SO DANG LUCKY.

Ok, now I’m starting to get emails - where the heck are you?

I’m here, I’m safe. I’m sound. I’m well. I’m whole.

And I’m sorry for the absence.

Here’s a funny from Monday that I thought of putting up and then somehow the week whirled away from me like a leaf on the wind, and it’s almost Friday!

On Monday afternoon we took advantage of Jared being home for the Memorial Day holiday, and we went over to the Yates Mill pond. Walked on the trails, threw rocks in the pond, had a great time. We definitely weren’t dressed for our split-second decision to walk all the way around the one-mile pond trail, but it was good times anyway:

The humidity rose and rose, and then it kept flashing rain on and off. I’ve never lived in a place that turned rain on and off like a light switch - one of the many things that makes North Carolina so interesting :).

I met some very interesting mushroomy-looking fungus on a tree, that reminded me of beautiful swirling skirts.

I love the stripes on each one - I assume these are growth patterns, but the imagery and texture was stunning. Luckily nobody else was on the trail, to see me crouching on the ground for 10 minutes taking shots of the foot of a tree - my family already knows that sometimes mama just wanders off with her camera, so they just pushed ahead.

I caught back up with them just as the clouds were breaking and we left the depth of the woods. Got really lucky with this shot, which stuns me, and frightens me a bit - look how big this girl is! She is an amazing person, a real person with tons of thoughts and intentions and a true desire to do good and make others happy. My heart squeezes a bit looking at this, though - for the fleeting nature of time. My little-big girl is 5 years old!

And this one - we were heading back over to the bridge that crosses the pond, and it had started sprinkling again. Ele stopped on the trail just like this, head tilted back, and stood in silence, feeling the rain falling on his face. I couldn’t back up fast enough to try for this shot!

And of course it wouldn’t be a Sprague family outing without someone saying something hilarious (or having a pee-pee accident, but luckily for us, it was the first): On the way out to the parking lot, we stopped to look at the map of the pond and the grounds, and we were showing Rowen where we had walked. Elliott looked at the map (Jared had him in his arms) and said, “Where is Disney World on the map?”

“Well, we’re not really anywhere NEAR Disney World, Ele.”

“But where is it on the map?”

So check your map and see if you see Disney - it’s missing from ours.

I’ve been working on a few things over the past couple of weeks, trying to get past a few other things, and generally muddling around. But I came to a decision tonight that I feel really good about, and I can’t wait to share it as the time gets closer. It’ll be awesome! (oh, and FREE! hehe).

And be sure to mark your calendar- JessicaSprague.com is turning TWO YEARS OLD, and we are having a week-long celebration from the 22-27th of June. Oh man, is it going to be GOOD. :D

I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend, and I’m glad to be back blogging again. :D I feel SO DANG LUCKY. AND SO DANG BLESSED.

Comments

[Tammy]

Jessica--perhaps I am the first to post a comment ... maybe not by the time I form my words.
I loved your photos of the walk/hike with your family and they are absolutely beautiful. The one of Ele letting the rain fall on his face is wonderful ... I think you did get yourself backed up just enough to capture an amazing moment.
I just want you to know also how much I appreciate your commitment to this artform of memory keeping. Thanks for all you have done and continue to do for our community.,
t

[Arya]

Great to see you back, Jessica! And I adore your photos!!

[Kiddo]

I was thinking the same thing looking at Rowen's picture, before I read your comments about her. She is getting so big. Very much out of the toddler stage and into a total little person. I mark the time by my own kids growth and it is bittersweet, isn't it?

[Kelly]

Yay you are back! Can't wait until the BIG 2! And, free is always good in my book, like the FREE Type+Writer with the 3 PSE courses and the FREE Stories In Hand last November - loved that! Have you picked out Rowan's school yet, or are you going to home-school?

[Jana]

Whew..........I was getting worried, which is natural for me! So glad you shared on your blog today! Those pix are super and I love the one with Jared & the kids walking in front of you! I've never seen fungus like that but the patterns are beautiful; great shots! Can't wait for the Terrific 2's celebration. Wow! Rowen is 5....Ktg. and then she could come to my class in 1st grade! Or do you think a daily school bus ride to Ill. would be a bit much? Ha! Have a great weekend & don't stay away so long!

[Amy N.]

we've missed you, but i can certainly understand needing to be absent for a bit. i've had to be absent from my little blog for a bit these past couple of weeks also. your sweet girl is growing up. every year you'll wonder at how she grows especially once she starts school.

can't wait to see what you've been working on.

