In this life, we get as we give.

I have recently discovered our purpose here! Are you ready for this mind-blowing tidbit?! We are all here to GIVE! We are here to share our hearts with strangers and with good friends, to reach out to people who need, and to forgive and show mercy over and over again. We are here to love.

With that in mind, it is easy to see how busy one small life can be! I used to be bored, trying to think of something I could do that would bring me satisfaction. I was dying to know happiness by trying to GET for myself when all I needed to do was GIVE to other people. This new discovery has opened me up to a place of peace. I'm not bored anymore! I am always looking for opportunities to help, to share and to forgive! Phew! How busy I am! In case you haven't noticed, the opportunities to show love are endless!

Even more amazing is the faith that comes with giving. According to Peace Pilgrim, "All good efforts bear good fruit". Sometimes we don't see the fruit of our labor but we must know that the fruit is there! It may be hiding in a place we're not looking or even in a place we are incapable of seeing.

We each have much potential every second of every day to make peace, give hope, and to show kindness! Love to you all!

My Piece of Peace

Yesterday, I went for an hour break away from the demands of being a mom. Within the hour, I rode my bike to a nearby park with lots of space and found a spot of my own where I could be left alone. It seems like it has been years since I last felt peaceful. But I finally found my piece of peace.

Here's a poem or blurb or whatever I wrote about my moment: 

My Piece of Peace

I lay my back upon the earth and feel the damp of the ground beneath me.

When my eyes are open, the leaves of a maple tree are dancing in the breeze.

The air's movement through the leaves reminds me of my inner calm.

I let my eyelids gently shut to focus in on the sound.

It is then I also hear a bird chirping playfully in a nearby tree.

In that moment my muscles loosen in my face, at my arms, and along my neck.

I had since forgotten to enjoy my moments awake.

This minute is slow, uncalculated, gentle.

I can sense my heart easing up, putting to rest its most recent pains.

There is only me, a soul, listening in on nature's shameless story.

Thanks for reading! 

Arlo Mack Slakey

So, here's the little man we met on his first day in the world we know. Arlo Mack Slakey was born June 16, 2014 at 9:32am. He was 7 lbs. 15 oz. and 21 inches long. I am writing this post now when he is two weeks and two days old!!!

 This picture is of Arlo when he was about 5 or 6 months along in the womb.

A lot has happened since Arlo joined the "outside" world. Within just a few days of being here, he went to the doctor to get his bilirubin levels checked, since we were concerned he was jaundiced. The good news was his bilirubin levels were quite fine, but the bad news was the doc wanted to draw some blood from Arlo to see that his red blood cell count was at a safe level since his color could be pretty red at times. It turns out, his RBC count was pretty high meaning his blood was pretty sludgly and thick, and they wanted Arlo back in the next day for another blood draw to keep a close eye on him. When we returned the next day, his RBC count was even higher and the doctor was talking about doing a partial exchange transfusion on Arlo if his RBC count was still higher the next day when he was scheduled to have another blood draw. His blood draw the next day showed the RBC count had dropped significantly - PHEW! 

Soon after Arlo's check-ups were over, I (Kareena) started feeling under the weather. I was running a fever and had excessive tenderness in my breast and had only thought it was due to engorgement. I woke up one night with the chills and thought "this can't be good" but figured I would be better by morning. I was wrong. My fever climbed and climbed and I ended up going to the ER to be diagnosed with what I suspected to be mastitis. I was right. I was prescribed antibiotics, a nausea medication since I was feeling quite nauseated and told to take Tylenol to regulate the fever. The worst temperature I had was the next day when I went to my primary care physician for a follow-up on the mastitis. My fever was 103.3 degrees fahrenheit and I was dragging some serious booty. The nurses were alarmed that my fever had hit 103 since I had taken it that morning and it was only 102. My heart rate was 146 bpm and my blood pressure was 142/80. The nurse who took my vitals was telling me "It's no wonder you feel like poop".

Next, the primary care physician recommended I have a blood culture done and that I go immediately to the Salem Hospital imaging department to have an ultrasound done on my breast to make sure there wasn't an abscess. She suspected a possible abscess since I hadn't started feeling better yet on the antibiotics and symptoms still seemed to be worsening. It was at this point that I called my mom and Matt to come and help me. I had Arlo and Kaya all on my own all this time and had absolutely no energy to care for either of them. Matt took the rest of the day off, and my mom dropped everything she had planned to meet me at the hospital and help take care of Kaya. She brought dinner, too, thank goodness. It had turned out to be a very long day and Matt and I needed all the help we could get.  The ultrasound provided much relief - no abscess. I was expected to start feeling better very soon, too, since the antibiotics kick in somewhere within 48 hours after beginning the round.

