The evolution of my hobbies (obsessions)

As I've grown older I've had a lot of hobbies. I'm not just talking photography and gardening, I'm talking hobbies that boarder on obsessions. Being obsessed with something is not healthy if it interferes with your daily life, but obsessions that make you happy, make your daily life richer, well those are good hobbies (err.. obsessions).

As I've pondered my hobbies over the years I've realized some of these hobbies make for my very best memories, and make me the happiest I've ever been. Truly. Each hobby shaped me into the person I am today, and each one holds such fond and strong memories of who I was during that time of life.

Looking at them all in a list brings back a flood of nostalgia, of friends I was hanging out with at the time, of love I felt for E, of becoming a parent (which was very much my favorite obsession).

The reason why I've been pondering these hobbies so much lately is because I have a new one: BBC Sherlock. A tv show. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I love thinking about a mere tv show. I mean, I haven't thought about pretend characters as much as I am now since I was 14 years old. That is embarrassing. But, it brings me a lot of happiness, so I'm just going to roll with it.

So, a list of the things I was and are obsessed with, starting with when I was merely 14 years old:

Junior High school - Lois and Clark aka Superman
I adored this show in Jr. High. Thinking about it now brings back such happy memories. My best friend and I were obsessed with Dean Cain (the Clark Kent/ Superman actor) and it makes me smile to remember how much time I actually fantasized about kissing him.

High school - "Haunted" places
Again, such happy memories. My friends and I were absolutely entranced by ghost stories and weird/abandoned places in high school. Our favorite Saturday night activity was getting a pizza and then driving around looking for "haunted" places. I know all the stories, all the locations, and all the "hauntings". Such good times. This is also when E and I started dating and so the memories are extra special.

College - Ghost towns/ Urban exploring
After high school I got much more into Urban exploring, which is a term that means exploring abandoned urban places. I read some amazing websites, explored some amazing places, and thought about abandoned structures pretty much all the time. E and I loved to check out ghost towns and abandoned highways, and every last forgotten home down near the farmhouse was explored.

Have some extra time? This is the best Urban exploring website out there. LOVE it.

This mill I explored alone. The entire creepy inside of the mill and I was alone. Most definitely one of the bravest moments of my life. I found a unlocked door in the basement and crawled in in the middle of the day.

Lots and lots of abandoned houses. I've talked about exploring abandoned houses a few times on my blog, I just love it. Here is one of my favorite posts about exploring abandoned homes. And here is another one. 

Post collage - Travel
Once I had money to travel I spent most of my time thinking/planning/imagining and scoping out our next adventure. E and I traveled a lot in our mid twenties. England, Amsterdam, Tanzania, Italy, Austria, Japan, Canada and every single National Park we could manage. Many many years of possibly my favorite memories of my life (second to being a mother of course).

Travel may seem like a weird thing to label as an "obsession" but for a very long time I was obsessed. My thoughts drifted to little else, only where I've been and where I couldn't wait to go next.

Early twenties - American Girl dolls
Remembering how much I loved dolls (well into adult hood) makes me realize how much poor E had to put up with. I loved dolls. I thought about them all the time, buying new things for them, making new stories up, and even taking Violet on our honeymoon (thank you E, you deserve a metal). Dolls were my life up until I had James. I made so so many friends on the doll message boards, some of which I still consider my closest friends today.

Some of my very favorite doll moments can be found in the Kit mystery albums: Mystery at the Farmhouse, Mystery at the Cabin, Mystery of the Abandoned Barn (because of course I've got to combine my love for dolls with my love for abandoned places!), and The Mystery of Christmas Eve.
Plus, of course, there are tons of traveling Violet albums.

Can't wait to share these types of memories with the kids one day.

Early twenties - Harry Potter
Each of these hobbies hold such a special place in my heart. Harry Potter is no different. While I loved seeing the movies in the theaters on opening night, the books are where my heart lies. Nothing got me more involved with the Harry Potter world than the release of a new book. I would read all the theories, contribute to discussions, and generally geek out on how much I love Harry Potter. Oh, and re-read the books again and again.

I love Harry Potter so much that's it's enough that it somewhat defines who I am (crazy, right?! Ask any Harry Potter fan and they will totally get what I'm talking about). And Dumbledore? He's my all time favorite.

I AM SO STOKED to introduce the kids to the books. Their minds will be blown.

