the little flower that

heralds the beginning of the end

of winter.

Every year I wait anxiously for my first glimpse of the first perennials that remind me that the days are getting longer now.

After two years of living in Bristol, I know where to look for them to start blooming.

Hello snowdrops.
I’m so delighted that you’ve arrived.

They bloom just outside the library and on the way to the park where I walk Poppy.

There are a few favorite walks in the Cotswolds where I’ve seen them blooming before, and now that I’ve spotted them in town, I want to head to the woods to find the patches that I know are there.

The boys walk right by them, sometimes not even noticing.

Snowdrops start out looking like tiny little upside down tulip blooms.

When they open their petals like wings ready to fly, they are telling me I’ve made it through the deepest part of winter.

Soon all sorts of flowers will be in bloom and I will walk in the light again.

Nothing keeps me as close to the rhythm of the seasons quite like walking.

Throughout the year, my steps on the ground are my fingers on the changing pulse of the days.

I never stop wondering at the way I can know the next day will come.

A new day.

A season ending and another one beginning.

A fresh bloom.

And even though I catch glimpses of snowdrops pushing up from the cold, hard ground in exactly the places I expect them to be,

somehow they still manage to surprise me.

What a wonder.

The post Searching for Snowdrops appeared first on Alison Chino.

2021 Favorites

Happy New Year from our new home!

We ended 2021 by moving back to the UK. It’s been a bit of a flurry, but now we are in our new home in Bristol, quarantining and waiting for our shipment of stuff to arrive.

Our house is currently empty except for a couple of mattresses on which we are sitting, reading, hanging out and sleeping. It’s a strange time, waiting to be “free” from isolating and wondering what our life will be like here in our new town.

It feels both entirely new and strangely familiar.

More to come from Bristol, but for now,

I’m recording my favorite reads and round-ups from 2021.

As always I have so much gratitude for the artists, writers, musicians and poets who make my world more beautiful (and bearable) by their presence!

2021 Favorites: Books 

How The Word Is Passed by Clint Smith

The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (re-read)

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Faith After Doubt by Brian McClaren

Christian Meditation by James Finley

Merton’s Palace of Nowhere by James Finley

First, We Make The Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green (audiobook)

The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. (audiobook)

Broken Horses by Brandi Carlisle (audiobook)

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (audiobook)

2021 Favorites: Songs 

Jubilee by The War and Treaty

To Hell & Back by Maren Morris

A Change Is Gonna Come by Leslie Odom, Jr

Getting Older by Billie Eilish

The Secret Garden by AURORA

Sapling by Foy Vance

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly by The Potter’s House

2021 Favorites: Movies

Shang-Chi

Your Name

Judas and The Black Messiah

Promising Young Woman

The Trial of the Chicago 7

2021 Favorites: Podcasts 

Poetry Unbound

Eckhart Tolle Podcast

DuoLingo Podcast

Turning to the Mystics

2021 Favorites: Experiences 

Slowly regaining strength all spring from having COVID.

Spring break road trip with Simon + meeting my mom at the beach.

Watching Simon blaze the trail as we hiked in the Shenandoah with friends.

Summer camping with family in Michigan’s UP.

Meeting online with a group of women to slowly work through two books on race: Caste by Isabel Wilkerson and The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee.

Returning to the Camino.

Walking in Arkansas over Christmas, getting some trail time with my dad.

Ending our time in Illinois with grace and landing in Bristol on our 27th anniversary.

Want to see more favorites (mostly books) from past years? Here’s 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The post 2021 Favorites appeared first on Alison Chino.

Well friends, the end of 2020 is within sight.

I daresay it’s been a year we will never forget, even if we want to.

But before this year is over, I am hoping to squeeze in a little (socially-distanced) adventure AND bring some light and love to the world in the process.

So I am going to hike the Ouachita Trail with my dear friend, Kandace. You might remember we hiked the Camino last year and we did a virtual hike with St Francis back in April. 

Walk with us!

