It’s October already? HOW??
The concept of time is something I have lost touch with this year. A month feels like an eternity and a millisecond all at once. It’s strange and surreal and I am not sure what is going on exactly. There are days when all I want to do is slow everything down to molasses; feel the sun on my face, sip some coffee and do absolutely nothing. And then there are days when all I want to do is speed everything up; hop on a plane, go on a wild adventure, work tirelessly and bring to fruition every dream I ever had. I currently exists between these two extremes; leaving me constantly searching for a moment to breathe and be present.
So this past weekend when my family took our annual trip to Palm Springs, I felt an immense gratitude for the present moment. I felt so thankful to all be together, to all be healthy and safe, and to have an entire weekend just us cooped up in a house with a pool- not a care in the world - and a chance to release the stresses of time.
And because this weekend was so special, I found myself needing to see these photos in black and white. Even though the desert landscape oozes shades of burnt orange, deep red and vibrant yellow, I needed to strip them down to black and white…because these moments feel timeless. Snapshots I want to freeze forever. And B&W helps me do that.
So here we go - Palm Springs 2020…
We booked a nice house in Indio to stay in for the weekend. In a nice gated community, with an awesome pool and plenty of rooms for all of us to fit - it was the perfect spot for us!
We were kindly greeted with a nice bottle of wine and a welcome note on the kitchen counter. That was a nice touch. As for me, it felt good to have my camera with me, since I haven’t been taking as many photos this year compared to years prior. I was happy to shoot once again, capturing these moments we’ll never get back. Like pairs of tiny shoes all throw around the entry way.
Jordan is a year and a half and he has the most infectious smile!! Love this little boy.
Cam and Eden both love being helpful and found a lot of joy and pride in assisting me in loading the fridge with water bottles and snacks to keep cool. cutest! Tayah on the other hand was just goofing off in the living room - she’s pure entertainment that one lol!
We checked in at 2PM and headed straight to the pool!! D with the mad hops.
Tay and E often look like twins, especially with their floaties on! It was so nice to be poolside with all my siblings eating snacks and chillin in the water.
That glorious palm springs sunshine! 100+ degrees every day.
J and P are both on the move now…J walking (basically running) everywhere and P scooting his bottom all over the ground with an occasional few steps here and there. They are precious and I love these boys.
Peter Obadiah!
When the kids weren’t in the pool they were chilin watching the ipad or running through the halls. Our family is truly blessed to have 7 kids who all love one another and get such good quality time together!
Saturday night dinner was made by Jen - steak, grilled veggies, creamed corn, salad, fresh fruit and rice. Delicious! These are the special, simple moments I will always remember.
Tay 3yrs, Ofie 5yrs. Love these spunky girls.
The backyard of the house was so nice! Really well manicured and so relaxing to be in. There were many seating areas and plenty of space for all of us. I loved it!
These kids bring me so much joy and I am blessed every day to see them! They love morning cartoons, dancing to VBS songs, swimming in the pool until their hands turned into raisins, and eating candy non stop. Being around them so much keeps me humble and reminds me of the simple joys of life. I love them all!
We woke up Sunday morning bright and early and went on a neighborhood walk with the kids. I love this shot of Stac, my dad and all 7 of them. <3 Even though it was only 8AM a this point, it was already 100+ degrees outside and at the end of our walk Hunter said in dramatic fashion, “that (the walk) was the worst thing I have ever done in my entire life!” 9 year olds can be so dramatic sometimes haha!!
Stac always multitasking as a mom of 4. And Cam and Len are what we call “cousin twins!” same age, same grade and best buddies. They love playing together and are even in the same class in school now!
Sissy and Obi
My mom came outside for a bit on Sunday which was nice! She was mostly staying cool inside the house with the AC which was good for her. I was thankful to see her enjoy the weekend and be safe, comfortable and well rested.
In a surprising turn of events, Mr. someone special in my life (refer to previous post hehe) came for the latter half of this weekend. From here on out i’ll probably refer to him by his initials, KC <3 It was surreal having him there! I almost couldn’t believe it…here was this guy I am getting to know, spending time with my entire family, showing the kids his cool drone and splashing around in the pool with all of them, all the while my heart feeling so happy and at ease having him around. I found myself realizing that I was witnessing an answer to prayer. I had always prayed to be with someone who got along with my family and genuinely wanted to hang out with them. And KC walked in and was just as comfy with them as they were with him. A prayer answered. The grace of God evident.
One of my favorite moments was when KC bent down to show my mom what the drone footage looked like. My heart almost burst! This guy is so kind and so caring…and without me even having to explain much to him, he knew from the get-go that my mom is an important person in my life and that making sure she is ok and happy is one of my top priorities. What a good man!!! <3
This is another one of my favorite shots from the weekend…and not only because it’s a great photo of my siblings and my mom, but because my dad took it and we made fun of him for how off centered it is LOL!! But, the best thing about it is that HE took it and it IS off centered because that is what makes it special. And I love my siblings. Forever grateful for them!
I also really love this shot of my parents <3 they are everything to me!!!
J was fearless in the pool! Love this kid.
Sunday night was really fun! We all sat around the living room and played LCR with 3 dollars each. It’s a game of complete luck which makes it fun to play with kids of all ages because they just have to roll dice haha! And the BEST part of this all was…the one winner of the entire pot of money at the end was *drumroll….KC OF ALL PEOPLE !!! hahaha!!! The ONE guest we had at the house ended up winning the entire pot of $30+ bucks. amazing. Couldn’t have planned it better myself.
I loved that memory of all sitting in a circle playing LCR.
Monday morning we all woke up bright and early…KC and I went on a coffee run and snapped a few shots of the sunrise…the kids got one last swim in the pool and then we headed home.
I was so thankful to have a weekend with my family and to share the experience with KC as well. Even though we just started dating, I already feel this safety and security with him, this level of comfort and trust I never could have imagined - EVER! But God is gracious, God is kind, God is all knowing, and God is in the details and HE Knew exactly the kind of guy that my heart needed. Very thankful for the good Lord and for KC being a man of God who I admire, respect, trust and get to grow with through all the ups and downs. And…he even drove me all the way home taking me to Downtown Disney on the way back for a little date to end the weekend. I kept having to pinch myself- is this real life???
And that wraps it up folks. Palm Springs 2020 was amazing. A true blessing. This year has been so difficult for so many reasons- so to be able to actually go on a short trip and feel a sense of adventure and fun was invigorating! Thankful. Very very thankful.