Late twenties until current - Children, being a mother
It sounds trite to say, but becoming a mother, and immersing myself into motherhood was and is a hobby/obsession. Of course, becoming a parent changes you, it changes you for the better to your very core. But motherhood is an obsession of mine. I revel in it. I immerse myself totally and completely. Being a stay-at-home-mom has made me happier than anything I've ever done.

I am not the perfect parent, far from it, but I like to give my children a magical childhood. We tell stories. We play outside year round. We build forts and get muddy and laugh and laugh. Bringing this to the two people I love most in the world is my favorite obsession of all.

Early thirties - Instagram
About two years ago I got very into Instagram. Yes, Instagram that is just merely a photo posting app on your phone. But I connected with other mothers around the world and I loved that this platform pushed me more with my photography and my creativity than anything in recent past.

I challenged myself to getting the perfect shot, the perfect lighting, the perfect expressions. Instagram was and is a way to share my love of motherhood and photography with other mamas out there.

While I still love IG, my obsession has shifted a little. As kids grow bigger and more independent they are less willing to be the object of photos, and part of childhood is living without a camera in your face. So I've lessened my presence on IG a bit over the last four months.

Current - Sherlock 
I said above that I totally admit and embrace the fact that being obsessed with a tv show (made up characters that really don't exist) is pretty geeky. But as I love dolls and Harry Potter so I'm not too worried about my geeky rating.

I LOVE this show. It is kinda crazy. Like I haven't felt this obsessiveness towards a show since Lois and Clark (twenty years ago!). I like detective stories (Law & Order SVU was a favorite of mine) but it is so much more than that. It's a love story. It is. Don't laugh. I truly feel that Sherlock and John Watson are going to end up together. And it makes me so happy.

Poor E, he not only had a doll join him on our honeymoon, but he has to listen to me go on and on about what I believe are two gay detectives. This man needs an award.

I know that it's kinda crazy to think that Sherlock will end it's five seasons with John and Sherlock together in a romantic relationship, but I do think that is where the creators are going with it. Call me crazy, I don't mind. 

Plus, the story is really just so good. Predictions are so fun to make, even if they end up totally false. I loved that with Harry Potter, and once the 7th and last book came out, and all questions were answered, it felt like such a sad moment. Part of the fun of getting into a fandom is trying to figure out where the creators are going with it. 

If you are a Sherlock fan, and don't mind reading theories, here are the best websites. Each one is brilliant and such a fun read. And if you don't agree that Sherlock is going to end up with John that is fine too. I won't be too offended. 

Well Then, Game Over

Deducing BBC Sherlock

The Loudest Subtext in Television

Ha! I wanted to write a short post about my love for BBC Sherlock and it turned into quite an epic post. However, writing it made me smile again and again. I realize now that being obsessed with something is totally not a new thing for me. It's a lifelong love. 

Send me your best Sherlock theories and a gold metal for my man that has to deal with all of this craziness. 

Snow days

It has been snowy here. And COLD.

These two? They have a crazy Mama. If it is sunny I want to go out, even for just a bit, so we call all breathe some fresh air and get our cabin fever cured.

It takes me 27 minutes to get them out the door in their snow clothes, half of those minutes are full of tears. We are out for only three minutes before one of them (ahem, Juliet) is crying to go back in.

Worth it? Not totally sure.

Instagram favorites {autumn color}

I take an insane amount of photos both on my iPhone and my camera. When I snap one on my phone that I especially like, I upload it to Instagram. This happens 1-6 times a day, so to put all of those photos onto my blog would be insane.

That said, if you'd like to see them ALL, follow me on IG @happierstill.

If you only want some of my favorites, than your in luck. Here are a few of my faves over the last two months.

1. Orange reeds near the doctors office make for the best backdrops. 2. Chestnut collecting. 3. My girl.
4. Lollipops at Lagoon 5. Homegrown pumpkins. 6. Happy October!
7. We take a lot of walks with our empty strollers. 8. My snuggle bunny wasn't feeling herself. 9. Her very favorite book with Daddy.

1. My little explorers. 2. Fabric store stop when it's just the two of us (James was in preschool). 3. September light at Red Butte Garden.
4. Raspberries at the Farmer's Market. 5. Dropping crab apples into the river below. 6. September is my very favorite.
7. We took a long walk to a cheerful creek and jumped right in. 8. Temple Quarry Trail is unreal. 9. Evening light at Thanksgiving Point. He was running and I caught his little shadow off the ground.

