Category: Time

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6 Easy Steps: Meditation We Don’t Usually Consider Meditation

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Meditation at the Pool

I’m sitting at a Hotel Club in Antigua, Guatemala meditating. I’m at a pool, but I’m still in my meditation practice. And I have (somewhat annoyingly) stopped my meditation to sit down to write this post. I would rather be meditating but inspiration arrives when it arrives, and it is a welcome guest. No matter what I’m doing or where, I keep the radar on and my compass pointed in its direction. Fortunately, inspiration never runs dry when you are open to it.

I am the proverbial frog waiting for the fly.

Back to the Hotel Club. Cloying in the background is a marimba group playing their lively traditional marimba music, which I have heard for the umpteenth time. Iza and Zai are over watching Casimiro the clown do his thing, for the umpteenth time. I guess it’s what we do. We do things over and over and over again, whatever the circumstances. I could be in a silent forest retreat right now, but I’m not. I’m here, every day, happily, and here is the only place to be. So I practice on and try to keep the little Mona Lisa smile intact.

Enjoy the Distractions

When l think of all the “distractions” and noise here, I think back to the time when I was living at a Zen Buddhist center in Los Angeles, California. Zen Buddhist center, Los Angeles, quite a unique juxtaposition I would say. But while deep into one of the many meditation retreats we participated in and helped conduct throughout the year, there were almost always one or two (sometimes 3) ice cream trucks blasting their carnival music into the street.

* Take 3 deep breaths……now.

Welcome back. As I was saying, ice cream truck music is not the ideal background music for a Zen retreat. Or is it?

The point I am making? We are not always presented with the most ideal circumstances to continue a spiritual practice (whatever practice that may be). That in itself is the perfect spiritual practice.

I mean, right now, I am hammering away on my phone and trying to keep up with the words and ideas flowing through my mind, and in a way this is just a part of the extended practice.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”6980″ alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1548800593990{margin-right: 150px !important;margin-left: 150px !important;}”]

Meditation 101

Now for the purpose.

  1. Find a moment (even 5 minutes)
  2. Sit in a comfortable position
  3. Listen to the sounds around you
  4. Don’t focus on anyone sound
  5. Breathe with intention, follow your breath
  6. Try to release your mind from all other obligations

You are now meditating and its something you can do anytime, anywhere, for as long as you have available. It offers you a moment to be alone even in a sea of people. It gives you an internal power you can’t get anywhere else.

Want to learn more? Here is a pretty well-written article from Yoga Journal.

The Story Continues…

We are now back home and the kids are sleeping. You parents know the deal: it’s SO sweet when you get those few minutes to decompress, But it’s only 3:30. Do I wake them or let them sleep. If I wake them, back to the beautiful grind of parenthood.

If I don’t wake them I’m F’d because I know they’ll keep me up all night. Yea, nobody wants that so I’ll go with another half hour and hope for the best.

So for the precious moments I have, do I continue my meditation I was so relishing back at the pool? Or, with inspiration still fully intact, do I continue this post. Rache would definitely continue writing so I use her as my guiding work force. And I feel like there is something I need to say, right now, so I am rolling with it and serving it up. Of course with the deepest gratitude for receiving this inspiration to share words and ideas. I feel like other like-minded folks out there in the cyber world are working hard to share their inspiration as well, so I want to give back when I have the chance.

And there you go. One of them awoke. Gotta go![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1547575447533{margin-right: 120px !important;margin-left: 120px !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Get Started with Meditation with These Tools

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You can never have enough. These cushions are essential for any meditation practice, especially when you are starting out. They help you to ease into lotus. 

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Want to learn more about my style of meditation? Read up on Rinzai. 

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If you look closely, you can see me on the left when I first started practicing.

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What’s Sesshin?

A sesshin (接心, or also 摂心/攝心 literally “touching the heart-mind”) is a period of intensive meditation (zazen) in a Zen monastery. – From Wikipedia

Most dedicated western practitioners do two sesshins a year for 7 days each in total silence. Each day you meditate in a variety of different ways for roughly 18-hours. Meditation in these cases can be sitting, walking or working. Often, by the 7th day, practitioners feel ‘high’ or ‘light’.

