Beginnings

Growing up in a small town in the midwest was a blessing and a curse. On the good side, it was a farm community. I knew how to fish, but usually had my fish in "stick" form, enjoyed fresh produce, but ate mostly canned, had opportunities to play in the woods, but wasn't allowed to ride my bike past our street, understood the merits of making things yourself, but was also taught that if Walmart doesn't have it, we don't need it. I experienced many of those home-spun stories of small town life, but over the years my parents succumbed to the lure of convenience like many Americans seem to (although this does seem quite a bit more prevalent in the midwest), and a lot of the better qualities of my childhood were slowly replaced by anything deemed "convenient". Somewhere along the way, things shifted from pie-baking lessons from my grandma, to me calling her in my early twenties with a question about cream of tartar, only to have her suggest I just use instant pudding instead.

The past few years I've been working with the idea of simple living, and an active, creative lifestyle, and trying to reconcile the two halves of me into one fulfilled whole.