K.M. Updike's Blog, page 15
June 10, 2015
How to have a happy day {just like a little girl}
When we left California Mrs. Cline wrote and said her little daughter, Claire, pretended she would float on a huge cloud all the way to Colorado to where my big sister was. So ever after Dawna pretended that, too.And that there were skittles and heart shaped cookies up there.
I've a mind to believe them.
Don't you?
Love, me
P.S. If you stick around, there's something coming tomorrow, right here on the blog
June 3, 2015
Going somewhere? How to see where you're going
That day we all crowded around and watched Roy Rogers? That's when we recalled the older days, when it was exciting to go to Grandma's and borrow her videos with all those Roy Rogers adventures. Of course we loved Grandma's house. Period. But it was us, all children again, with Roy and Trigger. And Roy's girl. And pistol fights and chases on horseback. Gabby Hays. I love Gabby.
I love old things.
Old days.
Old times.
Old dreams I used to live.
It's good to be reminded of where you've come from, where you've been. You can see where you're going just a little bit clearer.
I love old things.
Old days.
Old times.
Old dreams I used to live.
It's good to be reminded of where you've come from, where you've been. You can see where you're going just a little bit clearer.
May 27, 2015
We went to a greenhouse
As cold as an April afternoon could be.
And Aunt Connie was with us.
We wandered about the plants and flowers.
I was afraid to take pictures at first.
Afraid someone would see me and frown.
But then I got brave.
There's a musty, earthy, spring time smell in a green house.
It's damp, but warm.
Mama and Aunt Connie wandered around talking about everything.
And there's something comforting about all the green, growing things, soaking up light and life around you.
I've come to the conclusion I love greenhouses.
That I want to live in one.
That living among such beautiful things,
always reaching for the sun, for the light,
for the heavens, is one of God's greatest gifts.
And Aunt Connie was with us.
We wandered about the plants and flowers.
I was afraid to take pictures at first.
Afraid someone would see me and frown.
But then I got brave.
There's a musty, earthy, spring time smell in a green house.
It's damp, but warm.
Mama and Aunt Connie wandered around talking about everything.
And there's something comforting about all the green, growing things, soaking up light and life around you.
I've come to the conclusion I love greenhouses.
That I want to live in one.
That living among such beautiful things,
always reaching for the sun, for the light,
for the heavens, is one of God's greatest gifts.
May 13, 2015
Face the sun
Some days it's hard to keep from looking at the world from only one direction. It's easy to keep your back to the sun to keep from being blinded.But some days all you have to do is change perspective for life to be beautiful again . . .
Face the glaring, blinding, hot sun and squint into the light.
Beauty lies in the most humble and unexpected places.
Love,
Kayla
Face the glaring, blinding, hot sun and squint into the light.
Beauty lies in the most humble and unexpected places.
Love,
Kayla
May 6, 2015
Garden-planting time
In the summer time, when school was out, my mama would plant her own garden.
40x40. That's how big it was. She'd sprout her own seeds, set them on a table in front of our big window and let the sun shine work its magic.
You'd find us all out working in the mornings: laying straw, hoeing rows, weeding planters.
Most days the sun shone. And early on the mosquitoes hadn't come out yet.
It wouldn't be long and these days would be gone. Just like the days when I'd stack my school work up, or sit and listen to history. Times I thought those days would never be over.
Well, they are. And here I sit, wishing I would have loved the more. It never occurred to me I'd miss the simple days. The innocent ones.
Garden's grow slow when you watch them. And this year I am. It's slow, but they'll catch up when I'm not watching out. When life moves too fast for you to catch your breath and take a sip of air around you, that's when you've forgotten to watch it grow and let all seep into the hole of time.
The hard part's just living, and not wishing you could live somewhere else, be something else, do something else, just for a little while.
The hard part's sticking to the course you've acknowledged as the right one, and not backing down on the unbeaten road. Knowing you might stumble, but keeping at it anyway.
The hard part is trying to get back up. It's hard. Very hard. To unbelieve something you've fooled yourself, unawares, into believing. To uninfluence yourself and build up your guard again, against your own heart.
'Cause when you've done it, it feels like you've lost your strength, and God bends you to your knees to beg for His strength again.
