2013 in Review! Whew!

I started writing this at the start of the year, and then, well... kids, and farm chores, and a Month of Love Giveaways, and a baby, and life had me put it on hold. I then thought it silly to post last year's Review in March. I then remembered my Word(s) of the Year - Letting Go (yes, that blog post was started, too), and I thought Mama, just post it. This is your journey and this is where it is captured. So, for those interested, and most importantly, for my family to remember... here is our 2013 Eco Womb journey in a nutshell...

started off 2013 in Colorado Springs, CO... hiked red rocks, went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

visited family and family friends in Golden, CO, saw my sweet Aunt Emily and my Great-Grandfather's bridge, a legend in Golden

drove over the Continental Divide at 11,990 ft. on Loveland Pass on our way to see village friends in Breckenridge, CO

visited with the Happy Janssens (now, Nesting Gypsy) in Boulder, CO and they visited their former Live Lightly Tour Bus now the Eco Womb in Longmont, CO. so much fun to hang out with like minded friends!

adopted a puppy we named Spirit

hiked Dinosaur Ridge, Red Rocks and Lookout Mountains

walked on ice, sled down hills, climbed mountains, and hiked the desert in bare feet

marveled in the vibrant colors of Santa Fe, NM and worked on The Community Farm

walked across the Rio Grande Gorge

 visited the Earth Ships in Taos, NM and dreamed up our next adventure building one

sipped hot tea and talked of living together on an island with the Cage Free Family

our girl had her first ballet class

the five of us went skiing at Sipapu for the price of one lift ticket, seriously best deal ever!!!

studied petroglyphs and hiked a volcano in Albuquerque, NM

attended a native ceremonial dance at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

drove on Historic Route 66

went to Meteor Crater

took the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams, AZ to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. first time ever seeing the Grand Canyon, and seriously amazed at the beauty and wonder of creation.

went from a snowy blizzard to a steamy desert and a difference of about 70 degrees in one day's drive!

made it to sunny California and laid in the green grass after months of dry desert, ahhhh!!!!

drove our house through Los Angeles traffic!

parked oceanside on the cliffs of Malibu and touched our toes in the Pacific... we made it coast to coast baby!

was interviewed and toured our home on national television, on the Ricki Lake Show, featured as "The Greenest Family in America"

got to see many sunsets over Mama Ocean, which growing up on the East Coast you just don't get to experience

met a Rimpache at Sun Life Organics in Malibu, CA

hiked the California coastline, wondered in awe at the abundance of life in tide pools, and hung with a baby seal just sunning on some rocks

had a picnic with friends at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, CA

beach day in Ventura, CA with tons of surfers and dogs

horseback riding and sand dune racing at Pacific Dunes Ranch

helped build an Eco-Dog House at the PLACE for Sustainable Living in Oakland, CA

hiked a hilltop view of San Francisco after watching our national TV debut, a bit surreal of a day to say the least

crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, drove Violet down Lombard Street (one of the steepest and curviest in San Francisco), and saw sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf

stayed cliffside in Pacifica, biked oceanside with the kiddos, and saw whales migrating

puppet shows, improv, circus tricks, and gluten-free / dairy-free cupcakes with our dear friends in Oakland

launched our 2013 Tour at the San Francisco Earth Day event in downtown San Francisco, CA

hung with the Scholl Bus family and hooped on the beach, rode trolley cars to tour the city, went to Chinatown, and took a Duck Boat tour

made the announcement that we were pregnant with Eco Womb babe #4!!!!

shopped on Haight and Ashbury for some vintage hippie style for Mama's growing belly, and tie dye for the baby to be

climbed rocks at Muir Beach and walked in awe and wonder under towering redwoods at Muir Woods State Park

Santa Cruz Boardwalk, chatting with sea lions on the pier, skate parks, and sand between the toes

Hootenannies at the PLACE for Sustainable Living, chats by bonfire, cob oven gluten-free / dairy-free pizza, fire juggling, live music and dancing

took the kids to Adventure Playground in Berkley, CA, a hands on build it yourself interactive fun spot, think hammers and nails and climbing and independent action

kids repaired their own bikes at Spokeland in Oakland, CA

March Against Monsanto San Francisco, MOMS Across America, Yes on 522, March for Food Freedom, and Fishy Corn Car events and doing our part to continue to stand up to GMOs and for the Right to Know what is in our food!!!