1. Pile of rocks = hours of fun. 2. Groovy tube. 3. He loves bugs, and they love him.
4. At the doll shop, not sure what to choose. 5. Helping me paint woodwork. 6. Bike practice.
7. Saturday morning hike to Bell's Canyon. 8. Her brand new "cheese" face. 9. Feeding our neighbor goats.

1. Halloween is on the way! 2. Beautiful chestnuts. 3. A Red Butte Garden date with just my girl.
4. Trees are on fire. 5. Red White and Blue! (I think she officially grew out of those red shoes, sob...) 6. Autumn hike
7. Color is something we love. 8. Couple of days cold enough for coats and hats. 9. My snuggle bunny in the woods, being adorable.

As I said, lots lots more on IG.

Summertime IG style

Summer has been treating us kindly. We've been up to the mountains for dinner more times than I can count, have been continuing our weekly hiking tradition, and have been playing hard in the sun all day every day. 

Here are a few favorite moments captured in Instagram. 

And not that I want to dwell on our 24 hour hospital stay, but the fact that I had Instagram as a lifeline, people hoping and praying for Juliet all day and night (as well updates throughout the day) was really so wonderful. Here are four photos that showed on IG that never made it to my blog. Scary stuff, but as you remember, the doctors believe no pills were ingested and she was totally fine (which of course it the best news possible).

Summertime, and the livin' is easy

I realized the other day that I've hardly posted Instagram updates as of late. My IG feed is looking so summery and colorful, I decided I better post a few recent favorites. As always, follow along on IG. User name is @happierstill.

1. Rule breaker. 2. Swim party popsicles. 3. Ice cream and cupcake truck?! YES!

4. Summer fun. 4. James has never left my side, swim class looks like this daily. He won't get off his darn towel. 5. Evening fort in the backyard.

6. He found a broken sprinkler that was shooting three stories high. He stuck his head in it, of course. 7. Stop and smell the roses. 8. My sweet friend Michelle took this photo of us. Cutest ever!

1. First day of swim class, we were hopeful. 2. More swimming! 3. Fireworks. The sparklers were a hit.

4. She's a fish. 5. He got his "briefcases" and said "I'm going to work, ok? See you at dinner time! Will you start the car for me?" 6. You can usually find us here.

7. Raspberry picking. 8. Otter pops in the stripy shade. 9. Visit to Temple Square to see the flowers.

1. She's 17 months! 2. Walking as fast as her little legs will take her. 3. Itty bitty Mike and Ike "popsicles".

4. Rainbow stairs at the Children's Museum. 5. Fingers in the ears helped him enjoy the fireworks. 6. Poolside.

7. The girls on the fourth. 8. If we arrive at nine a.m. we've got the splash pad to ourselves. 9. Snugglin'.

Summer is here! {IG style}

Summer is officially here, it's hot. We've been staying cool in the splash pad, sprinklers and mountains.

Here are a few of my favorite moments over the last weeks from IG.

She is fearless on the slides. Fearless. But James loves to ride down with her and says "I'll help you sweet girl". He's the best brother a sister could have.

Picking up chalk over and over and over is her favorite game.

Sunday morning hikes are our new tradition. She loves them so much she wears herself out.

Best hiker I know. Seriously, how pretty are those woods?! This was on the way to Donut Falls.

#DailyWalkWithJames is one of my favorite hash tags. We still go out almost every day. It's getting earlier and earlier in the morning due to the heat, but that's ok. We all enjoy ourselves so much, especially since the littlest walker is now walking.

For even more IG photos of these two (way way way more) and mini videos too follow me on IG @happierstill.

My life in Instagram

Today was is my birthday. It has been fantastic. The only downer is I had to take Juliet to the doctor for another high fever and more sickness. But E took a half day as a surprise and made brunch this morning. And we followed it up with a trip to Murray Park. It was just perfect.

Here's my life lately, according to IG.

1. Green tights and gold shoes for St. Patrick's Day. 2. Drive by shooting (the photo kind) on the way down to Zion. 3. Both kids seriously love these swings!

4. Her favorite spot is the ball pit. 5. The climbing phase has begun... 6. Rocking her to sleep each night is my favorite part of the day.

