Adios Connecticut

It was definitely hard to leave Connecticut.  I spent so much restorative time there - on the water, reading, running on the beach, sitting in a cottage listening to the sounds of the ocean.  I absolutely loved my stay, and already look forward to going back.  

It was so lovely to be able to talk with Therese and spend so much time with my aunt that I don't often see.  She is such a wealth of knowledge and has such a genuine soul.  On our last days together we went to a Barnum museum (that was under repair due to damage from a tornado) and learned some interesting history of Tom Thumb and Barnum's life as a prankster.  And Therese got me hooked on a PBS show we would watch at night - Merlin.  

I always think of David as such a fun uncle, always good for playing outside and joking around.  And this time around, I learned from David that his dog Marty McFly is the BEST dog in the world.  I tried deny it at first, but that dog seriously is cute.  He is David's buddy and follows him everywhere, and Marty was my running buddy a few days.

I also got to spend much needed time with my cousins  I am very impressed with them both.  With Matthew, I got to talk about adventure and travel.  He has some wanderlust in his soul, and I can't wait to hear where the wind will blow him.  I also got to work as crew under him during a sail race, and learned that he runs a tight ship and means business!  

Jason invited me to stay later than I had planned, so that we could spend time when he was off work.  So Friday night and Saturday it was just me and Jason - everyone else had left.  Jason was so sweet, he took me out to dinner and ice cream.  In all the talking we got to do, we learned a lot about each other!  And I feel lucky to have him as a cousin - he's a pretty cool guy.  And I am in awe of how much self awareness he has, and how focused he is on the goals in his life.  I could use some of that laser focus!  

The next day he took me to the cottage, and we took the motorboat out to get lunch at the yacht club.  And then I got inducted into a Raymond family tradition. . . Dam building!  We built a huge dam, somewhere between 100 and 150 feet long.  It was so fun!

Thank you Raymonds, for taking such good care of me, and showing me such a good time.  Love you all!  Feel free to send Marty over to me if you get tired of playing fetch with him . . . 

Marty McFly

Jason and I channeling our inner Beaver, and building a dam

Reclaim Your Youth

I'm reading a book right now called "The Mastery of Love."  It is a beautiful book talking about the human condition, and how to reconnect with our true, authentic selves.  And do you know what author Don Miguel Ruiz and the ancient Mexican Toltec tell us our authentic selves are . . . . . the children inside us!

This idea is a recurring theme that has come up for me over the last year.  Nearly a year ago, I attended a workshop that helped me start rekindling the relationship with that little girl inside me - and I just don't want to stop!  As children, we are free from stress, worry, and care.  If you watch children, they don't care about anybody else's opinion.  They are in tune with their physical needs and emotions, asking and expressing as they need.  We are born as innocent, loving, beautiful beings full of wonder and imagination.  The outer world changes this in us.  We need to live up to expectations, we want to impress people, we need to fit into the "rules" of life that have arbitrarily been created for us.  We are taught to fear people, fear failure, fear being alone, etc.  And we internalize those fears, and start having dangerous monologues in our own head against ourselves.

A few months ago in my blog, I posted a letter that asked, "Do you like the company you keep, even in the quiet moments?"  For a long time I didn't.  Part of my journey has been not only about seeing love in other people, but also about turning that love inwards.  Part of this journey has been to love my own company.  And a big part of that, has been re-learning how to play.  And dream.   And catch bugs, sing in front of people, do magic tricks, and laugh and cry unapologetically.

A few weeks ago in Hawaii, my 6 year old buddy Hudson said to me, "Courtney, you're not grown-up yet."  And just yesterday, my cousin said, "Courtney, what do you want to be when you grow up?"  When I grow up, I want to be a kid.

A really cool day is coming up soon - Reclamation of Youth Day.  My old roommates ex-boyfriend started this awesome tradition, boys getting together once a year to reclaim their youth.  All day long, dozens of boys converge in Bellingham to play all day.  They build forts, play ball, scream and shout. . . .and no girls are allowed! I love, love, love this tradition.  They throw away the silly stresses, to-do lists and everything that can bog us down as adults. . . .and they rekindle that loud, playful relationship with their inner-kid.  Have you played lately?

"Adulthood smells like poop - it's time to go reclaim our youth!"

Life is Life

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa

Sail!

