Family Fun and Fall Festivities

This weekend we drove to Bengtson's Farm. It felt very midwestern of us and was very fun:

 There was a pig race.

 And we cheered from the bleachers.

We took a ride in a train and talked about Thomas the whole way.

I was glad Daniel was there to do the "spinny rides." Looks like he was glad too.

 Levi rode his first pony (if you don't count Luther).

We fed lots of cute animals a healthy snack of carrots.

 Levi made friends with a goat and they stared off in the distance together.

I saw my favorite animal. This camel was particularly cute...

...with his extra long neck.

 Levi tried riding pumpkins, which wasn't as fun as riding ponies...

 ...until Daddy joined in.

With two adorable boys its hard to remember to take pictures of the two of us. 

We remembered this time.

Silas really was a part of the fun...he just slept through most of it. And when he finally was awake I captured some amazing pictures with out adjusting the camera. Whoopsies. Biggest let down of the day. 

This would have been a great shot.

We all had so much fun!

In reverse

Have you ever watched a movie or read a book in anticipation for a play that you are going to see? Just to be in tune with the story and to contain some of your excitement?

Reverse that...Have you every bought tickets to a play in anticipation of a movie that is coming out? Never, right? I mean who does that?

Well, I just bought tickets Les Miserables the play in anticipation for Les Miserables the movie (coming this Christmas). That is how good the movie looks!

Take a peek.

Dan and I will be going to the play for his birthday in November and I am so excited about that as well!

the taste of fall...

This recipe is a must try: fun to make and delicious. There is something precisely fall about the amber, gooey, sweet and salty goodness of this homemade caramel. Perfect on its own, drizzled over 

icecream or apples...or anything, really.

Dan and I have been enjoying it drizzled over kettle cooked popcorn.  

And as he would say, "It's too good."

I think it has made the roster for our home date tonight too. I am thinking fire in the back, boggle (yes boggle...trust me, it is more fun then you remember) and salted caramel popcorn.

1460

= the number of days I have been married to my sweet husband Daniel (plus 5, if you count the days this post is overdue).

1460. Let me do the math again because that doesn't even seem like that many days....

Yep. 1460.

Four years, two babies, two dogs, two moves, a masters degree, and a new job later (and a million moments in between)...

We are in love and growing. I am so thankful for these years that I have shared with my best friend.

Here's to many more.

We made it!

We honestly weren't sure we would...but we made it through one crazy pregnancy to welcome our very precious Silas Keeton Bush on July 3. And so, I am slowly but surely hoping to re-enter the blogging world. In the whirlwind of the last ten months there would have been both too much and too little to share (I will try to recap at some point). But now I am hoping to give snippets back into our world.  Sharing things that make us happy, inspire us, stir our thinking, make us laugh. And maybe give you an idea of what I am up to creatively, for work and play.

In the meantime, here are a few images captureing our bliss this past month:

Levi meets his baby brother

Daddy getting to know Silas

back home

snuggling

brothers

so glad he's here

Levi Garrison

my three boys

Our Wedding

DWJ Photography recently blogged about our wedding day. This day was full of the happiest memories and the team captured its essence. Thanks, Lauren, for taking me back! It is amazing to think about all that can happen in 3.5 years. I love you Daniel Bush!

LOVE

Tomorrow marks three years married to the love of my life. And what a journey these three years have been; not without hurdles--but honestly the best years yet. I am thankful God for the gift he has given me in Daniel.



Here's to us, and to many many more years.

We are back

from a wonderful week in Door County, Wisconsin. Some dear family friends let us use their cabin way up in Ellison Bay (for those of you who know Door County). It was a bit of a detox from normal life...no internet, or even phone service. No to-do's around the house or yard. No work for Dan, no painting for me. And as much land to roam as a boy and his dog could hope for. With only a few wow-a-week-is-a-long-time-to-go-with-out-being-connected-to-the-world-moments, we soaked up the fresh air and benefited from truly being away. The house is perched right on lake michigan and surrounded by woods. I read a book and cooked. We hiked in the national parks and swam everyday. It was beautiful and a bonding time for our little family.

Crazy Grays.

Daniel and I just took a short trip to New York for Makoto Fujimura's recent work, The Four Holy Gospels. It was such a treat to be there; the series was visually remarkable and as Makoto spoke about it he called it his "life work." We had to pinch ourselves to believe that we got to be a part of such special night.

Besides that event, we bussled around New York. I may have gone to the best show of my life while there: Anselm Kiefer at the Gogosian Gallery. Whew...it blew my mind.

Standing close Kiefer's paintings, they looked abstract; a constellation of ash and dirt and paint. I was tempted to stay close, lost in weathered clay and crackled beauty. But stepping further back I was drawn into gorgeous gray landscapes of depth--they felt like they went on forever. His installations, so fragile and precarious, were encased in glass. These haunt me; they transported me into someone's sad world. I felt the horror in the pieces without knowing their specific story. So often I try to understand the specifics of a story or person in order to feel something for them, this time it was opposite and it seemed natural. I experienced a sort of visual empathy. Language did not get in the way this time.

Here are some images from the show: