{behind the scenes} no. 3

{road trip edition}

i thought i'd share with you a little snippet of my personal {behind the scenes} from last week.  if you've been reading this blog for a while, you may already know that i regularly participate in the enormous tiny art show which takes place twice a year at nahcotta in new hampshire.  i feel really lucky to show my paintings alongside such talented artists whose work i truly admire.  i also feel so lucky to be able to live close enough to make it up to the openings, and see some of my artist friends as well as deb, the lovely woman who owns the gallery. it's really nice to make those personal connections, and lately, i've been feeling like they are really important.  yes, we are able to connect online, but sometimes it's just so refreshing to meet up in person, say hello and give a hug. 

so last friday, i made the trip up to nahcotta for the opening sans bebe!  yup, kinda a big deal.  you mamas out there know what i'm talking about.  no diaper bag, no pack-n-play, no sippy cups or snacks, no dan zanes music in the car. (don't get me wrong, i do love his music!)  instead, i queued up my own perfect playlist and blasted it loudly as i drove east. alone. the sun was setting and i had an extra-shot mocha in hand. ah, bliss. in fact i was enjoying my drive so much that i took a wrong turn and the 2 hour trip took me just over 3.  ah, well.  and then i hit the traffic.  the makeyounutscreepingalong sort of traffic. but, i have to say, that with no toddler in the back seat about to burst, i didn't even mind.

i finally arrived on the north shore, met up with my sister and we made our way up to portsmouth.  well, it was just about 7:30 when we arrived due to the above mentioned circumstances, so i missed meeting up with the few friends that i was hoping to see.  blah.  oh well, i was still happy to have made it in time to see the show, chat with the gallery gals and most of all, to feel like a real person out on the town with my sister rather than a mama with a wild toddler in tow. 

meanwhile, back at home, ada apparently ASKED to go to bed.  um, when does a 1 and 1/2 year old ASK to go to bed?  please dada, crib, she said.  well, lucky guy, that's all i have to say.

anyway, it's funny how the little things like just going to my own opening have become SUCH A BIG DEAL now that i'm a parent. i'm still trying to accept this fact in my life, and i'm sure this too shall pass, but it's just one of those things that feels like a giant shift that is still shifting.  this post may not seem like a big deal either, but i guess what i'm trying to share with you is that even though i have a little one, i'm still trying to hold onto what i used to do when it was just me whenever possible.  just sarah the artist, just trying to make it all work.  many of those pre-mama me things have gotten thrown out the window these past many months, oh, like leaving the house between the hours of 12-3 (nap time) for example, sleeping in, having leisurely breakfasts without someone spilling my coffee onto the new rug (yes, it was an accident, but that DID really happen this morning!), reading the newspaper or a book or a magazine in peace, staying up late painting into the wee hours, doing whatever i want whenever i want, going to the grocery store with a only a basket (now it's one of those carts with the car attached! ugh!) oh, the list could go on and on....  sigh.


but hey, i was pretty proud of myself for taking some time just for me last week, leaving ada in the capable hands of her father (1st time overnight!), driving 4 hours, all just to make it to see some of my own paintings hanging on a wall.  seems like a lot, it was a lot, but it was worth it.  i returned home not even 24 hours later to a happy ada who missed her mama and a happy and refreshed me.  i don't know if there's a correlation between taking that time to escape and the super productive time i've had in the studio this week, but i'd like to think that maybe, just maybe, there is.