I meditate every morning and have tried to attend at least 1 sesshin a year while our children were small. Now that they are older, I am renewing my 2x annual practice.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1547575740756{margin-right: 150px !important;margin-left: 150px !important;}”]

Meditation is Apart of My Work

My art is centered around meditation and in my most recent work, you can see the repetition, patterns, and simplicity of form. I typically meditate for 50-minutes and then do a freehand piece in under an hour. Learn more here on my website.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”6988″ alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.kurtisbrand.com/project/manta-cruda/”][vc_empty_space css=”.vc_custom_1547575753142{margin-right: 150px !important;margin-left: 150px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1547575770154{margin-right: 150px !important;margin-left: 150px !important;}”]My Zen brother Billy White also practices meditation as his work. Check out his sound healing at The Heart is Awake.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Balancing Act of Work and Life

RaCo Life Kurt Playing Guitar for Iza

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RaCo Life Kurt Playing Guitar for Iza

A work life balance has been lost in today’s society, but it can be found with few basic maneuvers. Kurt and I both work in our fields of choice; he as a conceptual artist and me as a restaurant designer. Neither job is simple or straight forward… both require intense schedules, time and dedication. We have worked hard to orchestrate a schedule which permits meditation, yoga, family meals and play time with our kids by doing less work and more life, and trading responsibilities. We also make time for each other which makes us happier. We don’t always make it work on the first try, but we always adjust as needed.

Balancing is a challenge no matter which way you look at it because there is always going to be a sacrifice. If you can look at the sacrifices as opportunities instead of losses, you will always remain satisfied.

RaCo Life Gray Line

Here’s our balancing act*:

RaCo Life Balance List

1. Work less
Sweden just went to a 6 hour work week to increase productivity. Studies have shown the more downtime you have, the more productive you are during work hours. Streamline.

2. Sleep more
Sometimes hard with a toddler and a newborn, we make a point to be on a bedtime schedule and get out of bed after we are fully rested. We say goodbye to our list to do for the day.

3. Eat healthy
A plant-based rounded diet with small frequent portions. Simply eat less meat and fill your plate with veggies.

4. Exercise Daily
Even if for just 20 minutes, take the time to walk in nature or just down the street.

5. Rest Your Mind
Do something fun. meditate or watch TV. Whatever it is mix it up so you get a mental break every day.

*If you work outside the home it might be harder for you to make your own schedule and work list; give it a try.

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Even with a sunrise like this, I am stressed out

What the heck is wrong with me? I woke up this morning a bit out of sorts, and definitely on edge. No apparent reason (perhaps internet issues last night), but it was like I was born with stress in my veins. Around 5:30am the sun started to peak out from behind the mountain, so I came down stairs to share with Kurt who was making me tea. Here we are, both of us sitting here together, in a quiet, peaceful morning, drinking green tea from Tea Trekker, and looking at a gorgeous sunrise cast over two volcanos and a mountain.

And my heart was still palpitating from stress.

The funny thing is, there is no real explanation. I create drama for myself, even if I have nothing to worry about. I seem to not be able to let go and just ‘be.’

When we decided to take this adventure on, away from the busy and full life of the city, and away from our family and friends, I told myself that I was going to hit the reset button on stress and start fresh. I have done pretty well with all that the world, and more specifically Guatemala, has thrown at me, but I suppose at the end of the day that stress is inherent to my soul.

My theory: the concept of Ra’Co has to kick in eventually… and I need to recognize that this is not a dream that I will wake up from, but a new way of life I am giving a whirl. I may not be able to remove stress from my veins, but I can give myself new ways of dealing with it and confronting my own demons of drama.

 

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All I ask for is Quiet

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The man cannot be quiet. I mean, he is flat out noisy and it makes me absolutely crazy. How can his balance be Zen Buddhist and meditate for a week without talking, and at home when all I want is quiet in the morning between 4am-6am (and have asked for it repeatedly), and he simply cannot make it happen. He is always interrupting me with a question, turning on a light or looking for something he should have prepared the night before. The problem is willingness, not inability.

This morning was a search for his Crocs. He was looking in his bedside table, in the corner, in the closet, etc. fumbling around and making a total array of noises. I wanted to grab his shoulders and just shake him and say, “Don’t you see me working here? Don’t you know that Iza is going to wake up in 20 minutes and this is the last moment of peace I will have in the day?” But instead I asked him to stop making so much noise. His response was a complete blow up (furthering the noise), saying, “Don’t start fights in the morning, Rache. Just live your life and I will live mine.” Wow, stinging words. I think what he meant was, “Don’t pay any attention to what I am doing, it is not your business and you should learn to ignore me and just do what you need to do.”

