The View From Above

On my flight home I got the entire row to myself, so I scooted over to the window and took a bunch of photos as we ascended out of Anchorage. Anchorage had record-breaking snowfall this winter, so the mountains were really pretty and pristine. Living in Anchorage, you're surrounded by mountains, but I always forget that beyond our little port city it's mountain ranges and glaciers as far as the eye can see. Being 15,000 feet in the air is quite a different perspective. Being in the city it can be easy to forget how rugged the terrain is beyond the city limits. It's not like Washington, where there's just a little strip of the Cascades separating the coast from the flat lands of central and eastern Washington. Once you're over the pass it's like you're driving in Kansas or something until you hit Spokane. It's as if a grand hand crumpled up the whole state like a piece of paper. I feel incredibly blessed to have grown up in such a stunning landscape. I believe wholeheartedly that natural beauty is something that can nourish the soul in a way that nothing else can and man, living in Alaska do you get quite a dose of that beauty.

The Eye of the Storm

Whenever I'm in Alaska, I want to take outfit pictures out at Beluga Point, but I always forget that the wind whips right down Turnagain Arm and makes Beluga Point feel like it's about to get blown over by a hurricane. So most of my photos looked just about as wind-blown as the ones from last time I attempted it. Thankfully my mom is a good sport and helped me take photos as I'm positive the wind would've just blown over my tripod and broken my camera and lens.

Being at home was so refreshing. I think it was just what I needed. It's so great to be able to reconnect with my roots, take a breather, be with my family, and get a new perspective. I even read a book! I can't remember the last time I read a novel. The transition to this new job has been pretty rocky. I kind of feel like I'm in a boat that's taken on too much weight and I'm constantly bailing it out with a bucket just to stay afloat. But I think a good balance is on the horizon, hopefully. I'm trying to learn to just say no and to recognize what I can and can't take on.

always cheerful dress + cardigan / courtesy of ModCloth :: shoes/Minnetonka

tights/Target :: crocheted flower crown/courtesy of Manzanita :: photos by my mom

Lately I've been thinking a lot about, well, a lot. But one of the things that stood out in the last week was how we have this tendency to describe ourselves based on our accomplishments, or how we base people's value on their accomplishments (or lack thereof). It was very obvious during my brother's graduation ceremony, which makes sense because graduation is really a celebration of an accomplishment. But it still made me hope that those kids don't base their value on their accolades and accomplishments. The high school my brothers and I graduated from prides itself on having a high academic standard, so I understand that they'd want to highlight that during a graduation ceremony, and to congratulate the graduates on making it through the rigor. It's easy to get caught up in placing your value on things like that though, and I think it's a shame. People have inherent value, not because of things they've accomplished, but because they're human beings. I shouldn't place a higher value on someone with a bachelor's degree and a lesser value on someone who only graduated high school. Someone who is a CEO isn't more worthy of love than someone who works the night janitorial shift in that CEO's office building.

A Heart Made of Tundra

As we were driving back to Anchorage along Turnagain Arm yesterday afternoon I was looking at the tentatively budding greenery and flowers along the edge of the road. Plants in Alaska are so hardy. When I think of thriving greenery in other places, I think of big colorful flowers and leaves, but in Alaska, the flowers are relatively small and stay close to the ground and everything is a bit more unruly. Even though Washington doesn't seem at first glance that much different from Alaska, there's something about the landscape and plant growth which is hardwired to get through the long, frigid Alaskan winters. I thought to myself that I felt very much like those tiny, hardy flowers. I don't imagine I'm anything akin to a bunch of roses or a sprawling field of tulips. I figure I'm more of a tundra.

I've always liked the way my photos looked in Alaska, more than in any other place I've taken them, and I just realized that maybe it's because I'm in my natural habitat. I feel my soul resonate at the same pitch as my surroundings. The little tundra transplanted in Washington is momentarily reintroduced to her Alaskan soil and digs her tiny roots into the ground to absorb just a bit of home before heading back to Tacoma.

dress/courtesy of modcloth :: top/forever 21 :: shoes/courtesy of blowfish

Blowfish Shoes Giveaway!

Today I have a giveaway from Blowfish Shoes. The winner of this giveaway gets to pick whatever shoe they want! Yup, winner's choice! AND you have four chances to win! Check it:

To Enter:

Like Blowfish Shoes on Facebook and then come back here and leave a comment on this post letting me know you've done so, as well as with a way for me to get a hold of you in case you're the winner. If you already follow Blowfish shoes, you don't have to unlike and then re-like.

For additional entries, you can comment with your favorite shoe from Blowfish, or follow Blowfish on Twitter and/or pinterest. If you do any of these, make sure to come back here and leave an additional comment for each letting me know you've done so.

One entrant will win their choice of shoe from Blowfish. Open to US entries only. The giveaway will be open until Sunday, May 20th at 9pm PST.

The winner of the Chantilly Songs giveaway is ...

Time Flies

I've worn quite a few variations of this outfit recently, just because it's so comfortable and easy. I figured since it was so comfy it was a good outfit for a plane trip, and thankfully I chose it because my flight ended up being quite a little fiasco! We got on the plane on time and pulled out to the end of the runway when the co-pilot got on the intercom and said we would have to go back to the terminal because there was a discrepancy in some sort of checklist or mechanical thing. So we sat at the terminal for a while before it was determined we had to get on another plane. Everyone got off the plane, walked to a new gate and got on a new plane. We ended up leaving SeaTac about 15 minutes before we were supposed to arrive in Anchorage. Whoops! I didn't mind at all because I didn't have a connection to make. It actually worked out perfectly because no one was able to pick me up from the airport at my original arrival time, but by the time I got there, my mom was off work and could come get me!

dress/modcloth :: top/courtesy of free people :: jacket/lulu*s

tights/target :: boots + scarf/thrifted :: bag/courtesy of handbag heaven

It's been very wonderful being home. Sometimes a change of scenery is just what is needed, especially when it's home. Unfortunately Dan couldn't come along for this trip because of school and work, but it's nice to be here with the fam just like old times. My Grandma and Grampa flew up today, and it's so nice to see them again because my wedding was such a whirlwind that I barely got to spend five minutes with them! I understand now why some cultures celebrate weddings for a week. Tomorrow we're having a party for my little brother's graduation, and then Tuesday he walks! I can't believe it's been seven years since my high school graduation. I remember thinking about how my little brother's high school graduation was so far off in the future, and here we are! Time is just crazy. I swear to God I'm going to blink and will find myself watching my own children throwing their graduation caps in the air.