Eco Womb's 2012 in Review - Whew!
As I sat down to reflect on all that we had done this past year, I was blown away. Not just by all the places we had been, but all the events we had done, experiences we shared, and all the connections we made with beautiful people along the way. On New Year's Eve, Clint and I started to look through all the photos we had taken in 2012, a digital memory book of sorts, and we couldn't even get through them all, there were so many, I think somewhere near 5,000! So, I thought I would write it all out, all that we have done, pretty much the only way I could wrap my head around it all. A scrapbook of memories, accomplishments, touchstones during this year of transformation for so many. So here it is... the fun, the connections, the growth, and the memories. Yeah, we did a ton, and yeah, what an adventure! The Eco Womb's year in review - whew!
My word for the year was "Connection" - connection with this world and with Mama Earth in this time of open consciousness, with community, with friends and family (and friends that have become family), with my husband and children, and with my own mind, body, soul and spirit. And, boy, did I connect! With so many of you out there on the road and online, with this feeling of worldwide change, with a village that became family, and with my family and self. Coming full-circle to a new year again I am now turning inward to reflect on it all and connect more with my kids, and our spirits.
I aligned myself with the lunar cycle, allowing Mama Luna to guide me with setting intentions and making connections, with letting go and pulling in, with listening to my heart and spirit and sharing in community times to celebrate life. With each New Moon I found myself walking in the dark under just the stars to a quiet space in nature, often with my spirit sista with me, settling in to write and reflect on the next cycle's intentions. Then, with each Full Moon I found myself in celebration of community, or sometimes just my family, but togetherness in allowing those intentions to take hold, however it unfolded.
I hosted my first "Gathering of Intentions" under the first full moon of 2012 and had a vision for The Conscious Caravan. Hosted many Full Moon Feasts and Campfires after that, gathering as villages once did under the moon around food and with family.
learned to belly dance and spin wool and double dig a garden, took to drumming more, and did body art
fell in ease and strength with yoga... alone, with my girlfriends, and with my littles
fire danced with the girls as the guys drummed the night away
went to Suwannee Music Camp and Legoland with the kids and learned that I love being a kid with them ;)
enjoyed thrift shopping and consignment store hopping with girlfriends
built our own fire rings, collected our own firewood from the forest, and dug holes for compost, working together with Mama Nature to sustain ourselves and live in harmony with our earth
had many late nights under the moon and stars, either with friends, with my hubby, or alone, connecting with the quiet of the night and the power of the earth and sky
created more time and space for writing, ah yes, my love
lived with six other families for two magical weeks in the secluded forest of Hanna Park in Jacksonville, FL, shared meals and campfires and mama walks and beach time, and oh so many moments of growth and transformation and community, creating a nomadic village, a family
did yoga on the beach in my bikini, with friends, oh yes I did!
took a nature beach walk with the Village collecting shells and sea glass, kids made volcanoes and complete energy systems in the sand, and found my voice in the waves
created more time and space for date nights (even if just on the couch watching a movie with my love), and girl time, and double date walks (yes, my friends, you mean so much to us), and quiet alone mama time
bought a 1974 Volkswagon Beetle unofficially named Violet, and made friends for life with the sweet Wisconsin couple who passed her along to us, thank you for your connection and trust
had malibu rum and a game of tag on Folly Beach; kids went rock climbing, our 4 year old scaling 50 feet in like 50 seconds; and, had the best coconut ice cream from a drive-thru organic restaurant in Charleston, SC
ventured out on our own as full-time entrepreneurs, launching Eco Womb's 2012-2013 Tour: The Conscious Caravan, and relaunching Clint's design business, Letterbox Studios, knowing it would be difficult and fulfilling all at once, and oh has it been!