The Ouachita Trail is a quiet trail (so COVID safe). It begins in Oklahoma and ends at Pinnacle Mountain near my home in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Lord willing and the creek don’t rise (literally), Kandace and I will cover the entire 223 miles in a little over two weeks. You can follow us while we are walking (rain or shine) on our Instagram @humiltywalk. 

When Kandace and I started Humility Walk a little over a year ago, we dreamed that it would be bigger than just the two of us walking on trails. We hoped that Humility Walk would be a way to make the world more beautiful by going on walks. So just like last year, we want to invite you to walk with us.

Because we are walking near where so many of our friends and family live, we would love to have you join us for a day of (socially distanced) walking outside if you’re interested. (Just shoot us a message.)

But no matter where you live, we would love for you to walk virtually with us.

Go for walks in your neighborhood or in a nearby forest in December and tag us @humility walk. 

$4500 for local food banks.

And because it’s the holidays and this year has been especially difficult for so many people around the world, we would love to encourage you to donate to your local food bank in honor of Humility Walk. The statistics around food insecurity this year because of the pandemic are staggering. As many as 1 in 4 households are reaching out to food banks, and they are all struggling to keep up with the demand. Even this summer, it was estimated that 14 million children were regularly missing meals — three times more than during the Great Recession and five times more than before the pandemic.

You can find your local food bank in the US by searching with your zip code here. Or you can give to the Arkansas Foodbank. Our goal is to raise $4500 for local food banks while we are walking. If we walk an average of 14 miles a day and 20 people give $14 each day (one dollar for every mile we walk), then we will easily reach our goal. Because we want to keep up with how much we raised, we would LOVE for you to tell us you donated. So text or email us, or donate through the link on our Instagram.

To spread the word (and the love), you can copy and paste the following:

I just donated [amount you donated] to [name of your local food bank]

for #HumiltyWalkOuachitaTrail,

an effort by @humilitywalk to raise money for people in need. 

Join the challenge by finding your local food bank here.

See you on the trail!

XO
Alison

The post Ouachita Trail, Here We Come. appeared first on Alison Chino.

Over the last few weeks, I have been going for longer and longer walks. Four times a week, I’m crossing the five mile mark, which is long for me friends. It’s partly because I am training for a long walk (Yes, I have bravely put something on the calendar that I may have to cancel.)

But the other reason I keep going on long walks is to keep from losing my mind.

I am making a practice of listening to beautiful things when I walk: 

stories with wonderful characters, 

music that makes my heart soar, 

meditations on old, wise words, 

or just the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees or crunching underneath my feet. 

I am milking awe right now. When I find something beautiful, I pause and offer gratitude for it.

For dazzling colors.

For the smell of pine.

For a blue sky after weeks of gray.

For the sun on my face.

For bright red plumes on a brown songbird.

For the way a squirrel rips open a walnut shell.

I gather up leaves, bring them home and press them under stacks of books.

I set them on my prayer altar next to little bits of stone from mountain walking.

With every step, I remember that this earth is full of beauty, yes, even here in the fields and plains where you can’t see a mountain or a sea. I am still in a place of exquisite beauty.

I wonder at it as I watch a tiny snake wiggle its way across the trail.

I am in awe of how a deer can pass so close without my ever hearing his footsteps. 

I am forcing myself out on these near daily pilgrimages in search of nature’s wonder, because every night I am newly tempted to forget how beautiful the world is. 

When I see what is happening, when I see the sickness and death and violence, I am tempted to think that the world has lost its beauty. Or that it never really had any.

But no. It is still beautiful. And not just because the trees are changing colors, or because there are still a few forests and fields unspoiled by human hands.

It is also beautiful because there are people in it who are working to leave the world in better shape than when they found it. These holy caretakers are easy to miss, because they don’t seek to hold our gaze like the destroyers do. 

But they are here. They are feeding people. They are sending books to kids in prison. They are working to free the prisoners. They are setting up tables full of diapers, formula and all kinds of gifts for those who need them. They are caring tirelessly for people who are sick or cut off from their families. They are telling the stories of those in poverty and then giving them a hand. They are creating communities who are taking care of each other. 