Should I? Should I learn to ignore his contribution to my morning, even if it is disrupting? I have been sitting here thinking about it and my conclusion is that he is right (sadly). I should learn to just meditate through is noise and be present within myself to get my needs met. I shouldn’t rely on him being any different than he is willing to be.

Conclusion-LargerMy needs can only be met by affecting myself as I need to and I am disappointed when I expect otherwise. I cannot control the world around me, and should not expect anything to be different than it already is.

But when my blood is boiling, and there is a Buddhist philosophy to note which makes me wrong as does this one, I want to jump out the window and run as far as I can. Perhaps there is another teaching needed here. 🙂[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

L E A R N  H O W  T O  B E

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Zen

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vcex_feature_box heading=”” image=”2370″ img_width=”9999″ img_height=”9999″ image_url=”url:https%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F2MDJKTt|title:Buy%20on%20Amazon%3A%20The%20Way%20of%20Zen|target:%20_blank|”]My Uncle Craig gave this book to me when he heard that I was dating a Buddhist. I know he wanted me to figure out a way to sit and enjoy each moment for what it is, which he does exceptionally well.

Buy on Amazon: The Way of Zen by Alan Watts

Alan Watts stands as the godfather of Zen in America. Watts takes the reader back to the philosophical foundations of Zen in the conceptual world of Hinduism, follows Buddhism’s course through the development of the early Mahayana school, the birth of Zen from Buddhism’s marriage with Chinese Taoism, and on to Zen’s unique expression in Japanese art and life. As a Westerner, Watts anticipates the stumbling blocks encountered with such concepts as emptiness and no-mind.

[/vcex_feature_box][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space][vcex_feature_box style=”left-image-right-content” heading=”” image=”2371″ img_width=”9999″ img_height=”9999″ image_url=”url:https%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F2FUTbgv|title:Buy%20on%20Amazon%3A%20The%20Parent’s%20Tao%20Te%20Ching|target:%20_blank|”]Kurt has two Zen Brothers – Josh and Billy. Both are creatives in their own right and understand the importance of solitude and calmness, especially when it comes to child raising. Josh and his wife Leah gave this book to us when we found out we were pregnant. The book has been a lifesaver and given us a rule book to live by.

Buy on Amazon: Parent’s Tao Te Ching by William Martin

William C. Martin has freshly reinterpreted the Tao Te Ching to speak directly and clearly to the most difficult of modern tasks — parenting. With its combination of free verse and judicious advice, The Parent’s Tao Te Ching addresses the great themes that permeate the Tao and that support loving parent- child relationships: responding without judgment, emulating natural processes, and balancing between doing and being.

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Too Many Options

I have touched on this before, but we struggle to make big decisions due to the endless options we create for ourselves. We have dabbled in visions of living in Shanghai, Dubai and London. Mustered a desire for India and the country-side of Southeast Asia. Entertained the prospects of living in northern Canada, or New Zealand (who wouldn’t want to be called a “Kiwi?”). Thought about picking tea leaves in Africa and even considered running off to Brazil to join the technology boom. It is a world of options, which is in someways the very definition of overwhelming.

But now we have decided on a 3-5 year plan in Guatemala / NYC and have suddenly gotten overwhelmed with the next level of choice. We have 3 possible options for housing in Atitlan and another 2 options in NYC, 3 longterm vacation plans and potentially even a full-time Stateside change (because we freaked out about the shipping costs); all very different experiences.

  1. ATITLAN 1 year rental with 3 months sublet; 9 months here, 3 months in NYC (1 month in the fall, 2 weeks traveling, 6 weeks in the Spring)
  2. ATITLAN 1 year+ here, no traveling
  3. ATITLAN Flexible rental here due to previously scheduled rentals in a house, traveling in-between
  4. NYC Move to NYC fulltime
  5. NYC Rent an apartment full-time in NYC and sublet as needed to make up the difference in rent
  6. WORK VACATION India and Thailand
  7. VACATION Western China
  8. WORK VACATION Sri Lanka
  9. STATESIDE Move to Miami area (still incredible art scene) and get a 1+ year rental

Map

Again with our sea of choices, which do we choose? Which will help us to flourish in our careers and life strategies? Which would be the best place for Iza to grow?

We have had trouble with renting a house, mentioned in our “Problems in Paradise? Nope, it’s just us” article, and trouble with securing a house once we found it, all due to lack of ability to finalize a plan. We simply are lost in our indecisiveness and it is taking a toll on us emotionally. In someways it is just easier to stop, back off and let the world fall into place in front of us, don’t you think?