7. Where is my Juliet? 8. Our favorite bunny books (we have a lot). 9. Early mornings.

1. Picking violets. 2. A surprise birthday gift from E, a beautiful bunny for my garden. 3. Testing out the rain boots. They passed.

4. Playing games at Grandma's on Easter. 5. Fresh from a bath. 6. Easter brunch.

7. Life isn't always a fairy tale. 8. Marzipan for the win! 9. Exploring new playgrounds.

1. The weather is divine. Warm and beautiful with the scent of violets in the air. 2. James loved this big wheel at Wheeler Farm when he was this age too. 3. He hasn't taken his Jr. Ranger badge off his coat and wears it daily. So happy.

4. Annual friend's egg hunt was a hit. 5. Annual egg dying. He liked "orange with a scoop of blue". 6. Park days in spring are my favorite.

7. They spotted Daddy across the yard. 8. Spinnnn! The barf bucket at the park is his favorite. 9. Trying out his new shaving kit that the Easter Bunny left.

James and Juliet

James has been amazing with his "sweet gurl" as of late. When we get her out of the bath tub at night he says "don't put her to sleep, I love her!"

An extra sweet moment I caught today. Be still my heart.

March, in Instagram

1. Slide! 2. With a new white coat, somebody is ready for spring. 3. Oh my! Juliet wanted snuggles, so of course suddenly James wanted them too. I just enjoy the moment while Juliet fusses for her turn.

4. All of a sudden she seems so big and wants to play with James. 5. Dishwasher help. 6. At the riverbank throwing rocks.

7. Pew! These are horrible. Juliet no longer chomps leaves. 8. How big is Juliet? 9. I adore March. While the earth is brown and the sky gray, at least I'm out in the garden again after a long cold winter.

1. The Easter Bunny went shopping. 2. Hello! 3. "I'd like a lawn mower Easter Bunny."

4. She loves the slide! Can't get enough. 5. Caught in a daydream. 6. My fashion sense was outweighed by my boy's love. Digger shirt for the win.

The last few days have been record breaking warm (in the 70s, which is really really warm for March!) so we've pulled out some of her spring wardrobe. Oh my... 7. Green vintage. 8. White vintage. 9. Pink vintage. Love love love.

And I felt these two needed to be a little larger, since there is more than one photo in each.

Japanese Day Spa. Heaven on earth. After two months of sickness and the hardest E's busiest travel schedule ever I felt like I deserved a few hours off. Perfection.

In March 2011 I took James to Murray Park to take photos for my spring header. One of my favorite shots was him pointing within this beautiful tree. This March I took Juliet to the same tree, and she also spotted something and pointed. Oh how time flies. Love Then & Now.

Last couple of weeks in IG

I now have a new ingenious idea on updating IG photos. Tile them into one! Why didn't I think of this a year ago?

1. Daily walk with James. 2. Sunday visits to the Heber Railroad. 3. Little light of mine. 

4. I thought she'd like the walker as much as James did, I guess I was wrong. 5. Sledding with my favorite boy while Daddy stayed home with a sick babe. 6. The neighbor found a rusted out metal dump truck in the bottom of a ditch. He spent two months sanding it, cleaning it and painting it. Then he gave it to James. :)

7. Finallly well enough to visit Wheeler Farm. 8. Light and shadow. 9. This bunny knows where bunny ears go. 

Snowy weekend

After weeks and weeks of a miserable think inversion that kept us indoors, late this weekend we were gifted with this:

Thick beautiful snow knee deep that cleared the air and left beautiful blue skies behind. FINALLY!

This meant lots of snow play and some nice warm sun streaming into the living room.

Over the weekend, before the inversion cleared, we headed back up the mountains to enjoy the clear air. Last week I was in a funk. E has traveled a lot this year, already, and the thick gray air and unbearably cold temperatures were not good for me. A sick kid, another that decided to not sleep, and gray days, it's no wonder I was in a funk.

But clear mountain air does me good. So good. And then the fresh snow that cleared the air swept away any lingering funk-ness and things are good again!

At the beginning of our walk in the mountains I was carrying Juliet, but when she became to heavy I swapped with E. E carried her all the way back to the car, and cuddled her when she fell asleep on his chest. He didn't want to put her down, and I don't blame him.

I even passed my phone to a stranger in hopes of getting a family photo. Best news? James is smiling! Win!