There are people all over the world who are living with their hearts forward. ALL LOVE. They work mostly unseen, just as Jesus taught.

There is a prison abolitionist I follow, who keeps saying that instead of focusing on the outcome of this week, we should have our eyes on our plans for the good we want to create next.

This is a version of something I have heard many wise people say in the last several weeks and months. 

If I only focus on what is easy to see, on what is happening, it is much harder to not live in fear, or despair. Or anger.

But if I think about what could be, and what I could create…if even for a few minutes a day, I take my eyes off of “the screen” and write about what I would most love to see birthed in this world, then I am ruled not by fear, but by love. And beauty.

Asking this question every day has been a powerful exercise for me:

What do I want to be a part of creating?

I know for sure that for me it involves walking.

And being outside.

What about you?

What do you want to be a part of creating?

When you look inside your heart, what is it that you would love to bring to the world that would make it better than when you found it?

One of my favorite verses is from Philippians 4 where we are told what to think about. When I say that I keep walking in order to not “lose my mind,” this is what I mean. When I am walking, it is easier for me to practice the discipline from these words:

whatever is true, 

whatever is noble, 

whatever is right, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is admirable–

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–

think about such things.

Think about such things. 

That’s my plan for this week. 

Even though I am not on the Camino de Santiago right now, as I was last year around this time, I am still on pilgrimage. 

Always searching for beauty, even in ashes. 

PS. I was interviewed last month by my dear friend and client, Jane Reeves, for her podcast Ferocious Compassion. It was a breath of fresh air to get to chat with her about many of the things I find beautiful, especially about walking.

The post Seeking the Sacred appeared first on Alison Chino.

Spring has officially arrived at Augustana.

And I am super grateful.

All of our other local trails have now closed, so we are walking at Augustana every day.

I notice new flowers opening up every day.

Even if a lot of the trees are still bare,

the grass is green.

On our street, this tulip tree has more flowers blossoming every time we walk under it.

I have loved getting to walk with my boys.

Cole was here for a couple of weeks from Arkansas.

He got to hike with us in the woods once more before the trails closed.

Getting outside for a little walk each day has been a lifesaver for me during this season of sheltering at home.

Even getting caught out in the rain one day this week didn’t bother me. Ben said it was just like we were in Scotland.

Also I’m still baking sourdough bread every single day.

And sprouting mung beans.

We went to a Zoom Powerpoint Party where everyone had to do a 3 minute presentation on whatever they wanted. It was a super fun idea, and I did mine on sprouting mung beans. So if you need a little tutorial, here you go. (Basically, you just soak them for one day and then drain them and rinse them every 12 hours or so while you let them sprout. So easy!)

I’ve also set up a little yoga corner in my house. My bread bakes for 35 minutes in the morning, and you turn the oven down for the last 10 minutes, so my routine has been to do yoga for 25 minutes and then have shavasana for 10 minutes after I turn the oven down. There are tons of free yoga classes online right now. Usually I just turn on a playlist or some gentle drums and move on my own, but if I’m feeling ambitious, I might do a practice from this Arkansas yoga teacher. (Her accent reminds me of home.)

I’m also using the practices of lighting candles, diffusing essential oils and playing music to mark the different points of the day. Little tiny routines that remind me to stay in the present moment.

My last candle of the day marks a time of praying for those who are sick and for the ones who are helping people to heal.

Here are a few other things I’m grateful for at the moment.

A Quarantine Resource List

Books, of course. I finished Sensible Shoes and Wolf Whistle this week. I started Deep River this morning, and am still working my way through The Surrender Experiment.

I’m listening to this recording of a man playing a piano in a German coffee shop while I work. In addition to drowning out the noise in my house, it makes me feel like I’m in a coffee shop in Germany where someone is playing the piano. These are all three experiences I can’t have at the moment, so it’s sort of a fun mind trick. I heard about this recording in Austin Kleon’s newsletter, which is another fun resource in and of itself.

