Check out some of these amazing musicians.

I don't have much to write about today (no one needs to hear about my Dante's Inferno day dealing with the DMV) so I thought I'd share some awesome muscians that I've discovered recently. (It's clearly no secret that I have a soft spot for female songwriters.)

Meg Hutchinson....she's one of my faves.
Brandi Carlile..this girl is a total rocker. I saw her open up for the Indigo Girls last year and was blown away!
Antje Duvekot...a Boston singer/songwriter. Sorry I can't find a good youtube clip on her but her song "Long Way" is just so sweet.

Enjoy!

Boggled by blogger

Blogging is a strange new world. It's simple and unique presence has brought so much into my life since I have tapped into it. It's nice to have an outlet, a designated area in which to spend creative energy. And also, there are just so many awfully talented and creative folks out here in bloggy land. (Sometimes I still feel like I'm the new girl in school trying to fit in. )

Thanks fellow bloggers. It's feels good to be out here rockin the creative freedom.

This is it.

I remember a day,
standing at the edge of a mountain
hands opened out, up,
head back in the wind,
swallowing the sky.
This is it.
Yes, this is it.

That dancing,
strong beats carried our feet,
Our mouths turned upward, helpless to stop.
We surrendered,
with harmonic consanance coursing through our bodies.
This is it.
Yes, this is it.

That day, we held each other,
heart to heart, eyes locked,
no words, just knowing
this is it.
Yes, this is it.

Searching, always searching,
peering under rocks,
the green on the other side of the mountain,
the questions that bubble,
the morphing of contentment.
To stop. Look.
Listen.
This is it.
Yes, this is it.

-Summer Richards, 7/27/08

the dog days of summer

It's hot. Really hot. No rain hot. Dry and radiating hot.
Stick out your tongues to cool off-hot!

Hi. My name is Summer and I'm an addict.

I don't usually like to keep sugar cereals in the house. I'm pretty fond of my Special K ripoff "Active Lifestyle...with strawberries". It's just sweet enough for me to enjoy a bowl, but not go back for 3 or 4 more after. This is my problem with sugar cereals. They're like crack to me. I can't get enough.

So Mike went grocery shopping yesterday and came back with this. It was a sweet gesture (no pun intended) because he knows I love it. Lucky Charms is one of the best tasting cereals (?) ever invented. Those little marshmallows make my taste buds sing! But what my wonderful boyfriend does not know is that that scary little leprechaun is now my scary little crack dealer. I can almost here his high pitched girly voice calling from the cupboard.."Summer, isn't it time for your lucky charms?".

Mike will come home and I'll be sitting on the edge of the couch, bug-eyed, gnawing on my chewed fingernails, with empty bowls of cereal all around me. He can't be upset. I'm a slave to the addiction.

tattoo taboo

So one of my good friends is about to be married. She has asked me to be a bridesmaid and I was thrilled; I'm so happy for my friend. The wedding is in October, in Maine. I've already purchased the dress she would like me to wear and she has just informed me today that she would like to request that I wear a shawl. She does not want people to see my tattoo. It is a Catholic wedding and she wants to respect the church, and her family. She does not want the focus of the wedding to be on my back.

Okaaayyyyy. I'm sort of torn right now, like I almost don't know how to feel. I can understand that a bride gets what she wants, its her special day. But I picked this small, subtle tattoo with great thought. I incorporated it into my body and now it is a part of my skin, a symbol that means a lot to me. I can't help but feel hurt that she is requesting me to cover myself up to "show respect". This tattoo is not a symbol of disrespect. Nor was it a hasty decision. I got it when I turned 30 and I am proud of my new feature. I feel judged right now, and maybe I'm just overreacting, but the whole request to cover makes me feel almost shamed.

I guess I need to absorb this new request. I love my friend dearly, and I'm wrestling with this new, unfamiliar dynamic.

Things your mother should never know about...

On Saturday Mike and I headed with our friends, Cameron and Tommy, to Carbondale to hike Snowmass, another one of Colorado's 14ers.

At this point we've hiked a bunch of 14ers, but this one, for me anyway, definitely took the cake. Let's just say that at our after-hike chow down someone actually said, "you know I'm kind of surprised that no one died today." Yeah, it was scary.

The difference in this hike was its amount of vertical. We started at 9000 feet and I want to say that the last 1500-2000 feet involved angles that weren't necessarily 90 degrees, but they sure felt like it much of the time. I had not ever climbed a mountain that required so much technical skill. Supposedly it didn't need actual climbing gear, but there was lots of hands over hands climbing, searching for handholds in the rock.

We were all pretty spread out on the last part of the climb. At one point I'm trying to work my way out of a rock cropping, I'm all alone, and I won't lie to you, pretty freaked out, yet committed. This is the point where the trusty rock that I'm standing on rocked out from under me. Let me just tell you that my life flashed before my eyes here. I got to a safe spot and tried to slow my heart rate down. I looked down and knew that falling was not an option.