brought five families together for a week on Colony Earth Farm to commune and work and play and learn and converge as community
sung and played music around a huge bonfire, did yoga and painted on the yoga deck in the trees, and showered outside admist a curtain of green lush forest
got reconnected with our chickens (yes, we have raised chickens), and got back into scooping the poop and the pride of collecting eggs
did an Easter Egg Hunt with the village in the beautiful spring gardens on the farm
fed baby goats on a lavender farm, ahhhhh
collected leaves and flowers for art, made time to sit in the dirt, and watched my kids thrive at building forts and lean-to's, fairy houses and tipis
made nettle, lemonbalm, mint sweet tea from hand picked leaves from the farm, such care and time spent in that process that it always tastes full of love even now with dried leaves months later <3
officially launched The Conscious Caravan on Earth Day 2012 in Asheville, NC by Sponsoring the Kids Village with the Inspire to Inspire Bus Public Art Project
helped break the Guinness Book World Record for continuous drumming for 24 hours at DrumStrong 2012 with The Conscious Caravan, our first event all together <3
toured a therapeutic horse farm, and went go-kart racing with the Village
experienced body painting with the amazing Ren Allen and Keith Dixon Studios, was part of an art exhibit, and let go of all my inhibitions by washing off said body art in the rain at the farm just one with nature
downsized all of our belongings to just what fits in the RV, the bug, and a very small shed with a few bins
did some major renovations on the Eco Womb, taking out chairs and benches, putting in new bamboo flooring, re-painting, building a new versatile and moveable seat/toybox/footstool/coffeetable out of reclaimed wood, adding a new couch, installing a new recycled paper countertop, and finally adding two skylights, oh yes we did, just cut holes in the roof and there you go!
rode my dad's new Harley Davidson chopper on back country roads, wearing my mama's passed down leather jacket, felt just like when I was little ;)
experienced Breathwork and journeying with my ultimate soul sister, Jamie we will be forever connected in that sacred space <3
visited Jamestown and Williamsburg, VA, and Plymouth Rock, MA and realized just how much I want to be more connected with my Native American roots and teach my kids the historic truth of what happened when this country became free at the expense of oppressing others and making claim to sacred land
hosted community campfires, potlucks, and drum circles under the stars
brought The Conscious Caravan to Roots Market in Olney, MD meeting so many awesome souls yearning for information and connection, and gathered with many new friends at a community bonfire we hosted that night at Little Bennett Regional Park with plenty of food, laughter, play, music, and drumming :)
visited the Harley Davidson Factory in rural PA with new friends that became like old in such a short time, just love when that happens!
went to two rallies with several other full-time families that also live on the road, enjoyed potlucks and fires and dances and swimming and games for the kids, as well as so many conscious conversations and deepening of friendships
floated down a river on tubes with friends, so relaxing and awesome!
went to four dances (yes, four), with on the road families and our kids, my little girl all dressed up, and making the best of the goofy selection of music as we laughed and danced the nights away
met and began traveling with families continuing to meet up along the road, an ebb and flow of friends, an amazing experience in community throughout the year
even met up with families driving down the road, literally the Lundy's waved at us from a rest stop as we drove by and ended up following us to the next campground, just love when that happens!
my girl had an awesome dragonfly totem experience when one just landed on her and stuck around for a bit for her to hold and examine. While at the same park, I had a beautiful hummingbird totem moment when one literally flew by my head as I was sitting on the steps into the RV, right next to my ear so close I could hear it's sweet music. Then she flew past me, whizzed into the Eco Womb, flew around and then came back out, stopping again at my ear, before flying off. It was one of those magical moments I will remember forever.
went to Cape Cod, MA and dipped in a freezing cold Mama Ocean with my spirit sisters
went paddle boarding!!! oh yes, it was just as amazing as I had hoped!!!
had a gluten-free sandwich in Sandwich, MA, ha!
visited Boston, MA and did the history walk through the city, took the water taxi just for fun, and went to see the ducks in Boston Public Garden just like in Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey ;)
raced tricycles downhill with my good friend and marathoner, yes we are big kids, and yes I won, ha!
went to a Women's Circle in Portland, NH and connected with amazing women around their own amazing truths
had numerous interviews for our work with Eco Womb and The Conscious Caravan published in print, online, radio spots, and as podcasts
had my first published article in a National Magazine, and helped edit another feature article and our ads for Blindfold Magazine. Also, our family was featured in another edition of Blindfold Magazine as living outside of the box and uncovering the blindfold. So wild to walk into a Barnes and Noble or Whole Foods, pick up a magazine and see your name in print and then an article all about you with photos of you and you family in another edition, really, really wild.
got our first big Main Sponsor - thank you so much Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps!!! and got Product Sponsorship from Bio Bags and Advanced Energy Solutions, Inc. - a huge THANK YOU for all the support!
hosted our first crowd-sourced fundraiser on Indigogo raising money to keep The Conscious Caravan rolling, THANK YOU everyone who contributed, you helped us continue to help others!
