Summer has come to a quiet close. I intentionally made the most of the surprisingly cool, yet sunny summer days of Colorado by attempting to keep the cornucopia of technology just at arm's length. I vowed to purposefully spend more time just being present in the moment.

In The Art of Stillness, Pico Iyer writes, "In the age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention."

Such a true statement! It truly takes courage to step out of the fray, but when you do, it brings you closer to others. In the almost two years of living here, I've connected with people and have formed friendships in ways that I haven't in many years. And I've been blessed to create more lifelong memories with my sweet family and to re-connect with some of the dearest friends I'll ever know.

This blog post serves as a gentle reminder of the magic that happens when you let go of the pace that life throws at you and instead choose to embrace the stillness.

"The point of gathering stillness is not to enrich the sanctuary or mountaintop but to bring that calm into the motion, the commotion of the world."

The Art of Stillness – Pico Iyer

Eleven Mile State Park

My Besties

Breckenridge, Red Rocks, Rocky Mountain National Park

Garden of the Gods

Rocky Mountain Tea Festival

Grand Teton & Yellowstone

Solar Eclipse 2017

Remember to be still, my Huckleberries!

XOXO

My friend's cabin has a sign hanging above the door that leads to a porch teetering high above a rushing river. The sign reads, 'It takes a long time to grow old friends'. And don't I know it!

Moving halfway across the country – where I knew a whopping grand total of zero – has definitely made me hyper-aware of just how much I miss my dear friends. Making friends when you're younger just seems to happen naturally, yet making friends as an adult takes serious work. You know you need to do it. You know it's good for you. But finding new people is tough. And as a freelancer, I don't have a workplace or other intimacy incubator in which forced togetherness could flourish into something more. So, I began to look forward to that rare weekend where one leaves behind a spouse, kiddos, pets, work, daily responsibilities (or in my case, all of the above) to relish in that glorious thing called "Girl Time."

October 2016 marked the "4th annual mountain retreat" for me and the small gaggle of women in my life who I would gladly give a copy of my house key, has seen me cry, knows that I watch The Bachelor and points out that I say the words 'fresh' and 'lush' way too much. It's all under the guise of a book club, yet is really an excuse to laugh, craft, walk, shop, share, read, talk, and eat – all those things that make life just a little bit richer.

Thanks for the wonderful weekend, my huckleberries!
xox: Becky, Lauren, Angela, Amy, Michelle, and Brenda

Fall Craft Bonus!

In celebration of Halloween next week, I thought I'd share the cute, little craft project we did during our mountain get-away.

What you'll need:

Black sock
Scissors
Black Thread & White Thread
Sewing Needle
Two Buttons
Orange or Pink Felt
Poly-fill Stuffing & Micro Beads
Ribbon

Step 1: Cut your sock in an arc near the heel (to make pointy cat ears).
Step 2: Stuff with Poly-fill. We added micro beads to the bottom of ours so the cat would easily stand on its own.
Step 3: Whip stitch the top closed.
Step 4: Add button eyes, felt nose, whiskers, and a ribbon to finish.