April 25, 2019

miami. spring break twenty nineteen. part one

Claudia everyday life Beach, friends, life, Miami, ocean, spring break, vacation 4 Comments

two weeks ago (already?) Lily and i got in the car at 7am and drove 12.5 hours straight from asheville to miami where we arrived at 7:30pm

even though the car radio/gps system did not work and only my phone was used, even though Lily’s i-pad did not work the whole entire drive, we are badass road warriors who made the trip in one day by only making three quick stops

because long car trips are something we have done with Lily since she was one month old, she has always been a great car rider

that said, as she has gotten older, she just keeps getting better and better and road trips with her just keep getting more and more fun

so yes, we arrived in miami at 7:30pm on thursday two weeks ago and eighty degree weather and car windows down never felt so good

neither did that sweet miami air

our airbnb was not booked until the following day so we drove to surfside where we spent the night with dear friends

we couldn’t have asked for a better welcome and a better way to start our spring break

ps- not pictured: our trip to publix after we left our friends’ home, checking into our airbnb and a much anticipated reunion between Lily and her miami bff Savannah as well as friday happy hour in our old hood

welcome to miami

i met these two lovely people in 2002 when i interviewed with Min for a sales position at a high end jewelry store. she quickly not only became my manager but a good friend. their daughter was the same age as Lily is now when we met. 15 years of friendship later, their daughter is now 26

friday morning. i miss waking up to a miami jungle

breakfast

their daughter Lulu is a wonderful artist. she and Lily love doodling together

i have a thing with window sills….

the beach! the beach! the beach! omg it had been so long…. too long

post beach outdoor shower

hi

April 22, 2019

16/52. twenty nineteen

Claudia photo challenges, the 52 project Lily 2 Comments

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2019”

Lily

on spring break at the beach in miami beach

if she wasn’t in the water, she was on the sand doing gymnastics and being a contortionist

it is all about being a contortionist these days

happy monday friends

it’s back to school and back to asheville life for us….

April 15, 2019

15/52. twenty nineteen

Claudia photo challenges, the 52 project Lily 2 Comments

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2019”

Lily

on spring break

in miami

happy monday friends!

all is better now….

April 8, 2019

14/52. twenty nineteen

Claudia photo challenges, the 52 project Lily 2 Comments

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2019”

Lily

post shower, pre dinner

happy monday friends

April 5, 2019

around here. february & march

Claudia around here Asheville, family, home, life, Winter 4 Comments

friends, it is finally april

i have been anxiously waiting for this month for so long

not just because spring is usually in full bloom in april but also because our spring break will finally take place

which means miami

yes we are going back

forth year in a row

this time we are staying the whole week and i am so looking forward to beach time, pool time, sunshine, palm trees, old friends, old hang outs…. i am looking forward to going home

yes, home

after living in miami for almost fifteen years (the longest i have ever lived anywhere), i still consider miami my home

i cannot wait

just one more week…

happy friday friends!

february

all the pretty cardinals

i photographed a small intimate wedding and this was the super sweet bride

walks in the sunshine

these tiny blooms that Lily gave me lasted over a month

afternoon light

march

strawberry crepes in the making

glimpses of light

and rainbows

winter red

this guy we found on the streets of miami six years ago

mirror laughs

an owl by Lily

and an anime mona lisa also by Lily

i started painting a mural in our dining room wall

daffodils from our garden

sunshine

there are now fun things to do in our backyard

i have taken the rainbow makers onto necklace levels. the shop is now open

after school banana/strawberry smoothie, tiger straw and new reading glasses

looking at the cardinals feeding at our feeder

happy april!!!!!

April 1, 2019

13/52. twenty nineteen

Claudia photo challenges, the 52 project Lily 2 Comments

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2019”

Lily

in saturday’s morning light during our girls weekend at home (William was in nashville having a guys weekend)

happy monday and happy april friends!

March 25, 2019

12/52. twenty nineteen

Claudia photo challenges, the 52 project Lily 4 Comments

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2019”

Lily

when she turned seven years old, and we were then living in this brick house, we gifted her a trampoline for her birthday

sadly she had to part with it when we moved to the castle house because there was no room for it in that yard

this past saturday she and William put together a brand new trampoline (a sixteen footer)

let’s just say that the trampoline is our asheville swimming pool

it’s where Lily spends most of her time when it is nice out and it is where all the kids in the neighborhood also like to gather

a much needed outdoor toy

happy monday friends!

March 18, 2019

11/52. twenty nineteen

Claudia photo challenges, the 52 project Lily 2 Comments

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2019”

Lily

a sweet and sleepy face on a sunday morning

happy monday friends

March 11, 2019

10/52. twenty nineteen

Claudia photo challenges, the 52 project Lily 0 Comments

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2019”

Lily

on sundays she takes a nice long bath at the end of the day and washes her hair

she then asks me to braid it into small braids

on monday, before going off to school, she undoes all the braids and is left with a crimped out mane for the rest of the week

happy monday friends

March 8, 2019

around here. january

Claudia around here Asheville, family, home, life, Winter 4 Comments

i once heard that it takes half the time of a relationship to get over that said relationship once it’s over

if that’s true, which i sort of found it to be after my divorce to my first husband, i still have four more years left to get over our break up with miami

i am not going to lie, it has been a struggle

especially during this eternal winter (and the previous ones)

there is still not a lot that sparks joy for me in this town surrounded by mountains

there are days when i curse ever having moved here and i miss everything about miami (minus the humidity and the roaches)

since living in ashveille for the past three years, i have never felt so lonely and depressed (and angry)

sure there are good days

but it truly feels like they don’t outweigh the bad days

regardless, i try to push through and i function

i smile, i parent, i get house chores done…. i do like i’m supposed to and expected to

some days better than others (like all of us i suppose)

that sad feeling deep within me of not being where i want to be never leaves me though

sunny days help lift my mood

but i have realized that i am a tropical girl at heart (regardless of complaining about the humidity when living in miami)

i like tropical greens best

and tropical fruits and foods to go with it

i prefer summer layers to winter layers

i am inspired by (and more motivated by) bright colors rather than the sad browns and greys that surround me for far too long every single year living here

when i visit past miami posts, i am reminded of how full of color and friends our lives were there

family life aside, everything here takes so much effort for me

i am of course the only one who feels this way

both William and Lily are thriving here

and because they are thriving the way they are, it makes the thought of moving selfish and impossible

in the meanwhile i am going to keep trying to just do

and to look forward to those tropical greens and sunshine which are coming for spring break

happy friday friends