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Coming together as a Community

What is the biggest problem in your life right now? What is it that makes you crazy, annoyed , disturbed, angered, worried, nervous, hopeless, fearful etc? Anyone want to jump in? Is it health, social issues, money, relationships? For me, I think it is: “How can we find freedom in our life to love our work and have more time for the things we want to do i.e. spend time with family and friends, read, relax, create, cook, travel, learn, share, build things, garden… rather than do the things we HAVE to do all the time i.e. work work work work doing something we don’t really like to do to support people we don’t have any desire or reason to support.” It seems like we all live in our own little bubbles and we never get together as a community to fight in unison for our basic freedoms. How can we all come together to make some changes in our lives and society to win back our freedom? Am I being idealistic? Please help!

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Infinite or Finite

I had a beautiful chat with my Auntie “Princess Beep-a-lot” (Beth) and her husband / my Uncle Craig. We have always been very close, mostly because I make a quarterly homage to visit and because we have a similar love for nature. I love them both as family, friends and advisors.

Uncle Craig is a unique personality. He has had many iterations of life and carried many titles, the most recent as of 2 weeks ago is “retired.” For 25+ years he has taught music at Flagler County Middle School. It is one of the few schools in the country where they really have a dedicated guitar program. He is a teacher at the core and when we spend time together he is always sharing. In the morning when I am home with them I go out on the kayak and row boat or sit by the ocean or just go for a bike ride together. He has expanded my view of the world and helped me to slow down and just see.

Now in this new iteration of his life he has a wide open expanse of time, unattached to a school schedule. Yesterday during a conversation with them Beth said to Craig while on the phone with me, “you have an infinite amount of time now.” Craig corrected her to say, “Finite, Beth. All our time is finite.” She corrected him back and said, “It’s infinite.”

Both are right. Time is always finite ultimately, but one thing I know for sure – there is no direct expiration date or time stamp on life. Every moment is truly infinite. Lucky Uncle Craig gets to finally spend every moment doing just as he wants – waking up with the sun, soaking in the precious moments of life.

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Getting Our Life Back….A Beautiful Morning

After a long year of late sleepless nights we are finally getting our groove back. We knew that we had to get into a really great stress free environment to reestablish our lives. Before Iza, Rache and I were very involved in healthy eating with lots of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, regular meditation and yoga, and daily of exercise.

Over the past year, lets just say we have strayed far from shore. Because Iza doesn’t really like to go to bed before 11pm and usually wakes up one or two times a night our usual 5am wake up has been pushed back. That means it’s hard to get up to meditate and do yoga as the sun rises. And because we are often stressed or over tired, we resort to bad habits like drinking too much or eating crappy food (well, relative to our usual diet). It’s a vicious cycle and I’m sure thats why so many parents start to get those love handles that turn into rolls that turn into….you know what I’m saying.

So the Brand Fam has grown sick of those nasty habits and decided to get their sh@# together! We both woke up at 4 this morning, Rache fed Iza when she woke up and I went and layed down with Iza after her feeding. At 5 Rache went off to do yoga on the roof and I sat in Zazen for a while on the front porch.

 

Kurtis-Brand-Zazen

 

Rache Brand-yoga

Afterwards Rache started getting ready for her first commute into Panajachel to work and Iza and I ate a killer breakfast of raw chia seed pudding with coconut milk, lightly fried plantains, and fresh fruit salad. Rache wanted to wait to eat because she heard that the place she was going has excellent breakfast (turned out to be true, see shortly in another post).

the-brand-fam-raw-food
Breakfast of raw chia seed with coconut milk pudding, fresh fruit salad, plantains fried in coconut oil, and turmeric and ginger tea.
the-brand-fam-zazen-view
My view from the meditation bench.
A flower along the creek on the way into town.
A flower along the creek on the way into town.

 

I think we are finally getting back to the way we love to live.

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Sesshin (7 day Zen Retreat in Ithaca, NY), Vegan and Gluten Free!

