My favorite season is spring. And with the February we just had, I’m sure it’s moving to the top of everybody’s list. The earth is just beginning to wake up and turn to green. There is a renewed energy as the temperature warms. My love of spring and everything dirt explains my reason for the garden trowel. Maybe it’s the farming background in me or my desire to be grounded. The garden trowel represents my love of growing something from nothing and connects me to nature. The busyness of the marketing world can be wearing. But after a long day in the office the best therapy I can use is to get my hands in the dirt and literally get back “down-to-earth”.
When I was about ten I began taking piano lessons. I never became great at it like many cousins in my family but I did enjoy it. The Welle side of my family is rooted in music. Once I moved on to college and eventually my career I barely touched a piano for 15 years. But recently, I took the opportunity to purchase a piano and introduce music back into our home. I had kept all of my old sheet music from the 90’s and now have fallen back in love with the discipline and practice of learning the notes all over again. Now my only hope is that my children follow suit.
The two cheetahs facing each other represent my daughter, Lucia. I’ve always joked that she might have been one of my reincarnated cats from the farm where I grew up because of her connection to cats. She has cat mannerisms nailed down to a T when she pretends, and worships the ground my sister, Robyn, walks on because she is the only cat owner in my immediate family. No, we do not own a cat. However, I love how my daughter has realized this passion and I hope she never loses her spirit and sense of play as she grows.
And then there is Brody. My little batman. This year I bought him a pair of batman shoes that light up as he walks. He is so proud to wear them and requested that I also buy him batman clothes and a backpack that light up as well – which was a hard no in my book. This little guy keeps me on my toes and has a way with words. Always witty and catching me off guard, Brody has been a joy in our life.
The work gloves represent my husband, Ryan. We both hail from neighboring small towns where hard work and being kind matters. Notice the duct tape on the thumb. We share the common view of using-less and making things work. If something is broken – fix it and don’t replace it. Consume less, be humble and thankful for everything life has blessed you with. Once you carry your own water you will learn the value of every drop.
The playing cards represent my family. This has always been a pastime growing up and a right of passage into adulthood on both sides of my family. The game unites family members of all ages where we learn how win and lose gracefully.
I’ve been carrying around this journal for the past ten years which makes it very apparent that I do not write in it everyday. It is a practice I hope to get better at as time allows. But when I do write, the journal helps me archive memories, reflect and process the future. And sometimes it just gives me the space to “write it out”, let it go, and put it in a drawer.
I love coffee. And tea…but especially coffee. Nothing special, just black and caffeinated. I also posted this mug because its a Boreal Bliss mug which are the yoga retreats I’ve been attending for the past three years. Life with kids can be busy and these retreats have deliberately given me my own personal “time-out” so that I can recharge, be a better mom, wife, and leader.
I love staying busy especially when I’m watching a movie with my family. I enjoy crocheting and using a hand loom to make scarves and if I’m really ambitious…blankets. It’s another therapeutic hobby of mine that I love to do on lazy Saturday evenings. Also, if anyone really knows me, they know I am always cold, hence, the scarf.
I love talking “type”. And I think everyone at Gaslight knows this (it can be annoying). I believe in meaningful and purposeful choices in every aspect of design and how this especially rings true in typography. There is an art to selecting and arranging type in which I hold dear.