40x40. That's how big it was. She'd sprout her own seeds, set them on a table in front of our big window and let the sun shine work its magic.
You'd find us all out working in the mornings: laying straw, hoeing rows, weeding planters.
Most days the sun shone. And early on the mosquitoes hadn't come out yet.
It wouldn't be long and these days would be gone. Just like the days when I'd stack my school work up, or sit and listen to history. Times I thought those days would never be over.
Well, they are. And here I sit, wishing I would have loved the more. It never occurred to me I'd miss the simple days. The innocent ones.
Garden's grow slow when you watch them. And this year I am. It's slow, but they'll catch up when I'm not watching out. When life moves too fast for you to catch your breath and take a sip of air around you, that's when you've forgotten to watch it grow and let all seep into the hole of time.
The hard part's just living, and not wishing you could live somewhere else, be something else, do something else, just for a little while.
The hard part's sticking to the course you've acknowledged as the right one, and not backing down on the unbeaten road. Knowing you might stumble, but keeping at it anyway.
The hard part is trying to get back up. It's hard. Very hard. To unbelieve something you've fooled yourself, unawares, into believing. To uninfluence yourself and build up your guard again, against your own heart.
'Cause when you've done it, it feels like you've lost your strength, and God bends you to your knees to beg for His strength again.
April 29, 2015
Surprises are my favorite
It's a long way from Nebraska to my prairie place.And it's a long, tough journey being a person in this world.But people you love make up for that.Especially when they surprise you.
Laura came. She hid out in room while my sneaky family got me out of the house.
When I got home, there she was when I turned on the light, a bouquet of white tulips for my birthday.
Yeah. That was a good surprise. Come see this huge smile I have on my face right now from just remembering it.
Everything started to make sense then, all the frequent drops Ethan made into my room the day before to say hi. House cleaning disguised as spring cleaning. Hannah's excitement about Easter weekend and hiking, and a movie out.
I have the best family in the world. And the best friend.
It cheered me up so much.
The next morning we got all spruced up for Easter Sunday. The boys are looking rather dapper.
There are some pretty lovely girls in my life.
The puppy dogs got a lot of extra loving that weekend.
Easter dinner in all its numminess.
Monday was a full day of busyness and togetherness. We went hiking up Lover's Leap and had a picnic lunch in 40 degree weather. Midwest people are weird like that.
Up, up, up we go, off into the wild, forest yonder.
Mum taking our departing picture.
The Eye of Mordor watched us from the trees.
Here are just a few pictures of the trip upward.
And the forest along the way.
The "false leap". It's the top of the ridge so I imagine it fooled a lot of people. It confused Hannah and I on our first trip up.
Happy conversations.
Almost there!
At last! On top of the Leap!
The photojournalist. Capturing everything.
The view down. Which was a long way.
Just hanging out.
The prairie way out behind us!
Ah. There. Now, the trip is complete.
Hannah and I up there again together, in remembrance of our first trip.
Mountain Man was not in his element in the least. He had a miserable time running, hiding, jumping out from behind trees, climbing rocks, flirting with the edge of the Leap, and frightening us half to death. No, he didn't enjoy the hike at all.
Almost all of us!
Giving a helping hand.
And we're off again. Just a short ways further it all goes down hill and you follow a lovely, winding trail through the forest.
Just one of the ten stream crossings.
We never kept the same position in line. Someone was always stopping for something or changing direction. So this is the line behind me at that moment in time.
The Eye of Mordor still with us.
When we got back to the cars, these friendly mavericks thought we were interesting and decided to come visit.
But they soon got bored and decided they were hungry instead.
After saying hello to the mountain sheep, we set up lunch at a picnic table and had sandwiches, and rice krispie bars, and vegetables, and got warm in Hannah's car.
Some warm beverage was definitely in order after that cold hike. But Laura and I were the odd ones and got iced coffee while everyone else was smart and got hot chocolate. But I must say, I loved the drink Laura got me. I will be returning for it.
That evening we went to a movie, and the ride home was a very quiet one.
When Laura left the next morning, I wasn't too sad. I was, but I didn't cry as much as at other times when she's left. It was like she said, I felt like I could face the world again, and my soul was cheered and my heart happy, and I felt so loved. It was a very good surprise.
Laura came. She hid out in room while my sneaky family got me out of the house.