I’m finding myself drawn to sweeter movies at the moment. It seems like a season for rewatching old favorites. I have made everyone in my family watch the French films Un peu, beaucoup, aveuglément! and C’est Quoi, Cette Famille (They’re both on Netflix and both precious.)

We’ve also loved Onward and are in the middle of laughing through every episode of Kim’s Convenience.

Richard Rohr’s Daily Mediations are a breath of fresh air in the mornings. (I’ve especially enjoyed the Holy Week ones.)

And my friend Jane is sending out lots of new free mediations.

One of my favorite artists is telling stories behind her travel sketches. Plus she hosts a monthly sketching weekend online that produces all kinds of beauty.

I am enjoying listening to our pastor from Aberdeen preach from his office.

Our friend Chris Shelton is doing Facebook live concerts on Friday nights.

Looking at these photos of Jupiter is a beautiful dose of perspective.

Leigh Shulman is a writing coach and she’s sending her subscribers lots of free resources for writing during quarantine.

Back in February I hosted a letter writing course via email. That course is now available to download as an ebook if you want to catch up on some letter writing during quarantine.

Also I have unearthed the MOST massive stack of old postcards while cleaning out boxes, so if you want an old postcard with one of my favorite quotes written on it, send me your address (contact form at the bottom of that page) and I’ll pop one in the mail for you. (I’ll wash my hands first, I promise!)

What are your quarantine resources?

Sending love from my shelter to yours.

XO
Alison

The post Spring’s Arrival at Augustana + My Quarantine Resource List appeared first on Alison Chino.

Simon got out of school for a two-week spring break on March 6th.

Our plan was to head to Arkansas, soak up time with friends and family for a couple of weeks before Taido would fly down and join us.

Then Taido was going to drive home with Simon and I was going to go backpacking in the Arkansas Ozarks with my dad before heading back to Illinois to pack up and go to Italy.

The only part of the original plan that happened was the part where Simon and I drove to Arkansas.

It’s funny how plans change.

In making the trip from Rock Island to North Little Rock, we drove from winter into spring.

I started telling Simon to look out the window as soon as we crossed the Arkansas border, as it seemed like the redbuds appeared out of nowhere along the highway. Bright little spurts of purple branches welcomed us back to the south.

At home, we had a few precious days of walking our favorite trails and meeting up with friends.

We did a long walk from the Big Dam Bridge out to Two Rivers Park.

I met up with friends for coffee, drinks and walks.

But it wasn’t long before things started to change.

In just a few days, my trip to Italy was cancelled and all the schools and restaurants were closed. Taido went to help Ben and Mary Polly move out of their college housing instead of coming down to Arkansas.

I chatted on the phone to friends instead of meeting up for coffee.

Illinois put a shelter-in-place order in effect, and so Simon and I made plans to head back home.

But before I left town, I made a quick trip with my dad to the Ozark Mountains.

We left early Friday morning and drove gorgeous, winding hills to a trailhead on the Ozark Highland Trail.

The trees were still pretty bare, but you could spot serviceberry trees blooming like snowflakes suspended in the air throughout the forest.

Up close, the flowers had shades of pink.

We hiked over beds of moss up to a couple of campsites and the last remains of an old homestead.

On our way up, we spotted these rocks that reminded Daddy of a pulpit.

Ever the preacher, he tried it out.

We reached the top in time for lunch and were delighted to find a picnic table at the campsite. We enjoyed imagining how it had gotten up there.

The temperatures were dropping as we hiked back down and it started to rain a little after we reached the car. We drove to Castle Bluff, where Daddy was draining the water and shutting things down because the spring camps had all been cancelled.

Since he was working in the main building, he built a fire in this old stove.

If I had an logbook of all the time I have spent sitting in front of this stove, it would serve as a record of some of the happiest moments of my life. Daddy and I sat here a while talking and just being warm in front of it before we headed off to the lodge for dinner and to check in on the latest news from home.

Daddy made Tuna Mac for dinner, which is mac n’ cheese, cream of mushroom soup and a can of tuna mixed together. (I have since made this meal for my boys while home in quarantine and they devoured every bite.)

