Go, girl

Go, girl

She’s always been on the go. From the day she was born, she was ready to roll. Before that actually, I went into labor the first time at 32 weeks.

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She’s my go getter.

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My go girl has strong opinions on everything. She got very angry with me when she saw this picture, “You took my color away!” Dear internets: Don’t tell her I posted this, okay?

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But she sure loves her Uncle Timmy. And his motorcycle.

Seattle Iranian Festival

Seattle Iranian Festival

The Seattle Iranian Festival is an annual event for my family. My husband got his Master’s degree in Persian literature, and through his studies we were introduced to the local Persian community.

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Each year we reconnect with old friends, and savor the amazing food.

cooking-demonstration

Art, colors, texture, music, beauty everywhere…

henna-boxes
Calligraphy
dancing

Each year Gem is made to feel like a princess, as our friends tell her they remember when she was just tiny.

She soaks up the attention  –

face painting

and we all know how much she loves to have her face painted.

queen of the mermaids

But you needn’t be connected to the local Iranian community to enjoy the Seattle Iranian Festival. Free, welcoming, open to all, this event will open your eyes to a beautiful culture that is not well understood in our country.  It comes around every year. Give it a try next June.

Iranian-Festival
Burien Wild Strawberry Festival

Burien Wild Strawberry Festival

I’m always on the lookout for free and awesome things to do with my family, especially things that are appropriate for the little one. The Burien Wild Strawberry Festival was the perfect way to spend Fathers’ Day Weekend. A small town festival with all the typical carnival rides and games, and entrance was free.

burien wild strawberry festival

 

The festival was in the downtown common area, with a view of Mt. Rainier,

view

and we could even watch the activity at SeaTac Airport from the top of the Ferris wheel.

airport

There were plenty of activities for the kids. Some we had to pay for, like the rides,

carousel

but many more were free. A bouncy house, several different kids art stations and play stations, and the Firefighters let my little one sit in the driver’s seat of their ladder truck, and taught her all about dialing 9-1-1.

firetruck

There were plenty of cultural events, including a Chinese dragon winding it’s way through the crowd,

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and later found resting.

dragon

And when the sun got just too hot, we went underground to watch the breakdancing competition in the parking structure.

breakdancing

I love, love, love little festivals and fairs, and this is one of the better ones I’ve been to. We’ll be back next year.

How did you spend Fathers’ Day Weekend?

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A circle of women

A circle of women

A circle of women.

28 women, all whom I adore.

28 women finding ways to squeeze the day, every day, while living with cancer and it’s after effects.

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Every year we converge on this little retreat center in the woods, on the edge of the canal.

Every year we laugh, we cry, we eat, drink, and dance,

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We challenge each other, we hold each other up.

And even more importantly, we rest, and we are cared for.

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Every year I come back home feeling two inches taller.

HH2013

P.S. This year, I brought a spare camera and handed it over to the group, asking them to take pictures as well. I’m so glad I did. I came home with pictures that were complete surprises to me, and this year, I was so engaged in just being present that I hardly took any pictures at all. Thanks so much to my friends for picking up the slack.

P.P.S. The link in the first line will take you to the poem I read at the retreat. It resonated so profoundly with so many of us, and I received many requests for copies. (I’m not affiliated with the writer of the poem, but when you write stuff this good, it deserves a link.)

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