I have had such a wonderful day - one that I imagine Connecticut would be like.   I went to a 4 hour luncheon with Therese and her two friends from church.  Janette was the hostess, and Mary is the priest's wife at St. Timothy's Episcopal church.  I told the ladies that this was the fanciest meal I'd ever eaten!  We started on the porch with delicious goat cheese and mango chutney horderves with wine.  We sat and talked for a couple hours, then moved inside for a delicious broccoli and ham omelette casserole.  After this we ate a bowl of fruit - all of this on beautiful china mind you.  And then came dessert!  We had raspberry chocolate mousse and coffee.  The food was absolutely delicious, and the company was wonderful.  These were strong, beautiful, progressive, passionate women.  And it was so empowering to be in their presence.  We talked about everything from religion, education, and gay marriage, to traveling, cooking and palm reading.  Therese is very lucky to have such a lovely community of friends - and I hope to cross paths with them again!

After an afternoon with the ladies, I went out with the boys.  I joined David, Jason and Matthew on their boat to race.  Every Wednesday, the boys race.  It was a beautiful evening, and was cool to see all the sails out on the water.  One thing I learned - it's hard to learn how to sail in the middle of a race.  Everyone is super busy running around, yelling orders, pulling ropes and grinding gears and messing with sails - and I was just trying to not get knocked off the boat.  I learned quickly - thanks to some rope burns and bruises - when to duck my head, get off a rope, and move to the other side of the boat.  There were a few times I went to do my job, but I wasn't fast enough, and Matthew would leap down and take over.  After the first few times we tacked (which I think means switching the side the sail is on) I got the hang of the roles and the energy of the crew, and did ok.  I managed to organize the spinnaker sail that had to go up, and it went up perfect!  I was very proud.  In the moments that weren't frantic, we got to all sit hanging off one side of the boat to level out the weight.  It was really fun - but I think I'd like to learn the lingo of sailing before doing it in a race again.  Oh - and we got 2nd place!  Which I thought was pretty cool.

I'm still loving the life over here on the east coast.  Fancy luncheons and racing sailboats?  That's a pretty good life.

This was my lovely luncheon crew!  Mary, Janette and Therese.

Boats getting ready to start the race - lining up!

The sunsets here are so gorgeous!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

I came into Connecticut yesterday - and have been having such a blast! I've always considered this family as my Adventurous family.  My uncle David and cousins Matthew and Jason are avid sailors and water sport-ers.  They kayak, wake board, water ski, canoe, sail, motor boat. . . . and are in the sunshine so much they all look like they live in Hawaii.  I remember family reunions, and these boys were hiking barefoot through bramble, building dams in creeks, and bear crawling to the tops of mountains.  In the last 2 days, I have already been in 4 different boats!

Yesterday was very lovely - I started off at church with Therese.  I loved her small congregation - everyone knew each other and was so nice.  After church, we all gathered under a tent for snacks and friendship.  Therese walked me around the grounds of her church - and I was amazed!  The grounds are beautiful, and the community has built the space with such intention.  A labyrinth was built to help guide meditation towards peace.  A beautiful garden is tended and harvested all for a local food pantry. This congregation used to be larger, but when debates came up regarding same sex marriage - the people were split.  The priest was pro-humanity, and so everyone against gay marriage left, leaving a beautiful group of loving, dedicated people.  Father Matt welcomed me personally during the service, and as we left he said, "Walk in Love."

After a delicious breakfast, Therese and I met David and Matthew on their big sail boat, and we took it out for the afternoon.  Matthew and I each had a turn tangling off the boat in a chair attached to the top sail.  It was so fun!!!  And very surprising when the boat would lean and you'd hit the water harder than expected.  As my feet were skimming the water and I felt like I was flying, I thought. . . . this is a life I could get used to.

Today Therese and I took some sea kayaks out for a 3 hour ride.  The weather is crazy hot out here, but on the water it's so much cooler - so we've been on the water constantly since I got here.  Our kayak ride was very relaxing - we wound through some grassy marshland, saw beautiful birds, and had lunch in Bermuda Lagoon - which wasn't as ominous as the name suggests.

After this we went to the family cottage right on the beach.  Part of the cottage had been destroyed during Hurricane Sandy, so I got to see the rebuilt porch.  The food was delicious, and the company was great.  Then Jason decided to take me for a cruise in the motor boat.  This was super fun - but I forgot that he has his dad's mischevious side, and I should have been holding on better.  A quick spin sent me flying, and I learned my lesson!  I held on for dear life, and then had a great time.  The sky was breathtakingly beautiful, and Jason even let me try my hand at driving.  After the boat, I tried to show Jason up with my rusty crew skills in the canoe. . . but he was much better than me.  Living on the water for 19 years beats out my 4 seasons of crew. . . .surprise!