I woke up to familiar views over the valley and sounds of Daddy making coffee. I bundled up and sat on the porch for a while, reading and writing. (And recording this meditation.)

Soon the sun started to come out and we packed up and got ready to go see a few waterfalls before heading home.

We walked down to the waterfall that is on the Castle Bluff property first.

Spring is the best time of year for waterfalls in the Arkansas Ozarks, but we’ve had an exceptional amount of rain this year so the water was really running.

And the hills seemed especially green.

We stopped and hiked both the King’s Bluff and Pedestal Rocks loops.

Again, with the trees still bare, you could see for miles.

It was the first blue sky we had seen in over a week, so we soaked up the sun as we walked.

The serviceberry blooms seemed to stretch upward toward the sun.

And the little flowers on the trail seemed brighter.

Daddy and I both took loads of photos of rocks. The formations on this trail are just amazing.

It’s hard to do them justice in a photo.

I kept turning around and looking back at places we hiked over to see how far the cliffs fell below.

There are parts of the trail where you can get down below the rocks and explore the caves and caverns.

We had our picnic lunch in the sun and tromped through a few more caves.

I loved every minute of it.

After more than a week of constant cancellations, I had the feeling that this day was going to be my last time out freely adventuring for a while.

So I was reluctant to see this day come to an end.

I wanted to stay hidden underneath the rocks and along the waterfalls.

I even texted Taido that day and suggested we hold our quarantine in the hills of Arkansas.

In the days and weeks since Daddy and I hiked these trails, it has seemed like the world has grown smaller and smaller.

We are closed in on one another.

And when we gaze out, we see the whole wide world closed in just like us.

We are closed in together,

all of us wondering what will happen next.

Daddy and I made one more stop on the way home at Falling Water.

As soon as we got out of the car, the sound of rushing water drowned out any other noise.

In that moment, there was only that water, constantly crashing over the rocks, flowing downward, finding the lowest place.

A picture of grace.

A picture of God.

And a picture for me to carry with me into many quiet days.

Though it was shorter than what I had planned when I was first heading down to Arkansas, I am grateful for these moments with Daddy.

As I drove back home to Illinois, with my sad Simon riding shotgun, I carried in my heart the days of being in Arkansas. The friends I saw and the ones I missed. What was lost and what was gained.

The gifts were many.

And so shall they always be.

Come what may, friends. Come what may.

And one day I’ll be walking back home in Arkansas again.

For now, I’ll be holding these sweet memories in my heart. They are keeping me as warm as the fire in that old camp stove.

The post Snapshots of Arkansas: Walking in My Home State appeared first on Alison Chino.

Here are a few things I’ve been loving this month:

1. wisteria and tulips
2. playing with sourdough starter
3. imagining a world without prisons
4. walking with friends on Arkansas trails and around the lake
5. eating dinner in the backyard at a table and chairs that someone gave to us
6. teaching yoga at the Senior Center
7. anointing people with essential oils
8. reading memoirs (latest read: Rabbit)
9. road tripping through Shenandoah National Park for a wedding and sweet reunion with friends from Germany
10. preparing and planning for a return to Italy

I have been soaking up the Southern spring.

I started spring with a hiking trip (HIKE + YOGA) and was reminded of how much I love being outside in Arkansas. What a huge gift to be out walking on trails (and doing yoga) with 13 other precious women!

Then Taido and I made a trip through Shenandoah National Forest and even hiked a few miles of the Appalachian Trail on a road trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The whole drive was gorgeous. We dreamed about going back to spend a week or two hiking and camping in Shenandoah.

After MANY fails and hours of reading blogs + watching YouTube videos, I have finally ended up with this sourdough loaf that I’m SO happy with. I’m making it daily as I continue to play with my recipe so give me a shout if you want a loaf.

It makes THE BEST SANDWICH EVER!

I love getting these happy little bubbles in my starter.

So many things are changing in this season. Taido took a temporary job as an interim pastor at our church back at the end of February. Ben is about to graduate from high school and has decided to join Mary Polly at Wheaton College next year. Simon seems to be a bit taller every day. Cole is home from a long stint of working out of state.