biked to the beach in Florida, Massachusetts and in Maine
joined with Mama Ocean in FL, SC, RI, MA, and ME and reaffirmed my connection with the sand and the sea
skinny dipped with soul friends under a Full Moon in a cold, cold Mama Ocean in Maine, oh my how I love you guys!
experienced a trip on a lobster boat, saw seals in their natural habitat, and got up close to a bald eagle
celebrated my Birthday with a mountain hike, scaling rocky cliffs over Mama Ocean, and then toes in the sand kinda beach time before a fabulous lobster dinner and coconut fudgesicle ice cream
kids had lobster races, oh the fun!
saw Tall Heights in Boston, MA and Bar Harbor, ME, riveting music by two awesome souls
set up a workshop at the College of the Atlantic with an amazing group of students yearning to live sustainably and out to change the world, awesome to see!
ate duck fat fries with truffle oil sitting in the grass with friends; lobster pizza more than once, so much yum; lamb curry picnic with friends, simply divine; and collected and steamed our own mussels (have to agree with Tara on this one, yes to the experience, but no thanks to the taste, haha)
also, learned to make tamales, and helped cook fresh lobster risotto from roadside stand to gathering salt water and rockweed to boiling pot to stirring rice and sauce for hours :) Wendy you SO rock, Conscious Kitchen Chef Extraordinaire!
shared so many meals together, Dutch lunches, village feasts, banana pancake breakfasts together, kid hosted restaurant night, farm breaks, Mother's Day brunch served by the kids and dads, potlucks, birthday celebrations, Thanksgiving, and the experience of community and committing to fuel your body by sitting and taking in a meal, together as one!
biked and hiked with my kids more miles in one year than I think I ever have in my lifetime.
tried Paleo dishes and the best grain-free pumpkin muffins ever, Miranda you have opened my eyes to delicious!
hiked the rocky cliffs of Rhode Island and Maine, the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Mountains of Asheville, NC, all over Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, ME, Mt. Mansfield in Vermont, the beautiful falls of Ithaca, NY, the rolling hills and Ozarks of Missouri, and the amazing red rocks and snowy mountains of Colorado
hiked from ocean to mountaintop and back again in Acadia National Park, ME, truly breathtaking! even my littlest rock climber did the ladder rungs, so much fun!
determined that Sand Beach in Acadia is the most beautiful place EVER!
shopped the LL Bean outlets and boondocked right there in downtown Freeport, ME
visited Portland, ME and Portsmouth, NH, next up is Portland, OR ;)
toured Stonyfield Farm in Londonderry, NH and had the most amazing conversation all about GMOs with the staff there, awesome that a company is so aware and trying to assist in educating the public about GMOs
reconnected with friends from the Right2Know March to participate in Occupy Monsanto actions in July and September and continuously online. Shopped for Truth at Trader Joe's in July in Portland, ME, and held a demonstration in solidarity with worldwide actions in September on The Commons in Ithaca, NY
spent two magical weeks in Ithaca, NY... hiked the falls, loved the amazing food at Ithaca's Farmers Market, walked around PorchFest enjoying grassroots music at its finest, dug a humanure pile with friends (yes, we shared the poop scooping, now that is true friendship), met amazing people at an unschoolers picnic, and had a beautiful countryside brunch with friends' extended family, realizing that our 'family' just keeps growing bigger and bigger!
picked fresh apples and watched them get pressed for cider at an apple orchard in Vermont
turned a skateboard park into a big playground with slides, oh the joy of being a big kid!
walked down memory lane on Church Street in Burlington, watched our little guy blossom as he became part of a street performance act, and enjoyed the fresh tastings of Vermont's finest Farmers Market
celebrated Clint's 40th Birthday with a tour of the Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory, Burton Snowboards, Magic Hat Brewery, and awesome gluten-free pizza with friends, yes to that!
enjoyed many a card game of Pounce, and plenty of wine and chocolate with friends, Taylor's you rock!
made campfires to heat up veggie oil just so we could fuel up, still better than paying at the pump ;)
visited Niagara Falls, NY, toured covered bridges in Ohio, played at the Science Center in Carbondale, IL, visited the RV Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, IN and toured the VW museum at Mid America Motorworks in Effingham, IL - roadschooling rocks!
