little promises

family is a tricky thing.

we each do things to abide by the family politics or to cut them out completely.

i make my family where i am. blood is generally thicker than water, but blood isn't always around, and for some of us, blood isn't always an option. so we adapt. we make our own families, and make them last as long as we can. they morph and grow, but there are always seasons - winter. spring. summer. fall.

there will always be winters in family. winters where it's just you. we're alone.

however, there's this little thing called hope. based on knowledge & experience, i know that the sun will rise every morning, and it will also set. we also know that spring comes after the cold hard winter, and at some point, winter will end.

hope is a gift. we're given little promises - we need only to be patient.

-k

ahhhh plants!

so i lived yesterday like i was about to embark on my weekend.... which means that i also had every intention of spending my entire day today gardening.

not so.

so here is what i plan on doing on my weekend, which starts tomorrow:

clockwise: ranunculus, cilantro, ranunculus, spicy basil & rosemary

sweet basil & poppies

contemplating planting some basil in the mason jars...?

all images ©kbaergen

love.

-k

passover & tradition

this morning i read one of my favorite passages: exodus 11 & 12 - the passover:

"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." ...... "Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.' "

14:14 " the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

the first five years of my life i lived in skokie: a little melting pot of religions and ethnicities, mostly jewish & israeli, right outside the city limits. there are vivid memories of king david's bakery, menorahs, synagog, unleavened bread, etc.

this is where my deep connection with judaism began.

i grew up very aware that judaism is the start of christianity. to disregard or disrespect the jewish religion was just as much disregarding or disrespecting my own [thank you parents for teaching me this]. my first seder meal captured my heart, my emotions, and somehow dug deep into my soul and connected with it - planted a little seed. then our family trip to israel, where we emerged in tradition, culture, and the history that the old world holds. bam! my heart is hooked. judaism, israel, the middle east... it holds a special place in my heart.

it wasn't until i got older that i realized how wonderful of a religion it is, more so it's importance. every religion or belief has truth at the core, that's the beauty of diversity - that whether i believe everything you believe or not, or vis versa, we can still learn something from each other, find something we agree on.

i love the tradition of judaism, i also love how things like keeping vigil [–noun 1. wakefulness maintained for any reason during the normal hours for sleeping. 2. a watch or a period of watchful attention maintained at night or at other times] are talked about. i love how life is celebrated, and how the solemn qualities of life are kept holy and respected.

so, i am excited for passover. though, i don't celebrate it and hold the tradition of it entirely, i believe that it is important to take note of, to celebrate and to honor. so, i will try my hardest to do so. maybe think about doing so too.

everything green and tegan & sara

sigh. today is the only day that i wish i were in chicago [well, that's a lie, there are a couple of these days, but this one is the most important]. its just that there are certain things that are celebrated and honored in chicago, like no where else. [i.e. the green river, fireworks, utter maddness]

saint patrick. what a great man. so great we have one of my very favorite holidays in honor of him. unfortunately for me, nashville is not to hip on this holiday. which, honestly, makes

NO sense. i mean, he was a saint,

a missionary to the islands. that's why they celebrate him. so the bible belt should be all up on it. common people. i made a quick stop into

kroger today and couldn't find a decoration or even a four-leaf-clover-shaped cookie-cutter.

maybe there just aren't that many irish or scottish. [did you catch that? yes. i said scottish. i'm not leaving them out. they're totally involved in this tradition... get over it]

even though my irish heritage is small [i have to add the scotts on this one, they take up more of my blood], you can see it in my red hair and my love of whiskey.

so, cheers to saint patrick, the irish, the scotts, jameson, cookies, and everything green. and to tegan and sara, because i just can't stop listening to them today.

love. happy st. patrick's day.

creative director

i officially have a title for my job: creative director.

yes please.

a long long long day of work later and we've worked through necessary business and are getting on the same page on everything. its a great process. and i really love the work. while it is mind-bending and can drive you crazy at times, it is so much more exciting, invigorating, and incredibly satisfying to be doing what i love: creating.

so yes, you can now officially call me a creative director. thank you. thank you very much.

business cards coming soon. yep. with that title on it!

k baergen

creative director

mmmm. looks lovely huh?!

i'll photograph them for ya when i get em.

love.

-k.

worms

on rainy days, the worms come out of their deep holes to get some of that good ol' moisture. unfortunately for us, while it's helping them get some air and wiggle around, it makes the air smell like, well, worms.

i don't exactly know what the smell is, and i don't know how to describe it. so the best title for the smell is.... worms. by association, it claims the name - there is a certain scent (to be nice) in the air, after a long rain, and there happens to be worms on the ground... yes. duh. i'm going to call it the smell of worms.

haven't you ever noticed it?

it's gross, and awkward and sticky smelling, maybe even a little gooey.

but

everyone knows, there's nothing like the beautiful, wonderful days that bring spring, it's flowers, rain & thunderstorms, oh! the thunderstorms are magnificent! and there's nothing more beautiful than staying up late listening to the thunder & rain and waking to the world turing from a brownish-grey hue to a beautifully brilliant green.

yes folks,

spring. is. here.

the follow up

a. i am sick. the only reason why i'm writing this tonight is because i am taking my medicine - which is in the form of tea. so its a slow process.

b. mikey & kirsten.

so. i picked them up, took them to the party of a life time. not really. i actually just wanted them to see what it all looked like. see what my friends were like, see what these people were like.

it was so interesting to observe and to interact with the entire situation.

(eesh. this medicine is hot. and gross)

i think what i realized is that a lot of what happens here is so foreign to those who don't live here. make sense? when i moved here, yeah, it was all weird and bizarre, but i knew it was something i liked. something i wanted to be a part of, and something i certainly wanted to invest in.

so maybe that's where you draw the line. there are two reasons why people can be closed to places: a. they don't belong there or b. they're too closed minded and need to be stripped of their insecurities & comforts.

not saying either of these are kirst and mike. more so, they probably don't belong here. there are only a small few who do. and besides it's not like they were totally closed to this.

cough cough cough

ugh. this grossness has got to go.

love

tonight i introduced mike & kirst to the east side boys.

more on this tomorrow.

march

it's march. finally.

february was a rough one, and sheesh, march isn't startin out too hot either. snow/rain/sleet for today. no fun. the ten day forecast is predicting a 60˚ monday. so that'll be nice, it was supposed to be 70˚ on Sunday (according to yesterday's ten day forecast....).

not much to say today.

i'm listening to the girls next to me talk about their medical consumed lives.... and looking for great art.

adios