“You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” Thank you Shirley Chisholm for our marching orders. I will be uniting with black leaders to lift up and help implement their ideas. #amplifymelanatedvoices #ShirleyChisholm

“What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence.” #AudreLorde These tyrannies will erode this nation and it’s clear they will sicken us all if we don’t overhaul the entire system that oppresses black lives. #1619project link in my bio with @nytimes Nikole Hannah Jones’ seminal work that examines the insidious ways the dark legacy of slavery continues to shape this country.

Descended into the darkness of an abandoned artillery base this weekend - Auden’s favorite activity 🤷🏼‍♀️🥴 Running through a network of eerie dark tunnels with flashlights, encountering all manner of creepy & empty bunkers/gun encampments in the area known as “The Triangle of Fire.” Auden asks me weekly to “take him to the place where the soldiers stayed,” (aka Fort Worden in Port Townsend) so he can explore haunted tunnels and barracks 😳😬. This kid has adventure in every bone of his body 🔦.

Mama to Auden Oak here...! This Mother’s Day couldn’t have been more special. While paddle boarding in the #HoodCanal today (80° ☀️!), a pod of Orcas swam by me while Frank and Auden screamed & pointed from ashore! Auden Oak....the part of me that keeps expanding and filling up every part of what makes me human. Giving him life and watching him evolve his unique self into being will forever amount to sheer perfection. The magic that is spending time surrounded by live sand dollars, crabs, starfish, oysters and all manner of sea life while paddling amongst whales makes this mama heart soar. Finishing off today with a special Mother’s Day 🍰 & movie night. 💛 #happymothersday #mamahood

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” —Theodore Roosevelt #happyearthday #pnwonderland #pnwadventures #pnwlife #traveloregon #mountainsarecalling #earthdayfeels

We found a 🌈 in the salty brine of an 🦪 under the pier! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 “Well the sky is finally open, the rain and wind stopped blowin' But you're stuck out in the same old storm again You hold tight to your umbrella, well, darlin' I'm just tryin' to tell ya That there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head” @spaceykacey #AudenOakHorvat #oysterlove #familywalks

Our state has been on official lockdown for more than a month & Auden is getting really bummed out missing his family & friends on a deeply emotional level for 4. It’s an awakening to witness his ♥️ & mind process why things are the way they are. I hesitate to say too much but answer as truthfully as I can without the world seeming like one big scary place. Since Auden was born, we’ve filled his days with activities and as such his daily mantra is, “mama, what are we doin today?” He’s inherited my incessant need to always have an agenda and be on the go. So this lockdown has him pretty out of sorts with the lack of social engagement, family visits, explorations, & changing scenery. So, I’ve been coming up with loads of attempts to create magic out of the everyday to keep him from going crazy. We’ve been eating at home for every meal except about 3 times that we’ve had delivery/takeout since the lockdown started. Last night, our big adventure was just me & Auden driving to p/u Thai food in Poulsbo....I made a huge deal about crossing the island bridge and went completely over the top pointing out all the pretty things...the rocky shores under the bridge, 🦅 overhead, golden light over Liberty Bay, the boats floating all around...He laughed hysterically as we made up silly dances and blasted music. It’s such a different world for him to process as we pull up to the restaurant where a masked girl delivers the food to our car window as I wear my own mask and the cars adjacent filled with somber, masked adults. I see it all over Auden’s face....the fear in these quiet, eerie experiences. He’s constantly asking when will the virus go away so he can see his friends & grandparents. When can he go on the ferry to the zoo, science center, & aquarium? We as parents are trying our best to protect them and still make their childhood as innocent & carefree as possible, but it’s remarkable the emotional toll this will take on kids. I will keep surrounding Auden with love, silliness, & as I often tell him, a little songbird in my heart...after which he says, “mama there’s no “burd” in your “hawt...” “that not possible silly mama...” “But anything is possible with me mama.” 😂😍

The Easter Bunny 🧺 shopped local🐰🥕 #foxglovehollowoftheisland #easterbasket #smallbusinesses #BainbridgeIsland #etsyfinds

Auden’s handy work. Pastel sugary goodness. 🌷 #easter2020 #foxglovehollowoftheisland

💛🐣🐰🐝🌷“Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.” L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables #HappyEaster #foxglovehollowoftheisland #audenoakhorvat

Happy Easter Eve 🐣🐰💛

I put the kettle on in between calls and took 5 minutes to just absorb the sunlight taking over this corner of the house. Enjoyed a cuppa with a piece of homemade 🍋 🍰 in our kitchen window nook & just filled my mind with thoughts of spring, Easter 🐣 and hope. I know we are all vacillating between fury, fear, and feelings of despair, punctuated by exhaustion and agonizing uncertainty, but I have to think one thing that’s constant is the need to absorb as much light as you can manage to find yourself in the presence of. ✨ #cuppatea #hyggelife #stayhomesavelives