After that long couple of days, things got better in terms of everybody's health. I finally felt like I was getting better the next morning after the ultrasound. I could move around without feeling like I was going to faint and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel!!! 

Now, the hardship is dealing with the emotions that Kaya has since Arlo was born. We were definitely prepared for a transitional period for all of us, but I think Kaya has been the most in shock. She really misses having her way and getting all the attention she asks for. She shows extreme frustration when she needs something at the same time Arlo does and sees that Arlo wins out (because he's eating or sleeping or crying). It has been extremely difficult to meet everyone's needs, especially my own, since Arlo was born. At the very least I can say we're all alive! At least the mastitis has cleared up and we know Arlo doesn't need a blood transfusion! At least, with time, we will get past whatever current hardships we're in and be greeted with fresh ones that challenge us in a different way. 

Love to all! I'm sorry to those of you I have not been in touch with frequently. Soon we'll start to normalize and get back in touch with the rest of the world. Peace!

My, how times have changed!

It looks like the last post we made was when we were still on the road. Too much has happened since then. We aren't on the road anymore, although we all know we're already itching to get back on it. We had moved across the US back to Sacramento in hopes of buying a home there and settling down but home prices in California proved to be out of our range. Hence, we moved to Salem, Oregon and bought a house. Hah! I guess you can say the wind blew us in this direction. Here's a pic of Silver Falls State Park. Been there - love it! We'll be back there again soon.

We've been in Salem now since July 2013 and the big news is we're having a second kid! We won't know the sex of the baby until he or she is born so we use the term "Baby X" to refer to him or her. Baby X is due June 10, 2014! Kaya is now potty training and saying words like "Whoa," "Ow," "Wow," "Girl," "Ball," and "Milk". She also blows kisses, gives hugs, draws, dances, and spends time reading with us.

We acquired a cat who is eight years old and goes by the name of Ollie. I like having him around so I can cuddle with him while Kaya naps in the middle of the day, but he's an all-day long cuddler. Sometimes I find myself wishing he weren't so cuddly so that I could read to Kaya without having a cat and a human on my lap as well as a baby growing in my belly all at the same time. Days can be daunting, to say the least.

Matt works as a locksmith full time and he's a real trooper. He comes home to a stressed out wife occasionally and still manages to be supportive and helpful even though his day may have been just as stressful. The man is a blessing.

We don't have any "exciting" plans to travel as of now, but we intend to vacation soon at least. Our latest dreams involve setting ourselves up financially to be able to go on the road again, which means generating enough cash flow (without jobs) to cover our desired and necessary expenses. Here's to looking to the future and living in the present! Cheers! 

  

Big Springs,TX to Red Hill NM

On Sunday the 26th of May we left Dallas for Big Springs, TX. We stayed the night in a free camping spot a short bit off of  the freeway. A woman named June and her friend, Bud, greeted us in the morning with coffee and pancakes. The two  of them were super friendly. Bud, however, mentioned several times that he hated the places we were going to or coming from. He especially dislikes Tucson... And California... Hehehe.

Well we're now "stationed", if I may, in Red Hill, NM on 40 acres with a family of five. They hunt elk, antelope, and deer as well as go fishing. They also raise chickens and rabbits which they slaughter themselves. We eat very well here. Our first night we had bbq pork ribs, homemade baked beans, and mashed potatoes. Another night we had cornbread, more bbq pork (not ribs), asparagus, and fish that had been caught that day. Pretty awesome. I am glad to say that I haven't seen a slaughtering yet but I imagine I ought to see it at some point if I'm supposed to know how to do it...

The living quarters are completely off-the-grid. The family made up a trailer for us which is quite comfortable but Matt and I have already lived off-the-grid before and already know we'd rather be in a more established home of our own; we'd like to have power and running water. We're learning lots by being here: things we want to do when we have our own land and things we don't want to do. Taking care of the animals is entertaining and it's fun to do first thing before eating breakfast or even having tea. Things that we find not fun - living without wind break in a dusty environment, living where the sun burns you in a second, living where there's a bunch of items all over the place. It looks trashy, but it doesn't seem to bother the farmers. They hold on to everything and try to reuse it all which I commend, but I think the items are a major eye sore. A huge reason I'd like to live on land is to SEE the land and enjoy the beauty of it all.

