, Tom Lee Park, which would normally be just just beyond the fence, is completely gone.


He's getting so big, huh?! I can barely pick him up now that he's 70(?) pounds.
In this picture you can see how little clearance there is beneath the bridge from the water.
They stopped barge traffic for awhile.


A silhouette of the trolley lines that run over the end of Beale St.


Next, we went down to Mud Island to see the view from there. (I believe Mud Island got its name from a previous historic flood.) Brian is standing where there is typically a road, but they filled it in with gravel to prevent a spillover.


Ok, now we're finally to the actual sunset pics...




This was a pick-your-dog-up kind of evening


we heart our fur babies...




and lastly, my fave shot of the evening...

cali skies part 2

So, the last post was a sunrise (#48) and now here's a sunset from the same trip (#47 -1 of 3). I love, love, love sunsets, especially in California! The colors are so vibrant that it looks like I photoshopped the crap out of them, but i didn't touch them! (Well, I did clone stamp the sand specs out, but that's another story). I took a ton of pictures so enjoy this fatty post...

Here's a sunglass model that happened to be on the beach the same evening ;]

Love these lifeguard stands.


I was a bit late on the self timer shot, haha


I made it. :]


Such rich color!

cali sunrise

It is so much easier to catch a sunrise when you travel back in time to a time zone that's 2 hours away, to where 6:00am really feels like 8:00am. Such was the case last Friday when Brian and I were in Huntington Beach. We stayed right on the water, so it was awesome to see the ocean beneath the pastel sky.

Taking it all in...


Another shot with a plane flying by and some other scenery.
Palm trees = nice. Phone wires = uggs


He's going to kill me, but hilarious right?!...


Best part about being up early enough to see the sunrise?...
You can snag the best seashells on the beach of course! :]