met amazing new lifelong friends by answering an ad on Craigslist for waste veggie oil in South Lyon, MI, stayed with them for a night and had food, a fire and loads of fun, celebrated 13 years of marriage for Clint and I, while dreaming up big ways with our new friends to stay connected in sustainable community, love to you guys, big, big love!
met up with the Organic Guru Lynnette Pate of the Fuel for the Body Bike Tour and Liana Gray of The Earth Diet to tour Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee teaching about the dangers of GMOs and how healthy, safe foods can fuel your body and mind for a lifetime
toured EarthDance Farms in St. Louis, MO and helped harvest the most delicious cherry tomatoes ever!
participated in the Ferguson Farmer's Market in the heart of the city and enjoyed a day of urban farm fun!
protested in front of Monsanto Headquarters in St. Louis, MO to speak up against GMOs and stand up for healthy foods for our children
hung out with new friends that owned an indoor play space, jumping and tumbling on inflatables like we were kids ourselves ;) Thank you for your gifts and generosity Vetta Sports
went to a screening of American Meat at Washington University in St. Louis, MO
followed Fall from New England to the Midwest and got to see peak leaf season as we traveled south, so had plenty of leaf piles to jump in!
drove the Ozark's on our way to Thayer, MO for the Go Green Festival and met an amazing tucked away self-sufficient prepared for anything community, just love the where and how we meet people and the hospitality of so many kind souls
had an event at Panera Bread and at the Jonesboro Health Food store in Jonesboro, AR and toured Monsanto farm country with people yearning for safe and healthy food choices
had an event at The Cosmic Coconut in Memphis, TN and discussed how whole, safe, organic foods can cure cancer, met a living example in Chris Wark from Chris Beat Cancer, what a success story!
had an event at Whole Foods in Memphis, TN all about going Non-GMO and the importance of eating healthy, safe foods. Yay, Whole Foods for your support!
our little girl learned to ride a two-wheeler, just got on a friend's bike and did it!
bobbed for apples, ran through corn mazes, and painted pumpkins with friends, soaking up every minute of Fall weather
visited the most amazing Castle Playground in Carbondale, IL, the kids would play for hours, ok, Mommy and Daddy would, too.
beach time in November in the middle of Southern Illinois, why yes! the joys of lake camping :)
went to a Rice and Spice Community dinner, helped prepare and serve and enjoyed eating together with new friends around good food
met the inspiring Aur Beck from Advanced Energy Solutions, Inc. did a radio spot on Your Community Spirit Radio Show in Carbondale, IL, and received a solar donation to help the Eco Womb Tour Bus move toward complete off-grid self-sufficiency. Thank you SO very much for your support!
went up in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO, exciting for us as a family because it was a sign we were heading west finally!
broke down more times than I really want to recall, on the side of the road in the cold, but in each instance we were safe and always had a roof over our heads. Perspective is everything and every time there was yet one more thing to fix this year, we counted our blessings as lessons and knew that it was all in the plan and that we would end up exactly where we were meant to be and we did.
had our share of ups and downs and strains and struggles - financially, mechanically, and emotionally draining - but, with each turn, we learned and transitioned and held tight to each other during some of the most powerful transformative times we have yet to experience together as a family. We were open to allowing things to unfold and trusting we would be sustained, and we always were. We learned to barter and be open to receiving so that we could continue to give of ourselves. Thank you to ALL who supported us this year, all your thoughts and love and light and prayers and good energy meant more to us than you'll ever know. ALL of us together are ONE, and ALL of us together can support the whole.
launched the Non-GMO Family Food Drive so that we could give safe, healthy foods to families in need over the holiday, because EVERYONE has a Right to Know what is in their foods! Thank you Thriving Family Health for hosting this in Maryland at two Roots Market locations in Clarksburg and Olney. We appreciate your support and all of your work in creating healthy change in local families! Also, thank you to the Town Square Market in Carbondale, IL for hosting a Non-GMO Family Food Drive, we appreciate your support and dedication, as well.
had wonderful friends that we've never even met (thanks to the network of Full-time Families) come to our rescue to deliver a lost stuffed pup to our girl, and then redeliver it when it got lost in the mail! Thank you again! It meant the world to her, and us ;)
stayed at the most generous flexible campgrounds, proving to us that we will always end up where we are supposed to be right when we need it most. Thank you Mountaindale Cabins and RV Resort and Little Grassy Lake Campground and Marina.
