names, succulents + learning

I have taken note of three reminders this week...

My name:
My name, Laura Eve, comes from my great great grandmother who was the first white child born in the Dakotas. My mother's side of the family is a group of pioneers. And Eve, well, Biblicaly she was also the first woman on the scene. It's a daily reminder to keep moving forward, even when things are challenging, scary, intimidating, or confusing.

Succulents:
After emailing future roommates about what we're all bringing to Baltimore, I mentioned I have a row of succulents and herbs currently on my window sill and I'm trying to figure out how to move them with me. Succulents are just about the only plant I can't kill (knock on wood). My future roommate reminded me that they are resilient. So here's a shout out to my good friend Resilience! And a reminder to myself that my resilience has proven itself in the past, and it will in the future.

Kivu:
Sometimes I go back and read the blog of a professor at Hopkins I want to work with. Nancy Glass writes about her work in Africa, which I'm particulary drawn to because she goes to the same areas I went to. But more importantly, she works with women around issues of intimate partner violence, rape, socio-economic conditions, and building foreign policy by creating healthier people. The people of Rwanda gave me a big metaphorical shove to go into nursing. The emotions that I felt there were so strong. I can't begin to describe the horrendous stories of women who were taken advantage of, raped, pregnant women who lost babies and their own lives... there are stories I heard that I never thought I'd hear with my own ears, wasn't sure humans could do these things to their neighbors. Today I read her post about working in Bukavu, a town in DRC close to Lake Kivu. While I never went across the border, I went to Lake Kivu twice. I named the puppy I found within the 1st week there, Kivu. I remember my last weekend in Rwanda. We traveled to Lake Kivu and I sat, one morning, staring out at the water. Nancy Glass reminded me that Lake Kivu is one of the deepest lakes in the world. Looking at that water was about the only time I was able to write there. I couldn't put anything into words for two months until that point. There was so much deepth. So much misunderstanding, history, so many deaths during the genocide, but there are so many possiblities. There is a great determination and resilience there. Within all this, I know my reason of going into nursing.

So after a long week (it's only Wednesday) of feeling beaten down from misunderstandings and people not speaking up with their own voice, including myself, I rest on these ideas: resilience, potential, digging deep within yourself to see where you can grow and where to stand tall and dig your roots in, and when to keep moving forward and challenging yourself with new places, people, experiences.

(In addition to Nancy Glass' blog, you may also listen to this podcast from last year.)

tea . herbal efforts

Somewhere along the way I picked up making my own herbal teas. Maybe it had something to do with the particularly long, gloomy Portland winter and feeling more affected by it this season. I started with PMS tea (of all things!) from a book that my handsome man bought me at Powell's. And then I added a headache tea because of the relentless killer whale of a headache that's been pressing at my skull for months, on and off. The other day I did a little herbal research, and jotted a few notes in my lovely Moleskin, another gift from the aforementioned handsome man. So off I trotted, free from work and five o'clock, to the People's Co-Op in NW Portland. And here is what I bought today:

. Nettle (good for Fibromyalgia, as it's a natural antihistamines and anti-inflammatories)
. Hawthorn berries (rich in vitamin C, antioxidant)
. Hawthorn leaves (circulation, healthy heart)
. Ginkgo (circulation, memory)
. Oatstraw (calming, immune booster, fights osteoporosis, pain, and anxiety)
. Licorice root (soothes tissues, liver tonic, adrenal gland support, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia)

The plan is to make a "wake up tea" and an "achy" tea. And hopefully it's tasty, too!
I even picked up an apricot mini pie for $2.50 and a lemon balm plant. I couldn't resist. (I apologize for the camera phone photos)

goals . a small house with a large garden.

Nestled In is closing down their blog, what a shame. I had forgotten to go through it in a while and I found a lovely interview and home preview with Katrin. She has a small house with a large garden, and fantastic light through large windows. You may see more of Katrin's photos on flickr.

film . Bright Star

Watching Bright Star, mainly for the cinematography. After going to our friend's wedding last weekend and dancing 'til our feet were sore, we talked about dance lessons.

Happy Birthday Dad!

I love you, Dad.

solitude . Rainer Maria Rilke

dreaming of spring, originally uploaded by laura evans photography.

“but your solitude will be a support and a home for you, even in the midst of very unfamiliar circumstances, and from it you will find all your paths.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by stephen mitchell)

With all the uncertainties of moving and nursing school, and my lack of comfort with being alone, I found comfort in this at least.

photo: "dreaming of spring" from Laura Evans

bolwoningen . globe-shaped houses

I found these fun little houses via Nina, a Dutch design student. Fifty of these globe-shaped homes were built in the early 1980s in a new development area of Den Bosch, with the help of a grant for experimental building.