Betsy & Iya Jewelry


Archive for the ‘On the Road’ Category

The Way I Am: things that never stop.

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

I keep waiting for things to slow down… for when I’ll sit down and write a meaningful post, share those pictures with you, reply to those emails, get in touch with that friend I haven’t talked to in so long, workout more regularly, go to Cathedral Park more often, etc etc, blah blah.  I keep waiting for all of these incomparably important busy things to slow to an end and then I’ll take care of all these other things that I really do also care about.

…wait.  …that are also indelibly important things…things that I’m always going to want to get to.

right.  riiiight.  I remember.  I know this place.  I keep coming back here.

I keep coming back here for a reason, I suppose… a great one, that I should be so grateful for—I’m BUSY!!!!  And really, if I think about it—I can only hope it stays this way.  I’m learning that it’s becoming more and more about finding balance.  A balance within me, that extends out to my hands, and beyond my hands, just as it exists in the world.

One of the first ways I’m trying to implement this into my life is by being with W when I’m with W.  I mean, like really being with him.  Road tripping, experiencing Vancouver BC (witnessing Olympic moments firsthand, before the TV footage and even the cameras that shot them), reconnecting, being our most authentically goofy selves, laughing out load (a lot), the tastes, the smells, the friendship     …even if everything stopped:


these are the things that would stay with me forever.


We had a wonderful time in Vancouver.  And even though I was able to focus on all the things that make my heart feel woo wooey,  the things that actually inspire the work… it came too.  I got four new accounts in BC before we headed home.  That’s right, Canada.  In the next few weeks, look out for betsy & iya in these sweet stores:  Riot, Dandelion Emporium, Smoking Lily, and Blushing Boutique.

I am so very lucky and grateful.  Thank you, Canada.

Soooo… stop thinking about it… just do it, you know?  that thing?  those things…  just go and do them.  and do them with every little bitty inch of you.

***Song of the Moment: Tonight by Lykke Li***

Live Aloha.

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
(I know you want more wedding pics, and they’re coming, I promise.  We’re just waiting for the final pics to come around and I’m just trying to get used to normal, uninterrupted life again.  In the meantime, the honeymoon…)

We’ll start simply and from the bottom of our hearts.

honeymoonhawaii3
honeymoonhawaii6
honeymoonhawaii10

honeymoonhawaii112

honeymoonhawaii111

honeymoonhawaii5

We made each other laugh SO hard that day (every day) on the trip.  This one was incredible.  While under the rainbow, we just couldn’t stop cracking up.  It was a sort of disbelief at the amount of joy that was (is) pouring from our hearts.

And this one…

honeymoonhawaii2

…it sort of speaks for itself.

Love this simple idea of Aloha (Hawaiian for hello or goodbye), found here:

Aloha is the coordination of mind and heart . . . it’s within the individual. It brings you down to yourself. You must think and emote good feelings to others.

  • A stands for AKAHAI, meaning kindness, to be expressed with tenderness.
  • L stands for LOKAHI, meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony.
  • O stands for OLU`OLU, meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness.
  • H stands for HA`AHA`A, meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty.
  • A stands for AHONUI, meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.”
    You don’t have to be a politician.
    Or the president of a company.
    Or a famous doctor,
    to make everyone’s life better.
    Sometimes the smallest things make
    the biggest difference.

    • Respect your elders and children.
    • Leave places better than you find them.
    • Hold the door. Hold the elevator.
    • Plant something.
    • Drive with courtesy. Let others in.
    • Attend an event of another culture.
    • Return your shopping cart.
    • Get out and enjoy nature.
    • Pick up litter.
    • Share with your neighbors.
    • Create smiles.
    • Make a list of your own.

    Each of us can improve our community by our individual and collective actions.”

    honeymoonhawaii1

    (and if you love the white earrings in the first few photos, just click on the picture below and you can get some for yourself.  Just tell me you what color you want!)

    CM0802all

    As I enter back into this mainland life, I will attempt to honor as much of the Aloha island spirit as I possibly can.

    As I ease back in, I will remember those moments of unfettered laughter and intimate joy.

    I love you, William.

    ***Song of the Moment: You Still Believe In Me, by M. Ward***

  • Cherry Blossoms in Wonderland.

    Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

    I forget how much I love drawing and painting until I’m actually doing it.  And then it’s as if the world melts away, all of my troubles, fears, obligations, sadness; I find myself in a smooth, colorful, geometric, creamy, limitless world of adventure,  joy, and peace…no matter the subject.

    gu-painting-2

    Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of doing some decorating consulting and design work for Georgetown University’s Foot & Ankle Center.  During my last visit, we decided that the space was really aching for color pops.  I rounded up some of my favorite paints and put together a collection that I thought would go beautifully against the dark blue walls in the space.

    gu-painting3

    One thing I love about DC and Virginia (my home state) is the warmth and color of the landscape.  There’s a reason they say it’s for lovers– you pretty much can’t beat the Blue Ridge Mountains…  Oh, and DC’s abundant cherry blossoms.  I wanted the paintings to have a cohesiveness while remaining independent.

    gu-painting2

    I loved the idea of cherry blossoms as the through line.  So the cherry blossom was the impetus (along with the right kind of blues), then I kinda went nuts from there.  The top painting is also the bottom painting, flipped around.  It’s the most abstract; it’s my favorite.

    gu-painting1

    This one is huge, 30 x 40 inches.  I painted it horizontally, as seen at the top.  When finished, I played with which angle was my favorite and why.  This vertical version reminds me of a calm creek or stream (also very Virginia) and the sun going down on a summer’s day, with fish jumping and fireflies waving and micro eco-systems thriving.  It reminds me of a place I want to be.

    I really should do this more often.

    ***Song of the Moment: A Sunday Smile, by Beirut***

    Introducing: WILBET Hefeweizen.

    Friday, July 31st, 2009

    img_34741

    At the end of the NYC tour, we took a side trip to Norfolk, VA where W’s parents had a special engagement party for us.  It was just perfect.

    engagement-party3

    engagement-party1

    The home brews were definitely one of the highlights.  It was a family effort and a complete surprise to us.  When they gave us a beer to toast with, I took a triple take at my FACE on the front of it.  From the fresh taste of the beer to the quirky, perfect handmade labels, they did a brilliant job and we all had so much fun.

    img_3478

    img_3480

    Introducing to the world: “WILBET HEFEWEIZEN: Simply the best hefeweizen in all the Ports.  Handcrafted award-winning chemistry results in a golden unfiltered wheat beer that is truly vibrant and clearly superb.  Ever since Wilbet introduced Hefeweizen to America in 1999, ours has been the standard by which all are judged.”

    engagement-party2

    The other side of the beer read: “Brewed and bottled with love in Portsmouth, VA in celebration of the engagement of Will and Betsy.  Winner of 2001 KISS Gold Medal Award and 2009 Gold Ring Beer Cup.  Best enjoyed on a breezy summer day in the company of good friends and family.”

    …So so true.  In fact, I could use one of those cold brews, RIGHT NOW!

    Have beautiful cold-beer filled weekends!

    ***Song of the Moment: The Waves, Los Super Elegantes***