When I got home, there she was when I turned on the light, a bouquet of white tulips for my birthday.
Yeah. That was a good surprise. Come see this huge smile I have on my face right now from just remembering it.
Everything started to make sense then, all the frequent drops Ethan made into my room the day before to say hi. House cleaning disguised as spring cleaning. Hannah's excitement about Easter weekend and hiking, and a movie out.
I have the best family in the world. And the best friend.
It cheered me up so much.
The next morning we got all spruced up for Easter Sunday. The boys are looking rather dapper.
There are some pretty lovely girls in my life.
The puppy dogs got a lot of extra loving that weekend.
Easter dinner in all its numminess.
Monday was a full day of busyness and togetherness. We went hiking up Lover's Leap and had a picnic lunch in 40 degree weather. Midwest people are weird like that.
Up, up, up we go, off into the wild, forest yonder.
Mum taking our departing picture.
The Eye of Mordor watched us from the trees.
Here are just a few pictures of the trip upward.
And the forest along the way.
The "false leap". It's the top of the ridge so I imagine it fooled a lot of people. It confused Hannah and I on our first trip up.
Happy conversations.
Almost there!
At last! On top of the Leap!
The photojournalist. Capturing everything.
The view down. Which was a long way.
Just hanging out.
The prairie way out behind us!
Ah. There. Now, the trip is complete.
Hannah and I up there again together, in remembrance of our first trip.
Mountain Man was not in his element in the least. He had a miserable time running, hiding, jumping out from behind trees, climbing rocks, flirting with the edge of the Leap, and frightening us half to death. No, he didn't enjoy the hike at all.
Almost all of us!
Giving a helping hand.
And we're off again. Just a short ways further it all goes down hill and you follow a lovely, winding trail through the forest.
Just one of the ten stream crossings.
We never kept the same position in line. Someone was always stopping for something or changing direction. So this is the line behind me at that moment in time.
The Eye of Mordor still with us.
When we got back to the cars, these friendly mavericks thought we were interesting and decided to come visit.
But they soon got bored and decided they were hungry instead.
After saying hello to the mountain sheep, we set up lunch at a picnic table and had sandwiches, and rice krispie bars, and vegetables, and got warm in Hannah's car.
Some warm beverage was definitely in order after that cold hike. But Laura and I were the odd ones and got iced coffee while everyone else was smart and got hot chocolate. But I must say, I loved the drink Laura got me. I will be returning for it.
That evening we went to a movie, and the ride home was a very quiet one.
When Laura left the next morning, I wasn't too sad. I was, but I didn't cry as much as at other times when she's left. It was like she said, I felt like I could face the world again, and my soul was cheered and my heart happy, and I felt so loved. It was a very good surprise.
April 22, 2015
Two Introverts in a Car
There can be a great deal of silence with two introverts in a car. But there is loads of story talking make up for that. Especially when we both get so excited we shake, when we talk about something we've thought about and believed, and haven't had a chance to tell someone because no one ever seems to ask.
So bottled up inside of us it has been that when the flood gates are open the words can't pour out fast enough because we have to stay them one by one! And that's just not fair! It takes up room for discussion and the spilling of more ideas, and learning and thinking and writing it all, to have to say words one at a time.
If there could be something telepathic—like, something without so many words, and the eyes alight and you get all glorious when they understand and agree, and say, “Me too!” “How did you know that's what I was thinking!” And there's a knot that just wraps tighter between you.
You said stories are most powerful with a Christian worldview. When they have characters who live for something other than themselves. And I love how we can talk and let the bastions of our quiet tumble down and we mean something when we say things—the things we say actually mean something!
And I love how we mean something to each other, something different between us, how we can speak something just once and understand it perfectly.
I loved how you told me in one conversation how to write for the world, and God dismissed all my fears because of the words He gave you, the wisdom He blessed you with.How we love stories and making them up, and telling each other these wonderful things we discovered, we thought of.How I can just ask you something and you can tell me what you think. How, though you don't show passion like I do, you smile and chuckle and understand anyway.
I figured it out.We don't fear each other.I don't judge you.You don't judge me.That's just the way it is.
