Mountains & Music

View of the Continental Divide from our 5 mile hike

Inside Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Summer slides by faster when time is spent doing things you love. And no summer would be complete without this Midwestern girl heading out to the mountains & taking in a live show (or two).  It's even better when both can happen at the same time.

On July 9th the Avett Brothers were scheduled to play at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. A must go to venue outside of Denver, Colorado. The weekend road trip from Champaign, Illinois turned into an adventure to remember. Creative encouragement, teamwork & laughter filled our newly formed traveling team of four: Jarrod, Jessie, Leslie & Roger. We couldn't have planned a more perfect trip if we wanted to.

Did you have a trip of a lifetime this summer? Tell us about it.

Fabulous Traveling Team of Four: Jarrod, Leslie, Jessie & Roger

--ADDITION: Video sent by Jarrod showing a trip of a lifetime this summer. Enjoy! --


Almost There - The Muir Project from The Muir Project on Vimeo.


During the summer of 2011, a group of multimedia artists spent 25 days hiking the 219 mile long John Muir Trail. The intent was to capture their experience on the trail and bring it back to the general public in the form of a gallery exhibit including photographs, video installations and hands-on displays that allow visitors to truly get a feeling for the beauty and majesty of the trail without the burning lungs and blisters. Alongside the exhibit will be a feature length documentary chronicling their adventures on the trail.

This is the first glimpse into their epic journey, accompanied by the single, ALMOST THERE by Opus Orange.

themuirproject.com

Finding Balance

A post of the letter from the Jessie Marie Studio Winter 2011 Newsletter sent on February 17, 2011.

“Life is like riding a bicycle to keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

There are seasons of life where moving forward is the best course of action. A busy season at work, a new baby in the house or surviving a Midwestern winter. Jessie Marie Studio just exited its annual busy season.

For the past four years I've worked with the Denver Transportation Club to create a printed program, & other marketing collateral for their annual conference, Operation Stimulus. This project coincides with the holidays and Cadence’s birthday. Because of this timing, a magical balancing act has to take place. I don’t bathe in pixie dust nightly. Instead I made a plan, called on support & saw an end.

Make a Plan: Is there a relationship or project in need of your attention & energy? Recognizing where your focus needs to be makes it much easier to prioritize your time.

From previous years I knew the energy Operation Stimulus was going to take. I mentally prepared for the late nights, anticipated project challenges & stocked up on tea.

Call on Support: Do you know someone who will check up on you? Contact them. Tell them about that relationship or project. Talk to them weekly, better yet daily, to keep yourself accountable.

Jarrod is the reason projects like this one always end successfully. He didn’t only support me by checking in, he also did all the laundry, cooking AND dishes!

The End: Locate an end date when there will be time to celebrate. Or at least come up for air.

The end of my busy season is marked by Fat Camp. This year a girlfriend shared this great idea: Mini-celebrations. While working on her Spanish dissertation she feels the end will never come. To feel like she is finishing something she has a mini-celebration whenever she finishes food from her kitchen. A bag of chips emptied. Clapping & cheering! Last piece of spinach salad down the hatch. Hooting & hollering!

Balance is a tricky thing. Even with the best plan, the most dedicated supporters & the celebration of a lifetime planned, things can go array. You can try to take control of life by force. Or, may I suggest, take off the training wheels & enjoy the ride.

Here’s to finishing a mug of hot chocolate!
Jessie Marie 

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Fat Camp 2010

Three of my great friends from high school & I have made it a tradition to head up to Upper Michigan & decompress for a weekend in January. We call this weekend Fat Camp. We eat healthy food, take long snowshoe hikes in the snow, enjoy the on-site sauna & de-stress. For some reason (babies & busy schedules) it has been three years since there was a Fat Camp that we all attended. We all left the weekend refreshed & reconnected. It was such a great exercise in letting go & relaxing. I really don't understand why we don't do it more often! Enjoy some of my favorite photos from the weekend.