We recently moved from an apartment to a rent house and Simon counted off to me how many places he’s lived in his life. Moving is such a reminder to me of how much is temporary. I finally opened most of the boxes I’d packed before we moved to Scotland, and even what I saved was a picture of all the ways I thought my life would stay the same.

I’m grateful for the way spring helps me see that God is always making everything new.

The changes aren’t just about what is going away or what is lost. Change makes space for me to watch and wait for what is being birthed.

The post Chino House Moments: Spring 2019 appeared first on Alison Chino.

It’s been a little over six weeks since we boarded a plane in Switzerland to come back to the US.

Back home.

Taido is teaching for the fall at Lyon College, a small liberal arts school that is about ninety minutes up the road from where I spent most of my childhood. It’s a temporary post. A chance to be in close proximity to family and friends here again.

To say the boys are glad to be back is like saying I kind of like butter pecan ice cream.

They are elated.

In the weeks that have passed since we’ve been home, I have visited Mary Polly at her new school (Wheaton College), watched Cole start a new job (Starbucks) and move into a new place, driven carpool to the junior high and high schools I went to, praised the Lord at my beloved home church, and walked lots of sweaty miles with my Mama in the Arkansas humidity,

I am so grateful.

This season feels like a incredible gift.

And also a strange and confusing gift because we left suitcases and boxes in Germany (we might go back) and we are not fully settling here yet (I’m living with my parents and Taido is coming back here on the weekends). And we are not at all sure what the future holds for the Chinos.

But still, a gift.

Taido is excited but wants us all to think of our season in Europe being paused rather than completed.

But even if we return to Europe, I know it won’t be the same.

So this is another ending for us.

And another beginning.

It is a trusting and a growing and a looking for all the ways that God is leading again.

Whatever else happens in this wild and wonderful life of ours, I know for certain that I have been given this time at home to be present here. Fully present.

But in the whirlwind of leaving Germany, traveling to Switzerland and jumping into life here with both feet, I feel like I’ve left a little bit of myself undone.

Somehow the strands of the stories of our life abroad are still dangling in my mind.

And probably it will always be that way because we have left (again) many folks we love.

But in an effort to hold on a bit to the year we had in Germany before we get all the way to Christmas here in Arkansas, I am putting together some simple pieces for this space that will help me remember.

I want to hold onto the fact that all the moments are gifts, the ones here this autumn in Arkansas and the ones we spent last year in Germany. All gift.

The post A Walk Home appeared first on Alison Chino.

When I read these words, out of Sarah Young’s Jesus Today this week I realized that I was holding onto the good gifts of my summer.

When I arrived in Arkansas in June I began to soak in every detail.

I drank deeply of place and people I dearly love.

Constantly welling up with emotion and awe at being granted a summer season at home.

But towards the end of the summer, and on my return to Scotland I was holding everything with tight fists.

Big things and little things.

Oldest son and parents and family and friends.

Hot sun and swimming pool and Vitamix smoothies and bottomless bowls of tortilla chips.

They were mine and I wanted them.

Not just for a season, but for all seasons.

Beware of feeling entitled to my good gifts. 

Oh yes, entitlement was rearing its ugly head in my heart.

And so it is time. It is past time.

To list as many of the incredible gifts of a summer at home that I can remember.

And then to open my hands to the sky.

And let them go.

Because my God is a good God.

And He has more good gifts to give.

And though I don’t know what they are and maybe like a spoiled child, I think I do not want them, I am trying.

I still have another phase of letting go in the days ahead. (Saying goodbye to Scotland.)

And then I am praying that God will begin the wrenching open of my heart to what is next.

