August: Ineffable Wanderlust Blog Circle {Sturmfrei}

Our word of the month this month is Sturmfrei which is a German word apparently meaning "to be alone, or to have the place to oneself, the ability to do what you want"

I had no idea what to shoot for this and since I'm very rarely by myself I thought this was going to be another month where I couldn't think of anything!

Then it hit me

The Canadian Farmwife!!!!!

Since doing the Italian housewife, and one picture of the Abu Dhabi housewife, friends have been joking that I needed a Canadian version. Ballgowns and horse manure were thrown about as ideas.

So, one day this month, both kids were in camp, I had nothing to do, and I realized this was the perfect strumfrei!! Why not do the photoshoot!?!

So here are the hilarious results!
*This would have been much easier if I could have found my stupid remote for the camera! Instead I hauled back and forth in heels and ballgowns in our farmyard in order to get these shots!!! I was exhausted by the end of it :)*

Hope you enjoy!!!!

June: Ineffable Wanderlust Blog Circle {Faodail}

Faodail, which means "a lucky find" in Gaelic is our word of the month this month.

I initially thought about posting a picture of our favourite restaurant, or something along those lines but then decided to go a different direction.

In June 2015, Richard and I had been told earlier that year that we weren't going to be able to have another child naturally, and that we would require IVF. Having already done one failed IVF in Abu Dhabi, and having no desire to repeat it, we decided we would foster or adopt instead.

We had been researching what this meant, and how to get into it when I agreed to take birthday/anniversary pictures for my friend Elysia. At the party afterwards I set up a little photo booth and snapped shots of the guests. One little girl was fascinated with my camera and kept wanting to see each shot after it was taken, I was completely charmed!

Later that party I was asking Elysia about fostering (she works in the child welfare industry) and it came up that that same little girl was living with her grandparents, they were looking for someone to provide respite care on the weekends, and they lived in the South end of Calgary.

I said I'd talk to Richard and we decided why not!? I told Elysia she could give her Aunt my number and that is how the journey began.

What if I hadn't said yes to taking photos at that party? What if I hadn't asked Elysia about foster care? She would have just been that little girl at the party that was really cute.

Instead, she is our lucky find, our faodail.

The missing piece to our family puzzle.

She brings happiness, silliness, chaos and love with her.

It hasn't been easy at all, and there have been days where I've questioned the sanity of our decision!

We are a work in progress, we are learning and evolving every day and will probably continue to do so for years to come, perhaps even the rest of our lives!

She is teaching us the true value of patience and consistency, and we have learned a lot about ourselves as parents.

But the blood, sweat, frustrations and tears are worth it,  because she's worth it. It's those moments where it all comes together, when the hearts touch and communicate, even if it doesn't last until the following afternoon! It's worth it to watch the sisterly love (and fighting) that has developed between the girls, a bond that will last a lifetime. It's worth it to see her grow, learn, develop and change into her own person. We are lucky to be part of a change so profound, and to know a love so deep and to have a life touch ours so deeply.

Our story isn't over and we still have legal formalities to attend to before we can officially call her a Burwell. Those are just pieces of paper, in our hearts she is already in her forever home.

May: Ineffable Wanderlust Blog Circle {Hiraeth}

Well this month the word of the month means quite a lot to me, having heard it through my childhood. 

Hiraeth “here-eyeth” (roll the “r”) is a Welsh word with no direct English translation. Doesn't stop us English language speakers though!!! 

The definition that our group found was "a homesickness for a home that you cannot return to or that never was"


But when I ran that definition past my Welsh speaking mother, she said, "that's not really what it means though, there isn't a good translation, I've always used it to mean a longing for home." 

Growing up over here in Canada and then moving overseas I believe that I have experienced both definitions of the word hiraeth. 

As a child I used to have a longing for Wales, somewhere that I had never lived permanently and wasn't born to. I know friends growing up thought it was strange that I identified so strongly with Wales, and missed it when I wasn't there. I was lucky as a child that I was able to visit as often as we did, and to this day driving over the bridge and into Wales makes me smile, and a deep part of me feels like I'm coming home. Perhaps it is the mystical country itself, steeped in history and legend, or more likely, it is the family that still live there that make it like home to me. I don't honestly expect anyone else to understand the feeling unless, like me, you grew up immersed in the home culture, in another land. Tied to the traditions and culture, but separated from the family that brings it all together. 

