ReClaiming, ReDefining & Refreshing

Every now and then we need to stop and look around. So often we get get on the wheel of life and forget that we don't need to just keep up with the pace, rather we need to set the pace. Recently, the Silver Fox and I celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary. Considering we never went on a real honeymoon- (again another sacrifice of owning your own business) so we decided long ago that for our ten year, we were going to do something very special when the time came.

So indeed, we booked ourselves in for a week in Kauai at the Koa Kea. www.koakea.com- It is a magical boutique hotel 10 feet off Poipu Beach. I wish I could describe the level of beauty or their level of customer service and care, but there is no describing it- it must be seen and experienced. What I can tell you is that from the moment your car pulls onto the property there is a team of people dedicated to making you feel special, welcomed and at home. 

The Fox and I chose Kauai because it was a place that neither of us had been and we wanted to return to the days of 'first times', discovering enjoying and experiencing things together all for the first time.

I could ramble on and on about the surf, the helicopter ride along the Na'pali Coast or the hours spent touring the island with the top down on the car, just enjoying the opportunity to just talk and laugh like the old days, but really the point is that just having that sacred time alone with my husband while not having to share him with our businesses, our friends, our children or even his iPhone was the greatest gift ever. It reconnected us in a way that I didn't know we even needed. Although it was difficult to leave our children at home with trusted family, it really was necessary in order to reach that level of intimacy that is not possible when the conversation is interrupted every several minutes by a well meaning three or five year old.


Being away on the greenest island in the world, in the middle of no where is a spiritual experience. There is an energy about those islands that is palpable. The people we met, the places we went and the things we saw were all amazing. I have never been so inspired artistically. Whether it was a colour scheme or new mediums - there were endless times where I caught myself sketching in my mind so that I wouldn't forget the designs I saw on a leaf or in the surf kissed sand.


I met the most amazing couple from Fair Oaks, California. They are locals of the island as they spend part of the year at their home in Poipu, and the remainder in California. The first time we saw them, it was a very freak meeting. We were all sitting on a gorgeous patio at a restaurant and I was trying to identify something in the tree. They saw how perplexed I was and offered some sage advice about the fact that no... it wasn't a pineapple- so don't be fooled and don't eat it. :) Very sweet people. Shortly there after we said our goodbyes and figured we would never see them again. A few days later at this amazing organic market down the road where The Silver Fox and I were having breakfast, just as I got up to refill my coffee I walked past this gorgeous blond woman and realized that I recognized her! She was the same girl from the patio. We began chatting with her and her husband about the island and some of their recommendations. The advice was golden and because of them we saw some amazing things that we would have otherwise not checked out. NOTE *** It needs to be said that this amazing couple owns a gorgeous store back home called ' Bungalow' - vintage living for home & garden. You must check out their website. They do all of their own buying, and their taste is simply exquisite! The best part is that they ship to Canada!!   www.bungalowvintage.blogspot.com

Our time on the island was so incredible. The people we met, our time alone and the reconnection of our authentic selves and who we are to each other. Realizing who we were then and who we are now is really not all that different. We have more in common by way of our children ( who we missed terribly) and in some ways less. We were able to acknowledge that the things that make us drastically different from one another are also the things that balance out our partnership and that continues to allow each of us our sense of self. We have enough common principles that it makes coming to the table with new experiences to share very exciting and very safe. There is never a question if we are growing apart or moving in different directions, because we are each other's biggest fan and we are always on the side lines cheering one another along.


Where I am happy for him becoming a pilot and enjoying the Paragliding culture, he is happy for me as I spread pearls and crystals from one end of the house to the other while I get high on creating new jewelry. We appreciate each other's passions and we acknowledge that we both need to do these things in our own space in order to nourish ourselves spiritually. 


This trip to Hawaii really was about reclaiming who we are, redefining how we work as a team and about refreshing all of those first emotions of falling in love.



I love it all, the bliss, the work, the fun and especially the dirtiness.


Love & Light

Tiff 




 

It's Like Rain on Your Wedding Day.

Forgive the space between entries. I was too busy living life to slow down and document it. I have a brief moment of reprieve between the next scheduled obligation. Seems like today has been full of deep sighs and deep gratitude. There have been so many beautiful moments with family and friends in the past 6 weeks that I just have been humbled time and time again. There have been 2 family weddings, a BFF's wedding, I co-hosted a surprise 50th Wedding Anniversary, adopted a 3rd dog, spent 4 days with my YaYa's at our Mecca aka 'the river house', saw The Princess buy a house and move away from me, took the kids on their first, rustic camping trip on the West Coast of Van Isle, watched my husband learn to Paraglide, watched my husband learn how to Kite Board, spent 6 hours in emergency with a 3 yr old suffering a fever of 104', have been saddened to watch two of my dear friends lose a father and a family matriarch, and tomorrow will be a very sombre day as I attend the funeral service of a friend who succumbed to cancer. So much good to rejoice, enough sorrow to reaffirm how precious life is. Which brings me to the greatest pride and joy of all of the events so far this summer, and that is that The Silver Fox & I celebrated our 10 year Wedding Anniversary a few days ago. 16 yrs together, and 10 yrs married have made for the greatest joy of my life.
We had always spoke of one day having a very cool & funky native Talking Stick, so this year I went down to the Squamish Pow-Wow in early July and gathered a few essentials that I needed and then just followed the inspiration of our own personal Haida art collection and went for it. Not bad for a first try. I used beads, and stones and even some woven organza that was used in our wedding ceremony and incorporated these things onto the stick. A personal touch that makes the staff a true reminder of our 10 yrs together, then and now. I also used a gorgeous Raven feather as an offering of this Raven's endless love for her favorite Fox/ Wolf really... So where I have not been actually making gems, I did create a sacred family heirloom that is among the most special pieces of art that we own.

So certainly this summer has been full, and it is far from over. The next several weeks are full as well. I have had little time to create jewels; however, my spirit has been nourished by many new friendships, many old friends and the smile of a bride despite the rain on her wedding day. My lessons have been subtle but frequent. My bliss has been ample and my craving for deeper connections within an even tighter group of people has been steeped. I just cannot ignore that the past several weeks have sailed by while I have barely had a moment to sit. It has reminded me that what is most important is what is in front of me, who is behind me and those whose hearts I guard. These are the bright lights that guide me and whose light I want to bask in.

That is all for now. Ramble as I have, it is a sign of how much has been on the go as of late, and when September rolls around with her promise of routine and predictability, I am confident that I will return to a regular date with the blog.

Until then, sending you Love & Light,

Tiffany