had Thanksgiving with six other families, a relaxed outside lunch and then a buffet style potluck dinner the next day, joining together for the whole weekend for food, family, fires and fun! Love, love, love our Village!
enjoyed several late night (some up til 3:30am) conscious convos with friends about religion, parenting, relationships, spirituality, the economy, behind the scenes world affairs, and even politics. They say you shouldn't talk about these things with family, but I think you most definitely should with friends that have become family, it is the depth that is missing in most conversations and relationships, and it is what is creating change worldwide.
played football on the beach with friends, football in the snow with the fam, and soccer and kickball with our village family
went out to the movies with my girlfriends (um, now that had been awhile) and with my kids (big one for us having a highly sensitive to the movie theater son)
made friends with some deer the kids named Apple, love camping with wildlife at your door
celebrated the Winter Solstice 12-21-12 and the end of an era by planting a tree and doing yoga on the top of a mountain in Colorado Springs, CO with my family, felt the transformation of humanity all over the world toward the power of love instead of the love of power
got up close with wolves and climbed the Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs, CO, and hiked the stunning red rock formations of Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO
went sledding with my kids and allowed myself to let go and let them lead, slowing down and enjoying the littlest of moments
celebrated Christmas in Colorado, with snowy hikes to the mountain top, days of baking, snuggles on the couch enjoying movies with the kids, crafting our own wrapping paper, and loads of love
participated or hosted over 14 events during our 2012 Tour from April-December, and made so many beautiful connections with so many amazing people yearning for change and ways to live more sustainably and healthier, THANK YOU to ALL that we connected with this year, YOU are why we do what we do!
From winter in FL to winter in CO, we have experienced every season and temperature possible this year and have enjoyed traveling the country with our kids connecting with so many amazing souls along the way, as well as expanding our community and family on the road. We have been through 26 states this year, making our grand total so far for two years of travel at 30 states we have visited. We have experienced rocky cliffs, calm ocean beaches, crashing waves under a full moon, waterfalls, rolling hills, snowy mountains, red rocks and so much more. We finally headed west and are excited to get to the west coast in 2013! But, our adventure unfolded just as it was supposed to and at just the right time, as always. The more I let go and went with the flow, the more beautiful happenings surfaced in the everyday, and even in the chaos and mess and breakdowns and meltdowns, it was all for a reason, a blessing in the lesson.
It was on January 6, 2012 that we took in the New Year by setting intentions under a Full Moon with friends around a campfire. That would set the stage for the entire year of travel and adventures and business for us. It is when I had the vision for The Conscious Caravan, it is when I set out to make connection my main intention for the year. It was the beginning of expanding our family into a village, a community, a world changing transformation. All the way through the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2012, we have connected with so many conscious souls along the way that our family is full of love from ALL and because we are all ONE. We have truly felt that this year, it has been FULL of adventure, yes, but even more FULL of LOVE. Thank you ALL for being a part of it! And, here's to 2013, may it be everything you hope for and nothing you imagined, for it will always unfold the special way that it is intended, our path laid out before us. Trust in the unknown and it will all fall into place. Know that you can thrive under any circumstance by a simple change in perspective. Continue to give and share and commune with like souls, so that you build community and expand this amazing conscious world family. Love your kids and your partners and yourself, and connect with body, mind, and spirit for growth and transformation.
As we enter the New Year I am taking intentional time for stillness and reflection and preparing to set my intentions for the coming year. I am allowing my body to follow the Lunar cycles and celebrating not just the new year but each new moon. I am giving myself time to look back at all we have done this past year and all that we have grown and experienced. Letting it sit with me before taking next steps. Yet, I can already feel the excitement of things to come. I know some things will continue to be hard, but I also know that many more things will fall into place just as they have this past year. We are shouldering change as the world steps into this new humanity, and we take responsibility for each step. So, we are enjoying the little moments and taking time to just BE so that we can tread lightly and walk with wisdom. We can continue to thrive as conscious beings, it will just look very different then it ever has before. I for one can't wait to see the light that awaits, and feel the calm that is ahead, because even admist the chaos, and probably because of the chaos, change can be beautiful. So much love and light to you ALL! Thank you for an awesome and transformative 2012, and watch out for an even more amazing 2013!