seems like it was years ago... and yet it was less than six months ago

Maine & due points north JUL13, a set on Flickr.

so much has happened since, but I finally just finished editing the photos from our Blowout Eastern Seaboard Family Vacation...

so much and so little...

a lot has happened since this respite in an other wise fast paced summer. At some point I will post about those activities; but for now I would like to share something else with you.

As mentioned previously I have suffered chronically situational depression at varying degrees throughout my life. The past year has been challenging for various reasons; and I've not always handled the stress with ease. We're still adjusting to some of those changes (posts for later); but honestly I am feeling mostly calm and lots  hopeful, more so than I've been in a long time, about the coming days.

One thing I'll be doing in those days is taking "a walk" with Lincoln in support of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She and I participated in a few walks while we lived in the NW; and she has joined her dad and Nana for a few Breast Cancer Walks since moving here. But it has been awhile and this reason seemed front and center. So we are a team, and we have a page and yes, of course we would love to make our team goal; but mostly it is an activity we can do together that acknowledges our own family's struggle with mental illness, including an uncle with schizophrenia.

don't let its thorny edges scare you

As always I am forever grateful to my friends and family who continue to love and support me even at my lowest. It is often what helps me continue to survive and thrive. 

you never know what beauty you might find

campin'

In the wilds of PA, a set on Flickr.

I had an opportunity to escape into the wilds of PA the weekend after the graduation mania.

Just me, Sassy the Subaru, my bestie, and a true sandy beach on a lake with perfect weather.

48 hrs. of R&R&R&T... laughter was abundant, chillin' was rampant, and general bliss occurred.