So Rache was extremely kind to let me take part in Sesshin in Ithaca, NY. Sesshin is a silent 7 day meditation retreat and is the life-blood of Zen practice. How often do we get to get away from the distraction of our daily lives and get time to focus inward without need for thinking, planning doing, etc and try to discover who we truly are? Sound easy? NOT! Spending 8-10 hours a day in meditation and having everything in your life appear before you can be extremely difficult. Most of us spend all of our time just trying to get by. We never have time for introspection and, honestly, we don’t want that time. Because then we have to deal with our minds directly and there is no escape. No escape. No computers, iphones, food, drink, exercise, TV, iphones, movies….just ourselves and our own minds. But the more we practice this the better we get and the more we begin to understand ourselves (or lack thereof).

I was fortunate enough to cook for 25 people for this retreat and everyone was so grateful that I tried to make the food as vegan and gluten free as possible. I had some great help in the kitchen and we made it through. What a great experience! I wish to thank everyone that took part in the Sesshin for all of their hard effort and gratitude!

I don’t know when I will be able to take part in Sesshin again as it definitely takes a toll on a family with a small child. At this point I really have to put my nose to the grindstone and make things happen for the Brand Fam so Rache and Iza can have a better life.

Thanks again Rache and Iza! I will do everything I can to repay you for this time.

Alicia of Pura Vida in San Miguel Allende made these incredible gluten free shortcakes to celebrate our last day of the retreat.
Alicia of Pura Vida in San Miguel Allende made these incredible gluten free shortcakes to celebrate our last day of the retreat.

 

Alicia and Ithaca Zen Center Monk, Polly, Preparing the Vegan Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake.

 

The Finished Dessert. I made the rhubarb sauce with fresh rhubarb from the Zen Center garden and also made the raw cashew cream for the topping. Finished off with a spearmint sprig that grows everywhere.

 

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Getting Grounded at the Ithaca Zen Center

There are times in my life where I am happily lost in a sea of logistics and transition. This is not one of those times. I am coming off of 2 months of non-stop work and stress with a research project and a large work project mixed with travel, family pressures and generally being a mother; enough to throw anyone off balance. But my reactions are getting worse and worse. I had a total meltdown yesterday, about a million things… the two big ticket items were work and Bells Palsy. Neither surprising, but at the root I would assume moving is probably the biggest stresser. We are homeless, in flux and transitioning into the unknown. It’s scary.

Kurt is a Zen Buddhist and has spent the greater part of 15 years studying and mastering the art of letting go. In many ways his practice provides a vehicle to disconnect from the crap life throws at him and remember why we are all here: to live. We are in Ithaca for a week for a silent retreat he goes to twice a year. He allows himself 2 weeks a year to unwind. Why can’t I allow myself the same?

So, we are here in Ithaca and enjoying the solitude while Kurt gets sane and I meltdown. I suppose it is my process, just like his process is to meditate and let go I need to erupt and then cool down.

The birds are chirping in the early morning and last night the frogs were at it “ribbiting” all night. There is little else heard and it is really beyond peaceful, it is Zen. It is giving me a chance to face where I am and acknowledge the present moment. It is hard for me to let go. I fight it even though I know I need to. I know I have to make a lot of changes over the next few months (years, etc.), but today I feel resolved with my present state. I am where I am.

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A BRAND New Year: Happy 2015

Dear Family and Friends,
Another year gone by… seems hard to believe that we are already writing another New Year’s letter. Let me start with, we hope you have the most Happy Holidays this year. We are thrilled that you are apart of our life, and while we live far away, you are all close to our heart.

It has been quite the year for The Brand Fam. We have moved 6 times (2 in NYC at the start of the year and 4 times in Guatemala) and each time we have literally built a home that suits the house style, the needs of the kitchen, etc. We have gone in and out of our storage in Newburgh 10 times and even living in Guatemala we ventured back for 1 visit to get what we needed. Rache has completed two very intense work projects, and Kurt has had very little time to paint due to all our moving which has given him an expansive amount of time for thinking and preparing for execution. Iza is walking, talking and eating us out of house and home… she is a kid. We are different than we were last year this time, and it feels good to be heading in a new direction, one which is hopefully forward towards our future goals.

Looking back is pretty scary, but also enlightening. We have made so many bad choices, but have had so many learnings which have helped to shape our current goals. We are happy as a family and fulfilled in so many ways, and as most people say, “these are the best years of our lives.” We work hard, play hard and rest hard. In between we are really breathing towards the little moments and finding salvation in our love for each other.

What have we been doing?
A LOT. Everything from working on our art, to learning Spanish, to working with Rache’s clients, to building a long-term business plan, and executing on all of it. We have been working our butts off, and all mostly without power and internet. We are learning the ways and customs of life without our creature comforts, living in an emerging market. Ultimately we are in the throws of ‘finding our voice’ and trying to build something sustainable.