SUMMER GRATEFUL

familiar faces at the airport // feeling the hot night air // sweating // driving my mama’s car into the Ozark Mountains // gorgeous green trees and hills // arriving at camp and finding Cole // big hugs and sweet reunions // Ben jumping in on work crew and Simon jumping in as a camper // my three boys together, serving, loving // goody bags from friends // going into church and seeing so many faces I love // hearing Dena sing and Harold preach // the smell of honeysuckles // bunnies on the walking path // black-eyed susans // the sticky scent of summer // going to the Boultinghouse’s farm // Sandy and Carol holding a baby lamb // fresh pesto with basil from the garden //

ARKANSAS GRATEFUL

going to the pool // American flags all over everything // Sonic happy hour // the smell of sunscreen // flip flops // Simon with his cousins // making smoothies in my mama’s Vitamix blender // seeing Daddy up early in the mornings with his books, getting ready to preach // long flowy skirts // singing at church // smelling like a mix of a dozen perfumes after so many hugs at church // being with my daddy on Father’s Day // celebrating SB’s bday at Bev’s and laughing so hard // bran muffins // live jazz bar with my princesas // pedicures // sticky sweaty walking with my Mama // Simon’s birthday // chik-fil-a // chocolate cake and Blue Bell vanilla ice cream // getting gas station fountain drinks with Simon // Ben riding the Halls’ borrowed scooter up and down the street // seeing my aunt for the first time in three years // meeting up with friends // froyo // watermelons and berries // biting into a peach and the juice drizzling down my chin

BEACH GRATEFUL

Peter and Whitney inviting Simon and me to Fort Morgan // Mama keeping, loving, cooking for Ben and Cole // sandy feet // chairs and a tent all set up // Simon squealing when he realized how warm the water was // floating in the waves // Peter making breakfast // coffee and mimosas in the morning // dinners together with lots of friends // kids looking for crabs with flashlights // going for long walks by myself in the morning // seeing the sun rise over the water // fresh fish // a little bit of sunburn sting // fireworks on the beach // Lulu’s // laughing so hard // catching up with old friends // meeting new friends // shrimp and grits // glowsticks // Simon piled on the couch with Wilson and Campbell, reading // Whitney taking photos // shrimp boil in the rain // being still // Chris playing guitar // chairs in a circle // talking to Taido and MP, both celebrating big accomplishments: a turned in thesis, school finished well

COUSIN GRATEFUL

Simon and I making our flight to Chicago even though we were sitting at the wrong gate // a new house // Fourth of July // lemonade stand // sleeping in my Grandmother’s old bed // working with Anna at Blackberry // backyard fire pit // s’mores // walking to the library and the park // picking raspberries in the old backyard // Taido and MP arriving // processing this hard in between time together with Taido // Bob and Anna loaning us their car // road trip to Arkansas // laughing hard // music // taking five cousins to meet up with the other four // Simon’s reunion with Campbell and Wilson // 9 cousins at the pool // playing “Empire” // singing in the choir with Peter, MP and Emily // Simon’s baptism // Taido preaching // letter from my sweet friend in Scotland // rainy afternoon // watching movies and eating popcorn  // six big cousins staying up late together // coffee and tears in the early morning with Diane // homemade popsicles // outlet mall shopping // giant chick-fil-a nugget platter at the pool // drinks with Carol // four cousins to youth group // MP seeing her friends // Taido getting a “yes” from Tubingen

COLORADO GRATEFUL

Road trip to Denver // CoraFaye’s Soul Food // Picking up Anna // Trader Joes // finding Daddy at the campsite outside of Lake City // Last car arriving // Everyone finding their spots in tents and hanging up hammocks // All nine cousins around a campfire // Taido and I having our own tent // Aspen trees // lunch and ice cream in Lake City // boys buying slingshots and knives // playing Empire and Bungalo // the sound of the river running // being with Cole on his 19th birthday // Daddy giving wild rides in his car // Ouray Hot Springs // everyone racing on the obstacle course in the water // Peter giving the name “Malachi” for our burger order–making us laugh // sharing highs and lows around the campfire // TC making salmon and “special pasta” // walking to the river to get more “perfect” stones for the slingshots // reading in a tent in the rain // peak climb for six big cousins // lunch in town with three “littles” // chicken fried steak // kids sad to be leaving camp // last night at a hotel in Pueblo // swimming and grilling burgers // Phineas choosing John Stott and Mama choosing Jason Mraz for the last round of Empire // praying for each other by the pool

