Toscana Travel Photies

7/23/13
Traveling to Italy was an amazing lifelong dream that finally came true for me last month. I couldn’t have picked a better a better group to go with. My lovely mentors and friends Carol and James put together an out of this world program to inspire others to live creatively. For 10 days in the gorgeous Tuscan hills we woke up to church bells ringing from our ancient castle-like home, enjoyed a morning of yoga, fresh-baked bread and espresso, then filled our days with writing, art-making, amazing food-eating, and of course a bit of vino and laughs. This trip allowed me to connect in a deeper way with many others on the journey with me, but most of all truly served the purpose of getting me back into living creatively. My batteries are charged and I have been on overdrive since returning home, but functioning on high speed now certainly wouldn’t have been possible without sweet Italy.
These are some of my favorite photos from the trip…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

…other artwork from the journey coming soon…

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Keeping my Eye on the Prize

9/24/12
Back to the motherland… Italia here I come!!! Although my ancestors came from a significantly lower portion of the country (this explains the brownness of my skin after sunlight exposure,) I have almost uncontainable joy for the journey I will soon be on to Bagni di Lucca in Toscana, to enjoy the splendors mother nature has to offer and to reconnect with my inner happy/artist.

This week has been tumultuous and I feel as though the universe is somewhat out of alignment. I have no control, but am trying to keep from spinning out of control. A moderate amount of control, at least over your own mental state is usually a good place to be. At a time when the negative aspects of the world seem inescapable, I am greeted with a reminder that yes, there will be an escape.

The first informational meeting for the annual Italy trip hosted by the spectacular Carol Panaro-Smith and James Hajicek, both artists and teachers, was held last night. They lifted my spirits a lot with the details and pictures of the adventure we will be on together next summer in the hills of Toscana for an enlightening and creative workshop. If only we could leave tomorrow! The meeting last night was such a great reminder to keep your eye on the prize. Although we cannot understand why things work the way they do, it seems there is always a greater purpose and what’s meant to be will be, no matter how hard you fight it.

I cannot wait to feel the breeze on my skin as I stand on the hillside…