It's amazing the inner strength you can find when you need to.







But despite the scary nature of the hike, the views were absolutely breathtaking. Once at the top you know exactly why you made the journey. It felt like we were on top of the world, looking down at a magnifcent earth covered in snowy peaks.



Coming down was a whole other story, but I'll let this picture do the talking. (And if you had a conversation with my quadriceps, they would have a few things to say as well).


All in all, 14ers can be challenging, rewarding and can expose you to very humbling experiences. But, for me, the best part about taking the 14er challenge are the insanely beautiful scenes that they allow you to be a part of. Nature totally rocks!

I went for a walk.

miscellaneous scenes from Denver.

last stage call

I have a special place in my heart for a certain hospice patient who I have just learned passed away. His wife, also phenomenal, I have mentioned in a previous post. I am thankful for this little knot in my heart right now. Healthcare sees many deaths, yet the power of caring and allowing yourself to take a moment to grieve, I think this is important, if not essential.




You knew the time would come.
After all, this is life,
the raw, bare bones of living and dying.

We enter this earth loving,
and love erodes, changes,
is sculpted through the
pages of each individual story.
Living is the art, the creative moment.
Death, the bow at the end.

At this, your time of parting,
the stage call is well received,
a standing ovation by those whom
you loved.
You did well.
Rest knowing this.

--Summer Richards 7/14/08

[sound of fingers tapping]

Now that I'm done with school and officially working full time as a nurse, I now have "nurse schedule". As most know, nurses (most anyway) work 12 hours shifts, three times a week. This means that I have 4 days free, and there is a high probability that many of them will be mid week.

So I'm sitting here. It's Monday and I have the day off. No one else does. Mike's working, all of my friends are working. I'm like, oh-my-God, kinda BORED!!!!

Wha?!?

Usually I have a million things/ideas kicking around in my head that I have to do. And sure there are things that I should do. But I kind of feel like doing something fun, preferrably with a friend, but I can't, because I either a)have too few, or b)they're all too busy working. So I'm, like, bored.

I'm gonna sit here and think about that for awhile.

How great is summer? So Great!

summer is great. I mean summer is like the best ever. Seriously, how hot is summer? I mean, summer is like as hot as it gets. Summer = chillin and being hot, and also so very cool. I pretty much long for summer all year long. Except these wildfires haven't been very cool. (Why is summer so smokin?) When I think of summer, I think of a tall, cool drink of water. Cool beverages are a must when summer is here. Hands down. And high five for summer. Bill Withers, you were right, there ain't no sunshine when she's gone. Sing it Bill! And sing for summer! summer puts the heat on the street, the tan on your man, the smile to your style. it's summertime, and the livin is easy!

[bead of sweat trickles down face]

(--Wha?)

One of the great things about Denver

are the biking trails! There are so many many miles you can go, many times never having to even ride on actual roads.


Cherry Creek Trail


Liz, can you name this wildflower?


Mike snapped this pic of me on the Platte River trail one day


Some trails aren't that pretty, but they get you there!

Cycling rocks. I'm so glad I've discovered this fantastic sport. The exercise is amazing, the pace is exhilarating, and it is such a bad ass way to spend a few hours of your day.

gratitude

When I did my hospice rotation in nursing school, I interviewed a caregiver. She was a 50 something woman whose husband was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. She was quite remarkable really, and I admired the way she approached the massive and challenging changes in her family. She told me that she refused to get out of bed in the morning until she thought of 10 things that she was thankful for. She said sometimes it took her longer to get out of bed then others. I was really touched by this perspective, so today I have decided to do just the same.

On this day, I am thankful for
- my health
- mike
- my family (with special props to my mother and grandmother )
- feeling creative
- our home and the shelter it provides
- being a nurse
- friends that have touched me deeply
- the beauty of colorado
- the health of my loved ones
- having someone to share with. Beautiful experiences seem better shared.

In my humble little opinion, this is a little game that wouldn't hurt all of us to try. Wanna give it a shot?

Stories

There are stories told in my surroundings,
in the soft reflection of people left behind,
in the hues of pink skies cast over head,
the structure of my bones,
the laugh lines on my face.

Sometimes I struggle to comprehend this life,
and I find the story becomes so infinite
that it transforms into something incomprehensible.
And sometimes I remember
the the most difficult of subjects can be broken down into
something very
simple.

Do the chaos of my cells realize this?
The revolutionaries carving their dreams?
The homemakers piecing together the creative differences of dialogue?

This book of short stories,
the heroes, the villains,
the love that we hope will win in the end.
The art is how we write, not what ends up on paper.

- Summer Richards

first tomato of the year!

It looked a little funky, but it sure tasted good in the mozarella salad!

We're off to Vegas for a wedding. (Not ours)
Maybe I'll post. Have a great weekend!