The most recent experience with hiraeth was when we lived overseas from 2010-2014. Our adventure was something that we will never forget, and we wouldn't change any of it. We were excited to go, and knew that it wouldn't be easy. For the most part it was amazing, beautiful locations and lots of travel with great new friends for support. 
However, there were many times while we were living abroad that I would feel an deep rooted sadness and longing for Alberta. It would feel like every cell in my body wanted to go home and the feeling was overwhelming at times. I was living in some of the most interesting places, but all I wanted was the hay bales, mountains and prairies of home. I missed random things like the friendliness of Albertans, two-stepping, rodeo and summer thunderstorms, big blue skies, campfires, soft snow, skiing, pine trees and roads that went straight for hundreds of kilometres. Once again, I think people thought I was crazy for being so delighted when I came home to visit and saw these things again. I've been home for nearly three years now and these random moments still bring me an intense joy that I didn't have before. 

I saw a shirt recently that said "The mountains are calling and I must go" and I think that may begin to describe the feeling of 'Hiraeth'. It is "a call to home" whether that be somewhere you grew up, or somewhere you cannot return to or have never lived. If you listen closely to your inner voice, you might just find that you have your own hiraeth!!!!

Bringing this word to pictures was difficult. My original idea did not go as planned unfortunately as my photoshop skills are fairly limited and you can't do this particular combination in lightroom. I did what I could and it is the first picture. What I wanted was a picture of Reese or myself with the mountains in the background, but not a clearcut, here she is in front of the mountains picture. A blurred, artsy, grainy black and white that to me defines what hiraeth means visually.  The blurring of lines, both by country, location and in the soul. 

This is the photo that I was trying to catch Hiraeth in....it didn't quite turn out like I had envisioned but I've come to love it anyways! 

Below are some photos from our day out in the mountains trying to capture what hiraeth meant. I chose the ones that filled me with that joyful feeling of home!

The following are photos that invoke that same feeling

And then that leads us to the hiraeth from my childhood, the beautiful country of Wales!!!!! Here are some images that invoke that " I must go" feeling. If you have never been to Wales, I would highly recommend adding it to your travel plans one day in the future.

While only a few pictures on this blog post are original pictures taken for this photo assignment, I hope you enjoyed my visual collection of what brings me hiraeth and I hope it inspires you to find your own visual representation of hiraeth.

Next you should check out the talented Ana at Los Baltasar for her take on hiraeth.

March Ineffable Wanderlust Blog Post {Uitwaaien}

This month our blog circle chose the word Uitwaaien, which literally means to "walk in the wind" in Dutch. Other definitions I found spoke of walking in nature to clear one's head, or escaping to the country.

Thankfully, we live in the country, so we went out one windy day last week to take some photos that could potentially encompass this idea.
My original idea was to drive out towards the mountains with long flowing dresses and props, but life and children got in the way and so we have us in our simple habitat instead.

I actually love this word, as walking out to clear the head is something that comes naturally to me. When I feel stressed I go outside ( ok maybe not in -40!!) but there is something about connecting with nature that heals the soul.

Please enjoy some of our photos from that day, and a few of the critters that we see here in our little slice of the country!

Our local coyote

Tux on the hunt up in a tree

Solidarity (for ten seconds at least!)

Jumping shots out in the wind

Reflection

I read an article recently that was explaining how 'goat yoga' is becoming very popular! Apparently, they are setting up shop in goat pens and then people go in and do their yoga surrounded by goats. Since we have a goat pen, goats and willing volunteers we thought we could take some pictures!!!

Heck, we could up goat yoga.....she has goats, chickens and horses hanging out during her dancer's pose!!!

 Next up you should check out the lovely Rebecca Spencer Photography's post to see her take on Uitwaaien!

January: Ineffable Wanderlust Blog Circle {Luminescence}

I was actually the one who chose the theme this month. I chose it because it had been so dark and cold and I felt that I needed a photo project that would help me find a little light! I then had a hard time deciding what to do!

I could have gone in many directions with this one, and I tried to keep it in mind while I was out and about with the family over the last month. I managed to find two photos that I liked, one using natural light, and one of pyrotechnics!!!

I hope you enjoy these photos! You should head over to Rebecca's Page to check out more from the blog circle this month!

Driving home from Panorama, heading toward Bragg Creek the sun was setting and it was just so beautiful I couldn't help but snap a picture! We didn't really have time to pull over so I shot this from the window of the car, I was quite happy with how it turned out!
Beautiful, beautiful Alberta!