Excited to get home to Sacramento. We're here in NM until June 18th, and then we head over to Tucson. Nothing farm-related happening there, just a fun family gathering. Lastly, (cue the snare drum roll, please!) we go home. Home, sweet home!!! I miss the weather, the friends and the family that await me. Kaya misses home too, I think. She could use to stay in one place again, although I don't think she's been harmed throughout the adventure. She's having a bit of a hard time now because she caught a cold in Dallas and at the same time has three, yes, THREE teeth about to come out all in a row. OY!!! Needless to say, this all could have happened back home. It would have been easier to handle in the comfort of our home in downtown Sacramento. We'll see what the next few weeks bring!

Camping is AWESOME!

Well, howdy! Yesterday morning I woke up to the sound of a mocking bird and a babbling creek! The three of us spent the night at a campground in Hot Springs, AR. We got in around 4:30pm and set up the tent just in time before it started to pour on us. The evening was spent in the tent eating salad and cheese and crackers. When we had finished eating our salads, there was some left over oil and vinegar dressing in the bowls, which Kaya felt was necessary to stick her hand in, swipe up some with her fingers, and then stuff her whole hand in her mouth. I guess she wanted to taste the flavor of the dressing some more. She did this over and over again. Hah! I got a kick out of it.

The night was gorgeous with the rain pounding on the tent. However, sleep was a bit rough. Matt and I meant to find some foam padding and a few blankets and sheets at a thrift store before we camped but haven't been able to find any. At the moment, we have a single sleeping pad that we have for underneath Kaya at night and two sleeping bags. Without foam padding for all of us, Matt and I slept on clothes and sleeping bags. It was nearly comfortable enough but we could still feel the occasional rock or root. However, Kaya slept really well with the exception of being jolted awake a bit in the beginning of the night by loud rolling thunder and flashes of lightning.

Last night we got to Dallas to visit my brother, Johnny. After a few days with him, we'll be leaving to volunteer on another farm except this one is in New Mexico. We have a relatively short commitment with the farm because we have a family reunion to go to in Tucson, AZ June 20th. The farm is called Nyn Acres. It should be a very different experience than the last farm because they raise chickens and rabbits for meat, have on-going building/fencing projects, keep horses, and raise pigs. From what we've gathered the family that runs the farm seems friendly.

One more quick note: Two days ago we went "walking in Memphis".... Hehehe.

Just another post. Just another day.

We've been visiting with family for the last few days and have enjoyed our time. Saturday, we headed for Sikeston, MO to fix up a house that my dad and cousin own. It is a property that they went in on together as an investment and they could use the help getting it in condition to either sell or rent out. We'll only be here tidying up for a few days and then we plan on hitting the road again towards the west. Matt mentioned recently that he's itching to get back to California so we can get started experimenting with our own farm plans.

We've had a hard time finding farms on the way back home that have room for extra WWOOFers in the middle of the season. This whole trip has turned out to be very different from what we had originally planned but I dare say we're going with  the flow. ;) We're at least doing things that we value a lot; spending time with family we rarely see; volunteering our time and energy to those who need it; and taking a lot of time to plan for what to do next. One of the hardest parts of it all has been making sure we spend the money we have slowly enough. We're living off of about $500/month at the moment so gas for driving back home and food are all we care to spend our money on. Another hard part is actually having a little too much down time. Funny, right? It's all the more a reminder to search for a nice balance between working too much or hardly working at all.

I think with having a one year-old, we have a lot of down time during all of her naps. We don't have a home or even own very much so there isn't much that needs doing while Kaya sleeps. However, we can read, talk or do other low-key activities in the meantime. I'd really like to be more active which is why working on this house at the moment is pretty nice. Then again, like Matt,  I am itching to head west. I can't really  put my finger on it but I feel like there's still an adventure in the very near future just waiting to pop out at us. We had a lot invested in this trip emotionally. We left the security of both job and home and a multitude of friends and family behind to do this and it doesn't feel quite right yet. I have missed family and friends most (although, I do get to see some family on this trip), yet I could still do without the job and home part of it all. Ok, that's it. Bye for now. =)