DOGTOWN GRATEFUL

giant washing machine and dryer // being back at the pool, back in the hot sun // lunch with the Halls // dinner with Earles // hearing Bobby preach // singing Victory in Jesus // sitting with Nikki // crying through church // crying to Sarabeth on Sunday afternoon // Mexican food and margaritas // walking with Mama // taking MP to the farm to talk about her trip to Kenya with the Boultinghouses // thank you dinner at the Eubanks // jumping in the pool at the end // Diane’s prayers // early morning family photos with Whitney // saying goodbye to Cole and MP and Taido //  calmer dinner table with only 4 grandkids // watching Napoleon Dynamite // frozen yogurt with a friend // dinner and late night drinks at The Pantry with friends // River Market peaches // breakfast at Community Bakery // pool, pool, pool // playing games with Simon and Campbell // Daddy’s sermon on hope // singing It is Well // praying with Skyla // summer farmers’ market dinner // meeting Kelly for coffee // walking on  the Big Dam Bridge with Donna // being hot and sweaty and still loving it // Blackberry Pie // final trip to the pool // Ben at Good Eats // saggy bathing suit bottoms on little kids at the end of summer // early coffee with Diane and Tanja // making sushi with Cole, Wilson, Simon and Whitney // crepes on our last morning // tears // the hard goodbye // seeing familiar faces at the airport // welcome ladies passing out mints // strangers who call me “sweetie” // that being so sad is an indicator of so much love

The post Summer Grateful appeared first on Alison Chino.

It’s been exactly a month since Christmas. The holiday season already seems like a long time ago, but it was such a special time that I wanted to dedicate a post to its memory. I don’t have photos of all the bits I want to remember, but this collection of random snapshots captures a lot of what I loved about this year’s sweet season.

Preparations for a girls’ movie night to watch my favorite movie of the year, Far From The Madding Crowd. Lots of laughs.

Simon and his glee over all things Star Wars. (also, his shirt with “homemade thumbholes” which my friend Diane did for him because he wanted one with thumbholes like his brothers)

Daily Christmas readings and coloring Jesse Tree ornaments.

Running a gingerbread man table at a ladies’ craft night.

A winter hike around Crathes Castle with friends.

Kids being silly.

Hot mulled cider.

Baking with my kiddos.

The kitchen covered in treats.

The Christmas tree at Kings College. (and gray December days)

Sharing our favorite Christmas stories with some of our favorite people.

Our two favorites are The Last Straw and The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.

I made a point of finding some wee ones to read to this year because I do miss having little ones around at Christmas.

Taking my four loves to be around these four little munchkins makes me super nostalgic for those crazy toddler days.

Lemons and lots of lemon zest. For lemon cakes and apple pies.

Making lots of batches of winter punch that could be served to the kids or added to alcohol for adults.

Going to the beach to see the sunset on the shortest day of the year.

Fires in the backyard on cold nights (with marshmallows and whisky).

Taido and his mama having lots of time together this year. (Before she arrived for Christmas, they went on a Danube River Cruise!)

Taido in the kitchen. Doing his thing.

Christmas Morning at church with Harriet and Koko (Taido’s mom and sis).

Jigsaw puzzles on the table.

Taking Koko (my sister-in-law) to Stonehaven for the day.

Seeing a rainbow on the way to the castle.

Sitting in one of my favorite pubs after a misty walk to the castle and back. Warming up with pints + Cullen Skink (a Scottish seafood chowder) and talking for hours and hours.

Also, here’s Koko sneaking over the fence to retrieve her dropped glove.

The white foam on the North Sea looking like snow.

Days and days and days of rain and flooding.

Out for a walk all by myself in the rain, to see how high the river was and to breathe deep after Cole’s departure to America and all our visitors had come and gone.

I’m smiling at you and wishing you a happy 2016, friends.

The post Snapshots of Christmas in Scotland appeared first on Alison Chino.