Panorama Mountain Resort is our new home away from home. We spent New Years Eve there this year and the Global Fest team did an amazing job of putting on the fireworks display. 

Happiness Through My Eyes: There's no place like home

Those of you who have known me for a while know that my family has just moved back to Canada after a 4 year overseas adventure. I don't regret any of our journey and I would do it all over again, but I am ecstatic to be home.

Despite growing up in a small city here in Alberta, I've always wanted to live on a farm. In high school I had a boyfriend (Hi Scott just in case you're randomly reading this!!!) who lived out on a farm and I loved helping him feed the cows, drive the tractor or just do general chores around the farm. I remember one day sitting down by this beautiful little creek on their property and sobbing while the cattle were being loaded to go to slaughter. It's part of farm living, but not having grown up with it I was a little devastated!!! I remember thinking it was just so peaceful out there and I loved visiting. 

There's a big push lately to go "back to the land"  with backyard chickens and vegetable gardens and raw milk and I'm very excited to now have five acres just outside of Calgary and our own family acreage that can facilitate that!  

I walk out onto the deck some mornings with my cup of coffee, the sun is shining, there are birds flying around, goats bleating and cows mooing in the next field and I just stand there and smile. It's not anywhere close to the glitz and glamour that we had in Abu Dhabi, but it makes me much happier. I enjoy hauling hay, I enjoy pulling weeds, and building things and mowing the lawn. I enjoy feeding the goats now that they are safely contained and I'm not chasing them all over the foothills but most of all, I enjoy being back home. 

Home to me is big open skies, family, wheat fields, mountains, good friends and laughter, and rolling hills. It's dramatic clouds, camping, storms, hay bales, friendly people, country music, two-stepping and rodeo. I love these aspects of my home province and I missed them intensely while I was away. 

This month I thought I would share pictures from around our place and along the drive into town(Okotoks). So you can see for yourself some of the things that make me happy to be home.  

Here it is, Chez Burwell :) That's the trout pond on the bottom left. I was taking pictures of the stormy sky that went right over us without actually storming!!! If you look closely you can see my Mom relaxing under the pergola above the pond. 

Artsy take out in the pasture

I drive past this old barn all the time so today I stopped and took a picture

I take the back highway into Okotoks just so I can see views like this on a daily basis!!!!!!

Then on the way back you're looking at a gorgeous Calgary skyline

Mmmmmmm our place is full of saskatoon berries!!! They taste a bit like bluberries and can be used in a similar way but they have a nuttier taste to them. They grow wild here. 

This is Mia, she's a naughty goat most of the time and VERY bossy! Our goats are named after Reese's friends in Abu Dhabi!!!

Our little desert dog Ooday LOVES frolicking through the upper pasture. He chases grasshoppers and then goes and runs laps around the house like a maniac!!!

The road out towards the mountains 

On the top road coming back down into DeWinton. I had to stop because the reflections were awesome :)

Check out the bull's snot/spit!!!!!! I LOVE watching bull riding! This was at the Okotoks Pro Rodeo today. These guys are crazy. (read AWESOME)

This looks so uncomfortable!!! They look like rag dolls being bounced around on the horse!

Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys

Mutton Busting- Reese has decided she wants to try next year!!! 

Failing mutton busting she would like to try wild pony wrangling.

So now you can see why I'm happy to be home. Or, you think I'm completely crazy for being in love with all these things!! Either way you should visit the talented Louise Freeland's blog next to check out the rest of the blog circle  CLICK ON HERE TO CONTINUE THE CIRCLE :)

Happiness Through My Eyes.........ISTANBUL!

Well apparently this post needs a bit of fixing, which is going to take a few hours. Sorry folks!!! However the link to Anna should still work if you're doing the blog circle for May!


This month we travelled to Istanbul!!! It was a very quick editing session but here are a few highlights.When you're finished have a look at my friend's blog, the lovely Anna Francken

Inside the Hagia Sophia. It has been a church AND a mosque and now it is a museum. 

The Blue Mosque

Istanbul at sunset from the roof of our hotel

The Sultan's room in the haram at Topkapi palace

Alexander the Great's Tomb

Spices in the Spice Market

The Evil Eye, found all over Istanbul. Hanging it is supposed to protect you.

Reese at the mosque doors

Basilica Cisterns

Istanbul Archeology Museum

Showing off her "Jasmine" outfit

Veiled and lovely

The bobble shoes