Bellezza di Vita

Months ago, I filmed a video about compassion and empathy. When I downloaded it to my computer, I didn't have the time or the drive to edit and upload it... until today. I re-watched the full 11:37 video and realized that my message was very clear and that it applies just as much to today as it did when I originally filmed it in November. 
Compassion. It's something that many people lack - not on purpose, but out of convenience. Out of carelessness. Without a thought. People aren't bad because of it, rather unaware and lacking mindfulness of who is around them and how they may be feeling.
I wanted to share this video as a reminder for people to view other people as humans - as people just like themselves. To have empathy and compassion because you just do not know what another person is going through.


Lovingly yours,
Em

Blessed. This is the perfect word to describe my life. While not everything goes in the direction I hope, nor does it ever happen in the ways I plan, it's mine and I have joy. More often than not, I face obstacles and sometimes rather painful experiences that I find to be overwhelming at times. All the same, I conquer. I have faith in a few things: a higher power, that higher power within me, and in myself. Faith always carries me through and has brought me to where I am.
I think my life to be somewhat average in many ways. I am not poor, but I am not wealthy. I can usually obtain the things I want if I plan for them and budget in most instances. However, I wasn't always affluent enough to afford small luxuries, such as my beloved Starbucks habit or my car. These two things would have exceeded my budget by far if I were 23-years-old again.  
Though, one thing that I am wealthy with is ambition. I've always been wealthy with ambition. If I want something, I find a way to m…

How glorious are the delicate blossoms that sprout in the springtime? It is my most favorite thing about the arrival of springtime - the little pops of pink and white littering residential roads with tiny pastel petals after a gusty wind flow. 
A few weeks ago, inspiration sprung up at me while admiring the poppy pink trees on a drive through a windy country road. I was on my way to visit my sister with my DSLR camera in tow. Our plan was for me to practice portrait shots using my new 50 mm 1.8 f/s lens with her as my subject, and since I was still an hour and a half away, I called Stephie and asked if she knew of any blossoming cherry trees nearby for a chance of scenery. She didn't.
When I arrived, we drove around with our sights set upon finding the perfect setting. We found it serendipitously - in an almost-empty field at the local community college. It was perfect! A single tree with downy white petals bubbling around its dark branches, surrounded by emerald green grass and …

For those of you who have followed me for some time, you must know by now that one of my favorite spots here in Seattle is Green Lake. There's something so serene in walking the almost-three mile path around the lake - all while never even leaving the city. It's a short drive away and I find myself longing for a visit when I think only of its lush natural scenery and everything you could want in a park.
I went to Green Lake earlier in the day than normal and spotted these lovely little crocuses, reaching their aubergine-veined petals through the soil. I see them every year scattered about the city, but something about how they always reach for the sky makes them so relatable. 
Starting my walk, I noticed the eerie sky and how white it was with overcast - there were crows cawing and screeching from all over, fields and branches full of birds. My assumption is that after all the earthworms were about and crows were swarming to get a shot at their evening meal. 
Concluding my wa…

Two years ago, my sister and I ventured up to Snohomish County to go to our first corn maze. On this past Sunday, we repeated the experience, this time, with her boyfriend in our company, taking lead as map guide. 
In our first year, we had forgone the use of the map and decided to venture through completely
on our own. We made it! It took us nearly two hours to complete the massive maze, but all the same, had a a lot of fun - so much so that when she announced that she was moving back to Washington State from Arizona, we both decided (early in the summer, mind you) that we would be returning to Bob's Corn Maze.

As our tummies were grumbling with hunger upon our arrival, we started our visit by standing in the understandably long line for three scrumptious golden ears of roasted corn, dipped into melted salty butter, using a napkin and the blackened husks to anchor the ears to our
hands. Juicy bites of corn melted in our mouths with one delicious bite after another. This year,…

Now that it's fall, I can bask in all the loveliness that this too-short season brings - be it the beautiful autumn reds and golds of the changing leaves, to the crisp, smoky air, and of course, my favorite: the bountiful fall harvests of apples, pumpkins, pears, squash, and many others.
I've been busy around my house, preserving many jars of fruit butters: apple and pear. I made two variations of apple butter - one is more traditional with a mulled apple cider flavor. The second one is a concoction I threw together by accident - lemon clove. I wasn't paying attention to the quantity of cloves and allspice, so the flavor was... ahem... a little strong. To counter it, I used a bit of maple syrup and cooked a lemon into the softening apple mixture. It now has a really nice mix of lemon and clove - very refreshing and unique. I think I will post a recipe onto my other blog because it accidentally turned into something quite tasty.
What are your favorite autumn traditions? I …