I absolutely love the water - and have definitely been getting my fill.  Yesterday David said, "I don't like to watch sports.  I'd just as soon rather get out and do them."  And that is definitely how this family lives - and I love it!


Matthew in the chair that hung off the boat

The center of the meditation labyrinth at Therese's church

Birds on our Kayak trip

Jason, my boat driver

The beautiful sky!!

I Have a Dream

Yesterday, I spent my last day with Debra and Chuck, and they took me to my favorite city - DC!  I only had a few hours before I had to catch a bus, but we were able to cram so much in!

We started at Arlington Cemetary, where we visited the Kennedy's and the grave of the unknown soldiers.  This grave was really moving because there is always someone on guard, protecting and honoring all unnamed soldiers.  We saw the changing of the guard, and it felt very important watching them.   I felt like it is a very moving way to forever honor the fallen men and women whose families don't have a grave to visit. 

Next, we sprinted to the Lincoln Memorial where I wanted to visit MLK Jr. I stood where he gave his "I have a dream" speech, and I listened to his speech as I stood there.  It was so  powerful to connect with him and history in that way.  And as I listened to him speak about his dream of a world where one day, black and white people can stand hand in hand . . . I looked out at the throngs of people, dozens of races in the same space, I saw black and white holding hands. Standing in the shadow of Lincoln, hearing the words of Martin Luther King, and seeing his dream in front of me . . . That was a pretty powerful moment.  It energized me with the need to be part of his important work.  "In spite of the difficulties  and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream."  I want to still hold onto dreams, even when life can get hard.  

After this, we saw the new MLK Jr. Memorial statue, and then off to the depression era.  FDR's memorial was very cool. It was a walk through his terms as president, with statues and quotes from each term. His words were pretty inspirational, and the monument was very moving. 

Chuck and Debra were such good sports, sprinting around with me so I could get my fill of inspiration.  With a quick sprint to the bus station, I was on my way!  Thank you Debra and Chuck, for taking such good of me, spoiling me, and teaching me so much.  Until next time!

Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown

Marks the spot MLK Jr. Stood for his speech

"Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope"

Me and FDR

The bread line

Me, Debra and Chuck on my way to the bus

What's your dream?

Mr. Presidents

On Thursday my Aunt Debra and I went to 3 states, and yesterday we visited 3 president's homes.  We started the day off with a tour of James Madison's home.  With all the homes, the Heritage foundation is researching and restoring.  When they can't find the original items owned by these presidents, they get period pieces to fill the house.  

Madison's house was beautiful!  The drive up to his place alone was breathtaking.  I loved learning about Dolly Madison, and her role within the whitehouse - and how, when the British burned down the White House, she saved the painting of George Washington.  

Next we went to Jefferson's house, and this was my favorite.  He loved inventions and science, and he turned the first room of his house into a museum to educate guests while they waited for him.  "There is not a sprig of grass that grows uninteresting to me."  I love that quote because it shows how curious and fascinated he was with the world.  I loved his library and study best of all!  He once told Adams, "I cannot live without books."  Same here Jefferson!  His house was full of inventions and gadgets. 

Last we saw James Monroe's old place. It was the smallest and most modest of them all.  One of the things I loved learning about through all three houses, was their slaves.  

All 3 men acknowledged slavery as a bad thing and yet they all had slaves!  Jefferson had 600!  Madison and Jefferson passionately spoke of slavery as a "thorn" and a travesty, but also said they didn't know what to do about it. They couldn't extricate themselves from this societal norm. Monroe, president number 5, was the first to take action.  He made the slave trade from Africa illegal, and if any incoming ships had slaves, he sent them to a safe zone called Monroeville back in Africa. But he still had his own slaves. Of Jefferson's 600 slaves, he only freed 7 - all family members of his children from Sally Hemmings.  Interesting to that he should love one of his enslaved women, have 4 children with her, and not be at the forefront of ending the institution.  

It was such a wonderful day, full of history.  It was neat to walk the same floor these great men of our past built.  It felt so connecting to stand in the rooms these men sat in, toiling and debating over these issues in our Nations' past. And Debra is such a history buff, that she was perfect to go with.  

Reading a book with Dolly and James

Driving up to the Madison household!

Jefferson's house

Jefferson's grave.  This is what he wanted on his tomb stone.  He did not want to be remembered as a politician. 

I love these!

James Monroe 

Debra leading the way into Monroe's house