We Miss Everyone.
We are in a place where time stands still in someways and Groundhog Day appears regularly, and it is far away from what we know. The busyness of NYC, the solitude of Ormond, the snow and toasty fires in Cincinnati, the salty sun-rays of Maryland,  the conversations from Vermont / NoHo, the laughter in Lancaster, and the clever shops of Berkeley. We are here: our home in Guatemala. It has been a beautiful adventure, and one that we needed to reignite our zest for life and recharge our batteries (odd phrase since having no power has literally offered enough sleep to truly recharge), and one that we will force ourselves to continue until our lease ends. That’s right folks, a 1-year lease. Somehow we can commit to a child, but committing to a lease is very difficult. 🙂

Our Goals are BIG
This coming year we plan to hunker down and not go anywhere; focus on our passion projects and make things happen for ourselves. Kurt’s studio projects and Rache’s patterns are two very tangible directions… but there is a lot more about to happen. We will share parts and pieces throughout the year, but we hope you are there with us in spirit and rooting us on, regardless.

Kurtis-Brand

Patterns-by-Rache

 

 

 

 

We wish you all a Happy and positive start to your New Year. We see this as a fresh start for us and we hope our passion has reignited you too.

Love, blessings and a million hugs and kisses. 

Raco-Love

 

Kurtis, Rache & Iza

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So We are Back on Track!

Finally, after about oh… 7 months, we are BACK ON TRACK! What a whirlwind pregnancy and the first few weeks of baby are. I had no idea, nor did Kurt. We have a lot to catch up on for RA’CO!

We have been detoxing for the last 2 weeks. Kurt has been the full-on detox and I have been doing simple foods, but with additional calories so I could breastfeed successfully. So, we are up to a variety of fun things…

  • Green Juice
  • Energy Soup
  • Salads
  • Brown Rice

Sounds boring, but it is intensely satisfying. We are cleaner and have more of a glow than we ever have before. It feels good. Our pores are closing in. 🙂 YAY.

 

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A Week of Thanks

It has been a long, long week. Full of delicious food and lots of laughs. Cincinnati is where Kurt is from, but it is also not too far from where Rache lived from ages 7-12 (the most impressionable years), so it feels like home to us both. It has been great to see everyone and to catch up…

…but we are not going to sugar coat it; being in someones home, no matter whose it is, is hard. You feel out of place and often just a little awkward… not because your host makes you feel that way, but because you are out of your element. We are both exhausted and can’t wait to get back to home and to our work.

Some of the highlighted respites, have been out in the fields, walking around or on a run together or just laying in bed in our own space for a few minutes each morning. Those moments have been exactly what we both needed to recenter ourselves.t

Also, the food has been the most noticeable bonding experience. Beginning last Thursday we have been in foodie heaven, traveling all around to the coolest grocery stores (have you seen the new Whole Foods store?) and venturing out for cool restaurant experiences. Check out our post on our travels or Thanksgiving.

The night before Thanksgiving we cooked for Kurt’s dad and his siblings and their children. It was fun, beginning with super tasty deep fried gluten free Apple Fritters and ending with incredible Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. We will post the recipes soon, but man o’ man was it tasty!

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Sunday Mornings

It is a great thing to wake up on Sundays and be together. Make breakfast (always Rache’s famous pancakes and green juice), get to work on our individual projects and jam out to fantastic tunes. Tea is steeping and always hot, PJ’s are in full swing and whatever state the world is in, doesn’t matter for the moment. We are here, together, happily.

Today is like no other Sunday. We are writing and working away and Rache just finished making (and now has to clean up) her pancake mess. Kurt is finally back in the studio today, getting the walls prepped out of request from Rache. Our apartment is 1/2 dedicated to living and 1/2 studio and the studio part is essential to the flow of the space. Kurt’s lack of work has been a loss in his spirit as much as our interior design. It is time to get started again!

Lately, we have both been down a little, trying to figure out our next move. Z!BE is on its way in just under 24 weeks and we have a lot to do in order to get ready. It is amazing how you instantly become parents. All things, but especially money, matters in a way it never did before. We have to make something happen with Kurt’s work and Rache has to make a shift from work soon.

We will keep you up on our evolution of selves as time goes. But for now, make pancakes and celebrate SUNDAY!

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