Life Lately | Barenaked Ladies at Edgefield

There's nothing better than live music. It's raw energy, and raw energy feeds the soul.
-Dhani Jones

Something I Feel Strongly About

I had a conversation with my six year old niece back in November. She asked me what my tattoo said since she couldn't read cursive yet and when I told her "love," she asked me why.

"Because I believe that love is the most important thing in the world," I answered.

"Oh," she replied thoughtfully, and after a short pause said, "I don't agree."

"That's ok," I told her, "you have the right to disagree. What do you think the most important thing in the world is?"

"Friendship." She replied.

"That's a great answer," I said. "Friendship is definitely very important. How do you express your friendship?"

"By being nice, playing together, sharing, and putting my arm around them if they are sad or crying," she said.

"Those are all great ways to show your friends you love them," I said.

After a long and thoughtful pause my niece broke out in a great big smile and exclaimed, "You're right, love IS the most important thing!"

Five Ways to Win My Heart

In an effort to get back in the habit of writing a little something each day, I've decided to follow a 30 day blogging challenge. The prompts won't always be great, but hopefully the writing will be, or if not great, at the very least, entertaining.

So here we go.

Day 1 | Five Ways to Win My Heart

1 | Be Available

Be present, be aware and be open to consistent communication. I am a communicator and being able to express your needs is important to me. It may not always be comfortable to hear it, but it's still important to me to know and be able to provide for you.

2 | Don't Be Afraid to Be Silly

Life is too short to be serious, and gosh darn it being silly is just so much more fun. 

Stuck in traffic? Let's see how many people in cars around us we can make laugh.

Long line at the grocery store? Contest to see who can make the cashier smile first!

Did Starbucks write the wrong name on your cup? Only answer to that name for the rest of the day!

There's a time to be professional and there's a time to be silly. Know the difference and own it.

3 | Be Good With Kids

There is nothing more endearing than a man who is good with children. Be comfortable holding a baby. Enjoy lying on the floor and using your imagination. Snuggle up and read aloud a good book. Bonus points if you use voices. 

4 | Be Comfortable Using Uncomfortable Phrases

Say "I'm sorry," "I forgive you," "Please forgive me," and "I love you," as often as necessary. 

5 | Allow Me to Love You

Letting down your guard and allowing someone to love you isn't easy. We all have past-life baggage and hurts that run deep, but being able to push through and be vulnerable enough to risk being hurt again is important. I'm willing to be hurt by you, please be willing to be hurt by me and trust me enough to know that I will never intentionally cause you pain.

Life Lately | June in an Instagram

June 2015 was an amazing month.  I traveled to Lake Tahoe for a weekend filled with love and TNT with my cycle family, celebrated Emerson's 2nd birthday, explored downtown Portland in more detail, spent lots of time with friends, and started a new job!

The month had its ups and its down, its challenges and victories, but overall it was amazing and I'm excited to see what July has to share.