[Vanessa]

I love the bokeh in that photo of Eli looking up....so beautiful. Looks like the walk was filled with nice photo opportunities.

[Christyn]

The photos are stunning, yet another reminder that the really good stuff can and does happen in the simple moments. Excited for the birthday party on the site, 2 is definitely something to celebrate, I have truly loved the classes I've taken, can't wait to see what's next.

[OR Carol]

I LOVED your photos and stories. I even got up at 2:00 AM to look again! Thank you for sharing your life with me. Rowen and Eli, you and Jared are all so precious to me. XOXO

[Sarah]

So good to have you back. And look how big Rowen looks in that photo!!!! Crazy.

A leaf on the wind??? You ARE a fan, right?

[Kathy]

I loved the pictures--the best was your son feeling the rain

[Trude]

Those are some lovely photos! You can totally see how Rowen will look in 10 years. :) Can't believe the site is going to be 2! Craziness!

[lisa truesdell]

omgosh, jess, i so can't believe how big your kiddos are getting. where has the time gone??

[ShawninAZ]

Glad you're back, you were missed!

[Tasha]

Oh my goodness, Rowen has gotten so big! I always have the first Computer Tricks for Scrapbookers next to me (ok, and the other two) and she almost doesn't look like the same little girl. Or should I say, big girl.

Elliott has gotten so big too!

You have a beautiful family!

Welcome back and I can't wait for the anniversary party!

[shell (shmoop)]

oh my.... i most amazed at how grown up Rowen is ! Geesh.....time flies. Anna started Kindergarten this past year..... was SOOOOOOOO bittersweet! Your Rowen is beautiful............

[latz]

My little-big girl is almost 5 too. I know what you mean about looking so grown up. Your trail looks like one I frequent along the MN River (minus the frequent rain showers). Congratulations on almost 2 years as js.com!

[Tanya]

Welcome back! Great shots of the kids!

[Vicky]

Jess: Glad you're back, I was getting worried about you. Love your pics. My family and I are going to Morton Arboretum (I live in Naperville, IL) tomorrow and look forward to taking some great pics. I can't believe how much Rowen has changed. She is such a beautiful little/big girl. If you get a chance, check out Ali Edwards blog. She has a cute project and freebie I think you'll enjoy doing with your kids. I plan on doing it with mine this weekend. Have a great weekend and thanks for sharing.

[Kari Holt]

Always so happy to see you and hear of your adventures!! I really can't believe how big Rowen looks in that photo ... I feel like we've been watching her grow up before our eyes! 2 years already?!?! I can't believe I've been a part of things that long and yet can't remember my life with out all of my Spraground friends!!! Can't wait to celebrate another year together :)

[LivE]

Awesome shots, Jes! They make my heart melt (can't wait to hug those precious kiddos in person!) I just love how Rowen is such a pretty girl version of Jared and Ele is such a handsome boy version of you! teehee! :D

I think of turning 2 this year, and I can't believe it... only because it feels like we've been friends for 2 centuries. How awesome to feel like we've all been family for tons of years... and yet are young enough not to put the fire stations on alert when we light up our Spraground birthday cake! lol

So DANG GLAD that you're feeling dang happy, my dearest friend! (((hugs)))

[Meg]

Wow - what a cool outing! Jessica - YOU are a blessing to us - thank you! So looking forward to the 2yr celebration - whee! Also - if you are considering homeschooling, check out The Calvert School (where we started 5 years ago) and k12.com (where we are now) - both awesome HS options. Happy to chat about it any time if you have questions - Hugs to you!! Meg

[Mickee]

Great photos Jessica - as always! I am eagerly awaiting the week of JS' 2nd anniversary. I can't wait to sign up for your free class. I had a blast with Stories in Hand and I'm excited to hear what you've got lined up next. Thanks for offering great classes at JS.com.

[Janna]

Love your photos. Your cute story reminds me of something my son said when he was 5: He was looking at a map with his dad, and he said, "Daddy, where are all the people on this map?" His dad tried to explain that the map was a drawing of the land and that nobody drew the people on there. Then he wanted to know if they drew people on the map, would they be as small as germs?

A couple of days ago I received your Computer Tricks 2 and Computer Tricks 3 publications. I LOVE them! I'm not a digital scrapper, but I'm considering doing some hybrid things to save time now that I've seen some of your tips. Thank you for these wonderful publications!

[r4 ds]

This photos are really good in the forest.I like the forest life because there is peace in the forest and we got more chance to make advntures things.We can also know about forest wild life.