Monday, December 24, 2012

Year 2

Dear friends,
I have decided to not do the written weekly check in but try to focus more on just getting as many daily photographs as I can.  For me what is beautiful in life is an action.  I want to live by example and I want to show you how intangible the true moments are in their fleeting shining flickers.  Sometimes, this requires silence.   Take a quiet walk with me, won't you.
Cheers to a new year.

Love, Shonna

GPI Gingerbread houses 2012








Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Check In 52 weeks!

52 weeks, 1 YEAR, 1530 miles, 270 posts, endless smiles, tears and deep breaths taken.
WOW!

WOW!

WOW!

For the most part those miles were racked up by me but Leah did rack up 133 miles of those miles with her mama! and guess what?!  She wants to go another year!  Maybe even more excited about this new year than last year.  Now that she knows how good it feels to walk.  Knowing how good it feels to be rooted in doing the right thing for our planet, I could not be prouder.  She did tell me however that we really must clean our good girl (our car), so that she looks nice even if we don't drive her :)  It's pretty awesome to have a sweetheart that has respect for all beings and things alike.
When I studied environmental science in college we always knew the key was teaching our children how to cultivate respect for the balance of nature.  Yet it requires adults to learn new tricks to teach  them!  What a feat for us to step beyond our entrenched patterns!  Yet, I am here to say, it's possible.  And quite possibly fun.
So cheers to an amazing year and let the new year begin!

So grateful,

Shonna and Leah

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Check In week 51

1478 miles!  AND one week away from walking and biking for an entire YEAR!
My daughter doesn't know what her reward is yet but it's big and very exciting.  I can hardly wait but with so much excitement happening this month she will have to wait until next month to find out what is happening in February :)
The weather has been pretty easy for the last week.  Makes travel so much more pleasant.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do about xmas shopping but I rode my bike to the toy store and picked up a few things and then used the power of the internet to order a few more things that are out of my reach.  Thank you kindly world wide community.
One more item that I must speak of that is not quite as pleasant is something that happened last week while I was riding my bike.  A man in a huge jeep carelessly pulled out in front of me and came very close to killing me.  There is no doubt in my mind that the injuries he could have caused would have been severe.  It was shockingly upsetting and I cried uncontrollably.  Even more alarming, he refused to take responsibility for how unaware he was while driving a multi-ton steel machine.  It frightens me how unaware drivers can be.  Please drivers, I beg you, watch the road.  Slow down and enjoy the ride.  Life is precious.


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Check In week 50

1435 miles.  My apologies for the lack of postings lately.  I haven't been feeling well.  Still not feeling well.  Getting ready to ride my bike to Leah's school to help out with a field trip.  It's cold outside and my lungs hurt.  It's not always roses living without a car.  This is one of those days.  Looking forward to feeling better fast :)
Be warm.  Stay well.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Check In week 48 and 49

1382 miles!  We enjoyed a lovely tandem ride to school this morning.  We noticed the smell of a fire burning in someone's house.  Delicious aroma.  We would have missed that in a car.  It's so nice to feel the cool breeze on our skin, waking us up and filling our bodies with energy for the day.  So much to be thankful for this holiday week. Gooble gooble.