So bottled up inside of us it has been that when the flood gates are open the words can't pour out fast enough because we have to stay them one by one! And that's just not fair! It takes up room for discussion and the spilling of more ideas, and learning and thinking and writing it all, to have to say words one at a time.
If there could be something telepathic—like, something without so many words, and the eyes alight and you get all glorious when they understand and agree, and say, “Me too!” “How did you know that's what I was thinking!” And there's a knot that just wraps tighter between you.
You said stories are most powerful with a Christian worldview. When they have characters who live for something other than themselves. And I love how we can talk and let the bastions of our quiet tumble down and we mean something when we say things—the things we say actually mean something!
And I love how we mean something to each other, something different between us, how we can speak something just once and understand it perfectly.
I loved how you told me in one conversation how to write for the world, and God dismissed all my fears because of the words He gave you, the wisdom He blessed you with.How we love stories and making them up, and telling each other these wonderful things we discovered, we thought of.How I can just ask you something and you can tell me what you think. How, though you don't show passion like I do, you smile and chuckle and understand anyway.
I figured it out.We don't fear each other.I don't judge you.You don't judge me.That's just the way it is.
April 15, 2015
Birthday Tid-bits
Not pictured: My Father's Favorite, sheet music from Sense and Sensibility, by Patrick Doyle
I had the most lovely birthday I've ever had.
A beautiful day, peaceful and kind, and full of love.
Thanks, family.
Love, Kayla
April 8, 2015
Dry Cauldrons
Some days I feel as if there is something inside of me that needs to get out.
Some compulsion I cannot name, nagging me.
An alarm I cannot silence reminding me there is something I need to do,
need to say, need to write down . . .
The urge to create when the creative cauldrons are dry.
I could not get it out. Voices that had no words, screaming that had no sound.
Something I thought of the night before that I had forgotten,
my mind rowing upstream against the current, trying to halfheartedly remember.
I've forgotten how it feels—or have I ever felt it before?
Some days I feel as if I know nothing at all.
But some days, too,the rains comeflooding.
Some compulsion I cannot name, nagging me.
An alarm I cannot silence reminding me there is something I need to do,
need to say, need to write down . . .
The urge to create when the creative cauldrons are dry.
I could not get it out. Voices that had no words, screaming that had no sound.
Something I thought of the night before that I had forgotten,
my mind rowing upstream against the current, trying to halfheartedly remember.
I've forgotten how it feels—or have I ever felt it before?
Some days I feel as if I know nothing at all.
But some days, too,the rains comeflooding.
April 1, 2015
Dawna's Elven Birthday
On a lovely March Wednesday, we celebrated Dawna's birthday party.Some of us came bedecked in Elvish attire, Ethan and I wore our cloaks, but unfortunately we were much to preoccupied to take a picture.So you have my permission to be upset at not being able to enjoy our epic-ness.Dawna trucked out that morning and gathered a armful of cedar branches.And this is what became of them . . .
White cottonwood twigs and cedar berries.
I must say, I loved this centerpiece so much.
Porkloin, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole.
The Lovely Lady of the Wood.
Elvish ocarina.
It was one of the favorite gifts, as you can see.
Keats. Just Keats. John Keats Poetry from Joseph. A whole book of it!
So Audrey: 59 Ways to Put a Little Hepburn in Your Step. From William, who was gone to Albuquerque that day, unfortunately.
A wood spirit. From Ethan. This was the real favorite.
Ethan was quite pleased with how much it pleased everyone.
Received a place of honor on Dawna's bookshelf.
And the evening whisked away to the lilting tune of the Elvish flute. . .
Happy Birthday, Dawna dear.
White cottonwood twigs and cedar berries.
I must say, I loved this centerpiece so much.
Porkloin, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole.
The Lovely Lady of the Wood.
Elvish ocarina.
It was one of the favorite gifts, as you can see.
Keats. Just Keats. John Keats Poetry from Joseph. A whole book of it!
So Audrey: 59 Ways to Put a Little Hepburn in Your Step. From William, who was gone to Albuquerque that day, unfortunately.
A wood spirit. From Ethan. This was the real favorite.
Ethan was quite pleased with how much it pleased everyone.
Received a place of honor on Dawna's bookshelf.
And the evening whisked away to the lilting tune of the Elvish flute. . .
Happy Birthday, Dawna dear.