Berkeley Family Fun Fest

mama time with my two littlest at Children's Fairyland, a Storybook Theme Park in Oakland, CA

met the mamas from The Thinking Moms Revolution and vowed to keep fighting for and healing our kids

Shasta Lake, the Sundial Bridge, and hiking caves

fireworks over Siskayou Lake, swimming under a snowy Mt. Shasta, outdoor campfire movies with my girl, and pedal boat rides with the fam

kids fishing day, and catching our dinner

stand up paddle boarding (sup) at 6 months pregnant, feeling strong, and quiet mama alone time out on the open water

Oregon, beautiful Oregon!!!

campfires with friends overlooking Emigrant Lake, and cooling off in Lithia Creek

fresh wild roadside blueberry snack, best drive-thru ever

a calming soak in Jackson Well Springs, and breathing in the divine energy of the Goddess Temple

Sacred Seeds event to benefit GMO Free Jackson County

running into our sweet spirit brotha, Human of The Human Revolution, at SeQuential, a roadside biofuel pitstop, just love how the universe brings us together

Burnt Woodstock, the people, the music, the hooping, the fire dancing, the kids' train, the fun, the fun, the fun... and creating family after just one short weekend

hanging with Hippie Motors USA, and checking out vintage VWs at the Portland Bug-In with Violet

the Oregon coast, cold, windy, rainy, and absolutely vibrant with life in the tide pools, Mama Ocean we love you!

Mt. Hood in the summer, rock hopping in the creek, popcorn over a campfire, kids playing a game of puddle jumping in the rain, hiking waterfalls, and Trillium Lake

Earth Mama Angel Baby came on as a Sponsor and invited this Mama Bear to do a pregnant belly photo shoot, amazing! And, thank you!

Portland, friends becoming family, hanging out at coffee shops and bakeries, kids dancing in the rain, and OMSI

Back to Eden Bakery, gluten-free vegan goodness, oh my!  Best. Bakery. Ever. seriously, not too many places where we can choose from everything on the menu, and this place rocked it!

Seattle fun, the Space Needle, the fish market, and the largest selection of gluten-free, dairy-free, organic options at a pizza joint ever!

the quiet of Sequim, WA, hikes along the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, bird watching, tree climbing, the air show, nature center, and a hike through the forest

visiting friends in Port Angeles, WA, fun surprise fairy scavenger hunts, hand picked dinner from the garden, and soulful conversation

events with Seattle's Yes on 522, and GMO-Free Jackson County

welcomed Cotton Cloud Organics and GladRags as new Eco Womb Sponsors

said Goodbye to Violet, our vintage 1972 purple VW bug, and hello to the Eco Womb minivan :-)

nesting and renovations for baby on the way, handmade a new dining table and stained naturally with coffee, built a bench seat and new bunkbeds for the kiddos

got a Tipi! got a Tipi! got a Tipi!

37 weeks pregnant and still marching for GMO's, and then...

WE HAD A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

landed in Southern Oregon on a farm and six days later welcomed our precious babe on the full moon at 38 weeks at home in the Eco Womb

spent the winter on a 30 acre organic farm with alpacas and chickens and dogs and 8 kids running around with another sweet babe in the sling

creating a sacred family space then gathering space in the Tipi, had a Naming Ceremony for our baby boy at 5 days old, had full moon fires, a tea party in the tipi, a Winter Solstice Ceremony, and a New Years Eve celebration

 hiked the mountainside, walked the pasture, built a treehouse, made kid designed playground equipment

built a compost bin, set up a recycling station, renovated a rental house, constructed fencing, and helped with farm chores

kids participated in Homeschool Gym and Swim every week, we got library cards, and became regulars at the Ashland Food Co-op

enjoyed snow, sledding, snowball fights and walking on an icy pond

spent the holidays decorating for Christmas, enjoying the lights of small mountain towns, and spreading smiles by sharing little love notes all over

from Colorado to New Mexico to Arizona to California to Oregon to Washington, we added 6 new states to our map, and explored the vast wonders of the desert, the mountains, dense forests, lakes, ocean cliffs, rocky tide pools, ice cold creeks, and farm life

we made friends with alpacas and lived in an 8 acre pasture for our yard

we fell in love with the west coast, where mountain meets ocean, and fell in step with conscious community throughout our travels

we expanded our family and our love with a new puppy

and WE MADE A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our beautiful, amazing Baby Boy made his way earth side, conceived and born at home in the Eco Womb during 2013, and expanding our family love so immensely with his spirit, smiles, joy and baby bliss!

I think this may have been our most productive and life-fulfilling year yet, and we know the journey is just beginning!!!!