And then as the storm blew in late Sunday we decided we needed to get out. We'd been home all day and the cabin fever was beginning to creep in. We decided on a very snowy drive downtown for a visit to the Children's Museum and dinner at the Gateway. So fun but so much snow! Thank goodness we made it home safe and sound.

And those ever elusive freckles? I love them. But they sure are hard to get a photo of, until now. And oh my does my boy have beautiful lashes. I am the lucky lady that gets to kiss that face daily.

And that's it, mini update complete! Sorry if you are an IG follower, since all of these photos were also on Instagram. I promise to get out my big camera soon. :)

Mini Instagram update

I adore Instagram. Love it. It is my favorite social media by far, and I've made so many friends there. I take hundreds of photos with my phone and upload 1-6 photos a day.

Posting them all here has become a chore that I do not like. I actually quite despise it. It takes forever. Like more steps than you care to read.

So from now on, I'm going to just post a few favorites, from time to time. When I feel like it. Not weekly, or anything.

And if you want to see more photos of my adorable children, photos I am quite proud of, you'll have to follow me on Instagram @HappierStill.

Here are three small moments within the last week from IG:

Blurry and awesome. This is the face she made when she finally reached her prize: James's foxy.

More ice crystals from the water's edge on our snowshoe adventure. Doesn't surprise me at all that my favorite photo was taken with my phone. iPhone for the win.

As I noted before, James has been so sick. So so sick. He didn't leave bed all day, other than to barf on the carpet. It's a glamorous life, cleaning up barf, holding a baby the entire day that won't sleep (sleep Juliet!), and doing it all alone. Yea, E's been traveling a lot for work and he was gone this week. Sigh.

December {in Instagram}

On my last IG post I vowed to try to get this back to a weekly feature. Yea, that was almost a month ago. So, again, I'm quite behind. Lots of pictures to catch up on.

1. We rolled out butcher paper and painted it for this year's wrapping paper. 2. Gray? No problem. Muddy? No worries. Cold? No biggie. Just digging.

3. This boy of mine gave up his binkie without a tear shed! SO PROUD of him! 4. Baby girl in an outfit that was mine when I was a baby.

5. Lots of cold walks. We stay snuggly warm inside my big puffy coat. 6. After a rough month with James he is back to his sweet self. He gives hugs, says "I love you" and is mostly well behaved.

7. Despite the happy reflection, this bunny was feeling crummy for a lot of the Christmas break. Started with a trip to InstaCare and now we are on antibiotics for an ear infection. 8. White Christmas!

9. Juliet loves my new necklace as much as I do. 10. Another cold day walk to the school yard. It was twenty degrees... brrr....

11. A favorite corner of Juliet's room. 12. Asked for Old Navy Gift cards for Christmas and scored this new yellow wool coat for $9!

13. He is hard to wake from nap time but impossible at bedtime. 14. Zoo lights was butt frosty cold! Twenty two degrees and dark!

15. Family jump. Juliet LOVED it! And James looks huge! 16. Fondue night after the kiddos are in bed on New Years Eve is a favorite tradition. Going to bed at ten is another favorite tradition. ;)

17. We love Juliet's new forest floor rug! Goes so well in her woodland nursery! 18. Post nap rosy cheeks.

19. Lunch and/or day spa mask. 20. Kathleen (Brandon's girlfriend) drew my name for the sibling gift this year. She thought and thought and finally decided on a custom bracelet with my blog name/ IG name and mantra. I adore it.

21. Cold day throwing rocks in the river. 22. Sledding with my cousin Kendra and Aunt Laura ended with hot cocoa and cookies for dipping. Best treat ever when it's nineteen degrees out.

23. Me and my girl. 24. She can't pull up yet, can't crawl, but is happy to stand if I stand her up.

25. Bundled. We still get out even when it's quite cold. 26. Christmas light drive. We turned on Christmas music, saw awesome lights, and Juliet fell asleep. Pretty perfect I'd say.

27. Lovie balancing acts. And this was before the binkie was gone for good! 28. Advent gift one day was a clear Christmas ornament with directions to go on a nature walk and fill it!

29. If I'd realized blowing bubble gum was so hilarious, I would have done it ages ago. 30. Her fierce smile. Since this photo was taken that other top tooth has popped through!

Also, posted a new header today!