the only way i could make my pencil move

as i take a breath amidst the mad packing for paris, i've put on some radiohead and tried to comprehend what this week has been and what tomorrow is going to begin. 

i'm trying this thing where i don't think about the details so much, as it often gets me in trouble- so i'm not going to offer up any more details of all the emotions before travel. 

i will say that i am so hopeful for these next couple of weeks and that i couldn't be more happy with the people i get to spend them with. 

-  -

two mondays ago i put my work up in a school-run exhibit with fellow students as sort of a mid term critique by professors and other students. 

it went well, i really can't sum up how i'm doing with art right now, being abroad. so i suppose i won't try. but i'm looking forward to building from this initial work, and putting up another exhibition at the end of the semester. 

this group of work includes photographs (taken by Kirk and myself) overlaid by line drawings on tracing paper/vellum. summarizes the struggle of someone put out of their comfort zone, completely vulnerable, left longing for something, it pulling on them. 

(something being nature. someone being me, i guess.)

itchy feet

stars

so. i am happy to report that my paper got done (despite missing out on some fun st. patrick's day festivities) and here i type. 

this weekend trip to northern wales was very much spur-of-the-moment, but i'm so glad that i dived into the awful planning process and held strong to what i've been lusting for. so i convinced my friends to run away to the mountains with me, and it was so perfect. 

braiding hair on the train

megan; new zealand; lovely girl, lovely hiking buddy

the initial wonder

my beautiful friend, rachel! 

the moss. it was fantastic. to lay in a bed of moss.

our hostel where we met such kind people and made family dinners

my favourite

the hostel was situated perfectly between a clear, deep blue lake and the mountains

even this. it was so good to crouch down and marvel at the littlest bits of nature.

grace; new zealand; silly walker, silly talker

we all loved learning about and trying to speak welsh

and on the first night, there was this. started bad, ended bad.

so scary. i'm sorry. 

happy frenchman with a ponytail beard

or a unibrow....

asian man with a fu manchu that continues into a full braided beard

there's sound effects to this one. "ooooOOOoOooooh"

so great

after we recovered from the laughter and washed the lipstick off our foreheads we got plenty of rest for the second day of hiking up snowdon

sneeps!!!

hiking buds!

aaaaand there's rach and kat

there's a train for warmer days that lead up to the top of snowdon

the fog created white sheets on all sides of us

it was beautiful

very lord of the rings-esque

being the tallest peak in england and wales, it's a very popular climb

happy to have made it up there with very good friends. wishing for some rewarding views

on the way down

we hiked down, feeling good about it all. we all convened at the bottom and jumped into the freezing lake together. it was AWESOME

such a valuable, much-needed breath of fresh air. it filled me with peace. and we made memories not soon to be forgotten.

and now i'm getting ready to do the real traveling. the hard stuff. the fun stuff. the beautiful stuff. one week until i see paris, one week until i see kirk and his family.